Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) affects many women before the start of the menstrual cycle. Symptoms can include moodiness, fatigue, insomnia, upset stomach, and joint and muscle pain, among others.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers these suggestions to help alleviate PMS symptoms:
• Take a daily multivitamin with folic acid, and a calcium supplement with
vitamin D.
• Get plenty of exercise.
• Stick to a healthy diet, including lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables,
before and during your period.
• Avoid salt, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and smoking, especially when you have
PMS symptoms.
• Try to get eight hours of sleep every night.
• Alleviate stress by talking to friends, exercising or keeping a journal.
• Try an over-the-counter pain reliever to ease sore breasts, muscle pain,
headaches or painful cramps.
* The above information was copied from HealthDay News, Saturday, September 27, 2008
Treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM):
Chinese Meridians Massage: calm the mind, relax tension to reduce stress and feel more relaxed.
Acupuncture: calm the mind, improve blood circulation, promote energy flow, gain mental balance and therefore controls moodiness, and relieves body aches.
Breathing meditation: using Chi Gong breathing exercise to re-focus attention, get rid of the negative thinking, and build up positive thoughts and feel happier.
Herbs: calm the mind, stabilize nerves, help digestion, normalize nutrients, balance metabolism, improve sleep and alleviate PMS symptoms.
Supplements: calcium relaxes nerves to help sleep and reduce menstrual pain; flaxseed oil and soy-isoflavones also relieves the irritations of PMS.
For more information please call Dr. Liyan Lu at 661-513-9265, Ping’s Acupuncture and Herbs Center.