PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME AND THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE

PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME AND THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE

by Lawrence Wilson, MD

For thousands of women, the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) are annoying and sometimes 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, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, violent outbursts or more severe 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 resumes its 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. However, some women are more uncomfortable when the period arrives, and other variations are possible. They can also vary month to month in some women.

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.

It is also possible that in some women copper becomes mainly biounavailable. This produces a slightly different set of symptoms in some women.

THE SODIUM/POTASSIUM RATIO AND THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE

As the menstrual cycle progresses, in most women the hair tissue sodium/potassium ratio also rises. It is highest just before the period. This is tied to the rise in copper and estrogen in most women. The high sodium/potassium ratio just before the period and a much lower sodium/potassium ratio when the period arrives can also give rise to menstrual cycle symptoms.

The sodium/potassium ratio is a very crude indicator of the relationship between estrogen and progesterone in the body. Therefore, as the ratio rises, one may experience more symptoms of estrogen dominance or just high estrogen. Symptoms may include irritability, headaches, anger, water retention and breast tenderness.

Symptoms may be worse If the body cannot detoxify estrogen fast enough. This, in turn, may be due to or related to copper toxicity, which can affect the liver and is stored in the liver. Slow oxidation also will tend to slow all liver detoxification, as will deficiencies of zinc and selenium, among other nutrients.

A lower sodium/potassium ratio before the period. 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 bloating.

Indeed, Dr. Katherine Dalton, MD, identified both high and low estrogen types of PMS. Most women have high estrogen symptoms, associated with a high sodium/potassium ratio.

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.

THE OXIDATION RATE DURING THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE

The oxidation rate may slow down before the menstrual period, although not in all cases. Increased estrogen and higher copper affects the adrenal and thyroid glands and may slow the thyroid and raise the tissue calcium level. This can cause fatigue, depression, headaches, constipation and other symptoms.

ENDING PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME AND OTHER MENSTRUAL DIFFICULTIES

The goal should always be to correct underlying biochemical imbalances that are causing all types of menstrual difficulties. This will diminish or eliminate most symptoms without the need for remedies of any kind.

Causes of menstrual problems 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.

Increase your cooked vegetables a lot. These are excellent served at least twice a day. Ten-twelve ounces of carrot and some green vegetable juice is excellent every day. More, however, upsets blood sugar and is best avoided. Fruit should be minimized and used only as an occasional dessert.

Also eliminate all wheat, most pasteurized dairy products and all pig products. Eat animal protein daily, especially if you are a slow oxidizer.

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 will make PMS worse for most women.

Excessive exercise exhausts the adrenals, and may lead to complete cessation of the menstrual period. This is very unhealthy for young women.

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 menstrual difficulties. 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 female hormones. Methods such as relaxation techniques, spiritual reading, prayer, and the Roy Masters meditation exercise can go a long way toward helping one to release hidden anger and resentment.

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.

Lack of self-acceptance as a woman. Some young women today are anger at themselves for having periods and even for being a woman. This lack of self-acceptance as a woman tends to worsen menstrual symptoms even more. It is important to understand that all is in divine order concerning the body and ones gender.

Extra detoxification procedures are most helpful for anyone with PMS. The two main ones are coffee enemas and Infrared Sauna Therapy. Both are excellent and described in separate articles on this site.

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, urine or saliva tests. A complete nutritional balancing program will help balance the oxidation rate and the major ratios. Adding sauna therapy, in particular, assists their bodies to eliminate toxins much faster and more comfortably. The sauna need not be costly or fancy. Free plans are available on this website by clicking here.

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 periodically 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.

CHANGES IN THE NUTRITIONAL BALANCING PROGRAM TO HELP WITH 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 all meals. Zinc taken away from meals may cause nausea. 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 1000 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, thyroid, pituitary or ovarian glandular products. Also perhaps reduce or avoid kelp at this time of the month.

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 regular nutritional balancing 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. This may also help post-menstrual syndrome, or symptoms that occur with the period. Often, the main symptoms are depression and exhaustion. The symptom may occur a day or two before the period or may continue during the period as well. Do the following:

1. Add 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, thyroid and/or ovarian glandular products such as Endo-dren, Thyro-complex 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.

5. 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 sardines or a little salmon may help with inflammatory symptoms. This will not help the low-estrogen type of PMS, however.

Natural hormone creams. My experience is that if one will do a complete nutritional balancing program, and use the modifications above, usually PMS can be handled and eventually overcome without the need for progesterone cream or other hormone preparations. These may relieve severe symptoms if the suggestions above are not enough. However, they always upset body chemistry and should be used only when absolutely needed, and for as short a time as needed until body chemistry can be balanced.

Herbal remedies such as black cohosh and others. These can be helpful as temporary remedies until the body chemistry becomes balanced enough that they are not needed. Do not take herbs if they are not helpful or if they are not needed, as most are somewhat toxic. However, black cohosh, in particular, helps some women when other remedies do not work well.

Birth control pills and patches. These are highly toxic and should be avoided completely. They contain synthetic hormones that severely upset body chemistry and have horrendous side effects such as heart attacks, strokes, and cancer.

MENSTRUAL CRAMPS

For some women, the main menstrual symptom involves cramping. At times, the remedies and program modifications above are sufficient. If they are not, one may do the following:

1. Add more Paramin (calcium/magnesium supplement 250/150 mg each) at a dosage of 1-1-1 or up to 3-3-3. This may take care of the cramps by relaxing the muscles. They could be due to biounvailable calcium and magnesium at this time of the month.

2. Relax and rest more at this time of the month.

3. Black cohosh, mentioned above, may also be very helpful for some women.

Home * Hair Analysis * Saunas * Books * Articles
Detoxification Protocols * Courses * About Dr. Wilson