The Hormone High Wire Balancing Act of PMS

Posted by Cathy on with 2 Comments

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is the most common disorder for women during their reproductive years, but it doesn’t have to be.  Asian cultures have been using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to treat the hormonal imbalances that accompany menstrual cycle related symptoms for centuries. Chinese medicine calls this an imbalance of Qi in the reproductive and other related organs. Acupuncture and herbs can re-establish the flow of Qi and bring a balance to the body allowing the body to function optimally without hormone regulators such as a birth control pills.

Chinese Herbs for PMSOften the underlying problem with PMS is the hormonal imbalance. Estrogen levels are commonly too high in relation to progesterone levels. What’s causing this imbalance? The most common cause is our diets. Hormones are sensitive and overeating and obesity often lead to conversion of androgens to estrogen by aromatase.  High fat diets, refined sugars and carbohydrates, processed foods and artificial sweeteners, dairy products and even commercially raised livestock are all a source of estrogen exposure. Limiting our exposure of so called “artificial or xeno-estrogens” is not difficult. Eat a balanced healthy diet and choose hormone free meat. Not surprising, exercise helps keep the balance, whereas alcohol and constipation both disrupt the balance.

Regulating hormone levels is a key component to combating PMS and Chinese herbs  can help maintain a hormone balance through several methods. (See PMS Relief Herbs Pack) Many Chinese herbs have hormone enhancing properties. One such herb is Dang Gui. Several new studies have examined dang gui with a combination of herbs (also called herbal formulas). We know herb formulas, or a combination of herbs, are very effective and since dang gui is known as the “women’s ginseng”, it’s an indispensable herb for PMS symptoms. Although contradicting literature has been published on the phytoestrogen content in dang gui, it does have a plethora of well established and proven actions. In TCM it is a blood tonic and has warming and dispersing actions.  Numerous studies prove dang gui and other Chinese herbs nourish our blood. Monthly blood loss take a toll on women over time, and a healthy diet, including herbs are the fuel necessary to replenishing the blood that is lost each month.

Many Chinese herbs contain high amounts of essential fatty acids which also help maintain our natural hormonal balance.  Some do this by improving liver functions. The liver is viewed as part of the reproductive system in Chinese medicine. It’s imperative to help the liver regulate the production of prostaglandin hormones and strengthen the liver’s ability to synthesize proteins and fat. This facilitates the body’s ability to regulate itself. Bupleurum and Rehmannia are two traditional Chinese herbs which have clinically tested and proven liver tonifying properties.  Strengthening liver functions is another way Chinese herbs helps an over-active uterus and therefore reduce PMS symptoms. Advil, Tylenol and other NSAIDS only cover up your pain and can cause more harm to your liver function. Chinese herbs work at the root of the disharmony.

A recent study of 549 women in Australia documented results on the severity of PMS and the effectiveness of Chinese herbs to reduce the severity.[1] By restoring the imbalance in the reproductive system, herbal medicine can prevent monthly menstrual cramps, depression, PMS, and abdominal pain.

Maintaining a healthy hormone balance (part of homeostasis) is essential throughout life and will undoubtedly also help PMS symptoms. Be in control of your body and how it functions. Give yourself healthy foods and plant based medicine like Chinese herbs and you’ll naturally balance your body’s energy and restore your body’s natural hormone balance.

For more information on this subject call us and talk to our Licensed Acupuncturist/herbalist. Go to Contact Page.

Notes: “When the balance of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are off, it causes an inability of conversion from linoleic acid to GLA resulting in increasing the risk of over production of PGE2 and premenstrual pain and cramps.”[2]

REFERENCES

  1. Chinese herbal medicine for premenstrual syndrome , Jing Z, Yang X, Ismail KMK, Chen X, Wu T
  2. Dijsselbloem N, Vanden Berghe W, De Naeyer A, Haegeman G. Soy isoflavonephyto-pharmaceuticals in interleukin-6 affections. Multi-purpose nutraceuticals atthe crossroad of hormone replacement, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory therapy. Biochem Pharmacol. 2004;68(6):1171-1185. estrogen disruptors induce precocious puberty? Minerva Pediatr. 2006;58(3)
  3. Lee JM, Appugliese D, Kaciroti N, Corwyn RF, Bradley RH, Lumeng JC. Weight statusin young girls and the onset of puberty. Pediatrics. 2007;119(3):e624-e630.
  4. Steingraber S. Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment. Boston, Mass: Addison Wesley Publishing Co; 1997.
  5. Wiksten-Almstromer M, Hirschberg AL, Hagenfeldt K. Menstrual disorders and associated factors among adolescent girls visiting a youth clinic. Acta Obstet GynecolScand. 2007;86(1):65-72.
  6. Halbreich U, Borenstein J, Pearlstein T, Kahn LS. The prevalence, impairment,impact, and burden of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMS/PMDD).Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2003;28 Suppl 3:1-23.
  7. Medical Herbology & Pharmacology by John K. Chen, Tina T. Chen Art of    Medicine Press, 2004

This post is proud to be part of  thekathleenshow.com Prevention not Prescription Tuesday’s blog roll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Menstrual Cramps Relieved Safely With Fatty Acids and Herbs

Posted by Cathy on with 4 Comments

If you’ve been suffering from PMS and menstrual cramps, adding a 1 gram capsule of mixed essential fatty acids to your daily diet could help reduce your symptoms say’s a group of researcher in Brazil.  This is not the first research to link PMS and essential fatty acid (EFA) intake.  Since our bodies can only produce fatty acids, (long chain molecules) from the foods we eat,  then our bodies will be deficient if our diets are deficient.

 

Eating eggs, nuts, vegetables and fish daily should help a body produce enough.  If not, a dietary supplement of flax oil or fish oils containing omega 3 and omega 6’s are a very good way to supplement your EFA production.  Essential fatty acids are well known for stabilizing your mood, reducing inflammation and pain, and aiding in the regulation of estrogen and progesterone.

 

The researchers of this study do not make any recommendation about whether women should increase their intake of essential fatty acids, instead they just say consult with your doctor. Unfortunately most doctors don’t have time to keep up with all the new studies and many have no idea that supplements can make a difference.  Keep in mind, the study results were more beneficial for women who took the supplement at least three months and for as long as six months to reduce your PMS symptoms. 

 

If you are suffering with menstrual cramps and an irregular cycle, PMS Relief Herb Pac is a faster answer. (Although I still recommend EFA supplementation for many women.)  The first time you use our herbs, you will see a noticeable decrease in cramping and pain within 30-60 minutes.  Women who suffer severe PMS symptoms should take one packet the day before their menstrual cycle starts and one packet or two packets each day they have painful periods.  

 

We get lots of reports of women who also like to use one packet at the time of ovulation when they tend to get very moody and sometimes irritable.  This is a great time to take one packet also.  Just drink as a tea and enjoy.  It helps calm your mood and take the edge off your stress levels.

 

Unlike the researchers of this study, we guarantee results!   

 

The study was published in Reproductive Health, Jan 2011.

Acetaminophen Can Be Fatal Study Says

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Acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol, causes severe liver toxicity and too much can be fatal.

A study released on Nov. 22, 2011 in the UK showed repeated doses of “slightly too much acetaminophen” can be fatal.

This study was published online November 22 in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. “On admission, these staggered overdose patients were more likely to have liver and brain problems, require kidney dialysis or help with breathing and were at a greater risk of dying than people who had taken single overdoses,” senior author Kenneth J. Simpson, MBChB (Hons), MD, FRCP (Edin), from the University of Edinburgh and Scottish Liver Transplant Unit in the United Kingdom, said in a news release. “They haven’t taken the sort of single-moment, one-off massive overdoses taken by people who try to commit suicide, but over time the damage builds up, and the effect can be fatal,” he adds.

In the U.K. and the U.S. acetaminophen hepatotoxicity is the leading cause of acute liver failure (ALF).

When asked why people repeatedly ingest Tylenol or acetaminophen the most common answer is pain.  Young women often use it several days a month for menstrual cramps and period pain. However, using Acetaminophen (Tylenol) month after month for menstrual cramps has overdose risks.  Unfortunately, many women don’t realize there are other natural answers to menstrual cramps.

Looking for a natural pain reliever for menstrual cramps?  PMS Relief Herb Pack has been used for centuries in the East and is now available in the West.

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This study received no external funding. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Br J Clin Pharmacol. Published online November 22, 2011.

Herbal Medicine May Help Reduce Menstrual Pain Says Cochrane Collaboration

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PMS Relief

A study involving nearly 3,500 women in several countries suggests natural herbs may be more effective in relieving menstrual cramps than drugs, acupuncture or heat compression.

Australia-based researchers said herbs not only relieved pain, but reduced the recurrence of the condition over three months, according to the Cochrane Library journal. Who writes The Cochrane Library Journal? An international not-for-profit and independent organization, dedicated to up-to-date, accurate information about the effects of health-care readily available worldwide.

Who is Cochrane Collaboration? Watch video

The Cochrane Collaboration produces and disseminates systematic reviews of health-care interventions and promotes the search for evidence in the form of clinical trials and other studies of interventions. The Cochrane Collaboration was founded in 1993. They publish the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews quarterly as part of the Cochrane Library.

Women looking for a natural treatment for menstrual cramps can be confident that Chinese herbs have been reviewed in clinical trials and have been used safely for hundreds of years. The evidence came from 39 trials, involved 3475 women – 36 in China, and one each in Taiwan, Japan and the Netherlands. Participants were given herb formulas to regulate their ‘qi’ (energy) and blood, warm their bodies and boost their kidney and liver functions.

“Chinese herbal medicine gave significant improvements in pain relief when compared to pharmaceutical drugs. It also reduced overall symptoms. The research revealed that Chinese herbal medicine was also better at alleviating pain than acupuncture or heat compression.”

“All available measures of effectiveness confirmed the overall superiority of Chinese herbal medicine to placebo, no treatment, NSAIDs, OCP, (oral contraception pills) acupuncture and heat compression, and, at the same time, there were no indications that Chinese herbs caused any adverse events,” says lead author Xiaoshu Zhu who works at the Center for Complementary Medicine Research at the University of Western Sydney, Australia.

Some of the Chinese herbs include Chinese angelica root (danggui), Szechuan lovage root (chuanxiong), red peony root (chishao), white peony root (baishao), Chinese motherwort (yimucao), fennel fruit (huixiang), nut-grass rhizome (xiangfu), liquorice root (gancao) and cinnamon bark (rougui). In one trial involving 36 women, 53 percent of those who took Chinese herbs reported less pain than usual compared with 26 percent in the placebo group. (No coincidence these herbs are all included in our PMS Relief Herb Pack)

See Full Study here: http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD005288/frame.html

Adverse Reactions with the Birth Control Pills Yaz and Yasmin

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In Canada, 600 adverse reactions and 23 deaths have been reported between 2007 and February 28th, 2013 among women taking the birth-control pills (BCPs) Yaz and Yasmin (recorded by Health Canada and first reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). In Canada, 600 adverse reactions and 23 deaths have been reported between 2007 and February 28th, 2013 among women taking the birth-control pills (BCPs) Yaz and Yasmin (recorded by Health Canada and first reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).

Adverse reactions for both products were most commonly found to affect the nervous system, vascular system, respiratory/thoracic/mediastinal systems, and cardiac function. Bayer produces a synthetic progestin called drospirenone, and BCP’s containing this sythetic hormone carry a label warning stating that its use increases risk of venus-thromboembolism 1.5 to 3 times higher than other BCP’s. (The FDA added the warnig in 2012.)

Health Canada released a statement that they view the benefits of Yaz and Yasmin outweigh these risks. The safety of contraceptive pills are monitored continually, just like other drugs. However, a woman may decide that the risks are too great, considering there are other viable options available that do not interfere with her hormones. This is especially important information concerning the health and wellness of young women who take the birth control pill for bad pms and period pain. Pacific herbs has a great remedy for menstrual cramps called PMS relief.

The first class-action lawsuit was filed in April against Bayer (producers of Yaz and Yasmin) in Canada and 13 more suits are pending. ln the US, Bayer paid $1.2 billion in settlements in thousands of lawsuits (reported by The Globe).