Homeopathic Relief for PMS

It was not simply a coincidence that a large number of leading American suffragettes during the nineteenth century were advocates of homeopathic medicine. Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Julia Ward Howe, Louisa May Alcott, and Lucretia Mott were but some of the nineteenth-century feminists who considered both women’s rights and homeopathic medicine (cross link) to be important ways to create a healthier society.

Homeopathic remedies made sense to women in the nineteenth century (and to women today!) because they nourish and nurture the body’s own defenses, unlike the methodology of powerful drugs. By contrast, pharmaceutical medicines attack the disease and its symptoms, causing unwanted side effects in the process. Women can use natural homeopathic medicines as single remedies or in combination formulas to treat themselves for common ailments. But it’s important to recognize that serious and chronic symptoms call for the care of a professional homeopath.

Homeopathy and PMS
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is one of the common female health concerns that homeopathic medicines are quite effective in treating. Even women who are completely new to homeopathy can often find an individualized homeopathic medicine that will help reduce the pains and discomforts of PMS.

PMS is not a disease that is localized to any part of a woman’s body. It is, by its very name, a syndrome, or a pattern of physical and psychological symptoms that a woman experiences. A conventional drug, such as a diuretic, may reduce the swelling that a woman experiences premenstrually, but it will not alleviate other common symptoms of this syndrome. Likewise, common painkillers will provide short-term benefits but may have long-term consequences.

In contrast, homeopathic medicines are specifically prescribed for syndromes, not just individual symptoms. Distinct from the conventional medical approach and even many alternative therapies, the homeopathic approach doesn’t treat disease as local to any single part of the body, but rather as part of an overall syndrome of body and mind characteristics.

Based in Science
As for research on homeopathy and PMS, one double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that women who were prescribed an individually chosen homeopathic medicine experienced significantly greater improvement than those who underwent the same homeopathic interview but who were prescribed a placebo. This study found that 90 percent of women given a homeopathic medicine experienced at least a 30 percent reduction in symptoms, while only 37 percent of those given a placebo experienced a similar degree of relief. The women given the homeopathic medicine experienced fewer sick days from work and also used fewer conventional drugs. Another small double-blind study with women suffering from premenstrual breast pain found that, after two months, those taking Folliculinum 9C (a homeopathic form of estrogen) reported results that were better than placebo.

PMS Relief
Backed by 200-plus years of clinical experience, the use of homeopathic formulas is a user-friendly method of self-treatment for women with PMS.

Belladonna (deadly nightshade) is indicated for cramps in women with throbbing pains that come on suddenly, go away suddenly, and then return again suddenly. These pains tend to be worse on the right side. Motion aggravates the pain, as does even slight jarring, and there is some relief when sitting in a semierect position or bending backward. Senses tend to be hyperacute; your dreams are more vivid, wild, and possibly scary.

Magnesia phosphorica (phosphate of magnesia) is indicated for cramps that are relieved by bending forward, applying warmth, or taking a hot bath. You may be forgetful or drowsy when trying to study or focus your attention.

Colocynthis (bitter cucumber) should be considered when you feel some reduction in pain by bending over a chair and applying strong pressure to a painful abdomen. The pains are aggravated by exposure to cold or draft, lying on the painless side, and eating any food. Typically, you also feel very irritable. Sometimes your pain begins after a bout of anger or vexation.

Pulsatilla (windflower) may be beneficial for women who feel weepy and moody during their premenstrual cramps or who want sympathy and affection during this time. Also, if you experience frequently changing premenstrual symptoms, you may require this remedy. You may also feel worse in warm or stuffy rooms and better in the open air. You tend to have little or no thirst, and your overall health and specific symptoms are aggravated by eating rich or fatty foods.

If the descriptions of the medicines above don’t seem to fit your unique set of symptoms, I recommend using a homeopathic combination formula. Also readily available in most health food stores, combination formulas include two to ten of the common homeopathic medicines for PMS. Many women will benefit from at least one of the ingredients in the formula (or from the entire formula itself).

It’s important to note that although some of the medicines are “poisons” in nature, the homeopathic doses are so small that even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers them safe. This means that you do not need a doctor’s prescription to purchase homeopathic remedies.

Dana Ullman, MPH, has written seven books on homeopathy, including Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines and Homeopathy A-Z. He has also published 35 books by his colleagues in the field and served in teaching or advisory capacities to alternative medicine institutes at Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Arizona. To learn more, visit www.homeopathic.com. “Clinical trials in homeopathy: Treatment of mastodynia due to premenstrual syndrome” by C. Lepaisant, Rev Fr Gynecol Obstet, 2/95 The Consumer’s Guide to Homeopathy by Dana Ullman, MPH ($14.95, Tarcher, 1995) “Effects of homeopathic treatment in women with premenstrual syndrome: A pilot study” by M. Yakir et al., Br Homeopath J, 7/01