Tuesday, January 16, 2007

P(re) M(enstrual) S(cariness)

Every month I fall into the Slough of Despond, a big scary pit of very sad darkness which for one days looks inescapable. And every time I fall into the Pit of Very Sad Darkness™ I'm convinced there's no escape and that I'm going nutty.

Of course, this is total crap and by the next day I'm a little morose but just groovy again. And then I forget about it for a whole month and freak myself out when it happens again. So this time I'm blogging it, and I'm laying in a store of Evening Primrose Oil for the next time. I'm very tired of the Pit of Very Sad Darkness™.

PATTOTE: Better living through other suggestions for combating PMS. And unpanicking The Mother who, on reading this post ,will freak out.

6 comments:

Marissa said...

How do you use the evening primrose oil to fight the Pit of Very Sad Darkness?

Liz said...

From www.rawoils.com Evening Primrose Oil has become quite popular in recent years – and for excellent reason. Evening primrose, a small yellow wildflower found in North America, Europe and parts of Asia, has been used as a medicine for centuries.* The oil, pressed from the plant’s seeds, is rich in gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid that exerts anti-inflammatory and other healing actions. While GLA is available in small amounts in various foods, evening primrose oil boasts an unusually concentrated source. The body converts GLAs into prostaglandins, hormone-like compounds that help regulate various body functions.


Natural help for PMS
Experts say that Evening Primrose Oil can help women alleviate symptoms of PMS. Evening Primrose Oil has been popular for years in Europe for this reason; many American women are beginning to use it for this reason as well. The GLA in Evening Primrose Oil interferes with the production of inflammatory prostaglandins that are released during menstruation, thereby lessening menstrual cramps. PMS sufferers often are found to have low levels of GLA in their bodies, which is why medical professionals think Evening Primrose Oil can help so much. Evening Primrose Oil may also reduce premenstrual breast tenderness, carbohydrate cravings and irritable bowel flare-ups.

I don't know why this would fight the Pit of Very Dark Sadness, which is generally hormonal, but it's all interlinked I guess. I know it works. On occasion, The Mother has force-fed me the stuff.

Marissa said...

So you drink it?

Liz said...

It comes in capsules, so you swallow it.

Marissa said...

Oh good, I envisioned external application.

Kristy said...

Don't expect it to work straight away though, it's something you need to keep taking over about 6 months to see much effect. Vitamin B6 (no more than 10mg a day) can also help. I find the effects of this combination are subtle, but useful. Some women find it helps them more, but I had to go on the pill again, for various reasons. :(

Something else (sort of) related you might want to look up is the Mooncup. I got one and, after a bit of practice at first, it seems to work. It holds quite a lot more than a mega-size tampon, so needs changing less often and is re-useable so saves you a fortune. You are also saving the environment from all the landfill generated by sanitary products, as well as reducing the numbers of used tampons which can wash up on beaches. (Bleagh!)