PMS
Premenstrual
Syndrome
One to
two weeks before menstruation begins, your PMS
symptoms make themselves known to you. Approximately
70-75 percent of women say they experience one or
more of the following PMS symptoms some time in
their lives: weight gain, breast tenderness,
abdominal bloating, backache, joint pain, acne,
cramps, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, food cravings,
and personality changes. Disruption of daily
activities is reported by 30-40 percent, while five
of women become completely disabled by PMS.
Perimenopausal women may experience these symptoms
well before and after the menstrual cycle.
Keep
Your Hormones on the Level
Many women with PMS have elevated estrogen levels
and low progesterone levels in the luteal phase of
their menstrual cycle that follows ovulation. Adding
B vitamins can help your liver inactivate estrogens.
B6 has been shown to elevate progesterone.
Increasing dietary fiber and decreasing animal fats
will also help free you from PMS.
With a condition that has so many possible symptoms
associated with it, women often experience the most
relief after we find corresponding patterns that
link these symptoms together. This ability to find
the connections between different bodily functions
and malfunctions is certainly one of the strengths
of oriental medicine. Your premenstrual headache,
abdominal bloating, pain before your period,
irritability, dark sides of your tongue and a strong
wiry quality to your pulse are all part of the
stagnant Liver Qi diagnosis that your acupro will
identify on your first visit. These symptoms may all
be looked at as unrelated conditions in conventional
medicine that frequently occur in unison, but they
fit a established pattern in Oriental Medicine which
has multiple treatment options ready to go to work
for you.
A treatment plan including acupuncture can greatly
relieve if not completely eliminate PMS from your
life each month. We look forward to women telling us
they no longer plan events around disabling PMS, and
the whole month is theirs to use as they wish!
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