Premenstrual Syndrome(pms)
The phrase "premenstrual syndrome" was coined only in the last decade. Although the problem is not new, it went almost unrecognized by the medical profession until the 1950s. Even after that, many doctors continued to scoff at the idea that physical and emotional changes occur before menstruation. Women who have experienced PMS—and this includes almost half of the women in their reproductive years— can tell you how real it is! A complex problem, PMS is often divided into several different types. If you truly have PMS, the symptoms should disappear at the onset of menstruation, or very shortly afterward. If they do not, your problem may be hormonal but is probably not PMS.
Since PMS is a syndrome—that is, a collection of symptoms, not a single problem—the list of symptoms is rather long. One popular book on women's health describes 150 of them! Tension, lethargy, depression and irritability, along with food cravings, migraine headaches, weight gain, bloating, skin eruption, sore breasts, muscle cramps and nausea top the list. Several surveys show that PMS does not impair a woman's ability to function intelligently, although about 12 percent of women with PMS think that they perform below their normal level.
The problems associated with PMS are caused by a series of changes in your body's chemistry. PMS generally starts causing trouble three to eight days before menstruation. This is when your levels of progesterone, along with the minerals calcium and magnesium, begin to fall. At the same time, the hormonal substance prostaglandin 2 (PG2) increases. Women who experience PMS often also have too much of the hormone prolactin.
As if this is not enough to deal with, your immunity is also low just before menstruation. This makes you more susceptible to colds, flus, allergies, outbreaks of herpes and even flare-ups of rheumatoid arthritis. Stress, lack of exercise, poor nutrition, alcohol consumption, weight gain and poor tolerance of birth control pills all contribute to PMS. Scientists believe that the relief some women find by taking vitamin B6 and progesterone supplements, using relaxation methods and engaging in regular aerobic exercise may be because all these alter the brain chemicals known as endorphins.
In a study of women who suffered from PMS conducted by researchers at Harvard University, symptoms were relieved when the women chanted or prayed for 10 to 20 minutes per day. Also, according to clinical studies reported in the early 1980s, vitamins B6 and E combined with magnesium seem to lower prolactin and estrogen levels and to relieve certain PMS symptoms—breast pain, nervousness, nausea and uterine cramps—and prevent weight gain.
SORE, SWOLLEN BREASTS
Breast tenderness is a common symptom of PMS. It usually indicates that there is too much prolactin and possibly too much PG2. Two herbal treatments that have proved successful in reducing breast soreness are wild yam and evening primrose oil (which can be purchased only in capsule form). When researchers at the Premenstrual Syndrome Clinic in London, England, gave evening primrose oil to women with severe PMS, it was found that the symptoms, especially sore, swollen breasts, disappeared in more than half the women. This treatment even helped women who had previously tried other remedies with no success. If your breasts are sore because of cysts, see "Fibrocystic Breasts" in chapter 61.
DEPRESSION, HEADACHES, MUSCLE CRAMPING AND NERVOUSNESS
If you experience depression, irritability and mood swings from PMS, excessive prolactin may be to blame. One herb with an impressive track record in treating emotional changes due to PMS is vitex. Herbal sedatives such as valerian, passionflower, wild yam, motherwort and chamomile may also help. If you are lucky enough to have a garden, you will be happy to know a use for purslane. This weed contains omega-3 oils, which also help to relieve PMS symptoms. You can chop up purslane and eat it raw or add it to soups. I even pickle it!
You can also turn to aromatherapy to treat depression, headaches and nervousness. For an enjoyable aromatherapy blend, make a bath or massage oil with the essential oils of clary sage, lavender and rose geranium. Aromatherapists view all these antidepressant oils as hormone normalizers.
Previously, I discussed studies in which women with fibrocystic breasts stopped taking caffeine and related substances. In one of those studies, the women who had PMS experienced another benefit—their mood swings, anxiety and irritability disappeared! If it is too hard to eliminate coffee, tea and chocolate from your diet, try to do so for the two weeks before you menstruate and see if that makes a difference.
WATER RETENTION AND WEIGHT GAIN
Although you may gain only a few premenstrual pounds at the most, the sudden pressure, bloating and swollen breasts make it feel like much more. This weight gain is due mostly to water retention that occurs when calcium and magnesium levels begin to drop about a week before menstruation. Your problems will be greater if you ingest a lot of salt—it dramatically lowers your potassium level, causing you to gain weight and retain water.
Too much of the hormone prolactin may also be at fault, but taking vitex can balance hormone levels and may reduce fluid retention. Some sources recommend strong diuretic herbs to rid you of all that extra water. This makes sense until you consider that diuretics also flush out calcium, magnesium and potassium—all of which may already be low. A better approach is to avoid salty foods and stick to gentle diuretics that retain these minerals, such as asparagus, artichokes and dandelion root.
FOOD CRAVINGS, DIZZINESS AND FATIGUE
Blood sugar levels also take a dip just before menstruation, triggering fatigue, dizziness, appetite increase, headaches, fainting, mood swings and sometimes heart palpitations, especially if you are under stress. Both ginseng and Siberian ginseng help to stabilize blood sugar and alleviate depression and fatigue. In several different studies on PMS, evening primrose oil was shown to reduce many of these symptoms.
Women with PMS who like carbohydrates will be happy to learn that researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology think that women should indulge these cravings. These scientists recommend a diet high in complex carbohydrates, such as potatoes and whole grains, to relieve depression, anger, anxiety, insomnia and mood swings. But, they say, you should avoid sweets.
Finally, wild yam and chamomile can be used to relieve the nausea, indigestion, tension and food allergies that can be intensified by PMS.
ACNE
In addition to all the PMS symptoms already mentioned, many women also develop acne just before menstruation. Take vitex to reduce the severity of this problem. You might also want to read chapter 117 thtough 124.
Premenstrual Tea
1 teaspoon each vitex berries and wild yam rhizome
½ teaspoon each burdock root, dandelion root, feverfew leaves and hops strobiles (the flowering parts)
1 quart water
Combine herbs and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and steep for at least 20 minutes. Strain out herbs. Drink at least 2 cups daily, as needed. This formula can also be taken as a tincture; there are many commercial formulas available for menstrual pain. To make your own tincture, use the same proportions as for this tea.
