Tag Archives: PMS

PMS Premenstrual Syndrome

PMS – PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME

Healthy Me, , ,

Premenstrual Syndrome is a disorder that effects up to 75 % of the women with at least one or more symptoms up to 2 weeks before menstruation begins to varying degrees and usually goes away with the onset of the period and a couple of days during the period.  Up to 5 % of the women suffer from PMDD or premenstrual dysmorphic syndrome – which is a more severe form of PMS.

What are the symptoms of PMS or Premenstrual Syndrome? The symptoms can show up anytime between puberty and menopause and can vary in strength and type of symptoms.

Some of the classic symptoms include:

  • Abdominal bloating
  • Acne
  • Anxiety
  • Backache
  • Breast swelling and tenderness
  • Cramps of varying degrees
  • Depression
  • Digestive disturbances
  • Food aversions and cravings
  • Fainting spells
  • Fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Insomnia
  • Joint inflammation or pain
  • Moodiness
  • Water retention
  • Weight gain

In PMDD or premenstrual dysmorphic syndrome, the symptoms are much more severe, especially the emotional symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, and depression symptoms. With Premenstrual Dysmorphic Syndrome – drastic mood swings, outbursts of anger, violence and thoughts of suicide may be experienced, and are quite often related to the changes in hormones before the menstrual cycle begins.

Both PMS and PMDD can impact quality of life, work, and relationships.

What are the different types of PMS?

There are 4 different types of PMS. These are

PMS – A (ANXIETY) – primarily related to mood swings, irritability, and erratic mood changes. Most likely related to estrogen dominance relative to progesterone.

PMS – C (CARVINGS ESPECIALLY CARBOHYDRATES) – A sudden increase in cravings for carbohydrates, sweets and of course chocolate! Related to adrenal fatigue, lack of magnesium, and low amounts of circulating serotonin – your feeling “good” hormone.

PMS – D (DEPRESSION) – Feeling low and sad primarily before the onset of the period, and usually symptoms diminish with the period. Primarily related low amounts of serotonin or hormone imbalance, or thyroid issues. If you are however experiencing feelings of depression throughout the month, regardless of the time in the month, please talk to your health care provider.

PMS – H (HYDRATION) – This type of PMS is related to excess water retention or over hydration in the body. Abdominal bloating, sudden weight gain, breast swelling / tenderness are some of the symptoms seen in PMS – H. A diet high in salt, stress, adrenal and female hormone imbalance – especially excess estrogen can cause these symptoms prior to the menstrual cycle.

PMS – P (PAIN) – Not well researched or understood yet. Primarily related to pain – significant back pain and bad cramps in the pelvis region, due to pro inflammatory prostaglandins that are released in large amounts as the endometrial lining is shed, causing blood vessel constriction and painful menstrual cramps.

What can you do to alleviate the symptoms of PMS or PMDD ? How can my naturopathic doctor help me with addressing my PMS issues?

  1. If you are experiencing symptoms of PMS or PMDD, it is very important to first identify what your hormonal status is, in terms of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol and thyroid hormones, along with your neurotransmitter balance.
  2. Diet, nutritional status, and lifestyle factors also play a huge role in how intense your PMS symptoms maybe.
  3. As Naturopathic doctors as we can help identify the root cause of your PMS symptoms through a comprehensive assessment of your symptoms, and test your bioavailable hormones, and provide you with natural treatments and therapies such as natural supplements, dietary and lifestyle modifications, alternative and holistic treatments that will not only help manage your symptoms of PMS but also improve your overall wellbeing.

Treating PMS Symptoms Naturally Using Naturopathic Medicine

Healthy Me,

Most women complain of one symptom or another when it comes to that time of the month:  1 – 2 weeks before the menstrual cycle. These symptoms are part of what we call the premenstrual syndrome and comprises of a number of symptoms such as emotional upsets and sensitivity, irritability, weight gain, water retentions, sore breasts, acne break outs, which can be very tender to touch, sugar cravings or salt cravings, increased appetite, reduced energy, lethargy and fatigue, bloating, constipation among others. While most women suffer in silence, others take over the counter medications, which are okay at best to keep the symptoms at bay.

Naturopathic Treatments for Premenstrual Syndrome

Natural / naturopathic treatments for premenstrual syndrome are very effective in reducing and quite often eliminating the symptoms by treating root cause of the problem, that is balancing the hormones naturally as well, making lifestyle changes.  PMS symptoms are caused in part by our diet. Having foods that high in saturated fats, refined sugars and refined foods, salt, caffeine, alcohol, meats and dairy products that are not organic, are thought to have an impact on our hormones, estrogen in particular, and having high amounts of this hormone will cause various premenstrual symptoms such as weight gain, water retention, emotional upsets and sensitivity, among others. Talk to you naturopathic doctor about testing your hormones to see how balanced they are.

Here are a few natural suggestions that will help you treat your PMS symptoms naturally:

1. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and tobacco.  Instead try green tea, rooibos tea or other herbal teas, sparkling water or warm water with lime squeezed into it.

2. Try to have a diet filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, as opposed to refined foods such as breads and pastas.

3. Stay hydrated – you need to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily.

4. Try to decrease your salt intake – instead try natural alternatives such as kelp granules and other seasonings without MSG as well.

5. Exercise is key to improve circulation in the body as well, great for stress management. I recommend moderate physical activity for 30 – 40 minutes, 3 – 4 times a week. Try yoga, meditation or a pilates class for a change.

6. For those sugar cravings, try have frozen raisins or dates, which are great for iron – an element that is quite often low in women in tend to have heavier periods.

7. Feeling angry or sad? Instead of lashing out, try to do some free flow writing and then burn everything you wrote after reading it. This will help lighten your heart and mind, without hurting someone else’s feelings.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic, in Toronto.

 

Natural Help For Different Types Of PMS

Healthy Me, ,

Did you know that there are 4 distinct types of PMS that 80% of women suffer from? PMS is defined as a recurrent, cyclical set of physical and behavioral symptoms that can come on 7 – 14 days before the actual menstrual cycle. PMS usually occurs in women aged 25 – 35, but is quite often seen in women younger or older depending on the hormonal status and diet of the individual.

Types Of PMS

1. PMS A –  ANXIETY – This is the type of PMS where one experiences quite a bit of nervous tension. The major symptoms of this type of PMS include irritability, anxiety and mood swings. This type of PMS is usually caused by an imbalance in estrogen and progesterone. Up to 70 % of the females are affected by this type of PMS.

2. PMS C – CARBOHYDRATE CRAVING – This type of PMS, as the name says it, is related to carbohydrate cravings where the individual may crave warm breads, pastas, chocolate and “sweet stuff”.  Part of this type of PMS may include additional symptoms such as increased appetite, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, fainting and palpations. This type of PMS may be related to a deficiency in nutrients and certain vitamins, especially calcium or magnesium, in the body.

3. PMS D – DEPRESSION -This type of PMS is related to feeling down or depressed before the menstrual cycle begins, and women can experience up to 2 weeks of this in some cases. Of course, daily stressors can exacerbate how one feels at this particularly vulnerable time of the month. Hormone imbalances – having too much or too little of estrogen along with Vitamin deficiencies are to blame for PMS – D – DEPRESSION.

4. PMS – H – HYDRATION – In this type of PMS significant water weight gain is experienced by the female, and could exceed up to 6 pounds in a week. Bloating is quite often experienced as well, along with significant swelling in the hands and feet and breast tenderness and fullness. Diet is big factor in this type of PMS – especially high salt diets, lots of caffeine and stress is also a big factor.

Quite often women experience more than one type of PMS subgroup. Naturopathic medicine is great at identifying what imbalance in the body is causing the symptoms using saliva hormone testing and blood tests to identify nutrient and vitamin deficiencies, and then treating them holistically using natural remedies, diet and quite often acupuncture which quite often helps eliminate all the PMS, and successfully makes them a thing in the past.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.