Listen up ladies!! You don’t HAVE to suffer through your periods anymore! I can’t tell you the amount of women who come to see me with intense hormonal issues and periods that debilitate them. Enough is enough – you can make 5 simple changes that will lead to freedom from monthly agony.
It’s all crap that we shall suffer monthly with tender breasts, anxiety, bloated tummies, headaches, acne (and much more) for 1-2 weeks a month!! Why are women walking around thinking this is normal to feel this way? Can you tell that I am OVER it? On an even bigger scale, these issues concern me greatly when it comes to our risk for cancer. Those same toxins that trick our bodies into converting chemicals into estrogen are the same toxins that contribute to cancer. It’s a no brainer for me that we need to make some changes to combat the issue, not just for a week of relief each month, but for our lifetime of wellness.
Fortunately, good research shows that there many ways to get hormones back in balance — without drugs and expensive over the counter remedies. Besides making some major diet changes, here is the plan I give my clients for preventing PMS and PMDD. These are scientifically supported solutions. Start incorporating these solutions NOW, no matter what stage of your menstrual cycle you are on. You will see big changes in just a couple months!
- Avoid estrogens imposters – Artificial estrogen enters our bodies through our environment. They’re added in beauty and cleaning products, injected into meats, they even leach out from plastic bottles and canned food items. Select hormone-free meats, avoid beauty products with parabens, purchase natural cleaning products from your local health food store, and make sure your canned goods and water bottles are BPA-free. You can learn more here.
- Make flaxseed a daily thing – Flaxseeds are the highest known food source of lignans, phytoestrogens that block stronger estrogen from causing even more PMS symptoms. These lignans balance our hormone metabolism and also counterbalance negative effects of excess estrogen. Lignans contain fiber, protein, and antioxidants that encourage regularity/prevent constipation, moving excess hormones out of our bodies. They are so easy to add to shakes, salads, granola.
- Eat your veggies – In particular cruciferous vegetables such as arugula, broccoli, bok choy, cauliflower, cabbage, watercress, collard greens, and kale. These are good sources of magnesium, calcium, vitamin E, and potassium that will support us during our menstrual cycle. Cruciferous vegetables also contain a substance called indole-3-carbinol (aka DIM) which increase the body’s metabolism of hormones, which reduces PMS symptoms and works to naturally balance hormones.
- Herbs and supplements – You can ease your PMS symptoms by improving your hormone metabolism and metabolic function with herbs and supplements. My favorites are Integrative Therapeutics Magnesium (2 tablets twice per day), Evening Primrose oil (two 500mg capsules per day), and Chasteberry fruit extract as these can help balance the hormones released by the pituitary gland that control your overall hormone function. (Take 100mg twice a day) Dandelion root can help with liver detoxification and works as a diuretic and you can absorb from teas, capsules, or extracts. Research has proven that you can reduce up to almost half of all symptoms (including mood swings, depression, and menstrual cramps) of PMS by simply getting 1200 mg of calcium daily
- Keep your gut in check – Replacing healthy bacteria in the gut also helps normalize estrogen and hormone metabolism. Take 50 to 100 billion live organisms in a daily probiotic supplement. For women’s health probiotic that supports your gut health and your lady parts, I recommend Renew Life Women’s Complete. This probiotic encourages healthy flora, supports vaginal and urinary tract health, and provides relief for gas, bloating, nausea, and constipation.
