A while back I added Redefining Life to the title.

Why did I do this?  Simple.  I want to help Women change the way they look at living with PMDD.  Really, to change the way Women look at living with any invisible disorder.  What I mean by invisible is that friends, family and coworkers can’t ‘see’ PMDD.  It’s not like a broken bone, or a scratch on your face, it’s much worse because there isn’t anything physical to show outsiders to help them understand.

One thing is for sure, it is debilitating, painful, and downright horrible unless it’s managed.

Unfortunately, managing PMDD isn’t simple, you can’t pop a magic pill, you can’t sleep it off, and you sure as heck can’t just ignore it.

To redefine your life with PMDD, or any other disorder/syndrome, you must look at what triggers make you worse.  It can be foods, certain exercises, stress, lack of sleep, too much junk food or caffeine, you get the picture.

SO, hold on to your socks!  This site is no longer going to just talk about PMDD, though obviously that will still be a major part.  I am now going to be adding new info to this site now to help you redefine your life.

Foods and recipes that can help you relieve some of your pain (physically& emotionally).

Recipes! Yummy, my favorite.  I really do enjoy cooking, for my family and friends, but I see what certain foods do to me.  Yes, I had my hysterectomy in Feb. which relieved my PMDD symptoms, however, I  also have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and I am lactose intolerant.  So, food still plays an important role in my life, or I pay the price.

In addition to recipes, I will display pics of the final meal and post which cookbooks I use and why.  All of my recipes will not be lactose-free, no one else in my family deals with this so a lot of times I will cook them something scrumptious that includes cheese or dairy products.

Exercises that won’t make you feel worse.  Keep an eye out for more videos by me and awesome one’s I find online that I have tried.

More parenting tips and tricks when dealing with PMDD

and so much more!

What are you doing right now to redefine your life?

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Check out this link to get more info on vitamins and supplements, explains why they are important, what they do for your body. It will help you figure out which one’s you need.

http://www.holisticonline.com/remedies/cfs/fib_nutrition.htm

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I think articles like this are incredible. Of course, because I’m a Mom, I love knowing that if my child calls stressed out from anything, a listening ear and a simple, “it will be okay” can help relax them.

Also, I think the more we learn about these sort of techniques, the less often pills will be passed out. As you all know, I took meds for my PMDD, I’m not against meds, I just don’t think they need to be used on children. Stress is a natural occurrence that every person is going to go through at some point in their lives. The more we learn to relax ourselves naturally, the better we will all be, and that does not have to include pills.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think…

Mom’s Voice Soothes Stress, Even by Phone
Study Shows a Mother’s Voice Can Reduce Stress Levels in Young Girls
By Bill Hendrick
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

May 13, 2010 — A kind word from mom by phone may be as good as a hug in calming the frayed nerves of frazzled daughters, a new study indicates.

In the study, which involved 61 girls aged 7 to 12, researchers say a mere phone call from their moms helped reduce the stress levels of the youngsters.

Led by biological anthropologist Leslie Seltzer, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the research team set out to measure fluctuations of the stress hormone cortisol, as well as of the “comfort” or “cuddle” hormone oxytocin.

The girls, all volunteers, were suddenly placed in stressful situations. They were asked without warning to deliver a speech in front of a group of strangers, an exercise that can create stress in people of any age.

Then they were drilled with difficult math questions — also in front of an audience. As expected, cortisol levels, known to increase with stress, skyrocketed when measured in saliva soon after the stressful situation.

Seltzer and Seth Pollak, PhD, a psychology professor at University of Wisconsin, Madison, then divided the girls into three groups.

The mothers of one group were on hand to hug and offer physical comfort to their daughters. Other girls were handed a telephone, with mom on the line. A third group watched an emotionally neutral film called March of the Penguins.

Researchers say the calming effect on the girls who were comforted by a hug or physical touch was more immediate, but that the stress hormone levels also quickly dropped in those who received soothing words from their mothers by phone.

For the girls who watched the film, cortisol levels were still considerably above normal an hour after their stressful experiences. Similarly, levels of the “cuddle hormone” oxytocin went up in girls who were hugged as well as those who received comforting phone calls, though not quite as fast in those whose mothers were not physically present.

Oxytocin levels were flat or low in the girls who watched the movie. The hormone levels were tested in samples of urine collected at various times during the course of the experiment.

“It was [previously] understood that oxytocin release in the context of social bonding usually required physical contact,” Seltzer says in a news release. “But it’s clear from these results that a mother’s voice can have the same effect as a hug, even if she’s not standing there.”

The relief from anxiety lasts, Pollak says. “By the time the children go home, they’re still enjoying the benefits of this relief and their cortisol levels are still low,” he says in the news release.
Gender Differences in Reacting to Stress

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, and they square with a “tend and befriend” theory, explaining how stress regulation may differ between females and males.

Gender Differences in Reacting to Stress continued…

Males, when confronted with a threat, may be more likely to choose between fight or flight. But females with offspring in tow, or slowed by pregnancy, may have evolved to make different choices.

“You might not be able to run with a child or defend yourself without endangering both of you,” Seltzer says. She adds that it might make more sense for a female to create or use a social bond to deal with a stressor, either through touch or soothing communication.

“Apparently, this hormone oxytocin reduces stress in females after both types of contact, and in doing so may strengthen bonds between individuals,” Seltzer says.

Seltzer tells WebMD in an email that stress effects on boys were not addressed in this study, but experiments on young guys are under way. “The results aren’t all in, but yes, boys do look different. So do girls who interact with dad instead of mom.”

So would a hug from a dad, or a soothing phone call, do any good for children of either gender? “We just don’t know,” Pollak tells WebMD in an email. “But hormone systems between males and females may also be different. This was the very first study of its kind using the voice.”

Seltzer says her team “chose to focus on girls for this particular study because the hormone oxytocin, which we think helps regulate social behavior, is typically studied in females because of its role in maternal-infant attachment.”

She adds that “male children are equally interesting in their own right and will be the subjects of future work.”

In addition to reducing stress, oxytocin also may strengthen bonds between people, Seltzer says.

“For years,” Pollak says, “I’ve seen students leaving exams and the first thing they do is pull out their cell phone and make a call. I used to think, ‘How could those over-attentive, helicopter parents encourage that?’ But now? Maybe it’s a quick and dirty way to feel better.”

The fact that “a simple telephone call” could raise oxytocin levels “is really exciting,” he adds.

Seltzer is testing whether other methods of communication, such as text messaging, could have the same calming effect as a phone call or hug.

“On the one hand, we’re curious to see if this effect is unique to humans,” she says in the news release. “On the other, we’re hoping researchers who study vocal communication will consider looking at oxytocin release in other animals and applying it to broader questions of social behavior and evolutionary biology.”

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This has been something I have gone back and forth with for a while, but now Ning is going to start charging, so the decision was made easier.

The Ning Women’s Only forum will be dissolved. I mentioned before that they are going to start charging for me to keep it and I didn’t have enough responses from Women wanting to pay $2.95/mth to keep it.

If, and I hope you will, would like to stay involved with all of us in a discussion setting, you can go to our PMDD FB Forum and join for free.

This page currently has 381 fans so it is current and has a lot of activity.

If you already started the paypal payment plan for the ning forum, I will be sending you your $2.95 back (there were 2 of you).

I apologize for the inconvenience, but currently paying $19.95/month just isn’t feasible.

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Hey guys.

I have my computer set up so that whenever anything regarding PMDD/PMS goes around on the Internet it lets me know.  I can keep up with the ‘latest and greatest’ if you will on research and studies.

What I have come across this past week are a couple of sites on PMDD, they ask questions that sound very general and laid back.  One question I am seeing a lot is, “any other Women have PMDD, please answer these questions.”  It makes it look as though they may have PMDD and just need help.  Most of you are like me and want to spread the word and help, however, when I look deeper into the sites for a contact, stories, etc… I find nothing.

So, just keep in mind not all sites are created equal.  Make sure you know who you are sharing your story with and what they will be doing with it.

Stef, PMDD Advocate & Coach

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I am still offering PMDD Companion Services for anyone that is interested.

My goal is to support you and encourage healthier behaviors during your 1-2 week PMDD ‘hell’ times. To work with you, putting into action necessary tools & techniques to live happier and healthier, even with your PMDD. Work through problems as they occur so that you can learn to do it on your own, not depend on others, including me.

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Fibromyalgia Gets Worse During Menstruation

April 16, 2010 (Toronto) — Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, and a painful bladder condition called interstitial cystitis (IC) seem to get worse in some women right before and during menstruation, researchers report.

All three are disorders of the autonomic nervous system. That’s the part of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves that controls functions such as blood pressure and bladder control; these functions are largely involuntary and below our level of consciousness.

“Since other autonomic disorders like migraine and fainting seem to have menstrual variations, we theorized that these conditions would have these variations as well,” says Thomas Chelimsky, MD, professor of neurology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

IBS is characterized by abdominal pain, constipation, bloating, and diarrhea, while fibromyalgia is characterized by pain throughout the body, along with tender points. IC patients have pain in the bladder. All three conditions affect women more than men. Stress and anxiety can exacerbate symptoms of all three, Chelimsky tells WebMD.

For the study, 79 women with IBS, 77 women with fibromyalgia, and 129 women with IC filled out a questionnaire asking about the severity of their symptoms throughout the month.

A total of 25% of the IBS patients, 18% of the fibromyalgia patients, and 9% of the IC patients reported worsening of symptoms during or before their period.

While not addressed by the study, Chelimsky believes fluctuations in hormone levels may explain the findings.

“Estrogen is a pain preventative,” Chelimsky says. Levels are at their lowest right before menstruation and are still low while a woman has her period.

Additionally, 15% of women in the study reported worse pain at menopause, another time estrogen levels drop. In a surprising finding that the researchers could not explain, 37% of women said symptoms got worse at the time of their first period.

Also unknown is why symptoms fluctuate with hormone levels in some women and not others.

The findings of the poster presentation were reported here at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

Asked to comment on the findings, Nathan Wei, MD, clinical director of the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland, says, “This study confirms the clinical impression made by practitioners for many years — that hormonal shifts play a major role in symptom exacerbation.”

Chelimsky says that other research shows that women with IBS, fibromyalgia, and IC who are on estrogen-containing birth control pills seem to have fewer symptoms than other women with the conditions.

“I wouldn’t recommend patients go on the pill [for this reason],” Chelimsky says.

“But if they have bad periods, they may want to get on an exercise program. Studies have shown that’s the best thing you can do to improve symptoms,” he says.

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I am working on 2 new ebooks and would like your thoughts.

First, one for Men living w/ a Woman that has PMDD.

Question: What would you like the Man in your life to know or understand about PMDD?
What would you like for him to read about PMDD?

Second, one for Families w/ children/teens that have PMDD.

Question: What would you like to know w/ regards to raising a child/teen that has PMDD?
Would you allow your teen to read an e book so that they could learn the best ways to live w/ PMDD?
What areas do you think you, or your teen, need to learn about w/ regards to PMDD?

Thanks everyone! I hope to get a great response and be able to help everyone the best way possible.

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If any of you are in MD/VA/DC area she would love to speak with you too.

Please let me know if you are interested, or you can email her at  annem76@yahoo.com .

Any men that are in the WA area and want to be interviewed can too.

I will be talking with her today at 4pm (my time, Central) if you are concerned and want to talk before your interview.  You can see one of her articles at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/12/AR2010041203241.html where she wrote about her husband’s Tourette’s.

This is really amazing, the word is really getting out, slowly but surely!

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I did come across another study, however, there isn’t a date listed.

There are 3 numbers in different areas so it would definitely at least be worth checking it out.

Their site does explain the different phases of the study and the areas are: New York City, New Haven, CT and Richmond, VA

Please let us know if you find out more info when you call them and update us if you join the study.

System Onset Study: PMDD-SOS (System Onset Study for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder)

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