I am grumpy and hormonal and just want to hide away. Burrow under the duvet and lurk. Except my back hurts and lying down makes it ache. So I need to be up but I don't want to do anything or be anywhere.
I am not surprised I feel so grotty. It seems I have been self-medicating for hormonal imbalances and that I withdrew my medicine for too long a period of time...
I drink this lovely brand of teas called Pukka. I keep a range of varieties in my drawer at work and at home, but my favourite is this one Harmonise. In fact when I order my teas online this is the one I buy in large amounts because I like it enough to drink it everyday. The others I cycle through depending on mood and desire and health.
Except I ran out before the holiday and because of the holiday's impact on my finances I didn't want to place my usual large order of tea. At first everything was alright, but then things started to go downhill. From none, to a fairly constant something or almost starting. I feel like I have had PMT for weeks.
Last weekend I was in Truro and happened to discover the Health Food Shop there sells Pukka so I brought a few. (but not enough Harmonise *sigh* I should have brought more than one pack...). The effects of drinking it have been slowly accumalating and this weekend I have finally gotten there but as is the way with these things - now it is a killer one, but I know I will feel better for it soon.
I guess I had no idea how much my tea drinking activities truly affects my health. So I knew my Sage drinking really helps my IBS, but the rest of those teas... I am constantly self-medicating based on mood and gut feel of which tea I want to drink right then.
So why has harmonize been helping me so much? Not sure as it has a range of ingredients but one of them Shatavari is not in any of my other teas and it seems it is a Phytoestrogen. Basically it contains plant substances that mimic Oestrogen but the scientific evidence for the effect of this is variable. All I know is that this tea truly helps me. I have run out of this tea before and become aware of it's affects but since drinking it regularly I have never been without it for such a long period of time and because of this, I had underestimated the extent of it's help.
Self-medicating is fine and helpful, but I think it might be time to go and get checked out.... Because if my self-medicating has this much affect then there has to be something more than a little going on. Low Estrogen can be a sign of menopause or cancer for instance. It can cause fatigue and forgetfulness.... It's a hard thing to talk about though....
4 comments:
i hope you are feeling better byt he time you read this *hugs*
i am sure we dont think too deeply about the tea we drink and how it is helping us. i always use ginger tea, with added fresh, grated ginger when i feel sick or have a dodgy tummy. when i get a tension/stress headache i self medicate with strong, sweet coffee~i wasnt sure about this but did some research and it is widely used as a method of easing them
((((hugs)))))
sorry you're not feeling well -- i know what you mean though..i have a blend of tea that, if i drink it, means i experience very little in the way of PMT...it's the remembering that's the thing. :)
i LOOOOVEEE the Pukka teas...alas, the place where i found some doesn't carry them anymore and as of yet, they don't ship overseas..*sniffle*. i've hoarded a few from the little care parcel you sent me so i treat myself from time to time...:)
be well...and yes, even if it's just to set your mind at ease..it's good to know what might be going on ....
much love...xoxoxoxoxoxo
You are both so lovely! I had no idea Coffee was good for migraines and ginger had not occurred to me for a dodgy tummy - I use Sage and Mint...
Mel my lovely - if you wanted you could always decide on an order and paypal me some money.... *hugs* I am addicted to Pukka - and so is my body....
Rose, this is so interesting! I know Pukka teas - though haven't bought any in a long time. When in the past ppl have talked about using these commercial herbal teas as remedies, I've usually scoffed, because I've always believed that the quantities of beneficial herbs in these teabags is too small to have any effect. But you've really convinced me that I'm wrong. Hmm.
I'm thinking I should try some Harmonize now too, as I believe I suffer from low Oestrogen, and I've been resisting going back on the Pill for about ten years now (as I don't need it for contraceptive purposes - but I haven't considered the possibly health benefits it might have). Did you go and talk to the doctor in the end?
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