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If you're a working woman, not to mention wife and mother, chances are you're striving for balance in your life. Premenstrual symptoms such as depression, bloating and mood swings can certainly throw you off balance. Fortunately, there are gentle, effective remedies such as natural herbs and vitamins to help relieve these symptoms.
It's believed PMS affects one-third to one-half of all American women between the ages of 20 and 50 - as many as 15 million women. Symptoms range from sugar cravings, mood swings and weight gain to skin eruptions and tender breasts.
Research indicates abnormal progesterone levels may be responsible for the hormonal imbalance resulting in PMS. Progesterone is responsible for relaxing the smooth muscles of the uterus, halting ovulation and aiding placenta and embryonic membrane development if pregnancy should occur. Many women with PMS have low levels of progesterone.
"No one really knows what causes PMS, but hormones are thought to be the culprit," explains master herbalist Kathi Keville, author of Encyclopedia of Herbs. "When our hormones are out of balance, it causes emotional upheavals as well as tender breasts and weight gain," she notes.
Herbs such as sarsaparilla root, wild yam root, chasteberry and dong quai will help restore hormonal balance, according to Keville.
"Many women have also found that evening primrose oil and black currant oil, which contain gamma-linolenic acid, help to balance hormones," she explains.
Gamma-linolenic acid is a fatty acid that increases levels of a particular prostaglandin, PGE1. Low levels of this prostaglandin may intensify PMS symptoms, and evening primrose oil can be an effective remedy, notes master herbalist Christopher Hobbs.
Feverfew, an herb used to prevent migraine headaches, may also bring hormones into balance because of its effect on prostaglandins, notes Keville.
Hormones are very powerful and can strongly affect our behavior, observes Janet Zand, N.D., O.M.D., in Santa Monica, Calif.
"Women often feel very tumultuous emotions when they're premenstrual," she explains. Zand's suggestions for relieving PMS symptoms include taking herbs that build energy, such as dong quai and American ginseng, for the first two weeks of your monthly cycle. For the second two weeks, try calmative herbs such as skullcap, valerian, bupleurum and paeonia, she suggests.
A healthy diet may also help relieve PMS symptoms, she notes. "During this time, women should eat a low-fat diet, avoid sugar and alcohol, and eats lots of vegetables and complex carbohydrates."
Fiber may also help ease your menstrual cycle. Vegetarian women, who generally eat significantly more dietary fiber, have lower blood levels of estradiol, the unfavorable estrogen, Zand explains. Indeed, dietary fiber modifies estrogen metabolism, according to the journal Clinical Nutrition.
Nutritional biochemist Jeffrey Bland, PhD, president of Healthcom, Inc. located in Gig Harbor, Wash., concurs. "High-fat diets can alter hormone levels and contribute to increased problems with menstruation," reports Bland. "For women who have a considerable problem with painful menstruation, a diet consisting of increased complex carbohydrates, moderate protein and reduced fat would be suggested. Many women have found that switching to a more vegetable-based diet is successful in reducing difficulties," he notes.
Many women with PMS have a surplus of estrogen and a deficiency of vitamin B-6, adds Bland. Vitamin B-6 plays a role in many metabolic reactions with amino acids, hormones and neurotransmitters, which are hormones that help regulate mood and behavior. During the crucial luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, a deficiency of vitamin B-6 may cause abnormal metabolism of the amino acid tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin in the body, notes Bland. A deficiency of this mood-elevating neurotransmitter in the brain can play havoc with a woman's moods, he explains.
Bland suggests nutritional approaches to PMS that include vitamin B-6, the minerals calcium, magnesium and zinc, essential fatty acids, along with regular exercise and a balanced diet.
Some women also experience a drop in calcium blood levels one or two weeks before menstruation. This drop may lead to muscle cramps, nervousness, abdominal spasms and pelvic pain, notes Bland. He suggests taking calcium in proper balance with magnesium for optimum absorption.
Sue Frederick is the author of A Mother's Guide to Raising Healthy Children. She is also editor of Holistic.com.
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