I rarely take painkillers for headaches or muscle aches. But the other day after taking an ibuprofen for menstrual cramps I found myself wondering whether it was a good idea or whether I was suppressing something. The pain wasn't excruciating but it was enough to be a serious distraction from the things I had to do that day -- basically, just your normal cramps. I find it hard to believe that it's necessary to deal with that much pain on a monthly basis to avoid problems from suppression, but... what do you all think? Are some methods of pain relief better than others?

Any pain, in any part of the body, is a sign that a person's life force is unhealthy. Menstrual complaints, serious pain, unusual bleeding or clotting, strange discharges, PMS and so on, are all symptoms of a deeper problem. A woman should not have to put up with them. They can be cured by a moderately competent homoeopath. I can promise all my patients that any menstrual problems will be greatly improved, if not completely cured. Homoeopathy seems to be extraordinarily effective with this particular sort of imbalance, and I never really have any difficulty sorting it out. Even if the rest of the case resists my efforts to improve it, this particular sphere seems most easily ameliorated.

Having said all that, painkillers on their own aren't too bad, and if you have to, then do it. But don't fool yourself into thinking it is having no effect. Any symptom that is suppressed is causing some harm to your vital force. You don't have to endure it, as Homoeopathy can solve it, but painkillers are not the way.

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David Kempson.<br />Dip.Homoeopathic Medicine.<br />Lecturer Australian College of Natural Therapies (Brisbane Campus)<br />Member AHA, AROH, HMA<br />Member Australian Homoeopathic Association. Member#0442.

Hi CRA,

As I used to be a long time sufferer of menstrual cramps (age 14 to age 34), I think I'm entitled to an opinion about this....

I tried, in succession: "midol", aspirin to "block" prostaglandin production, ponstan, anaprox, tylenol3, the birth control pill, my mother's herbal concoctions, everyone else's herbal concoctions, ibuprofen, marijuana, and finally....good old alcohol and a day off whenever the cramps came. Of course, this was all over the course of 20 years. Of the lot, the alcohol was the most effective. I would drink just enough to make me incredibly sleepy...which is not much, actually--and then, after a good long rest including a numbed sleep, I would feel capable of operating again. But there was no way I could be functional during--so if I happened to be at work when the cramps started, I would have to get myself home before they became full blown.

I've since found that most women really need to have this time off to themselves to regenerate anyway--only I didn't consider suffering through cramps the ideal way to regenerate.

Once I started to learn more about hormones and prostaglandins, I realized it made more sense not to block the prostaglandins which produce pain but to encourage prostaglandins which eliminate pain...and one of the best ways to do this is with Oil of Evening Primrose, and some dietary modification (for example, making certain that you are eating enough omega 3 fatty acids in your foods, and eating the right omega 6 essential fatty acids...that is where the Evening primrose oil comes in). That significantly lessened my pains...as long as I continued to stick to my diet and religiously take the Evening primrose oil capsules 3 times a day. It helped a great deal, as, for the first time in 20 years I was able to actually function on the first day of my period--could remain at work, with relatively minor pains, and without the huge number of accessory symptoms I'd had in the past. In fact, I often recommend this type of treatment to patients who are on a constitutional remedy, to support them through the cramps until they lessen as a result of homeopathy. This regimen takes a month or two to "kick in", but it is very helpful. If you are not on a remedy, Mag Phos tissue salts work immediately in cases where cramps force the pt. to double over, and improve with hot applications. Arnica works well for severe pain for some people, too. But this is palliation--not to be confused with "cure". The best treatment involves good homeopathic prescribing for the whole symptom picture.

By far, the best thing I've ever taken for my cramps has been homeopathic remedies, as I haven't suffered from them since I started with homeopathy. I think this is the best route, as suppression of menstrual pain can lead to catastrophic results. Women have long been misled to believe that cramps are really just minor things--but they can signal some serious pathology, which, if suppressed with inappropriate use of remedies or allopathy, can become insidiously destructive.

So, the best thing to do with cramps is treat them homeopathically, with a well chosen remedy for YOU--but definitely have them checked out to rule out any serious threats no matter what you choose to do. A good remedy will fix whatever the problem is, but it is best to know its cause--it is far too easy to eliminate these pains homeopathically, and feel like cure has been achieved when it may not have been.

EFAs provide good support and help to alleviate the pain, and tissue salts are great for palliation too. But the real work of diagnosis has to be done so that suppression can be avoided all together. Try to stay away from the NSAIDs and the aspirin-based pain relievers (and also the tylenols) as they have side effects you would probably love to avoid.

Divina

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...and deliverance has many faces<br />but grace<br />is an aquaintance of mine

I have seen some very good results by using Cimicifuga and Agnus herbal tinctures(not
homoeopathic Mother tinctures) as supportive remedies. Agnus in fact balances the Hormones as well.

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Dr. Shashi Roy
"Sarve Santoo NirAamyah"<br />"Sarve Bhavantoo Sukhinaam"<br /><br />Best Regards<br /><br />Shashi Roy

Just a quick note to add to Divina's input:

If anyone takes Evening Primrose...it needs to be taken just before going to sleep. Otherwise it doesn't work. Can't recall the specifics, but it is only rendered effective in the body while sleeping..something to do with the way it is synthesised. Also, when I used it - it worked (just another boost for ya ) - and Divina's correct - it takes a wee while to feel the effects..for me it was one period cycle .

Hope this helps.
Lisa

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"The significance of a fact is measured by the capacity of the observer."
Carroll Dunham

Wow, that's all very interesting. As much as I respect the power of homeopathy, I really had never thought it could help menstrual cramps. I thought cramps were just an unavoidable part of menstruating, sort of like muscle aches with exercising, and I just considered myself lucky that they weren't that bad.

Just a quick question about Evening Primrose: am I just imagining it or did I hear somewhere that it can act as an abortifacient? I ask because it's possible that I might become pregnant, and I wouldn't want to interfere with that.

My, my, my--believing that menstrual cramps are normal...well, I almost did, but then I realized that not many women I knew reacted to their periods in quite the way I did!! Some never ever had cramps! But I sure am grateful to homeopathy, as cramps are simply no longer a part of my life.

I don't know where you would have come across that information about evening primrose oil--I do know that at one time the plant's roots were eaten as a food source in Europe, and that it has a very old tradition as a plant used for "female complaints"...but it was not made clear, in my sources, just what "complaints" those were. I haven't found any reference to this use, but this should be double checked.

The oil of the plant is a nutrient which is absolutely necessary for GLA production in the body, and the oil of evening primrose supplements--if the oil is cleanly pressed and not rancid, as other omega 6 fats in our diet tend to be--accomplishes this task very well. I would definitely consult a knowledgeable source for more information about this--like a qualified herbalist, who can tell you for certain whether any abortifacient qualities can be attributed to the oil, or whether they may exist if the plant is processed as a tincture or as an herbal preparation. In my experience, the oil seems to have an overall balancing effect on prostaglandin production in the body, which helps to restore the natural rhythm of the menstrual flow and ovulation...and it would seem that this would only facilitate conception. But, don't take my word for it! Check this out.

If you do find it may be an option after all, be picky about your oil. Get a very good quality oil that is expeller pressed (not refined and treated with harmful chemicals in processing). Balance your intake of the evening primrose with a daily dose of flax seed oil, too (same principal applies here--fresh, out of the fridge oil only!). Stop using "the other" omega 6 fatty acid oils such as canola, vegetable oil, safflower oil or other oils termed "vegetable" oils. Use butter or first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil for cooking instead. You should see an improvement in about 1 or 2 cycles, as Lisa says.

Hope this helps
Divina

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...and deliverance has many faces<br />but grace<br />is an aquaintance of mine

Dear CRA,

Go to your health food store and ask them to order you a can of Dolomite Powder by Shiff. Dolomite is calcium/magnesium.

Roughly one tsp. or less, mixed with roughly half a cup of water (it's totally tasteless) will banish the cramps in 10 minutes! It has never failed!

Snoopy

snoopy

do you know thw calcium to mag ratio in the dolomite??

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Man, do not pride yourself on your superiority to animals. For they are without sin and you in your greatness defile the earth by your appearance on it and leave traces of you foulness after you. Dostoyevsky

I used Ipecac last week with a lady who had menstrual cramps. One dose 200C nothing fancy. She told me she'd had a warm bath about 4 o'clock in the morning in an attempt to ease the cramps. This usually worked for her, but this time it made her feel worse. After several hours of pain and lack of sleep she was quite nauseous as well. She ended up going in to work later in the morning.