What Is PMS?
Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is a cluster of symptoms that usually show up each menstrual cycle a week or two before your period. About 80% of women report having at least one PMS symptom each month. PMS can impact you in many ways. Your symptoms can be physical, mental, or behavioral. Once your period starts or soon after, PMS symptoms usually go away.

🚩PMS vs. PMDD
If your premenstrual symptoms are so intense that they greatly affect your daily life at home or work or your relationships, you may have a more severe form of PMS called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). PMDD affects about 2% of those who menstruate. PMDD symptoms are more intense, especially in terms of mood, anger, and anxiety. PMDD is a long-term and serious condition that needs medical attention.

Symptoms
Most women only experience a few of these problems.

Physical signs and symptoms
• Joint or muscle pain
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Weight gain related to fluid retention
• Abdominal bloating
• Breast tenderness
• Acne flare-ups
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Alcohol intolerance

Treatment
💊 Medications
• Anti pain
• Hormonal birth control
• Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications

Lifestyle changes
• Regular exercise 🏃‍♀🏊‍♀🧘‍♀: Moderate cardio exercise (running, brisk walking, cycling or swimming) for 30 minutes a day can relieve stress and boost your mood. The benefits last beyond the 30 minutes.

• Healthy diet🥗: Eat fewer salty, fatty, and sugary foods, and drink fewer caffeinated and alcoholic beverages two weeks before your period.

• Plenty of sleep: Getting at least eight hours of sleep can reduce feelings of irritability.

• Relaxation exercises: Yoga, meditation and breathing exercises relieve stress and combat the irritability and sadness that often accompany PMS.

Vitamins, minerals and supplements

• Calcium: You can get calcium from dairy products (milk, eggs, yogurt), foods with calcium added (some cereals and bread) and supplements.

• Magnesium: You can get magnesium from leafy greens, nuts, whole grains and supplements.

• Vitamin B6: You can get Vitamin B6 from fish, poultry, potatoes, non-citrus fruits and supplements.

• Omega-3 and Omega-6: You can get Omega-3 and Omega-6 from fish, flaxseed, nuts, leafy greens and supplements.

People have unique personalities made up of a complex combination of different traits. Personality traits affect how people understand and relate to the world around them, as well as how they see themselves.

Ideally, people's personality traits allow them to flexibly adapt to their changing environment in ways that lead to more healthy relationships with others and better coping strategies.

• When people have personality traits that are less adaptive, this leads to inflexibility and unhealthy coping.
  For example, they may manage stress by drinking or misusing drugs, have a hard time managing their anger, and find it hard to trust and connect with others.

A Personality Disorder is a mental health condition where people have a lifelong pattern of seeing themselves and reacting to others in ways that cause problems. People with personality disorders often have a hard time understanding emotions and tolerating distress. And they act impulsively.

This makes it hard for them to relate to others, causing serious issues, and affecting their family life, social activities, work and school performance, and overall quality of life.

To learn more, book your consult today!

Here are the top five ways to prevent substance abuse:

1. Understand how substance abuse develops. It starts by:
   - Using addictive drugs (illicit or prescribed) for recreational purposes
   - Seeking out intoxication every time you use
   - Abusing prescription medication

2. Avoid Temptation and Peer Pressure. Develop healthy friendships and relationships by avoiding friends or family members who pressure you to use substances.

3. Seek help for mental illness. Mental illness and substance abuse often go hand in hand. If you are dealing with a mental illness such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder you should seek professional help from a licensed therapist or counsellor.

4. Examine the risk factors. Check your family history of mental illness and addiction. The more you are aware of your biological, environmental and physical risk factors the more likely you are to overcome them.

5. Keep a well-balanced life. Practicing stress management skills can help you overcome these life stressors and will help you live a balanced and healthy life.

Intellectual disability is a complex disorder, that can be any of several conditions characterized by subnormal intellectual functioning and impaired adaptive behaviour that are identified during the individual’s developmental years.