momto10blessings Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 progesterone really lightened my period. not sure why/how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Lower saturated fat, vegan, or low histamine diets worked better than the pill for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Yesterday my massage lady said that red raspberry tea and something called stinging nettle were natural ways to fix what causes heavy bleeding. (She mentioned something else too, but I can't remember the words.) I haven't looked further into it, but I might try one or both of the above next month. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypatia. Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 I'm glad I saw this, my periods have been horrendous lately. I no longer have my Mirena (side effects) and am on the progesterone only pill, but it's still ridiculous. I do use a Diva cup (so I know how quickly it overflows) and cloth pads but those have made no difference. I'm going to try the Advil or Aleve this time around, I usually just end up essentially housebound for the first few days which is ridiculous. We're supposed to take my in-laws sight-seeing around the time AF arrives this time and I've been dreading it. It's one thing to have a crime scene in your own bathroom but a public restroom? Nope. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted October 5, 2016 Author Share Posted October 5, 2016 Yesterday my massage lady said that red raspberry tea and something called stinging nettle were natural ways to fix what causes heavy bleeding. (She mentioned something else too, but I can't remember the words.) I haven't looked further into it, but I might try one or both of the above next month. report back if you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Apparently if you combine low histamine and mostly vegan, you can skip a typically heavy period altogether. Whoops. And yes, I took a pregnancy test. Nada. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 report back if you do. Oh, I tried that! They're in a supplement called Slow-Flow that I got at a local health food store. It did work, but it also had a warning to not use it for more than 3 months in a row. It didn't say why. I got it again about a year later when my periods were also heavy. It reduced them again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Apparently if you combine low histamine and mostly vegan, you can skip a typically heavy period altogether. Whoops. And yes, I took a pregnancy test. Nada. What is a low histamine diet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Vitamin A deficiency has been documented in women with heavy menstruation. (Watch your zinc & vitamin E if you up your A.) Efficient blood clotting is essential - which is why flax or fish oil might help (essential fatty acids). Getting enough Vitamin K & chlorophyll is helpful - eat more dark green leafy vegetables. Cayenne pepper tables and chlorophyll (60 mg/day) are supposed to quickly slow any type of bleeding. All these ideas are from Marilyn Shannon's Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition book. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 (edited) First let me say, if heavy bleeding continues that can be a sign of a couple different gynecological cancers. Take it seriously and go to the doctor if this continues. What is a low histamine diet? A certain percentage of protein in foods turns to histamine as the food ages. Most people can handle this fine, but some people cannot for genetic reasons. It is thought to be part of the equation of increased food allergies. And why some people, once they get allergic to a few things, keep developing more and more allergies until it finally seems they are allergic to everything. In quite a few cases someone can get hives and even anaphylaxis from a food sometimes, but not react to it on a skin prick test. Histamine Intolerance (also called mast cell activation disorder in some other countries, though I think in the USA that diagnosis is limited to a complication of cancer treatment. I don't recall the details). A low histamine diet means cutting out aged proteins and fermented foods in general. Skipping the delicious aged beef. Skipping yogurt and cheese and all fermented foods, including migraine triggers like wine, miso paste, and natural vinegar (or at least limiting them). Skipping processed meats - the salt and nitrates might prevent bacteria from growing, but they do not prevent histamines from forming. Only eating fish that was flash frozen. Putting leftovers into the freezer quickly after a meal so it doesn't have time to ferment at all. And then there are avoiding your known allergens (which release histamine), and avoiding foods you are personally sensitive to that release histamines in some people (tomatoes, strawberries, and all that is good in the world as indicated by a very careful food diary that notes what you ate and how you felt afterwards). There are also supplements like nettle and quercetin and DAO that can help. DAO is the enzyme that breaks down histamine, and the others are natural histamine blockers. It's quite confusing. I ordered several books on the topic and they all seem to have slightly conflicting information. I suspect this is personal bias - if I can eat strawberries but not tomatoes and I'm doing a book on the topic, strawberries will be okay in one book but not the other. And then there are the degrees of bad hypothesis. For example, tomatoes release histamine for a lot of people, but they are also a rich source of quercertin, which is a natural antihistamine. Tomatoes are also really good for you, so if you can balance that reaction by eating less of the foods that are bad for you (bacon), then you should probably still have some tomato once in a while. After all, tomatoes are really low in protein, as are all plant foods. So my thought is that histamine intolerance is the reason many people mysteriously feel better on a vegan diet than they do even when they are better at "eating clean" when on a non-vegan diet. High histamine (higher than your body has the enzymes to break down) raises estrogen and contributes to all of the problems estrogen creates. Heavy, painful periods. Ovarian cysts, Endometriosis, fibroids. Finding it difficult to lose weight. Even generally inflammation and everything related to it, such as diabetes and aging. Anyway, no connection whatsoever, but I think I've found the best information on the subject on this blog, The Low Histamine Chef. Now she can get a little... weird, hippy, alternative medicine, conspiracy theorist trying to push her books at times. Just try to ignore that and try her advice if none of that were true. It's worth it if you have severe allergies and they seem to simply go away. ETA: apparently the website changed to http://healinghistamine.com/ Edited October 6, 2016 by Katy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Menopause may not be wonderful...but I am so glad this thread is (finally) COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT. (((not menopausal women))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Menopause may not be wonderful...but I am so glad this thread is (finally) COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT. (((not menopausal women))) I'm looking forward to it being irrelevant to me as well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 I'm looking forward to it being irrelevant to me as well. you and me both.... I know I can get off my arse and have some procedure done at the OBGYN, but damn I just don't feel like doing that right now. I'm too busy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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