Do You Suffer With PMS?

I have been reading a fascinating book, "Your Body Can Talk", by Susan Levy and Carol Lehr.  I thought I would paraphrase what I have read, and share their fascinating information about PMS with you.  I recommend the book and give them full credit for the information.  They describe four types of PMS, or Premenstrual Syndrome, that may affect women during their menstrual cycle.  Which type are you?

Type A ...PMS - Anxiety

Do you experience mood swings, nervous tension, anxiety, or irritability?  Do you suffer with excessive worry, feel vulnerable, fearful, or insecure at certain times during the month?    Herbal stress relief formulas, BACH flowers, Homeopathics, or Amino Acid supplements may help to balance these overly stressed women.  Eat foods which promote calm within the body.  Avoid excessive salt, as it may cause the body to retain up to five pounds of fluid.  With this water retention, the brain actually swells, causing intense anxiety and mood swings.   B Vitamins can be very helpful to balance the nervous system, along with minerals, chromium, zinc, and magnesium.  Reduce the stress in your life as much as possible, and use methods to deal with stress positively.  Change your thinking patterns, treat yourself to a massage, or join a yoga class.

Type C...PMS - Craving

Do you experience headache, increased appetite, fatigue, dizziness, fainting, or heart pounding?  Those women, who have a tendency to hypoglycemia, may find symptoms intensified prior to menstruation.  They may experience compulsive intense sugar cravings a week or ten days before their period.  Once sugar is eaten, the body chemistry is thrown off balance, blood sugar levels lower, and headaches may result.  Sugar cravings may signal the need in the body of other nutrients, such as chromium, magnesium, or zinc, and oddly enough excessive sugar intake depletes the body of these same minerals - a vicious cycle.  Chocolate cravings, common at this time, may signal the need for magnesium.  Providing a diet abundant in vegetables will help to supply these minerals needed by the body.  Chlorophyll is very close in molecular structure to blood and is great for replenishing the hemoglobin in blood.  Heavy bleeding is often a common problem for women.  Make sure you are taking in the nutrients needed...more green vegies and whole grains in your diet!

Type H ...PMS - Hyper hydration

Do you experience weight gain, swelling of extremities, breast tenderness, or abdominal bloating?  Do you have blotchy red cheeks or areas of blotchy red around the throat or thyroid?  Do you have sore, tight muscles, stiffness, puffiness, or feel swollen with water retention?  Inflammation is a key word for these women.  It is important to figure out which foods are irritating and causing inflammation.  Make efforts to eliminate these from the diet. Suspect wheat or dairy as possible sensitivities.  Generally, these women should avoid salt, processed foods, coffee, soda pop, some teas, and ibuprofen (which contains caffeine). Be aware of the hormones in meat, as they can be very inflammatory.  B-vitamins, magnesium, flaxseed oil, and diuretic herbs may be helpful. Herbs such as dandelion, parsley, alfalfa, shave grass, uva ursi, may be used for short periods of time to get the excess water off.   Marshmallow is an herb which may help to soothe the inflammation.  The omega-3 rich flaxseed oil is like a water hose, putting out the fire!

Type D ...PMS - Depression

Do you experience depression, forgetfulness, crying, confusion, or insomnia?  Are you emotions intensified reactions to normal every day circumstances?  Are you lethargic and irritable?  Sometimes these women may even experience suicidal tendencies.  Women who suffer this kind of depression may not have enough estrogen to counterbalance the progesterone.  So the phytoestrogens in herbs and foods may be helpful in helping the body produce estrogen.  Soy, red clover, and black cohosh are three commonly used herbs.  Excess lead in the body may also be a factor for type D; hair analysis may confirm this as a problem.  These women should avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates, coffee, soda pop, alcohol, and intense spices.  Instead they should rely on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  Soy products, pumpkin seeds, and almonds may be beneficial.  Supplements to help include:  B and E vitamins, magnesium, zinc, Tyrosine, L-Phenylalanine, L-Glutamine, Choline, Valerian, and Passionflower.  Phytoestrogen and progesterone is also available in creams and may be very useful for PMS symptom.

I find the dividing of PMS symptoms into types to be helpful in discovering the cause of the hormonal imbalance and finding solutions to bring the body back into balance.  Don't accept that PMS is just a "fact of life" or something to "live with"...You can make changes that will improve the quality of your life! 

Homeopathy for Behavior Problems in Children

Homeopathic remedies are safe, nonaddictive, and may be used with children who have developmental or behavioral problems.  These remedies may be taken with medications as they do not interfere with them.  The information for this article was taken from one of my favorite books, Natural Treatments fro ADD and Hyperactivity, by Skye Weintraub, N.D.  Please see the book for more complete descriptions and information. 

Anacardium:  for confused children who have the feeling of being followed or having a double.  They have a tendency to curse or swear and are abusive to animals.
Arsenicum album:  for children who are fidgety, hyperactive, and have allergies.  They have restless sleep.  Their mind is anxious with obsessive thoughts and double checking. They are always in a hurry.  They fear being alone.
Baryta carbonica:  for the child who is delayed in physical and mental development.  Poor assimilation causes emaciation of the body.  The mind has a a lack of understanding, very literal, with difficulty keeping up.  Problems with tonsils and chronic cough.
Cannabis indica:  autistic or "spaced out" children whose senses are exaggerated. They make up stories, have a short attention span, day dreaming, absent-minded, biting, and fear of death.  Urinary tract problems common.
Capsicum:  children who are brooding, irritable, absent-minded, disobedient, angry, and homesick.  Extremely obstinate and offended easily.  Difficulty in sleeping, wake full of fear.
Carcinosin:  children who are dull of mind, fearful, timid, unhappy, worried, and obstinate.  They love travel and music.  Strong cravings or aversions to certain foods.  Symptoms may appear after a vaccination reaction or a family member may have cancer.
Chamomile:  child with a bad temper, irritable, impatient, and complaining.  Everything for them is intolerable...they "cannot bear it".  Symptoms worse at night.
Cina:  child who is restless at night, grinding teeth or wetting the bed.  They may pick their nose until it bleeds.  This child does not want to be touched or looked at.  Parasites may be present.
Helleborus:  child feels stupid, dull, unresponsive.  History may show head injury or encephalitis.  They are unable to memorize anything.  A feeling of despair, anger, and aversion to making any effort.  They often bite their spoon without awareness.
Hyoscyamus:  child with poor impulse control.  They do not answer questions, act silly, laughing, and dancing around.  They talk excessively, with episodes of mania, rage, and depression.  They are manipulative, lying, jealous, fearful, delusional, and violent.
Lachesis:  jealous children, vengeful, sarcastic, nasty, with severe depression.They are very sensitive to criticism. They wake from sleep even more agitated.  They hate tight clothing.
Lycopodium:  the bossy child.  Intelligent with performance anxiety, insecurity, poor memory, inability to concentrate, and chronic fatigue.   Fearful of new situations or changes in diet.  
Medorrhinum:  children who fear public places...especially eating in public.  Aggressive, having temper tantrums, malicious with animals, impulsive, cannot pay attention, they are night owls.
Stramonium:  remedy for terrors and nightmares, worse between midnight and 2:00am, often wake screaming.  They have a horror of shiny objects.  Do not estimate distance correctly.  Food tastes bitter.  Child may sit silently, picking at their clothes.
Sulphur:  children who do not like to be bathed, and tend to be untidy.  Daydreamers in a fantasy world.  Their thought processes are illogical.  Memory is poor.  Enclosed situations threaten them.
Tarantula hispanica:  remedy for the most hyperactive of children.  They display impulsive restlessness, self-destructive, excessive fits, unceasing movement, violence, and depression.
Veratrum album:  child displays repetitive behavior and hyperactivity.  Child is restless, destructive, will tell outrageous lies, and act inappropriately bytouching others.  They love ice cold drinks.