More on PMS

So, on Peace06′s recommendation/reminder on the last post, I checked out westonaprice.org to see what info they had on the subject: Natural PMS Relief. They offer some nutritional guidelines for relieving those bothersome symptoms. It seems I’ll have to give up coffee AND tea, wine, and chocolate! Actually, this isn’t news to me, but I kind of liked feigning ignorance. But I have been under the impression that some wine, in moderation, was actually good for you. And, what about green tea??!! I just read an article about the cancer fighting properties of green tea that I was thinking of posting about. Maybe they just mean black tea.

They also list some vitamins/minerals that may need to be supplemented, as well as foods rich in those nutrients. That’s helpful. Additional information includes herbal helps, homeopathic treatments, and other considerations. It seems if I’m going to get serious about this I’ll need to give my diet an overhaul, and have another look at whole food supplements. Again, I’ll be perusing those aisles at the health food store. But these articles help me to know what I’m looking for. I hope it has been helpful for others, too.

Understanding PMS

I get a Women to Women newsletter in my email every so often featuring articles on various aspects of women’s health. A month or so back they featured PMS and PMDD. I hadn’t had much time to really read it until recently. It has lots of great information regarding what’s going on with your body, symptoms, diagnoses and treatment, diet and exercise, stress, etc: Understanding PMS and PMDD.

Most women feel slightly fatigued, tense, or emotionally low the week before menstruation— with the emphasis on slightly. It’s when premenstrual symptoms begin to worsen or disrupt your personal life, work or self-confidence that it could be time to take a closer look at what’s really going on. Patients often tell me that they feel out of control right before their periods — as though they are on an emotional and physical rollercoaster with devastating dips into fatigue, pain, anger, and depression. Some women are completely disabled each cycle by PMS, while others with more moderate symptoms hold out as best they can, knowing the ride will be over in a few days. 

I think most months I fall in the “moderate” category, holding out as best I can for about a week. My worst time, usually, is the first day or two of bleeding, which comes with moderate cramps. I’m not sure if the cramps have lessened with age, or if I have just learned to manage them better. I think it’s probably the latter, as occasionally they come on in the middle of the night and are quite severe. During the day I start the Aleve as soon as I feel them coming on. But at night, I guess I’ve passed that point by the time they wake me up.

But it seems the premenstrual symptoms may be worsening, with fatigue, headaches, and all that jazz, every month right about a week before my period starts. That is starting to effect my ability to keep up with my very active little boy and my household duties. In light of all that, I’m beginning to seriously consider the natural treatments the authors of this article recommend. I don’t know yet if I’ll sign up for their program or search out the local health food stores for PMS remedies. But I am definitely thinking something beyond popping Aleve and curling up with the heating pad needs doing.

At any rate, I’m certainly not the only female around with menstrual woes. So I thought I’d share the information here. I’d love to hear about any other articles or books that have been helpful for anyone else.