Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom (28 page)

Now I’ve come to look forward to my moon time, and I continue to experiment with how to best create the time and space to really commune with myself during that time. Some months are easier than others. But when I am able to do it, the benefits are immense on so many levels, and the insights, rejuvenation, and creativity I receive during moon time actually make me happier, healthier, and more productive during the rest of the month—not to mention more grounded. I know I’m not alone in this challenge and that taking that monthly retreat, even for a few hours or a day or two, is still quite revolutionary because in our culture, women usually have to be sick before they’ll take time alone to rest and be still. I wonder what might happen if every woman took that time and space that her moon time offers and requests of her. Maybe the entire concept of menstrual cramps would disappear and start to sound like a nonsensical utterance in a foreign language. Until then, I’m happy to carry the torch with my very own cocoon revolution each month.

Master Program for Optimal Hormonal
Balance and Pelvic Health

The following program is effective not only for eliminating menstrual cramps but also for balancing hormones, alleviating PMS, and re-establishing normal periods in women with abnormal, heavy, or irregular periods. This program is also the mainstay of natural treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome and fibroids (both of which are addressed separately later in this chapter) as well as endometriosis (which is discussed in the next chapter).

Diet

Eat a low-glycemic-index diet to stabilize hormone levels. A nutrient-poor diet that contains too many refined foods that raise blood sugar levels too quickly (known as high-glycemic-index foods) favors the production of inflammatory chemicals through out the body that result in pain and tissue damage. These inflammatory chemicals (also known as eicosanoids) go by a wide variety of names, including cytokines, bradykinins, interleukins, prostaglandins (including PGF2 alpha), and prostacyclins. Many of the most common drugs on the market, including aspirin, block the effects of these substances. When high-glycemic-index foods are con sumed in an individual who also has high circulating levels of stress hormones, the amount of inflammatory chemicals produced is even higher. Menstrual cramps are just one manifestation of this vicious cy cle. Others include fluid retention, headaches, insomnia, and muscle aches and pains. In fact, all of the symptoms of PMS (see page 139) are caused, in part, by cellular inflammation from the overproduction of inflammatory chemicals.

Therefore, a nutrient-rich, whole-food diet that balances insulin and glucagon and also decreases the production of inflammatory chemicals is the backbone for treatment of cramps and many other health problems. (For a full discussion, see
chapter 17
.) The basic approach is the following: Eliminate or greatly reduce refined carbohydrates (including products with refined sugar and/or refined flour, such as cookies, cake, chips, crackers, and so on).
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Decrease grain products to no more than two or three servings per day. Most dry cereals contain far too much refined carbohydrates to justify their fiber content, so stick with oatmeal and shredded wheat. The diet should consist mostly of fresh vegetables and fruits along with lean protein such as chicken, fish, eggs, and legumes.

Specifically, cruciferous vegetables such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, broccoli, cabbage, and turnips have been shown to modulate estrogen levels (helpful for conditions such as endometriosis and fibroids). Try for one or two servings of these daily (or take a supplement containing indole-3-carbinol, the active in gredient in these vegetables; (see Resources). To add soy to your diet, use tofu, tempeh, soy sauce, and miso regularly or supplement with soy powder made from whole soybeans. Also note that a diet high in fiber can decrease total circulating estrogens. Try for 25 grams per day in the form of whole grains, beans, brown rice, vegetables, and fruits. Remember that with nutritional approaches, it’s important to give them at least two to three months to achieve optimal results.

If you are overweight, loss of excess body fat increases insulin sensitivity and normalizes insulin secretion, which results in normalization of blood sugar and a reduction in excess androgens. Women with type 2 diabetes often greatly improve their health by this approach.
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(I highly recom mend the USANA Reset program for this purpose. See
chapter 17
, on nutrition.)

Stop dairy foods, especially ice cream, cottage cheese, and yo gurt— even low-fat versions of these products. It has been my clinical experience that many women get relief of symptoms such as menstrual cramps, heavy bleeding, breast pain, and endometriosis pain when they stop consuming dairy foods. This is not true for everyone, but it works often enough to be worth a try. (When I was in clinical practice, one of my patients who had endometriosis for many years decided to eliminate dairy products from her diet after unsuccessfully trying prescription drugs and surgery. Her symptoms disappeared for more than ten years, and she was able to conceive her first child without difficulty, even though another doctor told her that she probably wouldn’t be able to get pregnant.)

Though it’s not clear why dairy foods seem to be associated with women’s pelvic symptoms, I have a few theories. One possible explanation is that most milk today is produced by cows treated with BGH (bovine growth hormone) or rBST (recombinant bovine somatotropin), which overstimulate the cow’s udder. These cows are more likely to have infected udders and thus require antibiotics. Both hormone and antibiotic residues in the milk may stimulate the female hormonal system in some way we are not yet able to pinpoint. We do know that antibiotics fed to livestock make their way into the human food chain. Antibiotics change the way hormones are metabolized in the bowel and thus can change hormonal levels. Other research suggests that lactose (milk sugar) may have a toxic effect on the ovaries. The research of Daniel Cramer, M.D., Sc.D., at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston has linked lactose consumption with increased risk of ovarian cancer. He found that women who consume one or more servings of skim or low-fat milk daily had a 32 percent higher risk of epithelial ovarian cancer compared with those who consumed three or fewer servings monthly.
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Dairy foods produced organically, without BGH, antibiotics, or pesticides in the cow’s feed, don’t seem to have the same adverse effect on uterine and breast tissue, though this has never been studied systematically. Many women have noted that when they change to organically produced dairy foods, their symptoms go away. Experiment and discover what works for you. But be willing to stop dairy foods just for a couple of weeks as an experiment to see if you notice any benefits. You can get your calcium from other sources. (And besides, calcium intake is not the answer to osteoporosis prevention that we’ve been led to believe it is—see
chapter 17
.)

Limit red meat and egg yolks to no more than two servings per week, or eliminate them. If you do eat red meat, use cuts from grass-fed animals. Red meat and egg yolks are very rich in arachidonic acid (AA), which can result in increased cellular inflammation and uterine cramps in susceptible individuals. Not all individuals are sensitive to AA, so this recommendation will not apply to everyone; to find out if you are sensitive to AA, avoid all red meat and egg yolks for at least two weeks, then eat several servings in one day and see if your symptoms return. Red meat can be very high in saturated fats, which also can increase cellular inflammation—that’s why you need to stick with the low-fat cuts.

Eliminate partially hydrogenated fats (trans fats) whenever possible because they increase the production of inflammatory chemicals. Check labels on all prepared foods.

Eliminate or limit caffeine. As I’ve learned through the years, just getting off caffeine, even if consumption has been as little as one cup of coffee or one can of cola per day, can have a dramatic effect on PMS for some women.

Nutritional Supplements and Herbal Support

Take a pharmaceutical-grade multivitamin-mineral supplement daily, all month long. (Look for GMP, which stands for “good manufacturing practice,” on the label.) A dietary ap proach that nourishes the body fully will also help a woman attune herself to her spiritual, intuitive side. This helps reestablish emotional flow and can often help normalize a woman’s hormonal levels. Choose a comprehensive supplement rich in B complex, zinc, selenium, vitamin E, and magnesium—you need about 50 to 100 mg of each of the B vitamins (vitamin B6 in particular has been shown to decrease the intensity and duration of men strual cramps)
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and 300 to 800 mg of magnesium. Dian Shepperson Mills, a nutritionist in London and a former trustee of the British Endometriosis Society, reported a double-blind study of dietary supplements that resulted in a 98 percent improvement in endometriosis symptoms over those not on the supplement. The supplements used were thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (B2), and pyridoxine (B6), 100 mg each; zinc citrate, 20 mg; and magnesium aminochelate, 300 mg.
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