5 Suggestions for PMS

PMS - premenstrual syndrome, or PMDD - premenstrual dysphoric disorder, are common conditions that affect millions of women before their periods.  The symptoms are wide-ranging but commonly include: water retention and weight gain, headaches, irritability, depression, food cravings, and breast tenderness.  The symptoms can come on up to two weeks before a woman's period, but more commonly just a week or a few days.  Typically, the moment her period starts the symptoms vanish.  The symptoms can impact the quality of life for not only the woman herself, but everyone she relates to as well.  The cause is traced back to hormone control, in particular estrogen and progesterone balance.  So these five suggestions take into account this cause.

1.   Increase water and fiber intake.  The primary exit route out of the body for estrogen to take is through the bowel.  Increasing regularity will help regulate hormones dramatically.

2.  Improve fatty acid balance.  The regulation of hormones depends on the proper balance of fats, which include the right ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.   Evening Primrose oil has a higher Omega-6 ratio to Omega-3.  Evening Primrose is an oil of choice to use in PMS.

3.  Improve the breakdown of estrogen in the liver.  Two supplements can help with this: Vitamin B-6 and Milk Thistle.  

4.  Block estrogen stimulation.  The "Brassica" family of vegetables, that include cabbage, broccoli, bok choy, and brussel sprouts block the receptor sites for estrogen.  Dindolymethane (DIM) is a supplement that is made from extracts of the brassica family plants.

5.  Exercise.  Exercise increases circulation and speeds up the metabolism of the body, so that hormones can be used and excreted more rapidly.