CLEAR: NATUROPATHIC TIPS FOR LESS PMS, ACNE & CRAMPS AND MORE ENERGY AND BALANCE
Herbal Medicine:
My two favouite supplements to support a healthy, enjoyable monthly cycle are: Chaste Tree and FemCo - both of these are from Mediherb and are incredible formulas with a long track record! Most symptoms are a call for a change in what we are doing habit wise so addressing that is key but the herbs are great adjuncts to get relief and support in a non-pharmaceutical way. I think of herbs as being potent, nutritionally specific foods for a certain organ or system in the body and these formulas are all about optimizing balance in our hormonal system.
Nutrition Tips:
Aim for at least 30 g of fiber each day. Fiber is key in hormone health as it helps bind to excess estrogens in the gut, preventing them from being re-absorbed . We want this! Hormones are messengers so we don’t want them to be re-circulated when they have already delivered their message and need to head out.. Adding 2 tbsp of ground flaxseed per day is a great practice - you can add that to smoothies, to sups (at the end), over veggies, etc.
Eat a whole food diet taking on the good practices from the Mediterranean - increasing low starch high fiber veggies,.
Increase your dietary healthy oils from salmon, mackerel, sardines, olive oil, olives, nuts, avocados, flax & hemp seeds and oils.
Spice it up! Spices are such potent medicine and increase the yum factor in life! Add cinnamon to a smoothie, turmeric to your stir fry or soup or steamed almond/spy milk!
Add in habits that balance blood sugar and support healthy metabolism such as a. Increasing protein, b.switching out processed foods and refined carbs/sugars, c. walking/moving after a meal, d. building muscle (this imoacts how our body uses sugar and how it burns fat), e. daily enjoyable movement.
Replace inflammatory foods with whole foods (get a food sensitivity test with your ND or do an elimination diet to help you uncover these.)
Caffeine. For many women cutting out/cutting down their caffeine/coffee consumption is gamechanging for their PMS and cramps. It’s worth the experiment as there are many yummy, healthy options out there and if you are concerned that you won’t have the energy you need to get through the day or get up(!) talk to your naturopath about this and get to the root of the cause of the low energy (ie not a caffeine deficit!) .
Fave Supplements to Support:
Magnesium. Magnesium is a mineral that many women are deficient in. If you are having other possibly Magnesium deficiency related symptoms like headaches, poor quality sleep, muscle tension, constipation or leg cramps take Magnesium glycinate before bed all cycle long. or your period pain.
Omegas !!! A high quality Fish oil (EPA/DHA) supplement is foundational .It’s great for decreasing inflammation and pain, improving mood and brain health and key for hormone health. My recommendation is to cycle oils - it looks like this: from the day you start your period till you ovulate take your Fish oils and day 14 - 28 (till your next period) take GLA - Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) or Borage Oil. I prefer EPO. The reasoning is that Fish oil is more supportive of the estrogen the first half of the cycle (the follicular phase) and EPO more supportive of the progesterone that has it’s time to shine in the second half - the luteal phase.
High Quality Vitamin D - 4, 000 iu per day is a common dose I recommend but it will vary with the individual. We now know most people are deficient. If you can get blood levels tested aim for a score of 80 or higher. Taking Vitamin D October to May if you live in Canada is a good practice and get a decent Sunhat out and get out and enjoy the Summer Sun!
Food and Hormone Testing Options Can Help:
IgG Food Sensitivity Test. This test is easy. It’s an in-office blood test that gets sent away to the lab and gives you the results in 10-14 days. It’s great at helping you figure out which foods are inflammatory for your body right now so you can create meals that are beneficial for you.
Urine Hormone testing. The DUTCH Test is a hormone metabolite urine test that I like to order for a client when we want to know the whole picture of hormonal health beyond just what estrogen and progesterone blood levels are. It maps out how your body os handling and processing hormones - a key piece in being able to support your body to come into better balance. The test shows if any of the pathways are working suboptmally and what is missing (usually a certain nutrient) to get things back on track.
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