Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological condition in which some women experience lower back pain and abdominal discomfort before or during menstruation. So why do we experience dysmenorrhea? How can we relieve the pain? Let's find out.
Main Features
During the premenstrual or menstrual period, there is abdominal distension, tenderness, decreased menstrual flow or irregularities, dark purple or clotted menstrual blood, alleviation of pain after blood clots are discharged, and pain or swelling in the chest or breasts. The tongue is often dark purple, with stagnation spots on the sides.
Causes
Dysmenorrhea is often caused by poor physical condition or blood stasis after recovering from a serious illness, leading to menstrual irregularities.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
The main prescription for treating dysmenorrhea caused by blood stasis and qi stagnation is Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang. The ingredients include Chai Hu, Zhi Qiao, Niu Xi, Jie Geng, Tao Ren, Hong Hua, Dang Gui, and Chi Shao. This prescription has the effect of promoting blood circulation and relieving stagnation. It is taken as a decoction, with one dose per day divided into 3-4 times.
Acupressure
The patient lies on the back, and the massager stands on one side, placing both palms on the patient's abdomen and lightly massaging from the xiphoid process to the pubic bone. Then, with both hands stacked, clockwise rubbing is done on the abdomen. This technique can promote the flow of qi, relieve stagnation, activate blood circulation, and regulate the meridians, thus reducing abdominal pain. The intensity of the movements should start from light to heavy, with the range gradually increasing from the center of the navel, and the patient should be able to tolerate it, lasting for about 3-5 minutes.
Dietary Therapy
Eat more foods that promote qi circulation and blood circulation, such as radish, lychee, orange, mountain yam, luffa, peach kernel, chicken inner gold, celery, rapeseed, carp, cuttlefish, peanuts, and fennel. Soybeans have the effects of invigorating the stomach, regulating the middle, strengthening the spleen, and replenishing qi. They can change the binding globulin of regulating hormones in the body and reduce the synthesis of substances that cause dysmenorrhea.
Daily Care
Have a positive and optimistic attitude in daily life, avoid worrying too much about things that are not going well, and do not demand perfection in everything. Cultivate a wide range of interests and hobbies, make friends who are open-minded and cheerful, learn to relax tense emotions, and drive away melancholy and unhappiness.
