Women suffer painful cramps during their periods, which can affect their normal functioning in many ways. Menstrual cramps are common and they appear in lower belly or back, which can range from mild to severe.
These cramps also have a medical term called "dysmenorrhea" and they tend to get less painful with age or may stop after having the first baby.
But dealing with these menstrual cramps isn't easy at all. While women can seek medical help in case of severe pain, there are some home remedies to help women in distress. Instead of women looking for effective methods to relieve menstrual pain or pop painkillers, there's an acupressure-assisted app for effective results.
According to the researchers at the Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, women using acupressure app reported significantly less menstrual pain than women who didn't use the app.
"Because women with menstrual pain already practice self-management, an app for acupressure can be easily added," senior study author Dr. Claudia Witt said in an email statement. "It is wise to try first non-pharmacological interventions, with a good safety profile, before using a painkiller that can have side effects."
Acupressure techniques, for those unaware, help women ease the menstrual pain by teaching them about the pressure points. With precise finger placements at pressure points throughout the body can help relieve pain. The researchers developed an app called AKUD for this purpose, so women do not have to go looking for remedies from various sources and get effective results at their fingertips.
AKUD's target audience is young women in their 20s and 30s, who use smartphones for most tasks. The app is based on a consensus of acupressure experts from China, Germany and the US. The study was performed in Berlin, involving women from 18-34 years of age, between 2012 and 2015.
But the app is helpful for smartphone users who are familiar with the use of apps. We were unable to find the app on Google Play Store or iTunes, but there are several apps with acupressure remedies to help women with menstrual pain, among other things.
According to an NDTV report, other remedies such as massaging with sesame oil, drinking fenugreek seeds soaked in water for 12 hours, having herbal tea using ginger and black pepper without milk or even herbal tea of cumin seeds to help with the pain.
