If you are a woman who experiences pain on their period – you are not alone. Sometimes the pain won’t go away no matter how hard we try.
When pain hits at the time of the month, most women turn to painkillers for quick relief. The fact is–painkillers can cause serious side effects and toxins to build up in the body. Doing your best to stay away from PMS treatments loaded with potentially harmful chemicals is difficult, but worth it.
Things in the pain relief industry need to change. From the opioid crisis to the fact that nearly 20 million Americans are addicted to pain medications the conclusion is clear: synthetic drugs are affecting lives for the worst. Taking large doses of painkillers as many women do at that time of the month can cause serious side effects. More people than ever are taking CBD as an alternative to pharmaceutical drugs and finding relief without the side effects.
This is why you should throw out those painkillers and opt for the natural route.
1. The Side Effects Of NSAIDS (Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs) Are Very Real and Quite Scary
Due to the risk of side effects being so serious, and sometimes even life-threatening — the FDA recently strengthened its warning regarding NSAID use.
The risks compound with long-term use, for instance, the cumulative 7ish years you’ll spend menstruating throughout your life. The side effects of long-term NSAID use cause nearly 103,000 hospitalizations and 16,500 deaths each year.
We don’t mean to scare you, but we feel it’s our duty to tell you the truth. The way we see it is; if NSAIDs can cause death in some people, they’re probably not an ideal solution for anybody.
If you are a habitual user of NSAIDs, it is especially important to watch out for side effects. Some serious risks of NSAIDs include:
Heart—NSAIDs have been proven to increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and heart-related deaths. If you are a habitual user of NSAIDS, the more your potential for heart problems goes up.
Stomach—Studies show that people who take NSAIDs regularly are more likely to develop upset stomach symptoms, and potentially ulcers or bleeding in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Your risk is greater if you’re older and take more than one pain reliever (such as an NSAID plus an aspirin).
Kidneys—NSAIDs may reduce blood flow to the kidneys, which could compromise these blood-filtering organs over time.
It’s important to note that serious side effects are rare, but depending on how you react to NSAIDs, they still may cause more problems than they fix.
More common side effects include stomach pain, headache, constipation, diarrhea, gas, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, bloating, dizziness, fatigue, insomnia, and high blood pressure.
2. CBD Has The Same Benefits Without The Side Effects
Recently, scientists discovered that similarly to NSAIDs — CBD also inhibits the prostaglandin-producing enzyme. Prostaglandins are the hormones in your body that cause cramps. NSAIDs work to reduce pain by inhibiting two enzymes COX-2 and COX-1. The problem is when the COX-1 enzyme is suppressed there can be many side effects. Unlike NSAIDs — CBD preferably inhibits COX-2 and not COX-1, which means the anti-inflammatory benefits without the side effects.
In addition, CBD is non-toxic, so it’s safer for the liver and kidneys. It won’t affect your heart rate, your blood pressure, or even your body temperature. It also won’t drastically affect your appetite, or negatively affect your digestion. In fact, CBD may reduce the pain, inflammation, and intestinal damage associated with inflammatory bowel disease.
Most importantly, CBD doesn’t have any intoxicating effects, meaning it won’t produce: hallucinations, mood changes, mental changes, drowsiness, etc… because unlike marijuana it is a non-psychoactive compound.
3. NSAIDs Are A Bandaid To A Recurring Problem
Think about it – you get pain, NSAIDs relieve the pain for a bit, within a few hours your liver metabolizes them, and you’re left with the same amount of pain as you started with. Each month you take more NSAIDs and repeat until your period ends, the cycle continues. You may be thinking, “Isn’t that how medicine works?” Well, yes. But not natural medicine.
Multiple clinical trials show the effects of vitamins, minerals, and herbs over multiple menstrual cycles. Nearly all show period pain further decreased in intensity and duration with each consecutive cycle. Natural ingredients may take more time to feel, but they aren’t short-term fixes, they make periods progressively more manageable over time. NSAIDs can’t do that.
4. NSAIDs Only Treat Physical Pain
Anyone who menstruates knows periods are a full-body experience. Including, mental, emotional and physical symptoms. A whopping 150 menstrual symptoms are described in a variety of scientific texts. Majority of which have nothing to do with physical pain, but are instead:
Emotional (e.g. anxiety, depression, mood swings)
Behavioral (e.g. cravings, insomnia)
Cognitive (e.g. poor concentration, changes in libido)
Or physical symptoms unrelated to pain (e.g. fatigue, bloating, nausea, constipation, diarrhea)
If you’re looking for full PMS relief–NSAIDs are not the answer. Due to the overwhelming research on the side effects of NSAIDS, here at PINK Jasmine, we believe in the power of plants not pills. Our unique duo of CBD and proven PMS fighting ingredients, focuses on nourishing and healing your body, rather than putting a bandaid on the problem. Join us today in the #CBDrevolution, and find the freedom that lasts.
Sources
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