Often when I ask women about PMS- their response, jokingly, is- “you should ask my husband or family!” Yes- we can tend to be emotional the week before our period- crying at a cute commercial or something someone says or irritated at the littlest thing! Many of us have been there! I know I have!
I once heard from a colleague that women tend to be more “in-tune” with their emotions 2 weeks prior to their period- our intuition is more sensitive to things going on around us! I believe this is true! We tend to be more extroverted and active in the first 2 weeks of our cycle (menses to ovulation) and can be more introspective and in tune of our emotions prior to our menses! In this respect- we need to honor and respect our intuition and emotional side – sometimes there is a really important message we need to listen to at that point- maybe we are bothered by something that has come up in our lives. If there are issues that need to be dealt with (i.e. you are realizing you need more time to yourself, that you feel overworked and need to make some changes etc.)- your frustrations about these things may come out in this PMS time. Our body has a way of speaking to us- these need to be addressed – when the time is right- in a constructive way.
If the emotional side of things does not add up- or explain that HUGE response you are having emotionally before your period – this is when we can say- there is something physiological- and something physical is causing us to display our emotions that- how shall we say – “are over the top!” Sometimes it is a combination of both emotional and physical- the body knows- it tries to compensate- but eventually it can’t keep this balance- this is often a great time to get some professional help! Let’s deal with the emotional and physical aspect to nip this in the bud!
What I am thankful for is the natural solutions naturopathic medicine has to offer for PMS- it’s amazing to see how easy it works! A main instigator of PMS is an out of balanced liver (from a Chinese medicine point of view) especially for people who are irritated, emotional and cry at the smallest instance! Through the use of supportive liver herbs, some nutritional vitamin/mineral formulas and dietary changes this can easily be addressed! Diet can play a very important role in PMS- working on balancing blood sugar to keep mood stable and curb all those awful cravings we can feel prior to our period- it can make the world of difference! For women that are starting that journey into perimenopause- many times there are irregular periods- easy hormone balancing remedies can be used – either homeopathic, herbal or a combination of dietary recommendations as well using different seeds and oils.
If you are experiencing PMS symptoms that are a little “over the top”- I know there are simple, easy natural solutions I have seen work time and time again! And remember- it’s a balance between listening to that intuitive side of ourselves and addressing any physical imbalances that our body is experiencing at the moment! That’s where our expertise as naturopathic doctors comes in- we want to listen to those symptoms to get an understanding of what is underlying these hormonal changes! I’m so excited to work with you in the future! Together we can be a team on finding your natural health solutions!