Although the following articles can be greatly expanded upon. They contain general and some specific details about female issues.

PMS and Related Post Partum Issues – Hormonal Imbalances in Perspective

PMS and related Hormonal imbalances produce brain Fog, general mental fogginess, Mood Swings, Fatigue, Tiredness, Listlessness, Abdominal Bloating, a feeling of general coldness sometimes feeling both hot and cold, fatigue, head ache or migraine, racing thoughts and related sleeping disorders have become such a common phenomenon among women as to be almost epidemic. This is not a new problem but it is certainly a more frequently occurring one.

It is not insignificant that in the present day these problems are occurring more frequently in modern industrialized societies. Some attribute the low incidence of female hormonal imbalances in the orient to the use of soy in the diet. This is an unreasonable assumption. The fact that generally healthier and cleaner foods are being eaten in the orient than in the West/USA. It should be noted that Europe does not have these problems to the same extent. It must however be noted that as of that this is rapidly changing there too.

The PMS itself was at one time called hysteria. Which literally means uterus. Because presently most of us have been conditioned to believe that PMS is being caused by hormones being in a state of imbalance one would likely never ask or even consider the uterus as a possible cause of PMS? Well, for one thing the fact that PMS occurs at the time a woman has her period is a definite clue.

The ancients were spot on in this deduction. The uterus was also call “matrix” which is Latin for mother. The uterus was regarded as a “world within a world” because of its miraculous ability as the vessel of conception. It has a life of its own. And, although it needs its own nourishment like any other organ, it unlike the other organs which dispose of their wastes internally and then through the normal orifices of waste elimination; the uterus disposes of its wastes directly through its own orifice. Apart from the obvious anatomical reality that birthing takes place from the uterus the disposal of its wastes is not without significance. The menstrum once spent is evacuated otherwise it decomposes and becomes toxic therefore it must be eliminated and be free of the regular blood circulating to maintain the rest of the body. All organs and the body in general are subject to constipation i.e., the retention of wastes, which generally results in that waste being re-absorbed which ultimately produces ailments. Should the uterus become constipated the same thing occurs; the effect being the same but the consequence is different.

What is being said here is not that the actual menstrum itself is actually circulating in the blood stream, this of course would be deadly, but that specific components distilled out of the uterus are. Proof of this is quite simple. Many woman when menstruating can taste in their mouth a metallic taste from their own menstrum in their mouths, sometimes the menstrum can be detected on their breath, and in some extreme cases it can be detected in their body odor and the perspiration of the body in general and palms of the hands in particular. Consequently and historically, in the times when there was no refrigeration, woman were not allowed to work in the preparation of food that was going to be directly eaten or preserved if the woman was menstruating. This was not imposed or otherwise forced by men on women; the women imposed this on each other based on clear understanding and principle. This was done for reasons of health not superstition. Then, it was well known that the food would not preserve and would spoil. This could mean sickness or starvation. The woman themselves knew this and accepted it as a fact of life. Anyone who is old enough and lived in a rural setting may still be aware of this once commonly known fact.

These statements may be considered sexist to some but, the very real wisdom of the ancients should not be belittled by our present day prejudice, arrogance and sometimes ignorance. In the times when these practices were common there was no means of food preservation other than the natural methods which, incidentally, worked exceedingly well. Life or death depending on hard work, a sound knowledge and understanding of nature and her processes – calling 911 was not an option.

There would be no way for the symptoms of PMS to occur were the menstrum to be completely evacuated directly from the uterus. Without this the ingredients to produce PMS would not be present. When this refined portion of the mensturm reaches the heart it produces a psychological effect in many women – It produces PMS. It is like being narcoticized by ones own toxin. The effect produces an exaggerated emotional state as well as the other typical physical symptoms of PMS depending upon which organ is having to deal with the non-evacuated menstrum-toxin. For instance, if it finds itself in the liver – the breasts will feel sore. The Orientals say this symptom is a result of “liver heat rising” due to a pathogen, which in this case is the circulating toxin from the uterus that the body is trying to eliminate through the liver.

These are the reason why PMS was called hysteria. Because the cause was the uterus not functioning properly. Absolutely nothing has changed anatomically in present day human beings from those of years past. The cause of PMS is still the uterus but eerily the uterus is never being addressed when PMS occurs because there is no “modern” uterus remedy per se to market. So, in the absence of sense,  biochemistry is used to justify a hormonally based remedy. This approach does not solve the problem because if it did there would be no PMS, instead it removes the symptoms but only for some. Countless, however, suffer the very nasty consequences.

Female problems are almost universally defined as hormonal imbalances. This, of course, is an oversimplification because to work on hormones alone is like trying to eliminate stress by suppressing the nerves in isolation of the rest of the body. Clearly this very forced approach would necessarily produce some sort of side effect.

Nerves are one of many maintained organs in the body. The brain, blood vessels, muscles, tendons, cartilage, hair and so on are “maintained organs.” A maintained organ is an organ that is not directly involved in a metabolic process but is the recipient of what is produced by these main organs through the blood. In Traditional herbal Theory there is a very orderly and systematic relationship between the main organs, their secondary organs and the symptoms of ailments.

Female problems seem to affect the whole body but according to Tradition Herbal theory the organs that figure most prominently are the Spleen and Stomach, Liver, Uterus and Kidneys. And, to a lesser extent the Heart, which is affected secondarily but through it the PMS related emotional symptoms are created. The specific order that these organs need to be addressed is very individual. However, in general the Spleen/Stomach, Liver, and Kidney (which usually affect the Uterus directly) followed by the Heart.

Few consider the effects of the main organs when dealing with female problems, yet, how can these major organs not affect, or be affected by circulating contaminants.

The Stomach and Spleen extract the raw materials to produce blood and hormones among many other things. It is a fact that the various glands all secrete hormones. Why they do this is out of obvious necessity. How they synthesize their various unique hormones is still a mystery. We believe that the process of producing hormones is an interaction between soul and physical body.

The Liver, Kidney and Uterus remove the excess hormones out of the blood stream and eliminate them. The Uterus eliminates through menstruation. The Liver removes toxins as well as excess hormones out of the bloodstream  passing them on to the Kidney for elimination. Should the fluids attempting to be eliminated through the Uterus become too thick impeding their flow. Should they slow down or coagulate, severe inflammations and menstrual cramps can occur.

Clearly, there is more to female hormone imbalances than just hormones? The hormones are definitely in disproportion, but it is the bodily organ’s inability to balance them that is usually at fault. This statement does not belittle the serious impact of the many estrogen mimicking substances that pervade modern life in plastics, clothing, house paint and so on.  They effect both men women and many other creatures downstream in the environment.

Estrogen seems to generally produces a coagulating effect. This may be why artificial estrogen therapies have been extensively documented and are known to produce strokes, tumors, cancers, blood clots etc. Progesterone seem to counter the effects of estrogen producing a thinning effect. To complicate this the estrogen being ingested comes from pregnant mares urine (Thus the name pre-mar-in). One could assume that the Estrogen being produced by a horse would likely be perfectly suitable for a 2000 pound horse but may be a little too strong for a 100 – 150 pound woman.

The entire body and each of its organs need energy to function. This energy is produced by the spleen and it becomes depleted due to prolonged stresses, poor foods and environmental chemicals. These tax the ability of the spleen to supply each of the organs with enough energy to function. As this energy diminishes each organ slowly becomes deficient in energy and gradually becomes unable to work at their respective optimum levels.

Gradually, what would have been expelled as waste by  normal organ functions remains in the blood stream inclusive of excess hormones that are not being expelled by the Liver and Uterus. These circulating substances affect the heart in unusual ways. Traditional Herbal theory teaches that the heart – not the brain – is the center of reason – The heart can over ride the brain. This is how and why these toxins that thicken the blood can have a narcoticizing effect on the mind by merely circulating through the heart. This is not to be confused with a heart disease. From this effect on the heart arise the mood swings, mental fogginess, racing thoughts and others. These symptoms altogether are called PMS.

In principle this effect would be the same in a man if the same substances were to be circulating in a man’s blood. Men who are taking growth hormones like testosterone, for example, for athletic or muscular enhancement experience aggressiveness and anger which can be seen as a male version of PMS.

Post Partum Depression, Post partum anxiety, Post partum fatigue and anemia are part of another overlooked factor when it comes to a woman. That fact that the female is the host for life is overlooked. The female body and its unique chemistry accepts and incubates life. This most feminine of attributes permits woman to give birth. Yet as special and miraculous as childbirth is, the process itself is for many women very taxing.

We accept that women give birth very matter-of-factly but what is the toll on the female body.

Imagine carrying a 2 to a 10 pound (or more) object that is feeding off of you for a 9 month period of time. Rest assured most athletes couldn’t do it without extreme fatigue. Try picking up a 5-pound object and carry it around in your hand with you all day for a week, let alone 9 months, and see how your hand feels. The female uterus does this in addition to feeding and disposing of the waste of the life it is carrying for nine months (40 weeks). The energy to accomplish these tasks does not come from the uterus itself even though it is doing the work.

All living things need energy to sustain themselves. And if there is energy it must have a source. A car needs gas. A light bulb needs electricity. A fireplace needs wood. In the body, it has long been established by the ancient herbalists that the Spleen is the producer of this “electricity like” power in the body. This is different from and in addition to the nutrients the body needs. By converting food the Spleen/Stomach is the source of blood production within the human body.

If a woman’s uterus is working hard it will draw upon this power from the Spleen. Under normal circumstances this is not a problem. But, if the woman is eating poorly, or is overworked, stressed or a battery of other possibilities, the Spleen becomes overworked from having to work to hard and becomes depleted.

After giving birth a woman that has been over burdened from carrying her baby for 9 months and due to the additional effort of birthing will be exhausted and depleted.

This depletive tiredness can often last for months even years. Some women also have multiple pregnancies each one depleting them even further. How can this simple problem be simplistically and universally called “hormonal imbalance.”

Women then sustain the ultimate insult by being told that all of these symptoms “are in their head.” How unknowing, unfeeling and negligent are those who would ignore or over complicate such a simple situation.

This depletive state leaves the body’s energies spread very thin therefore in addition to simple fatigue it is common for a woman to also feel very foggy headed making it difficult to mentally focus in addition to fatigue, depression and an inability to fall asleep due to, “not being able to turn the brain off at night.” In many cultures around the world women use various tonics to restore and tone the blood in general by assisting the Spleen. This aids the female system in general, especially after childbirth. In American culture this is an almost unheard of concept.

More than anywhere else on earth women in industrialized societies are exposed to more environmental toxins, synthetic additives in almost everything from food to clothing to house paint. These substances among other things effect the acid/alkaline balance in the blood and the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. The fact that some of these synthetics mimic female hormones is beside the point when dealing with fatigue in spite of the fact that when exposed to or ingested these will strongly affect general female body chemistry.

In conclusion, regular hormone imbalances and post partum issues have the same general causes the only difference being the greater degree of depletions and the fluids are thicker still, setting in a deeper depression in addition to the fogginess and fatigue.

Most, if not all female problems can be eliminated by cleansing the liver. If a woman is too weak after childbirth her body should be strengthened before doing a liver cleanse. (Read below.) But, a liver cleanse is always a good idea.

How can Exstressor help? Exstressor primarily provides Spleen and Stomach. By supporting spleen functions all organs generally benefit by an improved distribution of energy to all organs. This also generally warms the body while not being actually “thermogenic.” This effect tends to clear the blood with the aid of the other organ’s support.

Exstressor can be used as a restorative tonic for the physical and emotional problems of the female.

To further speed up this tonifying process a good quality Beet supplement is helpful. A good brand is Schoenenberger Red Beet Crystals available at a good health food store.

Exstressor is all natural herbal remedy and surprisingly fast acting. More Exstressor Information