PMS can be very different for different people -and even for one person, it can vary from month to month. There are so many symptoms that can go along with PMS: feeling sensitive, crying easily, mood swings, being angry & aggressive, feeling irritated, having anxiety, headaches, tiredness, breast tenderness, bloating, cravings -the list goes on and on. And depending on what is happening, it can be helped in different ways. It’s so worth seeing a naturopath to work out the reasons behind your symptoms and address the cause, but until then use these quick tips to get some sweet relief.

Natural remedies for PMS:

Time alone 

You may have noticed that you need a lot more time alone in the lead up to your period, and if we don’t make time for it, we might unknowingly force it upon ourselves by pushing others away due to overreactions, aggressive behaviour or social anxiety. And it’s not by chance that this happens, during the premenstrual and bleeding phases of our menstrual cycle, we have access to some powerful insights that might otherwise go unnoticed. Are there situations in your life where you feel unnoticed, taken for granted or treated unfairly? If so, you will probably be acting out on those feelings right about now -and maybe not in the most constructive ways.

Take some time to really notice what’s going on for you, talk to someone you trust or journal about it and try to come to the root cause of your feelings. Often your explosive anger doesn’t come out of nowhere, it may have been brewing all month long before an unexpected trigger set it off.

This is a GREAT time to work on self-care. Run a bath, watch your favourite feel-good movie, put on some great dancy beats and pamper yourself.

Herbal medicine

Withania, also known as ashwagandha, is an amazing herb to utilise during this time. It is calming, helps with stress and anxiety, helps to reduce fatigue, builds strength and improves your iron levels – all very important during this phase of your cycle.

Eat protein and manage blood sugar

Now, even in the best of times, it’s hard to maintain emotional balance when your blood sugar is out of whack, throw raging hormones into the mix and the odds of a meltdown are pretty high. Be sure to have plenty of protein and limit your sugar consumption in order to smooth out those mood swings. 

Natural remedies for period pain:

I’m just going to put it out there, period pain is common but it is not normal. Experiencing period pain can indicate that an underlying situation might be going on, so it is really worth speaking to a naturopath who can look into this with you and address the cause. So while you are waiting for your appointment, here are some quick tips to deal with the pain pronto.

Hot water bottle

Make use of a hot water bottle or heat pack, as this can do wonders for menstrual pain. If you want to, a hot shower or bath can do the trick as well.

Herbal medicine

This is a great time to use analgesic herbs that will reduce period pain. Ginger and turmeric are some easily accessible herbs that can reduce inflammation and reduce the pain. You can use them fresh, in tea, as powder or as tinctures -whichever suits you best. There are plenty of herbs that naturopaths have access to that can really help with the pain and also get to the root cause of the problem, so definitely make use of your naturopath’s guidance here.

Magnesium

Magnesium is very helpful during this time as it can reduce cramping, headaches and stress. Make sure to get some high-quality magnesium supplements from your naturopath and eat foods high in magnesium such as dark leafy greens, almonds, salmon and dark chocolate. Yep, you read that correctly, chocolate. 

Take it easy

Don’t do anything during that day if you don’t have to. If you have the chance, book yourself a self-care day where you watch all the Netflix you want and throw responsibilities to the wayside. You DO NOT have to be productive during the first day or two of your period, especially if you experience period pain – you are dealing with enough.

I recently did a Q&A video where I answered some questions on PMS & Period pain, you can watch it below.

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