Welcoming Aunt Flow

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Welcoming Aunt Flow

BY Elizabeth Bromstein

NOW | MAR 24 - 30, 2005 | VOL. 24 NO. 30

http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2005-03-24/goods_health.php

 

Just for fun I once calculated how much time the average North American

woman spends menstruating, and it worked out to about six years of her

life. Yes, that is if she never gets pregnant, but she'd still have to

have six kids to knock it down to about five years. That's a lot of time

to spend bleeding. A lot of time.

 

And for many of us it's terribly unpleasant. We get bitchy and bloated.

Hormone fluctuations fuck with our heads. We crave all kinds of foods,

but consuming them fails to satisfy. We have cramps so bad we can't get

out of bed. And what do we do? We pop painkillers that knock us out for

a quick fix or go on scary drugs that mess with our hormones long-term.

Basically, we grin and bear it while the male population smiles

indulgently at what it deems our quirky feminine dramatics. It's enough

to make you lose your shit.

 

Really bad pain, though, can be a sign of something much more serious,

like pelvic inflammatory disease or endometriosis. So always seek help

from an MD and an alt professional.

 

Some say troubles with the feminine reproductive system are exacerbated

by the excess of estrogen found in things like our water supply and soy

products, though others consider this nonsense.

 

In fact, sorting out the fictions in this area is harder than you think.

There's no such thing as a cure for PMS, but they've been telling us the

same things since we were old enough to hemorrhage. Drink lots of water.

Avoid salt and caffeine. Exercise. Take a bath in warm water.

 

How about some more ideas? We'll try anything.

 

What the experts say

 

" The reproductive system is part of the endocrine system, so if the

thyroid or adrenal gland is out of balance, it can cause symptoms of

PMS. I would suggest seeing a practitioner. Evening primrose oil is good

for inflammation and spasms. Be careful with emmenogogue herbs, [like

the ones below which affect the flow] especially if you're on the pill,

because they can change your cycle and you can get pregnant. The pill,

by the way, is so damaging. Red raspberry tea is an amazing tonic. Other

herbs are catnip , lavender , German camomile and lemon balm . Make a

blend of these and start drinking it on the first day of ovulation,

around day 15 or so. Do not take these all the way through your cycle.

Cramp bark is a uterine relaxant. There's also partridge berry , Queen

Anne's lace seed and angelica . Take one day before the cramps start. If

there's excessive bleeding, cinnamon is a good hemostatic. You want to

balance and not take just one herb. A congested liver or colon can also

be a factor. Bitter things like rapini or brussels sprouts help

decongest the liver, and you can increase fibre for the colon. " MONIKA

GHENT , registered herbalist, Toronto

 

 

 

" If you're in pain, you automatically begin to guard against that pain,

and that creates a lot of residual holding and tension in muscles and

organs around the pain. Place your hand on the area of discomfort and

very gently breathe and direct your breath into that area . Avoid deep

breathing exercises or techniques. Breathe as softly as possible. The

advantage of having your hand on the area is that it engages more of

your brain and the focus is deeper. "

 

MARION HARRIS , director, Feldenkrais Centre

 

" Painful periods are not caused by estrogen. Painful periods are

ovulatory periods. If you aren't ovulating, you don't have pain or

bloating. This is the result of prostaglandins and progesterone and is

not related to estrogen at all. I'm not convinced that there is estrogen

contamination in the environment. Some data has indicated that male

alligators in Florida have been feminized by too much estrogen, but

looking at the swampy waters of the Everglades is very different from

looking at our food supply here in Toronto. Soy doesn't really have

estrogen in it. It has some phyto-estrogens, or pseudo-estrogens, that

may stimulate the uterine lining to thicken, as we've seen in people who

consume too much soy. On the other hand, studies have shown that taking

soy to relieve hot flushes isn't very effective, so it's an incomplete

estrogen. If you feel you're having more pain than you should, go see a

doctor and get checked out. " CHRISTINE DERZKO , MD, associate professor,

U of T, specializing in endocrinology and the determinants of ovulation