Is your monthly cycle driving you crazy? Today’s article covers a PMS hack that is so easy, you’ll wish you read this article years ago. Menstruating can be a tough time, exhausting, really! A woman’s uterus sheds its lining at fairly regular monthly intervals and that can be quite a tiring process to endure, as many of us can attest to. At the time of birth, there are approximately 1 million eggs, but by puberty, only several hundred thousand remain.
Of those, approximately 350 eggs will be ovulated month after month during a woman’s most reproductive phase. After menopause, there are no more eggs.
It truly is quite a phenomenon. Each of us experiences this in our own way and it can be more unpleasant for some than others, especially if estrogen dominance is occurring. This condition is associated with uterine fibroids which a physician needs to evaluate and treat.
I have an article that I wrote where you can learn more, Natural Strategies for Uterine Fibroids. You can also read 4 Foods You Can Eat For Breast Health to learn more about how you can change the way you break down estrogen in your own body by eating certain foods.
Here are the Best PMS Hacks
The periods are more painful, and bleeding is more prominent. In an attempt to help out my fellow friends, today’s article discusses very simple hacks to make that time of month a little bit less stressful and painful. If the menstrual cramping (termed dysmenorrhea) is severe of course, visit your gynecologist for professional advice. Before I get into the less conventional hacks, consider an over-the-counter (OTC) analgesic. If you’d like to take a few minutes to learn more, read my other article, Which is Better, Advil or Tylenol?
One more thing before getting started. An estimated 30 to 60 percent of women experience breast pain just before their period. If that’s you, I wrote an article that can help you HERE.
1. Try the Warmth of a Hot Pack.
Obvious as it may seem, using a hot pack can be incredibly soothing during a menstrual cycle. The warmth that radiates into the abdominal muscles instantly eases superficial pain associated with PMS. Having a hot pack in your home that you can microwave when needed is a necessity. Hot packs can be used for a variety of other health matters including joint stiffness, muscle spasms, chronic injuries, arthritis, sprains, strains and much more! They are especially helpful when it comes to easing those deep cramps that seem to be burrowing in the small of your back or radiating throughout the pelvis area.
You might be surprised by how effective it can be to take just 10 minutes, lay down and let the warmth of a heating pad, or microwavable hot pack penetrate into your achy muscles. In the winter months, I recommend heating up your pack before bed and cuddling with it for a good nights’ sleep! Some hot packs contain lavender aroma which is released once warmed, adding another layer of calm. Now… a word to the wise: Be sure you invest in a high quality hot pack. Cheaper ones may heat poorly (or unevenly) and can hurt or burn your skin when applied. Get one that will last and I’m sure you will use it more often than you think!
2. Chocolate is a Tasty PMS Hack!
A cliche, to be certain, but for good reason but the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao) is what ultimately brings us that luxury we know as chocolate. Perhaps, I don’t even need to expend much energy convincing you of this, but for arguments sake, let me just share the highlights of why eating dark chocolate is a tasty PMS relief hack.
For starters, dark chocolate contains magnesium. Magnesium is proven to naturally relax and calm the smooth muscles of the uterus. By the way, it also relaxes smooth muscles, that’s why it reduces blood pressure. But back to the uterus, in doing so, this action alleviates cramping making it a great PMS hack you’ll ever find! You might have to eat a lot of chocolate though, so for that reason, I recommend dietary supplementation for magnesium, especially chelated magnesium which his gentle on the stomach. I have a clean, potent version of this at my vitamin shop.
If magnesium is taken daily, it may reduce, and in some cases, completely eliminate some of the worst symptoms of dysmenorrhea.* Dark chocolate also contains copper, manganese and iron, all of which contain prebiotic fiber which feeds your healthy gut bacteria. If a magnesium supplement isn’t something you want to do (because it will lower blood pressure), then you can take a bath with Epsom salts which provide transdermal magnesium. But eating magnesium (in the form of chocolate) it is way more fun if you’re looking for a PMS hack at midnight!
Eating chocolate also releases endorphins, specifically dopamine, which in turn reduces the symptoms associated with monthly cramping. If you’re still not convinced, let me just say that chocolate, at the very least, can act as a comfort food during that joyous time of the month due to its sweet, but slightly bitter and rich flavor. It improves production of serotonin and dopamine which helps with anxiety during your cycle. If you have a lot of allergies, please read this article I wrote entitled, Dark Chocolate Might Cause Allergies Due to Hidden Compounds.
3. Exercise Works Well Too!
While we’re on the subject of endorphins, exercise has been scientifically proven to help alleviate body aches associated with menstrual cycle pain over time. We also know it’s a stress-buster so exercising is simple, cost-effective PMS hack!
Endorphins during exercise are released from the hypothalamus in your brain. I hesitate to quote Elle Woods from the 2008 movie Legally Blonde, but she really did say it best!
She expressed her reasoning to defend a woman suspected of murder and she said,”Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands! They just don’t.”
The opiate receptors in the brain interact with the released endorphins and through this process, we then perceive pain in a different, lesser way. I know that when we are cramping or menstruating, the last thing most of us want to do is work out, or lift kettlebells, or go to a hot, sweaty yoga class… but the truth of it is that your body will respond positively and you’ll walk away feeling much better than when you started. You can do something gentle too, it doesn’t have to be full-on heart-stopping aerobics, just move and use exercise as a PMS hack as often as you can.
4. Oogasma. Orgasmo. Orgasme.
In whatever language, the blessed orgasm is sure to be a hit! Similar to the previous section regarding the release of endorphins and the immediate after-effect (a reduction in perceived pain), the Big O serves as an analgesic and therefore a free and easy PMS hack!
You can’t feel pain when you feel pleasure, it’s not very complicated. Scientifically speaking, following an orgasm, release of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and other feel-good chemicals work to immediately reduce pain in the body. If you have any kind of pain in the body, like a backache or headache, the pain will lessen temporarily.
You may also find that you can sleep better as a result. Studies suggest that post-orgasm (and perhaps during), the female threshold for pain increases quite dramatically and can even jump to over 105%. It may also please you to know that because of the increase in blood flow during menstruation, one might also experience a higher intensity, or prolonged orgasm as well.
Self-induced or partner-provided does not appear to make a difference from a biochemical standpoint. The body’s immediate and heightened response to pleasure (of any sort, including sex) reduces cytokines that cause pain, while simultaneously increase pain-relieving hormones that last much longer than the moment itself.
5. Aromatherapy with Essential Oils is a PMS Hack.
There is almost no limit to the uses for essential oils (EOs) and PMS is no exception. Lavender oil is an easy way to help with anxiety, pain, bloating and even depression.
Peppermint improves oxygen flow to the muscles. Its most famous use is for a tension headache. Try applying a few drops to your belly and massage it in with cream. Inhale it, or use in a diffuser. This is a very affordable PMS hack that you can keep on hand and aside from this use, it has other benefits – for example it can help with headaches and also IBS.
Helichrysum or Frankincense are two other essential oils to consider. A drop or two rubbed into the bottom of your feet makes for a convenient way to take care of yourself because you will get the benefits as these go into your bloodstream, long after you’ve put your socks on and gone about your day.
As with most things, essential oils are not meant to cure a disease, but they’re easy to keep in your purse and apply (or sniff) during the day. The aromatic oils go into your bloodstream instantly so do not underestimate the power of EOs. A little bottle of this or that (or both) offer you a “PMS Hack” that comes with other fringe benefits.
6. Chasteberry is A Fastest Acting PMS Hack!
Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus) is also called Monk’s Pepper, and it comes from the Mediterranean. Dietary supplements are available in the U.S. and have long been prized to help with female complaints, both for PMS and post-menopausal issues. It stimulates progesterone and therefore, helps balance high estrogen. There is some limited data to suggest this herbal extract may also be helpful in reducing calcium (serum), and supporting healthy parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. You may be interested in My Recovery and Reflections for Parathyroid Disease.
⚠️ Women who are pregnant or nursing should not take this herb. Chasteberry has a widespread effect on prolactin and other hormones, so ask your practitioner if it’s right for you. The image at the top of the beautiful flowers is a photo of Chaste tree, (Vitex agnus-castus) a.k.a. vitex, lilac chaste tree, chasteberry, Abraham’s balm, and monk’s pepper. The Chaste tree contains many constituents that are a PMS hack, it’s not just all about chasteberry. It also contains an antioxidant called kaempferol.
I’ve written about the benefits of this relatively new natural compound, so if you have 5 minutes, read, Stop Counting Carbs, Eat Kaempferol. If you’d like to read more about this herb, visit the website for American Family Physician.
7. Raspberry Leaf tea is an Affordable PMS Hack
You may not expect much from a tea made of fruit, but you’d be wrong. This little hack is among the fastest (and best) ones I had ever tried. Raspberries are known botanically as Rubus idaeus L. and belong to the rose family! You can buy commercially prepared tea bags, I saw a great organic brand selling 16 tea bags for about $6 so it’s a very affordable PMS hack, especially if you only drink say 4 tea bags a month!
If raspberry leaf tea doesn’t completely cure your monthly issues, just a cup should take down severe cramp pain to a dull roar! For decades, women have known that raspberries will help with lady problems! The extracts and phytochemicals in this fruit help because they are antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory so they are a good PMS hack. Just a note of caution, raspberries contain some natural salicylates and you should know this in case you are allergic to aspirin.
You should read my article about, 36 Foods that Contain Aspirin if this is something you feel you’re sensitive too. Spoiler alert –> peaches, zucchini and broccoli all contain some natural salicylates.
If you’ve seen any herbs or EOs here that you want to try, please be sure to check with your practitioner before adding to your drug regimen. Use common sense and caution if you are pregnant, nursing or have young ones nearby.
Here are 2 Final, but Important Thoughts
If you want to try a PMS hack or two above, or even several of them, I recommend you do that first to see if you can manage your own health without it getting too complex. But for some of you, it will require a qualified professional to manage your hormones and get you on a better track to health. The doctor will want to know estrogen levels, as well as DHEA, testosterone, your alpha reductase pathway, methylation and COMT function… much more! I highly recommend a convenient at-home hormone test: The DUTCH Complete Hormone Test
Information from the DUTCH Complete test will help you make you adjustments to your medications (if you take any), as well as to your vitamin regimen. This will greatly improve the ratios of your hormone metabolites. And in doing so, you can ease your monthly cycle problems once and for all. Moreover, the information derived from this type of test will help your doctor reduce your risk for producing cancer-causing metabolites. Yes, you can change the way you metabolize hormones! The DUTCH test is normally sold through physicians, but because I am a Provider for the company, I can sell it directly to you. CLICK HERE to learn more. Or CLICK HERE to read an article about it.
Men can experience symptoms of estrogen/testosterone imbalance and since they don’t have a monthly menstrual period, it impacts their prostate gland instead. So if this is of concern to someone you live, CLICK HERE to read. Hormonal imbalances can be detrimental to the skin and lead to oily skin, blemishes, cystic acne and more. If dermatological issues are at play, along with monthly cycle irregularities, consider DermaScript. Capsules of DermaScript™ is NOT a PMS hack, however it addresses all kinds of annoying, unsightly complexion problems, and for that matter, wounds all over your body, not just your face.
Suzy Cohen, has been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years and believes the best approach to chronic illness is a combination of natural medicine and conventional. She founded her own dietary supplement company specializing in custom-formulas, some of which have patents. With a special focus on functional medicine, thyroid health and drug nutrient depletion, Suzy is the author of several related books including Thyroid Healthy, Drug Muggers, Diabetes Without Drugs, and a nationally syndicated column.
