PMS or PMT stands for ‘Premenstrual Syndrome or Tension’ - it’s the combination of symptoms that some women suffer from a week or so before their period. Symptoms peak just before you come on your period but disappear during your period. Affecting both body and brain, their intensity can also vary wildly from person to person. The PMS symptoms normally include:
- Cramps
- Breast tenderness
- Headaches
- Backache
- Bloating
- Mood sweing
- Mild depression
- Changes in hair and skin
Hormone levels throughout the menstrual cycle hit highs and lows. This affects your brain and the signals it transmits to the body which can cause or contribute to PMS. Some experts claim that lack of a brain chemical, serotonin, results in PMS, and in extreme cases, depression. If the thyroid gland malfunctions, you can also experience PMS type symptoms.
It is believed that PMS can respond well to complementary therapy treatment
Randomized Controlled Study Of Premenstrual Symptoms
Treated with Ear, Hand, and Foot Reflexology
by Terry Oleson, Ph.D., and William S. Flocco
Objective: To determine whether reflexology therapy - the application of manual pressure to reflex points on the ears, hands, and feet that somatotopically correspond to specific areas of the body - can significantly reduce premenstrual symptoms compared to placebo treatment.
Methods: Thirty-five women who complained of previous distress with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) were randomly assigned to be treated by ear, hand, and foot reflexology or to receive placebo reflexology. All subjects completed a daily diary, which monitored 38 premenstrual symptoms on a four-point scale. Somatic and psychological indicators of premenstrual distress were recorded each day for 2 months before treatment, for 2 months during reflexology and for 2 months afterward. The reflexology sessions for both groups were provided by a trained reflexology therapist once a week for 8 weeks, and lasted 30 minutes each.
Results: Analysis of variance for repeated measures demonstrated a significantly greater decrease in premenstrual symptoms for the women given true reflexology treatment than for the women in the placebo group.
Conclusion: These clinical findings support the use of ear, hand and foot reflexology for the treatment of PMS. (Obstet Gynecol 1993; 82:906-11)
News & Research
- Soldiers Undergo Shiatzu, Reflexology Training, Phillippine Information Agency, 20th Oct 2011
- Reflexology for Premature Infants, Barbara and Kevin Kunz
- An Investigation into the Efficacy of Reflexology on Acute Pain in Healthy Human Subjects, Carol Samuel, Portsmouth University, 2011
- Effects of Foot Reflexology on Blood Sugar Level of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, Thailand Journal of Health
- The Effect of Reflexology on Pain Intensity and Duration of Labour on Primiparas, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal, 2011
- Insomnia 'affects one third of UK', BBC News, 27 Jan 2011
- How do professional women cope with the menopause?, The Telegraph, 14 March 2011
- Setting the record straight on hot flushes, PR Newswire, 6 Dec 2010
- Migrane heart link in children, BBC News, 31 March 2011
- Migraine cause 'identified' as genetic defect, BBC News, 27 Sept 2010
- Adults and kids buck depression, anxiety and hyperactivity with exercise, NaturalNews.com, 20 Feb 2011
Remember
Complementary Therapists do not claim to cure , diagnose or prescribe. Each therapy session of works on an individual basis. Many people use Complementary Therapy as a way of relaxing the mind and body and improving wellbeing. Complementary Therapy should be used in conjunction with seeking medical advice
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