Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD
PMS symptoms can be prevented with Naturopathic Medicine and balancing hormones. PMS in real life and on paper looks pretty ugly. I love to show women with "Biphasic Hormone Labs" what their PMS hormones look like so they can understand that a lot of what they go through every month with their imbalanced hormones is pretty severe. Anger, sadness, depression, pain, inflammation, constipation, anxiety, headaches, acne, and bloating are all common PMS symptoms.
The numbers don’t lie and when we rely on hormone lab metrics we can see exactly what a woman’s hormones look like when she is happy and balanced, and when she has PMS.
Which labs show PMS Symptoms?
A few months ago I got a frantic call from a very upset husband that did not know what to do with his wife and wanted to know if it sounded like she had hormone imbalance. He said I was his last hope before he signed them up for marriage counseling. They were actually contemplating divorce.
His wife was angry, crying, fighting with him and then laying on the floor crying hysterically. This went on and on getting worse for years until her husband did some research and decided she might have PMS symptoms from hormone imbalance. He wanted to know if she had hormone imbalance and to see if it sounded like she needed to have her hormones checked.
“Dr. Sundene, can you do anything to get my wife off the floor?” her husband frantically asked.
I told him I would try my best and ordered “Biphasic Labs,” which are first a comprehensive panel of her hormone and vitamin levels when she is at the best/worst part of her cycle, and then a follow-up estradiol, progesterone and total estrogen again at the high/low point of the cycle or Days 5-10 as the best and days 21-28 as the worst. Although that may be unique per each patient.
By testing her hormones when she was happy and then when she was fighting with her husband, it actually helped him to have more compassion for her hormone imbalance, and take her anger less personally. They ended up fighting much less. They started to keep a period tracker app and agreed to spend less time together when she was in her agitated and angry window.
She started herbs to balance her hormones, and began to spend more time at the gym with a personal trainer. She learned to take her anger out on Kickboxing. A gym membership, Kickboxing classes, and hormone testing literally saved their marriage!
They still went to marriage counseling only to realize that they get along just fine most of the month, and that it is this PMS window when they fight and want to get divorced. The marriage counselor helped them develop the above lifestyle plan for her PMS symptoms so there were less constant blow ups.
Her husband was happy to stay home with the baby while she went to the gym to work out her agression. She realized that she is less annoyed if he is at their cabin for the weekend when she is agitated. He was happy to go fishing once a month by himself when she was in her PMS window.
Today now that her hormones are better balanced she is doing much better mentally and she asked that I share her story and labs as an important PSA on PMS so that women can be constantly aware that some of the anger, anxiety, agitation, sadness, and general moodiness can be related to hormone imbalance.
When women are swinging constantly between exhaustion, sadness and anger their hormones may be to blame. If you are a man reading this please share it as well because the frustrated husband in this story is just as much a victim of PMS as women can be and everyone needs to know about PMS!
I have always wanted to give a man 6 tablets of estradiol with NO PROGESTERONE to oppose it just to see them become bloated, hysterical, weepy, moody, angry, constipated and exhausted. So far I have not been able to find any volunteers for my male PMS experiment, but I say this tongue in cheek as it is truly a CHEMICAL RESPONSE that women are experiencing causing these symptoms.
Women that struggle with their mental health and/or marriage should be aware of how their hormones are affecting their mood. We have a Pandemic of depression and anxiety going on right now. Patients that are concerned they have hormone imbalance can begin to track their moods with a free period tracking app. Understanding what is going on with your mood swings is the first step to getting off the hormone roller coaster and on to the hormone merry-go-round. It may be a little more boring on the merry go round but it is a much happier place overall with less drama and crying.
If you notice that your mood issues are occuring in a cycle every month then you need to SCHEDULE a Naturopathic visit with me.
Please share this important PSA on PMS and tell your friends to NOT SUFFER IN SILENCE. We can’t help anyone with their mood if they are not talking about it. It is okay to ask for help and to let your friends and family know that you need help. The 3 most important treatments for PMS are:
If you would like my help testing your hormones, I would be happy to help as that is my specialty, simply pop over to my SCHEDULE page to set up your Naturopathic visit. Everyone reading this that is concerned they have PMS can begin to improve their PMS by eating healthier, taking iron and exercising to improve their mood, hormone balance and prevent PMS symptoms.
Please take good care of yourself and know that you are not alone if you are struggling with your mood right now. I have never seen my mental health patients more stressed out. Instead of telling people, "I am fine," or "I am hanging in there," please share how you truly feel with your friends and family and ask them for support!
Many women are ashamed to admit they are not doing well, and that needs to change. PMS Symptoms are completely normal to some degree for women and easy to manage with Naturopathy!
Dr. Nicole Sundene
(480) 837-0900
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is a Female Hormone Expert in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum Depression, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology , Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 23 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones, she presents to women the best integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease.
She has been an Herbalist for over 28 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones, and Naturopathy!
