I had a few viewers reach out to me, and ask whether I could create a video on PMS and PMDD.
These are conditions that are related to a
women's hormones and her menstrual cycle,
and often have anxiety or depression associated with them.
So today we're going to discuss causes and treatment options for PMS and PMDD.
Make sure you stick around to the end because I've got some ideas on future video topics
that I would like to get your feedback on.
If you haven't met me before, I'm Dr Janelle
Sinclair, I've got a PhD in biochemistry and
I'm a natural medicine practitioner who specialises
in mental health.
And on this YouTube channel, you'll find practical
videos discussing effective and safe natural
remedies for depression and anxiety.
And although most of my videos aren't focus
specifically on PMDD, the strategies discussed
will be relevant to you if your moods are
affected by your hormones.
So if you're new here, consider subscribing
and hit that bell button so that you're notified about our weekly videos.
So let's get into it.
So let's quickly start with what PMS and PMDD
actually is.
Most of you will know what PMS or premenstrual
syndrome is.
It refers to physical and emotional symptoms
that occur one to two weeks before a woman's period.
Symptoms include acne, tender breasts, bloating,
feeling tired, irritability, and mood changes,
and these symptoms resolve around the start
of bleeding,
PMDD or premenstrual dysphoric disorder is
a severe form of PMS and women with this condition
will often experience debilitating symptoms
such as depression, anxiety, feelings of 'loss
of control', and severe fatigue for 2 weeks
of the month.
Like PMS, PMDD follows a predictable, cyclic
pattern.
For simplicity throughout this video I'm going
to refer to PMDD as it's the more severe premenstrual
disorder, however keep in mind that the causes
and strategies I discuss are just as relevant to PMS.
What I'd like to cover in this video today,
is 4 different inter-related causes of PMDD
that are discussed in the scientific literature.
What I'm going to do, is provide a functional
medicine treatment approach for these underlying imbalances.
There's very few studies on PMDD and supplements,
so keep in mind that not all of these strategies
have been studied in clinical trials specifically
for PMDD.
But I wanted to show you that there is a lot
of natural strategies for treating PMDD.
Let's discuss 4 natural treatment strategies
for PMDD.
PMDD Treatment Strategy #1: Balance progesterone
and estrogen levels
Now this PMDD treatment strategy is based
on the theory that this condition results
from problems with progesterone and estrogen
levels or their activity in the body.
Progesterone and estrogen are the hormones
involved in female puberty, fertility and pregnancy.
They also help regulate our menstrual cycle.
During a women's monthly menstrual cycle progesterone
and estrogen levels go up and down, controlling
our periods, and also impacting our mood.
Next weeks video is going to discuss how the
menstrual cycle impacts our mood, as well
as give you more of an understanding of progesterone
and estrogen, so look out for that, and I'll
link it up here once it becomes available.
But for now, you can think of PMDD and PMS
being caused by a progesterone deficiency
and estrogen dominance - and this occurs 1-2
weeks before your period.
So the treatment strategy to rectify this
is to increase progesterone and decrease estrogen.
To increase progesterone there's a couple
of options:
Firstly the herb Chasteberry or Vitex Agnus
Castus.
This is a herb that has been studied clinically
for PMDD, and studies show that it can reduce
breast-tenderness, swelling, depression, and
irritability.
Dosages can depend on the preparation of the
herb but are normally 200-1000mg once a day at breakfast.
It can be either taken every day of the month,
or just from ovulation until the onset of
your period.It can be either taken throughout
the month, or just from ovulation until the
onset of your period.
The other way to increase progesterone is
to use bioidentical progesterone cream or capsules.
When I'm talking about bioidentical progesterone
I am not talking about the synthetic progestins
found in the oral contraceptive pill, Bioidentical
progesterone is the natural progesterone that
is an exact copy of the progesterone found
in the body.
The synthetic progestins normally make people
with PMDD feel worse,
whereas natural progesterone can be very helpful.
Standard doses of progesterone cream are 20mg
once or twice a day,
but the cream is not applied every day.
it's just applied for 1 or 2 weeks of the
month between ovulation and your period.
Let's now discuss lowering high estrogen levels:
There's a few good supplement options and
they include the calcium D glucarate, and
Di-indolylmethane (DIM)- standard doses are
500-1000mg one to three times daily and 100mg
one to three times daily.
Exercise, a dairy free diet and coffee enemas
are also very helpful at balancing out estrogen.
Also make sure that you are having a bowel
motion at least once a day.
If your bowels aren't moving then it affects
the ability of the body to remove excess estrogens.
PMDD Treatment Strategy #2: Increase serotonin
levels
One of the other theories about what causes
PMDD is that serotonin activity is reduced
in the brain during the second half of the
menstrual for those affected by PMDD.
Serotonin is a calming happy neurotransmitter
in the brain.
Most people are familiar with the theory that
low serotonin is the cause of depression,
and it's very similar in PMDD.
The mainstream treatment for PMDD is an antidepressant
that increases serotonin in the brain, the
SSRI medications.
A natural option to increase serotonin in
the brain is 5-HTP or 5-hydroxytryptophan.
5HTP is naturally produced by the body, and
is made from the amino acid tryptophan.
5HTP easily converts into serotonin, and in
small studies the 5HTP supplement has been
found to be as effective as SSRI antidepressants
for the treatment of depression.
The standard dosage range for 5HTP for depression
is 50-100mg three times per day.
I have a video on that so check it out for
more details on dosage, side-effects and interactions
with medications.
Now before I move on to discuss strategy #3,
I wanted to get your feedback about a few
videos that I was thinking of creating.
In my research for this video I came across
some novel treatment strategies that have
less scientific evidence.
I'm thinking about creating a video on natural
supplements for PMDD, and maybe one on diet.
What do you think?
Let me know in the comment section below if
you think that video would be worth doing?
PMDD Treatment Strategy #3: Support adrenal
function
Another theory of the cause of PMDD is adrenal
dysfunction.
The adrenal glands are most well-known for
its role in the fight and flight response,
making cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline.
What's less well known is that the adrenal
glands also help regulate mineral balance
(like sodium and potassium) in the body.
When the adrenal glands aren't functioning
properly it can result in fatigue, low mood,
anxiety, and fluid retention.
Another poorly recognized function of the
adrenal glands is it's role in making sex
hormones such as estrogen and progesterone.
I'm planning on discussing the interaction
of the adrenals, sex hormones and PMS in the
future, so keep a look out for that video.
In the meantime, let me discuss quickly some
strategies for supporting your adrenal glands
and therefore reducing PMDD symptoms.
#1: Take adrenal support supplements, this
could include adaptogenic herbs, vitamin B5,
vitamin C, adrenal glandulars and phosphatidylserine.
Check my video out on that topic.
#2: Balance your blood sugars.
This will help support the adrenal glands,
as well as reduce anxiety, low mood and fatigue.
Check my video out on that topic here.
#3: Diaphragm breathing every day, is another
great approach for supporting the adrenal
glands, indirectly improving progesterone
levels, and reducing anxiety.
So make sure that you do that too.
PMDD Treatment Strategy #4: Improve GABA in
the brain
Now this is the last strategy I wanted to
discuss today.
One of the causes of PMDD may be the reduced
level of GABA in the brain.
GABA or gamma-Aminobutyric acid is a key inhibitory
neurotransmitter.
That means it calms the brain and the nervous
system down, and it balances out other stimulatory
neurotransmitters.
It is so critical for relaxation.
If there's not enough GABA you can have increased
anxiety, agitation, poor sleep, hyperventilation,
restlessness, short temper and impulsivity.
In some countries around the world you can
buy GABA as a supplement.
Standard dosages are not well defined but
are around 150-500mg once or twice a day.
Take this product between meals.
L-theanine and adaptogenic herb ashwagandha
are other supplements that can also improve
GABA levels in the body.
And if you're on any medications talk to your
doctor about any potential interactions with
these supplements, and anything else we've
discussed today.
And if you liked this video, give me a thumbs
up and subscribe.
And be sure to check out the playlist on PMDD
which includes the blood sugar, and adrenal
supplement videos.
Thanks for watching and I'll see you in the
next video.
