If you have been suffering with menstrual pain and pre menstrual symptoms (PMS) and nothing seems to help, then you are like many of the women I have been helping over the years, to recover from symptoms of hormonal imbalance.
Throughout my practising years as an osteopath I often notice that women having come for osteopathic treatment for various health reasons, often suffer from severe pre-menstrual symptoms headaches, mood swings, bloating, and other hormonal related problems that they unconsciously accept without a second thought
Just because you’re a woman it doesn’t mean you have to live with these symptoms. The real fact is that suffering related to menstrual cycles is unnecessary and not caused by bad luck, but by a combination of several factors such as bad diet, environmental toxins, stress, poor mobility of abdominal and pelvic organs, scarring following abdominal or pelvic surgeries ….just to name few.
I want to tell you about a patient whose story might sound familiar to you….
Laure (I am using a false name) came to see me because of a persistent swollen and painful knee.
She could hardly walk, she had an MRI, an arthroscopy and x Ray done to her knee and nothing abnormal showed up.
She had been in pain on and off for several months.
During the conversation emerged that she had been suffering for most of her adult life with very painful and heavy periods, severe mood swings and anxiety in the 2 weeks preceding her period.
For her this was all normal as “we all get it isn’t it? It’s part of being a woman”
She had tried going on to the pill and other forms of synthetics hormones which unfortunately caused more severe side effects, so she decided to come off them and bear the pain.
For Laure the periods pain and mood swings had become the norm and unfortunately the causative factors underlying her hormonal symptoms now started to affect other parts of her body, the knee.
After a lengthy conversation about her health, life and lifestyle and after a thorough osteopathic examination, we discussed which areas of her body were “off balance” and needed treatment and we also identified diet and lifestyle factors that were contributing to her symptoms and needed to be addressed.
Laure was committed to her health and determined to make changes as she realised her symptoms were impacting on several other aspects of her life.
She followed all my advices and received osteopathic treatments that we timed at specific intervals of her menstrual cycle, over the course of 3 months.
Her menstrual complaints and pre menstrual symptoms diminished and eventually completely disappeared, the knee pain and swelling went away and she became pregnant, something that she had been trying for long time without success.
The real cause for menstrual symptoms is simply this: your hormones become unbalanced and your body is unable to find a homeostasis.
And here’s the hard truth unfortunately: hormonal imbalances are an epidemic.
I am seeing the rates spike across the board, in both women and men, across age ranges.
That’s in my opinion due to a combination of factors. I will list the most common (not necessarily in an order of importance):
- Bad food choices
- Rising stress level
- Chronic Inflammation
- Impaired detoxification
- Emotional trauma that constantly stress our hormonal and immune system ( I will discuss more about the neuroendocrine mechanism in a separate post)
- Inability of organs to function to their optimal level due to undue tensions and strains (said in very simple terms)
- High level of xenoestrogens (toxic chemicals that mimic the behaviour of oestrogens) in our modern environment that disrupt the natural hormonal regulatory mechanisms. Xenoestrogens are everywhere, in our food, personal care products, furniture and clothes. From the water we drink to the food we eat, you encounter a shocking number of these endocrine-disrupting xenoestrogens in the course of a day, without even knowing it.
It scares me when I think about how toxic our world has become.
That’s why I’m even more passionate about not only helping your body to function better and be symptoms free, but also arming you with the knowledge you need to make smart choices for yourself and your family.
By the way, some time ago I published on my facebook page a short video explaining the effects of xenoestrogens and their mode of action in our body. Do check it out: https://www.facebook.com/paolapizzutoosteopathy/
What can we do to help ourselves?
A good starting point is to:
- Avoid high-sugar, refined carbohydrate diet to help reduce inflammation, improve oestrogen metabolism and reduce oxidative stress. A poor diet or malabsorption issues can inhibit the supply of nutrients needed for hormones production, action and elimination.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol intake to help your liver, an organ involved, amongst other things, in the oestrogen clearance
- Use stress management techniques such as yoga or meditation
- Start your morning with a large glass of warm water with a squeeze of fresh lemon in it, such a good way to gently help your liver and gall bladder
- Buy meat of animals raised without chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics
- Switch to natural personal care products to avoid oestrogen mimiching toxins
- Choose organic fruits and vegetables
- Using cookware made with clean materials
- Avoid all plastics
- Do regular exercise
My mission is, not only to help you recover from health concerns and pain, but to also serve as an educational and motivational resource who can help you live a fuller life. On all different levels.
Doesn’t it seem ironic that we are all taught to invest in so many areas of life, but that our own basic level of health and well-being does not make it onto the top of our priority list?
What I am going to say may take a leap of faith on your part, or you may ‘get it’ already. But this has certainly been my own direct experience, along with so many of the patients I have worked with over the years.
When you invest in your health, every other aspect of your life becomes that much more abundant, fulfilling, and successful. This is because your health is the foundation for every aspect of your life.
If you are like many of my patients, you have been strugling with hormonal issues and you want to get to the bottom of your health problems, embrace a healthier lifestyle,contact me.
I am interested in hearing your story and how I can help you and guide you through a process of changes and better health.
Feel free to tag your friends who might benefit from reading this article.
To your health,
Paola
Paola Pizzuto is a registered Osteopath in Edinburgh with a commitment and dedication to helping people achieve better health.