TREATMENTS

I have found the following treatments helpful for symptoms described. You can find details of how to take supplements and dosage information here .

Nausea:                            Fresh ginger, peppermint, fennel seeds (chew!).

Increased Appetite:          Eating wholegrain high fibre starchy snacks every 3 hours minimum and avoiding sugary foods can help stabilize your blood sugar.  Also the amino acid L-glutamine (one of the building blocks of protein) is “fast food for the brain”. Add linseed (flaxseed) to food to make it higher in fibre and more filling!

Chocolate cravings:            Eating wholegrain snacks instead of sugary foods usually satisfies me but another option is taking the amino acid DLPA which contains phenylalanine, a substance which gives you a natural “high”. Also it has been suggested that without magnesium, insulin cannot be manufactured which means the brain does not get enough glucose and this causes it to send out signals which result in sugar cravings. So magnesium may also be helpful.

Headaches:                        Valerian root (herb which promotes relaxation), Kava Kava, Nurofen (prescription pain killers), relaxation techniques.

Low self-esteem:                Cognitive behavioural therapy or counselling.

Anxiety/nervousness/agitation:    The herb Kava Kava, and an extract from green tea called L-theanine (or green tea itself although this contains caffeine). These herbs are scientifically proven to calm without the serious side-effects of prescription meds. Also relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation and music.

Abdominal cramps:             Kava kava and valerian root (both have pain relieving properties), magnesium, evening primrose supplements. The main foods which can adversely affect period cramps are red meat and dairy produce. They contain the type of fats which interfere with short-term hormones called prostaglandins, and this can encourage inflammation. Try to replace animal fats with fish and olive oil.

Mood swings/depression:    Try dietary changes and supplements as detailed below. Keep blood sugar levels stable to prevent mood swings. Exercising as soon as your first symptoms appear does help with depression because it causes the body to release endorphins (natural happy chemicals). Also try relaxation techniques, music, kava kava, green tea, and spend time pampering yourself and watching movies!!!

Insomnia/sleep disturbances:        Valerian root which is anti-anxiety herb and promotes more REM sleep. Melatonin which is the body’s natural sleep hormone. Relaxation techniques. Keeping to a regular sleeping pattern and avoiding caffeine and alcohol. Exercise during day.

Poor concentration/confusion/forgetfulness/lack of motivation:      Smart drugs (nootropics) such as Vinpocetine and ginkgo biloba may help although I haven’t tested these out myself. Green tea is great for concentration BUT it does contain caffeine. Fish oil supplements.

Fatigue:                             As much sleep (10 hours works for me!) and relaxation as is possible! Ginkgo biloba. Evening Primrose.

Water retention:                Decrease salt intake. Natural diuretics (green tea, dandellion root).


NUTRITION AND PMS

The site below recomends a low fat, high fibre vegetarian diet for PMS. Personally I would add fish though because it contains many nutrients and healthy fatty acids. Eating lots of fibre apparently lowers oestrogen levels, high levels of which may cause PMS.
http://www.pcrm.org/research/menstrual.html

MY SUGGESTION FOR INITIAL TREATMENT

I would rule out nutritional causes for PMS before trying drugs because drugs tend to have side-effects and there isn't a drug specifically designed to treat PMS because the cause of PMS has not been proven. My recommendation would be to eliminate (where possible) salt and processed foods from your diet. Eat wholegrain starchy snacks every 3 hours. And make sure your diet is low in fats, particularly animal fats (except fish which contains good fats). Just think "fibre and essential fatty acids" everytime you eat!

Also take a multimineral containing magnesium and calcium with ratio 2:1 and a high strength vitamin B complex everyday and also 3000mg (3g) Evening Primrose oil (or borage oil) supplement containing 240mg of GLA. Although supplements are expensive, it may be best to take all of these together initially because your body needs an adequate supply of certain minerals and vitamins to process EPO. If these supplements work for you then you can try cutting out the vitamins and minerals and just taking EPO to see if your symptoms return. Most sites say you may need to wait 3 months before a treatment will help, so don't expect instant results and give up when you don't get them! Charting your symptoms everyday may help you work out which treatments help you.

On a personal note I tried vitamin B6 and magnesium and calcium together (without EPO) and it did nothing to my symptoms. I tried one capsule of EPO a day and this also did nothing for my symptoms. However when i made dietary changes: increasing my fibre intake, eliminating cheese and eating more fish (plus i don't eat red meat anyway) AND taking 2.5g EPO a day i found my emotional symptoms disappeared almost completely. I was also drinking green tea and making this website at the time so taking postive steps to help myself, which also may have changed my way of thinking towards PMS. It is hard to know which of these factors helped the most, so for now i will continue with the EPO treatment and following a good diet and see if my symptoms return!


AROMATHERAPY

Chamomile, clary sage, lavender, sandalwood and ylang ylang are oils that are both sedative and antidepressant, while bergamot, geranium, melissa and rose can help lift the mood without sedating. Where anxiety is associated with depression, neroli is one of the most valuable oils, and jasmine increases confidence both in one’s self and in the likelihood of overcoming difficult circumstances.
http://www.project-aware.org/Managing/lifestyle.shtml

COUNSELLING

Counselling may help you manage your moods. PMS clinics offer group therapy. Cognitive behavioural therapy is a scientifically proven form of counselling which changes the way you think. It is successful in treating depression, with same success rate as anti-depressants. So CBT may be helpful for treating PMS, there are many good books on it available in book shops or try doing a search on Amazon.

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