Q: I always get migraine and want to know if there are any natural therapies that can help ease the frequency and severity of attacks?

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This month’s case study is ‘Sally’ — who came to the Clinic because of Menopausal symptoms:

Sally’s story

My periods stopped quite abruptly at the age of 48 and I was suddenly faced with hot flushes and night sweats. I visited my doctor because the night sweats were stopping me from sleeping which was really affecting my energy and mood. She ran some routine blood tests and told me I was going through the menopause. I was quite shocked as I thought the menopause was a gradual transition and that my periods would gradually wind down. She explained that there is no common pattern and with some women their periods just stop and with others the cycle becomes more irregular and then stops.

My doctor talked to me about HRT but I knew that this was something I never wanted to take — no matter how bad my symptoms were. I was prone to lumpy breasts (fortunately just benign) but had heard that HRT could make this worse. However, I knew I had to do something to help myself because the symptoms were impacting on my daily life …

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This month’s case study is ‘Jackie’ — who came to the Clinic because of severe PMS …

Jackie’s story:

My life had been ruled by my periods for the last ten years. Every month I would have debilitating PMS which lasted for 6 days before my period. Not only was this ruining my life, it was affecting my relationship. It was like flicking a switch — one minute I was my usual happy go lucky self and the next I was depressed, moody and even suicidal (this I was dealing with through a psychotherapist).

Although my husband was so supportive and understanding, I knew it wasn’t fair to continue living like this as I was so angry towards him during this premenstrual phase. Aside from PMS, I had been diagnosed with endometriosis and would experience painful, heavy periods. On top of this I was getting thrush every month and having to resort to using pessaries and cream to treat it. So, at the age of 39 I decided enough was enough and I had to do something about it! My diet had always been fairly good with no caffeine and very little sugar but this obviously wasn’t enough.

A friend of mine had found a book in the library called ‘Overcoming PMS The Natural Way‘ by Dr Marilyn Glenville and told me to read it! I did and it was like reading a story about me. It made me realise that there were other people out there suffering each month and that I wasn’t totally on my own suffering.

I decided that I needed some professional help with this rather than trying to tackle it by myself so I phoned the Clinic. I spoke to a receptionist at the Dr Marilyn Glenville Clinic who talked me through the consultation process. She explained that my first appointment would be one hour and this would give me the opportunity to discuss my health issues with the nutritionist who would then put together a programme for me incorporating diet, vitamins and minerals and herbs where appropriate.

The next day I received a Nutrition Questionnaire which I had to complete and send back prior to my first appointment. This was very in-depth and enabled me to write down everything that I thought would be useful. This felt like a first step in the right direction and it really motivated me ready for my first meeting with the nutritionist.

I visited the Tunbridge Wells clinic and saw a practitioner who actually made me feel like a human being and took my PMS seriously, rather than my experience of doctors who just wanted to give me the Pill or stick me on an anti-depressant when I actually wasn’t depressed 3 weeks out of the month!

We talked about my symptoms and how the PMS made me feel which in itself was very reassuring. The nutritionist recommended that I perform a test called a Female Hormone Profile, which would give me a lot more insight into the state of my hormones rather than using ‘guess work.’

The nutritionist made some changes to my diet, which was actually generally good but her main observation was I didn’t eat enough protein. I was recommended to eat more oily fish, eggs, pulses, nuts and seeds and tofu. At this stage she only recommended a very basic supplement programme which incorporated magnesium, the B vitamins and a good essential fatty acid. She didn’t recommend any herbs at this stage because she explained how this would then not give me a true picture of my hormone levels when doing the test.

A couple of days after my first appointment I received the ‘kit’ for performing the Female Hormone Profile. It was great because it was a saliva test which made a change from the numerous blood tests I had had over the years. This test involved collecting twelve saliva samples throughout one month. At the end of the month all samples were sent to the laboratory for analysis. The results were back in time for my follow up consultation. The practitioner explained how efficient saliva is in measuring hormones and gives a much broader picture rather than a blood test which is just one moment in time.

At my second appointment the practitioner explained my test results and it made so much sense as to why I had been suffering for so long. My hormones were in a complete mess with erratic oestrogen and progesterone levels before my period. Because I had performed this test, it enabled the nutritionist to tailor my supplement programme further by adding hormone balancing herbs. She modified my programme and asked to see me again in 8 weeks, giving me two menstrual cycles to assess how I was responding to the nutrition.

The nutritionist explained the relationship between my female hormones oestrogen and progesterone and my blood sugar levels. This was one area of my diet that certainly needed more attention. I was told that protein helps to regulate blood sugar and is especially important for boosting the brain chemical serotonin which can be low in women suffering with PMS. I was asked to keep a detailed food and symptom diary until my next appointment to keep me focused on ensuring I was eating protein with each meal and snack. This really helped to keep me on track.

The difference was quite amazing even within the first 4 weeks of taking the herbs. My mood was more stable and my days of suffering had reduced from 6 to just half a day before my period. I felt like a human being again and could actually get on with my life rather than having to plan everything around my period. The most striking change for me was not feeling suicidal. My husband was so amazed at how different I was and he no longer had to keep his distance from me the week before my period!

My periods have also improved and are now more manageable which is brilliant and I no longer get thrush. All I can say is how life changing this has been for me and I just wish I had found out about the Dr Marilyn Glenville Clinic sooner.

My Comments:

Jackie’s story shows just how debilitating PMS can be yet so many women still just continue suffering and feel that they are alone. It also shows how effective nutrition can be in balancing hormones and improving menstrual problems like PMS and painful/heavy periods. Many women just suppress their symptoms with drugs, but once they come off them, their symptoms return and are often even more severe.

This case study also shows how useful it can be to test before taking specific herbs because the advice can be more tailored rather than using a blanket approach. The Female Hormone Profile was good for Jackie because she could see exactly what was happening to her hormones throughout her menstrual cycle, rather than just being told she had an hormone imbalance without really seeing or understanding.

Jackie has her life and relationship back and continues to be symptom free.

If you are interested in doing The Female Hormone Profile, please click here.