SPRING 2017 | ISSUE ONE

Story by Bailee Wicks // Design & Illustrations by Maddie Bush

No matter where you are, what you are wearing, or what you are doing, it will come. Whether you are stocked and prepared or blindsided, it will be there. It also goes by the names of ‘Aunt Flow’, ‘Mother Nature’, and ‘your monthly visitor.’ That’s right, we are talking about periods. Along with the natural symptoms of your period, some women experience intense and excruciating pain which makes it difficult to carry on basic everyday activities and tasks. If you suffer from period pain, you don’t just have to put up with it. There are both natural and medical options readily available for you.

Yoga

Exercise is a common treatment of bad cramping. But let’s be honest, most of the time you don’t want to get out of bed, so why would you drag your butt to the gym? Yoga Instructor Morgan Murdock says that “yoga poses will help you clear your mind while relieving discomfort.” Five easy yoga poses to target abdominal muscles and pain are: Cat/ Cow, Child’s Pose, Supine Twist, Forward Fold, Knees to Chest Pose. Tip: “When in this position, you can rock both side to side and forward and back to give yourself a back massage” Murdock adds.

Foods

It has been proven that you can eat your way to clearer skin, healthier hair, and even a happier you. Depending on what you are eating, it can make or break your situation. Food can be considered medicine, so making sure you are eating the right foods is crucial. Kale Kale, among other leafy greens are high in iron. When you are menstruating, your iron levels drop, which is why cravings for iron rich foods are common. Instead of caving and eating a cheeseburger, try something like spinach, Swiss chard, or kale.

48

It is a healthier choice and according to Women’s Health Magazine, one cup of cooked spinach has twice the amount of iron than a burger or steak. Bananas Bananas are full of vitamin B6. B6 is known to boost your mood. They also contain high levels of magnesium and potassium, which can reduce bloating and water retention. Salmon Salmon is the answer to your period cramps. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Those acids relax your muscles, which relieves pain. Omega-3 fatty acids can also be found in pumpkin, flax seeds, and avocados. Dark Chocolate Dark Chocolate that is 60% cacao or higher is a source of magnesium, which helps calm mood swings by regulating your serotonin (happy) levels.

Birth Control

Birth control has a stigma of only being useful for having sex and not trying to get pregnant, but in reality many women use it for period relief as well. Sometimes period pain is too much and “feels about equivalent to what I would imagine a hot knife stabbing into me and twisting around consistently, except it happens for 7 days” CWU junior Hailey Maltbie states. “I couldn’t work most of the time and school was difficult, so I missed a lot” junior dietetics and French major Aleceeya Thill adds. “To fix that, I got an IUD instead, and [now] I just spot every three months or so with no cramping.” There are many forms of birth control available and to find out which is the right one for you, go see a doctor. Next time those awful pains and cramping happen, try one of these alternative methods. You have to deal with periods, but you don’t have to put up with the pain.