In the case of the woman who is stressed, not sleeping, and on hormone overload, choosing caffeine as the quick fix increases the severity of her symptoms while masking the root cause of her distress. Eliminate caffeine for 30 days and evaluate the results. Many women find that after 30 days of no caffeine their PMS has disappeared or the symptoms of PMS are greatly reduced. Evening Primrose Oil is said to alleviate the symptoms of PMS, and can be added as a supplement.



Without caffeine many women experience a more restful sleep. The increased need for caffeine does not mean that the caffeine is not present in a woman's body; actually it is the buildup of caffeine that causes a person to need more caffeine to achieve the same stimulatory effect. Melatonin can be used to help a busy woman have a more restful sleep.

Melatonin is a hormone that is naturally produced to regulate the sleep cycle. Increased amounts of this hormone are produced in the late afternoon and early evening to calm the mind and body in preparation for sleep. Most busy women would benefit from a bedtime ritual of reading, listening to music, or taking a bath in order to calm the mind and body in preparation for sleep. With a more restful sleep comes increased energy.

If low energy still remains a problem the addition of vitamin B12 has bee shown to increase energy. B Complex vitamins are found in foods such as green leafy vegetables, oranges, fish and whole grains just to name a few. Of course a balanced diet will create the optimum health benefit.

Stress due to task overload is the key issue woman face today. They are simply attempting to complete too many tasks in a short time frame. Multi-tasking increases stress while decreasing productivity. For women this means increasing their time management skills. Remove the old adage "If I want something done right I have to do it myself" and delegate.

Time management may seem like a strange alternative medical treatment, but the focus is on treating the root cause of the symptoms which is stress. The best way for women to eliminate stress is to identify the hidden stressors in their lives and redirect their energy in a direction that is beneficial.

Women must learn to focus on their needs first. Many health problems can be cured by simply taking time out to get off the hamster wheel and evaluate the actions that create an unhealthy life cycle.