That Time of the Month… (Boys, avert your eyes)
Women have between 350 and 500 periods in a lifetime. If your monthly period is five days long, each year you spend 60 days menstruating. You spend one or more years out of every ten years of your life bleeding. If you bleed from the time you are twelve years old until 52 years of age, you can spend four to five years or more of your life shedding menstrual blood!
Sometimes it is hard to believe that menstruation is a sign of good health. Menstruation is a built in cycle that provides us with the opportunity to restore and rejuvenate each month. It is a time when the female body releases, regenerates and heals. U.S. statistics show that more than 60% of American women are sleep deprived. With the epidemic of chronic fatigue and exhaustion related illness, many women find that some of the problems around menstruation are the body letting them know that it would like to have a little down time during this monthly time of releasing and letting go. All cycles have a waning and waxing rhythm. When we are just constantly on the go, we forget that optimum health requires that we have time to rest and restore. The menstrual cycle is the perfect guide to help us find balance in our lives of over commitment and consumption. There are many herbal remedies that can help a woman to work with instead of fight against the constantly changing rhythm of her body.
CALCIUM: We recommend Nutrition Now’s Calcium Soft Chews
Studies suggest that calcium levels are lower in women with PMS and that calcium supplementation may reduce the severity of symptoms. Another study found that 300 mg of calcium carbonate four times a day significantly reduced bloating, depression, pain, mood swings, and food cravings.
MAGNESIUM: We recommend Solaray’s Magnesium
Magnesium supplements have been found to improve pms mood changes. One study used 200 mg of magnesium or placebo for two menstrual cycles. By the end of the second month, magnesium was found to significantly reduce weight gain, swelling of the hands and legs, breast tenderness, and abdominal bloating.
Evening Primrose Oil: We recommend Barlean’s Evening Primrose Oil
Evening Primrose oil is a plant oil that contains gamma-linolenic acid, an omega-6 essential fatty acid. Gamma-linolenic acid is involved in the metabolism of hormone-like substances called prostaglandins that regulate pain and inflammation in the body.
Dietary Suggestions
- Reduce sugar and salt intake. This is especially useful for bloating and swelling of the hands and feet, breast tenderness, and dizziness. Increase foods rich in potassium, such as fish, beans, and broccoli.
- Eat small, frequent meals to help stabilize blood sugar.
- Eliminate caffeine, which can aggravate anxiety, depression, and breast tenderness.
- Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fish.
- Avoid alcohol.
- Decrease intake of fatty foods and red meat.
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All of the above recommended products can be found here at Triangle Vitamins, located in the Hope Valley Commons Shopping Center at the intersection of Highway 54 and Garrett Road. Come in today and let one of our friendly, knowledgeable staff members get you started on the road to wellness!
STAY HEALTHY!
