Herbs, Homeopathy and Vitamins For PMT
Pre-Menstrual Tension: Many women suffer from pre-menstrual tension. According to Russell Setright, who wrote the “Get Well” book in 1990, 70% of women experience the symptoms which are related to pre-menstrual tension.
What Are The Symptoms of Pre Menstrual Tension? The typical symptoms are headache or migraine, mood swings, anxiety, depression and fatigue. Other symptoms which you might experience before the period are: painful and swollen breasts, pain in the stomach, water retention, and cystitis.
Rule Number One: To prevent PMT, or pre-menstrual tension, make your diet more alkaline. This means eating more fresh vegetables and fruit, brown rice instead of bread, and eating less of wheat products, sugar and dairy foods. Celery and alalfa and mung bean sprouts should form part of your daily diet, as these things are very alkaline. Often, a gluten-free diet helps people with PMT. Many people are sensitive to gluten in wheat flour and other products, and they do not realize it. So experiment – do without bread, cake and pastries for a week, and avoid all products which may contain gluten and preservatives or chemicals of any kind. This just could do the trick.
Supplements To Help Pre Menstrual Tension: For the emotional and mental symptoms, Vitamin B is helpful, especially B6 and B12. Another very helpful supplement is Evening Primrose Oil, which is useful in calming the nerves, giving a good night’s sleep, and in counteracting depression. Evening Primrose Oil has been scientifically proven to alleviate the symptoms of Pre-Menstrual Tension.
Dandelion: Blood Purifier and Diuretic Herb: Most herbs which encourage urine flow are useful in counteracting pre menstrual tension. This is because toxins are expelled from the body through the urine. Dandelion helps to remove toxins, as well as excess water from your system: If you get swollen legs, or swollen fingers, or a distended stomach before your period, then dandelion can help to reduce this fluid. Dandelion is a great blood-purifier, which also has a beneficial effect on the liver: It helps the liver to de-toxify, and can help prevent gall-stones. It is rich in many vitamins and minerals. Dandelion is the herb which is most used in PMT. Drink dandelion root coffee instead of that real coffee to help PMT.
Alfalfa Tea: Alfalfa is a great detoxifier of the blood. It is also highly alkaline which is healthful for the body. A body which is too acidic can result in pre-menstrual tension. You can drink up to five or six cups per day. To make alfalfa tea, simply put a teaspoon of alfalfa seeds into a large cup, and pour on boiling water. Let cool, to warm, then drink. You can use the ‘grounds’ for a top-up before taking fresh seeds for another cup. Again – drink less coffee, and more of the herbal teas such alfalfa and dandelion root coffee to help pre menstrual tension.
Liquorice, or Licorice, is recommended by Russell Setright: His dosage is 500mg per day, taken 5 days before the period. Liquorice can help soothe the nerves and detoxify the liver and intestines. However, in my experience,, while I just love liquorice, it has a tendency to lower the blood pressure. If you are like me, and you have LOW blood pressure anyway, then too much liquorice will further lower your blood pressure, and this can make you feel terrible, and your depression worse. So go easy on the Liquorice.
It is best to begin taking your supplements seven days prior to the period: These will help stabilize your system, and aid it in its natural production of hormones. Aldosterone is a hormone which is is linked to the menstrual cycle, and this is secreted seven days prior to the period.
It is best to avoid drinking coffee for AT LEAST three days prior to the period. Coffee depletes Vitamin B and other nutrients from the body, so it is good to limit your coffee drinking while you are suffering PMT.
Toxins in the body and the blood are usually the reasons that people get PMT. Some chemicals which are used as preservatives, and herbicides and pesticides – even plastics – get into our blood-streams and cause havoc with our hormones. It is helpful to many sufferers of PMT to fast on just fruit and vegetables for three days prior to the period. This helps to reduce toxins in the body: Being free of these toxins can have a remarkable effect in the curing of pre menstrual tension.
Homeopathic Remedies which might be useful for pre-mensrual tension are: Aconite, Bryonia, Chamomilla, Coffea, Nat. mur, Pulsatilla, Sepia. Of course, unless you know your remedies well, you should seek some advice from a health professional who understands Homeopathy.
I would recommend Homeopathic Remedy Coffea if you are especially irritable and cannot sleep, or if you drink too much coffee. In Homeopathy, the remedy Coffea comes from Coffee, but it actually has the opposite effect to coffee, in that it is a mild sedative. Homeopathic Coffea can be helpful in reducing the desire to drink coffee.
One Homeopathic remedy which I have found to be useful in helping to dry up excess fluid in the body is Homeopathic Bryonia. This can help depression and morbid thoughts too. It is a useful remedy to have in the house for chest infections and phlegmatic illnesses, as it dries up fluid. Worth a try if you think this might be suitable for you: I would take the Bryonia a week before the period is due, and take it for only three days, three doses per day of just a few drops. If you should feel worse, then stop taking the Bryonia.
Pulsatilla is a good one for PMT if you are excessively weepy and sad. Again, I would take this about a week before the period, but you could try taking it as soon as you have the pre-menstrual symptoms.
Different remedies work for different people: The professional Homeopath will take all your symptoms, and consider all sorts of things about you, your day, and your life before deciding on a remedy. But there are some fairly standard remedies for some conditions which will generally work for most people.