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Are you prone to a problem with 'Heavy Period'?
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>Symptoms
A heavy period is a period that includes heavy bleeding, or an excessively long duration of bleeding. This conditional is differentiated from uterine bleeding that happens outside the normal menstrual cycle. A heavy period is called menor rhagia (menor = menses, rhagia = excessive flow).
Here are some signs of heavier than normal bleeding:
Soaking through 1+ tampon/pad every hour for several consecutive hours
Needing double protection (eg: pad and tampon) to control flow
Needing to change protection during night
Bleeding for more than 7days, with clotting larger than a quarter
Restricting daily activities due to bleeding
Prevalence
Menorrhagia is the most common condition presented to doctors from female patients, affecting 1 in 5 women. Prevalence increases with age, peaking between 30-49 years.
Pathogenesis
There are numerous causes of a heavy period, for example hormonal imbalance (Estrogen dominance). Unopposed estrogen can lead to excess growth / thickening of the uterus. Once the period comes, there will be more material to shed. The cause of estrogen dominance can be excess estrogen, or deficient progesterone.
Alternatively, when capillary beds of the uterus are dilated due to inflammation or other causes, it can lead to heavier bleeding (Pitta type).
Tearing of uterine tissue due to clots, fibroids, polyps, or endometriosis can lead to excessive bleeding. Fibroids are typically due to estrogen dominance in Kapha constitutions. Endometriosis is typically due to estrogen dominance in Vata-Pitta constitutions.
Bleeding may occur during menses, or at irregular times, in the case of polyps or fibroids. When the menstrual cycle is short (<28 days) it may indicate progesterone deficiency in Vata/Pitta. When the menstrual cycle is long (> 28 days), it many indicate estrogen excess in Kapha constitutions.
Pitta - Heat, pungency, & prostaglandins lead to poor clotting. A weak liver may be unable to clear estrogen.
Vata - Progesterone deficiency, Excess ama
Note in the reports below how Kapha and dense, gooey fluids correlate more highly with menorrhagia. This shows the association of heavy period with blood stasis, which is counterintuitive as most cases of bleeding are excessive blood flow, the opposite of blood stasis.
The paradox is resolved by considering that most cases of heavy bleeding are caused by estrogen dominance. It is the excess estrogen that both aggravates Kapha and heavy bleeding.
Lifestyle Tips
Rest, avoid heavy exercise during your period to prevent excess blood loss.
Herb Tips
Bitters will reduce blood stasis, aid the liver in clearing estrogen, and reduce inflammation (yarrow, dandelion). In the case of a weak liver, alteratives, cholagogues, hepatoprotectives, and liver tonics (bhringaraj) may be selected accordind to the individual. Progesteronic and anti-estrogen herbs will reduce estrogen dominance (Chastetree, ashoka).
Cooling astringents have a hemostatic effect and can help reduce blood flow (shepherd's purse, yarrow).
Avoid vasodilators, diaphoretics, and blood movers while bleeding. However, once bleeding stops, these may be encouraged to reduce blood stasis if present.
Menorrhagia can lead to loss of vitality and tiredness due to anemia. Blood tonics (sesame, nettles, seaweed, ashwagandha, etc) can help rebuild blood.
Disclaimer: Conditions such as 'Heavy Period' that cause tissue changes could be serious and should be checked by a medical doctor.
HELPFUL TIPS
supportive recipes*
Food is medicine, and well-designed recipes function as gentle herbal formulas.
The recipes below highlight biocharacteristics and ingredients that may support Heavy Period
from a Classical Metabolic Theory perspective*.
Because every person is unique, certain recipes may support your body more effectively than others.
Choose according to your constitution.
Suggestions are not strict, reflecting the real world need for variety and balance in diet.
As always, please consult your medical doctor before making any changes to your diet or wellness plan.
Augment your diet with these specially chosen ingredients below which may be useful for 'Heavy Period'.
Individual results vary depending on the cause of your imbalance and by constitution.
Please research the ingredients below to find which are most helpful for you, and check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.
A herb that contracts tissue or blood vessels. Generally styptics are astringent. They are often used topically as a hemostatic to stop bleeding, or to reduce secretions.
An herb that tonifies and strengthens the uterus. Helpful for menstrual difficulties and fertility. Often herbs that increase ojas, but also circulation to reproductive system.
Restores the proper function of the body by cleansing the blood and balancing blood chemistry. In Ayurveda terms, they pacify Pitta in rakta. They were traditionally used to revitalize and detoxify after a long winter.
An herb that produces more blood cells in the body, or otherwise improves blood cell quality or hemoglobin content. Helpful for anemia and other types of deficiency.
Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.
An herb that tonifies and strengthens the uterus. Helpful for menstrual difficulties and fertility. Often herbs that increase ojas, but also circulation to reproductive system.
Restores the proper function of the body by cleansing the blood and balancing blood chemistry. In Ayurveda terms, they pacify Pitta in rakta. They were traditionally used to revitalize and detoxify after a long winter.
A herb that contracts tissue or blood vessels. Generally styptics are astringent. They are often used topically as a hemostatic to stop bleeding, or to reduce secretions.
An herb that produces more blood cells in the body, or otherwise improves blood cell quality or hemoglobin content. Helpful for anemia and other types of deficiency.
An herb that strengthens the liver. It is helpful for people with a history of substance abuse, chronic liver issues from hepatitis and hemolytic anemias. Generally, liver tonics are oily, cool, sweet, mildly sour, or contain beta-carotene.
Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.
DISCLAIMER: The pathogenesis of each person's condition is unique, and so the diet must be fit to the individual and the unique root causes of the condition in your body.
The information on this page is for educational purposes only and should not be used to treat a medical condition. It is not a substitute for medical care.
Please check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.
Balance Your Body with Diet, Herbs, & Lifestyles Having These Virtues (Biocharacteristics)
Everything you eat has an effect on your body, which Personalized Medicine Systems (Ayurveda & Greek Medicine)
categorize in a simple and easy way, using biocharacteristics.
Biocharacteristics are vital qualities (like cold and hot) that describe the metabolic effect a food or herb has on your body.
Cooling foods like cucumber, decrease metabolism.
Heating foods like chili pepper, stimulate your body and increase metabolism.
For 'Heavy Period', consider foods with the following biocharacteristics.
Individual results will vary, based on your body type and the root cause of your imbalance.
BIOCHARACTERISTIC
FOODS TO FAVOR
MATCH WITH YOUR WELLNESS PROFILE
COLD
ABOUT COLD BIOCHARACTERISTIC
Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow.
Restores the proper function of the body by cleansing the blood and balancing blood chemistry. In Ayurveda terms, they pacify Pitta in rakta. They were traditionally used to revitalize and detoxify after a long winter.
An herb that produces more blood cells in the body, or otherwise improves blood cell quality or hemoglobin content. Helpful for anemia and other types of deficiency.
A herb that contracts tissue or blood vessels. Generally styptics are astringent. They are often used topically as a hemostatic to stop bleeding, or to reduce secretions.
An herb that strengthens the liver. It is helpful for people with a history of substance abuse, chronic liver issues from hepatitis and hemolytic anemias. Generally, liver tonics are oily, cool, sweet, mildly sour, or contain beta-carotene.
An herb that tonifies and strengthens the uterus. Helpful for menstrual difficulties and fertility. Often herbs that increase ojas, but also circulation to reproductive system.
HEAVY PERIOD IS IN STAGE OF DISEASE #3 - ATTACKING TISSUE
If you have symptoms in this category it means that your imbalances are becoming stronger and weakening your body's resistance.
Most people have a weakness in one or more organs.
These areas of weakness are the 'weak link in the chain.'
They are first to succumb when an imbalance reaches a tipping point.
Repairing imbalances in this category often represent your last opportunity to prevent disease.
At any moment, these imbalances could overwhelm weakened tissue and develop into a disease.
You may feel pain or discomfort in the weakened area.
At this stage you will need to support the weakened tissue with specialized foods and herbs for the weakened tissue.
(See all disease stages on JB)
AVOID DIETS, LIFESTYLES & HERBS THAT AGGRAVATE THESE BIOCHARACTERISTICS
According to Personalized Medicine Systems (Ayurveda and Greek medicine), aggravation of any of these
body types
and biocharacteristics may lead to 'Heavy Period'.
Reduce the foods and lifestyle habits that aggravate these qualities (when dystempered).
Click on the biocharacteristic to learn what foods and
lifestyle habits should be reduced.
Symptoms Tell A Story
The first step to healing is learning patterns from your symptoms.
Symptoms are clues that reveal underlying imbalances.
Symptoms show you where your body is weakened.
Ultimately, all disease has a root in tissues too weak to defend itself.
Ayurveda describes these patterns of weakness using doshas & biocharacteristics.
If you notice a biocharacteristic or dosha appears next to many of your symptoms,
it helps you establish a pattern that may be systemic.
Are you prone to a problem with 'Heavy Period'?
Find your imbalances and create a diet for your Reproductive System by taking the
free reproductive health quiz:
The following symptoms & habits may be related to 'Heavy Period'.
See your quiz results for a computerized assessment of your body type.
Please click on the symptoms below to learn more about them.
Please login or create a free account to see statistics filtered on Heavy Period and Birth Control Pill (Past or Current).
Biocharacteristics of 11,000 People Reporting Heavy Period
On average the biocharacteristics
of people reporting Heavy Period were less aggravated than 62% of other symptoms.
From the 11,000 people who reported Heavy Period
average deviation in biocharacteristic levels were the following:
Please login or create a free account to see statistics filtered on Heavy Period and Dry.
20.0% avg client level
22.7% (2,492) of cases
9,009 have Dry constitution
Risk Factors of Heavy Period
Below you will see general risk factors as well as the greatest risk factors, i.e. those who were also more likely to report Heavy Period.
Overall, 32.64% of people surveyed reported Heavy Period.
Please login or create a free account to see statistics filtered on Heavy Period and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).
1629 cases with both
+1.4 times more likely
15% of cases
10.87% (4,107 cases)
DISCOVER YOUR BODY WITH YOUR FREE INDIVIDUALIZED BODY MAP
Find ideal foods, herbs and lifestyle tips.
See your imbalances, and locate intervention points.
Your body map contains a complete analysis of your Ayurvedic imbalances, organ by organ.
Give your chart to your functional medical doctor or any alternative health practitioner.
Ayurveda strengthens the body while opposing disorders. It takes a holistic,
systemic approach that looks at the whole body. Ayurveda
shows how to interpret signs and symptoms of imbalance, and how to address them
using diet, lifestyle adjustments, and herbs. It shows a person how to optimize their health on a continual basis. You can't
take the doctor home with you, but you can take Ayurveda home with you.
Ayurveda is the most advanced and easy to use home system for self healing.
HOW DOES AYURVEDA WORK?
Ayurveda starts by identifying your body type,
which identifies certain tendencies in your body to get sick (as well as identifying your strengths).
It uses body type to determine the likely root causes of your disorders.
Next, Ayurveda analyzes the nature of your disorder.
It fits all your signs and symptoms into a pattern, expressed as a combination of biocharacteristics (gunas).
For example, you may have a heat disorder, a cold disorder, or an oily disorder, etc.
This simple categorical approach shows you how to correct systemic imbalances and strengthen your body as a whole.
On Joyful Belly, we've created an extensive categorization of food so you can easily match food to your imbalanced biocharacteristics.
By eating an optimal diet that balances your biocharacteristics, your whole body is strengthened
and the conditions that created the disorder are removed. Once the root causes of the disease
are removed, the disease lessens in strength or disappears altogether. Additional remedies -
such as herbs and lifestyle practices - focused on the specific disorder, can greatly enhance
your healing.
GET STARTED
To get started on your Ayurvedic journey, we first recommend that your find your body
type by taking our free quiz. In Ayurveda, every solution is based on your unique body type, so
by taking this quiz, you’ll get the best results.
5 WAYS TO HEAL YOUR BODY WITH AYURVEDA - FREE REPORT!
New to Ayurveda? Not sure how Ayurveda can help you?
This free report shows you 5 simple ways you can heal your body with Ayurveda.
It shows you simple, practical ways manage your health.
John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, offers
professional clinical training
in personalized diet, lifestyle and herbs through Classical Metabolic Theory (Ayurveda & Greek Medicine).
His approach is clinical, yet exudes an ease which many find enjoyable and insightful.
John's hobbies & specialties include advanced digestive disorders,
classical Christian philosophy for mental wellness, languages (French, Arabic, Bengali), cooking & botany.
He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.
John, his wife Natalie, and their 8 kids live in Asheville, NC.
Founder of Joyful Belly Ayurveda, John Immel, answers the question ‘What is Ayurveda?’
Comments & Questions
How does 'heavy period' affect your quality of life?
What aggravates it? What has helped you? Is there something else you'd like to know about 'heavy period'?
“Hi Meenu, There are some specific herbs that help fibroids, but I would be quite wary to recommend them not knowing your constitution and entire health picture. Consider a consultation with either us at Joyful Belly or somewhere locally. Hope that helps!"
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* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
The information and products on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease.
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Ayurvedic Perspective on Heavy Period
Related Symptoms
Stage of Imbalance (Samprapti)
Live Report: Biocharacteristics
Diet Remedies by Dosha, Biocharacteristics, Action, etc.
Live Report: Risk Factors
Herb Remedies by Dosha, Guna, Action, etc.
Live Report: Complications
Biocharacteristics & Herb Actions to Favor
Comments and reviews
Biocharacteristics to Avoid
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Example 2: 
