How to forget about what PMS is and feel great any day, no matter what, says Tibetan medicine doctor Yulia Yusipova.
Whether we like it or not, the female body is not designed for modern stress. It was formed when we – women – led a much more measured life and gave birth much more than now. Obviously, our body has not kept pace with radical social changes, which often leads to mental and physical imbalance. We feel this especially acutely before and during menstruation, since during this period the body weakens.
“Try at least a couple of days before the start of your period and the first two days to live in the most calm mode: not to be active and not to worry,” says Tibetan medicine doctor Yulia Yusipova. “It is important that the process of cleansing the body goes well, otherwise the formation of cysts, fibroids and other neoplasms is possible.”
According to the Tibetan tradition, our world, including all of us, consists of three types of energy: Wind (Lung), Bile (Tripa) and Mucus (Badkan). As a rule, one of these energies predominates in each person. Women of different types experience their monthly cycles differently and need different balancing “medicines”.
To determine which type of vital energy prevails in you, the test will help.
Wind Woman (Lung)
Characteristic manifestations of PMS: restless sleep, distraction, immoderate appetite, constipation, spasmodic pain.
Decision. A few days before the onset of menstruation and during it, add as many warming spices as possible to the menu: nutmeg, cardamom, cumin, cumin. It is especially important to consume them in the morning from 8 o’clock to noon and in the evening from 19 to 22. Try to make a Tibetan tea with spices: boil cardamom, cinnamon and ginger in milk for several minutes.
Cook with sesame or melted butter (ghee). Any of them can also be rubbed into areas on the body, which in the Tibetan tradition are poetically called the “Wind Gate”. These are the centers of the palms, the centers of the feet, the highest point of the head and the hollow in the center of the chest. It is good to mix the oil with ground nutmeg and carry out the procedure in the morning immediately after waking up or immediately before bedtime. You will feel the effect instantly: sleep will improve, mood will improve. Oil massage of the body, calm yoga, breathing techniques will help.
Bile Woman (Tripa)
Characteristic manifestations of PMS: increased excitement, irritability, aggressiveness, severe pain, heartburn, diarrhea, inflammation on the face.
Decision. A few days before the onset of menstruation and during it, include something cool in the menu: medium-fat sour-milk products, salads from fresh vegetables and fruits, rice porridge on the water. It is especially good to eat these foods from noon to 16 pm. This is the time of the most active digestive “fire”, which is already strong in you.
Drink tea from bitter herbs – dandelion, wormwood, tansy. You will find them in pharmacies and specialized stores. According to Tibetan tradition, the bitter taste has a cooling effect. In principle, green tea is also suitable for this purpose, as well as some spices: turmeric, coriander, saffron.
Reduce the amount of oil, give up garlic, onions, peppers and nightshades (eggplants, tomatoes …) for a while. Give preference to root vegetables, such as carrots, beets, celery root … A warm bath with sea salt, a floating session, a pool, a hammam will help: any water treatment without intense heat. Rashes on the face are effectively removed with aloe juice.
Slime Woman (Badkan)
Characteristic manifestations of PMS: puffiness, poor appetite, bloating, bad mood (sad and lonely). Pain, as a rule, is not present.
Decision. A few days before the onset of menstruation and during it, include in the menu warming dishes with a minimum of oil. For example, porridge on the water, stewed vegetables … For a few days, give up sour-milk products, fatty, canned, smoked, salted and baked goods. You will feel light and energized.
Of the spices, pepper is especially good, which improves digestion, as well as cloves. It helps cleanse the lymphatic system and blood vessels. Edema will help relieve green cardamom, which stimulates the kidneys (but not more than 5 peeled grains per day, cardamom has a laxative effect).
Drink ginger, honey and lemon tea. To do this, boil the finely chopped ginger root for 10 minutes, and then add the rest of the ingredients. Do warm compresses in the coccyx area. It can be heated sea pebbles or a pillow stuffed with salt.
Two versatile products
- Sea buckthorn tea. Pour boiling water over frozen or fresh berries, add honey and spices that suit you.
- Asparagus (in traditional medicine, the species asparagus racemosus is used – shatavari, “having a hundred husbands”). Useful in any form, as it helps with inflammation, fibroids, infertility. It also speeds up the recovery process after childbirth and increases the amount of milk in lactating women.
About the expert: Yulia Yusipova is a biophysicist, specialist in Tibetan medicine, phytotherapist, full member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and Yoga Specialists.