Free Offer
Put the spring in your step with this month's special offer from Agnus Castus. The first 100 new and renewing members will each receive a free 30 capsule pack of Agnus Castus tablets, worth £7.99. Don't miss out on the opportunity to take advantage of this fantastic offer.
Agnus castus and its effectiveness for PMS
Dr Claudine Domoney, NAPS Trustee, who also has an interest in complementary therapies, explains why Agnus Castus can be so helpful for some PMS symptoms.
The parts of the chaste berry tree have been used since times in Ancient Greece when it was associated with the goddess Demeter. The berries have traditionally been used for many menstrual irregularities and premenstrual symptoms: dysmenorrhoea, secondary amenorrhoea, heavy periods, irregular periods, menopause and PMS as well as impotence and reduced libido. It has also been suggested that the chaste tree bark was chewed by monks to make it easier to maintain celibacy!
The active ingredients are mainly essential oils, iridoid glycosides and flavinoids. Generally they take some time to become effective: 4 to 12 weeks for premenstrual symptoms. Agnus castus has been shown in clinical studies to be useful for many PMS complaints especially breast pain, swelling and mood problems but may be less effective for bloating and cravings. It has been suggested it works by hormonal modification. At low doses it may increase the amount of available progesterone and prolactin while decreasing the pituitary hormone follicle stimulating hormone and increasing luteinising hormone. Oestrogen levels may be then be comparatively reduced. This effect is reduced or reversed at higher doses.
Agnus castus is very well tolerated and has few side effects. Some women may notice some menstrual irregularities at first but this usually settles quickly. The German authorities have approved the use of agnus castus for the treatment of PMS and is the first line remedy for these symptoms there. The rest of Europe is rapidly catching up.
The British Menstrual Health Conference
Time is quickly running out to buy your tickets for NAPS' first British clinical conference to take place in Derby. Supported by Wyeth Laboratories, who are offering free seats for clinicians, the Menarche to Menopause conference will be held at the Catalis Conference Centre (www.catalis.com) in Derby on February 17.
Expert speakers and leaders in their field will be providing up to date information on menstrual health treatment aimed at GPs, practice nurses, women's health and Family Planning health professionals. The conference will also be valuable for complementary and alternative therapists with a lecture targeted at complementary health approaches given by Dr Claudine Domoney, a specialist registrar for the South Thames Region. (Further details in the programme below). Magnopulse will be sponsoring lunch, with free product samples and information on its Ladycare product which helps easy period pains. To avoid disappointment, please fill in the on-line application form below.
Click here for the application form
Click here for the programme
Fancy becoming a NAPS trustee?
NAPS are currently looking for a member to join our panel of trustees. We are looking for a PMS sufferer to represent our members and join us at our meetings which take place every three months in London.
If you'd like to apply or have someone in mind who you would like to nominate, please contact Christine at naps@pms.org.uk. She'd love to hear from you.
Pat Tracey, our current members representative, who has been a trustee for over 20 years, successfully conducting a splendid job running and co-ordinating the Helpline, has decided to retire later this year. She will continue to run the Helpline and help on other local projects in Lancashire, where she lives, until a suitable replacement is found. "I have loved my time at NAPS and have found it extremely rewarding," she said.
Milk Thistle - any help with PMS?
A number of women on the Forum have been discussing the use of the herb Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) in the treatment of some PMS symptoms. NAPS Trustee, Dr Claudine Domoney has come up with the latest views on the use of this herb.
Silybum marianum has been used traditionally for the management of liver damage over 2000 years. It reduces the liver toxicity of the mushroom Amanita phalloides (the Death Cap mushroom), given both orally and intravenously. Clinical studies indicate benefits for serious liver damage due to organic solvents with respect to improved liver function tests and reduced mortality. It is a powerful antioxidant and free radical scavenger.
The active ingredient, silymarin, has some oestrogenic activity. This may increase the binding of oestradiol to oestrogen receptors and increase the activity of oestrogen responsive cells. For this reason it may not be advisable to use it in hormone responsive conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids as well as hormone sensitive cancers. Milk thistle is well tolerated although it may have some laxative effects. As yet there is no scientific work detailing its use for PMS but anecdotally many women report an improvement in their symptoms. The exact mechanism of action is unknown but there may be some degree of hormonal modulation. It would be useful to collect clinical trial data to assess the use of milk thistle for PMS but it is very difficult and expensive and therefore may not happen in the near future.
Congratulations
NAPS would like to extend its warmest congratulations to Dr Annie Hawkins, one of our 'Experts' who has recently given birth to Charlie.
Annie is a Specialist Registrar for the North West Thames area. She is a previous Research Fellow with Professor Studd at Chelsea and Westminster researching hormones, PMS, menopause and impact on sexuality. Annie will be giving a lecture on Sex at the end of the day at our clinical conference in Derby on February 17.
Free PMS Diet guidelines
Every reader of the bulletin can benefit from receiving a free copy of the NAPS dietary guidelines written by Gaynor Bussell simply by sending a stamped address envelope to: NAPS, 41 Old Road, East Peckham, Kent TN12 5AP.
Gaynor is the most knowledgeable PMS dietary expert in Britain and her dietary advice forms the basis of a step-by-step approach to effective self-management.
About 80% of women experience some symptoms of PMS. Appropriate diet, exercise and lifestyle changes can help symptoms before resorting to over-the-counter or prescription medications. In this way many women can control their PMS symptoms successfully. In this NAPS booklet Gaynor takes the reader through the basics of dietary management of PMS.
What does PMS really mean?
Win a lovely selection of flowers, and have them delivered to your door.
We are Premenstrual Softies at NAPS, so when Christine suggested that we have a competition to brighten up these days before spring, we all said GREAT!
We put on our thinking caps to devise a means of choosing a winner for the entries.
To win our prize all we ask is that you (perhaps with specialist advice from your partner!) give us a slogan.
We liked "Have I got moods for you" which we spotted recently, however we know our readers could do a LOT better.
So give it a go. Send your idea or ideas to us by February 28. The winner will be selected on March 1 and the flowers will be dispatched that day.
Join the fun and win a lovely selection of flowers.
Cartoon time
NAPS has teamed up with The Independent cartoonist Sally Ann Lasson, who has agreed to allow us to publish a cartoon strip each issue.
Sally Ann is a freelance journalist and cartoonist. Her cartoon strip, As If, appears daily in The Independent. A book of collected cartoons is published by Metro at £6.99. Sally lives in London.
Bowen Therapy for PMS
NAPS supports and actively encourages research into different treatment options for PMS. We welcome the initiative by Nikke Ariff, a trained practitioner, to undertake a research programme into the effectiveness of Bowen therapy for treating PMS.Bowen therapy explained
The Bowen technique is a gentle remedial therapy, which stimulates the body to rebalance itself to promote healing, pain relief and recovery of energy.
It gets its name from Tom Bowen who was born in 1916 in Brunswick, Australia. He treated the aches and pains of the people with whom he worked in the cement works and woollen mill in Geelong. He had a particular interest in bad backs. In the 1960s, he opened his own clinic. During the 1970s, the Webb Report (Australian Government Report into Complementary Therapies) found that Tom Bowen was treating 13,000 people a year. He died in 1982. The Bowen technique is now being taught to final year university students of Osteopathy in Australia.
Bowen in the UK
Bowen therapists treat people holistically. People present with a wide range of aches and pains, injuries and health problems. There are no contra-indications to treatment. However, Bowen therapists will always advise people to consult their doctors if there is any doubt over whether or not to treat. (The Bowen Technique is not intended as a substitute for medical advice or treatment.)
Nikki Ariff is a trained practitioner and very keen on assessing the benefits of the therapy for PMS sufferers. If you are interested in finding out more and participating in the Bowen studies click on http://www.bowenpmsresearch.co.uk
