Lara Briden - The Period Revolutionary
Leading the change to better periods and hormones
Vitex (also called chaste tree or chasteberry) is a popular herbal medicine for irregular periods and premenstrual mood symptoms (PMS).
Vitex (also called chaste tree or chasteberry) is a herbal medicine prepared from the berries of the Mediterranean tree Vitex agnus-castus. In ancient times, it was used to suppress the libido of monks, hence the name. Fortunately, it does not have that effect on women.
Vitex is effective medicine for breast pain, irregular periods, premenstrual mood symptoms, and some types of acne.
Thank you to my nutrition professor, who first taught me about vitamin B6 (pyridoxine or pyridoxal-5-phosphate) for PMS. It is an effective, reliable treatment for premenstrual mood problems, including PMDD.
Back then (30 years ago), vitamin B6 relieved my own premenstrual symptoms so dramatically that it became my eureka moment in natural health and menstrual health. I realized that although premenstrual mood symptoms are common, they’re not normal. And going forward, I had much higher expectations of what a period should be like.
You’re ready. You suspect hormonal birth control is no longer right for your body, and you have a sinking feeling it never was.
Of course, you have questions about the process of coming off birth control. What will happen to your skin? Will you get your period? Which natural treatments can you use to make it all go as smoothly as possible?
PMS is my favorite thing to treat because it responds so well to natural treatment. I love to hear patients say: “I was surprised when my period just arrived. I didn’t even feel it coming.”
No irritability. No headache. No food cravings. It is possible.
The first step to easy periods is to value female hormones. Both estrogen and progesterone are powerful assets, and not something to be switched off with hormonal birth control.