PCOS TREATMENT GUIDE

If you have difficulty losing weight, facial hair, growing hair in unexpected places, thinning or balding hair on the head, unexplained weight gain, irregular periods; heavy bleeding, abnormal menstruation, adult acne, depression, brain fog, mood swings or infertility: this could Indicate you have PCOS.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition in which the ovaries produce an abnormal amount of androgens, male sex hormones that are usually present in women in small amounts. The name polycystic ovary syndrome describes the numerous small cysts (fluid-filled sacs) that form in the ovaries.

Even though there's no cure; or a standard treatment for PCOS; treatment is very personalized.

Practical steps to managing PCOS

Important Lifestyle and dietary changes:

Maintain normal blood glucose levels.

Every single cell in your body uses glucose for energy. Glucose is from two categories of food: Starchy foods eg bread, spaghetti, rice, potatoes, eba, tuwo (pretty much the bulk of Nigerian food). The second category of foods that provide our bodies with glucose include all sweet foods eg fruits, sweets, sugars, fizzy drinks, natural fruit juices, biscuits, ketchup,  ice- cream, pastries, cake (because they make them with sugar), again- pretty much most snacks, deserts that we eat. 

Now, i'm sure you saw some natural foods in the list and are wondering why they are bad, the food is NOT the problem but how much of it we eat, the order we eat them and the general state of our bodies. Some foods provide glucose WAY TOO FAST TO our bodies- this is knowns as a glucose spike.Too much glucose from starchy foods or sweet foods cause these glucose spikes.  

Our bodies have some "warriors" called the Mitochondria, they are in charge of turning glucose into energy, they however don’t like glucose spikes and they shut down and breakdown when there are Glucose spikes in our bodies. When they shut down due to too much glucose in the body, they are no longer able to turn glucose into energy which then makes you  too get tired. That not the worst, the excess glucose in your body then Increases stress and Inflammation in your body.

It doesn't end there- the more glucose spikes you have, the more Glycation happens. Dear ladies, this should be your worst nightmare. Lets quickly define glycation for better context.

Glycation is the bonding of a sugar molecule to a protein or lipid molecule without enzymatic regulation. Glycation affects the structure and function of proteins and is involved in processes such as the hardening of the arteries, THE WRINKLING OF THE SKIN(ouch), and the formation of cataracts. In order words Glycation pretty much means INCREASED AGING not only on the insides of our bodies - our skin is affected, our eyes are affected and even our arteries SIGH!!!

Let's take it even further,  Alzheimer’s disease, you know- the dementia that happens to some of our parents in old age? Some scientists are NOW referring to it  Type 3 diabetes? Why- you might ask? Research is showing that poorly controlled blood sugar may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's.

Can you guess what this issues all have in common? Diabetes mellitus, Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia, Worsened menopausal symptoms, Some cancers and Heart diseases? If you said uncontrolled high blood glucose levels you are CORRECT. On a side note, Patients with diabetes mellitus experiencing ketoacidosis or hypoglycemia have also been shown to experience delirium,  Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder that's long been linked to metabolic problems, including type 2 diabetes. 

So not only are you feeling less tired because of glucose spikes, you get older in the long run, you begin to look older through your skin, you increase your risk of a host of diseases.

 Ever heard of Insulin? Just like the mitochondria, they could also be called "warriors". But what do they do?Insulin helps your body turn food into energy and controls your blood sugar levels, they have been designed to ensure our energy levels are balanced, your body releases insulin to try and keep your blood glucose down. Insulin grabs all the extra glucose and stores it away into your muscles, liver and fat cells.

The caveat though is that Insulin floating in your body is good in the short term, but not in the long term, Why? Even though they are there to mop up excess glucose, there becomes point when the don't respond to the glucose as they used to. This is known as insulin resistance, it occurs when the cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don't respond well to insulin and so insulin can no longer effectively mop out glucose from your blood. Now, when this happens, your pancreas keeps making insulin to help glucose enter your cells so it builds up in the blood. High Insulin in the body can lead to high testosterone( the male sex hormone) levels in a female body. Some symptoms of high testosterone in women include:

• acne.
• excess hair on the face and body.
• irregular periods.
• thinning hair.
• Difficulty losing weight

Now how does all these affect PCOS? PCOS is a group of symptoms ( Irregular period, Polycystic ovaries, Hair growth on face, Balding, Acne), in other words most or all of the symptoms of high testosterone are present in women suffering from PCOS.

With high insulin levels, glucose is continually stored in your fat cells which is why  it is harder tools weight when you have high insulin levels.

To make matters worse, insulin resistance also leads to type 2 diabetes

A dark patch (or band) of velvety skin on the back of your neck, armpit, groin, or elsewhere could mean that you have too much insulin in your blood. This is often a sign of prediabetes. The medical name for this skin condition is acanthosis nigricans.

Acne, Eczema, Psoriasis are all caused by an inflammation of the skin. Inflammation is a stress response of your body,Furthermore, insulin promotes androgen synthesis, resulting in excessive sebum production, a known correlate of acne severity.

Insulin can also increase blood pressure via several mechanisms: increased renal sodium reabsorption, activation of the sympathetic nervous system, alteration of transmembrane ion transport, and hypertrophy of resistance vessels. In lay mans terms- if you eat too much salt, you should naturally pee it out. However, if insulin is high, sodium and water retention occur leading to high blood pressure. Agin, cut the carbs and foods leading to blood sugar spikes to fix insulin, sodium and water retention and high blood pressure.

 In summary

It is more than a good idea to balance your glucose levels: There is barely any disease that doesn’t get better when you balance your glucose levels. Balanced glucose levels are  linked to a reduction in testosterone, PCOS and its accompanied symptoms.

Maintaining normal blood sugar glucose is important.You can do this  by buying supplements for insulin resistance. Examples include  cinnamon, berberine, bitter melon, magnesium and Vitamin D3.

Normal iodine levels is important for the health of the ovaries, and low iodine levels are common in women with PCOS. First, prepare your body to take in lodine. We recommend a heavy metal cleanse adding some  Celery and Cilantro.

Sea Kelp provide the essential iodine levels for regulating the body's hormone production. (Do not use if you have hyperthyroidism) - it is an lodine supplement; don't forget to activate it with Zinc.

It is also recommended to Increase consumption of dark leafy greens, legumes, Paw Paw, Garlic, Turmeric and Flaxseeds(Findings suggest that flaxseed may have a profound impact on testosterone levels, and also may diminish symptoms associated with hyperandrogenism, such as hirsutism. The reductions in androgen levels observed in this case study far surpass those reported with any other dietary intervention conducted to date.

It is recommended to address sleep. Poor sleep quality or not enough sleep increases Cortisol. High cortisol decreases Testosterone and causes Insulin Resistance. While insulin resistance could be the root cause of your insomnia, the lack of sleep it causes for people can lead to further hormone disruption. For example, chronic sleep deprivation can lead to high levels of cortisol, which over time has been linked to increased inflammation and more severe PCOS symptoms. You have to make GOOD sleep priority and reduce stress as much as possible, you can use adaptogens if you live a very stressful life.  Reishi Mushroom, is an example of an adaptogen and an anti-androgen, so it is highly beneficial for women with PCOS.

 

The summary of it all is to LIVE an INTENTIONAL lifestyle,

cSome other beneficial supplements for PCOS include Inositol, Choline, Green Tea, White peony, Licorice, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Magnesium, Vitamin D3, Evening Primrose, Spearmint tea,MSM which should be in your arsenal.

Foods That Mat Make PCOS Symptoms Worse Include:

• Sugar
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Sugar, Artificial Sweeteners
• Alcohol
• Refined oils
• Hormone laced meat and chicken
• Processed foods 

The Best Foods for PCOS Include:

• Whole Fruits VS Fruit Juices
• Cold Water Fish
• Protein
• Healthy fats
• Vegetables
• Seeds and Nuts 

 Researched with love,

Ola