13 Ways To Avoid Heavy Menses

If pitta dosha is affecting the flow through reproductive system you may have heavy menses. You may have more tendency to have accidents, more likely to change the pads frequently. You need some acute care, you need symptomatic relief.

If you have heavy menstrual flow, it means your body is utilizing this time of the month to purge heat out of the bloodstream. There is a treatment in panchkarma called Rakta mokshana where the body does blood lining. We could think of it as what the body is trying to do with the heavy flow is the type of Rakta mokshana, it’s trying to free the Rakta. The reason it does that is because we carry too much heat in the blood and too much intensity in the body. So think about how can you remove that heat from your system?

You can support it by purging the heat out of the bloodstream by not generating the heat in the first place, by looking at the foods you are eating.

Here’s what you should do:

1. Red raspberry as a tea is very straining, it dries out secretion and it will slow down the rate of flow. It’s cooling, so it can be a good tea for pitta dosha to bring coolness to the reproductive system.
2.  Shower: Cooling the system down is really important. You could take a cold shower. Not an ice-cold shower but a moderately cool one that allows the body to release heat.
3. Food: Avoid fried foods, highly spiced foods, or processed food when you are experiencing a really heavy flow.
4. Calm Down: Make sure you are not too focused.
5.  Tea: A cooling tea that includes gotu kola, skullcap, rose and a pinch of cardamom is very beneficial for women who have a heavy pitta flow. The red raspberry leaf tea dries out the flow, the gotu kola tea takes away the cause which is the high pitta that you have in the mind and in the body.
6. Sugar: Sugar makes sure the liver works overtime. By cutting out sugar from your diet, you can reduce the flow during menstruation.
7. Aromatherapy: Aromatherapy specifically roman chamomile, clary sage, and marjoram can help pacify pitta.  
8.  Oil: Cooling oil such as coconut can be used to massage the abdomen. Follow it up with eating something that has a cooling effect. But make sure it is not ice cold, as you don’t want to be eating or drinking too cold during menstruation.
9.  Shower: Take a cool shower, you are not trying to shock the system out of the heat, you are trying to slowly and gently bring it back down to a place that’s comfortable for you to be.
10.  Alcohol: Limit the consumption of alcohol, as it creates challenges for the liver. So that the liver doesn’t get so stressed and overheated that it drives the person to heavy menstrual flow.
11. Potassium: Increase the intake of Potassium – bananas and coconut are rich sources. Or you could make yourself some potassium broth. This broth you would make with vegetables typically potatoes peels, carrots, salivary, and onions can all be tossed into a pot with a quart of water and then boiled. The minerals from the plants get transferred to the water, rich in potassium. An excellent way for pitta to fuel Agni for its work without getting so much sugar that drives them into a hypermetabolic state.
12. Iron: Iron supplements or eating foods that are iron-rich is very important following menstruation to make sure that you are able to replenish the iron that is being spent during menses.
13. Water Salt: You can take a little bit of water salt with your water and a little bit of salt with your potassium broth and it will help stabilize the fluids back in the body as your body takes the time to rebuild the rasa and to replace any Rakta that was spent.