TUMMY TROUBLES

Herbal preparations, such as monk’s pepper, goosewort, and bugwort, are all gentle helpers for the aches and pains before and during menstruation. Medication containing active ingredients such as ibuprofen, naproxen and butylscopolamin is also very effective at dealing with the achy, cramping pain associated with periods. Household remedies are also a great boon to those plagued with tummy cramps and lower back pains: applying warmth from everything from hot-water bottles, or cushions filled with heated spelt seeds or cherry pits, and taking warm baths with herbal supplements all provide relief from the pain. Light exercise and gentle massage are the other ways of dealing with this problem.

Pharmacy customer: Hello.
PTA: Hello.

My daughter, who is seventeen, is suffering from terrible lower body pain at the moment.
Is the pain from an injury?

No, it’s mostly tummy cramps from her period. I have never had cramps but she gets them every month. What do you recommend?
Does your daughter also have lower back pain?

Yes, actually when I think about it she has more problems with cramps than lower back pain.
I can recommend this pain reliever here. It contains an antispasmodic called butylscopolamin.

I’m sorry I have no idea what an antispasmodic is!
Sorry, an antispasmodic is a drug that helps to relax the stomach muscles.

Oh, I see. Is there anything else that you can give me to help her?
Certainly, we have these cushions filled with cherry pits or with spelt seeds. You can put them in the microwave or in a warm place, no direct heat please when warming them up! They are really good at giving off gentle warmth, which also relaxes the muscles at the point of application, and they are reusable.

Now, that sounds really good! I’ll take one with spelt seeds, please.
Make sure that they are not too hot before applying. A little gentle massage, firm circular kneading movement helps before applying the cushion and a little rest and relaxation after complete the therapy. Taking a warm bath with herbal supplements such as melissa or chamomile can also help to relax the muscles.

When I was my daughter’s age I did quite a lot of sport. I also heard that light exercise can reduce the effects of period cramps. Maybe that’s why I didn’t have any problems? Is this true?
Yes, certainly. Gentle exercise such as swimming, light aerobics anything really that isn’t too strenuous and helps to keep the muscles supple and relaxed.

What if the symptoms continue? What should I do then?
In that case, I would definitely go to a gynaecologist. If the pain persists, it could be a symptom of a more serious problem such as endometriosis.

Yes, my goodness, now why didn’t I think of that?
Don’t worry, from what you have told me, I think that giving her the pain reliever, using the cushion and a little massage will help your daughter.

Thank you very much. Goodbye.
You’re welcome. Bye.

Vocabulary
menstrual pain Menstrutationsbeschwerden
monk’s pepper , Mönchspfeffer
goosewort (Potentilla), Gänsefingerkraut
bugwort (Cimicifuga racemosa), Traubensilberkerze
household remedies Hausmittel
boon Wohltat
tummy (ugs.) Bauch, Unterleib
cushions Kissen
heated erwärmt
spelt seeds Dinkelkörner
cherry pits Kirschkerne
herbal (bath) supplements Kräuter-Badezusatz
relief Erleichterung, Linderung
injury Verletzung
pain reliever Schmerzmittel
antispasmodic krampflindernd
stomach Magen, Bauch
point of application (hier) Anwendungsbereich
reusable wiederverwendbar
strenuous anstrengend
supple geschmeidig

Den vollständigen Artikel finden Sie auch in Die PTA IN DER APOTHEKE 07/11 auf Seite 83.

Catherine Croghan, Lecturer in English and native speaker