Menstrual Health Tips collected from REAL Women!
As featured in my Thirteen Moons Book
Use your pre-menstrual energy to clean the house and prepare food so you can relax and not have to take care of others while you are bleeding.
Take care of your diet and try to avoid fatty foods and processed foods, coffee, tea, fizzy drinks etc in the second half of your cycle. (the week before your period)
Be selective about how and who you spend your time with!
Evening Primrose Oil (HIGH doses) and St John’s Wort oil capsules have helped me immensely.
Lessens the severe cramping I was getting as well as the depression and rage. I’m not nearly as psychotic as I used to be, period or not ?
Try switching from paper pads and tampons to cloth pads. Soak them in a closed bucket with a bit of detergent, or, if you have a garden, skip the detergent and use the water for your plants.
Drink hot red teas, especially no caffeine herb teas, like Cranberry Apple, Blackcurrant and Raspberry Leaf.
If you suffer from mood swings, bloating, headaches, depression etc and use a hormonal contraceptive such as the implant or pill, consider changing to a more natural method- read the book THE PILL!
Zinc relieves cramps–eat dark green veggies like spinach!–and potassium relieves bloating, so eat those bananas too. Both need to be eaten in the second half of your cycle. Works for me!
I try to take a moon lodge day sometime during my flow, preferably the first day. i find that tarot reading is especially insightful during my moon time also. I take vitex extract regularly and it has eased my heavy flow. Also, raspberry leaf tea is wonderful, there are plenty of women’s menstrual teas available and
there are lots of books that are excellent resources with things like suggestions for honouring your flow such as creating a blood jar from your (cloth) pads and using the blood water to nourish your house plants.
To all of you who have an especially rough time with your periods, learn to chart your cycle and understand the hormonal changes that occur in your body. My own change in attitude about my body and its moon cycles have made a tremendous difference in my life.
Eat lots of chocolate, drink lots of herbal tea. Stay in bed for a week, watch soap operas on TV. You don’t have to pretend you feel fine when you don’t. Just do whatever makes you happy!!
Have a day off. I’ve found this to be my best medicine. Meditate, dance wildly, be creative, watch the moon, sleep more, read, do nothing, do whatever turns you on.
Gather a group of women together, have a RED TENT day/evening. The more diverse the group, the better. Tell them in advance that you’ll be getting together to talk about your moon time. Have everyone bring food. Make herbal tea. Share stories about your menses and what it has meant to you. It’s so empowering to be able to share these stories with other women.
Wear red. It stimulates the circulation and replaces the red you are losing from the aura.