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Simply Sarena

Simply Sarena

Home | Toxin Free | How To Get Rid Of Period Cramps Naturally | No Pain Killers, No Birth Control

How To Get Rid Of Period Cramps Naturally | No Pain Killers, No Birth Control

Healthy Lifestyle, Toxin Free, Women's Health

***I am a Certified Holistic Nutrition Health Coach however, this blog is for informational purposes only and should not be used as nutrition or medical advise. See my blog’s disclaimer for more information.

So many women struggle with terrible, debilitating PMS symptoms every month. I used to be one of them until a couple years ago. I dove into research on what contributes to horrible periods, how to get rid of cramps, and regulate hormones naturally. I’ve pieced it all together and I no longer suffer from horrible periods cramps or symptoms anymore!

Let me give a little back story so you have a point of reference before I get to my solution…

I got my period when I was 13, on the second day of school in 8th grade. It was light and it was short. Then, I didn’t get it again until New Year’s Eve, which was almost 4 months later. I remember this because I was at a sleepover with a bunch of girls from school and my period was HEAVY. I leaked through 2 pairs of pants that night, and I was super uncomfortable and embarrassed. (At 13 years old, I was new to periods, and half the girls there hadn’t even started theirs yet.)

But after that traumatic month, my periods became pretty regular very quickly and I didn’t have any issues for YEARS!

It wasn’t until summer, before my senior year of high school that I even had period cramps. I remember my first time having cramps, I took off work because I thought I was sick. I was beyond nauseous and my lower back hurt really badly too. It lasted about 24 hours, so I thought I just happened to get a stomach bug the same day I got my period. But then this “stomach bug” came the next month I got my period and I realized those were cramps…

Over the next 2 years or so, my cramps got worse and worse every month.

I’d skip school because I was in so much pain, I’d show up hours late to work too. The pain even went into my legs, and one morning on my way to school in college, I literally had to pull over because my legs ached so bad I was struggling to drive.

Then, one morning in summer 2011, I woke up with such horrible period cramps I was vomiting, I couldn’t walk, I literally crawled to the bathroom…I was crying, I was in THE WORST pain I’ve ever experienced. One minute I was sweating and the next minute, shivering. I thought “there’s no way child birth is worse than this.” (Obviously I’ve never given birth so I don’t know if it was as bad or not, but that’s how much pain I was in.)

After that experience, I was like, “That’s it! I can’t deal with this every month…I’m going on birth control.” I started researching different options and one after another was not for me. I was also struggling with terrible cystic acne at the time. While some people experience clear skin from birth control, other’s skin got wayyy worse. The thought of my skin getting worse was terrifying. Along with the other potential birth control side effects, I thought there has to be a better way. (On top of that, in my mind, consuming hormones to stop your body from ovulating and causing a fake period or no period at all, is anything but natural and not something I would want to do to my body.)

But there was a better way!

I researched the heck out of naturally getting rid of period cramps and of course, I found the typical heating pads, pressure points, stuff like that. But then I came across one women who had cramps like mine and once she cleaned up her diet, they went away!

So I started eating healthier, ate more fruits and vegetables and less refined sugar. That definitely helped A TON! (Check out this post for tips on a clean diet.)

On top of that, when I went gluten free for my skin, that kicked off a huge lifestyle overhaul. I learned about how having a healthy gut effects everything (including your hormones), and how a lot of ingredients in personal care products and cosmetics are hormone disruptors! (Check out this post for help swapping out products!)

Once I cleaned up my diet, worked on healing my gut, and swapped out a lot of my products for toxin-free versions, my hormones got more under control (naturally.) Now I have very minimal issues during my period.

A lot of my friends went on birth control to get periods like mine are now. I went from having vomit inducing cramps and long, heavy periods (I’m talking a solid 7 days, soaking through supers every 2 hours for the first couple days,) to now, barely having cramps. My periods are also light and short, (2 or 3 supers for 1 day, 2 or 3 regulars for 1 day, and a panty liner for the next couple days…my entire period is about 4 days now.)

Another (big) switch I made which I believe has made a HUGE difference…

Switching to Organic tampons and pads. Synthetic pads and tampons (like Always, Tampax, Kotex, etc.) are made out of rayon, soaked in dioxin (a hormone disrupting chemical), and they completely throw off your PH balance. A few of these companies have made an organic version though so look out for those! Some pads and tampons have added fragrance which throws off the PH balance even more. (Ironically, fragrance makes you more likely to smell funky.) The ingredients in “fragrance” are undisclosed, so Lord only knows what other toxic chemicals you’re exposing yourself to.

Also, because rayon is so drying, it increases your risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome. Rayon is doused in pesticides and dioxin bleaches the rayon and you’re sticking that up extremely absorbent tissue! No wonder so many women struggle with PCOS, endometriosis, fertility issues, reproductive cancers, and overall really difficult periods!

Organic pads and tampons are made out of Organic cotton and are free from dyes, fragrance, pesticides, and hormone disrupting chemicals. Organic cotton isn’t nearly as drying as rayon, so switching to Organic feminine products lowers the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome. You’re also not putting cancerous chemicals in your body.

Periods are a good way for our bodies to rid itself of toxins.

The less toxins in your system, the less it needs to rid itself of. I believe organic products make my period much lighter and shorter with very minimal cramps. (I’ve heard menstrual cups are a great option too and they’re less wasteful. I haven’t tried them yet, but once I do, I’ll share that experience.)

Also, about a week before my period starts, I drink raspberry leaf tea at least once a day. I continue to drink it through about the second day of my period. Raspberry leaf tea is great because it’s got potassium, magnesium, and iron which we all need more of during that time of the month. It boosts your reproductive health and results is less painful periods! It’s high in antioxidants too.  Some brands even label their raspberry leaf tea with a women’s health label.

I know everyone is different and some girls are completely happy being on birth control. I just wanted to share my experience dealing with period issues naturally, because it’s an option most women have never thought of.

June 5, 2020 · Leave a Comment

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HI EVERYONE!

I’m Sarena


I’m a Northern Virginia based Integrative Nutrition Coach, a Toxin Free Lifestyle enthusiast, a dancer, and a dog mom to my sweet girl, Miss Cammie.

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simply.sarena

Flea and Tick medication is so toxic to your fur b Flea and Tick medication is so toxic to your fur baby! But fleas and ticks are also horrible for them as well…so what option is there??

I like to use Wondercide on my dog in flea and tick season. Wondercide is low tox and is safe for your pup and you!

The only downside to Wondercide in my opinion is you have to be DILIGENT about applying it. 

My routine for Miss Cammie this summer is the flea and tick collar every time we go outside, the spray once a day, and the spot on after every bath.

Have you ever thought about natural flea and tick prevention?? Let me know! ⬇️

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#dogmom #naturaldogproducts #nontoxicdogproducts #wondercide #fleaandtickprevention #lowtoxdogproducts #healthypet #healthypets #healthydogsarehappydogs #lowtoxliving #lowtoxfamily #lowtoxlife #lowtoxlifestyle
I can literally make multiple meals with these 5 f I can literally make multiple meals with these 5 foods! They’re always great to have on hand when I don’t know what to eat.

For example, I’ll make a smoothie with the frozen fruits and veggies with some eggs for breakfast.

I have oatmeal as a bedtime snack with frozen blueberries.

I can make rice, a salad, and a few eggs for dinner.

What do you always have in your kitchen??

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#healthyfood #healthykitchen #mealprep #healthymealprep #nutritioncoach #healthcoachlife #kitchenstaples #pantrystaples #eatwellbewell #eatwellfeelwell #fillingfoods #healthyeatinghabits #nutritiontips #healthydiets #healthandwellnesstips #healthandwellnessjourney #healthandwellnesscoach
I’ve seen so many toxin free people tell others I’ve seen so many toxin free people tell others to look out for ethoxylated ingredients but no one ever says exactly what ingredients people should be looking out for!

Here is a list of common ethoxylated ingredients I’ve seen on ingredient labels for cosmetics. This is not every single ethoxylated ingredient, but these ones are super common.

Swipe to the last slide for a list of companies that do not use these ingredients in their products! 

Save this list for later!

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#ethoxylatedingredients #toxicingredients #avoid #ingredientlabels #toxinfree #toxinfreeliving #lowtox #lowtoxliving #lowtoxmakeup #lowtoxlife #cleanmakeup #crunchi #100percentpure #zuzuluxe #hancosmetics #toxinfreemakeup #toxinfreeskincare
Women use makeup everyday and use so many differen Women use makeup everyday and use so many different products. Unfortunately, most makeup does contain hormone disrupting chemicals 😩 

While switching your makeup won’t get rid of ALL your hormone issues on its own, it’s an important step to take to help regulate and balance your hormones.

Most hormone disrupting chemicals mimic estrogen. Too much estrogen can cause…
-mood swings 
-heavy periods
-period cramps
-migraines
-weight issues 
& more

My FAVORITE makeup brand that does not contain any hormone disrupting chemicals is Crunchi Cosmetics! There are other brands that are clean too…there is absolutely no reason to use toxic makeup products anymore!

If you want to make the switch to makeup that won’t mess up your hormones, DM me for a link for $10 OFF clean makeup! 

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#hormonehealth #hormonebalance #hormonesupport #hormoneimbalance #womenshealth #womenshormones #estrogendominance #balancehormones #hormonalacne #hormonebalancing #cleanmakeup #lowtoxmakeup #nontoxicmakeup #toxinfreemakeup #makeupandhormones #healthcoachtips #healthylivingjourney #healthylivingtips #healthymakeup #beautytips #greenbeauty #cleanbeauty #cleanbeautyrevolution #beautyproducts #crunchi #crunchimakeup #crunchicosmetics #crunchicollection
Is this time change effecting anyone else horribly Is this time change effecting anyone else horribly this week?? My sleep schedule is so thrown off! 

I’m realizing more than ever how important it is to get the day started right! My morning routine really sets the tone for the rest of my day! 

It effects my mood, my energy, and even how I feel about myself!

If you need a better morning routine, try incorporating some of these healthy morning habits into your routine! 

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#morningroutine #morninghabits #morningperson #startthedayright #healthyhabits #healthymornings #healthcoach #healthandwellnessjourney #healthandwellnesstips #wellnesstips #healthylivingjourney #healthylivingmovement
It’s always a good day for tea at The Greenbrier It’s always a good day for tea at The Greenbrier! 🍵💕 

I obviously couldn’t miss tea time since I clearly have a tea addiction. And of course I had to show up in some new sustainable fashion!

If you’ve seen my stories recently, I’m done and I mean DONE with fast fashion. Check out my fashion highlight for more deets, but in a nutshell, fast fashion is full of toxic chemicals, plastics, unethical workplaces for workers, and soooo much waste!

I have vowed to myself to stop buying fast fashion and only purchase new items from sustainable, ethical, plastic free companies OR purchase second hand items to cut down on waste.

The dress I’m wearing was originally $218 and I found it new with tags Thredup for $20! 

Let me know where you like to find sustainable clothing! ⬇️

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#sustainable #sustainablefashion #sustainableclothing #thredup #sailtosable #thegreenbrier #thegreenbrierresort #teatime #teatime🍵 #secondhandfashion #secondhandclothes #secondhandfirst #sustainablestyle #ecofriendlyliving #ecofriendlyclothing
Clothing has a huge impact on the environment and Clothing has a huge impact on the environment and our health! I am officially done buying fast fashion clothing. There are other ethical, environmentally friendly, and toxin free clothing options!

Swipe through for more info! Also, these are obviously not the only organic and sustainable companies out there 😅 Just a good place to start on your ethical, eco-friendly clothing journey! 

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#toxinfreeclothing #sustainableclothingbrands #ecofriendlyclothing #fastfashionsucks #fastfashion #fastfashiondetox #fastfashionkills #ethicalclothing #thredup #poshmark #swapclothing #secondhandclothing #toxinfreelifestyle #lowtoxliving #lowtoxlife #2023fashion #fashionfacts #organicfashion
I literally eat this breakfast EVERYDAY! I did a I literally eat this breakfast EVERYDAY!

I did a whole other reel on lemon water, so check out my page to see why it’s so good for you!

My green smoothie is loaded with fruits and veggies so I get a great dose of vitamins, fiber, and healthy fats!

Eggs are PACKED with nutritional value! They’ve got protein, healthy fats, B12, iron, and more! They help you stay full and give you energy. 

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#healthybreakfast #healthybreakfastideas #nutritioncoach #whatieat #greensmoothies #healthysmoothie #goodfood #healthydietfood #healthyfoodreel #healthyfood #foodismedicine #healthylifestyle #healthylifehappylife #healthylifestyletips #healthyeatingtips #breakfastideas #holistichealth #holistichealthcoach #holisticnutrition #holisticliving
I keep seeing Seint all over social media so I wan I keep seeing Seint all over social media so I wanted to do some digging on their products!

I love the idea of an all in one compact that you can customize to your preferences.

In my opinion, convenience isn’t worth it if the ingredients are toxic! 

Seint uses multiple petroleum based ingredients which can cause c**cer.

Their products also contain phenoxyethanol which is a combination of corrosive phenol with c**cerous ethylene oxide, talc which is usually contaminated with asbestos, and lake dyes which can also lead to c**cer. 

They also don’t do third party testing for heavy metals which means their products could be contaminated with dangerous heavy metals like arsenic and lead! 

There are much better cosmetics options out there that don’t put your health at risk! Personally, I LOVE Crunchi cosmetics. Crunchi uses ecofriendly packaging, ecocert minerals, and their formulas are completely toxin free! 

Shop my favorite toxin free products at the link in my bio 🛍

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#seintmakeup #toxinfreebeauty #toxinfreemakeup #toxicmakeup #crunchi #cleanbeauty #cleanmakeup #greenbeauty #greenmakeup #ecofriendly #lowtoxmakeup #lowtoxliving #lowtoxlifestyle #toxinfreelife #thebestmakeup
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