Premenstrual Disorders

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such as diet, exercise, vitamins, and progesterone therapy. “But,”

Dr. Northrup emphasizes, “in persistent cases of PMS, a deeper im-

balance exists that lifestyle changes alone won’t help.” In the more

severe cases of PMS and PMDD, physicians have found that altering

the brain chemistry by using antidepressants helps to relieve symp-

toms. (See chapter three.)

When iproniazid, one of the first antidepressants, was originally

studied, it was used to treat tuberculosis. In the early 1950s, physi-

cians noticed that their patients treated with the drug became more

Although an MRI allows researchers to examine the brain’s com-

plicated structure, scientists are still struggling to fully under-

stand how the brain works.