| What are your choices? |
| Plan of Action |
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Introduction
What are Pre-menstrual Symptoms?
PMS (Pre-menstrual Syndrome) is a term used to describe any symptoms which occur any time after ovulation and disappear almost as soon as the period arrives. So the crucial point is not what symptoms you experience but when.
What are the symptoms of PMS?
This is where a lot of confusion has arisen because over 150 symptoms can be classed as PMS. These can include:
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Mood swings
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Irritability
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Anxiety and tension
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Bloating
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Breast tenderness and swelling
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Water retention
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Acne
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Tiredness
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Weight gain
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Headaches/migraines
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Crying Spells
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Depression
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Sugar and food cravings
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Constipation
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Dizziness
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Quite a list! Personality changes associated with this time can be very severe with some women describing a Jekyll and Hyde change where they literally become a different person pre-menstrually. Women say that they know they are feeling and thinking differently to the point of being irrational but they have no control over those changes. For some women at that time the world seems completely negative, 'everything seems black', doom and gloom and they will often cry at the slightest thing without any real reason.
Types of PMS
In order to make classification of PMS easier, Dr Guy Abraham in America, devised a system of categories for the different types of PMS symptoms. These fall into four categories
Type A - Anxiety
This category which is very common in up to 80% of women each cycle, includes those symptoms such as mood swings, irritability, anxiety and tension.
Type C - Cravings
This group includes cravings for sweets or chocolates, increased appetite, fatigue and headaches. Up to 60% of women can experience these kinds of symptoms leading up to the period.
Type H - Hyperhydration
Type H includes symptoms such as water retention, breast tenderness and enlargement, abdominal bloating and weight gain. Up to 40% of women can experience these changes.
Type D - Depression
Depression is the largest symptom in this group but it can also include confusion, forgetfulness, clumsiness, withdrawal, lack of co-ordination, crying spells, confusion. Only 5% of women experience these symptoms but these can be the most serious if the woman is verging on the point of being suicidal.
Many women will get symptoms from each Type during any one cycle. And for some women these symptoms can change from month to month, so they are not always experiencing exactly the same symptoms before each period.
What are your choices?
For some women because the symptoms can be predominately psychological they are often prescribed tranquillisers or antidepressants. Other women have been just told to 'grin and bear it' or it's part and parcel of being a woman. And others have the situation where many doctors do not even believe that the condition exists.
It is assumed that PMS has an effect on a woman's general health by giving her any number of 150 different symptoms. But what if the situation is really the other way round. That is, if a woman' health is not very good then this manifests as PMS in some women.
If you have not been eating well, maybe lacking in certain vitamins and minerals, not exercising, stressed, too much to do each day and generally feeling 'run down' it is very possible that your body's ability to produce the right balance of hormones and to utilise those hormones properly each cycle is going to be compromised.
The supplements recommended below have been studied in clinical trials and have been found to be effective in connection with PMS. For best results you should take them over a period of three months, at the end of which you should be reassessed in order to monitor improvements and changes and then adjust the supplement programme according to your new condition.
Multivitamin and Mineral
A good quality multivitamin and mineral would form the foundation of your supplement programme to make sure that you are getting a 'little bit of everything'. You then add in those nutrients in slightly higher amounts which are known to be helpful for PMS.
Vitamin B6
A number of studies have shown the effectiveness
of vitamin B6 on PMS. Vitamin B6 plays a vital part
in synthesising certain brain chemicals (neurotransmitters)
that control your mood and behaviour. In order for
your body to convert B6 (as pyridoxine) into its active
form (pyridoxal-5-phosphate) which your body can use,
it needs other nutrients such as magnesium. So if
you take B6 on its own but are deficient in other
nutrients your body may not be able to use that B6
properly. It is also now possible to take vitamin
B6 in the form of pyridoxal-5-phosphate which is the
type I would recommend.
Vitamin E
This vitamin has been shown to be helpful for the breast symptoms associated with PMS and also the mood swings and irritability.
Magnesium
Magnesium is classed as 'nature's tranquilliser' and so is vital in those aspects of the pre-menstrual symptoms which relate to anxiety, tension, etc.. Women with PMS have been found to have lower levels of red blood cell magnesium than women who don't have symptoms and the supplementation of magnesium has been found to be extremely useful in alleviating many of the PMS symptoms and even more effective when taken with vitamin B6 at the same time.
A magnesium deficiency can cause blood vessels to go into spasms so if you suffer from menstrual migraines magnesium can be useful in preventing these spasms.
GLA
Omega 6 essential fatty acids (linoleic acid) are converted to gamma linolenic acid (GLA) which is found in plants such as evening primrose, borage and starflower. Many women with PMS have been found to have an inherent problem in that their bodies seem to find it difficult to make this conversion to GLA. A number of studies have shown that evening primrose oil (EPO) is effective in reducing the symptoms of PMS and especially helpful to women whose main pre-menstrual symptoms is breast tenderness or fibrocystic breast disease
Herbs (see caution below)
Agnus Castus
Agnus Castus is the most important herb in relation
to helping PMS. It has been widely studied in relation
to PMS and has shown to be extremely helpful in re-establishing
a normal balance of hormones. Agnus Castus works on
the pituitary gland and has a balancing effect on
the hormones especially in the second half of the
cycle which is why it is such an important herb for
PMS symptoms.
You should not take any of the above herbs if you are taking, The Pill, Fertillity drugs, HRT or any other hormonal treatment or other medication unless they are recommended by a registered, experienced practitioner.
There are a number of tests available that are extremely useful and are well worth considering. These tests can give you invaluable insights into understanding what is going on in your body at the moment and can tell you what vitamin and mineral deficiencies and heavy toxic metal excesses you may have. They can let you know what your general condition is and how well your digestive system is functioning and then explain what action you need to take to rectify any imbalances the results may reveal. The analysis of these results lets you know what supplements you need to take in order to bring your body back into balance and into optimum health. This is also designed to help prevent these problems from recurring in the future.
Mineral Analysis Test with Supplement and Nutritional Assessment Programme
This test measures the deficiency and excess levels of 7 different minerals and 5 heavy toxic metals that may be present in your body.
Online Personalised Supplement Assessment Programme
The analysis of this comprehensive questionnaire will give you a three monthly supplement programme to help balance any vitamin and mineral deficiencies you may have.
After three months you would then have a re-test in order to monitor your progress and adjust your supplement programme according to your new condition.
If you need help in obtaining any of the supplements, herbs or tests mentioned above, click, PMS options at The Natural Health Practice. They can supply all of them for you online or if you prefer to talk to somebody first you can also order by mail order on the telephone. The products supplied by this company are always of the highest quality.
Nutrition
Ensure you are getting the right nutrition:
Follow dietary recommendations outlined in The
foundation of health
The supplement programme below should be taken for
at least three months in order to achieve best results
A good quality multivitamin and mineral.
Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxal-5-phosphate) 50mg per day
Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopherol) 300 ius per day
Magnesium 200mg per day
Zinc citrate 15mg per day
GLA approx. 150mg per day
Herbs
A good herbal formula should contain:
| Herb |
Amount |
| Agnus Castus |
206mg |
| Black Cohosh |
147mg |
| Skull cap |
88mg |
| Milk thistle |
59mg |
To avoid having to purchase single herbs for all of the above, and to make the process easier, I have formulated a supplement that contains all of the most important herbs for the menopause. For more information about this click Agnus Castus Plus.
At the end of three months you should reassess your condition and adjust your supplement programme accordingly.
If you need help in obtaining any of the supplements, herbs or tests mentioned above, click, PMS options at The Natural Health Practice. They can supply all of them for you online or if you prefer to talk to somebody first you can also order by mail order on the telephone. The products supplied by this company are always of the highest quality.
The tests below have been specially selected to be the most helpful if you are concerned about pre-menstrual symptoms.
Mineral Analysis Test with Supplement and Nutritional Assessment Programme
Online Personalised Supplement Assessment Programme
After three months you would then have a re-test in order to monitor your progress and adjust your supplement programme according to your new condition.
If you need help in obtaining any of the supplements, herbs or tests mentioned above, click, PMS options at The Natural Health Practice. They can supply all of them for you online or if you prefer to talk to somebody first you can also order by mail order on the telephone. The products supplied by this company are always of the highest quality.
The section above forms part of a larger complete e-book on PMS. In the rest of the e-book you will learn what the medical approaches to PMS are and how to combine them with the natural approach. This is called Integrated Medicine and is the way that healthier of the future is moving towards. You will also learn what medical tests will give you an accurate diagnosis of your condition and if you really need to have them. The medical treatments for PMS are then examined which can include looking at either drugs or surgery. Each treatment is then discussed and the pros and cons of the options explained. The Integrated Approach to PMS is considered in some detail so that if appropriate you can know how to combine the best of both conventional and natural medicine.
At the end of the e-book is a practical step by step summary of what you can do to help yourself.
If you would like to read the rest of this e-book click,PMS E-book at The Natural Health Practice, and you will be given details of how you can download the whole e-book.
| Introduction | What are your choices? | Plan of Action |
The contents of this site are for information only and are intended to assist readers in identifying symptoms and conditions they may be experiencing. This site is not intended to be a substitute for taking proper medical advice and should not be relied upon in this way. Always consult a qualified doctor or health practitioner, especially if you are pregnant, taking the pill or on any medication. Your situation will need to be looked at individually and you should not attempt to self treat. The author and publisher cannot accept responsibility for illness arising out of the failure to seek medical advice from a doctor.
The views expressed by third parties placing material on these pages are not representative of the views of the author or publisher. The Author and Publisher cannot monitor the content not produced by us and has not reviewed all the third party material published on this site and the Author and Publisher accept no liability whatsoever in relation to the content of third party material placed on these pages.
