What are the most effective PMS remedies for the millions of women who suffering with it every month? It is a difficult question to answer when pms has so many different symptoms and each of those symptoms might have its own unique remedy. What is the best one over all? Is the over the counter (OTC) medications designed specifically for pms such as Pamprin or Midol?
Or is it a physician prescribed medication? No?
How about an herbal remedy or a supplement of some sort?
All of these remedies work for different aspects of pms but do any of them work for everything involved with pms?
First let’s look at pms and what it is and what it does. PMS or pre-menstrual syndrome is defined as a temporary medical disorder that includes several days to several weeks of physical and emotional – somatic, behavioral and affective symptoms that occur during the first three stages of the menstrual cycle. These symptoms usually dissipate with the beginning of menses or the bleeding period. These symptoms can consists of any combination of or single instance of any of the following: depression, bloating, cramps, mood swings, irritability, insomnia, mood swings, water retention, emotional, tiredness, tender breasts, acne, bloating, edema, loss of concentration, anxiety and panic attacks.
PMS is said to affect about 10 To 30 % of all women during their menstrual cycle and seems to be caused by the hormonal imbalance when estrogen then progesterone spike in the follicular and luteal stages respectively. Here are the stages of the menstrual cycle.
Menstrual Cycle
Premenstrual stage one to two weeks prior to the start of menses or the bleeding stage commonly called the period. There is the beginning of an estrogen spike in this stage and specific symptoms such as headaches, tender breasts and mood changes begin here.
Follicular stage this stage sees the estrogen levels rise immensely causing a severe hormonal imbalance that triggers many of the symptoms of pms.
Luteal stage some of the symptoms start to dissipate during this stage prior to the beginning of menses. Bloating and edema start to decline in naturally in this stage.
Bleeding stage (menses/period) this stage can last 3-7 days and can still include cramping and headaches.
Post menstrual stage many woman have the same symptoms post menstrual as premenstrual.
Effective PMS Remedies
Of all the remedies for pms there are those that work well, some that are quick to make a difference and others that might or might not work. On the other hand we are looking for the pms remedies that work the best. Will this be a natural remedy or a home remedy? A medication or a homeopathic supplement? There are so many possibilities for good remedies for pms including food, aromatherapy and period vitamin.
Studies have shown that there are effective herbal and mineral remedies for pms. “Sixty-two herbs, vitamins and minerals were identified for which claims of benefit for PMS were made, with RCT evidence found for only 10. Heterogeneity of length of trials, specific products and doses, and outcome measures precluded meta-analysis for any NP. Data supports the use of calcium for PMS, and suggests that chaste berry and vitamin B6 may be effective. Preliminary data shows some benefit with ginkgo, magnesium pyrrolidone, saffron, St. John’s Wort, soy and vitamin E. No evidence of benefit with evening primrose oil or magnesium oxide was found.
CONCLUSION: Only calcium had good quality evidence to support its use in PMS. Further research is needed, using RCTs of adequate length, sufficient sample size, well-characterized products and measuring the effect on severity of individual PMS symptoms.” (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19923637)
Despite these results many women have provided years of anecdotal evidence regarding the success of these remedies.
Herbal Remedies There are a multitude of herbal remedies that affect different aspects PMS and very few if any that affect every aspect of PMS.
- Chaste Berry (Vitex Agnus Castus) This herb is very helpful as a remedy for pms headaches, mood changes and acne.
- Ginger is well known for easing stomach upset and it does so during the menstrual cycle as well with the vomiting and nausea. It is also effective for the headaches, bloat, water retention and cramps.
- St. Johns Wort is known for treating depression under all circumstances so it is no surprise that it is a great remedy for mood swings and cramps.
- Don quai may be one of the most effective pms remedies especially for water retention, cramps, mood swings and back pain.
- Chamomile made into a hot tea is a great remedy for water retention, cramps and mood swings.
- Belladonna is an ancient remedy used by women almost since it was discovered. It is an excellent remedy for cramps.
- Peppermint/mint tea helps with water retention.
- Bach Flower Remedies are sold almost everywhere these days and they are really helpful with cramps and mood swings, as well as helping with all the other menstrual cycle symptoms.
- Dandelion the root not the flower is particularly effective against menstrual cycle cramps and mood swings.
- Feverfew is not that well known as an herb but it is effective against the pms headache.
- Flax seed oil is a good remedy for headaches.
- Lavender oil is very effective for the mood swings that accompany menstruation.
- Wild yams is a little known remedy for pms mood swings.
- Aloe vera (diuretics) is an excellent remedy for water and fluid retention.
- Lemon balm helps with water retention.
- Fennel also helps with water retention.
- Butterbar assists with headache during the menstrual cycle.
As you can see there are so many herbal remedies but most of them relate only to one or maybe two
Mineral Remedies
There are not a lot of minerals involved in remedies for premenstrual syndrome and during the remaining stages of the menstrual cycle. These three minerals play a major role in providing relief for the primary symptoms most women deal with during menstruation. Remember the study quoted earlier indicated that only calcium has sufficient scientific evidence as a pms remedy. Women have indicated that zinc and magnesium are also important.
Zinc is effective against water retention, mood swings and acne.
Magnesium helps with pms related headaches, water retention, mood swings and cramps.
Calcium is very effective against pms including water retention, cramps, mood swings and headaches.
Vitamin Remedies
As with minerals there are not a lot of scientific studies regarding the use of vitamins in the treatment of pms. Most of the evidence is again anecdotal. There is this however
“The Journal of the American College of Nutrition also reviewed twelve trials and found a mixed picture:
- Three gave positive results for vitamin B6 in PMS treatment
- Five gave ambiguous results for vitamin B6 in PMS treatment
- Four with negative results for vitamin B6 in PMS treatment” (http://www.pmswarrior.com/little-evidence-for-vitamin-b6-effectiveness-in-pms-treatment/)
Here are the vitamins that the anecdotal evidence says are effective.
- B complex or part of it (B3, B5, B6) assist with pms headaches, water retention, mood swings, cramps, and acne.
Lifestyle Remedies
There are many lifestyle changes that women can make that can have a positive effect on their pms symptoms. There are also alternative and homeopathic remedies and treatments that have proven to be effective as well. This is just a sampling of the most effective of these types of remedies.
Acupuncture – is particularly effective for pain from cramping, lower back pain and even headaches.
Homeopathy – “Homeopathy is a non-toxic system of medicine used to treat illness and relieve discomfort of a wide variety of health conditions. It is practiced by licensed physicians and other qualified prescribers in many regions of the world, including Europe, Asia, the U.K., and the U.S. Information on the use of several hundred remedies has been collected for nearly two centuries by homeopathic practitioners, through research studies known as “provings,” as well as documented clinical cases and recent scientific trials.” (http://truestarhealth.com/Notes/2264001.html)
The most effective homeopathic remedies for pms seem to be Calcarea carbonica which is a medicinal compound (drug) that is an effective remedy for PMS with anxiety attacks, exhaustion or fatigue, headaches, swollen and tender breasts, stomach and digestive system issues, fluid retention and weight gain. You can see that this homeopathic remedy addresses more pms concerns than any herbal, vitamin or mineral remedy.
Food/Diet
It is good to avoid sodium, salt, alcohol, and caffeine. It is good to eat Omega 3 fatty acids.
There are many remedies for PMS with no one single remedy addresses every symptom. A variety of remedies is recommended.
