Spa Treatments for PMS

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a combination of physical and emotional disturbances that occur after a woman ovulates and ends with menstruation. Common PMS symptoms include depression, irritability, crying, oversensitivity, and mood swings. For some women PMS symptoms can be controlled with medications and lifestyle changes such as exercise, nutrition, and a family and friend support system.

Reflexology is a healing art first practiced centuries ago in China and India. Pressure, applied to points on the feet that correspond to almost every area of the body, is thought to relieve pain and strengthen the immune system.

After a consultation to determine which areas need specific attention, your certified reflexologist begins to loosen your leg muscles by massaging your lower legs, then moving to the calves, then the ankles, and finally to the feet. Next, they works their hands over the sole of each foot, pressing and holding the pressure on certain places for a few seconds and then releasing. For a woman suffering from PMS, added pressure is placed on the arch of the foot, the big toe and the inside of the ankle. Reflexologists say these areas are connected to the adrenals, pituitary glands and uterus, respectively.

Scientists have conducted only a few controlled studies on the use of reflexology treatments on women with PMS, but some have shown results that reinforce the effectiveness of the therapy. In a study published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 35 women were asked to keep a daily diary recording the severity of almost 40 common PMS symptoms over six months. For two months, 18 of the women were given 30-minute reflexology treatments each week while the other 17 were given ordinary foot massages. None of the women knew which group she was in. According to study co-author Terrence Oleson, Ph.D., chairman of the department of psychology at the California Graduate Institute in Los Angeles, there was a

significantly greater decrease in PMS symptoms among the women who received the genuine reflexology treatments.

You should discuss your health needs with your physicians before considering any spa treatments. Spa Treatments are complimentary treatments to medication, exercise and dietary changes that your physician prescribes.