I remember playing outside with my friends when I felt this gnawing pain in my stomach. Mom was not home so I decided to heat up some milk (our go to remedy) and went to take a hot bath to try and soothe the pain.
When mom came home to find me laying on the couch, there was concern in her eyes. She knew exactly what my issue was. I was having my period for the first time. In her eyes, being only 11 years old, I was too young. Between my own painful cramps and watching how my mother suffered, I was led to believe that being a woman meant “pain and suffering”.
It took many years for my period to normalize itself. I would sometimes go two months without a period. I felt controlled by my pain as I was not able to plan events because I just never knew when it would strike. I missed many days of school and work due to the pain being unbearable. My moods were erratic, feeling happy go-lucky one minute and angered or depressed the next.
My pain was also accompanied by a host other symptoms like bloating, breast tenderness, constipation, cravings, headaches, nausea, fatigue and low back pain. This was my new level of “normal”. I often referred to my period as the “Curse” and resented both my period and my body for inflicting this monthly torture upon me.
My gynecologist prescribed me an NSAID drug designed for heavy and painful periods. They were my magical “blue” pills and although they helped me survive the pain, I was still afflicted by other premenstrual symptoms. After taking them for seven years, I noticed that my usual one to two capsules were no longer effective, it was like my pain grew immune to them. I needed to increase the regular dose to four or five capsules, but then felt disoriented and sleepy.
After learning about the possible side effects of the NSAIDs and fed up with putting toxins into my body, I made the decision to get off of them and go cold turkey. I remember one very bad period while visiting my mom, it was day two of my period, one of the absolute worst days of my cycle. Without the anti-inflammatories, my pain began to escalate.
I tried the usual taking a hot bath to relax my muscles, applying a hot water bottle, drinking my herbal tea and yet still felt no relief. Curled up in the fetal position and sobbing so badly I literally wanted to die. Nausea came on and I vomited bile because I had nothing i n my stomach. Mom tried to get me to take something to ease the pain but I stubbornly refused.
My flow was so heavy that I bled through my clothing. This went on for hours until I eventually passed out from the excruciating pain. I desperately needed help finding a solution.
Over the years t he doctors could never find anything wrong. They checked for endometriosis, fibroids and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) but all the tests came back negative. I was simply told to continue taking the NSAIDS.
Due to my heavy flow, I became iron deficient, this caused me to feel tired, weak and out of breath, have pale looking skin and experience some hair loss. As someone who leads an active lifestyle, my workouts and ability to play sports were negatively affected. I remember attending a fitness conference unable to even walk a flight of stairs and too exhausted to even participate in a class. I felt devastated.
I made an appointment with a local Naturopath. I filled out a full lifestyle and history questionnaire and after some general testing, he labeled my condition as Dysmenorrhea (a.k.a. heavy and painful periods). I was sent home with some Chinese and homeopathic remedies and general recommendations for nutrition. My world forever changed for the better.
I took a part-time job working in a health food store and immersed myself in learning everything I could on the subject of nutrition, herbs and supplements. I really enjoyed helping customers with their dilemmas and challenges.
I began to devour books and articles on the subject of holistic nutrition. I was optimistic that there had to be a solution to my period pain.
After four years of working at the health food store I was promoted to manager.The added duties and responsibilities began to pile up. The stress led to overeating, eating simple carbohydrates, not sleeping and feeling tension all over my body. This exacerbated my Dysmenorrhea symptoms. A sales representative noticed my stress and handed me a bottle of ginseng. Within a couple of days my stress levels decreased immensely. I began to make the connection with stress and how it made my symptoms more pronounced and uncomfortable.
I took a position working in the auto industry making better money. It was during this time I started to date a co-worker who helped me change my diet and exercise regime. I learned that my diet of potatoes, bread and pasta were causing an inflammatory response to my body.
Adding more fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, good fats and reducing my sugar and alcohol consumption significantly lowered my pain. My cramps, bloating and headaches also subsided and I was totally blown away by the results.
Soon my relationship with this co-worker began to turn toxic, we were off and on again for over 10 years. With the stress, I engaged in my previous habits of eating simple carbs, not sleeping, feeling anxious, drinking alcohol, eating sugar in order to comfort me, and this led to my symptoms re-bounding.
A grief counselor introduced me to a technique that helped release stuck emotions. She explained that when we don’t express our emotions they can manifest an imbalance in physical form in our bodies.It was during this time that I started to connect my emotions with my pain.
I enrolled in classes at the local college, exploring other natural modalities. Therapeutic Touch, Reiki, reflexology were just some techniques that I experimented with. I went to see Naturopaths, an iridologist, reflexologists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, you name it, I was open to experiencing every option because I was determined to have pain-free periods.
I attended an open house at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition (CSNN). The moment I sat down in that classroom I knew this was where I was meant to be.
I enrolled in their one-year program where I a ttended classes twice a week.
My knowledge of nutrition grew after each class learning more and more about how the body functioned.
Proper digestion was key and fundamental in achieving pain-free periods for myself. As I started to learn more about the roles and function of the liver, I began to wonder if my own liver could be toxic? Was my overeating, eating while overstressed, eating too many simple carbs and suppressing my anger causing congestion in my liver?
I decided to cleanse my liver, ate more liver-loving foods,
took supplements and botanicals, used stress-reducing modalities such as yoga and meditation, increased my sleep quality and ate while I was relaxed.
After a period of four to six months, I experienced fewer headaches, more energy, less nausea, better moods, weight loss, regular bowel movements and less intense menstrual cramps and I felt much more at ease and better able to handle my life. I was elated to say the least.
My personal journey with nutrition has been a series of winding roads and roadblocks. Learning which nutrients my body required in order for it to operate at an optimum level. I have also done internal work to change my belief around being a woman and that we are not meant to suffer.
Through creative outlets like journaling and spending time outdoors I have been able to express my emotions including the anger that I had suppressed for many years.
Today Dysmenorrhea no longer controls my life. I actually embrace my period and realize the importance of having healthy menses. My cycle is more regular (every 28-30 days) and my flow much lighter lasting five days instead of the usual seven days. I feel like a woman who has been freed from a life-long sentence.
Nutrition not only changed my period but also had a positive effect on the way my face was aging. My skin had greater elasticity and it helped produce more collagen leaving me with a brighter , more youthful appearance.
Now I teach women how to transform their own face, look younger and healthier with targeted nutrition without having to resort to the trauma of risky procedures and expensive creams.
Louise's Story of her Health Challenge is Just One
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