Treating PMS with Naturopathic Medicine

PMS is a condition I treat very commonly in my NW Calgary Naturopathic Medicine practice, and while the symptoms that comprise this condition are common, they are symptoms that respond very well to Naturopathic treatments. Women can experience a wide variety of symptoms in the days leading up to menstruation, at various intensities and duration. Some of these symptoms can include cramping, low back pain, food cravings, abdominal bloating, constipation or diarrhea, mood changes (depression, anxiety, irritability, feeling more emotional or teary), breast tenderness or swelling, acne, changes in sleep, and fatigue. Although in some women these symptoms are mild, in other women these symptoms are significant enough to impact quality of life, and affect work attendance and other important day to day tasks.

My goal as a Naturopathic Doctor is to minimize or eliminate these symptoms in my patients. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to get your period without your quality of life being impacted for days prior? Together we can work towards this goal with many of the treatment options below. Keep reading to see how Naturopathic Medicine can reduce or eliminate your symptoms of PMS.

Acupuncture for treating PMS

This is a very powerful method of treating this condition. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, the organ that is energetically linked to menstruation is the Liver. By inserting acupuncture needles along the Liver meridian, as well as in other hormonal points, we can see a significant improvement in a patients symptoms, especially for cramping, fatigue, and mood changes. You can read more about acupuncture here.

Vitamins and Supplements

These definitely play a huge role in the treatment of my patients, with an improvement being seen as quickly as the next menstrual cycle. Depending on a patients symptoms, we can see a link to certain vitamins or nutrients that are deficient, and by supplementing with these we can see a significant improvement rather quickly. B12 injections are also commonly used. I always want to ensure that the vitamins and supplements I am prescribing are safe for my patients based on their medications and health history. You can read more about this here.

Botanical Medicine/Herbs

Herbs play a significant role in treatment as well, with herbs that are used to balance hormones, or used to support Liver detoxification or even cramping. While herbs don’t typically comprise my first step of treatment, I definitely use them in patients that need a little bit more support for their symptoms. You can read more about Botanical Medicine here.

Bowen Therapy

This is an option that can be used for menstrual cramping and low back pain, and I’ve seen great results with this technique in my practice in women suffering from these symptoms. We can also use it for headaches and breast tenderness that may accompany symptoms of PMS. You can read more about Bowen Therapy here.

Lifestyle counseling

Stress plays a large role in a woman’s symptoms and so methods of stress management are vital in the treatment of this condition. Exercise is also important in reducing one’s symptoms, especially the heaviness that a woman may feel in her lower abdomen, by increasing blood flow to the pelvis.

As you can see there are many options that can be used in the treatment of PMS. If a woman’s symptoms are significantly impacting her quality of life, I would probably use multiple treatments concurrently to get results more quickly. There is no need to suffer with these symptoms, although they are so common. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at my NW Calgary Naturopathic Medicine practice to discuss how I can help you!

Dr. Ramona Charikar

Naturopathic Vitality Acupuncture and Wellness Clinic

205-5403 Crowchild Trail NW, Calgary, AB