Dr. Tom Francescott explains the causes of PMS + his unique care approach.
Premenstrual Syndrome Causes + Natural Care
- Symptoms of PMS can include acne, bloating, water retention, depression, breast tenderness, irritability, mood swings, back pain, cramps, fatigue, cravings for salt or sugar, headaches and migraines, anger and emotional outbursts, insomnia, and fibrocystic breast disease. Premenstrual Syndrome refers to a complex of symptoms that arise up to 2 weeks out the month before your menses. PMS may be caused by in imbalances of your hormones including estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, insulin, thyroid, and/or cortisol (adrenal). These imbalances may be caused directly by the individual hormones for instance what happens when estrogen becomes too high. “Estrogen Dominant” is a term to refer to your estrogen being too high relative to your progesterone. This imbalance causes typical PMS symptoms. The imbalances may however be caused by the liver not being able to fully detoxify or metabolize the hormones properly. Therefore evaluating toxins or liver congestion and adding cleansing support is always beneficial. Also another culprit may be not having enough friendly bacteria or intestinal flora in the digestive tract. These little healthy bugs reside in our digestive tract to in part to help breakdown and excrete estrogen. They also make B vitamins and Vitamin K. Therefore constipation may lead and is a risk factor for developing PMS.
- Irritability + Mood Swings
- Back Pain + Cramps
- Cravings for Sugar
- Liver congestion, estrogen dominance, nutritional deficiencies of: Vitamin B6, Magnesium, 5-MTHF (advanced methylated form of folic acid), Omega 3 & 6 Oils (flax, fish, evening primrose or borage oil), high cortisol or stress hormone levels, emotional issues that are not resolved or fully dealt with, candida or intestinal permeability.
- My approach is to focus on an estrogen balancing diet that supports healthy hormone levels and then to supply the necessary nutrients to balance your cycle and your hormones. Special attention to your blood sugar and insulin levels is vital to improving PMS. Also, since high cortisol and low thyroid levels make you more likely to have PMS, balancing and correcting any imbalances is key. In my practice I offer foundational support through diet, specifically blood sugar and estrogen balancing, key nutrients and herbs like Probiotics, B Vitamins, Omega 3, adrenal, stress, and liver support and more specifically symptomatic support for various PMS symptoms with liver and kidney herbs and teas.
