Dr. Holly Lucille: PMS, or premenstrual syndrome is condition basically characterized by women having symptoms like irritability, mood swings, headaches, gastric distress and food cravings during the second half of their menstrual cycle, and it's also accompanied by them being asymptomatic or symptom free during the first half of their cycle.
The conventional treatment for PMS is usually prescription for the birth control pill or an antidepressant or a combination of both.
When someone comes to see me who has PMS, there's a strong implication that there might be some nutritional deficiencies or hormonal imbalance, and it's my job to figure that out. I do that by taking a very comprehensive patient intake, including understanding how a woman nourishes herself, so what is she eating, what is her diet like, what is her lifestyle, has there been any environmental exposure to pesticides or other xenoestrogens in our environment, has she been on medications at all, is she taking any supplements at this time, exercising, what's her sleep wake pattern, all of those things. Plus, I might actually test hormone levels via saliva or blood and really get a complete picture.
Depending on my findings, there are many different things I do to help treat PMS. Dietary recommendations are almost always indicated. It's very important that a woman increases whole organic foods and decreases refined foods like refined carbohydrates and refined sugars. Also, decreasing animal fats, hard fats, and getting in more fish, healthy fats like olive oil, and nuts and seeds is extremely important. I also prescribe a detoxification process to make sure that the liver is able to completely metabolize and excrete excess hormones like estrogen that could be contributing to the problem. I also recommend herbal therapy or botanical medicines like chaste tree. Chaste tree can help increase progesterone naturally, and progesterone is very important in that second half of the cycle where women experience problems. And finally, I recommend nutrients that are proven beneficial in the treatment of PMS, nutrients like vitamin B-6, calcium, magnesium, and as well essential fatty acids like fish oil.
I actually have a really high success rate. When the women I'm working with follow my protocol, within two to six months of doing so they no longer have PMS.
If somebody has PMS and wants to reverse it, I recommend adopting the natural living lifestyle. This includes eating whole organic foods and eliminating processed refined foods. Also, adopting a consistent exercise program and seeing a naturopathic doctor.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services