As a husband, father of two girls and Chiropractor to many hundreds of female patients, the menstrual cycle is a super common topic in my life. Many women will book their appointments to get adjusted a week or so before their cycle starts to make sure their bodies are working the best they can because, lets face it, having your period isn’t pleasant. I’ve never heard a woman say, “Oh goodie! I’ve got my period!”
Here’s the other thing…if you’re in a relationship, or a member of a family (that’s most of us), your period often effects more than just you. We’re just being honest here. No point in beating around the bush if we’re really going to help each other. It can be a really horrible experience for a woman who’s dealing with physical symptoms she neither asked for, or did anything to “deserve”. Some of you really suffer with cramping, bloating, headache, digestive issues, sleep problems, mood issues and many other symptoms you really don’t need to deal with when you’re just trying to live your life. Having said that, you’re not always going to make the best decisions on how to react to that situation you might otherwise ignore or that comment that hit you the wrong way if you’re feeling like garbage and dealing with said symptoms. Partners and family members try their best to help but often either don’t succeed or end up making a situation worse unintentionally.
I grew up thinking that when a woman got their period that meant that they could go horseback riding, or swimming or diving or could all of a sudden do gymnastics thanks to the marketing machine that I saw on TV. Hilarious. Because the menstrual cycle is still pretty taboo in our society we often don’t talk about it, don’t address it and figure out how to “be” around it. If we did, it could make a huge difference in really giving women what they need.
Talking could be one of the most important things we do. Thus, these blog posts and our theme this month. We’ve fielded a lot of “awkward” questions, particularly from guys who just aren’t comfortable with the the idea of addressing the menstrual cycle. “Why do you have a waiting room full of maxipads and tampons?” Well, it’s because we’re trying to help people and it’s kind of fun to remind them how they got here in the first place. lol. In addition to talking about it, there ARE tools that can help as well. We’ve recently been using DoTerra Essential Oil blends with patients that actually help to stimulate certain parts of the brain and calm others while dealing with the unpleasantness of their cycle. There are oils that help you sleep, help your digestion, help your body temperature regulation, deal with pain and inflammation and more. Of course, Chiropractic can help tremendously by restoring the communication in the body that regulates the cycle, digestion, the endocrine system (hormones) and so many others.
Ladies who are struggling, please talk to your partners about what you’re feeling. Those situations that happen where family tries their best sometimes happen because they don’t know how you’re really feeling and if they did, might react differently to you. One of the most important concepts in Chiropractic is communication. If the body is communicating well, it functions well. If it isn’t, then there are lots of problems to deal with.
I’m sure no expert in this area, but we have to step out of our comfort zones in life if we’re going to make a difference and talking to our loved ones about something so prominent and so important in their lives seems like a no-brainer.
If you struggle in these areas, please talk to us. We’d love to be able to help teach you the tools you could use to make this a more comfortable experience.
