Have you noticed that the person you think should have the answer to menstrual cramps doesn’t have any answer?

Your doctor is male, and he may have general advice about cramps but a simple thing such as what to drink to relieve menstrual cramps is something he shrugs his shoulders at and gives you a blank look.

Even your own mother may seem clueless about what to drink to relieve menstrual cramps. She says hot water but who can drink hot water with nothing in it?

Surely her 25 years of cramps practice must have produced some other solutions.

Let’s look at some real answers to what to drink to relieve menstrual cramps. Here’s a list of five things that should help.

1. Water

Hot water is better than cold water when you have cramps because your body can make immediate use of the hot water without having to use body temperature to warm it up.

But why not add some herbs to the hot water so you can double the potency?

Add some raspberry leaf tea, which has been known for centuries to stop cramps. Use the standard one teaspoon herbs per cup of boiling hot water, and don’t be afraid of toxicity. It doesn’t exist with raspberry tea.

The reason why you want to up your water in your diet during this time of the month is that water contributes to the ‘rinsing’ cycle of your body, and rinses out the toxins that the menstrual flow is pulling out of your body.

Foods are also a good source of water, so eating cucumbers, celery, watermelon, lettuce, and berries is always a great idea, too.

2. Yogurt Smoothies

Yogurt smoothies are like raspberry tea – they do double duty to help you meet your goal of finding the answer of what to drink to relieve menstrual cramps and provide extra calcium with probiotics. The calcium could relieve cramps by itself; the probiotics makes sure that you’re not constipated. Constipation increases cramps.

By the way, high calcium foods include other dairy products like cheese, salmon bones, and dark green leafy vegetables such as mustard greens, collard greens and turnip greens.

3. Green Drink Smoothies

High magnesium foods like dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, mustard greens and collard greens) are easily added to the blender along with an apple, protein shake mix, berries, and a tablespoon of green herb powder (alfalfa, barley greens, wheat grass juice dehydrate, spirulina, and chlorella).

So blend away and record your favorite drink for relieving cramps. You may need the recipe in 28 days; don’t depend on your memory for this important information.

4. Ginger Tea

Ginger is excellent for helping relieve menstrual cramps, as it’s an antispasmodic herb. Ginger is also high in germanium, the element that helps oxygenate the body. More oxygen in the body means less chance for pain. It’s quite soothing as you drink it.

If you don’t have powdered ginger, no problem! Use the real ginger root just like Grandma did in her time. Grate about a tablespoon and place it in a coffee cup. Pour boiling water on top and let it steep about 5 minutes. Then sip away.

5. Prune Juice

Many women tend to get constipated at that time of the month, and when they’re constipated, they can’t think of any solution of what to drink to relieve menstrual cramps. This is where the roto-rooter prune juice comes in. Drink 5 oz. and let it percolate and stay close to the bathroom because all ‘hell’ will break loose – and with that hell is your cramps!

What Not to Drink

Not only do you need to know what TO drink to relieve menstrual cramps, but also what NOT TO drink. Remember these two facts and you’ll save yourself some cramping.

1. Stay away from drinks (or foods) loaded with sugar.

The reason why these are a bad idea is that sugary foods end up robbing the body of calcium and magnesium. These minerals are stolen from the blood, and then reserves in the bone have to replenish them. You end up with lower levels of calcium and magnesium in your body, which can then cause more cramps. Foods high in sugar also will cause blood sugar fluctuations that can be responsible for mood swings, another symptom commonly found in women with PMS.

2. Forget the Alcohol

Yep, just forget it. It’s not worth the cramps. Alcohol lowers magnesium levels and the result for you is menstrual cramps.

Now, you’ve got the answers for:

• what to drink when you have period cramps
• do cold drinks make menstrual cramps worse? (no)
• do hot drinks help menstrual cramps? (yes)
• what are the best hot or cold drinks for menstrual cramps?what are the best drinks for menstrual cramps? (depends on your body)

One other thing your mom didn’t tell you because she didn’t know this: don’t forget to take your period vitamin. It could save you some serious cramps.