Fighting PCOS Naturally

Name D-Chiro Inositol, DCI Typical Dosage 600-1800mg daily Usage DCI is a member of the inositol family. It is known to be an important secondary messenger in insulin signal transduction. It can be found in buckwheat farinetta and carob. In double-blind studies, women with PCOS who received DCI experienced the following statistically significant benefits when compared with a control group: lowered free and total testosterone, lowered blood pressure, increased insulin sensitivity and a corresponding improvement in glucose disposal, and increased frequency of ovulation.( Wikipedia ) It has also been shown to decrease circulating insulin and serum androgens in lean women with PCOS. ( Published study by MJ Iuorno ) Chiral Balance, the leading US provider of DCI, offers this great video that explains DCI's effect. My experience I took 1800mg of Chiral Balance brand DCI for several months. I noticed a great reduction in the painful cystic acne on my face and better hair con...

I realized that I don't believe in myself. I was trying to write motivational lines to help psych myself up for a crazy amount of work in the next few days/weeks. Eight lines through, it hit me - "can" is not as powerful as "will". My mom likes to say "The difference between tactful and tactless is less than a word." That resonated with me tonight. Anyone can say they can do something, but it takes more gusto to say they will do something. I should be writing "I WILL SUCCEED", not "I can succeed". That one little word changes EVERYTHING. Instead of believing in myself, I'm giving myself a way out; a way that I can say "I tried" after failing. "WILL" is definite, final, certain, sure. At this point I don't have the luxury of failure. I have to get better. I can't drain my grandparents' retirement savings. I can't continue hoping my husband will get a job. I have to take control. I have no o...

Name N-acetyl cysteine, NAC Typical Dosage 250mg - 1800mg Usage NAC is a form of the amino acid l-cysteine. Homo-cysteine is an amino acid in the blood. An elevated level means that your metabolic processes are not working properly. Elevated homo-cysteine is associated with coronary artery disease, heart attack, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, cognitive impairment, and cervical cancer. Metformin has been shown to increase homo-cysteine levels, and, in general, women with PCOS have higher homo-cysteine levels. A medical study showed that people taking NAC for two months had a significant decrease in homocysteine levels. ( Ovarian-cysts-pcos.com ) A study in Turkey comparing the usage of 1500mg of metformin daily to 1600 mg of NAC daily showed significant results - both treatments show decrease in BMI, fasting insulin, free testosterone and menstrual irregularity, and hirsutism, as well as lower cholesterol levels. ( Published study by G. Oner ) The beauty of NAC is the lack of...

Name Vitex, chasteberry, agnus castus, chaste tree, Abraham's balm, monk's pepper Typical dosage Capsule Form: Capsule form is the most widely used and studied form of Vitex. Nature's Way brand suggests 400mg 2x daily for 8-12 weeks, then once daily for continued maintenance. (This worked for me) Natural-Fertility-Info.com suggests 1000mg daily, except during menstruation. Tincture Form: 10-15 drops daily. **I often see questions about taking Vitex during menstruation. Some bottles of Vitex say not to, while others don't mention it at all. I have been unable to find any substantial evidence pointing one way or another. Dalene Barton from Natural-fertility-info.com says "It is not going to hurt you to use Vitex during your period, we just feel it is best to let your body naturally cleanse and work on its own during the female bleeding time. Some herbalists feel it is fine to use Vitex during the female bleeding time." If it is easier for you to re...

After staying up til 5am yesterday morning, I have finally prepared the first few posts in my new PCOS supplement series, What's That Pill? The goal of this series is to introduce you to natural supplements that can assist in the treatment of PCOS symptoms. Our society as a whole is beginning to realize that there is validity to natural, holistic treatments. I want to do my part to help spread awareness. So barring no internet disasters, you should see these soon: Vitex - Tuesday, 4/10 N-Acetyl Cysteine - Thursday, 4/12 D-Chiro Inositol - Tuesday, 4/17 Hopefully I can get another few posts knocked out this week and be able to continue this series for a while! If you have any supplements you want me to discuss, or you would like to share your experiences with any supplement, please email me - courtneylwallace(at)gmail(dot)com with the subject 'What's That Pill?'

I decided to email a few professional organizers today about possibly hiring one to help me tame my apartment. I really think that if everything was clean and organized, I'd feel better about myself, I could start cooking again, get healthier and go back to work. Sounds like a great plan, right? I just hope that this will work out for me. I really think it could make a difference, if the price is right. I think my grandmother will like the idea. She's been wanting me to get the place clean, she knows that I can't do it on my own, and she certainly can't help me. Since our apartment complex is raising our rent by $150 if we renew the lease, we are moving. Again. I'm so sick of it. But what's worse is the inability to find a place. No one has anything open for our move-in date. And even if they do, I can't prove I have the income to afford an apartment without using my tax return. Well I can't file my taxes yet because I owe $3000 in self-employment taxe...