PMS and Menstrual Cramping – Dysmenorrhea 

What is it?

First, there are two topics being discussed here – Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and Premenstrual Cramping.  Each will be discussed individually along with recommendations. What the natural approach aims to do is to treat the condition, not simply mask the pain like aspirin or other painkillers. Furthermore, if you work to put your body back into balance all aspects of health and well-being will be improved. 

PMS and Your Liver

In general, the causes of PMS are thought to be related to hormonal imbalances.  With any female problem, especially those that are connected with hormone imbalances, it is important that your liver is functioning at an optimum level. The liver is the waste disposal unit of the body, not only for toxins, waste products, drugs and alcohol, but also for hormones.

If the liver is not functioning efficiently, old hormones can accumulate. These old hormones are leftover after each menstrual cycle, but unless they are deactivated by the liver, they can return to the bloodstream and cause all sorts of problems. The liver deals with estrogen so it can be eliminated safely from the body. The metabolism of fat is also one of the liver’s big jobs, when it converts stored fat to energy. The liver has other functions, but this is also one of its main jobs. Unfortunately, another of the liver's duties is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which also need plenty of water to work properly. If the kidneys are water-deprived, the liver has to do their work along with its own, lowering its total productivity. Leaving it’s main jobs of detoxifying and fat burning undone. It then can't metabolize fat or deactivate old hormones as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were pulling their own weight. If you allow this to happen, not only are you being unfair to your liver, but you're also setting yourself up to store fat and retain leftover hormones – which in turn creates imbalances.

Recommendation:

Drink 8 oz of water 8 times a day – break it up – try drinking a 20 oz bottle on the way to work in the morning, and on the way home, drink 8 oz 30 minutes after lunch.  That just leaves 2 more! 

Do a liver cleanse every 6 months to keep this organ on track and doing its job.

Liver Cleanse Formula

Liver Cleanse Formula [Digestive] consists of herbs historically used to cleanse, detoxify and nourish the liver and provide support to the gastrointestinal tract.

Take 1 capsule with a meal three times daily.

Types of PMS

The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine classified PMS into 4 subgroups, each group being linked to specific symptoms, hormonal patterns and metabolic abnormalities. Analyze which type of PMS you suffer from (which will help you decide which herbal PMS treatments are right for you).  Use these PMS recommendations in addition to your choice of Menstrual Cramp recommendation.

PMS - A (Anxiety):  Includes anxiety, irrational anger, short temper, irritability, nervous tension and aggressiveness. This form of PMS is usually caused by estrogen dominance.

Recommendations:

Pro-G-Yam Cream (progesterone) may be needed in addition to other herbal PMS treatments.  

PMS - C (Cravings):  Includes fatigue, fainting spells or dizziness, increased appetite, especially cravings for sweet foods and/or binge eating, and possibly heart palpitations. This form of PMS is thought to be caused by low levels of prostaglandins and changes in carbohydrate metabolism. 

Recommendations

PMS - D (Depression):  Includes depression, crying spells, confusion, forgetfulness and insomnia.  This is thought to be caused by low levels of estrogen with an unhealthy estrogen-to-progesterone ratio, high levels of prolactin, and possibly low levels of DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), plus problems with the adrenal glands.

Recommendations

PMS - H (Hyperhydration):  Includes abdominal bloating, fluid retention, breast pain and tenderness and weight gain.  This is thought to be caused by inadequate Vitamin B6, low progesterone, unbalanced adrenal hormones and possibly a low thyroid.

Recommendations

Menstrual Cramping
In addition to the most commonly used herbal PMS treatments and the specific treatments outlined above, many women need additional cramp relief.  
 
Menstrual cramping or Dysmenorrhea occurs when the body produces a hormone-like substance called prostaglandin to make the muscles in the uterus contract and expel the womb lining from the body as it no longer required.

 It is thought that women with dysmenorrhea produce more prostaglandins in their body, causing more severe uterine contractions, and therefore more pain. Primary dysmenorrhea usually occurs during adolescence and the pain tends to lessen with age.

Recommendation

Cramp Relief may be instrumental in relieving painful cramps associated with premenstrual syndrome. This formula contains several herbs that support various body systems to help in the management of minor menstrual discomfort. Traditionally, wild yam supports the female reproductive system, while black cohosh may help lift mild mood changes (so-called dark moods) that often accompany female discomfort. Cramp Relief herbal formula contains cramp bark, black cohosh root, lobelia aerial parts, plantain leaves, wild yam root.
Take 2 capsules with a meal two or three times daily. For severe cramping, take 2 capsules every hour for up to six hours.  

Menstrual discomfort affects 50-60 percent of all menstruating women, and it may be due to decreased blood and oxygen flow to the smooth muscle of the uterus. This discomfort is also associated with the increased production of prostaglandins, hormones that can promote inflammation and spasmodic contraction of the uterine muscle, decreasing blood flow to the uterus. The cramps and pain can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting, and the release of prostaglandins can also cause constipation and/or diarrhea because of their effect on the smooth muscles of the bowel.

Monthly Maintenance – used to prevent and establish a more balanced condition Prior to Menstruation:  4 capsules provide the following:

a base of Chinese herbs: peony root, dong quai root, bupleurum root, hoelen plant, atractylodes rhizome, codonopsis root, alisma bark, licorice root, magnolia bark, ginger root, peppermint leaves, moutan root, gardenia fruit, and cyperus rhizome.

Take four capsules with a meal three times daily during the last 10 days of the menstrual cycle (i.e. 10 days before the onset of menstruation).

Female Comfort - helps with irregular cycles, pain, cramping (dysmenorrhea), PMS emotional symptoms, fatigue, irritability, breast tenderness, nervousness and water weight gain.  Female Comfort [Glandular] is designed to support proper balance of the female reproductive and glandular systems. It contains: red raspberry leaves, dong quai root, ginger root, licorice root, black cohosh root, blessed thistle herb, marshmallow herb and queen of the meadow herb.

Menstrual Reg.  Menstrual Reg is designed to help reduce these symptoms by balancing hormone levels. Menstrual Reg contains herbs traditionally used to provide all-over support to the female body. This formula contains lady’s mantle aerial parts, shepherd’s purse aerial parts, yarrow leaf, flower and aerial parts, black haw root, nettle leaves, sarsaparilla root, chaste tree fruit concentrate, and false unicorn root.
Take 2–3 capsules with a meal three times daily. For a more immediate effect, it can be taken in larger amounts for short periods of time, for example, every two hours for a period of several days. For best results, this formula should be taken over a period of several months

Treating Cramping with Essential Oils:

Use one or blend several:

Try these blends or, based on the list above, experiment with your own blends.  
Keep these handy all the time:

For Cramps:

Blend well, for relief of cramps, put 1/4 oz oil blend in palm of hand, rub into lower abdomen slowly, with slight pressure.  When finished, rub hands together briskly and inhale vapors deeply.

For PMS

Blend well.  For relief of PMS symptoms, rub on lower abdomen, rub briskly in palms and inhale vapors, massage into feet, rub temples or other pulse points.

Basics

Don't discount the simple solutions either - such as daily moderate exercise (walking and yoga are excellent choices) and eating a healthful diet for PMS cramp relief.  Many women find that cutting out (or significantly reducing) caffeine, watching salt intake, and eating plenty of fresh (preferably organic) fruits and veggies with some whole grains and lean protein goes a long way toward providing PMS cramp relief, as well as relieving PMS emotional symptoms.
 
Also, take some time for a warm relaxing soak, foot massage (or foot spa bath), reading, journaling or meditating.  As women, we tend to be caregivers for others, but rarely take time to care for ourselves.  Taking time to pamper yourself, eat right and exercise may be all you need to alleviate your PMS.

Summary:

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