You’ve spent the day feeling a mixture of sadness and irritation. You can’t seem to bring yourself to get around to your normal routine, everything feels ten times harder and you can sense a migraine beginning inside your head. Your clothes don’t fit like they should and you tossed and turned last night. What is going on? If you’re a woman who experiences a menstrual cycle, this chain of events can be a monthly part of life.

What is PMS?

Premenstrual syndrome is the term for a collection of symptoms that occur regularly prior to menstruation. You can experience symptoms anytime during the two weeks leading up to your period when the hormones estrogen and progesterone levels drop after ovulation. Women can experience a variety of symptoms in varying degrees during this time. Once menstruation begins, the symptoms generally subside but can pick up again during the same phase of your cycle next month.

What are the most common symptoms of PMS?

PMS is quite common, with some estimates reporting that eight out of ten women regularly suffer from PMS. Symptoms can be quite varied and although the symptoms can become predictable, they may change throughout different phases of life. Some of the most common symptoms of PMS include:

• Changes in appetite – lack of hunger or intense food cravings
• Breast sensations – breasts may feel swollen or tender
• Body aches – from cramps and backaches to joint pain
• Digestive issues – from bloating and gas to diarrhea or constipation
• Mood changes – feelings of irritability, overwhelm, sadness, or intensified emotions
• Changes in sleep patterns – insomnia or feeling tired even after sleep
• Headaches and migraines
• Feeling tired for no reason
• Loss of libido
• Weight gain due to fluid retention
• Having trouble concentrating, experiencing brain fog or short-term memory issues
• Acne flare-ups

How can a PMS impact your daily life?

As you can see, there are quite a few symptoms associated with PMS and oftentimes, those who experience PMS will suffer from more than one at the same time. When these are experienced every few weeks routinely, throughout the year, it can be quite disruptive to anyone’s life. Physical discomfort like aches and fatigue can make it challenging to perform life’s routine tasks.

To add to this, mood swings and irritability add tension to relationships and make it hard to focus. Patients feel the disruption with missed workouts, less productivity at work, more outbursts and breakdowns which take an emotional toll on the patient and their immediate family. This can make each month feel like a physical and emotional roller coaster, particularly if their period also brings about discomfort and its own set of symptoms.

What are the most common treatments for PMS?

Conventional treatments for PMS will often include some type of over-the-counter or prescription medication. These medications can include diuretics to reduce swelling that some patients experience. Over-the-counter medications like aspirin and ibuprofen are also recommended for pain. For more severe symptoms, birth control pills and antidepressants are commonly prescribed.

What are the drawbacks/side effects of traditional treatments?

Diuretics reduce the amount of swelling in the body by flushing the system of water. This means more urination occurs and more trips to the bathroom are necessary. This can sometimes disrupt a woman’s routine particularly while at work. Additionally these medications can cause side effects from lightheadedness and tiredness to muscle cramping (symptoms that someone with PMS may already be experiencing.

Birth control pills, although helpful in preventing pregnancy, can sometimes cause patients to experience mood swings and intense emotions. Other side effects of birth control pills can mimic the symptoms of PMS, such as acne, weight gain, headaches, and breast tenderness. Antidepressants often come with a number of warnings regarding self-harm and suicide for certain patients. Antidepressants can also cause other side effects, from loss of libido to nausea and insomnia.

The underlying issue with all of the medication options listed above is simple – none of them actually address imbalances in the body which can intensify PMS symptoms. Pain medications only offer a few hours of relief, while therapies like birth control pills need to be taken continuously every day for them to be effective.

How can chiropractic care help alleviate the symptoms of PMS?

You might not automatically think to turn to a chiropractor for relieving the symptoms of PMS. However, chiropractors take a holistic view of the body, meaning they study how some parts of the body that are out of balance can affect other parts causing chronic pain and recurring symptoms. In fact, a misalignment in the spine can actually interfere with the nerves that regulate the nervous systems, and in turn the body’s hormonal balance. From this perspective, chiropractors are the ideal healthcare provider for relieving PMS symptoms.

In addition to addressing any spinal misalignments, with chiropractic adjustments, an experienced chiropractor will also incorporate other therapies, such as soft tissue therapy, to help improve circulation and reduce inflammation. This can relieve many of the physical discomforts of PMS.

Oakland Spine & Physical Therapy Offers a Natural Solution for PMS

At Oakland Spine and Physical Therapy, we understand that PMS can include multiple uncomfortable symptoms that get in the way of living your best life. Through natural, non-invasive and drug-free therapies, like spinal adjustments, we can help bring better balance to your hormones. This isn’t a band-aid effect that wears off in a few hours. Instead, it’s a long-term solution which helps alleviate the intensity of symptoms and helps bring relief to those who suffer every month from the ups and downs of PMS.

Whether PMS is sabotaging your fitness goals, causing family friction, or just mentally and physically exhausting you, we are here to help. Our patient, compassionate team takes a comprehensive look at your lifestyle, symptoms, and health history to create a customized plan of therapy just for you. Our team incorporates lifestyle improvements, massage therapy, and chiropractic care to provide a long-term solution without the need for risky medication.