Improve Symptoms of PMS With Nutritional

“Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a common cause of substantial psychological and physical distress for women during their reproductive years. Forty percent of women have symptoms that are severe enough to disrupt some aspect of their daily lives; 5% are incapacitated by their symptoms.”

So begins a review article by Dr. Sue Douglas in the Canadian Family Physician journal from November 2002.燩MS could have been dubbed the forgotten illness until about 20 years ago when gradually it was realized that this collection of symptoms was very common.營t was first classified in a useful way by Dr. Guy Abrams in the mid-1980s who outlined 4 types of PMS:

1. PMS-A In this type the symptoms are mainly increased anxiety with too much estrogen relative to progesterone being secreted, that results in a trigger for anxiety.燭his is the most common type found in about 70% of sufferers.
2. PMS-C This type is associated with cravings for carbohydrate, increased fatigue, headache and frequently heart palpitations.燩eople in this category may have low blood sugar, and represent about 25% of sufferers.
3. PMS-D This type is characterized mainly by depression, forgetfulness, and difficulty sleeping.燭hese people might also have low thyroid, frequent crying spells, headaches, and usually too much progesterone in relation to estrogen.燭hey may have excessive hair growth.營t is the least frequent of all categories.
4. PMS-H This type is characterized by increased fluid retention, abdominal bloating, breast congestion and tenderness.營t affects about 25% of sufferers.

The above categories are not exclusive to each other.燩eople can have mixtures of all of these types, and they can vary in severity from mild to highly significant. 燬ymptoms usually occur within the last two weeks of the menstrual cycle, but usually during the last 7 to 10 days before the menstrual cycle begins.燭hey often end when the menstrual cycle begins.燱hile medications may be necessary in some cases, a good deal of relief can be obtained by paying attention to diet, exercise, and relaxation and supplementation — in other words, healthy lifestyle changes.

Overall, the diet for anyone with PMS should consist of a Mediterranean type diet that consists of meals high in good-quality fruits and vegetables, low in red meats, sugars, and white flour, with moderate amounts of good-quality protein preferably from coldwater fish such as salmon, mackerel, or tuna, but also from chicken and legumes.燤ild to moderate exercise, such as walking or light running, has been found to help the symptoms of PMS.燚ecreasing the triggers for adrenalin or other stress hormone release through deep relaxation with meditation or self-hypnosis is also important.

Research has shown that a number of supplements can help in all of the types listed:

• B vitamins are very important in PMS-A.燭ake a 50mg B Complex vitamin through the whole cycle.燳ou can also add another 100mg of Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) on its own if the 50mg B Complex is insufficient to relieve symptoms.
• Good studies have also found that calcium can be helpful.營 recommend about 1000 mg per day as the carbonate or about 500 mg a day as the citrate. The latter is better absorbed and you need less of it.
• Magnesium is also helpful, especially in PMS-C, and can be taken as a Calcium