PMDD stands for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. It refers to an extreme collection of symptoms that occur in the 1-2 weeks leading up to our periods that make us feel like a different person. It is hard to imagine that our hormones can cause such extreme symptoms and changes in our personality. The reason that this can happen is because PMDD is much more than a hormonal condition. It is a whole body experience. Today we are going to look at some of the factors that drive PMDD that have nothing to do with our hormones.
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Why do so many of us feel so overwhelmed about holiday food? Why do we come back from a family gathering full of love and laughter, upset that we had dessert instead of happy about what happened? Why do we care so much about how the holidays might impact our bodies? If you’re looking for strategies on how to deal with food anxiety over the holidays, read more here.
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One of the most confusing phenomena as we approach menopause is that the premenstrual symptoms we've dealt with for many years can actually worsen. Perimenopause is the phase leading up to menopause when women’s hormones begin to change. Menopause marks the cessation of menstruation. While the idea of no longer having periods might seem appealing, menopause entails numerous physiological changes. It involves adapting to functioning without hormones we've relied on throughout our lives.
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Mental health conditions are spectrum conditions which means that they are pathologic manifestations of normal human experience. For example it is normal for humans to feel low in certain situations - this is not a mental health condition. However when that lowness starts to impact our functioning and quality of life long term and pathologically this is when it becomes a diagnosable mental health condition. When we are treating spectrum disorders this means that we can’t take away our normal emotions. We can’t take away the sensation of lowness forever but we do want to make it manageable and appropriate given a situation. In this way we aren’t necessarily “curing” our mental health but we are treating it through different means so that we can support each person in living the life that they want to. One of the most important things that we can do to support and treat our mental health is to decrease factors that exacerbate obstacles and factors that worsen our mental health.
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PMDD stands for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and refers to an extreme collection of symptoms that occur in the 1-2 weeks leading up to our periods, making us feel like a different person. It is hard to imagine that our hormones can cause such extreme symptoms and changes in our personality. The reason this can happen is because PMDD is much more than a hormonal condition. It is actually a whole-body experience.
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As we return from a well-deserved holiday, you might be adjusting to having eaten differently during the holidays.First and foremost, that is okay. The essence of eating is to nourish and support you in whatever capacity you need. It is okay if your eating habits looked different over the last couple of weeks, and it is okay if you aren't feeling your best in your body. Here are a few simple strategies to help you reset after this period:
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One aspect that is frequently emphasized as a challenge during the holidays is food. While many people tend to feel stressed and overwhelmed by the food to consume, we want to take a step back and explore how we can promote mental and physical well-being when engaging with it during the holidays. Here are some ways we can approach holiday food to help us feel good instead of fostering fear, anxiety, and being overwhelmed.
Read MoreEating disorders are no exception to the concept of mental health conditions as spectrum disorders. When you think of disordered eating, the first thing that often comes to mind is an emaciated person who refuses to eat, risking major health concerns. While this is one form of disordered eating, physical appearance is not the sole indicator of an unhealthy relationship with food. Read on to assess your relationship with food!
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When it comes to using nutrition in medicine, there is a lot of information out there about how it can support our health and help us feel better. But that isn't always the case. There are times when using nutrition as medicine can actually increase the strain on our nervous system and fuel disordered eating patterns in those who are susceptible.
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When we think about our mental health, many of us are quick to think about how we can better support our mood and emotions. What many of us fail to remember, is that there are many physical factors that can impact and even drive poor mental health forward! In this blog, we will be taking you through the 5 physical factors you need to consider when approaching your mental health.
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Whenever we get new PMDD patients, we always find ourselves going over the importance of understanding the 6 possible underlying causes of PMDD. The reason we put so much emphasis on understanding the root cause is that when we can start to identify your individual factors that are contributing to your experience of PMDD, that is when we can find a true diagnosis for your symptoms, start to correct these imbalances, and help you to start feeling more like yourself again.
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For many of women, the second half of our cycle can feel like a real struggle. Whether we’re dealing with physical symptoms or mental-emotional symptoms, the one to two weeks leading up to our periods can be truly difficult to deal with. In many cases, the symptoms of PMS can feel so intense that they actually interfere with our ability to function normally. In these instances, we have to wonder if what we’re dealing with is actually PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) rather than PMS.
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You’ve likely heard that excessive stress can have negative impacts on our health. In fact, many of us have associated the word stress with something harmful. But is stress truly as bad as everyone says it is? In this blog, we go over the differences between acute and chronic stress, what happens to our bodies in the face of stress, and how we can break this cycle.
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When we look at supporting our mental health and stress levels, sometimes it’s more about understanding ourselves better, understanding what soothes us, and not necessarily ridding ourselves of those feelings (or negative behaviours) entirely. This might not always look like the healthiest option, but it certainly will help us navigate where these feelings are originating from and set us on a trajectory for better mental health and stress resiliency. This is called harm reduction.
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When you think of symptoms around our menstrual cycles the first thought is often there must be something going on with my hormones. While this may be the case, it is important to remember that our hormones are impacted by every system in our body. With that in mind, the cause of your menstrual related symptoms may not actually be your hormones themselves but the way that other systems are interacting with your hormones, including our immune system.
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Have you noticed that in the past couple of years you are FEELING your PMS or experiencing hormonal symptoms in different ways? This is not uncommon and it does not necessarily mean that your hormones are failing you. One of the biggest reasons why your periods (namely your PMS) might be worse is because of stress.
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Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in our brain. Neurotransmitters are the messengers of the brain – they have many roles in our body and play a particularly big role in how we feel mentally-emotionally. Lower amounts of serotonin are associated with low mood and increased anxiety. One of the ways that we can decrease the intensity of mood symptoms is by supporting healthy serotonin levels in our body.
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There is something about the holidays and holiday eating that holds a certain “stress” associated with it. If you find that you are feeling out of control with food, anxious around food, or if you are experiencing obsessions or compulsions around food, it does not have to be this way. Here are some simple things that you can try this holiday season to feel empowered around food, no matter what your actual food choices are.
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There is a new hormonal term going around that you may or may have heard of; PMDD. PMDD stands for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. This is a diagnosis that refers to a group of PMS symptoms that become so intense that they have extreme mood implications, and severe impacts on quality of life. It can get so bad that for that period of the month it can feel like a depressive episode.
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Welcome to week 3 of exploring the link between our mental health and our hormones. Today we are looking at how our food choices and our cravings are linked to our hormonal health and blood sugar levels. Sometimes the things that we choose to eat are not always based on our conscious control but other processes that are happening in our bodies, including our hormones.
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