Making these five simple dietary changes will reduce cramps, bleeding, PMS, and improve your mood in just five weeks.
1. Stop eating red meat, we're talking beef.
2. Stop all full fat dairy. This means ice cream, cheese, full fat yogurt and all milk. You can have low fat or non fat yogurt and cottage cheese.
3. Increase foods that have omega-3 fats, like nuts, seeds, dark green leafy vegetables. Fish is a good choice, but choose fish that are lowest in mercury, like wild salmon and sardines. Check out
EWG for the most updated list.
4. For 3-6 months take 3 nutritional supplements: 1 capsule of Evening Primrose Oil (total GLA should equal at least 250 mg), 1 capsule of Fish Oil (Total EPA + DHA should equal at least 500 mg). Read the labels to confirm the strength and make sure the fish oil is guaranteed pure and free of metals and PCB's. Finally, the tried and true menstrual herb is called Chasteberry or also called Vitex. The usual dose is 1 twice daily.
5. And finally, remember to
breathe. Find some form of daily relaxation to turn off those stress hormones. Balancing your cortisol will have a huge effect on your mood and inflammation, which in turn effect all of your symptoms.
Published June 16, 2011 at 9:00 AM
About Dr. Susan Blum
A pioneer in Functional Medicine, Dr. Susan Blum has been treating, healing and preventing chronic diseases for the last decade. Her passion and dedication for identifying and addressing the root causes of chronic illness through the groundbreaking whole body approach known as Functional Medicine, is helping to transform our healthcare system.
Dr. Blum completed her Internal Medicine training at St-Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, her residency in Preventive Medicine at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, and is Board Certified in Preventive Medicine. She received her Masters in Public Health at Columbia University, and her training in Functional Medicine from The Institute for Functional Medicine, in Gig Harbor, Washington.
In addition to her role as Founder of The Blum Center for Health, Dr. Blum is Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and is on staff at Greenwich Hospital as an Integrative Medicine Specialist in the Medicine Department. She is also a member of the Senior Teaching Faculty at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C. and teaches throughout the country in their training programs.
Website: BlumCenterforHealth.com
Facebook: Blum Center for Health
More from Dr. Susan Blum on MindBodyGreen
4 Tips for a Healthy Spring Cleaning
5 Food Tips to Beat the Winter Blues
5 Healthy Food Tips for a Healthy Gut
5 Tips for Getting Back into a Healthy Fall Rhythm
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