PMS? REALLY?

PMS or princess?

Author: Kylie Welsh

A male friend asked me recently if PMS was just an excuse for women. "Excuse for what?" I asked. "You know, so a woman can be more…difficult, than usual."

Since when do we need an excuse? I jest, of course, but PMS is complex and an area of female health that is rife with misconceptions. It is also an area women feel embarrassed to talk about and partners can feel unsure how to broach.

I spoke with Nirala Jacobi about this. Nirala is a qualifed healthcare practitioner with over 10 years experience. She recently wrote this article on PMS to help women have a more thorough understanding of what is happening in their bodies when experiencing PMS and how you can manage this both effectively and naturally.

"Why am I so angry?"— Understanding PMS

When it comes to PMS and other menstrual disorders, women are often frustrated with the lack of understanding and proper care they receive from conventional sources. "One week before my period, I’m so irritable I could rip my husband’s head off" is a frequent statement. Oral contraceptives seem to be the one-stop treatment of choice for many of these complaints and although artificial stabilization of hormones can bring relief for the issues of PMS, it does not find the cause of the problem.

Natural medicine has much to offer for PMS sufferers, as it targets the root of the problem. In my practice in Brisbane, I help women unravel the cause of their particular PMS symptom picture.

Let’s take a look at what’s going on.

PMS symptoms start 1-2 weeks before the period. These include:

• Breast pain

• mood changes such as anger or depression

• headaches

• acne

• digestive complaints such as bloating, constipation, or diarrhea

• weight gain and water retention

• sugar cravings

• fatigue often 1-2 weeks before the period

All symptoms must resolve with the onset of the period to be classified as PMS or something else is going on.

Hormonal Balance

From the first day of the period to ovulation (typically around day 14), oestrogen rises slowly and declines after the egg is released from the ovary. In a normal menstrual cycle, progesterone is the main hormone after ovulation—it helps to offset some of the strong effects of oestrogen.

A common finding in PMS sufferers is an elevated oestrogen/progesterone ratio in which oestrogen is abnormally elevated compared to the level of progesterone. This can be due to an inefficient liver clearance of oestrogen or mild progesterone deficiency.

Another reason why progesterone is low in the 2nd half of the cycle is stress. Stress raises a hormone called cortisol. When stress is continuous, progesterone is taken from the menstrual cycle to convert to cortisol. This is a protective mechanism, as the body thinks it is running from a tiger. It considers cortisol more important than the reproductive hormone progesterone.

Irritability and Depression

Not only can high oestrogen cause all of the symptoms of PMS, but an elevated oestrogen/progesterone ratio has also been shown to impair proper neurotransmitter synthesis such as the "feel-good" serotonin. This may be due to oestrogen depleting B6 levels which is a necessary vitamin to produce proper serotonin levels.

B6 levels are frequently low in depressed patients, especially those taking oestrogens such as the birth control pill or menopausal medication such as Premarin.

Anger is also often experienced by women with PMS. Energetically, anger can be a frequent sign of liver congestion and oestrogen overload.

Oestrogen Dominance

The total amount of oestrogen in your body is determined by

• how much you make yourself (technically, all oestrogen starts as testosterone and is converted in the ovaries or fat tissues—known as endogenous oestrogen)

• how much comes from the outside (from hormones in animal products, chemicals in cosmetics etc—known as exogenous oestrogen)

• and how well you detoxify both

Too high oestrogen is known as oestrogen dominance, a condition associated with PMS, breast cancer, uterine fibroids, and endometriosis.

Other Hormonal Influences

In addition to the above mentioned effects, excess oestrogen has also been implicated in a rise in aldosterone secretion from 2-8 days prior to menses, causing fluid retention, a common complaint in PMS. Endogenous and exogenous oestrogen can also increase prolactin secretion by the pituitary gland. Elevated prolactin has been linked to progesterone deficiency, breast pain, fibrocystic breast disease, and hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism affects a large percentage of women with PMS, and should therefore not be underestimated. If symptoms persist, a simple blood test can identify blatant thyroid dysfunction.

Natural Approaches to PMS

It is always important to know what type of PMS you are experiencing before embarking on a treatment plan. The suggestions below are just examples of a wide variety of professional treatments.

Diet: In my practice, diet and lifestyle recommendations are always the foundation on which I build my treatment plan. I often start the treatment with a cleansing diet for 2-4 weeks, after which I focus on specific diet changes. Depending on the symptom picture, a typical dietary recommendation for a patient with PMS may be to reduce all animal products to decrease exogenous oestrogens as well as saturated fats. To put this into context: vegetarian women excrete two to three times more oestrogens in their faeces and have 50% lower free oestrogens than their omnivore counterparts. Overall reduction of fat, sugar and salt all have been shown to significantly improve PMS symptoms in some women.

Liver Detox: The liver is a very important organ of detoxification. Oestrogens are detoxified through the 2 main detox pathways of the liver. Abstaining from alcohol, caffeine, chemicals and processed foods can lower the total detox burden of the liver. Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage) contain Indole-3-carbinol—a potent compound that aids in the liver detoxification of oestrogen. This is also available in pill form from a qualified naturopath.

The Gut: Another important aspect of PMS treatment is to establish proper bowel flora. To detoxify oestrogens, the liver binds it to glucuronic acid which prevents the reabsorption of oestrogens from the bowel. Certain undesirable gut bacteria produce the enzyme beta-glucuronidase which cleaves this bond and allows these oestrogens to re-enter the circulation, adding to the total oestrogen pool. Increasing fibre and adding probiotics to the treatment protocol can be very beneficial.

Exercise and stress reduction have been clearly documented in the literature for reducing symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

Specific Herbs and Nutrients

A professional naturopath has many herbal remedies and nutrients to design an individualized treatment plan.

By far the most commonly used herb in PMS is Vitex agnus-castus (Chaste tree berry). It is so effective in regulating menses and lowering prolactin it has been written up in Europe’s prestigious "German Commission E", a scientific database on herbal substances

B6 and Magnesium are important for proper serotonin production especially in cases of oestrogen dominance. It also seems to help with sugar cravings before the period.

Ten Tips for Women with PMS

Here are a few tips from Susun Weed’s best-selling book, NEW Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way (Alternatives for Women 30-90) to help ease these discomforts.

TO RELIEVE WATER RETENTION

1. 10-20 drops of dandelion root tincture in a cup of water with meals and before bed.

2. A strong infusion (one ounce of dried herb in a quart of boiling water, brewed overnight) of the common weed, stinging nettle, not only relieves, but also helps prevent further episodes of water retention. Weed says she drinks a cup or more of this infusion daily whenever she wants to nourish her kidneys and adrenals.

TO MODERATE MOOD SWINGS

1. Tincture of the flowering tops of fresh motherwort is a favourite calmative of herbalist Weed. She uses 5-10 drops in a small amount of water as a dose, which she repeats as needed, sometimes as frequently as 3-4 times an hour, until the desired effect is achieved. "I never feel drugged or groggy or out-of-it when I use motherwort to help me calm down," she says.

2. For women who consistently feel premenstrual rage, use 20-30 drops of motherwort tincture twice a day for a month to help stabilize mood swings. Make it a priority to take a moon day - one day right before or at the start of the menstrual flow which is set aside for you and you alone.

3. One or more cups of an infusion of the herb oatstraw (the grass of the plant that gives us oatmeal) helps the nerves calm down and provides a rich source of minerals known to soothe frazzled emotions.

TO RELIEVE CONGESTION AND TENDERNESS IN THE BREASTS

1. 20-30 drops of the tincture of cleavers, another common weed, works wonders. This plant, also called "goose grass", was used as a black tea substitute by the colonists. The dose may be repeated every hour or up to 6 times a day.

2. Women who get a lot of calcium and magnesium from their diet (leafy greens, yoghurt, and many herbs are rich in these minerals) have less breast tenderness. Increase the minerals in your diet with a cup or more of red clover/mint infusion daily.

3. Large cabbage leaves, steamed whole until soft, and applied as warm as tolerable, can be used as a soothing compress on breasts which are sore and swollen.

TO RELIEVE DIGESTIVE DISTRESS

1. A daily dose of 1 teaspoonful/5ml yellow dock root vinegar.

2. A cup of yoghurt in the morning (buy it plain and add fruit at home) replaces gut flora and ensures easy digestion all day long.

About the Author:

Kylie is an author and freelance writer for modern women. She has a popular local blog called Brisbane Woman with hundreds of ladies tuning in each week for a read. Kylie had her first book published in 2005 and her next book is due for publication in 2009. She currently freelances for The Courier Mail newspaper, Brisbane Magazine and QCG Magazine. kyliewelsh.com & brisbanewoman.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - PMS or princess?