PMS

(Pre-Menstrual Syndrome)


A Naturopathic View

Or go straight to clinically proven natural medicines for PMS

When treating PMS and symptoms such as headaches and mood swings, the first thing we need to look at is the overall health and lifestyle of the sufferer.

Before you even think about treating any condition, the first and most important thing you need to be is in reasonable health. Do yourself a favour and give your body a chance to be symptom free.

If you are a person that dreads getting your period then you no doubt WILL have problems, it's the law of attraction.

Try embracing your womanhood and be happy about your period, what's the worst that can happen....you feel better?

On approximately day 14 of your cycle, your body ovulates which means the release of eggs from your ovaries. Your body in preperation of pregnancy then produces extra oestrogen and progesterone to prepare the lining of the womb to accomodate a baby. Ordinarily this should happen every month with very little problems.

BUT sometimes we produce too much oestrogen which overrides the calming effects of progesterone and our body is thrown into a whirlwind of PMS symptoms that I have previously mentioned.

So what we need to do is to try and balance up the oestrogen with progesterone and make these symptoms a thing of the past.

SO LET'S GET STARTED

Naturopathic Suggestions

Typically when a patient visits me with PMS I get them to take a salivary hormone test which shows the available amount of progesterone and oestrogen in the luteal phase of your cycle (this is between ovulation and menstruation). More often than not, the results come back with abnormally high amounts of oestrogen compared to progesterone.

My first suggestion is to try using the herb Vitex Agnus Castus commonly known as Chaste Tree. This herb has been quite successful as the Vitex appears to aid in the production of progesterone. This is especially useful for depression, breast tenderness and cramping.

Many patients have reported symptoms easing after 4 weeks of treatment. This may sound like a long time but remember, you are on a cycle and Mother Nature is very accurate but VERY SLOW!

My next suggestion if the Vitex is unsuccessful is to then try Bio-Identical Progesterone cream, in the form of Pro-GestŪ Cream

This cream works fantastically as it is an exact replica of our natural hormone. If you read the previous section in Women's Health then you would remember me telling you about hormones being like

a puzzle piece. This is when using the correct progesterone cream comes into effect. What happens when you try to put the wrong puzzle peice into the puzzle? It doesn't fit, does it? This is what is happening when you take synthetic hormones such as those prescribed to you from your doctor. The synthetic hormones are not an exact match for our receptor sites so they dont quite have the desired effect, in some cases they can make things worse or cause another whole new bunch of symptoms.

So, this is why I recommend Bio-Identical Progesterone cream as opposed to synthetic hormones. The hormone taken from the Wild Yam plant is actually called 'Diosgenin' but for some reason we still call it natural progesterone. The term natural progesterone can get us into a little bit of trouble as the FDA keeps putting natural progesterone into the same category as synthetic progesterone. This is why you see a cancer warning on the labels of natural progesterone.

If you are wondering why I don't recommend Wild Yam cream, it is because Wild Yam cream only turns into progesterone in a petri-dish in a lab, this is where we get Bio-Identical Progesterone from. There has been no evidence of Wild Yam cream turning into progesterone when rubbed onto the skin.

However, if you have used Wild Yam cream for PMS and it has been useful then I always suggest to stick with what works.



After using the natural progesterone cream for the first time, a lot of women have described having a euphoric feeling. They say it is like having a weight being lifted from their shoulders, they not only feel happier but their sex drive soars and they feel alive again.

This is great news if you are having trouble with libido. Other PMS symptoms like mood swings and cramping also subside over time but because we are on a cycle, don't expect everything to happen at once. You may find the symptoms disappear gradually.

Remember, we are not all the same therefore we react differently to medicines

Vitamin & Mineral Supplements

Magnesium Phosphate is beneficial for symptoms such as cramping, headaches and pain. Magnesium is needed to relax the musculoskeletal system.

Vitamin B Complex

For tiredness and general health I would suggest taking a Vitamin B Complex. There are many different Vitamin B's but I prefer to suggest you take them as a complex as it has been shown if taken individually, then some particular B's will deplete other B's. Therefore it is better to take them all together as a complex and you also only have to take ONE tablet daily.

Home Remedies

Complex carbohydrates

Sugar cravings can be alleviated during PMS by eating wholegrains and cereals etc so that we are fueling our body with slow burning sugars. I know you feel like 'pigging out' on chocolate and lollies but this in not going to help thie situation. The lollies and chocolate will raise your blood sugar a for a little while then the levels will crash and you will feel tired and depressed and want more chocolate! So my suggestion is to find some complex carbohydrates in the form of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, even rice cakes with a bit of peanut butter is a good substitute.

Hot Epsom Salt Bath

There's nothing more soothing when you painful cramps than a hot bath with lots of epsom salts in it. It's the Magnesium in the salts that is absorbed through the skin into our hurting muscles and relieves pain. Try it, it works wonders.

In Summary

So as you can see, the treatment for PMS symptoms such as cramps, depression and breast tenderness, there are a number of good natural options. It is up to you as to how you treat these symptoms, what you feel happy about taking and what your body responds to.

Listen to your body, it talks louder than you think it does.

Sometimes you are just not listening.

Click here to see what's been proven to help PMS

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