They keep us fit, drive us on and sometimes they drive us crazy: the hormones. The messenger substances in the blood regulate all vital processes in the body and also the female cycle. And if you, as more and more women, abstain from hormonal contraception, sometimes estrogen, progesterone and testosterone greet pretty well. So it can happen around the ovulation, that we find an otherwise inconspicuous colleague suddenly totally sexy and could literally "nibble" Or on the days before the rule of uncontrolled outbursts of anger: You get about the supermarket cashier almost a Ausraster, just because one does not put his stuff on the tape fast enough, if the emotions go crazy again, take it easy: Sorry, it's just the hormones ..
Pure chemistry
The word hormone comes from ancient Greek. "Hormao" means "to drive". About 100 different messengers know the medicine today. "Hormones are chemical compounds of protein building blocks and fatty acids, and on the organ they act on, they find suitable receptors to which they dock", explains Dr. Eva Lehner-Rothe, gynecologist from Vienna , where patients with problems such as exciting breasts, If you are in a bad mood or have regular pains, there is definitely hope for improvement and a few tricks will help with the smaller and bigger disasters that many of us know. 
The world is bad!
Doom and gloom
The breasts hurt, you feel puffed up like a balloon, the mood is in the basement and in the lower abdomen and back it pulls huge: a classic case of premenstrual syndrome, short PMS. The reason for this is the sinking progesterone level. Actually, the body is set to a fertilized egg einzunisten in the uterus, so the desire for sex is now usually less. But if he realizes that this is not possible, our uterus begins to repel the mucous membrane. It comes to bleeding. "Of course, there is always the solution to suppressing the cycle with hormonal contraception, but some women can not take the pill, or they do not want to permanently expose their body to this artificial hormone burden, and when it comes to problems in the natural cycle, phytohormones can help." white Lehner-Rothe These are natural active ingredients from plants, especially from chaste tree and lady's mantle, which dock at the same receptors as estrogen or progesterone.If the concentration of hormones in the blood is too low, these substances help in the long term 10-14 days before menstruation, meat and dairy products are largely eliminated. « Lifestyle
How to react to the hormone change is also related to the lifestyle. If you turn a few screws here, a lot can change. However, this does not work overnight, as Georg Platzer, shiatsu therapist and osteopath in the practice Urban Health Concept, knows: "The hormone balance has to do one-to-one with the way of life and accordingly has a fundamental effect on our well-being Meat, for example, is full of hormones that affect our body. " He therefore advises in case of problems to 10-14 days before menstruation already on meat and dairy largely largely to abstain.Alcohol should be better left out and salt Because progesterone accumulates more water in the body, salt promotes this even more – a true magic means is the way movement.Along hour of brisk walking relieves many of the physical discomfort and also also ensures a better mood. 
A question of age
If all these problems are not or only slightly present in their early 20s, they can become more severe over the years. "That's easy to explain," says Platzer: "The younger the body, the easier it can compensate for negative influences. This becomes more difficult over time, and all of a sudden, small construction sites that you did not even notice before are more or less massive. " If lifestyle modifications do not help, by the way, start a few before the rule starts Time in the knowledgeable hands of a shiatsu therapist. Because it may be that the uterus can not move freely (it expands during the cycle and contracts again). This creates tension that we feel during menstruation. These can usually be resolved very well with a few treatments. "If you would like to squeeze half a beef and then five pieces of cake again …"
Come on with the calories!
cravings
Although PMS is the most noticeable effect of the hormones, they are also to blame for other disasters. If you want to push half a beef and then five pieces of cake again, insulin is responsible. This pours out the pancreas to convert carbohydrates into sugars. However, in many women, the cells become less susceptible to insulin as a result of estrogen from the third week of the cycle. The brain sends the message: Food! Now! And a lot! The best remedy is sport. Half an hour of endurance training makes the cells more sensitive to insulin and boosts fat burning at the same time. Eat a handful of nuts in between. They fill you up for a long time, the valuable fatty acids are good for the nerves. And reduce coffee and alcohol. Because that also upsets insulin production.
Bad Hair Day
testosterone
Are suddenly from one day to the other skin and hair greasy and one feels – judging by the pimples – back to puberty, is due to the male sex hormone testosterone. Around ovulation, the ovaries produce a lot of estrogen, and excess is then converted into testosterone in adipose tissue. This will make the skin greasier. In contrast, cleansing products with salicylic acid and zinc-rich foods such as pumpkin seeds, wheat germ or lentils help. And a little serenity is good: "With hormone fluctuations, self-perception also changes," says Lehner-Rothe. "You find yourself terrible, but comments from others show that they do not think so. So, be sure that you really shine like always. Then nobody has to notice and that in turn makes the mood good. " 