Alternative Medicine for Womens Health

Since women's health is such a huge topic, I have chosen to
concentrate on one aspect of women's health which continues
to be an issue.

There are over a hundred symptoms associated with PMS.
Unfortunately, because each woman is different, there is no
agreed upon cause or treatment for the effects of PMS
within the medical community.

What they do all agree on is that a regular menstrual cycle
is a sign of good health. Isn't that special? Doesn't help
to know you're healthy if you are in pain or having mood
swings that cause you to have to make the decision to stay
home for a day rather than risk the chance of having to
call your best friend for bail money.

Well, conventional medicine can offer pain pills, water
pills, and hormonal therapy, but alternatives to these
forms of comfort can be more relaxing and have fewer side
effects.

And while I for one am not going to "run with the wolves",
I would like to achieve some sort of balance between seeing
cramps as a medical "problem" and a "gift of mother earth."

Give me a break, I just want to not cry or punch out people
at the drop of a hat for a week out of each month. Let's
explore those options:

Alternative Medicine for Womens Health

Acupuncture relieves pain and stress, and can leave you
feeling so relaxed that you're feeling too good to punch
anyone out.

Same goes for massage, and your massage therapist can show
you self massage to do on your lower abdomen any time you
need to relax cramps. No medicine is involved, and both of
these alternative therapies are non-invasive.

Chinese medicinal herbs are used in concocting teas and
poultices for the relief of PMS symptoms. These include
Kava Kava Chai and ginseng teas.

The top recommended teas are made from Viburnum and help
with cramping, irritability, and swelling. Dandelion helps
with swollen breasts, muscle spasms, and acne.

Your herbalist can recommend the appropriate combination of
herbs for your individual symptoms, as well as bath soaks
and foot rubs.

Osteopathy is an alternative medicine that can help with
internal organ ailments and fight osteoporosis. The women's
health center at Oklahoma State University (founded by the
Osteopath society) sponsors the "Take Charge" program,
which sponsors health education and alternative therapy
forums for women across the country.

Chakra and crystal healing energy is used in a wide variety
of ways to increase blood flow which (ironically, if you
think about it) lessens headache and tension symptoms of
PMS.

This appears to work, but is a little touchy feely crystal
dolphin wacko for me; I prefer yoga and herbal teas,
pragmatic and to the point.

Although not considered alternative therapy, per se,
exercise is a great way to relieve symptoms and lessen
fatigue.

One form of exercise which could be considered alternative
is yoga. The slow stretching movements and low impact
cardio of yoga is very good for menstrual symptoms.

Hypnosis is fast becoming the alternative medicine of
choice for PMS sufferers. Hypnosis is geared toward finding
out the causes and conditions of symptoms, therefore
relieving the pain holistically, that is to say, removing
the root cause of irritability and stress.

While it is obviously hormonal in nature, the mood swings
of PMS can be brought under control with light hypnosis
which focuses on teaching the patient that the moodiness is
temporary, and not to be taken to heart.

Now I don't know about you, but I am much more likely to
believe a hypnotist when she says "It will be okay, you
will get through this, it is temporary," than I am to
believe my husband, who says" Are you on your period? That
explains it…"

Now you see why it's important to save up bail money if
you're not using Alternative Medicine for Womens Health.

Health and Beauty Information