Greengirl (Atlanta, Georgia, Us) on 07/24/2013:

I almost always have bad cramps on the first day of my period. Because of a new diet protocol I can't take my usual ibuprofen, so I tried acetaminophen instead. An hour later, I still felt no relief. Because the diet is also sugar-free, I couldn't try the blackstrap molasses recommended by others on this site. I had read elsewhere about chamomile tea helping with menstrual pain, so I put a tablespoon of dried chamomile flowers into about 1 1/2 cups of hot water and let steep for 10 minutes. About 10 minutes after drinking the tea, my cramps had improved, and after 20 minutes, the cramps had almost completely subsided, as well as a good deal of my related neck and back pain. I will be using this remedy every month now!