What is normal PMS? This is another tricky question. I think it largely depends on how affected you are by your premenstrual symptoms. It is one thing to feel kind of grouchy for a day or two once a month and another to feel a strong impulse to kill or be violent. Being overly senti-mental occasionally doesn't put much of a dent in a woman's life. However, if she can't hold her-self back from crying one or two weeks out of the month, it's a different story. Relationships have often been broken because of PMS and jobs have evaporated. There are many natural therapies available ranging from diet, vitamins and minerals to herbs, homeopathy, Chinese medicine, and many more. I have rarely seen a woman who cannot find substantial relief from one or another of these treatments.

Your menstrual cycle is a beautiful outpouring of your feminine nature and spirit. Love and appreciate this aspect of your life as a symbol of the overall flow and outpouring of your life.

Drs. Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman is a naturopathic and homeopathic physician and cofounder of the Northwest Center for Homeopathic Medicine in Edmonds, WA. She is coauthor of The Patient's Guide to Homeopathic Medicine and Beyond Ritalin: Homeopathic Treatment of ADD and Other Behavioral and Learning Problems. She can be reached at (206) 774-5599.