A Better Cure for PMS

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is one of the most common disorders in women, yet science has been unable to determine its cause. Researchers do know that some PMS symptoms resemble those of severe calcium deficiency, so a study was set up to see if calcium supplements could help alleviate the condition.

In a 3-month, multi-center study, 466 PMS sufferers were divided into two groups, and about half were given four 300-milligram calcium tablets each day, while the others were given dummy pills. The women kept diaries in which they recorded the frequency of 17 PMS symptoms under four general categories: mood changes, water retention, pain, and food cravings.

No significant differences were noted between the two groups during the first month, but by the second menstrual cycle, those taking calcium reported fewer PMS symptoms. By the third cycle, PMS symptoms had diminished by 48% in the group taking calcium.

Prior to this study, antidepressants were thought to be the most effective PMS treatment, yet they only reduce symptoms by 32–44%.

[Editor: Once again we have a simple, safe and inexpensive alternative therapy proving more effective than medical drugs, and no need for a prescription or an expensive visit to the doctor.]  Based on information in: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol 179 #2 1998; Health, Sept-Oct 1998

Excerpted from Spectrum Magazine