Natural solutions for painful periods

 Natural solutions for painful periods

Dysmenorrhea affects at least half of fertile women. Uncomfortable, it frequently leads to absenteeism at work and alters the social life of women who suffer from it. Focus on 3 natural therapies to prevent or relieve menstrual pain.

 Relieve Painful Periods With Aromatherapy

The benefits of essential oils can be of great help in the treatment of dysmenorrhea.

In a study carried out in 2012, 48 people suffering from dysmenorrhea massaged their lower abdomen with a cream enriched with essential oils of lavender ( Lavender officinalis ), clary sage (salvia Clary) and marjoram (Oreganos marjorana) up to 3%, or with a synthetic fragrance cream (placebo group). This treatment extended from the end of their period to the start of the next. The results showed that the intensity of the pain was reduced in the 2 groups, but only the group treated with essential oils was able to reduce the duration of the pain, reducing it from 2.4 to 1.8 days. 

These effects are due to 4 analgesic components contained in the essential oils used: linalyl acetate, linalool, eucalyptol and β-caryophyllene. Similar results emerged from a study carried out in 2006 1 with a mixture of essential oils of lavender ( Lavender officinalis ), clary sage ( salvia Clary) and rose ( rose centifolia ) diluted in 5 teaspoons of almond vegetable oil. Finally, a 2013 study showed that a mixture of essential oils of cinnamon, clove, rose and lavender diluted in almond vegetable oil can not only relieve menstrual pain and its duration. but also reduce the amount of bleeding 3 .

Massage of the lower abdomen alone certainly has a beneficial role in reducing menstrual pain, as evidenced by the positive results obtained in the placebo groups of the various studies, but essential oils well chosen and used in synergy can prove to be particularly powerful. However, it is imperative to dilute them in a neutral cream or in a vegetable oil up to about 3% (30 drops of essential oil represent 1 ml).

Precision

This dossier reports on the different natural therapies to relieve menstrual pain, but diet also has its role to play .

 

•  Sources

S Ou MC, Hsu TF, Lai AC, et al., Pain relief assessment by aromatic essential oil massage on outpatients with primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, J Obstet Gynaecol Res, 2012 Han SH, Hur MH, Buckle J, et al., Effect of aromatherapy on symptoms of dysmenorrhea in college students: A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial, J Altern Complement Med, 2006 Marzouk TM, El-Nemer AM, Baraka HN, The effect of aromatherapy abdominal massage on alleviating menstrual pain in nursing students: a prospective randomized cross-over study, Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2013