European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 14, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday May 14, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 17 &. Byjanee.8rodynew York times i n recent years premenstrual syndrome has achieved both medical respectability and . Alter years of suffering in silence millions of women now readily admit a experiencing premenstrual symptoms that in Ujj some cases seriously disrupt their lives. V they and their families Ara relieved to know that the i symptoms May be both biologically based and amenable to treatment. Dozens of clinics specializing in pms have appeared throughout the United slates some Hospital based but others independently operated. Women should explore these options with care. Although a score of remedies Lor pms have been tested with varying degrees of Success no o a method has thus far emerged As the treatment of choice.". Nor have the underlying causes of the syndrome been clearly explained. There is even disagreement among physicians and psychologists As to How pms should be defined. Indeed judging from the highly variable symptoms and treatment successes and failures it appears that pms May be a multifaceted problem with different causes in different women each therefore requiring a individualized therapy. /. Still the studies suggest thai for the vast majority of women who experience distressing premenstrual symptoms dramatic Relief can often be obtained from remedies involving diet exercise and stress management. Drug treatment All of which have unwanted Side effects can then be reserved Lor severe cases trial Are no adequately ate Lafed by Safe arid simple Home remedies surveys of menstruating women have indicated that. Between 70 and 95 percent notice one or More emotional physical or behavioural symptoms in the weak or two before menstruation. In a few these changes Are positive increased Energy greater sensitivity and creativity heightened sexual interest and an Overall feeling of Well being. However mos experience one or More negative reactions irritability anxiety fatigue depression crying jags emotional outbursts mood swings panic attacks clumsiness difficulty concentrating headache abdominal bloating breast tenderness Wang he gain increased appetite cravings for Salty or. Sweet foods eating binges and insomnia. In perhaps 3 to 5 percent of these women the symptoms Are so severe that they seriously interfere. With their lives work and Persona relationships. And in a Lew rare cases premenstrual emotional outbursts can become violent. Distinct pms symptoms usually first appear in a woman s late 20s or 30s. Often Here is a trigger such As childbirth or sterilization. Among underlying factors that have been linked to the Erma Bombeck syndrome Are High Overall oestrogen Levels a relative Dell ency of progesterone or in a pituitary hormone. Prolactin water and Salt retention hypoglycemia Low blood sugar and insufficiency is of magnesium and Vitamin b6 the Best Way to determine whether your symptoms Are related to menstruation is to keep a daily diary for two or three months recording the Days of menstrual bleeding and any Syrris Towsand circumstances that might occur during the entire menstrual Cycle you might record for  you Felt depressed or angry on tuesday but also that you lost an important client that Day. Or you might note that you flew of the handle at your husband for no Good reason. You May find from this diary that your symptoms occur almost exclusively in the Days before menstruation or thai you have mood or behavioural changes at other times but they Are much worse during the premenstrual period. Or you May see no relationship Between the symptoms and. The Start of your menstrual period. Your symptom diary is Best interpreted by a pms expert one who has Likely seen Many similar diaries and will be Able to recognize the various patterns. Penelope m. Bonargo nurse practitioner in obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is one of dozens of pms therapists who report encouraging results from. Conservative therapy. In e Field that lacks Well defined studies the approach she Hes adopted end the specific therapies she has prescribed have been used successfully by Many other established practitioners. Bosarge who has treated More than 250 women with pms says she has found that about two thirds of her Patla la have difficulty metabolizing simple carbohydrates in the one to two weeks before menstruation. In a five hour glucose tolerance test they typically develop lower than Normal blood sugars. In about a third of those patients drastic mood swings accompany the Nadir in blood sugar indicating that they Heve premenstrual Hypoli Scemla Bosarge has noted that pms episodes typically occur Early in the morning old morning mid afternoon and at Bette Raj. When a person s b Ood sugar is usually Low. Based on such findings Bosarge places her patients on a hypoglycemic diet which will keep their blood sugar on a More even keel the women oat Sis Small meals a Day Rich in protein and Complex carbohydrates with no More than three hours Between meals and a bedtime snack of protein and carbohydrate. They Are encouraged to eat More unsweetened fruits vegetables whole Grain breads and cereals Low fat milk and Plain Yogurt. Red meat is limited to three meals a week. The diet is High n fiber and Low in fat Salt and added sugars. Patients Are urged to avoid caffeine a nervous system stimulant that can aggravate blood sugar problems similarly consumption of alcohol is discouraged. For women who insist on drinking the limit is one drink a Day. With Ood and none just Belore the menstrual period when alcohol s effects tend to be exaggerated. Salt is restricted since it holds water in the body find can aggravate bloating breast tenderness headaches and emotional symptoms among the naturally diuretic goods thai May help to reduce such symptoms Are asparagus cucumbers and Watermelon. At the same Lime Bosarge urges drinking at least six glasses of Wal Eraday. Sho suggests rating foods Rich in magnesium and Vitamin b6 Leafy Green vegetables muscle Ana Organ meats  and nuts and prescribes a daily 50-Milrgram by  exercise is a vital part of pms therapy. It has a Tranquill izing effect that improves the ability to Loler Aletress especially ii done outdoors in Daylight. And away from household interruptions. Exercise also helps to reduce body fal which in turn Lowers the amount oestrogen the body produces. Bosarge suggests at least 20 minutes a Day of fast. Walking and As much As four Miles a Day of running. Excessive vigorous exercise is discouraged because it can disrupt the menstrual Cycle and increase the body s need for certain nutrients. The Lynal ingredient in conservative treatments of pms is stress reduce Jon minimizing stressful undertakings during the premenstrual period steeping More than usual and setting aside time to pamper. Yourself. For other experts in the Field the pms treatment of Lasi resort involves a drug or hormonal therapy. Some of these doctors group pms patients into four categories characterized by a different Cluster of symptoms and thus by different therapies. According to or Donald Rubell an Ossre Luician  in Manhattan who is affiliated with Beth Israel Hospital there Are women whose main symptoms Are anxiety. Irritability and mood swings they respond Best to magnesium and 66 supplements and sometimes progesterone. Suppositories other women with pms experience depression. Insomnia and mental confusion and a e Best treated with progesterone suppositories and in some cases an anal depressant drug like Etall a third category includes women who report bloating swelling weight gain headaches and breast soreness they May be helped by the drugs Bromow Riplane or Spiron Lactone or by supplements of b6orvitamfne. The fourth group of women is characterized by increased appetite and cravings Lor sweets they respond especially Well to the hypoglycemic diet and a Complex supplement patients should realize however that All these approaches Are based on clinical experience not Well designed scientific studies. Few Lunnar Anil Ilance in in Arlen and ruling pms. An excellent Naira la a Surat Var i Cubiat la Meral Nat Catu claim fms Init ror m from Plon Rad parcs snood of room Imp it Winder it . Ijm5. T. His month lines of graduates All Over the country will weave and Sway their Wey Down aisles to claim Ihler passports to the "realworld.". But Are they prepared is computer science enough to bring them Success will physics prepare them for life in it enough anymore to be Able to conjugate French verbs you silly shallow child of course not. Man does not live by Academia nuts alone. Students need relevant courses that Wil prepare them to meet the challenges of their daily lives. Think about it. What s it we do More than any Olber activity. We watch soap operas on television. For several years now a College in the Midwest has offered a course on it. It deals with How soaps treat sickness and dying. How they perceive the elderly. Who Are the vol Lens of solely. Of course we Are spawning an entire a Defallon who believes a full pregnancy is less than three months and you Don t deliver unas until you re 5 years old and belong to a Union but.,. Another College in the West has a course in movie watching. People who just sit in a theater and. Chew ice and eat Popcorn Are missing the very essence of films. You must draw from your own experience and relate to what is going on and preferably go alone to up prelate the adventure. But colleges and universities Are dragging their feet. We Are hungry for instruction on How to Cope with the reality of our lives. Maybe next fall we can Hope for new areas to be opened up. Cashing a Check with on y one id. A seminar on How to apply make up for Bank cameras look Earnest and convince cashews that you Are allergic to plastic. A prerequisite before taking the supreme court decision of your rights when a salesperson forgets to remove a plastic Security Anchor welded to your skirt. The wit and humor of apartment parking. Laugh along with guest lecturers who contend apartments were built for russian dissidents who have no family or friends a person hiding out from the Lew or a tenant who has no car and does not associate with people who do. Rotating the Garden Hose without children. A Frank look at the Wisdom of having a Lawn without children to maintain ii. Having children without grandparents. A Frank look at the Wisdom of bearing children where i Here Are no grandparents to sit leed. Indulge or inflict guilt. Conversational Repa irmanese learn to speak the language of Washer repairmen Auto mechanics roofers electronic servicemen and air conditioning specialists. Manuals translated to English. There is so much to learn and so Lutle time. Until we learn How to heal our care through meditation. We Jive in ignorance. To 1��, it Ansa Tei tron san Djerah