Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
How Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements May Help

Most women have some type of menstrual problems at some time in their lives, but some women have a lot more problems than others.  In fact, as many as 50% of women (perhaps even as high as 70%) who are menstruating seem to experience some PMS symptoms.   Nutritional factors seem to play a role in who gets PMS symptoms, and especially their severity.
 

Common Symptoms of PMS
 

Abdominal cramps, headaches, anxiety, moodiness & irritability, swollen & tender breasts, bloating and water retention.  Acne, craving for sweets and light-headedness may also be present.
 

Common Causes of PMS
 

Hormonal imbalance, liver malfunctioning, thyroid & other glandular insufficiency, lack of B vitamins and poor diet in general, bad diet, especially too much sugar and caffeine.  Stress can often make PMS worse.  Essential fatty acid deficiency can also be a problem.
 

Vitamins, Minerals and Other Nutritional Supplements
 

A study from the Metropolitan Hospital in New York City showed that if women took a 1,000 mg supplement of calcium per day, 73% of them will have reduced PMS symptoms.  Another study showed that women with diets low in calcium and manganese often experience more menstrual cramping.  Other studies have shown that calcium, magnesium and manganese all seem to help alleviate PMS symptoms. 

Two vitamins that have also been shown to lessen PMS symptoms are vitamin E and vitamin B6 and niacin.  The form of vitamin E that was used in the studies was alpha tocopherol, and the amount that seemed to help the most was 400 IU per day (but perhaps if you take an E complex with all the tocopherols and tocotrienols, you might need far less, but that has never been studied, to our knowledge).  The B vitamins, especially B6 and niacin also seem to help to relax the uterine muscles and reduce cramping.  Vitamin B6 seemed to be especially helpful with water retention and weight gain and emotional symptoms, but once again, we don't recommend taking any of the B vitamins individually, so you would need to either add more B6 and/or niacin containing foods to your diet or take a natural B vitamin complex supplement.

Iron and vitamin C (to help your body better absorb the iron) can be helpful to reduce excessive or heavy bleeding.  But you want to be careful of your iron source as some of them can cause constipation.

Essential Fatty Acids are important for the formation of prostiglandins, which act as transient hormones, and are important in the balance of the female hormones as well.  Essential fatty acids can be supplied by ocean fish and seafoods, safflower or sunflower oils and evening primrose and flax oil.  Acai juice is high in essential fatty acids, as is cod liver oil.  Goji juice also helps balance all hormones*.  A liver cleansing can sometimes help as well, with a nutritional supplement like Liver Complex with milk thistle seed.

Recommended Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements*

• Coral Calcium (for calcium and trace minerals, including manganese)
• B Vitamin Complex
• Nutritional Yeast (for B complex)
• C Complex
• Quantum Blood Builder (natural food source iron supplement)
• Acai 100 Juice
• Goji 100 Juice
• Cod Liver Oil
• EFA Oils
• Fem Balance (QN Labs)
• Liver Complex (QN Labs)

Food Choices
 

Try to get lots of essential fatty acids with ocean fish and seafoods, safflower or sunflower oils (only cold pressed), and evening primrose oil.  Eat a whole foods diet, and try to avoid vegetable oils and trans fatty acids, which are present in most boxed, processed and restaurant food.  Sea vegetables like kelp can give you more iodine and support your thyroid function*. 
 

Other Ideas
 

Nicotine inhibits hormone function, so stop smoking and try to avoid secondhand smoke.  Get plenty of exercise and sunshine.  In addition to adding more vitamin rich foods and nutritional supplements to your diet, you might want to treat yourself to a nice massage just before your period to help release toxins and improve circulation.

* This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Healthy Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements