Shark Week: The Woman’s Right of Passage

One week a month, the most mysterious of species goes through an even more mysterious cycle. Premenstrual syndrome can make even the strongest woman cringe at its very mention.

Case #: 700

Concern：

I don’t know if there is anything you can do to help me, but I feel even angrier during my cycle. Every month, PMS makes me feel irritated. I have awful mood swings and my temper gets so much worse. I know PMS is normal, but what can I do to make it better?

Discussion：

I saw an online diagram of the woman’s reproductive system and a shark’s brain. The brain of the shark looked very similar to the structure of the female reproductive system. Once a month, women are known to turn into an even more vicious animal than the shark. Since seeing this diagram, I have referred to PMS as shark week ever since. It is perhaps the worst feeling a woman goes through. It is also rough on the people around her.

What Can Make Someone Change So Drastically?

It is mostly a mystery as to what causes PMS. PMS is the precursor to menstruation. During menstruation, the female body flushes the uterus of an unwanted egg. The days before menstruation, the body’s hormones begin to fluctuate. Either you produce too much estrogen, or not enough. Progesterone, meanwhile, prepares the uterus for the upcoming change. Testosterone levels begin to wane, and serotonin levels begin to deplete. All of these rapid changes turn a sweet lady into a raging psycho!

Understanding Isn’t an Option

It has always been said that women will never be figured out. As a woman I believe this. I have also lived with the short-lived fits of rage, and moments of crying just because I have to. I even get jealous of my husband at times, then I remember: he is suffering too. There is help for women like us. It comes from the purest of places--and it isn’t our hearts.

Nature’s Medicine

Doctors often prescribe dangerous medicines to help balance the hormones found naturally in the body. The side effects of these drugs have been studied for years. Herbs are a wonderful substitute for traditional medicine. You have many to choose from. It is sometimes better to find a combination that will approach your symptoms as a whole, rather than just one herb for one problem.

• Dong Quai is one of the most popular herbs for female issues. It helps control blood flow during menstruation, and it eases painful cramps.
• Ginger is a popular spice to use in recipes. It can also help with pain associated with PMS.
• Goldthread Rhizome has a unique ability to help restore hormones naturally. It contains phytoestrogens, which balance hormones.

It is time for you to quit suffering and ease your shark week-esque moments once and for all. I hope you will find a remedy that works for you.