Don’t you just love the fatigue, moodiness, irritability, depression, anxiety, bloating, craving anything and everything and more? Yeah, no f*cking thank you. (Can you tell I’m PMSing right now?!)

We suffer from PMS yet we grin and bear it because we have a life to live and responsibilities and we try our best not to let it debilitate us.

I can remember being a teenager and thinking to myself, ‘This can’t be how I’m supposed to feel for the next 30+ years. How can I function like this? Am I the only one who feels this pain, anxiety, cravings and bloating? MY GOD! This is crazy! Ah. I feel crazy!’

What teenage Di didn’t know is that she was not alone. She didn’t have to continue to suffer for over 30 years. She also didn’t know that there were answers out there other than, to just live with it.

Did you know that 75% of women suffer from PMS? (See, we’re totally not alone in this!)
And around 20% of women suffer from PMS so badly that they find it hard to function.
Even worse, 8% of those women suffer to such an extreme that the medical world has renamed PMS to Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (for short, PMDD) and they need medical treatment to get through it.

PMS usually happens within 7 to 10 days before your cycle but you probably knew that because your symptoms tell you what time of the month it is!

You have probably treated your PMS with pain relievers, antidepressants, laxatives, etc, etc. But instead of looking at where PMS actually comes from and what actually causes it, we have just put a band-aid on the symptoms that will just continue to come back. And we’ve accepted it because we are women, this is just a part of being a woman.

Ummm. No. We don’t deserve to feel like sh*t at least one week out of the month! We cannot accept this. Let’s dig deeper and look at the root causes.

3 MAIN Causes of PMS:

1.     Estrogen Dominance– it’s so common amongst us women that we don’t even know it’s there. We just think…oh hell, it’s PMS again. But it’s more than that. The root of PMS is estrogen dominance. When estrogen is dominant in your body, your progesterone level decreases making it difficult for our body to function normally. We NEED estrogen and progesterone to work together throughout our bodies but if estrogen is too high and progesterone, of course, too low, then that work is completely impossible throwing your entire system off kilter and thus creating symptoms found in PMS. Also, it’s important to note that if you are constipated and have a hormonal imbalance, your body is trying to eliminate estrogen through your poop but because you’re not actually pooping, your body is reabsorbing that estrogen creating a vicious cycle of estrogen dominance.
2.     Candida-We all have candida in our bodies and the right amount assists with digestion and nutrient absorption. Yet, problems arise when candida overgrowth occurs which is more common than you think. Over 70% of all Americans are believed to have some stage of candida overgrowth. Your diet highly affects the growth of candida. When you consume foods high in sugar and preservatives, your body becomes a breeding ground for candida AND your immune system greatly weakens. Ok, so what the heck does this mean? It means that when candida grows out of control, you suffer the wicked symptoms linked to PMS.
3.     Copper Toxicity-When we have too much copper in our bodies (which so many of us do), typically we see a decrease in zinc. Why is this important? Because when copper is high and zinc is low, your body becomes prime real estate for PMS symptoms. Copper Toxicity can be reduced by the foods you eat. Also, discontinuing birth control and removing copper IUDs can greatly reduce the levels of copper in your body, thus relieving some of the symptoms of PMS.

As you can see, these root causes could be your problem, NOT PMS.

PMS is the symptom! To clear it up, we MUST treat the root causes.

Now that you’ve got all this knowledge about the core of PMS, don’t you want to know how to fix it?

Your diet is more important than you think.

USING FOOD AS MEDICINE TO HEAL PMS

Here’s a list of foods that are a big NO NO if you want to rid yourself of PMS:

•      High fructose corn syrup and refined sugar-when you eat this junk your blood sugar fluctuates causing headaches and mood swings and inflammation. Plus, it helps candida thrive and feeds estrogen dominance. 
  • LABEL ALERT:  Did you know?  HFCS falls under the category ‘natural flavor’ and can be legally labeled as such. CHECK YOUR LABELS. This is one of the most deceiving Label Lie of them all!
•      Alcohol-when you consume alcohol it exacerbates your PMS symptoms and encourages cramping during your period. Oh yeah, and guess what? Alcohol makes candida worse too. Yuck!
•      Trans fats and hydrogenated fats-these sticky man made fats ‘back up’ in your blood and cause blood clotting. Look for ‘partially hydrogenated’ X oil on your labels, and canola, peanut, vegetable oils (which are GMO). THESE are the ‘bad fat’s we should avoid (as opposed to healthy fats like coconut oil, avocados, salmon, most nuts and seeds)! Processed PUFA’s = AVOID!
•      Caffeine-how about a nice big cup of tender breasts, unbalanced hormones, anxiety and depression? Yeah, no thanks.  Don’t believe me?  READ THIS ARTICLE that will probably convince you to ditch the ‘But First…Coffee’ mindset.  
•      Non-organic meat, dairy and eggs-it’s simple. Eat organic. The meat, dairy and eggs that are not organic are commercially raised and loaded with hormones, antibiotics, and steroids and are ‘beefed up’ with a super inflammatory diet rich with gene altering GMO’s, grains, cement dust, feathers, newspapers, bubble gum wrappers, straws and anything else that’s cheap to make them bigger so they can sell more.

Here’s the good news…we can do more than just throw medicine at our problem! We’ve got to find some natural treatment options.

Ok, before you go any further, we have to tell you about this awesome program that encompasses all of the following. It’s called The Warrior Cleanse. We teach you what to eat, how to detox your body of its toxins and how to start a lifestyle that rids you of all future problems including estrogen dominance, candida and copper toxicity.

The Top 5 Ways to treat PMS (and the causes – Estrogen Dominance, Candida and Copper Toxicity):

1. Diet

• Remove all of the above NO NO’s I mentioned.
• Eat cruciferous veggies (eat more fiber!)- we need to get 1 – 2 pounds of cruciferous veggies a day. They flush out the estrogen. So make broccoli, arugula, bok choy, Brussel sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower your new best friends!
• Make sure you get enough protein
• Eat enough throughout your day
• EAT ORGANIC- pesticides, herbicides and fungicides are all over our food if it’s not organic and they are LOADED with environmental estrogen. So please, if you do anything, let it be eating organic.
• Remove all common allergens from your diet like dairy and gluten.

2. Supplements

• Zinc– As I mentioned earlier, low zinc creates a home for Copper Toxicity. Getting enough Zinc plays a huge part in hormone balance and production. It helps increase progesterone and lower estrogen.
• Magnesium– is SUPER important for so many things but it’s REQUIRED to metabolize estrogen. And so, when it comes to estrogen dominance, it helps regulate the estrogen and progesterone to natural levels that your body needs, likes and wants. It also flushes the bad estrogen out of your body. And bonus…it helps sleep patterns too. Wait! There’s more….magnesium supports your digestive system and the bowels so you also get some healthy ass poops too!
• B Vitamins– are important for energy and also make hormones. B Vitamins are like the little worker who gets everything done in your body. They take things where they need to be and like magnesium, they metabolize estrogen and get rid of the bad estrogens in your body. Side note: when we stress, we actually deplete ourselves of B Vitamins. So, just breathe. Relax. It’s that easy isn’t it? (I WISH!)
• Probiotics– our gut bacteria rule everything. They make, release and synthesize vitamins and hormones. Probiotics not only restore the good bacteria in our gut and crowd out and bully out things like Candida, but they also can seal and heal the lining of our intestines. So even if we do have some Candida, it can’t travel throughout the body and cause systemic damage.
• Ashwagandha– this one’s a great one! Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb meaning it helps our bodies adapt to the stress around us. And we all know, us women have all sorts of stressful things in our lives right now. And we’ll do whatever we have to in order to reduce stress! Am I right?
• Primrose oil– helps support our PMS and ovulation cycle. It also helps reduce inflammation and blood clotting.
• DIM– helps detox harmful estrogen (that increases our odds of cancer, and PMS) from the liver
• Black Cohosh– is one of the only known substance that can raise progesterone levels which could help your body stabilize hormones on its own.
• Other essential oils– geranium, chamomile, clary sage and marjoram all support the endocrine system and PMS. They stabilize and harmonize the progesterone, estrogen and the detoxification pathways of the body. Apply them to any ‘problem area’ on your body.

IMPORTANT – Brands matter!

BIG TIME.
MORE THAN YOU THINK!

Because the supplement industry is very unregulated and many companies make sketchy claims and inflated results, it is CRUCIAL you only take supplements and herbs that are of THE highest quality without binders, fillers, synthetic ingredients, dyes, flavors, etc. that end up causing MORE damage than good.  You want to ditch your symptoms and get to the root of why you’re having them, not add to the problem with chemicals and toxins that are likely the cause of your suffering to begin with.

Many of these formulas appear on Amazon at a lower price, but I have learned NOT to trust them. Many are fake today, and sell expired herbs or formulas that arrive contaminated or in poor condition because they are not handled, stored or shipped well. It’s safe to say that approximately 90% + of the supplements out there today are filled with these life draining ingredients.

Sooooo, I did all the work for you so you don’t have to take a 2 year course in Herb-ology (you’re welcome – heehee).

It’s a VERY challenging feat to truly understand ingredients in formulas and how they can counter one another, etc.  I have tried these on myself, and I never recommend nor stand behind anything unless I have tried it myself.

It’s like you’re walking into a Natural Foods store and I’m there waiting to greet you. “Hey Unicorn Sis, how can I help?…Oh you want to divorce your PMS symptoms, great let me show you the top 3 I recommend that will help with PMS as well as other issues that are rooted in these nutrient deficiencies like sleep issues, constipation, fat burning/weight loss, improved mood and immune health to name a few.

All you have to do is set up an account with your name and email address – NO, you don’t get spammed at all, it’s just so you can shop as the herbs in this dispensary are mostly only available through a licensed and specialized practitioner like myself. Once you’re in there, you’ll see there’s an entire category on Hormone Balance, which you’ll find a TON of great formulas.  But, I would start from the ground up in the following order:

#1 – Do The Warrior Cleanse … get your foundation of diet, rest, exercise, adaptogens (herbs we teach you to incorporate that help you adapt to stress = less PMS), mindset and stress reduction

#2 – Take the Top 3 Stress minerals listed in the store (Zinc, Magnesium, B Vitamins)

#3 – Try 1 or more of the formulas in the ‘Top 3 PMS’ Supplements

If you would rather have me guide you, I would be happy to have a call with you to get you organized so you know which to prioritize.  Pick the ‘New Client’ option on my Schedule HERE

3.    Water
   

   Everyone says drink plenty of water! But girl, I’m telling you, you need this. Drinking plenty of water is important, especially from a Berkey Water filter (link). A Berkey Water Filter is a really inexpensive way to filter out pharmaceuticals, specifically benzodiazepines, mood-altering drugs and estrogen from birth controls that our towns and cities can’t filter out. Yeah, there’s all that sh*t in our water. Yikes. Grab yourself a Berkey and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

4.     Sweat it Out!

   Exercise is a great way to sweat out all the toxins in your body but an even better way is near infrared sauna treatment. It boosts your energy, relieves pain, increases strength, helps you lose weight (who wouldn’t love that?!) and so much more. Near infrared saunas (THIS IS THE ONE I RECOMMEND) are truly the best way to really sweat it out!

5.   Sex!

   Speaking of sweat….(wink, wink). Not only for the sweat factor but more importantly, sex reduces stress and actually detoxifies your body. This might be your favorite way to treat PMS. So go ahead girl, enjoy!

You see ladies, PMS is not just something you should have to settle with. You are a beautiful Warrior princess and deserve to feel wonderful every single day!

To free yourself from Estrogen Dominance, Candida, Copper Toxicity and as a result, PMS, check out our Warrior Cleanse. We’re here to help and guide you on your journey to healing!

OUR GIFT TO YOU = PMS HEALING SALAD RECIPE

I made this salad for our Ovaries.  Sing it with me….I love my Oh Oh Oh Ohhhhvaries!

The foods you will see in this salad offer the following Hormone loving, pain and bloat relieving vitamins, using food as Medicine.  This recipe is the BOMB.  😉  The top 3 vitamins we need to have ‘invisible periods’ can be found in the foods in this salad!  AND IT TASTES SOOOO GOOD!

• B Vitamins – avocado and salmon are super rich in B vitamins (give us energy)
• OMEGA 3’S – salmon and spinach  (relieves pain, fights inflammation)
• MAGNESIUM – spinach and pumpkin or sunflower seeds (relaxes and calms us)

CHECK IT OUT HERE so you don’t end up drooling on your phone and you can use the enzymes in your saliva to break down the nutrient goodness in this salad…your Ovaries will thank you…now and forever!