ADVERTISING: Advertorial — HOLLY CARLING: Monthly misery
A woman’s monthly cycle isn’t anything we really want but it is a fact of life. It’s not so bad when it is healthy, but when it isn’t, it can be truly miserable! As with everything else that goes amiss with our bodies, if you are having miserable periods we need to find out why. Taking medications for PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) or PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) may help temporarily, but it doesn’t resolve the problem.
Menstrual issues can be an imbalance of several different hormones: estrogen, serotonin, progesterone, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. The organs and glands responsible for the balance of hormones include the hypothalamus, pituitary, ovaries and the uterine lining. For those with PMDD, we need to also explore the health of the intestines, blood, brain and central nervous system to see why serotonin levels may be too low and emotions too volatile.
Several things are taken into consideration when evaluating the cause of a symptomatic menstrual cycle. Is the period a healthy 28 days in between, or are they abnormally longer or shorter than that? How long is the bleed? Three days, or is it carrying on longer than that? Is the flow dark and heavy, does it have clots, or is it light and thin?
What symptoms do you have before or during your cycle? Breast tenderness, emotional lability, cramps, swelling of fingers, breasts or ankles, bloating, change of bowels, sugar cravings, angry outbursts, irritability, etc. are not “normal” symptoms, but indications that things are not balanced.
Each of the above two paragraphs contain symptoms or signs that are each treated differently. They have different causes, different organ or gland involvement and require different responses.
After good investigative work to put together the puzzle pieces, figuring out the underlying causes, the use of diet, herbs, acupuncture and lifestyle modifications can make a huge difference in how the monthly cycle manifests. This should not be a time of misery. It should come and go without any of the symptomatic fanfare. There is hope for easier cycles.
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Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with over four decades of experience. Carling is a “Health Detective.” She looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d’Alene clinic. Visit Carling’s website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.