MediArticles » Women Health Articles

Painful Periods (Dysmenorrhoea)

Aliz Was — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:13:13 +0000

Introduction

It is estimated that between 50 and 70 percent of women endure some degree of period pain and cramping. Of those, approximately 10 percent experience contractions so extreme that they are one and a half times more powerful than labour pains.

How painful is painful?
Every month many women suffer from pain around the time of their periods. For some women the pain can be so debilitating that they are forced to take time off work or can only get through their periods by dosing themselves with painkillers. Pain is normally considered to be a message from your body, telling you that something is wrong and that an investigation is in order. However, painful periods are viewed somewhat differently by the medical profession and many women who complain of period pains are advised to take a painkiller and to get on with it.

Every one of us has a different pain threshold, and it is impossible to imagine what another person might be experiencing. Only you know whether or not your period pains are unacceptably high for you, and if the pain is affecting the quality of your life, it’s time to do something about it.

What symptoms could you experience?
Obviously pain is the overriding symptom in dysmenorrhoea, but many women will experience other symptoms, including:

nausea
vomiting
diarrhoea/constipation
fainting
light-headedness
feeling dizzy
headaches
exhaustion and lethargy

The pain itself can vary and women will often experience two types of pain:

a constant low back ache like a dull ache (congestive dysmenorrhoea)

and/or

cramping pains like contractions (spasmodic dysmenorrhoea)

What are your choices?

Because pain is usually a warning signal from your body, it is important that the pain is investigated. But period pains can, however, be unusual in that there may actually be nothing medically wrong and are simply an abnormal functioning of your body around the time of your period. This is pretty good news because it means that if you can get things back into balance, you’ll not only get rid of the pain but you’ll prevent it from returning. What the natural approach aims to do is to treat the condition, not simply mask the pain or ‘turn off’ your cycle. Furthermore, if you work to put your body back into balance, all aspects of health and well-being will be improved.

Supplements

The supplements recommended below have been studied in clinical trials and have been found to be effective in connection with painful periods. For best result you should take them over a period of three months, at the end of which you should be reassessed in order to monitor improvements and changes and then adjust the supplement programme according to your new condition.

Multivitamin and Mineral
A good quality multivitamin and mineral would form the foundation of your supplement programme to make sure that you are getting a ‘little bit of everything’. You then add in those nutrients in slightly higher amounts which are known to be helpful for painful periods.

Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is needed to help produce ‘good’ prostaglandins which help to relax and widen blood vessels as opposed to ‘bad’ prostaglandins which increase the womb contractions and increase the pain. So it is worth taking a good B-complex supplement. This vitamin has been shown to significantly reduce the intensity and duration of period pains.

Vitamin B1
This B vitamin is very effective in helping with period pain. In one study, it was given to 556 women (aged 12 to 21 years) who had moderate to severe dysmenorrhoea. Some of the women were given the B1 first for 90 days and then changed to a placebo. Others were given the placebo first for 90 days and the B1 next. A full 87 percent of the women were completely cured after starting the B1 treatment. This effect remained for at least two months after the B1 was stopped.

Vitamin B12
Because both vitamins B1 and B6 are helpful with treating period pains, the best approach is to take a vitamin complex. This also gives you vitamin B12 and it has been found that a combination of fish oil and B12 is actually more effective than just fish oil on its own for relieving dysmenorrhoea.

Vitamin E
Up to 70 percent of women have found the supplementation of vitamin E to be useful in treating painful periods.

Vitamin C and bioflavonoids
Bioflavonoids are helpful with period pain because they help to relax smooth muscle and reduce inflammation. Bilberry is one of the best bioflavonoids for this, but other bioflavonoids can be helpful. Include berries of any kind (including blackberries, blackcurrants, raspberries and even grapes) in your diet.

Magnesium
Magnesium acts as a muscle relaxant and it has been shown to have a beneficial effect on painful periods and lower back pain so it is worth taking as a supplement.

Magnesium also has the ability to lower the ‘bad’ prostaglandins that may be causing the womb to overcontract.

Finally, along with vitamin B6, magnesium is required by your body to help convert the essential fats into beneficial prostaglandins. Try always to take them together.

Zinc
This mineral is important for eliminating period pains because it is needed for the proper conversion of essential fatty acids.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
Taking EFAs in supplement form is extremely important in the treatment of painful periods. Research has shown that women with low intakes of Omega 3 fatty acids (the ones that come from fish, linseed and walnuts), have more painful periods than women who have a good intake. The study that found this link also discovered that the extent of the pain was connected to the ratio or balance of the Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats. The women with the worst period pains ate a much lower ratio of Omega 3 fats in relation to Omega 6 fats – a 1 to 4 ratio.

I would suggest adding either fish (EPA) or linseed oil capsules in order to keep the ‘bad’ prostaglandins under control.

Bromelain
This is an enzyme contained in pineapples and it has been found to be extremely useful for treating painful periods. It has anti-inflammatory properties and helps as a natural blood thinner. Bromelain also acts as a smooth muscle relaxant and is thought to decrease the ‘bad prostaglandins and increase the ‘good’ prostaglandins.

Tests

Tests are extremely useful, in that they can tell you what deficiencies you have at the moment and then for you to know what supplements would be useful to take to correct those deficiencies. You would then be re-tested after three to four months to monitor your progress and to adjust the supplement programme accordingly.

Disclaimer

The contents of this site are for information only and are intended to assist readers in identifying symptoms and conditions they may be experiencing. This site is not intended to be a substitute for taking proper medical advice and should not be relied upon in this way. Always consult a qualified doctor or health practitioner, especially if you are pregnant, taking the pill or on any medication. Your situation will need to be looked at individually and you should not attempt to self treat. The author and publisher cannot accept responsibility for illness arising out of the failure to seek medical advice from a doctor.

Getting started to lose weight

Aliz Was — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:47:01 +0000

Getting started is often the most difficult part. Taking the steps to lose weight, tone your body, or just feel healthy is usually the hardest and most important. So, if you ARE here, then you have made the first step and now its time for us to walk you through the steps you will need to figure your plan for diet and fitness success!

These first 5 steps are very important in helping you to achieve your goals! Make sure to incorporate them into your goal setting.

. Buy yourself a journal or notebook. You will want to write EVERYTHING down! It’s a great way to remember what exactly you are doing and also to see changes.

. Set a specific goal! Do you want to go down 2 pants sizes? Lose 10% BF? Lose 10 lbs? Buid up muscle? Write it down!

. Write down all your current measurements. Weight, waist size, hip size, thighs, etc.

. Take pictures. You will want to look back and see where you started and how awesome you look 3, 6, 9 months from now!

. Develop a plan of action. Plan your workouts and your meals and act on them consistently. If they are planned, you are more likely to follow through with them.

Stay with your current plan for at least 12 weeks, even if you are not seeing any changes. Believe me, they are not gonna happen overnight and the more patient you are, the happier you will be in the end!

Determine your caloric needs:
This will help you determine how many calories you should eat daily.

*Fat loss= multiply your body weight by 12-13 = your calories
*Maintenance (TDEE)= multiply your body weight by 15-16 = your calories
*Weight gain= multiply your body weight by 18-20 = your calories

This is a basic way of finding a calorie range.

Nutrition Tips:

You must drink plenty of water!
When I say plenty of water I don’t mean 8- 8oz glasses of water! I mean 80-100 oz. of water everyday especially if you are doing lots of cardio. Being dehydrated can and will mess with your metabolism. Water is such a simple thing and yet most of us have the most trouble getting enough down everyday.

Start tracking your meals and calories.
The very best thing you can do is track your calories. Start out by tracking what you normally eat for a week or so to see just exactly all the foods that your are putting in your body. Then when you have figured out what calorie range you need to eat, you will want to enter foods to stay wihin that range.
Don’t cheat yourself, you must enter everything. Even that nibble of your kids sandwich. In the long run you will be happy you did. Most people find that when they have to be accountable for every little bite, they are more likely not to have it!
Pay attention to the labels.
When you are in the grocery store do most of your shopping on the outside of the store, where the foods with little to no preservatives are. Of course you will need to go into the isles to grab your canned foods and spices. But the more you follow this rule the more you notice how many chemicals are put into our food.
Eat foods closest to their natural state.
It may be very hard to understand this at first, but you will get the hang of it quickly. For instance oatmeal is close to its natural state, but wheat thins are NOT! Choose 100% whole wheat when buying bread or tortillas. Whole grain does not always mean healthy, so it is very important to read those labels. Another very good rule of thumb is if you cannot pronounce it, don’t eat it! It is most often chemicals that are very hard for your body to digest. Sugar is very processed, so is splenda. Your best choice for sweetener is stevia. It is a very sweet herb, you only need a tiny bit to sweeten your oatmeal or coffee. The creamers that are premixed and flavored are full of chemicals also, so beware. Half & half does have more fat but worth the extra fat for its non-chemical state.
Start eating 5-6 times a day.
This may be hard at first, especially if you are only used to eating 2-3 meals. But your body adjusts pretty quick. Small meals every 2-3 hours is the best way to eat. This way your body is getting just enough to use for energy and wont be storing the extra cals from a big meal as fat. At every meal, have a protein, healthy carbs and good fats.
Exercise Tips:
You need to incorporate a good exercise plan

Cardio examples:
1. Bike
2. Treadmill
3. Elliptical
4. Cardio -EX. Taebo/Kickboxing
6. Spin class
7. Body Weight Circuits

Change up your workouts every 6-12 weeks.

This is the best way to keep your workouts from getting boring and making you less likely to keep up with them. It also helps to make sure that your body does not adapt to the same thing and gives you a better chance of reaching your goals!

Some other suggestions we have regarding supplements and vitamins:

1. Multi-vitamin
2. Chromium picolinate – to help curb sugar cravings
3. Fish Oil – helps aid in cardiovascular and also with joints
4. Coconut Oil – aid in weight loss, increased metabolism, increased energy levels.
5. Self tanners- benefit of nice tan without the sun rays.
*I recommend the Pro Tan Sunny Day Sunless Tanning Lotion
and the Pro Tan Night Tan - they both work great with no streaks and looks
natural!
6. 100% Whey Gold Standard Protein Powder – I LOVE the
Double Rich Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream.

Women’s Diet and Fitness

Aliz Was — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:33:55 +0000

Are you tired of looking at yourself in the mirror only to see the same old out of shape body? Are you looking for the motivation and support to help you get started with a new effective fitness routine?

We provide free exercises, weight loss and diet tips, fitness articles, healthy recipes and much more to achieve successful, healthy weight loss!

Women’s Diet and Fitness believes that every woman can achieve a desired body if she believes in herself and works whole-heartedly to achieve a healthy and fit body no matter what comes in her way. These changes will no only benefit her, but also her family.

The healthiest way to lose weight is not by using the latest fad diet or sudden bursts of exercise, but our bodies respond more positively to slow changes in terms fo food and exercise.

Healthy weight loss occurs slowly, promotes long-term healthy habits, fits into your lifestyle, includes physical activity and reduces calories but maintains a balance of nutrients.

If your serious about finding out what works best for your body, then you have come to the right place. Let us help YOU get the SEXIEST body ever!