Premenstrual syndrome is any of a complex symptoms which can include emotional tension and fluid retention as experienced by some women in the days immediately before menstruation.

However, a rethinking is needed to get to the root causes of PMS as many may believe that it is natural and normal to have PMS. This is more urgent especially in persistent cases of PMS when a deeper imbalance exists that lifestyle changes alone are not able to help. The unresolved emotional problems that underlie PMS may disrupt the menstrual rhythm and the normal hormonal milieu. This is because there is an intimate connection between thoughts, emotions and hypothalamus which is the part of the brain that governs the pituitary master gland. Read more about how acupuncture can help with pineal gland activation and balance here.

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Diagnosis of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

PMS mostly occur in women in their thirties, though nowadays it can occur as early as adolescence and as late as premenopausal stage. A wide variety of symptoms can be present with PMS but when diagnosis is concerned, it does not matter what specific symptoms a woman has premenstrually.

The important thing is the cyclic fashion in which the PMS symptoms occur.

Most women will have at least three days during the month when they are entirely free from the PMS symptoms. In the second half of the menstrual cycle, many underlying health conditions of the women are usually exacerbated such as depression, arthritis, old injuries, aches and pains, glaucoma. A common pattern with regard to the symptoms is that they are all related to cellular inflammation, resulting from a complex interaction emotional, physical and genetic factors

Here is a checklist of PMS symptoms:

Abdominal bloating

Abdominal cramping

Accident proneness

Aggression

Asthma

Breast swelling and pain

Bruising

Confusion

Coordination difficulties

Depression

Edema

Emotional liability

Exacerbation of preexisting conditions (arthritis, ulcers, lupus)

Eye difficulties

Fainting

Fatigue

Food binges

Headache

Heart palpitations

Hemorrhoids

Herpes

Hives

Insomnia

Irritability

Joint swelling and pain

Lethargy

Migraine

Nausea

Rage

Salt craving

Seizures

Sex drive changes

Sinusitis

Sore throat

Styes

Suicidal thoughts

Sweet cravings

Urinary difficulties

Withdrawal from others

Progression of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

If nothing is done to interrupt PMS, it can often get worse over time.

In the early stages of PMS, women describe symptoms of PMS arise a few days before their menstrual period and then stop abruptly when bleeding begins. Thereafter the symptoms gradually begin to appear one to two weeks before the onset of menses.

Over time, the symptoms may be almost all the time that a woman may have only two or three days of the month that are symptom-free. Eventually there will be no discernment between “good” and “bad” days and a woman will feel she has PMS virtually all the time.

Holistic Approach in the Treatment of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

The scientific reductionist method of looking for the biochemical cause of PMS and then treating it with a single pill or drug does not work because the causes of PMS are multifactorial and should be approached holistically.

The many symptoms of PMS are the result of cellular inflammation manifesting in different ways. One definitely has to take into account effects of the mind, emotions, diet, exercise, relationships, genetics and childhood traumas when treating PMS.

Read more on how TCM and Acupuncture treat Infertility, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Endometriosis.

Events associated with Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) Onset

Events that result in hormonal changes can initiate or exacerbate PMS unless treatment is initiated.

- Onset of menses

- One or two years before menopause

- After a period of amenorrhea/no period

- Childbirth

- Miscarriage or pregnancy termination

- Tubal ligation

- Unusual trauma such as death in family

Nutritional Factors Contributing to Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

- High consumption of conventionally produced dairy products

- Excessive consumption of caffeine

- High estrogen levels due to Vitamin B complex deficiencies

- Excessive consumption of foods that raise blood sugar quickly

- High meat diet that results in increased levels of hormone prostaglandin F2 alpha and estrogen and low levels of progesterone

- Excessive body fat that can contribute to excessive levels of estrogen

- Low levels of vitamins C and E and selenium

- Magnesium deficiency

Holistic Treatment of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

Conventional treatment of PMS is also symptomatic treatments that do not work over the long run. Such treatments include treating bloating with antacids, pain with painkillers, anxiety with Prozac which will ultimately create new side effects from the drugs themselves and ignores the underlying imbalances that lead to PMS right from the start. Drugs that increase serotonin levels are also prescribe frequently nowadays to manage PMS.

However such conventional methods is not aligned with the insight that PMS is part of a much bigger imbalance and long term use of such chemical drugs that deal with symptoms may stop working after a few years and deplete the body’s own ability to balance independently. Read another article on How Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture treat PCOS here.

Below are some of the holistic methods that can be used to treat PMS on a multifactorial level which can help address the emotional and psychological stresses and ultimately impact the biochemical changes in women’s bodies.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture can modulate and regulate multi-systems in the body such as the endocrine, vascular, nervous systems which can help improve ovulation.

Acupuncture also works on physiological, mental, emotional level which is definitely much needed to manage PMS on a multifactorial complexity.

Therefore it is best that one can upkeep with Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture appointment to maintain a balanced hormone status which can help alleviate PMS on all levels.

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Herbs

Evening primrose is one of the main herbs that can help to treat PMS including cramping, mood swings, headaches, breast tenderness, excessive bleeding.

Acupressure

San Yin Jiao is an acupressure point that the Liver, Kidney and Spleen meridiens intersect. PMS symptoms are related to these three main organs for any imbalance to form and for any balance to be rectified.

Location
1 palm above inner ankle bone, in the middle of inner calf

Method to massage:
Use the index finger or thumb to massage this point in clockwise direction for 2 min on each side.

Traditional Action

-Promotes function of Liver and smooth flow of Liver-Qi

-Tonifies Kidneys

-Nourishes blood and Yin energy

-Calms mind

Yoga

Reclining Butterfly Pose relaxes the mind and opens the hips and groins. In that position, stress is reduced and the pelvic floor relaxes to allow more space to the uterus or womb, soothing any period pain and discomfort.