For Women...Tips on health as it applies to us.

For years I took Advil (and later Aleve) once a month. I toughed it out as much as possible, but I was dependent on the medicine. BUT finally, someone told me that I could take Vitamin E. It was actually tested in a legitimate medical study as effective for menstrual cramps!! And guess what it works! You are supposed to start taking it a few days before, but honestly, I never think about it. So, when I would have taken pain reliever, now I take 2 Vitamin E tablets. When I feel pain again later, I take more. Simple. I've also found that Evening Primrose Oil (in a capsule) works too. So get rid of the drugs and go with the vitamins!

Ok, now for the more adventurous. Want to reduce cramps and shorten the length and heaviness of your cycle? Go natural!! Do you know that bleaching paper products produces a known carcinogen? This includes tampons. A nice alternative is the Diva. It takes a while to get used to (just remember what it was like with tampons as a teenager), but once you figure it out, it's like having nothing and being able to go for up to 12 hours!!! The website can explain all this better than I can (or want to!)

OR you can try cloth pads. I was sceptical, but am very pleased. Just rinse and put in a bucket, then wash with your normal laundry. Or put a stain-type spray on them without soaking. They are so much more comfortable. Buy dark colors, and you don't have to worry much about stains. And think what you are willing to do if it makes that time a bit shorter (for me about 1/2 a day, but it can vary for different people). And you save money and are nice to the environment.

Now, I'll be real and say going natural is something that took me a long time to get around to. But it's not as bad as I thought. Feel free to go slow on changes and do what you are comfortable with. But take some time to research your options and you may find it's not such a hard change after all.