PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME AND THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE

By Lawrence Wilson, MD

© Nov. 2007, LD Wilson Consultants, Inc.

 

                  For thousands of women, the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) are annoying and often extremely debilitating.  Nutritional balancing programs based on hair tissue mineral analysis are excellent to reduce many symptoms of PMS.

                  All menstruating women experience monthly hormonal changes. The effects are just more noticeable in some than in others.  Large numbers of women experience some degree of mood swings, anxiety, acne or irritability seven to ten days before the period begins.  Other symptoms include headaches, depression, constipation, bloating and breast tenderness.  Less common are very severe symptoms including crying spells, nausea and vomiting, violent outbursts and sleep difficulties.

                  Helping women understand their menstrual cycle and adjusting their nutritional supplement program can provide both symptom relief and a sense of control.  Beyond this, eliminating the root causes of the problem takes more work and time, but it certainly can be done by anyone who is patient and persistent.

 

BASIC PHYSIOLOGY

 

                  Before discussing how to modify the nutritional balancing program for the symptoms of PMS and other period-related symptoms, let us begin with a look at the basic hormonal cycle that occurs each month.

When bleeding starts at the beginning of the period, estrogen, progesterone and copper are at their lowest levels of the month.  The levels of estrogen and progesterone remain relatively low while menstrual bleeding occurs.  At the end of the bleeding phase, estrogen begins to rise.  It continues to rise until ovulation, about half way through the cycle.

As the cycle continues, the estrogen level dips slightly and then continues to rise.  The level of progesterone also begins to rise in the second half of the cycle.  The last week or so of the cycle, estrogen levels are at their highest.  This is usually the time one feels symptoms of premenstrual tension.

 

COPPER AND ESTROGEN

 

Most important from a nutritional standpoint, the copper level parallels the level of estrogen, increasing as the cycle progresses. 

                  Seven to ten days before the period, copper is at a relatively high level, along with estrogen.  High copper can give rise to many of the symptoms women think of as premenstrual syndrome. 

This happens especially, though not exclusively, in women whose metabolism is sluggish and in those whose tissue copper level is already elevated.  These women become copper toxic, in essence, each month before the period.


NUTRITIONAL CHANGES

 

                  The metabolic or oxidation rate tends to decrease before the menstrual period.  Increased estrogen affects the adrenal and thyroid glands.  Higher copper slows the thyroid gland and raises tissue calcium.  When the metabolic rate is already sluggish, further slowing can cause fatigue, depression, headaches, constipation and other symptoms.

                   As copper and estrogen rise before the menstrual period, the tissue sodium/potassium ratio tends to increase. This is not always the case, but most often is true.  The sodium/potassium ratio on a hair analysis is a crude indicator of the estrogen/progesterone relationship.  Symptoms of high estrogen correspond to symptoms of a high sodium/potassium ratio.  These include irritability, headaches, anger, water retention and breast tenderness.  If the body cannot detoxify estrogen properly, symptoms will occur at this time.

                 

TYPES OF PMS

 

While the above situation is by far the most common, another is possible.  If adrenal activity is very impaired, copper may become less biologically available before the menstrual period.  This can give rise to a decreased sodium/potassium ratio at this time of the month.  This will give rise to symptoms that emphasize exhaustion and depression, often with sweet cravings and perhaps bad bloating.

Indeed, Dr. Katherine Dalton identified both high and low estrogen types of PMS.  Most women have high estrogen symptoms, associated with a high sodium/potassium ratio.  Liver toxicity impairs estrogen detoxification.  Pesticide exposure and consuming soy products may also mimic the effects of estrogen.

However, the other situation can occur.  If the corrective program for a high sodium/potassium ratio does not work, one can try the program for a low sodium/potassium ratio.  However, in our experience, this is rarer.

 

THE CORRECTIVE PROGRAM FOR PMS

 

                  To lower the sodium/potassium ratio before the period, here is what to do.  Ideally, one should be on a nutritional balancing healing program to correct the underlying cause of PMS.  However, anyone can try the following, as it is quite safe and often helpful for anyone with high-estrogen symptoms before the period.  These include, once again, anxiety, irritability, anger, breast swelling or tenderness, acne, headaches and others.

 

1. Increase you intake of zinc, up to 120 mg per day, spread out with it at all meals.  Zinc taken away from meals may cause nausea, and can do so in anyone at any time.  If this occurs, use zinc lozenges instead of tablets or capsules, as this will often work better.

 

2. Increase your intake of vitamin B6, up to 1200 mg per day spread out between three meals.  (This is a lot!  Do not take for more than 10 days at a time).

 

3. Avoid all B-complex vitamins.  This includes multi-vitamin-mineral products that contain any appreciable amount of B-complex vitamins.  These tend to raise the sodium level.

 

4. Avoid taking adrenal glandular or thyroid glandular products, kelp and ovarian glandulars at this time.

 

5. Also, avoid high doses of vitamin C or E.

 

6. Liver support in the form of Russian black radish, milk thistle or dandelion root may also be helpful.  This can be done all month long if the dosages are small.

 

7. One or two days after you get your period, go back to your original nutritional program.  Do not continue on this PMS regimen the whole month, even if you feel better.  You need more precise guidance if you feel better all the time on the PMS program.

 

In the rare case that this program is not helpful, you may try the PMS program for a low sodium/potassium ratio.  Often, the symptom is exhaustion rather than anger or irritability.  The symptom may occur a day or two before the period and may continue during the period as well.  Do the following:

 

1. Take Limcomin from Endomet Labs in Phoenix, Arizona.  You may vary the dose from 3-12 per day.  If you are already taking this product, which tends to raise the sodium/potassium ratio, double or even triple your dose for a few days and see if you feel better.

 

2. Also take additional adrenal and/or ovarian glandular products as well such as Thyro-complex or Endo-dren or Ova-adren from Endomet Laboratories.

 

3. Reducing fat in the diet at this time may help a little as well. 

 

4. It may be helpful to have the guidance of someone familiar with this pattern, as this is a more severe type of imbalance.  Also, it is possible that high or low estrogen symptoms may alternate month to month if one ovary functions much better than the other.

 

OTHER HELPFUL IDEAS

 

                  Additional supplements may be taken all month that are often helpful for women with bad PMS.  These include evening primrose oil OR fish oil containing high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.  Other sources are flaxseed oil and borage oil, among others. 

Grass-fed meat and eating oily fish such as salmon, sardines or mackerel are the only other reliable source I am aware of.  The omega-3 oils help some women with PMS symptoms as they are highly anti-inflammatory.  It will not help the low-estrogen type of PMS, however.

                 

Hormone Creams, Pills and Patches.  A common remedy today is the use of progesterone creams , patches, pills or other types of applications.  This, too, is helpful for the high estrogen type, but usually not for the other type of PMS.

While I do not use this as a first remedy, it is relatively safe, although one may easily overdo progesterone creams, which can build up in the skin. Also, I do not usually recommend staying on progesterone at all, except as needed.

This is very different from many holistic physicians who dispense hormones with little concern for long-term effects, which are usually not helpful for most women, despite what you may have been told.  It is far better to correct the underlying hormonal imbalances than to simply try to replace one hormone.

 

CORRECTING UNDERLYING IMBALANCES

 

                  The supplements above are often excellent to control PMS symptoms.  Far more important however, is to correct underlying causes.  This will diminish or eliminate most symptoms of PMS.

Causes include improper diet, copper and other toxic metals present in excess, a high stress lifestyle or other unhealthy lifestyle habits, emotional imbalances and liver toxicity.

                 

Inadequate Diets.  For example, living on canned food or a lot of fast foods, too much meat, chemicals in the diet, sugars in the diet and other problems place tremendous extra stress on the liver.  These may introduce many toxins that must be handled by the liver.

Instead, increase your cooked vegetables a lot.  These are excellent served at least twice a day.  A little vegetable juice such as carrot or wheat grass is fine.  More, however, upset blood sugar and are best avoided.  Fruit is best minimized and used only as an occasional dessert.

 

Toxic Chemicals that are hard on your liver and should be avoided include chlorinated and fluoridated water, and toxic household cleaners and solvents.  Also avoid toxic paints, pesticides, hair dyes, most cosmetics and skin lotions, along with other toxic products in common use.

                 

Inadequate rest or even a very sedentary life also stress the liver, as well as every other body system.  Excessive exercise exhausts the adrenals, and may lead to complete cessation of the menstrual period.

 

Emotional imbalances in many women include hidden anger and resentments.  While these can be understandable and explained, they are not helpful at all.  They are a very important contributor to many cases of PMS.  The emotions can affect the liver and all glandular activity.  They tend to affect the adrenals as well. The adrenal glands regulate copper metabolism and produce some female hormones.

 

Anything that affects the adrenal glands negatively is likely to raise the copper level.  Fatigue is probably the single most common factor in adrenal underactivity.  Worry or other emotional imbalances is second most important in most cases.  Some women add an emotion of anger at themselves for having periods.  This lack of self-acceptance of themselves tends to worsen the symptoms even more.

 

Extra detoxification procedures are most helpful for anyone with PMS.  One is the use of a near infrared lamp sauna.  This is described in an article, Infrared Sauna Therapy, on this website.  Most women with PMS are slow oxidizers.  This means their adrenal and thyroid glands tend to be underactive or sluggish.  This may not be revealed on blood or even saliva tests, however.

The sauna assists their bodies to eliminate toxins much faster and more comfortably than any other method.  A simple but effective sauna can be built at home for less than $250.00.

                  Herbs to assist liver detoxification include milk thistle, dandelion, black radish and dehydrocholic acid.  If liver toxicity is extreme, coffee enemas and a liver-gallbladder flush pereiodically may also be helpful.  However, an integrated program based on a properly performed hair tissue mineral analysis is always best.  This is to keep the body balanced throughout the detoxification process.  

                   

SYMPTOMS DURING THE MENSTRUAL PERIOD (POST-MENSTRUAL SYNDROMES)

 

                  Some women do not have symptoms before the period, or they are mild.  However, when they get their period, for at least a day or two they are depressed, exhausted, anxious or have other symptoms at this time.

                  This, too, can be explained in terms of copper and adrenal imbalances.  As stated above, when the period comes, estrogen, progesterone and copper levels all decline to their lowest levels.  This is hard on some women who depend on these hormones for their mood or bodily functions.

                  These women often have severe adrenal imbalances or emotional imbalances that are worse when copper declines.  Often they do not want to face a situation.  Copper actually protects them from it by causing a degree of detachment or ÒspacinessÓ.

This is one symptom of high copper, which some people depend on for their very emotional existence.  They are often sensitive individuals as well.  This combination is often the cause of this syndrome.  It may be termed post-menstrual syndrome.

                  The solution to this in the short term is to greatly increase the amount of B-complex vitamins, adrenal and thyroid glandular supplements when the symptoms occur.  Usually, after a few days they subside and one can return to oneÕs normal nutritional supplement regimen. 

                  As with PMS, post-menstrual symptoms will resolve and go away in time if one follows a nutritional balancing program designed to balance and strengthen the body chemistry and remove all the toxic metals and toxic chemicals from the body.  Nutritional balancing is one of the few methods I am aware of that can offer this great benefit. 

 

 

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