Festive Special Series - Six Tips for Reducing Endometriosis Pain in The Week Before Your Period

Today’s episode is part of an end of year special series. I am resharing some of my most actionable episodes to help you reduce pain on your period and pain flares in general, and to balance your hormones for better periods, less PMS and healthier cycles. I am sharing these episodes because this time of year is often when some of our endo management strategies can go out of the window (and understandably so!). We might have more sugar, less sleep, more alcohol and more blood sugar dysregulation, and as a result, these can all raise inflammation and give our bodies a hard time when it comes to clearing old and excess hormones. So come January or maybe sooner, we tend to have more PMS, worse periods and more pain. So these episodes are designed to provide you with some tips you can quickly implement if you’re worried about your upcoming period, or you’re feeling rough and need some tips to improve your symptoms. Now of course, it’s natural that we want to indulge a bit over Christmas, and so these episodes are not about telling you to be a saint. Instead, they’re about practices you can throw in that can just help lessen some of the impact. I am releasing a couple so you can choose strategies you think will help you most and so you have options, but you certainly don’t have to try them all! And whilst I’m here, if you find that you want to learn more about how to eat for endo and for hormone balance, or you get to the end of the festive period and you really just want to improve your systems, I now have my Nutrition for Endo Masterclasses, which are available to buy all year round, unlike my courses. Lucky for you, they’re still discounted because I haven’t had time to change the prices, so you can still get each masterclass for £29.99 or you can buy the bundle for £50. You could also ask for them as a Christmas present! Finally, thank you for listening to this podcast this year, and for sticking with me even with my sporadic release dates as I navigate all of these new courses and offerings with recording my free content. I am wishing you a wonderful festive break (if you celebrate) and a very happy New Year. So, without further ado, let’s get to today’s episode. I really hope it helps you manage some of your symptoms over this festive period. Six Tips for Reducing Endometriosis Pain in The Week Before Your Period Most of us with endometriosis have experienced debilitating periods that stop us in our tracks and derail our day or week completely. Perhaps we get through with a mix of pain killers or maybe nothing helps at all - whatever is going on for you, today I want to offer you six simple pain relieving strategies that can help alleviate your endometriosis pain when your period arrives. These methods are best begun seven days before your period so the effects build up and compound and I do totally recommend continuing them into your period too, for extra benefits! As always, these are just options - you don’t have to do them all nor do you have to do them exactly as suggested, tweak and tailor to your lifestyle and preferences. Consult your GP before adding in supplements. Here are my six tips for reducing your endometriosis pain for when your period starts: Magnesium rich baths, 2 - 3 times the week before your period, with 500g - 600g Epsom salt baths, soaking for at least 10 minutes each times. Two portions of low mercury, fatty fish (sardines, mackerel, anchovies salmon, herring) in addition to 1000mg - 3000mg good quality omega 3 fatty acid supplementation. Turmeric lattes with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (1g) and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ginger root powder (350mg-700mg) in addition to ginger tea (made with ginger root powder), raspberry leaf tea and dandelion tea. Always add some fat into your latte to aid absorption of the turmeric - coconut oil, coconut butter, cacao butter or nut butter all would work well. Daily yoga or stretches for endometriosis and pelvic pain. Reduce or eliminate sugar, utilising stevia, inulin root syrup, berries and 100% dark chocolate as alternatives. Eat the rainbow! Get in 5 to 10 servings of fruit and veg a day, focusing more on vegetables (think 80% vs 20%). I hope this episode helps you prepare for your period! Please do let me know if it changes your experience of your next period - I would love to hear from you! Scroll down to the show notes for links to studies, brand recommendations, recipes, etc. Let's get social! Come say hello on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter. Sign up to the wait list for my course, Live and Thrive with Endo here. My new Nutrition for Endo Masterclasses are out now and are on special offer for Black Friday. Get one masterclass for £29.99 (full price £40) or both for £50. Find out more here. My cookbook This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast is out now! Get 28 anti-inflammatory, hormone friendly recipes for living and thriving with endometriosis. Order your copy here. If you feel like you need more support with managing endometriosis, you can join Your EndoLife Coaching Programme. A 1-to-1 three month health and life coaching programme to help you thrive with endometriosis. To find out more about the programme and to discuss whether it could be right for you, email me at [email protected] or visit my website. This episode is sponsored by The Pod Farm. Learn all about how to start your own podcast with the complete course from The Pod Farm. Aimed at beginners, this course takes a simple and straightforward approach to planning, equipment buying, setting up, recording, editing and hosting your own podcast. With hours of audio and video materials, and downloadable guides and useful links, this multimedia approach aims to have something for every kind of learner. From now until April 15, newsletter subscribers get 20% off the course price. Visit www.thepodfarm.com to enroll or find out more This episode is sponsored by BeYou. Soothe period cramps the natural way with these 100% natural and discreet menthol and eucalyptus oil stick on patches and CBD range. Click here to find out more and to shop: https://beyouonline.co.uk This episode is sponsored by Semaine. Try their supplement for period pain and daily supplement for hormonal balance and PMS prevention with code ENDOLIFE to get 20% off your first order. Show Notes Magnesium Study Magnesium baths for pain article Magnesium--a new therapeutic alternative in primary dysmenorrhea   Omega 3 Fatty Acids NHS fish guidance Dietary fish oil supplementation inhibits formation of endometriosis-associated adhesions in a chimeric mouse model Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) as an anti-inflammatory: an alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for discogenic pain Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on intensity of primary dysmenorrhea Anti-inflammatory Effects Of Omega 3 Fatty Acid In Fish Oil Linked To Lowering Of Prostaglandin Outsmart Endometriosis by Dr Jessica Drummond Lion Heart Aqua Biome Fish Oil   Lattes and teas Super Turmeric Latte recipe  Curcumin inhibits endometriosis endometrial cells by reducing estradiol production Nicole Jardim Fix Your Period book Dr. Aviva Romm ginger recommendations The effect of ginger for relieving of primary dysmenorrhoea Comparison of Effects of Ginger, Mefenamic Acid, and Ibuprofen on Pain in Women with Primary Dysmenorrhea   Yoga and stretches for pelvic pain Yoga for endometriosis Stretches for endometriosis Pelvic floor and fascia release exercises by Dr. Nicole Cozean   Sugar Inflammatory cytokine concentrations are acutely increased by hyperglycemia in humans: role of oxidative stress Proinflammatory effects of glucose and anti-inflammatory effect of insulin: relevance to cardiovascular disease 100% black sugar free peanut butter mini eggs Hazelnut truffles Absolute Black (can find the bar in Sainsburys) Hotel Chocolat buttons (these are AMAZING, but I don’t love their other 100% chocolate products) So Free sweet dark chocolate Raw cacao (you can find this in Sainsburys, but generally you can get raw cacao everywhere and online) Stevia drops  Troo syrup Stevia powder Perfect World ice cream My brownie recipe Sweet Laurel’s Bakery blog Endometriosis and dairy episode Endometriosis and caffeine episode Endometriosis and sugar episode Endometriosis and gluten episode Molly Roberson interview   Eat the rainbow Oxidative Stress and Endometriosis: A Systematic Review of the Literature Women with endometriosis improved their peripheral antioxidant markers after the application of a high antioxidant diet