Your PMS Symptoms Can Be Relieved With Nutritional Supplements
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It is estimated that as many as 85% to 90% of pre-menopausal
women regularly experience mental and/or physical symptoms
before the onset of menses. While symptoms are mild in most
women, 8% to 20% experience symptoms that meet the clinical
definition of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), a disorder
characterized by moderate to severe symptoms of depression,
irritability, fatigue, abdominal cramping, breast tenderness
and headaches.
So, perhaps more people talk about the weather than about PMS,
but, while we may not be able to change the weather, I think we
can do something to help women successfully overcome PMS.
Research has shown nutritional supplementation to be very
effective in helping deal with PMS. In one study, women who
supplemented with 1200 mg per day of calcium carbonate for
three months reduced PMS symptoms by 48%. Other studies have
also seen “significant” improvements in women with 1000 mg and
1336 mg per day of calcium supplementation.
Now a new study has found that another supplement for bone
health, vitamin D, may also help improve PMS symptoms.
One study, dealing with about 3,000 women over the course of 10
years, has some hopeful results. The study was with 1,057 women
aged 27 to 44 years old who reported developing PMS and 1,968
women who reported no diagnosis of PMS
It was found that women with the highest intake of vitamin D
(over 700 IU per day) were 41% less likely to suffer from PMS
compared to women with the lowest intake of vitamin D (100 IU
per day). In addition, calcium intake was also found to
decrease PMS symptoms, with an intake of nearly 1300 mg per day
from food sources found to decrease PMS symptoms by thirty
percent compared to women with the lowest intakes of calcium
(529 mg per day).
So, to the researchers, the results suggest, “that a high
dietary intake of vitamin D and calcium may lower the risk of
incident PMS.”
Other, more general, comments by researchers say that sometimes
exercising helps. Sometimes dietary changes help and sometimes
supplementation with B-vitamins, calcium or vitamin E help. But
they stress that the effect that any of these have on PMS
hormone levels is unknown.
Yoga and relaxation techniques are also known to be helpful.
Some studies have shown that women who suffer from the most
severe form of the PMS blues (premenstrual dysphoric disorder)
have lower levels of serotonin circulating in the blood stream.
Serotonin is a compound that helps to transmit signals among
nerve endings in the brain and body and is believed to play an
important role in the regulation of mood, sleep, sexuality and
appetite.
So, increasing the level of serotonin in the body may help.
There are various drugs on the market to help women to do this.
However, because numerous unwanted side effects are associated
with these drugs, researchers have investigated the effects of
natural substances used by the body to create serotonin, thus,
increasing the levels of serotonin circulating in the blood
stream.
Because PMS hormone levels are a possible cause of the PMS
blues, many doctors suggest synthetic forms of the hormones
estrogen and/or progesterone, to stabilize hormonal levels,
prevent ovulation and thus eliminate most symptoms of PMS.
Instead of synthetics, though, there are good natural
alternatives.
Phytoestrogens are considered by many to be a natural
substitute for synthetic hormones. Phytoestrogens are simply
plant components that have an estrogen-like effect on the body.
Found in soy beans, red clover and other plant foods,
researchers believe that in women who have less PMS symptoms
and a diet high in soy and other vegetables, phytoestrogens are
responsible.
So it would seem that natural remedies are a great help in
relieving PMS. A healthy, balanced lifestyle is of course
important. But today’s active woman may not be able to spend
much time each day to deal with her diet, or with exercise, as
much as she would like to. Thus, as we see above, a good
supplement, containing natural ingredients (which won’t cause
any side effects and which are completely safe for the body) is
a good, healthy option for relieving the PMS blues.
Though we don’t seem to be very near to a scientific
understanding of PMS, there are remedies to help a woman to
overcome PMS.
About The Author: Bruce Brightman is the founder and CEO of
Life source labs, a leading manufacturer and distributor of
vitamins and nutritional supplements. Visit
http://www.lifesourcelabs.com for more information.
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