Patient's question:
[Condition Description: What to eat when having menstrual cramps? What to eat to regulate menstruation? Treatment history and effectiveness: What to eat when having menstrual cramps? What to eat to regulate menstruation? Desired help: What to eat when having menstrual cramps? What to eat to regulate menstruation?]Doctor's answer:
[Sometimes accompanied by menstrual pain, it is a kind of pain that men can never truly understand. It comes from the depths of our bodies, from a special organ called the uterus. Dysmenorrhea occurs due to excessively high levels of prostaglandins synthesized by the endometrium, leading to abnormal contractions of the uterus. This pain can leave many women physically and mentally exhausted. So, what can help alleviate menstrual pain? Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that the main cause of dysmenorrhea is poor blood and Qi circulation, often referred to as "no flow, no pain." This is often due to emotional distress, liver stagnation with Qi blockage, impaired blood flow, or retained menstrual blood in the uterus. It may also be caused by exposure to cold drinks, sitting or lying in damp places, or the invasion of cold and dampness into the uterus, leading to the coagulation of menstrual blood by cold and dampness. Alternatively, it may result from a deficiency in body constitution, weakened Qi and blood after prolonged illness, emptying of the blood sea after menstruation, and lack of nourishment for uterine vessels. Or, it may be due to long-term liver stagnation turning into fire, heat entering the blood, mutual combination of blood heat, and impaired blood flow. Many women experience dysmenorrhea due to certain conditions in their reproductive organs, which are medically referred to as "secondary dysmenorrhea." Secondary dysmenorrhea usually appears several years after menarche, often accompanied by excessive menstrual bleeding, infertility, the use of intrauterine devices, or a history of pelvic inflammatory disease. The symptoms vary among individuals, and the identification of these conditions requires the help of a gynecologist. The most common causes include endometriosis, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, and adenomyosis. If a woman of reproductive age experiences increasingly severe dysmenorrhea accompanied by heavier menstrual bleeding, it may indicate the presence of endometriosis or adenomyosis. Deer placenta is a traditional and classic Chinese medicine that has been used for thousands of years by TCM gynecology to regulate women's menstrual cycles and maintain beauty. According to Compendium of Materia Medica, deer placenta is warm in nature, sweet and salty in taste, and is believed to benefit the kidneys, invigorate Yang, replenish deficiency, generate essence, regulate menstruation, nourish the face, and alleviate various toxins.