Every month, women everywhere sing the menstrual cramp blues. We all have our own ways of dealing, but what’s a girl to do when Midol or curling up in a fetal position all day just doesn’t work anymore? Check out what these health experts say are their favorite remedies.

By now, you’ve had your period for long enough that, if you get PMS, you’ve probably devised a way of dealing with it. I’ve heard of millions of methods: Some women pop Advil like they’re Skittles, others take to their beds, exercise it away, sing a little prayer to the moon, lie in a heap weeping or just soldier on bravely in silence. Not all health-care providers agree on the best methods for coping with period-related discomfort – there are as many ways to deal with menstrual issues as there are ways we experience them. Here are some recommendations to consider.

 

Dr. Morrison, nutritionist.
Take a combination of evening primrose oil or borage oil and fish oil for help with PMS in dosages of 1,000 mg each and every day of the month.

 

Christiane Northrup, gynecologist and author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom
Give up ice cream, cottage cheese and yogurt; many women get relief from menstrual symptoms from a dairy fast. She also recommends omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish oil), 1,000 mg vitamin B6, and magnesium supplements for cramps.

 

Sandra Chiu, practitioner of Chinese Medicine
Avoid anything cold. CM sees menstrual cramps as an accumulation of cold in the abdomen, and coldness is thought to obstruct the flow of blood and qi (the body’s energy source).