SUNLIGHT Offers Relief from PMS Symptoms

by Rick Mattoon

Wouldn't it be wonderful if something as common as sunlight could improve a condition that adversely affects 27 million American women each year? Well, it may not be wishful thinking any longer. Did you know that some forms of sunlight, along with other home treatments seem to help most women lessen the effects of PMS?

The letters P M S have been the most powerful and controversial letters in the English language since the beginning of time. PMS is short for Premenstrual Syndrome--a condition researchers suspect is a neuro-endocrinopathy, or simply, a hormone disorder originating in the brain.

Women afflicted with PMS typically experience physical symptoms such as bloating, breast tenderness and emotional and behavioral symptoms, such as mood swings, irritability and food cravings. Doctors and researchers have searched long and hard for the cause of PMS, and unfortunately without success.

However, the most current theory involves the abnormal transmission of seratonin in the brain. Seratonin depletion is routinely tied to depressive symptoms due to lack of adequate sunlight.

As they approach menstruation, about 75 percent of all women report some symptoms related to fluctuating hormone levels. For most, these symptoms are mild and do not affect normal daily life. Unfortunately, some women report more severe symptoms, including depression.

Most often, PMS is likely to be a combination of both physiological events and psychological attitudes. Studies have indicated that women in different cultures experience premenstrual events differently. For example, depression was a predominant symptom in Western women, while women in Hong Kong reported pain as a significant onset of PMS.

Physical Symptoms

Nearly all women experience bloating, breast tenderness and slight temporary weight gain. Other PMS symptoms may include gastrointestinal distress, headaches, rashes, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, heart pounding, imbalance, hot flashes, oversensitivity to sounds and smells and insomnia. Cramps and heavy flow are separate conditions and are not considered specific symptoms of PMS.

Emotional Symptoms

Emotional sensitivity is common with PMS, and women report a wide range of related symptoms, including depression, anxiety, anger and agitation. Some women also report difficulty with concentration and some memory loss. However, a recent study found that women with PMS scored as well on tests of mental sharpness during the premenstrual stage as women without PMS. Some women even experience very positive bursts of creative energy before a period.

The vast majority of women who experience PMS are able to tolerate these symptoms and carry on a normal life. However, in almost 5 percent of these women, the symptoms are so severe that they cannot function in their normal daily activities. Because of these potentially harsh effects, it is imperative that women sufferers and men who care for them, try and understand the disorder and possible therapies available.

Early Reports of PMS

In one study, younger women had a higher risk for severe PMS than older women. The onset of menstruation usually occurs at 12 or 13 years. It now is believed than girls may be starting puberty earlier than in the past.

By age 8, 48 percent of African-American girls and 15 percent of Caucasian girls were showing signs of puberty. It was previously thought that only 1 percent of girls exhibited these changes at that age. Being overweight is a risk factor for early puberty and the potential for PMS. It is important to note that the increasing trend toward obesity in the United States may play a role in the decreasing age of puberty.

PMS & Men

For some couples PMS can be a major problem. So how does a man put himself in a better position when dealing with PMS? By educating himself, especially when his partner is not experiencing PMS.

Men need to let their partners know that they want to learn as much as possible about her symptoms, moods and how her body reacts to this syndrome. Men need to learn about the female body. Remember that PMS has a physical component, so she is probably uncomfortable as well as emotionally tense during this time. Ask what you can do to be helpful to her during those times. When couples take the time to understand one another, experts say, both partners typically feel better about the relationship.

Remedies for PMS

Before jumping into treatment with drugs, some doctors have suggested home remedies for the symptoms of PMS.

Diet
Making dietary adjustments about 14 days before a period may help some women with PMS. Some experts suggest eating frequent small meals with no more than three hours between snacks. The general guidelines for any healthy diet are typically recommended, including eating plenty of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and avoiding saturated fats and junk food. Reducing caffeine, sugar and alcohol intake also may be beneficial.

Exercise
Exercise is very important in maintaining good health. One study indicates that PMS is more severe in women who do not regularly exercise. Simply exercising for 30-minutes every day can be beneficial. Although extremely vigorous exercise can cause menstrual irregularity, few women exercise to that extent.

Vitamins
Some reports indicate that deficiencies of vitamin A, E, B-6 and thiamin or other nutrients might enhance symptoms of PMS. However, no specific studies have confirmed this. Be sure to consult a physician before starting any dietary supplement program.

Identifying Sources of Stress
Often, women do not recognize that the decline in their mood and the premenstrual phase overlap. It may be useful to start the process of stress reduction with an informal diary of daily events and activities tracked by days of the menstrual cycle. Next, notice the activities that strain energy, trigger anger or initiate a negative physical response, such as stomach pain or headache. Women should try and identify two or three events or activities that have been upsetting or overwhelming and try to avoid these situations especially during the menstrual phase.

Light Therapy
The importance of light for health has been acknowledged since the beginning of time in home remedy, as well as modern medicine. For example, insufficient levels of light can cause Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), whose successful treatment with artificial light is well established. Now many new forms of light therapy are starting to emerge. Some of these therapies are made possible by modern technology and others from a rediscovery of older, pre-technological therapies.

Dr. D.J. Anderson, of the Royal Postgraduate School at Hammersmith Hospital in London, completed a study using light therapy for PMS. The results were reported in The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The women in the study had previously tried other PMS treatments without success.

How can something as simple as light have such a beneficial effect? There are several theoretical explanations. However, some researchers suggest that light drives and entrains the "internal rhythms" of the brain, speeding up slow brain waves. Anderson believes that during PMS and other disorders the body's internal clock becomes "de-synchronized" from the external rhythm of day and night and light therapy helps the clock to "resynchronize" by improving the general level of communication between different parts of the brain. This adjustment seems to be tied directly to the production of seratonin. Depressive symptoms may occur when seratonin is not released in sufficient quantities.

In Dr. Anderson's six-month study, women with confirmed, severe and long-standing PMS used light therapy every day (11-29 minutes each day) for up to four menstrual cycles. At the end of the treatment, symptoms such as depression, anxiety, irritability, poor concentration, fatigue, food cravings, bloating and breast pain were reduced by 76 percent!

Originally, Dr. Anderson developed his light therapy for the treatment of migraines. In the course of his work he discovered that it also was very effective for PMS.

Additional studies are underway or planned to study the use of light therapy in areas where it is thought to be effective, such as sleep disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Dr. Anderson's studies are some of the first to be conducted in a formal setting of a research hospital and are some of the first to be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

More studies and continued research are necessary to fully explain the specific role light therapy may play in giving relief to such disorders as PMS. And, a person should always consult their physician when symptoms of any type take on a more chronic nature.

However, with news like this that reinforces the belief that moderate, sensible and responsible exposure to light, including light generated from indoor tanning units, may enhance a person's overall well-being while creating a cosmetically appealing appearance. Any steadfast suggestions to the contrary are unfortunate especially for individuals seeking non-chemical, therapeutic relief from such symptoms experienced with premenstrual syndrome.

[ Clinical Diagnosis of PMS ]

With more than 150 symptoms attributed to PMS, The American Psychiatric Association uses specific symptoms that occur during the last week of the luteal phase in most menstrual cycles for positive diagnosis. These symptoms should resolve within a few days after the period starts.

For PMS to be verified, five or more of the following symptoms must exist:

• Feeling of sadness or hopelessness, possible suicidal thoughts
• Feelings of tension or anxiety
• Mood swings marked by periods of teariness
• Persistent irritability or anger that affects other people
• Disinterest in daily activities and relationships
• Trouble concentrating
• Fatigue or low energy
• Food cravings or bingeing
• Sleep disturbances
• Feeling out of control
• Physical symptoms, such as bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, and joint or muscle pain