A lot of women come to a complementary health practitioner because they suffer from pre-menstrual tension or find it very difficult to get on with life when they have their monthly periods (known medically as ‘menses’). However, even more women put up with distressing symptoms, thinking these are a normal and unfortunate part of life.
As I like to point out, a normal cycle should be symptom-free and especially pain-free. Can you imagine life four or five generations ago when most women had to work in the field or in the house all day long? On average, a woman will menstruate about 550 times in her life. Why would nature be so mean?
The menstrual cycle is normally extremely well regulated, and governed by the pituitary gland, located deep in our brain. After ovulation, sex hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone increase heavily in the bloodstream to prepare the body for possible pregnancy. When fertilisation has not occurred, the pituitary gland asks the body to clear the womb, triggering menses.
This big shift puts pressure on the whole body’s resources. Poor nutritional habits, chronic stress and toxicity all take their toll on the body’s ability to deal with these hormonal changes.
The main conventional approach is to prescribe the birth control pill, in effect synthetic oestrogen and progesterone. While this can bring temporary improvement, women on the pill should be aware that this is not a long-term solution and can be a major hormonal disrupter. The most common listed side-effects are:
Liver & metabolic issues – hepatitis, jaundice, nausea (very common), gallstones, diabetes, osteoporosis
Hormonal – fibroid, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, breast cancer (with a doubling of chances)
Digestive system – flatulence & weight gain (very common)
Nervous system – mood change (very common), depression, loss of libido
Cardiovascular system – irregular heartbeat (25% increase), thrombosis, blood clots (triples the risk)
This is primarily because the liver has to deal with processing this huge hormonal load, and this has an impact on both the liver’s functions and the hormonal system. If you are concerned, check your prescription or on the following website for your specific pill: www.netdoctor.co.uk .
Some Helpful Suggestions
If you are on the pill, I would suggest that you follow the nutritional advice on my website for the digestive system, and also take some herbal support for your liver.
If you are not on the pill and you suffer from hormonal issues, then a consultation is probably the best way to discover whether your specific problems are caused by stress, diet, or supplements. Some strategies include:
- support for the liver support and the nervous system (magnesium/potassium for example).
- provide some natural herbal support to retune the hormonal system, such as Agnus Castus Ginseng or Black Cohosh.
- provide homeopathic remedies for the acute pain, such as Mag Phos 30C or Colocynthis 30C.
Enjoy a healthy month!
Image reproduced from lifephysio.co.nz