Pharmacist, Marla Ahlgrimm Answers Questions About PMS Remedies

Q: Are all over-the-counter PMS products effective?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Not necessarily. Many over-the-counter medications that contain mood altering or pain relieving compounds may do more harm than good. Many studies have shown that the use of certain vitamins and minerals may help manage PMS symptoms without the use of medications.

Q: What are the benefits of magnesium in alleviating PMS symptoms?
 
Marla Ahlgrimm: An adequate level of magnesium in the body helps regulate muscle relaxation, promote restful sleep, and helps blood sugar levels remain steady. Magnesium additionally plays a role in heart health and may help prevent migraines.

Q: What is evening primrose oil?
 
Marla Ahlgrimm: Evening primrose oil is extracted from the flower of the same name. The oil contains linoleic acid, a substance that has been proven to boost the body’s output of prostaglandin. This hormone-like substance is believed to lower other hormone levels that can aggravate PMS symptoms, especially breast tenderness. Evening primrose oil is most effectively absorbed when taken in conjunction with a B vitamin complex.

HRT Expert Marla Ahlgrimm on Ways to Manage PMS

Wisconsin pharmacist and natural hormone therapy expert, Marla Ahlgrimm talks about how women can manage symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Q: What is the best way to ward off PMS related food cravings?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Most experts recommend managing carbohydrate cravings by keeping an emergency “survival kit” at home, work or in your purse. Low glycemic vegetables, yogurt, nuts, or a few complex carbohydrate crackers are snacks that should be considered. Maintaining blood sugar levels by eating 6 small meals a day goes a long way in decreasing cravings for chocolate, refined white flour snacks or salty snacks.  

Q: What is the best way to get the family involved when changing your diet to alleviate PMS symptoms?

Marla Ahlgrimm: If you have children, it is best to let them help with grocery shopping and allow them to pick out healthy foods and snacks for themselves. It can be difficult to convince a child that healthy changes are not only important for their body but taste good as well. When children have some sense of control over what they eat, they are more likely to stay away from processed foods and indulge in creative and healthy eating.

Marla Ahlgrimm Tells How to Better Control Food Cravings

Q: Does everyone experience food cravings?

Marla Ahlgrimm:  Surveys estimate that nearly 70 percent of young men and nearly 100 percent of young women had  food cravings throughout the past year.

Q: What causes food cravings?

Marla Ahlgrimm:  Research shows that the memory areas of the brain, not the brain’s reward center, are responsible for associating a specific food with a reward.

Q: What causes menstrual-related food cravings?

Marla Ahlgrimm:  After ovulation, serotonin levels in the brain go down resulting in a drop in energy and mood. Endorphin levels, another brain chemical associated with pain relief and a feeling of well-being, are also diminished.

Marla Ahlgrimm Speaks about Effects of Menopause on a Women’s Sleep Cycle

Marla Ahlgrimm explains menopause and why some women find it difficult to sleep during this phase of life.

Menopause is most simply explained as the end of a woman’s childbearing years, says registered pharmacist Marla Ahlgrimm. It is a time of great physical change that affects each woman differently. However, Marla Ahlgrimm relates one very common theme that has echoed since she first helped identify hormone related issues in the 1970s–sleeplessness.

Hot flashes – not a warm fuzzy way to wake 

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, almost all women experience hot flashes during menopause and its early stage, perimenopause. Hot flashes can creep up suddenly and rouse a menopausal woman from slumber without warning, explains Marla Ahlgrimm, who has been affectionately nicknamed “Doctor Marla Ahlgrimm” by the hundreds of thousands of women she has helped over the years.

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