Yoga Poses for Dysmenorrhea

FitSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Dysmenorrhea. A big word meaning severe aching and throbbing menstrual cramps. About 50% of women have painful periods (no wonder we're all so unhappy). These cramps can be sharp, constant, intermittent, or dull, and women feel them in their lower abdomen and back. They are caused by uterine contractions, and can be aggravated by emotional stress. These piercing pains may come right before you get your period or during, and usual go away after Aunt Flo leaves you.

Now everyone has cramps, but when I say dysmenorrhea - I'm talking about crippling, can't get through your normal day kind of pain. Some women get awful headaches and severely nauseas (I had a friend who used to throw up from the pain). Another thing - people with dysmenorrhea usually have really heavy periods. Twice the fun.

Some women take pain meds to deal, but you may want to give these yoga poses a try. For me, sometimes getting my body moving (and out of fetal position on the couch) really helps with cramps.

Ahh, Wide Squat pose. Hip pain can be part of the whole cramp scene, so stretching them out feels really good.

Want to see the other poses that might help? Then read more

Pigeon pose also opens your hips, but sometimes it feels better to work one side at a time. If you keep your torso lifted, it stretches out your lower back, but if you lie your torso down on your front leg, it's really relaxing. It feels great to hang out in this pose for a few minutes on each side.

Stretching out your lower and upper back can also relieve cramps. This one called Camel also stretches out the front of the hips, belly, chest and shoulders.

If you don't feel like moving your body much, sitting in this pose called Hero is a great way to relax the body and calm your thoughts.

Ibuprofen Beats Acetaminophen for Menstrual Pain

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:15:00 -0800

Although both ibuprofen and acetaminophen reduce menstrual pain, ibuprofen appears to be more potent for pain relief.

Although ibuprofen is accepted as an effective treatment for painful periods, or dysmenorrhea, there is still controversy about the usefulness of acetaminophen.

To investigate further, a small trial was conducted involving 12 women with dysmenorrhea. They were given three different treatments in random order for three different periods: 1000 milligrams of acetaminophen, 400 milligrams of ibuprofen, or an inactive placebo, four times daily for three days.

The women rated the active medications as being more effective than the placebo. However, it appears that ibuprofen has a greater effect, and patients also preferred it.

Well there you have it. When a heating pad doesn't cut it for cramps, I'm reaching for some good old ibuprofen.