CAUSE OF PMS AND TREATMENT
The actual cause of PMS is not yet fully understood, but as in most medical mystery stories there are plenty of theories about whodunit. Perhaps it is the higher levels of oestrogen, not enough or too much progesterone, or imbalances of other chemical messengers, like prostaglandins, thyroid hormone, serotonin, prolactin; the list of suspects is enormous. Other factors like social or personality factors may be involved. The fact that so many different ‘cures’ have been proposed, and so many found in controlled studies to be useless, gives us the clue that there may be more than one culprit in PMS.
Treatment. Among the ‘solutions’ available to treat this very frustrating condition are many traditional and non-traditional methods. Non-medicinal alternatives are numerous and often work well alone, or together with a pharmaceutical method. Positive results have been achieved with stress management techniques, hypnosis, dietary manipulations, acupuncture, and psychological
Pharmaceutical methods include vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), hormone manipulation with oestrogen and progesterone, other drugs which affect hormone levels, and anti-prostaglandins. People have tried anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication, fluid tablets (diuretics), and combinations of vitamins and minerals. Two treatments which have shown promising results are evening primrose oil, and mefanamic acid, an anti-prostaglandin often used for period pain. The dosage and riming of the treatment may be an important factor in how well symptoms are relieved. Unfortunately, no medicinal treatment is without potential side-effects. If you are planning to try something (prescribed or non-prescribed), find out the correct dosage, and if there are any precautions you should take. The variety of symptoms, and the equally varied array of therapies which have been known to help sufferers of PMS, make this a challenging and often confusing condition.
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