6 Tips to Naturally Ease Your PMS

For some women dealing with premenstrual symptoms (PMS) can be a minor discomfort. However, for others, this bodily function can bring suffering that includes headaches, bloating, cramping, inflammation, digestive disorders, mood swings, physical pain and more.

Conventional medicine offers a variety of synthetic medicines to deal with each one of these symptoms. Some of these pharmaceuticals come with a list of side effects considered ‘collateral damage’ for those sufferers just trying to gain relief.

If you want to naturally ease your PMS, there are some attempts you can make. By adding certain foods, herbs, vitamins and other holistic remedies to your body there is the potential to ease, and in some cases, eliminate certain symptoms.

Always check with your doctor before attempting alternative remedies for PMS.

Calm it Down

One of the major problems physical changes as powerful as PMS pose is its inflammatory effect. Adhering to an anti-inflammatory, low acidic diet could be your first step in relieving an otherwise potential, volatile response.

A western diet is often too rich for the body to break down and effectively use. When processed, high sugar, dairy laden foods stripped of their nutrition are consumed, all sorts of internal havoc can arise.

The result could be an inflammatory response of the digestive tract (pretty much ‘ground zero’ for your immune system). It can also trigger weight gain which brings fat cells which have been shown to be capable of producing estrogen.

Add in the menstrual cycle plus these potentially elevated estrogen levels and hormonal imbalance can occur causing systemic stress presenting as PMS symptoms.

Calm down your system with some of these tips before its next cycle. Then, see if you experience less of a physical and/or mental challenge when it occurs.

What to Avoid

Lay Off the Juice – Alcohol in very minor doses may not be bad for you but something like a glass (or more) of wine or beer several nights per week may be priming your body for pain.

German research published in ‘Mediators of Inflammation’ (Vol 2014) cites that,

“Multiple studies have demonstrated that alcohol significantly affects the immune system and that modulation of inflammatory reactions”

Avoid the Cow – Both excessive meat and dairy consumption has the potential to tax the body in a myriad of ways. From antibiotic strains overstimulating our systems into alarm mode to increased fat production, both potentially resulting in an inflammatory response.

Stay Alive – You may be used to a diet derived from boxed, canned, cooked foods that your body tries its hardest to squeeze what nutrition and enzymes are still left from them.

However, by switching to as many live foods as possible you offer your body a much better opportunity to absorb proper nutrients, naturally detoxify and reduce inflammation.

Live foods would be raw or slightly cooked vegetables, fruits and legumes.

According to the Harvard Medical School Family Health page,

“The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the lower the burden of inflammation. They contain hundreds, perhaps thousands, of substances that squelch inflammation-rousing free radicals; some act as direct anti-inflammatory agents.”

Try Some Botanicals

So many recipes for prescription medicines are derived from the chemical compounds found in botanicals.

These herbs have been linked to naturally easing PMS (never take any of these without the consent of your doctor):

• Black cohosh
• Burdock
• Chaste tree or chasteberry
• Dandelion
• Dong quai
• Evening primrose oil
• Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
• Lemon balm
• Maca
• St. John’s wort
• Wild yam

Vitamins and Minerals Too

PMS can sometimes be the result of your body’s lack of or inability to breakdown particular vitamins and minerals. Supplementing these have shown to assist in reducing symptoms (never take any of these without the consent of your doctor):

• B vitamin complex
• Calcium
• Vitamin D
• Magnesium
• Chromium
• Omega 3s

To naturally ease PMS talk to your doctor about trying one or more of these remedies and get your body back in balance.