PMS and PMDD Causes - Part 2: Stress

Researchers state that there is no real known reason why PMS (or PMDD) occurs in some women and not in others. Let me tell you what I think why PMS (and PMDD) occurs (part 2):

2. Stress

Stress, especially if it is unmitigated and occurs long-term, is devastating to the body's health equilibrium. When stress occurs, the body prepares itself by activating the "flight or fight" hormones, which is the way the body reacts when faced with danger, real or imagined.

Now if the body is in a constant state of stress, these stress hormones (produced by the adrenal glands which are located on top of the kidneys) produce various effects on the body such as the following:

• Increase of sodium and chloride retention and water re-absorption (basically fluid retention)
• Increased excretion of potassium, which causes blood pressure to rise
• Increase in glucose levels, to fuel the muscles for "flight or fight"
• Increased use of amino acids and fats
• Decreased immunity
  
• Formation of other steroid hormones, such as oestrogen (an increase is oestrogen is part of the reason why experts think women get PMS, as progesterone is reduced in comparison, so the levels of these two hormones become askew)

Basically if the body is in constant state of stress, there is a decreased level of many nutrients as the body uses them to prepare to either get away from the dangerous situation or stay and fight. But with stress, if it is continuing, there is no getting away from it and the health of the person suffers as a consequence.

It is much more preferable to reduce stress revels and reduce the negative effects on the body that this has, especially where PMS and PMDD is concerned.

PMS and PMDD Causes - Part 1: Nutritional Deficiencies

Researchers state that there is no real known reason why PMS (or PMDD) occurs in some women and not in others. Let me tell you what I think why PMS (and PMDD) occurs (part 1):

1. Nutritional deficiencies
Diet is fundamental to good health. That is the bottom line. If you do not get enough of natural, unprocessed foods, you are doing yourself a total disservice in terms of your health.

If your diet is basically composed of a great deal of processed foods (anything you buy from a store that you do no cook yourself) and you have a lack of fresh vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, seeds, nuts, oily fish such as salmon, trout, then your diet will be deficient in many vital nutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids). No amount of supplements will correct this - on one hand you are effectively ensuring your body becomes inflamed and deficient from various nutrients and on the other hand, you try to balance this with supplements, when you need the whole foods for your health.

You need to eat the following foods to maintain good health and to help your body get back to optimal health:

• Vegetables - 7 servings each day and at least 3 of these servings should be dark, green or dark red leafy vegetables (different types of lettuce, kale, spinach, sorrel, broccoli, watercress)
• Fruit - 5 servings each day and try to make sure you eat lots of brightly coloured or dark coloured fruits, such as blueberries, raspberries, dark purple grapes, acai berries, cherries
• Wholegrains - 3-5 servings each day and this means not just bread, but cereals, pasta and noodles too (just make sure they are not saturated with sugar)
  
• Legumes - 1-2 servings each day, this means all types of beans, such as lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
  
• Fish - 3-4 servings per week of the oily variety, such as salmon, trout, sardines, mackerel, but just make sure you buy the fish labelled as "wild" or "deep ocean" because these fish will have the most nutrients and are less likely to be tainted by heavy metals such as mercury and lead
• Meat - 3 servings per week and only organic, because the non-organic varieties have various chemicals and hormones injected into them, which interfere with your own hormone production and can exacerbate PMS and PMDD
• Nuts & seeds - 2-3 servings per day and try to use organic, raw nuts, unsalted as they provide the most nutrients

You need to eliminate the following foods (or at least severely restrict them):

• Alcohol - too much alcohol has a detrimental effect on the body and is not useful when you have PMS or PMDD
  
• Sugar - many women with PMS and PMDD experience variations in their blood glucose levels and an excess of sugar will make the blood sugar levels spike quickly and fall dramatically, which has a detrimental effect on insulin levels, which are pumped out at great levels to reduce blood glucose levels - eating less foods high in sugar and more natural foods will keep blood sugar levels on an even level and this means that there will be less of an issue prior to menstruation, including a curbing of sugar cravings, which many women also experience at PMS time
  
• Processed foods - any type of food that comes in a packet (other than raw nuts and seeds)
• Take-away foods - any type of meal you buy from a take-away store
• Salt - try to decrease it in your meal, use herbs and spices instead and try to use organic sea salt, which has more minerals in it than normal processed salt

The essential fatty acids in oily fish as well as the nuts and seeds are vital for women suffering from PMS and PMDD. Studies have shown that this essential nutrients is necessary as they are precursors of prostaglandins, which are hormone-like substances that affect women when they have PMS and PMDD. The B vitamins, which are abundant in good quality meat and wholegrains are necessary for women suffering this condition, as they help to reduce symptoms. The magnesium found in many whole foods is a natural muscle relaxant.

Severe PMS Could Mean a Depressed Nervous System

New findings published by the BioPsychoSocial Medicine journal suggests that not only is PMS tied to decreased nerve activity each month, but also that those with extreme symptoms may have a permanently depressed nervous system.

A team of Japanese researchers investigated if the autonomic nervous system (which plays a vital role in equilibrium within the human body), changed during the menstrual cycle. The team measured variations in heart rate and hormone levels and used questionnaires to evaluate physical, emotional and behavioural symptoms of 62 women's menstrual cycles. A control group who experienced little or no PMS was used to compare the results.

The findings of the research discovered that the women with PMS had significantly decreased autonomic and parasympathetic nerve activity in the week before menstruation and the women with the most severe PMS (known as PMDD - premenstrual dysphoric disorder) has the most reduced rates of nerve activity than any women in the PMS or control groups.

The lead researcher, Dr Tamaki Matsumoto from the International Buddhist University in Osaka said, "Our findings indicate that the occurrence of premenstrual symptomatology could be attributable to an altered functioning of the autonomic nervous system in the symptomatic late luteal phase." For women with PMDD, findings indicate that sympathovagal activity was altered even in the follicular phase. Matsumoto asked: "Does this imply that women with lower autonomic function regardless of the menstrual cycle are vulnerable to more severe premenstrual disorders? At the moment, the underlying biomechanisms of PMS remain enigmatic."

PMS happens in the days before menstruation (but can last as much as two weeks or longer, from ovulation until menstruation) and basically most women will experience some form of PMS at some point in their reproductive life.


References
BioMed Central (2007, December 20). Bad PMS May Mean A Depressed Nervous System. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 2, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/12/071219202940.htm

PMS Update

It has been over a year since I have posted anything to this blog and that is because I have been busy! No excuse, but that's what it is.

In regards to PMS, I have discovered that a combination of vitamins, nutrients and lots of exercise does help.

In addition this, stress-relief is mandatory. I try to do about 15minutes of meditation each night. This is really great, as it helps to improve my stress levels in general, which in turn help me to feel better and lessen the hold that PMS may have on me.

Lately I have been exercising for about 1 hour each day - this includes a lot of fat burning exercises, plus some toning and stretching. I have started this diligent exercise plan since my last menstruation ended and it should be interesting to note how it affects my PMS next month.

Exercise really helps

I have really discovered that exercise is really helping me combat PMS.

I have started jogging again and going to the beach too - even though it's still officially winter here, it's really quite warm and nice during the day.

I usually go for a walk along the beach walks either early in the morning or late in the day most weekends and sometimes during the week. Because the beach isn't so close to me, I have to take a short bus ride there, but the effort is worth it because I feel good afterwards.

I also started going for a jog (combined with walking) a few days ago and even though I have only done it twice now, today I seemed to be able to jog longer and further and I just felt really good afterwards - I think it was because I have been exercising lately, so my fitness levels just improved really quickly.

It was amazing, how much better I felt after the jog today - my face was pink and I was just full of energy. It was also good that it was late evening when I went, although I didn't mean to go that late because I jog in a park and although there are people around, I will try to go earlier in the day next time, before it gets dark.

I feel so vital and healthy. If I continue this way, exercising like this, I shall not only beat PMS, but I will lose weight and get healthy.

The good thing is, because I am pretty much a fit person (although not to my optimum levels) anyway, this regular exercising will just help me so much.

I cannot recommend it more!

Helping to Reduce Symptoms - New Diet and Lifestyle Changes

I have started to change my diet and incorporate more exercise in my routine, instead of just sitting at a computer all day.

I have modified my diet, to include more vegetables, more protein and less sugar, so that I can try to balance my sugar levels, which can cause me havoc in the week prior to menstruation. I am especially having more low fat protein every day - from having stir fried vegetables with some type of meat, to pasta with feta cheese and eggs, to vegetables and beans in a tomato based sauce with rice.

I make sure I have some type of low fat protein in my breakfast - from eggs, to yoghurt, to cheese - just to make sure that I am starting the day well. Of course I have some carbohydrates, either in the form of bread and juice or stir friend vegetables.

Plus I bought some supplements to take:

• St John's Wort - for the anxiety, mood swings, nervous tension and irritability I feel in the week before my periods. I bought a liquid supplement, so I can adjust the amount I need, depending on the level of negative feelings I have. I usually can take a small amount, just a few drops, much less than the recommended dose, to gain the benefits
  
• Evening Primrose Oil - for the bloating effect that seems to take hold from about two weeks prior to PMS

I have also added more exercise into my day - from working out on my fitball to going for power walks. I haven't done as much as I should, but I am doing some. My stomach area is a little sore today from doing some intense stomach crunches on my fitball (or gymball) yesterday. But it's that good pain, which makes you realise you know you have worked it out.

I am also continuing with the vitamin B supplement - it contains all the B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12), plus the co-factors (biotin, choline, folic acid and inositol) as well as vitamin C.

Biotin, choline, folic acid and inositol are vitamin B co-factors - they help the B vitamins to work more effectively and should always be included in a vitamins B supplement (and also in a multi-vitamin). The supplement I take has good levels of all the vitamins and I only need to take one a day and I like it as it is natural without any preservatives or other additives.

By doing all this, I have found that the symptoms of PMS I am experiencing has decreased, especially the blood sugar fluctuations, anxiety and bloating. I am not so likely to feel as emotional and have more mental clarity. I also have more energy and don't feel so overwhelmed by the PMS symptoms I usually get. Now, the symptoms just get a little bad the day or two prior to menstruation.