Tired of PMDD Ruining Your Month? Here’s a Natural Treatment That Works
Why This Blog Exists
If you feel like your period hijacks your life every month—emotionally, mentally, even spiritually—you are absolutely not alone.
Maybe you find yourself counting the days until it hits. Maybe the smallest thing makes you snap, or you fall into a black hole of sadness or anxiety and wonder, “What is wrong with me?” Then, as soon as your period starts, it lifts. But the damage is done. Again.
You’ve probably tried many things. Diet changes, supplements, journalling, therapy, maybe even medication. And yet, the same pattern repeats itself, month after month—leaving you exhausted and unsure what else to try.
I know, because I’ve been there.
As a naturopath, nutritionist, and kundalini yoga and meditation teacher, I thought I had all the tools… until PMDD brought me to my knees. It wasn’t until I addressed the deeper root causes—my nervous system, my trauma patterns, and how my body was interpreting hormonal changes—that I finally started to feel like myself again.
This blog is here to offer you the approach that worked for me, and now works for the women I support every day: a natural PMDD treatment that actually works, because it looks at you as a whole person—not just a set of symptoms.
Let’s begin.
What Is PMDD — And Why So Many Treatments Fall Short
PMDD stands for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, and if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you don’t need the textbook definition—you’ve felt it in your body and your relationships.
It’s not just PMS. It’s not “hormones.” It’s not in your head.
PMDD is a severe reaction to the normal hormonal fluctuations of your cycle, especially in the second half (the luteal phase). It can trigger extreme mood changes, anxiety, rage, depression, hopelessness, or deep emotional sensitivity. And the hardest part? Whilst you might feel completely fine the rest of the month, you know what’s coming once you hit the luteal phase of your cycle.
One week you’re grounded and functioning. The next, you feel like a completely different person. Then your period comes, and it lifts—as if nothing ever happened.
This cycle can be devastating. Not just emotionally, but in your work, your relationships, your sense of self. And often, the treatments you’re offered don’t go deep enough.
Why Most Approaches Miss the Mark
You might have been offered SSRIs, birth control, or vague advice about “managing stress.” And while some women do get temporary relief from these options, many don’t—or they end up feeling numbed out, disconnected from themselves, or dealing with new side effects on top of the old symptoms.
That’s because PMDD isn’t just hormonal. It’s also neurological and emotional. It affects your nervous system. It’s often tied to unprocessed trauma. It can be shaped by family patterns, beliefs about yourself, and even how safe your body feels in the world.
In my own case, I’d done all the “right” things—ate well, took the right supplements, did yoga, meditated daily —and still felt like I was falling apart every month. It wasn’t until I worked at the root level (nervous system regulation, trauma healing, deeper nutrition) that things finally shifted.
PMDD is complex, but that doesn’t mean healing has to be.
In the next section, I’ll walk you through the exact natural treatment that finally worked—and how you can begin building your own healing path too.
What Is PMDD (And Why So Many Treatments Fall Short)
PMDD stands for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, and it’s a lot more than “just PMS.”
If you’ve ever felt like a calm, capable version of yourself for half the month—only to be replaced by someone you barely recognise the other half—you might know exactly what I mean.
For many women, PMDD feels like being emotionally hijacked. Out of nowhere, the mood crashes, the anxiety ramps up, your relationships feel fragile, and everything suddenly feels too much. Then your period arrives, and like clockwork, it’s as if a switch flips and you’re you again.
That emotional whiplash is not only exhausting—it’s incredibly isolating.
PMDD vs PMS: You’re Not Overreacting
PMS can involve discomfort, moodiness, cravings, or some fatigue. But PMDD is a more intense, and often disabling, experience. It can bring on:
Sudden rage or deep sadness
Panic attacks, hopelessness, or intrusive thoughts
Severe sensitivity or a sense of emotional collapse
Relationship stress that feels out of proportion to what’s happening
If that sounds familiar—it’s likely not “just hormones.” It’s PMDD.
Why So Many Treatments Don’t Work Long-Term
Most people are told to take the pill, start an SSRI, or try magnesium and see how they go. And while I support women making whatever decisions feel best for their bodies, I’ve seen over and over again that these conventional routes often offer short-lived or incomplete relief.
Here’s why: PMDD isn’t just about estrogen or progesterone levels.
It’s about how your brain and nervous system respond to those hormonal changes. That’s why the same hormonal shift that feels like a ripple for one woman can feel like a tidal wave for another.
This is why the solution has to go beyond just managing hormones. It needs to include the brain, the nervous system, and the deeper emotional layers we carry—often from childhood, trauma, or intergenerational patterns we’ve never even named.
That’s why I created a completely different approach—one that blends science-backed natural medicines, lived experience, and real, root-cause healing. And it’s what I’ll walk you through next.
The 5 Pillars of My PMDD Natural Treatment Approach
When I finally began to heal from PMDD, it wasn’t because I discovered some miracle supplement. What actually worked was addressing my whole system — hormones, nervous system, nutritional gaps, emotional health, and somatically stored trauma — all together. This integrative method became the backbone of my personal recovery and now forms the structure of how I support clients through PMDD.
Herbal Support for PMDD: Gentle Yet Powerful Relief
There were a few key herbs that made a real difference for me: Vitex, Saffron, and Kava.
Vitex (Chaste Tree) helped bring balance to my hormone patterns and eased that unpredictable emotional rollercoaster. I always remind clients to use it consistently for a few months to see meaningful shifts.
Saffron became my go-to for emotional lows in the luteal phase — I often describe it as my PMDD hero herb. I now use it strategically in specialised doses with clients who experience low mood and emotional intensity.
Kava was my “in case of emergency” ally when anxiety was peaking. It helped calm me down quickly, without the sedating side effects, as long as I got the dosage right.
That said —whilst natural, herbs aren’t benign. Used incorrectly or without professional support, they can be ineffective or even counterproductive. That’s why I always customise herbal formulas based on someone’s constitution, symptoms, and health history.
Supplement Strategy: Addressing the Gaps That Really Matter
I’m not a fan of randomly piling on supplements. But there were a few that helped tremendously when used with intention:
Calcium and Magnesium helped relax my nervous system, reduce muscle tension, and level out mood swings
Vitamin B6 and Zinc were key players in supporting progesterone balance and easing PMS-like symptoms
Tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin, was something I used selectively to support neurotransmitter stability during that tricky luteal phase
When it comes to supplementation, targeted and professional support makes all the difference. Guesswork rarely leads to sustainable results. Testing, understanding your biochemistry, and using a personalised plan is what helped me (and now helps my clients) see real, lasting changes.
Food as Medicine: Creating Safety Through Nourishment
One of the most powerful interventions was diet — not in a restrictive or dogmatic way, but as a form of consistent, stabilising communication with my body.
Changes that helped me most:
Building my vegan diet around whole, unprocessed foods, packed with minerals, fibre, healthy carbohydrates, high-quality fats, and anti-inflammatory plant-based proteins
Making sure I was getting adequate omega-3 and GLA — Ahiflower oil is now my preferred source because it covers much more ground than flax or evening primrose alone
Avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and ultra-processed snacks, especially in the luteal phase, when my system was most sensitive
I wasn’t aiming for perfection. I was aiming to help my body feel safe, nourished, and steady. That approach alone was transformative.
Nervous System Support: Calming the Response to Hormones
PMDD isn’t just about hormones — it’s also about how your brain and body respond to them.
My nervous system had been in chronic overdrive for years, especially after trauma. That stress was amplifying my reaction to even slight hormonal shifts. It wasn’t until I started regulating my nervous system consistently that things began to shift.
What helped me most:
Yoga Nidra to activate the body’s rest and repair mode
Breathwork to bring me out of overwhelm and back into connection
Vagal toning tools (like cold water splashes and humming) to reset my baseline state
I remember the exact moment I realised how long I’d been stuck in survival mode. It was during a simple breath practice, and I felt my body soften in a way it hadn’t in years, and it really struck me how long my body had been in fight-or-flight. That softness became the soil where healing could finally grow.
Trauma Healing and Ancestral Repair: Healing Beyond the Mind
Talk therapy had helped me build insight and emotional awareness — but it didn’t fully resolve the patterns that kept repeating month after month.
What finally shifted the deeper layers were therapies that accessed the subconscious and somatic realms:
Rapid Core Healing
Family Constellations
These processes helped me:
Reparent my inner child in the most beautiful way
Stop emotionally abandoning myself when I needed compassion most
Rewire core beliefs like "I’m too much", "I’m not enough” or “I’m not worthy of love”
See the influence of inherited patterns and unresolved trauma
Release trauma that talk therapy had acknowledged but not integrated
Often, PMDD is the body’s way of signalling: “This isn’t just about now — this is old pain asking to be seen.” Once I learned how to respond to those younger, frozen parts of myself, my cycle began to feel less like a battleground and more like a rhythm I could live with.
This layered approach — combining herbs, nutrition, nervous system repair, and trauma healing — is the reason I no longer dread my cycle. It’s also what I now use to help other women recover in a way that’s sustainable, empowering, and life-changing.
What Actually Shifted?
Once I started applying all the pieces of this approach, things genuinely started to change.
The fear I used to carry around the luteal phase lifted. That alone felt like a small miracle. I no longer spent half the month bracing for the crash. Gradually, I noticed more emotional steadiness — and physically, I felt more grounded too.
My relationship at the time felt safer. I could express myself without spiralling. I was able to stay present in my work without PMDD throwing everything off course. And maybe most importantly, I stopped waking up after every luteal phase with that familiar sense of shame and regret.
But the impact didn’t stop there. It changed how I felt through the whole cycle.
My energy levels became more consistent
I started sleeping better
My boundaries became clearer and easier to hold
The anxiety and daily panic attacks just… stopped
I started making different, better choices — in love, in business, in how I cared for myself
The more I supported my body, my nervous system, and those younger parts of me that had been stuck in survival mode… the more I felt like myself. And the truth is — I hadn’t realised how much I missed her until she came back.
Where to Start If You’re In It Right Now
If it feels like PMDD is swallowing your month — and you’re too exhausted to figure out where to begin — I really do understand.
Here’s my best advice: don’t overwhelm yourself trying to “fix” everything overnight. True healing isn’t about getting it perfect. It’s about starting where you are, and being supported in a way that actually helps.
Here are a couple of simple ways you can begin:
Grab my free PMDD eBook — it covers the root causes and what actually works to heal naturally
Book a strategy session — this is a low-pressure, redeemable consult where we walk through your symptoms and talk about what kind of support would be most useful right now
If you’re ready to go further, my 12-week PMDD Transformation Journey brings together everything I’ve shared here — from naturopathy and nutrition to nervous system regulation and trauma integration.
You don’t have to keep doing this alone. There is a different way. And it’s absolutely available to you.
You’re Not Broken — You’ve Just Been Carrying Too Much, Alone
Let me say this clearly: if I could come back to myself, so can you.
PMDD is not your identity. It’s not your fault. And it’s not a life sentence. It’s a pattern — a protective response — and patterns can change when we feel safe enough to shift them.
You deserve support that sees the whole of you. You deserve to feel calm, clear, connected — not like you’re holding your breath until the next crisis.
If this speaks to you:
You can book a PMDD strategy session — no pressure, just a space to explore what support might look like.
Read some of the stories from women who’ve walked this path and made it through
Or simply download one of my free tools and take one gentle step forward
You really don’t have to carry this alone. I’m here when you’re ready.
With love,
Camilla x
About Camilla Brinkworth
Camilla is a naturopath, nutritionist, and trauma-informed PMDD specialist. After healing her own cycle through an integrative natural and holistic approach, she now helps women worldwide stabilise their moods, restore emotional balance, and feel safe in their bodies again—naturally. Explore support options →