Are you tired of those days of the months where you can not zip up your jeans without having to lay down on the bed, breathing in, or jumping up and down to get into one leg? Then you get irritable to top it off? You are not alone. Ninety percent of all women suffer from different degrees of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Marilyn Glenville, PhD, wrote in her book Natural Solutions to PMS that there exists up to 150 possible symptoms that can make you feel terrible and that there are ways to treat some of the most common premenstrual problems.
Mood Swings The idea here is to gain control of your blood sugar by eating small meals regularly. Failure to heed this advice allows your blood-sugar level to decrease and adrenalin levels to increase. The hormone, adrenalin, screws up your normal hormone balance resulting in mood swings. Eliminating caffeine and sugar from your diet will also help prevent irritability. After three menstrual cycles, you will notice a real difference. Keep a stash of health snacks such as nuts, oatcakes, and fresh fruit to minimize your craving for foods that will make you feel worse. Definitely, cut out potato chips and chocolate from your diet. To combat a mood swing, take a multivitamin containing large amounts of B vitamins. This helps to reduce stress and give you more energy. Bloating You need to stay hydrated. Not taking in enough fluids makes your body retain any existing fluid you have. This results in swelling, which makes it difficult to fit into your clothes. Minimize or eliminate your salt intake in the weeks prior to your menstruation to help reduce PMS bloating. Eat lots of watery foods, and cut down on your caffeine intake because it can dehydrate you thus worsening your problem. To deal with bloating, drink herbal teas containing natural diuretics like dandelion, watercress, and celery to minimize your body’s water retention. Fatigue Maintain your blood sugar. This is tantamount to ensuring there is enough gasoline in your car to keep it going. Eat snacks often so that you do not “crash” in the late afternoon. If you consistently feel fatigue, check with your health care provider to eliminate the possibility of anemia or thyroid disorders. To help eliminate fatigue, consider taking coenzyme Q10 (coQ10). Coenzyme Q10 helps to release energy by burning fat. It is a great vitaminomimetic (vitamin-like substance) in case PMS causes you to feel excessively sleepy or tired late in the day. Headaches and breakouts The liver is responsible for detoxifying all hormones your body makes when you are in the premenstrual mode. When the liver does not function as it should, symptoms manifest themselves in the form of skin breakouts or PMS-related migraines and/or headaches. Do not overwork your liver by drinking alcoholic beverages since alcohol will take priority in the liver’s metabolic functions over the hormones. To minimize headaches and skin breakouts, consider taking milk thistle which enhances liver function. Zinc supplements are optimal for the skin and general menstrual hormonal imbalances. Breast tenderness Water retention is primarily the cause of breast tenderness. In addition, there is a molecule found in coffee and chocolate called methyl-xanthines that can make the breasts feel very tender and uncomfortable to the touch. Get rid of these from your diet and concentrate on being properly hydrated. To help get rid of breast tenderness, vitamin E has been shown to be beneficial for premenstrual breast pain and swelling. Cramps Get regular exercise to relieve cramps. The endorphins released are naturally occurring opiates. You do not have to engage in strenuous exercise, but consider doing something mild like yoga or cycling to help increase blood flow to the pelvic area and relieve cramps in the abdomino-pelvic region. Exercise also helps with any vomiting, diarrhea, and/or constipation that are many times associated with menstrual cramps.
For supplemental solutions to cramps, try magnesium to help relax the blood vessels and muscles. Magnesium helps to open up blood vessels and promote blood flow to the pelvic region. A lack of magnesium in the diet can cause blood vessels to become spastic allowing PMS symptoms to get worse.
By: Fabiola Castillo
Posts Tagged ‘B Vitamins’
Women’s Health Solutions to Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
June 26th, 2010PMS: The Latest Insights on Its Causes and How to Reduce & Even Eliminate It
November 22nd, 2009
To the medical community, PMS (or premenstrual syndrome) is still a largely mysterious phenomenon that affects women during the one or two weeks before menstruation.
But for the women who face PMS each month (estimates of exactly how many menstruating women get PMS vary widely and go as high as 80 percent, but the American College of Obstetricians says it’s up to 40 percent), the physical, emotional and psychological symptoms are all too familiar.
Each woman’s symptoms vary, and they vary for each woman from month to month, but can include any of 180 symptoms that have been identified to date including some of the common ones below:
Some Common PMS Symptoms
* Breast swelling and tenderness
* Fatigue
* Trouble sleeping
* Upset stomach, bloating, constipation or diarrhea
* Headache
* Food cravings (especially for sweet and salty foods) and changes in appetite
* Joint or muscle pain
* Tension, irritability or mood swings
* Uncontrollable crying
* Anxiety
* Depression
* Backache
* Trouble concentrating
* Acne breakouts
* Aggressiveness
* Changes in libido
* Uterine cramps
* Weight gain
* Fluid retention
* Swelling of feet and ankles
* Forgetfullness
What Causes PMS?
There has been no single cause of PMS identified or accepted by the medical community. But because the changes that happen during PMS coincide with changes in hormone levels during the menstrual cycle, the most widespread theory about PMS is that it’s related to changes in female sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone (though how it’s related isn’t clear).
Other theories have been suggested including that PMS could:
* Be related to hypoglycemia (abnormally low blood sugar levels) or hypothyroidism (abnormally low levels of thyroid hormones).
* Be related to pituitary hormones, prostaglandins and neurotransmitters in the brain.
* Be due to a diet lacking in B vitamins, calcium or magnesium.
If there were to be a consensus among experts, however, it’s likely to be that PMS is due to a variety of factors, including the physiological ones listed above, but also because of genetics, environment and lifestyle factors like nutrition and stress.
What About PMDD?
There’s a lot of controversy about premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and whether it’s a real “disorder.” PMDD includes all of the symptoms of PMS but to the extreme-where a woman who has PMS may feel sad, a woman with PMDD may feel suicidal. It’s said to affect anywhere from 3 percent to 9 percent of women.
“It’s a real biological condition for which women seek treatment–and for which effective treatment is available,” says Jean Endicott, PhD, director of the premenstrual evaluation unit at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.
However, for each expert who believes in PMDD, there’s another who says it isn’t real, and that it could drive women to take a medication when what they really need is to get at the underlying issues.
As Joan Chrisler, PhD, a psychology professor at Connecticut College and president of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, said, “We’re conditioned to want a pill. Instead of something you might need more, like a nap or a divorce, or the ERA.”
And according to Paula Caplan, PhD, author of “They Say You’re Crazy,” “There is no evidence [that PMDD exists], though people have to find such evidence … It is really appalling that using PMDD for women who want recognition for discomfort is a very clear message that goes something like: ‘OK, OK, we’ll believe you are feeling bad if we get to call you mentally ill for feeling bad.’”
Seven Ways to Help Reduce PMS Symptoms
Though PMDD symptoms may be so severe as to require medical or psychological help, the symptoms of PMS can usually be dealt with on your own. Here’s what can help:
* Exercise: According to Carol Watkins, MD, “Women who exercise regularly have fewer PMS symptoms.” Regular exercise is typically considered to be at least three to five times a week.
* Eat Better: Nutrient deficiencies and poor nutrition could make PMS symptoms worse. The top dietary culprits to avoid during PMS include:
o Salt
o Sugar
o Caffeine
o Alcohol
* But at the same time you’re avoiding the “bad” foods, it’s important to get plenty of the “good” vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Most women should consider a high-quality supplement such as the widely recommended Ultravite, an all-natural multi-mineral and vitamin supplement specifically formulated to relieve and prevent the symptoms of PMS.
* Get plenty of sleep. We highly recommend you read the “Stress Keeping You Awake?” article under Recommended Reading below if you have sleep issues!
* Manage stress in your life. How you choose to manage stress is up to you-you may feel better from taking some time alone with your journal or going for a long walk outside. Others may prefer to call a close friend or listen to music.
* Another exceptional way to relieve stress that many are not aware of? Stretching!
* Don’t smoke.
* Seek out a “support group,” whether it be a friend, sibling or significant other, who will be understanding if you’re not feeling like yourself.
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Sources
American Psychological Association
PMS Resource Center
The National Women’s Health Information Center
Dealing With PMS
Intelihealth: Premenstrual Syndrome
By: B. Williams