You can't go wrong with exercise! It is a known stress-reliever, and it is also well-known that stress makes PMS worse. However, to say that studies show that exercise decreases PMS is not accurate - many medical articles recommend exercise, but this is based more on hearsay than on research.
In the UK, where awareness of PMS is far greater than in the US, this study was published just a couple of years ago: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19514832
showing that, although it makes sense to exercise for any number of reasons, including to help PMS symptoms, there aren't in fact studies to indicate that exercise works for PMS.
Of course, you can do your own study: start exercising, and see if your PMS gets better!
Melissa, Motrin can work temporarily for PMS pain, but it is only treating symptoms. And for many women, PMS is much more than pain: it's debilitating depression and mood swings, bloating, even confusion and a loss of coordination.
We have a whole list of PMS symptoms here http://www.pmscomfort.com/pms-pmdd-symptoms/
plus articles on PMDD, how to deal with PMS pain and cramps if you don't like the idea of taking Motrin, what to eat and not to eat for PMS, and much more.
And, as you might expect, we recommend exercise! As I said, you can't go wrong. However, we avoid saying "studies show" since in this case - surprisingly - those studies haven't been done.
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You can't go wrong with exercise! It is a known stress-reliever, and it is also well-known that stress makes PMS worse. However, to say that studies show that exercise decreases PMS is not accurate - many medical articles recommend exercise, but this is based more on hearsay than on research.
In the UK, where awareness of PMS is far greater than in the US, this study was published just a couple of years ago: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19514832
showing that, although it makes sense to exercise for any number of reasons, including to help PMS symptoms, there aren't in fact studies to indicate that exercise works for PMS.
Of course, you can do your own study: start exercising, and see if your PMS gets better!
Melissa, Motrin can work temporarily for PMS pain, but it is only treating symptoms. And for many women, PMS is much more than pain: it's debilitating depression and mood swings, bloating, even confusion and a loss of coordination.
We have a whole list of PMS symptoms here http://www.pmscomfort.com/pms-pmdd-symptoms/
plus articles on PMDD, how to deal with PMS pain and cramps if you don't like the idea of taking Motrin, what to eat and not to eat for PMS, and much more.
And, as you might expect, we recommend exercise! As I said, you can't go wrong. However, we avoid saying "studies show" since in this case - surprisingly - those studies haven't been done.
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October 26, 2011 - 2:47pmDr. Daniel Heller
PMS Comfort
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