monshadow and menstruation.
odd title, neh?
i've decided to have this week's vid theme be this: Songs i've done at karaoke that made the lady go "you shouldn't know that song!" (cause i'm 'too young' dontchaknow)
cat stevens is amazing. (sarah, i tried to do the snuffy theme, but.. i really had a hard time finding snuffy vids, and theone i did find were of really poor quality... i did my best.)
and on to part two. menstruation... behind a cut for thos of you who don't care.
i should learn to listen to my body. .. okay, let me back up.
my periods are not incredibly regular. actually itake an herbal supplement to induce menstruation, or to at least coax it into happening on a regular-ish schedule. the reason i should listen to my body is that the herbals i take also help IMMENSELY with my PMS. (as opposed to prescribed birth control as a regulation method, which made my PMS approach serious bi-polar moodswing effects, sometimes sending me on manic highs i couldn't control, and near-suicidal lows. yeah. i quit taking birth control pills for regularity of cycles, because having irregular periods was better than those kinds of side efects.
so i take an herbal (black cohosh) that induces menstruation to start and also does a good job of making sure that when I DO bleed... well. It’s enough to do what is good to keep you from being at higher risk for cancers. Also, it has the wonderful side effect of making my PMS virtually disappear. Seriously. I’ll have maybe a few more-emotional-than-usual moments, but that’s all. Certainly nothing compared to the massive emotional upheavals I’d been useed to on birth control, and the only slightly diminished state I was in when I was having random irregular bouts of uncontrolled heavy bleeding.
So, to keep everything on an even keel, i keep track of my cycle on a calendar, so that when i SHOULD be cycling, i am. I usually start taking the pills four days before I should start bleeding, and continue them two days into my cycle. it's not a perfect system. And some months, like this one, apparently, my body decides to boost the hormonses into gear and I’ll start a little earlier than usual. This is okay. And I stil take the herbs. I just alter it to match what my body’s already doing. Except this time, I waited. I didn’t listen to my body. I should have.
I KNEW I was feeling off. I KNEW I was feelin pissy. I knew I was PMS-ing, but.. I thought, I’m not supposed to start taking the cohosh for another four days…so I waited. Bad move. My PMS cam on full strength, and I ended up hiding in the closet, sobbing, with the “what is WRONG with me?’ right back where it used to be. D. came and coaxed me out, calmed me down. Did his thing, which is to be amazing. H. came in too. And was supportive and wonderful.
I took the night-pill, which helped me sleep better, due to the valerian, and started on the rounds today. The supplement I’m taking is actually REALLY good. It’s available at wal-mart (the Beast, I know, but if it’s all you got, then...) and it’s the brand Spring Valley. It’s actually marketed as a menopause supplement, but it’s actually VERY good for this.
It has two pills. A morning-pill (which has the cohosh, plus ginseng, and also green tea extract) and a night/bedtime pill, (which has more of the cohosh, plus hops and valerian root.)
I really do highly recommend this stuff. If you have problems with your cycles, if you have no big issues besides irregularity, if you have a dependable means of non-procreation, if you just feel crappy and don’t like it, then I really would recommend this over birth control. If you have problems with your mood on birth control, no matter what kind you use, if your PMS is sometimes uncontrollable, I really really recommend this stuff. And honestly, I’ve used several brands and blends of black/blue Cohosh and other menorrheic herbs, ad this is by far the best results I’ve ever had. I honestly can’t imagine using anything else. Period. *snicker* no pun intended.
So, to recap, for irregular periods, awful PMS, etc. etc. Spring Valley Black Cohosh Menopause Complex. Give it a shot. Just remember if you go to a Western-med style doctor to tell your doctor that you’re taking it (or any other herbal) when they ask for what meds you’re on, and what you’re using it for. It really does matter.
have a good day guys. it's really pretty here today, i'm gonna go out an enjoy it.
~melly