Significant premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is defined by the AmericanCollege of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as at least one physical or psychological symptom in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (the five days before a period commences), over at least three menstrual cycles and confirmed by prospective ratings.

The physical symptoms include breast tenderness, abdominal bloating, headache, and swelling of hands/feet.

The mood symptoms include depression, angry outbursts, irritability, anxiety, confusion, and social withdrawal.

Symptoms should be relieved within four days of the onset of menses and should not recur until at least day 13 of the cycle.

Key facts

Some non-controversial facts about PMS are that it typically worsens after the mid-30s; that some women date their problems to a bout of postnatal depression; that the symptoms are present only in regularly ovulating women and do not occur in women who are not ovulating (e.g. prepubertal girls, during pregnancy, or after menopause); and that medicines that increase synaptic serotonin in the brain are immediately effective therapies for PMS.

Additionally, pre-existing mood disorders and many physical conditions are aggravated by the menstrual cycle, so women who suffer from mood disorders, including PMS, often find that progestins, such as medroxyprogesterone and norethisterone, make their symptoms worse.

Treatment approaches

Research shows that evening primrose oil and soy products are not useful for PMS.

There is limited evidence to support a trial of gingko, saffron, magnesium, St John’s wort, or vitamin E.

However, calcium carbonate (1,000 mg daily), a Vitex agnus castus L extract Ze 440 (20 mg daily), vitamin B6 (50–100 mg daily), and SSRIs are effective or possibly effective.

Source: Associate Professor John Eden, Healthed Annual Women’s Health Update, Sydney 2013

Deaths from neurological disease in the U.S. rose 92 percent among women and 66 percent among men between the years 1979 to 2010. In the UK, such deaths among women rose 48 percent and 32 percent among men. In total, more than 14,500 Americans died of a brain disease in 2010, and more than 6,500 in the UK… Read more online >>

It also shows that over the last decade there has been a dramatic 58 percent increase in the use of psychotropic medications by the Australian population, which has only increased by 13 percent over that time.

“Australians are increasingly relying on the use of psychotropic meds to treat their mental health problems,” said Professor Iain McGregor, from the University’s School of Psychology and senior author of the study published this week in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry… Read more online >>

The study, as explained by Health Day, focused on 30 teenage boys, aged 13 to 15, divided into two groups. One group played violent games for three or more hours a day (high exposure), while the other played such games for less than an hour (low exposure).

Researchers then tracked the boys’ attitudes after playing a violent game (Manhunt) and a non-violent game (Animaniacs). Each game was played for two hours on separate evenings… Read more online >>

Like other treatments once they reach the third phase and a broader clinical trial with more patients, Baxter’s drug did not “indicate a statistically “significant difference in the rate of cognitive decline as compared to placebo.” Read more online >>

Source: Dr Neil Hearnden, Healthed Annual Women’s Health Update, Sydney 2013

2. What Men Want by Bettina Arndt (MUP, 2010) – all about male sexuality, including a major section on treatments for erectile dysfunction, how couples cope post prostate cancer etc.

3. Intimacy and Desire by David Schnarch (Scribe, 2009) – excellent book on desire.

4. Mating In Captivity by Esther Perel (Harper Collins, 2006) – beautifully written book on sex in long-term relationships.

5. Too Fast? – Learn to Last Longer by Michael Lowy and Brett McCann (Longueville Media, 2009) – all the latest on premature ejaculation.

6. Saving Your Sex Life – A Guide for Men With Prostate Cancer by John P Mulhall (Hilton Publishing Company, 2008) – excellent book by a world expert.

7. The Elusive Orgasm by Vivienne Cass (Brightfire, 2002) – good self-help book on orgasm problems.

8. The Story Of V by Catherine Blackledge (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2003) –

fascinating book on vaginas.

9. Management Of Erectile Dysfunction In Primary Care Practice by Rosie King (The Written Word, 2004) – excellent advice for medical practitioners.

10. Where Did My Libido Go? by Rosie King (Ebury, 2010) – good book on lost libido.

11. Perfectly Normal by Sandra Pertot (Rodale, 2005) – advice on mismatched desire.

12. The Sex Starved Marriage by Michele Weiner Davis (Simon and Shuster, 2003) – another good self-help book.

13. The Sex Starved Wife by Michele Weiner Davis (Simon and Schuster, 2008) – for women whose partners have low desire.

14. He’s Just Not Up For It Anymore – Why Men Stop Having Sex, And What You Can Do About It by Bob and Susan Yager-Berkowitz (William Morrow, 2008).

15. The New Male Sexuality by Bernie Zilbergeld (Bantam, 1992) – an old book, but an excellent discussion of psychological factors in erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

NB You can obtain the names of specialists in sexual dysfunction after prostate cancer from Impotence Australia (www.impotenceaustralia.com.au), a website supported by leading erectile dysfunction experts, who can also help with premature ejaculation and other male sex problems. Phone 1800 800 614 or email admin@impotenceaustralia.com.au.

Source: Dr Bettina Arndt, Healthed General Practice Education Day, Brisbane 2012

That’s according to a study from the University of Iowa, which found that elderly people who played just ten hours of a game priming their mental processing speed and skills delayed declines by as many as seven years in a range of cognitive skills. “We know that we can stop this decline and actually restore cognitive… Read more oline >>