ol'momma Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 "Aunt Flow flew in on her broom, wreaking havoc wherever she went..." Does anybody have any useful tips on controling PMS? Some months I'm fine...Others, well.... Some months I have cramps from H377, and others I don't feel a thing. One month my flow is really heavy, the next it may not be... I'll really like to have more balance and predictablity in my cycles. Got any advice, ladies?? Link to comment
MommaDogs Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Not without knowing your age, weight and general health status. Not that I would want you to post that. But, may be PCOS if you are older, overweight or have a family history of it. May be other things if you are older than 45 or so. My Mom was about 50 when she started having those troubles and needed a partial hysterectomy. I find that doing yoga really helps keep things flowing, (oops, I mean musculature-wise - keeping cramps away, not that it keeps "flow" flowing LOL) but it also must be floor exercises, as you don't want to tip upside down at that time. How about don quai? I don't have any personal experience with it, but have heard good things. I have the tea and plan on trying it with my next visit. Don Quai: Information, Benefits and Side Effects Dong quai is an herbal remedy derived from angelica sinesis, a plant with pale green flowers that grows in China, Korea and Japan. Related to celery, the herb is widely used in Chinese medicine as a tonic for women. Traditional herbalists have long used a tea made from dong quai to treat menstrual disorders, cramps and other gynecological conditions. It also has a history of use in China as a heart, spleen, liver, kidney and general blood tonic. In more recent times, interest in herbal and alternative medicine has made dong quai a popular alternative to pharmaceutical hormone replacement therapy that is used to treat symptoms of menopause. Six chemicals related to the anticoagulant agent coumarin have been identified as active ingredients in dong quai. These chemicals are thought to act as an antispasmodic agent with the ability to dilate blood vessels and relax muscles. The antispasmodic effects of dong quai make it effective in relieving menstrual cramps. The herb is also able to balance estrogen, tone the reproductive organs and treat endometriosis. At least one of its active ingredients can stimulate brain function and promote alertness. Dong quai can also stimulate the central nervous system, helping to relieve the fatigue and headache that are common to menstrual disorders. It can be used to treat vaginal dryness and hot flashes as well. In addition, dong quai can help return a woman’s menstrual cycle to normal after the use of birth control pills. Rich in nutrients like vitamins E, A and B12, dong quai has other known benefits as well. It is said to purify blood and promote circulation, as well as provide nourishment to the blood in both men and women. Dong quai is a mild sedative with stress relieving effects that can calm the nervous system and be used to treat insomnia. Conversely, dong quai is sometimes known as “female ginseng” because of its ability to stimulate certain processes. It has been used to treat increase energy and to stimulate contractions during childbirth. Dong quai supplements are made from the whole root of the angelica sinesis plant. It is available in capsules, tablets, liquid extracts, and teas. The recommended dosage is generally 10 to 40 drops of tincture taken one to three times per day. In capsule form, the dosage is usually 1500 mg taken three times a day. Dong quai is used to treat specific symptoms, which should dissipate within a few weeks. The herb is not recommended for long-term use, and it should not be used during pregnancy. Women with heavy menstrual bleeding or fibroids should also avoid the use of dong quai. While dong quai relieves intermittent hot flashes, it may actually exacerbate this symptom in women who are hot all the time. Side effects of dong quai may include diarrhea and sun sensitivity in individuals with fair skin. Since the active constituents of dong quai are coumarin derivatives, anyone taking the prescription medication Coumadin, which is also a coumarin derivative, should not take dong quai without the advice of a physician. Link to comment
Violet Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I know about the pros and cons of hormone replacement, but I take them. It makes all the difference in the world for me. I will NOT use the horse ones, though !!! No Premarin or Prempro for me ! This is better than suffering and making everyone else suffer, too. Also, Evening Primrose oil helps. I take 1300 mg. daily. If I were able to, I would take Motrin, too, on those rotten feeling days. Motrin is hard on your kidneys, though. Link to comment
westbrook Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I WANT HRT!!! I want it I want it I want it! but... they won't let me have it! why? cause it may cause cancer!! well duh! they will not give it to me! no matter how much I plead and beg! so I am destined to live out the rest of my life with hot flashes from 20 minutes apart to 1.5 hours apart.. and for the last 2 days... 24 hours constant! grrrr they don't want me taking herbs either.. interferes with chemo. *sigh* OM.. go to the GYN, get blood work done, at least this gives you other options. p.s. buy stock in feminine products! Link to comment
Violet Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Westie, I can understand them not giving them to you, though. The study they did was on old ladies, not even those going through menopause. That is what my gynocologist told me. She is awesome ! I use prometrium and a Climara patch. Works for me ! Link to comment
westbrook Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 they tell me it may cause cancer.... but I have cancer! so if it may cause it and I already have it.. sheesh! so it speeds up my demise! *shrug* better then these hot flashes. Link to comment
ol'momma Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 I saw my OB/GYN and was told to use birth conrtol. Well...years ago I tried the pill and if anything it made things worse (talk about :spider:!!Yikes!). And after my daughter was born I did the shot--gained 25 lbs in 3 months, had headaches all the time and zero energy...not to mention some other side effects. So, I thnk it's safe to say that I do not respond well to added hormones. I've been using B vitamins, and that seems to help a little. On the subject of HRT, my mother in law was on it for years. 10-12 years ago she had a screaming fit because her OB had told her she needed to get off of it as she was seriously increasing the risk of cancer after 15-20 years of using it. At 68+, she was afraid of 'getting old' if she quit, so she continued. Well, 3 years ago she found a bump in her breast. The doc who treated it (My OB--hers had finally retired) declared it pre-cancerous and flat out took her off the hormones. A few months later they found more problems and she had to have a hysterectomy. Now she cries that "no one ever told me it could hurt me..." (BS) She's aged to look all of her nearly 80 years over night. More then anything that upsets her the most, I think.(She's a flake...what can I say)... Link to comment
SueC Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 I have been using magnesium to help leg cramps, but it will help all cramps and when I remember to take it regularly it helps menstrual cramps too. I used to be able to get a wonderful cheap PMT formula, it had witch hazel in it, some vitamin B's plus other things that I cant remember now. BUT it was really cheap and changed the life of me and other friends. Then the new products came out they stopped producing it so people would buy the expensive stuff. The health companies really dont want to help you - they want your money! Link to comment
ol'momma Posted October 4, 2008 Author Share Posted October 4, 2008 Sadly, I beleive you are correct. It all comes down to the dalla' ... Maybe I should buy stock in them as well as the feminine Hygiene manufactureslike westy suggested? Link to comment
pricklypear Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Hi, Aunt Flow! I flow over here, too, and wreak real havoc on my broom. Or I used to. Two things have helped me enormously. One might sound odd, but it is SUCH a help. I buy licorice tea, and two weeks before my period, I drink two or three cups a day. When my period comes the usual supergrouch isn't grouchy at all! The first time you start on the tea, though, try drinking a little all month...I think it's sort of cumulative...an herbalist friend told me licorice tea is excellent for PMS, and it is... another thing is kava...you might look into taking kava tablets...I am not sure about dosage, but any respectable brand ought to tell you on the bottle...not only does kava help with my mood, it renders my cramps completely painless! it's a wonder drug...I get mine very cheaply on ebay...GSL is the manufacturer company i think, but I could doublecheck for you...good luck! victoria Link to comment
ol'momma Posted October 4, 2008 Author Share Posted October 4, 2008 All interesting suggestions. Thank You ladies!! Link to comment
dogmom4 Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 olmomma, here are some older posts I found. Pure Cajun Sunshine reccommended eating beans everyday to me...something to do with isoflavones...it helps. Maybe if PCS sees this thread she explain it more? http://www.mrssurvival.com/forums/ubbthr...ge=2#Post211958 http://www.mrssurvival.com/forums/ubbthr...ge=6#Post170106 Link to comment
ttruscott Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 I read in Jethro Kloss' book that watermelon was good for female problems so I eat as much as I can get! Ted Tai Chi Ends Lower Back Pain a "how to" video clip. Link to comment
Girl Next Door Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Daily doses of flax seed oil, organic soy milk and an herb you buy from the Arabic market called "miramia" made into tea. It's some kind of sage. Link to comment
Homemaker Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I don't have pms problems unless I've fallen off of the healthy eating horse. Too much sugar and white flour. I also notice that getting enough omega 3's helps. Flax oil, or fish oil. I used to be a pms bear. I don't know how my marriage survived. When I went a whole year without sugar or any kind of chemicals, my symptoms slowly diminished until I had no warning that it was time. I had to watch the calander more carefully. I believe a lot of the common complaints we suffer from are the result of poor nutrition. I also believe that most, even in our highly informed culture, don't really know what a proper diet is. Link to comment
Simplegirl Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I had been suffering terribly from hot flashes for 6 months. After Christmas, I started eating less and better quality food and exercising 30 minutes a day (easy stuff, exercise bike and treadmill). Also deep breathing through my nose just when I started to feel a bit hot. It has been 2 months since I did that and the hot flashes are gone. Not sure if it was coincidence or if the diet/exercise/deep breathing did the trick. Either way, I am MUCH better. I did go to the OB/GYN and he prescribed Prempro. I filled the script but never needed to start taking it yet. OH, and I have lost 6 pounds too!! Link to comment
Andrea Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Great news Simplegirl! I've also found that better diet and exercise have been helping me too! I'm also taking Flax Oil which is supposed to help control mood swings. Link to comment
Lois Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 What Is It? Evening primrose oil is extracted from the evening primrose plant (Oenothera biennis), a wildflower found in North America, Europe and parts of Asia. The plant's pale yellow flowers open in the evening--hence its common name--and its seeds bear the special fatty oil that is used in healing today. In another era, Native Americans and the early settlers gathered the plant and its root to treat such ailments as hemorrhoids, stomachaches, sore throat, and bruises. It took modern research to unveil the therapeutic power contained within the seed oil: an essential fatty acid (EFA) called gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Once processed in the body, GLA, an omega-6 fatty acid, exerts anti-inflammatory and other healing actions. Evening primrose oil is certainly not the only source of GLA; various foods actually contain small amounts of it and the body produces GLA on its own from a number of dietary fats. But evening primrose oil offers an unusually concentrated source, with 7% to 10% of its fatty acids available in the form of GLA. Interestingly, borage oil features even more GLA (20% to 26%), and black currant oil offers rich stores as well (14% to 19%), but their effectiveness and safety for many ailments has not been as intensively examined as evening primrose oil. Nonetheless, some people prefer borage and black currant oils because they require a lower dose (at less total cost) for the same amount of GLA. Health Benefits The remarkably rich stores of GLA in evening primrose oil are what make it so valuable in healing. Taken internally, the body converts GLA into prostaglandins. These hormonelike compounds help regulate various body functions, controlling inflammation in some cases and promoting it in others. The prostaglandins produced from GLA fall into the anti-inflammatory category. Cell membranes also rely on the presence of GLA. Specifically, evening primrose oil may help to: Relieve the discomforts of PMS (premenstrual syndrome), menstruation, endometriosis and fibrocystic breasts. By interfering with the production of inflammatory prostaglandins released during menstruation, the GLA in evening primrose oil can help to lessen menstrual cramps. It may also minimize premenstrual breast tenderness, irritable bowel flare-ups, and carbohydrate cravings, and help to control endometriosis-associated inflammation. Many PMS sufferers are found to have unusually low levels of GLA in their systems, which is why supplements might help so much. Although the oil has not been widely used in this country for treating PMS, Europeans have long used it for this condition. In women with fibrocystic breasts, the oil's essential fatty acids can minimize breast inflammation and promote the absorption of iodine, a mineral that can be present in abnormally low levels in women with this condition. Ease the joint pain and swelling of rheumatoid arthritis. Supplementation with evening primrose oil and other sources of GLA has been shown to lessen the joint pain and swelling of this crippling disease. A six-month study reported fewer signs of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis sufferers taking capsules containing GLA than in those taking a placebo. In another trial, the number of tender joints and swollen joints dropped significantly with GLA but not with a placebo. Prevent diabetes-associated nerve damage. Research indicates that the GLA in evening primrose oil can help prevent--and in some cases even reverse--the nerve damage (neuropathy) so commonly seen with diabetes. In a year-long study, such symptoms as numbness, tingling, and loss of sensation in participants with mild diabetic neuropathy were less marked in those who took evening primrose oil than in those who took a placebo. Reduce the symptoms of eczema. In some cases, eczema develops when the body has problems converting dietary fats into GLA. Getting supplemental GLA from evening primrose oil may therefore be helpful. Some studies indicate that this oil can outperform a placebo in relieving eczema-related inflammation, as well as the itching, oozing, and flaking associated with this condition. By taking GLA, eczema sufferers may tolerate reduced doses of steroid creams and drugs--many of which cause unpleasant side effects. Not all studies point to such benefits, however, and many conventional doctors remain skeptical. http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/subs...525,779,00.html The rest of this article and the discussion threads can be found here. http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?ac...vening+Primrose Link to comment
Lele Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 I was having the same thing about 5 years ago.. Went to the Doctor and they did an ultrasound. I had several large (about ex-large eggs in size) growths in my uterus. They then did a complete hysterectomy on me. Please have this checked by a doctor. Lele Prep, it's good for your future! Link to comment
MichR Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 Aunt Flow visits and causes "crazy time" for me. As soon as I ovulate I would change from "me" to "that crazy woman who lives here for awhile". As soon as my menses would begin, the crazy woman left. It was so bad that my husband would be able to tell when I would ovulate. My poor family lived with 2 weeks of "normal" and then 2 weeks of crying, crankiness, yelling, too much sleeping on my part and a disorganized home. I needed help and my doctor was absolutely no help what-so-ever. I finally figured out that I have an over-growth of Candida which is basically yeast. My body was going haywire from the growth and chemical secretions of the Candida yeast. So the cure is total abstention from anything sugar or anything that your body turns into sugar. No yeast breads, no fruits, no alcohol, no sugars, no condiments or vinegars, no teas, no cheeses, no leftovers, nothing containing molds, yeasts or fungi, no no no....the list went on and on. So, I ate unlimited vegetables, unprocessed meats, unprocessed nuts and seeds, and anything with whole grains while avoiding wheat. Well...I stuck it out for 5 weeks and then slowly added back trigger foods. Today, I know that sugar, yeast-containing foods, white wheat flour and animal proteins make my body unstable. I sometimes crave that hamburger on a white bun and I give in only to find that my sugar and meat cravings come back strong and my next menses are accompanied by the crazy lady. What I learned was that I had to figure out myself what was wrong. Visiting 2 different doctors who told me to take anti-depressants, birth-control pills, hire a babysitter for my kids so I could "get away from them", that it was all in my head and to take drugs to numb the feelings was an exercise in patience. I sat in bookstores, searched on-line, found some really scary stuff that I MAYBE could have...but in the end I needed to try things out. By the way, DH is happier even though I don't serve meat often enough for his tastes. He has told me "I would rather give up meat forever than have you be the person you used to be". Michelle Link to comment
Ambergris Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 The Hitachi Magic Wand does wonders for cramps, front and back. I've noticed that when things start late, the cramps and sick misery are much more likely and severe. When things threaten to start late, I spritz a little vanilla in the air and my husband knows to come to bed early and provide some hysterical spasms. This tends to jump-start things nicely. A hot water bottle also helps me get to sleep. Be careful of Kava kava--it might not be so good for the kidneys or liver. Link to comment
ol'momma Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 The Hitachi Magic Wand does wonders for cramps, front and back. I've noticed that when things start late, the cramps and sick misery are much more likely and severe. When things threaten to start late, I spritz a little vanilla in the air and my husband knows to come to bed early and provide some hysterical spasms. This tends to jump-start things nicely. A hot water bottle also helps me get to sleep. Be careful of Kava kava--it might not be so good for the kidneys or liver. Oh My.... I wonder if I can convince hubby thta 'it's in his best interest" LOL Link to comment
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