Horrible PMS

Hi I'm about to be 43 and have been trying to deal with sever PMS for the last 12 years or so.

If you have any suggestions I would really appreciate it(any regime that has worked for you Western or Eastern or anything)...I'm on a limited income.

What I have tried in the past
Acupuncture for over a year
Chinese Herbs-Free and Easy Wander
Birth Control
Depro Prevera
Different herbs(always willing to try more)
Saliva testing

Symptons
Fatigue
Sever Bloating
breast tenderness
food cravings
terrible emotions
getting period every 21 days very sporatic

thanks very much:heart:

Black Cohosh. Three times a day a week before your period and daily while you're on it. I take it every day. Works every time, great for menopausal symptoms as well.

Also, I have avoided menopause by eating Royal Bee Jelly. 1/4 a teaspoon every day. It will catch up with me one of these days. Just not yet. It will also keep you fertile for longer, if that's what you want. So take heed and be careful.

Make sure you get the local stuff or you might have a nasty allergic reaction.

Quote:

---

Posted in reply to the post by lqueen5:

Hi I'm about to be 43 and have been trying to deal with sever PMS for the last 12 years or so.

If you have any suggestions I would really appreciate it(any regime that has worked for you Western or Eastern or anything)...I'm on a limited income.

What I have tried in the past
Acupuncture for over a year
Chinese Herbs-Free and Easy Wander
Birth Control
Depro Prevera
Different herbs(always willing to try more)
Saliva testing

Symptons
Fatigue
Sever Bloating
breast tenderness
food cravings
terrible emotions
getting period every 21 days very sporatic

thanks very much:heart:

---

One suggestion you may not have thought of...stay as far from soy as possible. Read labels. More to come on this very important topic.

Quote:

---

Posted in reply to the post by lqueen5:

Hi I'm about to be 43 and have been trying to deal with sever PMS for the last 12 years or so.

If you have any suggestions I would really appreciate it(any regime that has worked for you Western or Eastern or anything)...I'm on a limited income.

What I have tried in the past
Acupuncture for over a year
Chinese Herbs-Free and Easy Wander
Birth Control
Depro Prevera
Different herbs(always willing to try more)
Saliva testing

Symptons
Fatigue
Sever Bloating
breast tenderness
food cravings
terrible emotions
getting period every 21 days very sporatic

thanks very much:heart:

---

Chi Nei Tsang ('internal organs chi massage'...done on the belly) is often a great help with PMS...for more info, go to www.chineitsang.com
Mark Bauman
Certified Chi Nei Tsang Practitioner, since 1992
Certified Trager® Practitioner , since 1980
(707)546-2468

Quote:

---

Posted in reply to the post by lqueen5:

Hi I'm about to be 43 and have been trying to deal with sever PMS for the last 12 years or so.

If you have any suggestions I would really appreciate it(any regime that has worked for you Western or Eastern or anything)...I'm on a limited income.

What I have tried in the past
Acupuncture for over a year
Chinese Herbs-Free and Easy Wander
Birth Control
Depro Prevera
Different herbs(always willing to try more)
Saliva testing

Symptons
Fatigue
Sever Bloating
breast tenderness
food cravings
terrible emotions
getting period every 21 days very sporatic

thanks very much:heart:

---

Completely avoiding coffee, tea, chocolate, and caffeine and sugar in general, starting at least a week before my period helps me have less of those symptoms... which is difficult because that's the time I crave such things like crazy.

Quote:

---

Posted in reply to the post by lqueen5:

Hi I'm about to be 43 and have been trying to deal with sever PMS for the last 12 years or so.

If you have any suggestions I would really appreciate it(any regime that has worked for you Western or Eastern or anything)...I'm on a limited income.

What I have tried in the past
Acupuncture for over a year
Chinese Herbs-Free and Easy Wander
Birth Control
Depro Prevera
Different herbs(always willing to try more)
Saliva testing

Symptons
Fatigue
Sever Bloating
breast tenderness
food cravings
terrible emotions
getting period every 21 days very sporatic

thanks very much:heart:

---

Here's a product to consider:

Nature's Way, Krill Oil, 500 mg, 60 Softgels - iHerb.com

Kind of pricey - $26 for 60 'softgels' (take 1-2 daily). Gets very high reviews for various uses, including PMS.

I find allowing myself to rest (nap, relax) can do wonders for my energy, which is good as my body doesn't tolerate the usual stimulants (so I completely avoid coffee, tea, sugar, etc., except for an occasional cup of tea).

Quote:

---

Posted in reply to the post by ulaluma:

Completely avoiding coffee, tea, chocolate, and caffeine and sugar in general, starting at least a week before my period helps me have less of those symptoms... which is difficult because that's the time I crave such things like crazy.

---

There may be several causes for PMS symptoms. One of them appears to be low calcium levels in the bloodstream. I've read a couple of times that some women suffer from a drop in calcium in the bloodstream one to two weeks prior to menstruation.

"The case for calcium includes a 466-patient study by Dr. Thys-Jacobs, published in 1998, which found that PMS symptoms were reduced by 48% in women taking 1,200 milligrams a day of calcium, compared with a 30% reduction in a control group."

Here's the whole article at the Wall Street Journal:

Does Calcium Lessen the Symptoms of PMS? - WSJ.com

I am lucky I usually don't have much PMS. But one thing I used to do is to start taking extra calcium several days before PMS. And also take extra calcium during the premenstrual cycle.

Your body can absorb up to 500mg at a time, so try not to take bigger doses than that or your body will just waste it (unless you are taking a sustained release dosage of 1000mg or so). Always take calcium with magnesium and vitamin D which both help you absorb calcium. You need calcium and magnesium in a 2:1 ratio (2 parts calcium to one part magnesium) to be able to absorb the calcium.

Doctors recommend 1000mg a day (two 500mg doses) or one sustained release dosage (of 1000mg), some recommend 1500mg a day (three 500mg doses) past the age of 40 or 50.

It's especially good to take calcium just before going to bed every night, because if your body is missing any calcium it will take the calcium from your bones, mostly at night I hear. That's how people end up with osteoporosis, bones full of holes like swiss cheese, and brittle, easily broken.

I like the food-based Calcium "+" (plus) formula by Rainbow Light. It has an unusual ratio: twice as much magnesium as calcium. Magnesium is good for relaxing your muscles. Also it has extra herbs (western and Chinese) that help in calcium absorption. See the product description here:

Lately I haven't felt the need for a strong formula any more (my PMS is pretty light) and I just buy Trader Joe's Calcium, Magnesium + Vitamin D in a green food base (very inexpensive!).

I almost always take 500mg calcium before bed, and often take it in the morning, at least 250mg (I figure I get some from food during the day). I like taking it in Emergen-C's Vitamin D + Calcium bone health formula.

But definitely start taking calcium 2-3 times a day a few days or a week before PMS, and during PMS.

"Completely avoiding coffee, tea, chocolate, and caffeine and sugar in general, starting at least a week before my period helps me have less of those symptoms..." -- I think this is excellent advice if you are having any chronic health problems. I'd add refined white flour to that list.

I'm not big on depriving yourself of foods you like. If it's too hard to completely forego these items, then just try to go easy on these things - at least for the week or two prior to your period. And over the course of a year or two, or three, gradually do less.

Good luck.

Sorry, here's the link to the product info for Calcium "+" :

Calcium Plus by Rainbow Light 180 tabs

I would be surprised if you haven't been told by someone already, but Cannabis has been used safely and effectively for thousands of years to help with problems associated with menstruation and menopause. In California, Proposition 215 effectively reintroduced 'marijuana' back into the herbal mainstream consciousness.

Hemp seed nutrition is a good place to start. You can buy the seed oil and hulled seeds at any natural food store. They taste great and are a much better source of protein than soy. They also have all of the essential fatty acids and essential amino acids in proper and meaningful proportions.

You might talk with your health adviser, and other women about their experience with using herbal Cannabis for what you are trying to treat. I've spoken with several women who have used Cannabis for PMS, cramps, hot flashes, etc.

Google "marijuana, PMS" for on-line references.

Best wishes,

PvH

Every thread here I have read and agree with. Another helpful inexpensive item. Pumpkin seeds. Eat 'em. Good Luck they helped me.

I suggest you google Maca and PMS, menstruation. I met a woman who was the founder/owner, and another woman who was a a rep for a Maca company, at the harmony festival, years ago, and she (the rep) swore that maca had saved her from a lot of problems related to peri-menopause, and had restored her periods. (but relieved her symptoms.) This first link is to the company that those women represented.. (Dr. Viana Muller and another women who had the big health benefits from PMS, and menopausal symptoms..)

Pre-menstrual Syndrome (PMS) Discussions at DailyStrength: Maca

Whole World Botanicals - We provide fair trade services with indigenous communies for natural herbal remedies

Maca for Hypothyroidism, Adrenal Fatigue, PMS, Fibroids, and Menopause CHEESESLAVE

In re, calcium; magnesium is needed to metabolize calcium and it's more commonly deficient in our modern diets, due to farming practices, refined foods, etc.. magnesium is a relaxing mineral and calcium is involved with the contraction phase of muscle actions.. we need both, in the right proportions.

This looks like a very informative article:

PMS - Premenstual Syndrome

"Magnesium supplementation can help alleviate many measurable parameters of PMS, including cramps, irritability, fatigue, depression and water retention. [46] [47] Magnesium citrate, gluconate, and lactate are better absorbed than magnesium oxide. Magnesium glycinate is a well absorbed form, with minimum laxative effects."

here is another one:

Magnesium: The Missing Health Supplement: Inexpensive Mineral Improves Anxiety, Depression, PMS and More.

I'm sorry you've been suffering. I understand your situation well as I've dealt with severe pms for nearly 30 years and it can really get in the way of a beautiful flowing life not only on your own, yet effecting those you love around.

The above recommendations could be just the thing for you. Be careful of your vitamin source, you often do get what you pay for as some vitamins are made in such a way that the body is only able to take in a small % of what the mg state. So, get a good brand and easy for the body to absorb:). For me Stress 'B' has been a winner. ie B 100, strong and effective as it's aiding the liver during a high stress time.

As far as the 21 days and symptoms. I recently went from 28 to 26 days which was distressing and symptoms were worse than norm. I went to Melissa Patterson "Intuitive healer" in Sebastopol who prescribed an amazing mix of herbs in tincture form that brought me to an amazing level of balance and it was the first time in 2 years that I went back to 28 day cycle! I felt great, and like the self I prefer to have out in the world.

So, If you're up for that, or the other things don't work for you..The B100 has worked all my life for the mood/emotional/balance part. And that tincture has been the miracle of all miracles.

Just keep trusting your intuition as we can all give the right advice that worked for OUR bodies, yet only you know what the right thing is for you. Trust in you.

All the best:) A