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Typical PMS Treatments to Make You Feel More Human Again

Are you one of the many women who experiences emotional highs and lows and physical issues during your menstrual cycle. Between the time you ovulate and the first day of menstrual bleeding is a time ripe for the many symptoms of premenstrual syndrome aka PMS to rear their ugly heads. When you symptoms are aggravating enough to disrupt a day or two of your life but easily self-treated, you likely have PMS. However, if your symptoms are more severe and personal treatment does not work, you may have PMDD or premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

There is no cure for PMS (too many hormonal issues to untangle) but it can be easily treated with medication, lifestyle changes and even alternative treatments. Most women's PMS symptoms vary from month to month with some episodes of having no symptoms at all. However, if you consistently have PMS symptoms with some months being unbearable, it would be wise to keep a diary, cataloging the symptoms and what day they occurred as well as ovulation and menstrual period start and finish. Keeping a written record will give you a history in which you can possibly identify trends that could be changed.

Based on what your diary reveals, you can introduce lifestyle changes like better diet, exercise and easing up on the alcohol and caffeine. Other unconventional treatments like herbal remedies, acupuncture and massage may work too. Keeping the diary and logging how you feel after these treatments should help you come up with a workable plan to keep those symptoms at bay. If you are not quite sure yet about seeing your doctor for prescription medication, here are some things you can do to improve your PMS situation:

1. As mentioned above, reducing alcohol and caffeine can really help alleviate PMS symptoms. Also reducing salt and refined sugars will help too. All of these things contribute to a variety of symptoms like bloating, weight gain, insomnia, body aches and anxiety.

2. Ensure you get enough vitamin B6 and calcium in your diet - at least 1,200 milligrams of calcium and about 75 milligrams of B6. These two things affect the production of hormones by the endocrine system. Deficiencies in them can increase depression and other PMS symptoms.

3. Exercise is good for PMS. While some of the symptoms like bloating and cramping may make you feel like staying in bed, moving around will eventually make you feel better. When you exercise, you release endorphins, a natural "feel good" chemical. It also relieves anxiety and tension and improves your mood as well - all things that are affected by PMS.

4. Consider massage, meditation, yoga and other relaxing things to do to help relieve stress. While stress itself is not a PMS symptoms, it does contribute to the worsening of certain symptoms.

The best thing to do is experiment with several treatment options. Don't rule out over the counter pain relievers like NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to relieve cramping, headaches and body pains. Just use them wisely and as prescribed on the packaging. When your symptoms continue, even severely, even after treatment, it is time to talk with your doctor about your next options.