I fainted walking home one day last spring, and cresting waves of nausea, drowsiness and pain kept me bed-ridden and in agony for four days until I finally went to see my family doctor. In an effort to deal with severe menstrual cramps, I was taking Tylenol 3 with codeine and a few Advils here and there, unknowingly making my symptoms worse due to an undiagnosed allergy to codeine and almost giving myself an ulcer by mixing painkillers.
This is exactly the kind of situation author Linda Woolven hopes women with PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and period pain will avoid by spelling out a different vision of menstrual health in her book The Smart Woman’s Guide to PMS and Pain-free Periods (Wiley, 160 pp.). By learning how to naturally regulate their menstrual cycles without the harsh side-effects of prescription painkillers and other pharmaceuticals, women of all ages can find safe ways of bringing their bodies into balance.
Woolven, a Toronto-based master herbalist, acupuncturist and counsellor, has written this concise and thorough book to help the millions of women afflicted with PMS and period pain. In this elegantly written little reference book, she expertly combines leading research with her own clinical experience in an easy-to-read, how-to guide for women. With nicely laid out descriptions of common problems (painful periods, excessive blood flow or the absence of periods) to ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids and help for endometriosis, pregnancy and menopause and even advice for weight loss, Woolven covers a broad range of women’s health topics with practical advice and sample protocols for a course of treatment.
“Women have been living with it [PMS and other facets of women’s menstrual health] for so long and they don’t have to. Whether it’s mild or severe, there’s so much easy relief… it’s real. For years, women have been told, ‘It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.’ It would be really nice for women to have every day as nice as every other day of the month,” she says.
Wolven covers dietary recommendations, herbs, lifestyle changes and seeking assistance from natural health practitioners. She explains the reasons behind many common PMS symptoms. For one, why do women crave chocolate when we’re PMS-ing? Woolven says it’s not only due to its high sugar content, but also its magnesium. Many women are deficient in magnesium, and it is one of the main nutrients that is used to treat PMS. Also, chocolate helps to release serotonin, letting you feel less anxious and depressed. One of the major factors in PMS is elevated estrogen levels and low progesterone levels. Woolven spells out some of the simple dietary changes that can help to balance these hormones. High on the list is eating plenty of soy. It contains phytoestrogens, which balance estrogen levels. If they are too low, soy products (tofu, tempeh, soybeans, etc.) bring up levels of estrogen. If too high, they will bring them down. “Phytoestrogens can actually inhibit breast cancer while chemical hormones can actually cause it,” says Woolven. Eat whole grains. Eating more fibre helps to balance hormones by assisting your body in removing excess estrogen. Her book’s recommendations make sense not just for menstrual health, but overall health for women of all ages.
