you want to even think about
while in the midst of cramps
is exercise, but that can boost
endorphins and help chase
away pain.
A report published in March
2015 in the Journal of Family
Reproductive Health
indicates that both aerobic
exercise and stretching
helped soothe period cramps
for 105 students in the study.
Up the Magnesium in Your
Diet
Getting more dietary
magnesium seems to help
ease the pain of cramps, says
DeJarra Sims, ND, assistant
professor of naturopathic
medicine at Bastyr
University’s California
campus in San Diego and
author of Your Healthiest Life
Now. Indeed a Cochrane
review of dietary and other
remedies published in 2001
concluded that getting
enough magnesium can
help relieve pain.
Magnesium is found in many
foods and as a supplement if
you can’t get what you need
from your diet. Magnesium
helps regulate nerve and
muscle functioning, among
other vital tasks; researchers
who evaluated the evidence
on magnesium call it a
promising treatment for
menstrual cramps. But they
cannot recommend a specific
dose, because researchers
have studied various doses.
The recommended dietary
allowance of magnesium
for women of childbearing
age is about 320 mg daily.
An ounce of dry almonds or
one half cup of boiled
spinach each has about 80
mg.