Dr. Ashok Mittal

6 effective ways to manage period pain

Although menstrual cycles or monthly periods are a normal physiological process, they can sometimes be accompanied by pain and excessive cramping and can affect your quality of life. While the pain is usually tolerable and goes away in a day or two, it can be worse on some occasions. Here are some effective ways to handle period pain:

1. Use a heating pad
You can place a heating pad or a hot water bottle over your lower abdominal area to help in relieving pain. Heat is quite helpful in easing the cramping and reducing the intensity of pain.

2. Massage with essential oils
Massaging with certain aromatic essential oils is also an effective way to relieve menstrual cramps. These include lavender oil, eucalyptus oil, clary sage oil and marjoram oil. Massage your lower back and abdomen with these oils for best results. You can massage at around bedtime for a restful sleep and relief from cramping.

3. Exercise
This might come as a surprise but exercise helps to release the pain relieving chemicals called endorphins. Experts suggest that women who exercise regularly often have less menstrual pain. To prevent cramps in the future, make exercise a part of your lifestyle.

4. Have herbal teas
Certain teas help in reducing the intensity of period pain and cramping. These include peppermint tea, cinnamon tea, ginger tea, chamomile tea and tulsi tea. You can add any of these teas during your periods for easing the pain and cramps.

5. Take a pain killer
You can take pain medications to relieve cramps. These include paracetamol, mefenamic acid and other analgesics. Paracetamol is an over the counter medicine but for others you will need a prescription from a doctor. It is best to take these medications as soon as bleeding or cramping starts. Painkillers can however cause side effects like acidity, gastritis and even stomach ulcers if taken too frequently.

6. Try pain relief patches
These are subcutaneous skin patches that can be applied directly over the skin. They are purely herbal and contain eucalyptus oil and menthol, both of which help in reducing cramping and relaxing the muscles. These patches release the ingredients in a controlled manner, thereby maintaining their levels in the blood stream throughout the day. This helps in ensuring long lasting action. They are easily available as over the counter medications. The advantages of these patches are that they are 100% herbal, are extremely easy to use and are free from side effects that can occur by popping painkillers on a regular basis.

So, go ahead and try these pain relieving therapies and enjoy pain free periods. Stay healthy, stay happy!