It is a fact that most of us suffer from PMS.

We want it gone!

Let’s look into what causes PMS and what can we do to avoid the symptoms.

PMS is by far the most common women’s health complaint. It is estimated that 90% of all women between the ages of 20 and 50 experience some PMS symptoms. For some women, symptoms are milder than for others, and for some, they disrupt their entire life. Around 150 symptoms of PMS have been documented – new ones are being added all the time.

The shift in the balance of estrogen/progesterone ratios during the menstrual cycle is the primary factor in PMS symptoms. Women report the majority of symptoms in the two week period before menstruation, when estrogen is elevated. The modern lifestyle nearly perfectly leads to all kinds of imbalance and stress. Our environment and our food are full of chemicals that affect our very sensitive and delicate hormone balance. Natural approaches and therapies work well because they focus on the full spectrum of factors involved.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to physical or emotional symptoms that affect many women during the week or two before menstruation. PMS symptoms occur 1 to 2 weeks before a woman’s period (menstruation or monthly bleeding) starts. The symptoms usually go away after she starts bleeding. PMS can affect menstruating women of any age, but the effect is different for each woman. For some women, PMS is just a monthly bother, for others, may be so severe that it makes it difficult to get through the day. PMS usually goes away when your monthly period stops, such as when you get pregnant or go through menopause.

Women’s body and hormones are complex, delicately tuned and can become unbalanced very easily. Poor functioning of a woman’s body often results in emotional and physiological problems, especially during the menstrual cycle. Looking at the past, women kept the uncomfortable symptoms silent, and they were suffering alone but taking time to rest before and during the period. Women did not work in a high profile workplace with men, and they weren’t so stressed out as they are now. Also, the background used to be different with better quality food than today, with the less toxic environment, and limited access to junk food.

Nowadays, up to 90% of premenopausal women suffer from PMS. Symptoms of food cravings, bloating, acne, constipation, depression and mood swings can last from 2 days before menstruation to as long as two weeks. While some women try to deal with it on their own, more and more of them have serious enough problems that they are seeking professional help. Low brain serotonin, prostaglandin imbalance, excess estrogen, not enough progesterone, and a diet full of caffeine and sugar are all implicated in PMS. Drugs and traditional medicines are not helping, and not relieving women from their symptoms. Conventional drugs are not successfully addressing PMS. For instance, contraceptive drugs, regularly given to reduce symptoms, make PMS symptoms worse. Such as: feeling bloated, weight gain, headaches, breast tenderness and estrogen dominance. Antidepressant drugs like Prozac, the new rage for PMS treatment, mean insomnia and shakiness for many women.

Natural treatments have a broad range of benefits rather than side effects. They emphasize highly nutritious diet plans, herbal remedies, adequate exercise, entire well-being, and self-care.

PMS symptoms tend to get worse for most women in their late thirties and beyond. There are often worst after taking birth control pills, after pregnancy and just before menopause because of hormonal imbalance. With such a broad spectrum of symptoms affecting every system in the body, there is not only a single treatment. A holistic approach allows a woman to gain the necessary skills, and learn the tools needed for long-term vitality in many areas of her life rather than just a simple symptom alleviation.

The apparent cause of PMS symptoms is a change in hormones during the menstrual cycle. These changing hormone levels may affect some women more than others, like excessive levels of estrogen and inadequate levels of progesterone. Chemical changes in the brain may also be involved, and stress, as well as emotional problems, may make the symptoms worse. Diet is an essential factor as well. Other suspected causes of PMS are food allergies, drinking caffeine and alcohol, eating too much dairy and mon organic meat, blood sugar dysregulation, pollution, toxicity, changes in carbohydrate metabolism, hypoglycemia, malabsorption, vitamin/ minerals deficiency (especially magnesium) and the inability to metabolize fatty acids.

PMS most common signs and symptoms:
– abdominal bloating
– acne
– anxiety
– a backache
– breast swelling and tenderness
– cramps
– depression
– food carvings
– fatigue and lethargy
– a headache
– irritability
– weight gain
– gastric upset
– insomnia
– joint pain
– water retention
– nervousness
– personality changes: drastic mood swings, outbursts of anger, violence, some thoughts of suicide.

According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, you have PMS if:
* Your symptoms occur during the last two weeks of your menstrual cycle (the two weeks before your period)
* Your symptoms impair your quality of life
* Your doctor has excluded other conditions that cause similar symptoms. These conditions include thyroid disease, depression, migraine, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic fatigue.

It is important to mention about Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), which is an extreme PMS.

The main symptoms, which can be disabling, include:
Feelings of sadness or despair, or even thoughts of suicide
Panic attacks
Irritability or anger that affects other people
Feelings of tension or anxiety
Low energy and tiredness
Panic attacks
Mood swings or frequent crying
Feeling overwhelmed and out of control
Lack of interest in daily activities and relationships
Brain fog
Trouble thinking or focusing
Food cravings or binge eating
Insomnia
Bloating
Breast tenderness
Headaches
Joint or muscle pain
You must have 5 or more of these symptoms to be diagnosed with PMDD. Symptoms occur during the week before your period and go away after bleeding starts.

Changing the way you eat would be the first step to take to decrease your PMS symptoms.

Eat a whole foods diet consisting of high quality, nutrient-dense organic foods. Focus on lots of colorful fresh fruits and vegetables, high-quality carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Increase amount of essential fatty acids, eat adequate dietary fiber and cultured foods high in friendly bacteria (sauerkraut, miso, etc.).

Reduce intake of alcohol and caffeine and let go of dairy products. For many people, eating a proper diet lessens PMS symptoms.

It would be wise to eliminate common allergenic foods since allergies can worsen the symptoms. Common allergenic or problematic foods include dairy (especially milk), nuts, gluten, eggs, soy, chocolate, and coffee as well as toxic foods including sugar, refined carbohydrates, hydrogenated fats, GMO foods and soft drinks.

Eat fewer dairy products or better yet avoid it and replace it with other substitutes like coconut milk. They block the absorption of magnesium and increase urinary excretion. Refined sugars also increase magnesium excretion.

Eat a low glycemic index diet to stabilize hormone level and blood sugar. Avoid a diet that contains refined foods that raise blood sugar levels to quickly. Eliminate refined carbohydrates like sugar, refine flour – cookies, cake, chips, crackers, etc. Decrease grain products to no more than two servings per day. The diet should consist mostly of fresh vegetables and fruits along with lean protein, fish, and healthy fat.

Avoid caffeine. Caffeine is linked to breast tenderness and is a central nervous system stimulant that can make people anxious. It also acts as a diuretic and can deplete many essential nutrients.

Alcohol and sugar in any form, especially during the week before symptoms are expected should be avoided. These foods cause valuable electrolytes, particularly magnesium, to be lost through the urine. Alcohol also contributes to problems because it damages the liver and prevents it from excreting excess estrogen.

Constipation and imbalances in gut bacteria can worsen the situation, because they lead to the re-absorption of estrogen from the gut back into your blood, even after your liver has tried to get rid of it.

Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, cabbage, radish, collard greens and turnips because they help modulate estrogen levels.

Increase omega-3 foods like hemp seeds, walnuts, chia seeds, cold-water fish. Seafood is the richest source of chromium, selenium, iodine, zinc, and copper – which are vital elements for healthy blood sugar metabolism and weight management.

Eating seafood helps to lower cholesterol and more importantly to reduce inflammation. Fish has long been known as a brain food that corrects sugar craving. Limit omega-6 foods because of inflammatory properties.

Eat food high in antioxidants like blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, cocoa to reduce oxidative stress and counter free radicals. Also eat food high in carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E, plant polyphenols, and glutathione (GSH).

Women with PMS are frequently deficient in certain nutrients. Here are the nutrients which are typically helpful for PMS.

Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber, which includes both soluble and insoluble fibers, has many known effects on human health, including aiding in digestion, stool and transit time, and intestinal bacteria flora. Dietary fiber improves all aspects of colon function – a diet high in dietary fiber promotes the increased production of short-chain fatty acids, which reduce the colon pH, creating a friendly environment for the growth of good bacteria.
Fiber is also important for detoxification. Fiber helps the body to get rid of excess estrogen, which is essential for PMS. To maintain appropriate hormone levels, one needs to support the liver. High fiber diet will help the excretion of excess estrogen, because fiber will bind to the estrogen, preventing it from being reabsorbed before it can be eliminated. Diet high in fiber can decrease total circulating estrogen.
Foods rich in fiber include flaxseed, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, fresh fruit, prunes, almonds, celery, apples, seaweed, and parsley, to name a few. Eating high-fiber foods may lessen symptoms of PMS like constipation, bloating and gas. In order to improve tolerance, it is best to start with 30 g per day, but higher intake is even better.

Magnesium

Magnesium is important in more than 300 chemical reactions, which keep the body working properly. Dietary intake of magnesium may be low, particularly among women. An easy way to remember foods that are good magnesium sources is to think fiber. Foods that are high in fiber are high in magnesium. Dietary sources of magnesium include legumes, nuts, and seeds and vegetables (especially broccoli, squash, and green leafy vegetables). Other sources include dairy products, meats, and chocolate. Magnesium is also used as a laxative for constipation. Magnesium is also used for treating attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and premenstrual symptom (PMS).

Magnesium has shown some beneficial effect in the treatment of PMS. Magnesium is depleted by changes in the female sex hormones in the luteal phase leading to a variety of PPMS symptoms. 200 mg of magnesium daily may reduce premenstrual water retention and resultant symptoms like breast distention and abdominal bloating. Be sure to take a chelated form, such as glycinate, taurate, succinate, citrate, or malate. Magnesium is involved in essential fatty acid metabolism and B6 activity. Magnesium combined with vitamin B6 is helpful in reducing anxiety.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine).

Vitamin B6 is also called pyridoxine. It is involved in the process of making serotonin and norepinephrine, which are chemicals that transmit signals in the brain. Studies reported successful treatment with vitamin B6 of a patient complaining of depression associated with oral contraception. Vitamin B6 can increase the synthesis of several neurotransmitters in the brain- like serotonin and dopamine. Lower levels of these neurotransmitters have been implicated in the etiology of PMS. Vitamin B6 might help decrease premenstrual depression, fatigue irritability and it is vital for hormone balance. The best form of vitamin B6 to take is pyridoxal – 5 phosphorate at a dosage 1-2 capsules daily (50 mg). Major sources of vitamin B6 include grains, legumes, vegetables (peas, carrots, spinach, and potatoes), milk, liver, cheese, eggs, fish, and meat. Vitamin B6 is often used with other B vitamins in vitamin B complex formulas.

Essential Fatty acids

Those are fatty acids our body can not produce thus they have to be obtained from the diet.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential in the normal functioning of all tissues of the body. Deficiencies in these fatty acids lead to a host of symptoms and disorders including abnormalities in the liver and the kidneys, depression, anxiety, reduced growth rates, decreased immune function, and dryness of the skin.

Essential fatty acids balance prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are vital hormone-type compounds that act as transient hormones, regulating body functions almost like an electrical current. Foods like cold water fish, olive oil, evening primrose, normalize prostaglandins by balancing your body’s essential fatty acid supply. Too much saturated fat inhibits the prostaglandin balance and proper hormone flow. Arachidonic acid tends to deplete progesterone level and strain estrogen/progesterone ratio. Evening primrose oil 2000 mg daily, yields excellent result in many women for reducing depression, irritability, bloating, and breast tenderness.

Tryptophan

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which means your body can not produce it and you must get it from your diet. Tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin. Serotonin is or happy neurotransmitter, help us sleep well and have a stable mood. Food rich in tryptophan: chicken, eggs, fish, turkey, soy, nuts, pumpkin seeds (Bauman,2015). Decreased serotonin and its precursor tryptophan may exacerbate PMS mood changes, including depression, anxiety, and aggression. Tryptophan helps with significant mood wing reduction, insomnia, tension, irritability and carbohydrate cravings. The recommended dosage is 6 g per day for 17 days, from ovulation until day 3 of menses.

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