Do you suffer from PMS?

Do you feel like eating everything in sight? Does your partner become the enemy? Do you suffer stomach cramps and want to curl up away from the rest of the world? Welcome to the premenstrual syndrome that so many of us women suffer from.

The exact cause of pre menstrual stress (PMS) is unknown, but it seems to be linked to an imbalance between the two female hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. It's believed to affect between a third and a half of women between 20-50 years of age.

Your body cycle
It seems most of us are aware of when our period is due. But do you keep a tight eye on things, i.e. make a note in your diary, or do you have a rough idea?

These days, life can be stressful enough without not fully understanding your body cycle and what you can do to ease your symptoms.

The first step requires taking control. Why not create a menstrual chart, whereby you can keep track of when your cycle starts (check out www.pms.org.uk for an example).

Symptoms
According to the Women's Nutritional Advisory Service (WNAS) symptoms can be categorised into four sub-groups. These are:
Anxiety: nervous tension, mood swings, irritability and anxiety. Craving: headaches, craving for sweets, increased appetite, heart pounding and fatigue. Depression: depression, forgetfulness, crying, confusion, insomnia. Hydration: weight gain, swelling of extremities, breast tenderness, and abdominal bloating.

The WNAS claim making a few simple diet changes, combined with nutritional supplements and a simple exercise and relaxation regime, can make a huge difference to symptoms.

Your diet
Eating carbohydrate snacks at regular intervals help to raise blood glucose levels, just remember not to overdo it on the fatty munchies!

Other dietary changes that could relieve symptoms:
Eat a range of whole foods like oats, barley, rye and buckwheat. Eat more nuts, seeds and fish – especially oily fish (e.g. mackerel, salmon, herrings, sardines, pilchards), which include the essential fatty acids required for optimum hormone balance.
Eat green vegetables or salad daily as they contain essential nutrients
Cut down on junk food as much as possible (this is advisable at any time!).
Cut down on salt intake to reduce fluid retention.
Reduce your alcohol and caffeine consumption as this will help to reduce irritability and depression.
Lower your wheat and pure bran intake which can cause abdominal bloating.
Limit your amount of dairy products as these can also aggravate bloating.

Supplements
A variety of supplements can help relieve symptoms of PMS. Most seem to provide benefit for two out of three women with PMS and need to be taken for three months to assess the full benefits. So what can you take to help?

Vitamin B6 helps to reduce the effects of excess oestrogen and helps alleviate fatigue and emotional symptoms of PMS such as depression and irritability.

Magnesium is a mineral that helps to stabilise blood sugar levels. Magnesium supplements can reduce symptoms of irritability, depression, anxiety/tension, bloating, tiredness and headaches. It also acts as a muscle relaxant and can reduce the painful periods associated with PMS.

Vitamin D and calcium appear to reduce headaches, negative emotions, fluid retention and pain.

Evening primrose oil is especially helpful in reducing low mood, sugar cravings and breast pain linked with PMS. It contains hormone building blocks that help to even out hormonal imbalances, but needs to be taken at doses of up to 3g a day for at least three months before an effect may be noticed.

Agnus castus is a herbal remedy and is believed to have a progesterone-like action in the body. Although it is slow-acting, it can relieve a variety of physical and emotional PMS symptoms, namely irritability, mood changes, headache and breast fullness.

Extracts from the herbs horsetail (Equisetum arvense) and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) have a diuretic action that can help to reduce pre-menstrual bloating and fluid retention.

Exercise
Whilst we would all love to curl up with a hot water bottle and devour a box of chocolates, exercise can work wonders to help our bodies during the cycle.

From yoga and Pilates to swimming and salsa - a little bit of exercise really does help.

Pamper yourself
According to Dr Sarah Brewer, reflexology can be helpful with PMS amongst other problems, so if you like the idea of having some foot prodding, why not give reflexology a bash?

N.B. If symptoms of PMS are severe, always seek medical advice. For more information on how to deal with you own requirements telephone WNAS on: 01273 487366.

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