We go on vacation today, which I'm extremely excited about. Something to take my mind off of TTC. Google has become an awful thing for me. With every twinge, ache, or abnormality I'm searching if it is a sign. I've been soooo gassy, which is unusual, I've been tired (but been better the last two days), kind of moody, but not ridiculous, and my bbs are sore. However, I always keep thinking, many of these symptoms are simply increasing progesterone symptoms, which I take at the end of my cycle...so who knows.
I felt some twinges in my uterus yesterday that I was convinced were implantation twinges. Who knows...
I found the website, Countdown to Pregnancy which lists every symptom you may encounter based on the number of days past ovulation. Needless to say, I'm checking that daily.
I'm trying so hard not to get my hopes up and not read into things too much, but it is incredibly difficult. At least I've gotten my yoga in everyday. I'm going to go for my run today..I hope it doesn't wipe me out like it did last time.
The two week wait stinks, but as I read on another post, "This precious gift from God is worth the wait."
The other thing is if I am pregnant I really don't want to tell anyone until I make it at least past 10 weeks due to the high percentage of miscarriages with PCOS. I think a lot of that has to do with lack of progesterone, so I'm pretty confident that my supplementation will help with that. However, egg quality can always be an issue too, so if it implants and the body decides it's not healthy enough it can spontaneously abort. The body is an amazing thing.
I guess all I can do is keep praying right?! At least I ovulated...that's what I should be thanking God for!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Birth control is not the answer
I've seen so many birth control commercials that make me shake my head. The Mirena commercial almost made me throw a shoe at the TV. They all sound so positive until you hear the 10 minute long list of side effects. The side effects for this Mirena made me cringe
Birth control seems to be the quick fix. Constant bleeding? We'll treat it with birth control. Not bleeding? Birth control. Acne? Birth Control.
I'm sorry, but doctors go to school for a million years and the best they can do is prescribe birth control?! This is all I ever heard and I didn't know any different. We are supposed to be able to trust our doctors. The doctors are supposed to be the ones doing all the research and telling us what will work best for us. They are supposed to get to the root of the problem and treat it, not put a band aid on it. Birth control for PCOS is nothing but a band aid.
Birth control shuts down your ovaries and just pumps you full of synthetic hormones that make you bleed. Tell me how that will fix PCOS? PCOS people have ovaries that are already not functioning correctly. Does it make sense to just shut them down completely instead of trying to fix the ovarian function?
BTW, if you look at the Mirena side-effects again you'll notice that it may cause ovarian cysts....oh good, so someone who may have been functioning normally will now end up with cysts.
Besides the side-effects they list, they fail to tell you that you may become suicidal on birth control, or may have shortness of breath, or may be so moody that no one wants to be around you anyway. These were just some of the issues I had while on Yaz. I wouldn't give Yaz to my worst enemy. Yet, despite my concern for all these side-effects the doctor I was seeing at the time wanted me to wait it out. Mean while, I was checking forums and seeing person after person who was having awful side-effects from this Yaz. Some had a stroke, some had deep vein thrombosis, and various other problems. Then while I was watching TV I saw a commercial come on from a law office regarding the safety of Yaz and that there was a civil lawsuit suing the company for these dangerous side-effects. If you noticed Yaz disappeared for awhile and now there is "Beyaz" ...interesting
I was seeing a heart and lung specialist for what I thought were asthma conditions. I was crying almost daily from something. I felt awful and had no motivation to do anything. Finally, after I saw that commercial, I had had it, I told my doctor I wanted out, so she put me on another birth control. I think I lasted 2 - 3 months before God put NFP in my life.
Interestingly enough after I went off birth control my moods stabalized, my "asthma symptoms" went away, and I felt so much better.
I feel like I need to make an on-going plea that people need to get off of birth control. Even if you don't have bad side-effects, synthetic hormones are just not healthy! It takes almost a year to get synthetic hormones out of your system to allow your own hormones to function normally.
Why are there so few people that are ever introduced to NFP? Why isn't this taught in health class as an option? Most people don't even know this is an option unless you're catholic, and even a lot of catholics don't know about it. Somehow the OB/GYN world needs to change their approach to treating female conditions. Why can't the natural world and the medical world unite a little?
I'm thankful that I now have a doctor that doesn't just throw synthetic hormones at me and works to find the root of the problem. She's open to me taking herbals and even does research on things when I find something that seems to be working.
Do yourself a favor and at least look into NFP if you're not doing it already. TTC or not, it is the best decision you will make! Check out these sites:
Creighton Model
Sympto-thermal method
- Mirena may attach to or go through the wall of the uterus and cause other problems. If Mirena comes out, use back-up birth control and call your healthcare provider.
- Although uncommon, pregnancy while using Mirena can be life threatening and may result in loss of pregnancy or fertility.
- Ovarian cysts may occur and usually disappear.
- Bleeding and spotting may increase in the first few months and continue to be irregular. Periods over time may become shorter, lighter or even stop.
Birth control seems to be the quick fix. Constant bleeding? We'll treat it with birth control. Not bleeding? Birth control. Acne? Birth Control.
I'm sorry, but doctors go to school for a million years and the best they can do is prescribe birth control?! This is all I ever heard and I didn't know any different. We are supposed to be able to trust our doctors. The doctors are supposed to be the ones doing all the research and telling us what will work best for us. They are supposed to get to the root of the problem and treat it, not put a band aid on it. Birth control for PCOS is nothing but a band aid.
Birth control shuts down your ovaries and just pumps you full of synthetic hormones that make you bleed. Tell me how that will fix PCOS? PCOS people have ovaries that are already not functioning correctly. Does it make sense to just shut them down completely instead of trying to fix the ovarian function?
BTW, if you look at the Mirena side-effects again you'll notice that it may cause ovarian cysts....oh good, so someone who may have been functioning normally will now end up with cysts.
Besides the side-effects they list, they fail to tell you that you may become suicidal on birth control, or may have shortness of breath, or may be so moody that no one wants to be around you anyway. These were just some of the issues I had while on Yaz. I wouldn't give Yaz to my worst enemy. Yet, despite my concern for all these side-effects the doctor I was seeing at the time wanted me to wait it out. Mean while, I was checking forums and seeing person after person who was having awful side-effects from this Yaz. Some had a stroke, some had deep vein thrombosis, and various other problems. Then while I was watching TV I saw a commercial come on from a law office regarding the safety of Yaz and that there was a civil lawsuit suing the company for these dangerous side-effects. If you noticed Yaz disappeared for awhile and now there is "Beyaz" ...interesting
I was seeing a heart and lung specialist for what I thought were asthma conditions. I was crying almost daily from something. I felt awful and had no motivation to do anything. Finally, after I saw that commercial, I had had it, I told my doctor I wanted out, so she put me on another birth control. I think I lasted 2 - 3 months before God put NFP in my life.
Interestingly enough after I went off birth control my moods stabalized, my "asthma symptoms" went away, and I felt so much better.
I feel like I need to make an on-going plea that people need to get off of birth control. Even if you don't have bad side-effects, synthetic hormones are just not healthy! It takes almost a year to get synthetic hormones out of your system to allow your own hormones to function normally.
Why are there so few people that are ever introduced to NFP? Why isn't this taught in health class as an option? Most people don't even know this is an option unless you're catholic, and even a lot of catholics don't know about it. Somehow the OB/GYN world needs to change their approach to treating female conditions. Why can't the natural world and the medical world unite a little?
I'm thankful that I now have a doctor that doesn't just throw synthetic hormones at me and works to find the root of the problem. She's open to me taking herbals and even does research on things when I find something that seems to be working.
Do yourself a favor and at least look into NFP if you're not doing it already. TTC or not, it is the best decision you will make! Check out these sites:
Creighton Model
Sympto-thermal method
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Gotta have Faith!
George Michael probably said it best when he sang, "You gotta have Faith." It's easy to say to someone, "Don't worry it will all work out, just have faith." But everyday that you fight the symptoms of PCOS it's harder to keep that faith.
As I mentioned before, I've only been "officially Catholic" for a little over a year now. Even thought it was hard at first hearing homily after homily about how birth control is horrible, I believe it is what led me to where I am today; birth control free!
I've always had a strong conviction in my faith. I know that God is guiding me through this. The hardest thing for me is to be patient for what God has in store for me. When people start thinking about getting pregnant they don't envision it to be an uphill battle. There are the lucky few that get pregnant just thinking about it, but I think more times than not are the people that find it to be not as easy as they made it sound in health class. I kind of chuckle at the book title, "Every Drunken Cheerleader; Why Not Me?" Although that title is humorous, I would be lying if I wasn't thinking that quite often. This especially rings true working in a low income school where some parents can't stay sober long enough to remember they have kids. I constantly wonder why they were blessed with kids, but here we are struggling.
It's so easy to question our faith when things aren't going as planned. We pray and pray, but it doesn't seem to matter. It's times like these that I think back to a video Rain by Rob Bell. "God is close to the broken hearted....I love you...we're gonna make it"
Keep your faith. Find some way to pray, or whatever you need to do to find faith. I saw an interesting segment on Dr. Oz the other day, "Can Faith Heal?" God isn't ignoring you, he just has other plans for you. I love you...we're gonna make it!
As I mentioned before, I've only been "officially Catholic" for a little over a year now. Even thought it was hard at first hearing homily after homily about how birth control is horrible, I believe it is what led me to where I am today; birth control free!
I've always had a strong conviction in my faith. I know that God is guiding me through this. The hardest thing for me is to be patient for what God has in store for me. When people start thinking about getting pregnant they don't envision it to be an uphill battle. There are the lucky few that get pregnant just thinking about it, but I think more times than not are the people that find it to be not as easy as they made it sound in health class. I kind of chuckle at the book title, "Every Drunken Cheerleader; Why Not Me?" Although that title is humorous, I would be lying if I wasn't thinking that quite often. This especially rings true working in a low income school where some parents can't stay sober long enough to remember they have kids. I constantly wonder why they were blessed with kids, but here we are struggling.
It's so easy to question our faith when things aren't going as planned. We pray and pray, but it doesn't seem to matter. It's times like these that I think back to a video Rain by Rob Bell. "God is close to the broken hearted....I love you...we're gonna make it"
Keep your faith. Find some way to pray, or whatever you need to do to find faith. I saw an interesting segment on Dr. Oz the other day, "Can Faith Heal?" God isn't ignoring you, he just has other plans for you. I love you...we're gonna make it!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Yoga
When I first started going to the chiropractor with all my aches and pains and tight back she would always tell me, "You should do some Yoga." I would smile, but in my mind was thinking, "Yoga is for people who play guitars under trees, wear knit caps in the summer, and never wear shoes."
In all my research I ran across book after book that said, "Yoga for PCOS can be very beneficial." I wasn't completely convinced. How can breathing and standing on your head be beneficial? So I randomly did an amazon search on fertility yoga on Amazon. There's a couple out there, but Restoring Fertility was made to be done with the cycle, which being an NFP person made sense to me. I went to their website and looked at the FAQs and found a post that said two out of the three women instructors on the DVD became pregnant shortly after doing the series.....I was sold!
It's not the cheapest set you'll ever buy, and I'm not pregnant yet, but it is amazing how much better I feel afterwards. I've always had tight muscles, I'm not sure if that's a PCOS thing or not, but my back is always tight and during the school year that's where I carry all my stress. After doing 1/2 hour of this yoga my back feels so much better!
The website Restoring Fertility discusses PCOS briefly and how to do the set if you are not ovulating. It encourages people with PCOS to do the DVDs twice a day to help restore fertility. I was doing that for awhile, but quite honestly, that becomes a lot of time, so I tried to do it once a day. I wasn't always perfect, and there were definitely times when I said, "Screw it, it's not working." but when I started seeing some ovulation I started up again. There's nothing on these DVDs that's overly difficult. There is some intense stretching, but they are so good at showing and explaining modifications. If you're not ovulating you do the Follicle Development one or the Ovulation one until you see ovulation. Then you can start doing the cycle.
Some people might get results right away from doing Yoga. I know in the book Inconceivable: A Woman's Triumph over Infertility She talks about the many benefits that Yoga gave her. I would recommend that book as a great inspiration to those of you TTC. It's not directly about PCOS, but is a great book about a journey through infertility.
If there's one thing I know about most of us with PCOS it's that stress is just a part of us. Not only do we deal with the every day stress of work, family, and life, but we also throw this syndrome into the mix. A syndrome for which there is not a cure and we are often sent fending for ourselves trying to find the answers. That's a whole added element of stress that we often don't talk about because we're embarrassed. So, even if you don't believe that Yoga will turn your life around at least try it for some stress relief. This allows you to have 1/2 completely devoted to you, and to allow you to free your mind of all the stress.
Believe me, "freeing your mind" is not easy. There's a couple different references used for the women's mind: a ball of yarn, spaghetti, or a ball of wire. All of these refer to the fact that one thought always leads to another, and another, and another. Watch your husband sitting in front of the TV sometime. His brain is referred to as a waffle, or boxes. Nothing touches in that brain, and there's even a little box where he can think about nothing. Men are probably amazing at yoga and relieving stress because they have the ability to think about absolutely nothing. My husband and I have a joke about me trying to be more like a man by thinking about nothing. :) It's not easy!!
Another book that helped me to focus more on clearing my mind was Fully Fertily: A 12 week Holistic Plan for Optimum Fertility. This books goes through diet and exercise, but really dives into Yoga. For me there were some parts that were a little over the top, but the main advise I took away was to free the mind during yoga by simply saying, "I'm breathing in, I'm breathing out." and try to keep your mind focused on that breath.
It sounds stupid, and I kind of felt stupid the first time I did it, but it totally worked....well mostly, I kind of thought I was amazing in able to still be saying that in the back of my mind while I was thinking about something else. I'm a work in progress :)
So, if you're not doing yoga, I would recommend adding it when you can. Even if it's once a week, I just don't believe that all these books would recommend it if it didn't do something. Keep the faith!!
In all my research I ran across book after book that said, "Yoga for PCOS can be very beneficial." I wasn't completely convinced. How can breathing and standing on your head be beneficial? So I randomly did an amazon search on fertility yoga on Amazon. There's a couple out there, but Restoring Fertility was made to be done with the cycle, which being an NFP person made sense to me. I went to their website and looked at the FAQs and found a post that said two out of the three women instructors on the DVD became pregnant shortly after doing the series.....I was sold!
It's not the cheapest set you'll ever buy, and I'm not pregnant yet, but it is amazing how much better I feel afterwards. I've always had tight muscles, I'm not sure if that's a PCOS thing or not, but my back is always tight and during the school year that's where I carry all my stress. After doing 1/2 hour of this yoga my back feels so much better!
The website Restoring Fertility discusses PCOS briefly and how to do the set if you are not ovulating. It encourages people with PCOS to do the DVDs twice a day to help restore fertility. I was doing that for awhile, but quite honestly, that becomes a lot of time, so I tried to do it once a day. I wasn't always perfect, and there were definitely times when I said, "Screw it, it's not working." but when I started seeing some ovulation I started up again. There's nothing on these DVDs that's overly difficult. There is some intense stretching, but they are so good at showing and explaining modifications. If you're not ovulating you do the Follicle Development one or the Ovulation one until you see ovulation. Then you can start doing the cycle.
Some people might get results right away from doing Yoga. I know in the book Inconceivable: A Woman's Triumph over Infertility She talks about the many benefits that Yoga gave her. I would recommend that book as a great inspiration to those of you TTC. It's not directly about PCOS, but is a great book about a journey through infertility.
If there's one thing I know about most of us with PCOS it's that stress is just a part of us. Not only do we deal with the every day stress of work, family, and life, but we also throw this syndrome into the mix. A syndrome for which there is not a cure and we are often sent fending for ourselves trying to find the answers. That's a whole added element of stress that we often don't talk about because we're embarrassed. So, even if you don't believe that Yoga will turn your life around at least try it for some stress relief. This allows you to have 1/2 completely devoted to you, and to allow you to free your mind of all the stress.
Believe me, "freeing your mind" is not easy. There's a couple different references used for the women's mind: a ball of yarn, spaghetti, or a ball of wire. All of these refer to the fact that one thought always leads to another, and another, and another. Watch your husband sitting in front of the TV sometime. His brain is referred to as a waffle, or boxes. Nothing touches in that brain, and there's even a little box where he can think about nothing. Men are probably amazing at yoga and relieving stress because they have the ability to think about absolutely nothing. My husband and I have a joke about me trying to be more like a man by thinking about nothing. :) It's not easy!!
Another book that helped me to focus more on clearing my mind was Fully Fertily: A 12 week Holistic Plan for Optimum Fertility. This books goes through diet and exercise, but really dives into Yoga. For me there were some parts that were a little over the top, but the main advise I took away was to free the mind during yoga by simply saying, "I'm breathing in, I'm breathing out." and try to keep your mind focused on that breath.
It sounds stupid, and I kind of felt stupid the first time I did it, but it totally worked....well mostly, I kind of thought I was amazing in able to still be saying that in the back of my mind while I was thinking about something else. I'm a work in progress :)
So, if you're not doing yoga, I would recommend adding it when you can. Even if it's once a week, I just don't believe that all these books would recommend it if it didn't do something. Keep the faith!!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Low Carb Taco Seasoning
Tacos are an easy "go-to" meal at our house, but the taco seasoning you get at the store has sugar and things I can't pronounce. I've started making my own following this recipe.
SEASONING FOR TACOS
1 t. chili powder
3/4 t. paprika
3/4 t. cumin
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. salt
3/8 t. garlic powder
pinch cayenne
Combine and add to 1 pound browned and drained hamburger. Add a little water, if desired. This will be drier than taco meat made with a commercial mix due to the lack of thickeners. It tastes just as good as the store bought kind and is a lot cheaper to make. Makes enough for 1 lb. hamburger (4.5 carbs for the whole batch)(4-6 servings - 1 carb each)
A package of Taco Bell taco seasoning has 18 carbs and Old el Paso brand has 30 per package.
I mix up a bunch of this and put it in a small jar. I just measure out 4 teaspoons of the mixture per 1 pound of hamburger. See recipe below.
This recipe makes enough for about 6 batches of taco meat:
2 T. chili powder
5 t. paprika
4 1/2 t. cumin
1 T. onion powder
1 T. salt
2 1/2 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. cayenne
Mix and store in a small jar. Mix well before measuring. Makes 24 teaspoons.
I just put my meat over the top of lettuce. If you're not dairy free add some cheese. YUM!!
SEASONING FOR TACOS
1 t. chili powder
3/4 t. paprika
3/4 t. cumin
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. salt
3/8 t. garlic powder
pinch cayenne
Combine and add to 1 pound browned and drained hamburger. Add a little water, if desired. This will be drier than taco meat made with a commercial mix due to the lack of thickeners. It tastes just as good as the store bought kind and is a lot cheaper to make. Makes enough for 1 lb. hamburger (4.5 carbs for the whole batch)(4-6 servings - 1 carb each)
A package of Taco Bell taco seasoning has 18 carbs and Old el Paso brand has 30 per package.
I mix up a bunch of this and put it in a small jar. I just measure out 4 teaspoons of the mixture per 1 pound of hamburger. See recipe below.
This recipe makes enough for about 6 batches of taco meat:
2 T. chili powder
5 t. paprika
4 1/2 t. cumin
1 T. onion powder
1 T. salt
2 1/2 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. cayenne
Mix and store in a small jar. Mix well before measuring. Makes 24 teaspoons.
I just put my meat over the top of lettuce. If you're not dairy free add some cheese. YUM!!
The ups and downs
Anyone with PCOS knows the emotional roller coaster that we are on. One day you're feeling great, the next day you feel like nothing is working. It has definitely been this way for me in the last few months.
First of all, I am on summer vacation, which is a huge stress relief for awhile. That's the good part, the bad part is I've become a bit obsessive about trying to get to the bottom of this PCOS. I've been researching constantly on diet, exercise, supplements, pregnancy, and the experience of others.
However, I have come across some great references that everyone should check out:
http://www.pcoschallenge.com This website is amazing, but even more amazing is the radio show. I have downloaded it to my ipod and listen to it almost daily during my exercise. Sasha is so good at having shows with the top names and leading researchers in PCOS. It really has given me comfort to try new things that have been working!
I also have started the Insulite system (http://www.insulitelabs.com. Yes, it is expensive, and yes, it is a lot of pills (18 pills a day), however I am very hopeful that this will work. I've read some great things about this program. I'm currently on month 2 and showed signs of ovulation this past week. I would suggest looking through the website, but I'll give you an overview:
1/2 before breakfast I take PCOS + that has the following ingredients:
Saw Palmetto (berries) - a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor impedes testosterone conversion and reduces circulating testosterone (androgens).
Vitex Agnus Castus (Chaste tree berry) - Improves menstrual regularity, supports luteal phase of menstrual cycle and addresses hyperprolactinemia.
Stinging Nettle (root) - Increases sex hormone-binding globulin.
Flax Seed - Supports estrogen metabolism, which increases the production of protective estrogen metabolites and increases sex hormone-binding globulin.
Milk Thistle (seed, powdered extract) - Supports liver function (phase 1 detoxification.
With breakfast I take Insulx and Rejuvenx that has the following ingredients
Insulx
Vanadium (Sulfate) - Restores blood glucose, lowers cholesterol, increases insulin sensitivity, improves glucose tolerance and metabolism, decreases body fat and reduces appetite naturally.
Chromium (GTF Niacinate) - Supports insulin binding to cells and decreases cholesterol and insulin levels. Boosts insulin response to glucose.
Alpha Lipoic Acid - Increases insulin sensitivity and lowers glucose levels. Provides antioxidant activity, scavenges free radicals, supports glucose transport and extends the functional capacity of Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Co Q 10.
Magnesium (Amino Acid Chelate) - Positively affects insulin secretion/action and improves cholesterol profile. (Lower than normal levels of Magnesium Glycinate are associated with Insulin Resistance, glucose intolerance and hyperinsulinemia.)
Zinc (Picolinate) - Lowers insulin concentration and improves insulin sensitivity.
L-Carnitine (Tartrate) - Improves insulin sensitivity.
Copper (Citrate) - Balances zinc and supports its ability to lower insulin concentration.
Calcium (Citrate/Malate) - Reduces fasting insulin levels, increases insulin sensitivity and regulates fat tissue.
Biotin USP - Involved in the manufacture and release of insulin; a cofactor required for the synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids.
Manganese (Citrate) - Reverses glucose intolerance, a deficiency associated with Diabetes.
Pancreatic Tissue - Contains specific amino acids in the correct proportions to supply growth, balance and repair factors of the pancreas.
Adrenal Tissue - Contains specific amino acids to supply growth, balance and repair factors of the adrenals.
Protease and Amylase - Improve absorption and digestion of proteins and nutrient absorption
Rejunvenx
Vitamin C from calcium ascorbate - Balances Vitamin C deficiency that induces disordered glucose regulation, improves glucose tolerance and scavenges free radicals. Reduces damage to arteries and arterioles and reduces glycosylation.
CoQ10 (Ubiquinone) - Lowers glucose and insulin levels and plays a major role in carbohydrate metabolism. Aids peripheral glucose utilization while lowering fasting blood sugar.
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) - Reduces neuropathy associated with Diabetes, sorbitol accumulation, muscle weakness and tingling.
Folic Acid (Calcium Folinate) - Ensures sufficient folate status to aid in the prevention of many chronic diseases (e.g. atherosclerosis, anemia, heart disease) and reverses homocysteine levels.
Quercitin - Contains antioxidant, anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties to inhibit free radical production. Reduces intracellular accumulation of sorbitol that is implicated in the pathogenesis of cataracts, retinopathies, neuropathies and other disorders.
Bilberry Extract - Improves microcirculation and protects the vessels of the eyes in particular with potent antioxidants.
Grape Seed Extract - Reduces free radicals and possesses vital antibacterial, antiviral, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and antiallergic effects. (Its antioxidant properties are 20 to 50 times stronger than Vitamins C and E.) Lowers cholesterol levels and prevents damage to the artery from elevated glucose and insulin levels.
Thiamin - Thiamin (Vitamin B1) (as thiamin hcl) May help convert carbohydrates into energy. Thiamin is important for several body functions of the heart, muscles, and the nervous system.
Vitamin D - Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol) Vitamin D plays a role in bone health and has an important role in immunity, wound healing, and hypertension. Vitamin D may also be known to affect insulin secretion and glucose tolerance in Type 2 diabetes.
Cinnamon Extract - A recent controlled trial (1), comparing a placebo against cinnamon, demonstrated that doses of cassia cinnamomum ranging from 1-6 grams a day provided in divided daily doses all produced some significant reductions in blood sugar levels, total cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and finally even lower levels of LDL lipoproteins. Rejuvenx provides 1.2 grams cinnamon per dose.
About and hour after breakfast I take GlucX which has the following ingredients:
Guar Gum - Decreases cholesterol, triglycerides and systolic blood pressure. Increases insulin sensitivity and regulates appetite.
Apple Pectin & Beet Powder - Slow the absorption of glucose into the blood stream which reduces insulin response.
Fenugreek - Reduces blood sugar and insulin following a meal, lowers cholesterol levels (LDL, TG and total Cholesterol), increases HDL and improves insulin response and glucose tolerance.
Milk Thistle - Diminishes fasting blood glucose, mean daily glucose and fasting insulin levels.
I then take InsulX and RejuvenX again with lunch, PCOS + mid-afternoon, and then GlucX after supper.
In the first month I did have some weight gain, but the great thing about Insulite is they have Drs to answer any questions you might have. The Dr. said that sometimes people experience weight gain as hormones are balancing out. Now in month 2 I'm starting to see the scale go back down and as I said, I ovulated for the first time in a few months so that means something must be working!
A few weeks after I ordered Insulite I heard about d-chiro-inositol (DCI). You can check out more about it through the PCOS challenge or at http://www.chiralbalance.com I've read a couple posts where the combination of the DCI and Insulite System has helped pregnancy.
I've had no side effects from either supplement. With Insulite I have had more bowel movements, but they have been healthy and I look at it as detox. It sure beats the heck out of Metformin, which I have stopped, and stopping that may also account for some weight gain.
Basically my goal is to eat as cleanly as possible. Although I'm still watching carbs, I'm eat more whole foods. I've taken a lot of recipes off of http://www.wholefoods.com I'm limiting dairy and gluten. I'm using a lot of almond milk or coconut milk. I've read and heard several people say that eliminating those two product, though difficult, can really help with PCOS.
Exercise wise, since I've been out of school I've gotten back into exercise again. I'm doing 2 days of interval cardio (walk/run), 2 days of strength training (check out Nike Women's fitness..they have an awesome app for strength training), and 2 days of steady cardio (walking, rollerblading, or biking). It's been 2 weeks and I feel stronger and noticing some of those flabby spots are starting to firm up. I've also been doing fertility yoga, daily, that corresponds with my cycle: http://www.restoringfertility.com
Outside of the insulite program and DCI I am still taking Wheatgrass, Fish oil, evening primrose, B6 (200mg), L-argenine, Royal Jelly, and I just added some Calcium supplements.
Am I cured? Nope, not yet, but I have noticed improvements. My acne has made huge improvement, my energy is better, and most importantly I'm seeing signs that my menstrual cycle is getting back on track.
Even though I'm taking a lot of supplements I feel a million times better about putting those into my body as opposed to the other crazy meds that I've been put on that have had horrible side effects. I'm still taking progesterone at the end of my cycle, but it is a natural progesterone.
The hardest thing for me is simply patience. I read Freedom from PCOS by Katie Humphery (who I love!) and that really made me realize that I need to be patient and not let PCOS ruin my life. I need to stay positive, keep faith, and know that God has a plan for me. No matter what happens we have to stay positive!!
First of all, I am on summer vacation, which is a huge stress relief for awhile. That's the good part, the bad part is I've become a bit obsessive about trying to get to the bottom of this PCOS. I've been researching constantly on diet, exercise, supplements, pregnancy, and the experience of others.
However, I have come across some great references that everyone should check out:
http://www.pcoschallenge.com This website is amazing, but even more amazing is the radio show. I have downloaded it to my ipod and listen to it almost daily during my exercise. Sasha is so good at having shows with the top names and leading researchers in PCOS. It really has given me comfort to try new things that have been working!
I also have started the Insulite system (http://www.insulitelabs.com. Yes, it is expensive, and yes, it is a lot of pills (18 pills a day), however I am very hopeful that this will work. I've read some great things about this program. I'm currently on month 2 and showed signs of ovulation this past week. I would suggest looking through the website, but I'll give you an overview:
1/2 before breakfast I take PCOS + that has the following ingredients:
Saw Palmetto (berries) - a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor impedes testosterone conversion and reduces circulating testosterone (androgens).
Vitex Agnus Castus (Chaste tree berry) - Improves menstrual regularity, supports luteal phase of menstrual cycle and addresses hyperprolactinemia.
Stinging Nettle (root) - Increases sex hormone-binding globulin.
Flax Seed - Supports estrogen metabolism, which increases the production of protective estrogen metabolites and increases sex hormone-binding globulin.
Milk Thistle (seed, powdered extract) - Supports liver function (phase 1 detoxification.
With breakfast I take Insulx and Rejuvenx that has the following ingredients
Insulx
Vanadium (Sulfate) - Restores blood glucose, lowers cholesterol, increases insulin sensitivity, improves glucose tolerance and metabolism, decreases body fat and reduces appetite naturally.
Chromium (GTF Niacinate) - Supports insulin binding to cells and decreases cholesterol and insulin levels. Boosts insulin response to glucose.
Alpha Lipoic Acid - Increases insulin sensitivity and lowers glucose levels. Provides antioxidant activity, scavenges free radicals, supports glucose transport and extends the functional capacity of Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Co Q 10.
Magnesium (Amino Acid Chelate) - Positively affects insulin secretion/action and improves cholesterol profile. (Lower than normal levels of Magnesium Glycinate are associated with Insulin Resistance, glucose intolerance and hyperinsulinemia.)
Zinc (Picolinate) - Lowers insulin concentration and improves insulin sensitivity.
L-Carnitine (Tartrate) - Improves insulin sensitivity.
Copper (Citrate) - Balances zinc and supports its ability to lower insulin concentration.
Calcium (Citrate/Malate) - Reduces fasting insulin levels, increases insulin sensitivity and regulates fat tissue.
Biotin USP - Involved in the manufacture and release of insulin; a cofactor required for the synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids.
Manganese (Citrate) - Reverses glucose intolerance, a deficiency associated with Diabetes.
Pancreatic Tissue - Contains specific amino acids in the correct proportions to supply growth, balance and repair factors of the pancreas.
Adrenal Tissue - Contains specific amino acids to supply growth, balance and repair factors of the adrenals.
Protease and Amylase - Improve absorption and digestion of proteins and nutrient absorption
Rejunvenx
Vitamin C from calcium ascorbate - Balances Vitamin C deficiency that induces disordered glucose regulation, improves glucose tolerance and scavenges free radicals. Reduces damage to arteries and arterioles and reduces glycosylation.
CoQ10 (Ubiquinone) - Lowers glucose and insulin levels and plays a major role in carbohydrate metabolism. Aids peripheral glucose utilization while lowering fasting blood sugar.
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) - Reduces neuropathy associated with Diabetes, sorbitol accumulation, muscle weakness and tingling.
Folic Acid (Calcium Folinate) - Ensures sufficient folate status to aid in the prevention of many chronic diseases (e.g. atherosclerosis, anemia, heart disease) and reverses homocysteine levels.
Quercitin - Contains antioxidant, anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties to inhibit free radical production. Reduces intracellular accumulation of sorbitol that is implicated in the pathogenesis of cataracts, retinopathies, neuropathies and other disorders.
Bilberry Extract - Improves microcirculation and protects the vessels of the eyes in particular with potent antioxidants.
Grape Seed Extract - Reduces free radicals and possesses vital antibacterial, antiviral, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and antiallergic effects. (Its antioxidant properties are 20 to 50 times stronger than Vitamins C and E.) Lowers cholesterol levels and prevents damage to the artery from elevated glucose and insulin levels.
Thiamin - Thiamin (Vitamin B1) (as thiamin hcl) May help convert carbohydrates into energy. Thiamin is important for several body functions of the heart, muscles, and the nervous system.
Vitamin D - Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol) Vitamin D plays a role in bone health and has an important role in immunity, wound healing, and hypertension. Vitamin D may also be known to affect insulin secretion and glucose tolerance in Type 2 diabetes.
Cinnamon Extract - A recent controlled trial (1), comparing a placebo against cinnamon, demonstrated that doses of cassia cinnamomum ranging from 1-6 grams a day provided in divided daily doses all produced some significant reductions in blood sugar levels, total cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and finally even lower levels of LDL lipoproteins. Rejuvenx provides 1.2 grams cinnamon per dose.
About and hour after breakfast I take GlucX which has the following ingredients:
Guar Gum - Decreases cholesterol, triglycerides and systolic blood pressure. Increases insulin sensitivity and regulates appetite.
Apple Pectin & Beet Powder - Slow the absorption of glucose into the blood stream which reduces insulin response.
Fenugreek - Reduces blood sugar and insulin following a meal, lowers cholesterol levels (LDL, TG and total Cholesterol), increases HDL and improves insulin response and glucose tolerance.
Milk Thistle - Diminishes fasting blood glucose, mean daily glucose and fasting insulin levels.
I then take InsulX and RejuvenX again with lunch, PCOS + mid-afternoon, and then GlucX after supper.
In the first month I did have some weight gain, but the great thing about Insulite is they have Drs to answer any questions you might have. The Dr. said that sometimes people experience weight gain as hormones are balancing out. Now in month 2 I'm starting to see the scale go back down and as I said, I ovulated for the first time in a few months so that means something must be working!
A few weeks after I ordered Insulite I heard about d-chiro-inositol (DCI). You can check out more about it through the PCOS challenge or at http://www.chiralbalance.com I've read a couple posts where the combination of the DCI and Insulite System has helped pregnancy.
I've had no side effects from either supplement. With Insulite I have had more bowel movements, but they have been healthy and I look at it as detox. It sure beats the heck out of Metformin, which I have stopped, and stopping that may also account for some weight gain.
Basically my goal is to eat as cleanly as possible. Although I'm still watching carbs, I'm eat more whole foods. I've taken a lot of recipes off of http://www.wholefoods.com I'm limiting dairy and gluten. I'm using a lot of almond milk or coconut milk. I've read and heard several people say that eliminating those two product, though difficult, can really help with PCOS.
Exercise wise, since I've been out of school I've gotten back into exercise again. I'm doing 2 days of interval cardio (walk/run), 2 days of strength training (check out Nike Women's fitness..they have an awesome app for strength training), and 2 days of steady cardio (walking, rollerblading, or biking). It's been 2 weeks and I feel stronger and noticing some of those flabby spots are starting to firm up. I've also been doing fertility yoga, daily, that corresponds with my cycle: http://www.restoringfertility.com
Outside of the insulite program and DCI I am still taking Wheatgrass, Fish oil, evening primrose, B6 (200mg), L-argenine, Royal Jelly, and I just added some Calcium supplements.
Am I cured? Nope, not yet, but I have noticed improvements. My acne has made huge improvement, my energy is better, and most importantly I'm seeing signs that my menstrual cycle is getting back on track.
Even though I'm taking a lot of supplements I feel a million times better about putting those into my body as opposed to the other crazy meds that I've been put on that have had horrible side effects. I'm still taking progesterone at the end of my cycle, but it is a natural progesterone.
The hardest thing for me is simply patience. I read Freedom from PCOS by Katie Humphery (who I love!) and that really made me realize that I need to be patient and not let PCOS ruin my life. I need to stay positive, keep faith, and know that God has a plan for me. No matter what happens we have to stay positive!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)