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Aromatherapy

For relief, just inhale. The essential oils lavender, geranium, and rose can alleviate the mood changes associated with PMS, according to Kathy Keville and Mindy Green, coauthors of Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art. They suggest putting a few chips of rock salt in a small vial, then adding 2 or 3 drops of each of the three oils. (The rock salt prevents the oil from splashing out when you open the vial.) For an immediate emotional lift, just uncap the vial and inhale deeply.

Homeopathy

Try a symptom-specific remedy. A number of homeopathic medicines have proved effective as treatments for premenstrual symptoms, according to homeopath Dana Ullman. These medicines include Ignatia, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Nux vomica, Pulsatilla, and Sepia. To find out which one would work best for you, consult a homeopath.

Chinese Medicine

Mellow with an herbal formula. Efrem Korngold, O.M.D., L.Ac., prescribes several different herbal formulas to patients with PMS. One such formula is Xiao Yao Wan, made with Chinese angelica (dang gui), ginger, licorice root, mint leaf, peony root, bupleurum root, and other herbs. There’s also Bai Feng Wan, a blend of several herbs, including Chinese angelica, ginseng, and peony root, in honey.

Pinpoint the problem spots. Dr. Korngold and other practitioners of Chinese medicine also use acupuncture to treat PMS. If you prefer a do-it-yourself approach, try acupressure treatments. Simply apply steady, penetrating finger pressure to each of the following points for 3 minutes.

• Spleen 6, located four finger-widths above your inner anklebone on the back inner border of your shinbone
• Liver 3, situated on top of your foot in the webbing between your big toe and second toe
• Heart 7, located on the pinkie side of the wrist crease that’s closest to your palm

Ayurvedic Medicine

Blame your dosha. Ayurvedic practitioners believe that PMS arises from some problem with apana vata, the force that directs life energy into a woman’s reproductive organs, explains John Douillard, D.C., a chiropractor who practices Ayurvedic medicine at the Invincible life Spa in Boulder, Colorado. PMS symptoms vary from woman to woman, depending on constitutional type, or dosha.

If you have a Vata dosha, Dr. Douillard says, you’re most likely to experience mood changes and constipation. A Pitta dosha, on the other hand, is associated with irritability, hunger, headache, diarrhea, and acne. And a Kapha dosha elicits primarily physical symptoms ­bloating, weight gain, breast tenderness, and acne. For a treatment program tailored to your dosha, consult an Ayurvedic practitioner.

Medical Measures

If none of the above remedies provides sufficient relief from your premenstrual symptoms, your doctor may recommend drug therapy. Among the drugs most often prescribed for PMS are the antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, including fluoxetine (prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft). While research has shown that these pharmaceuticals are effective, they also have side effects.

Other pharmaceuticals also control premenstrual symptoms, but in different ways. For example, anti-anxiety drugs such as alprazolam (Xanax) help alleviate moodiness. And oral contraceptives alter the way your sex hormones cycle, so hormonal fluctuations are less intense.

Red Flags

If your premenstrual symptoms are severe, get a complete physical exam, Dr. Endicott advises. You want to make sure that you don’t have another condition that could be misdiagnosed as PMS, such as endometriosis, lupus, or a thyroid disorder.

Also, keep in mind that PMS can be aggravated by allergies, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, and migraines. If you have any of these conditions, controlling them with appropriate therapeutic measures can help minimize your premenstrual symptoms.

With mild asthma attacks, medication which provides instant relief from an bronchial asthma attack is only a short term remedy. The lack of air and shortness of breath an asthma patient feels must be one of the worst experiences someone can experience as air is our essential lifeline that keeps the body functioning and in good shape. Probably the scariest thing for an bronchial asthma sufferer when they are having an attack is the walls of the lungs become inflamed and breathing grows difficult because of the thick mucus which fills the tissue layers. When you think about how widespread thisbreathing disorder is, in fact it is the most common - there is not a remedy as yet.

This respiratory problem is an inflammatory problem which is handled by the use of inhaled corticosteroids, and is still considered by many as the most efficient intervention to control respiratory tract inflammation, and as a way to prevent asthma attack. The most common form of oral asthma control is the frequently prescribed bronchial asthma medication, Ventolin. It is not uncommon for some asthma sufferers to use two types of asthma medication regularly - one to handle the inflammation over the long term and the other is a daily asthma intervention like an inhalator for more instantaneous use.

No matter what asthma medication or asthma treatments you are using, reducing the bad outcomes of asthma relies on avoiding the asthma triggers as best as you can. Studies have shown that asthma triggers differ from person to person based on studies performed out on asthma sufferers over extended periods.

Certain research has shown that using biofeedback techniques not only reduced the indications of asthma but also reduced lung inflammation and resistance to normal breathing. It is considered that employing chiropractic as an substitute asthma treatment by manipulating the backbone and rib cage, can assist with improving the lung’s efficiency. While there is little, if any, evidence either way, another alternative medicine, acupuncture, has also been attempted as an asthma intervention to help the sufferer breath. One asthma medication strategy involves employing an anti-inflammatory which prevents blood vessels from leaking liquid into the respiratory tract tissues.

To help do away with extra phlegm and mucous secretion, herbal teas and chocolate that have expectorant qualities have been tried as an asthma intervention to aid the function of the bronchial pipes. For sufferers the most important part is to avoid foods that are asthma triggers: those that encourage mucus formation, and consuming foods that do the complete opposite if you want to reduce the amount of asthma medicine you require. Staying away from the products above is necessary and a point that has been helpful in numerous treatment studies aimed at righting respiratory health.

By changing your living environment, for instance: the use of an air conditioner, leather pieces of furniture, man-made bedding and getting rid of carpets, the amount of asthma medication you need can be decreased. Luckily, asthma sufferers now have the opportunity of selecting what type asthma medication suits them best.