A blog to help you take control of your health and your hormones
Preconception care is all about improving your health in preparation for conception. It profoundly impacts fertilty outcomes for individuals and couples, and has major benefits for the health of your future child because it improves egg and sperm DNA-integrity and pregnancy health…
Could magnesium help your PCOS by reducing insulin resistance? This study takes a look at how magnesium helps insulin sensitivity
Do herbs really work for PCOS? This clinical research study says that they are far more effective than just changing your diet and doing exercise.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is known for making weight gain hard to shift, especially around the waist, giving many women with the syndrome that classic apple shape. Not only is this excess weight frustrating and stressful, it actually worsens PCOS because fat tissue promotes insulin resistance. This causes excess insulin release, which promotes fat storage, creating a perpetuating cycle. So when the weight seems to stay no matter what you do, how do you lose weight with PCOS?
Ever wonder what put you on the road to PCOS? Whilst the exact cause of PCOS is unknown, there are factors known to play a role. These factors vary from person to person. This is why not every woman with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) has the same set of symptoms. Here's a list of what could be contributing to your PCOS.
I hear it a lot in my clinical practice: "I think my acne might be hormonal". In a sense all acne is hormonal. You may not have overt hormonal aberrations turn up on your blood test, but there may be something more subtle at play. Let me explain...
Stress is one of the biggest causes of an irregular menstrual cycle. This is partly due to the wisdom of our bodies. When we are highly stressed our body says "Wait! This is not a good time to get pregnant! Let's prioritise other things instead (like survival!) and leave the ovulation till later." We won't have a true menstrual bleed until we do ovulate so this can cause the length of our menstrual cycle to vary. This is known as an irregular cycle or stress-patterned menstrual cycle. Irregular cycles are a common feature of PCOS and they are often driven partly by stress. To make matters worse, being diagnosed with and living with the symptoms PCOS is often very stressful in itself, creating a vicious cycle…
Herbal medicine has a long history of traditional use, throughout the world, for menstrual irregularities and fertility. More recently, scientific research has been showing positive results for herbal and nutritional treatments for polycystic ovarian syndrome, and deepening our understanding of the underlying causes. We now know that herbs and nutrients can be used to adjust levels of specific hormones and encourage the normal, healthy function of organs. Teamed with modifying our diet and forming good habits in our daily lives, these therapies can form the basis of long-lasting hormonal change.
All food launches some sort of inflammatory response in our body. This happens because food is a foreign object entering our body and our immune system's job is to identify and accept or reject it. However, some foods are more inflammatory than others...
