Good-bye Darvon; Hello Allay!

Back in the day, I suffered from miserable, monthly menstrual cramps. I'm talking stay-home-from-school, writhe-around-on-the-floor, moaning-and-crying suffering. (Unfortunately, it was a family trait, passed from my mother to me to my daughter.) That was pre-Advil, of course, when a girl's choices for relief were aspirin, a hot water bottle and Darvon by prescription. Darvon never worked for me. Sometimes, it made me throw up. Today, I read it's coming off the market.  And, that its ability to fight pain was always considered "dubious."

Enter, the Allay Period Relief patch - a new, drug-free treatment for the pain associated with your monthly "friend" (talk about your gross misnomers!) I received a free sample of the battery-operated product that emits gentle electronic pulsations and let my daughter give it a test drive. (Fortunately, I am no longer qualified to be the lab rat, in this instance.)  She reports that it was effective in lessening her cramps, but she did have problems holding it in place.  (A little surgical tape might help.)  The product was recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the top medical  innovations of 2009.  It will run you around 30+ bucks and last 720 hours (turn on and off, as needed).  For most women, that figures to be ten to twelve months.  If you have a daughter who is cursed by the curse, it's worth a try.