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Premenstrual
Syndrome (PMS) is one of the most common disorder
plaguing women of reproductive age.
Although
its existence first appeared in the medical literature
more than sixty years ago, it did not receive much
attention in the United States until the 1980’s.
In 1987 the American Psychiatric Association
relegated it to a psychiatric disorder by calling it
“Late Lutheal Phase Dysphoria” (a mood disorder
associated with the menstrual cycle).
The definition ignores all of the biochemical,
hormonal, and nutritional factors associated with this
syndrome.
My
lengthy experience in the field of women’s health
has showed me that indeed there are various degrees of
mood disorders associated with PMS.
Mood variations are common during the various
phases of the cycle but generally are so subtle that
often go unnoticed. When the cycle is out of balance,
so are our moods.
In severe cases of hormonal imbalance women can
become extremely depressed, anxious and angry, a few
of them even suicidal.
Common
symptoms of PMS include:
Tension,
mood swings, depression, bloating, water retention,
carbohydrate and chocolate cravings, breast
tenderness, irregular periods, fatigue, headaches,
sleep disturbance, skin eruption, and bowel changes.
All
these symptoms are exacerbated when the progesterone
falls well below acceptable levels while estrogen
remains normal or even above level.
The
fall of progesterone and the consequent dominance of
estrogen is the most common hormonal imbalance
associated with PMS.
PMS
symptoms are, in fact, a manifestation of estrogen
dominance
and low
progesterone.
Excessive estrogen inhibits the brain center
that regulates ovulation. This is in fact the basis of
birth control pills. It is only with ovulation that we
can have progesterone.
Many PMS sufferers have anovulatory periods
(menstruation without ovulation)
Stress
and Low Progesterone
Low
levels of progesterone make it difficult to handle
stress.
Any
stressful event becomes magnified and further
imbalances progesterone while reducing the absorption
of vitamins and minerals that help the brain cope with
stress. A dangerous vicious cycle is therefore In
place and must be reversed to stop PMS.
Diet
and PMS
The
Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) plays a big role in
the increased frequency and severity of PMS in the
United States. Fast foods are low in nutrients
and high in estrogen,
the core issue in progesterone imbalance.
Treatment
Effective
treatments can only be put in place once one
understands that complex syndromes have multiple
causes and no simplistic approach can do everything.
In
the case of PMS, not complicated by serious diseases
such as Fibromyalgia, the road to recovery is rather
strait forward.
Nutrition
and Supplements
Way
back when I started treating PMS there were few
available combinations of nutrients that relieved the
symptoms of PMS so I designed my own formula and
To
further reduce the estrogen dominance, we also
recommended the addition of an over the counter
progesterone cream such as our Hormonal Balance Cream.
We
recommended the use of melatonin that is sorely low in
women who suffer with PMS .Low melatonin especially in
the second phase of the cycle (Lutheal phase) is
responsible for serious sleep disturbances and
depression. Low melatonin in this phase
aggravates PMS and can be responsible for migraines as
Professor Joseph Toglia indicates in his article
“Melatonin a significant contributor to the
pathogenesis of migraine “ |
