Do you have trouble losing weight even though you know you are eating less than you should for your body type? This is a reality and PCOS can be the cause. Before I go into this, let me share an example of what I mean.
I had a close "friend" that struggle with weight all her life. I know, I was there. She did all the diets, tried all the tricks and she would lose weight for a bit but as soon as she ate anything more than her calorie-deprived Atkins-like diet she would gain the weight back. It was difficult to see the struggle of someone you witness truly eat a light meal daily. Finally after years of going to the Gynecologist to try and get her period, she was told she had PCOS. This was over 25 years ago, back then we didn't know much about PCOS. Today we know a lot more, still more to learn.
PCOS has been said to be a hormonal imbalance that doesn't go away. I don't believe this to be true, I believe your body wants to find homeostasis, but you have to be willing to do the work. time will tell if this is true. After doing my own research and working with clients hands-on, I see that clients are being given too many options, most of which are not natural. This makes my job more difficult because I have to convince my clients to challenge their doctor. Why is that so hard? Because pharma like birth control and Spironolactone along with anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds all give my clients a quick fix for now, without weighing the risk for tomorrow.
When a you are diagnosed with PCOS, likely you are still in your teens maybe your twenties. You aren't really thinking longevity, you are thinking now. It's my job to think longevity for you and therefore I have to make it interesting, fun and attainable. That is why I made this PCOS journal you can check out
Meanwhile, here is what I believe to be the problem is the liver. This is why if you have PCOS, you have trouble metabolizing insulin and gluten is your enemy. The main dietary restriction for PCOS is carbohydrates / prohibited is gluten. This is because the liver does not process carbs / gluten properly causing your insulin to become resistant likely due to the overload from poor estrogen detoxification and no support from healthy gut microbiota.
Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS can also cause elevated androgen which can cause all sorts of problems like hair loss on your head but hair gain on the chin. High androgen can also cause acne, ovarian cysts, and high cholesterol. Add this to the list for the main PCOS symptoms like Irregular periods or no periods at all, Difficulty getting pregnant, Weight gain or difficulty losing weight, anxiety, or depression, PCOS can feel like a daunting diagnosis.
I like to treat my clients helping them see the possibility that healing is available. I do believe we can heal all, but it takes work, hard damn work, and maybe that's our purpose here, which is to understand how powerful the body and mind truly are. Any time we are diagnosed with something, it's an opportunity to see us through the healing journey.
The routine for those diagnosed with PCOS is almost the same across the board for most diagnoses, which leads me to believe that the goal is to get the body back to homeostasis.
3-major things to consider when "healing" PCOS *remember, I believe everything is healable, but it is you that decides what is possible, myself and other practitioners in your life are here to guide you.
- Learn what it means to detox
- Balance insulin
- Take note of your symptoms and moods on a daily basis
I will go into detail about what this all means in a YouTube Video.