Vitamin D

Ladies!! Its our SUNSHINE vitamin :)

Now who was it that said sun tanning is bad for you?

Women with PCOS are at a greater rick of encounter Vitamin D deficiencies.

Good vitamin D levels are mandatory for fertility, weight control, liver health, reducing insulin resistance, and avoiding exhaustion of our beloved pancreas. Being treated with vitamin D has improved menstral cycles in women with PCOS. If you are insulin resistant and weigh more than wanted, you're likely to have a low vitamin D level. Vitamin D deficiencies affects our metabolism, and could lead to a metabolic syndrome. With this vitamin we can control our blood sugar levels and by doing this we have a better chance at avoiding diabetes or handling them better. Vitamin D could be your active treatment in insulin resistance, and you can take it in the liquid supplement form or by vitamin pill form like I do.

“During the last ten years, researchers have made a number of exciting discoveries about vitamin D. They have ascertained, for example, that vitamin D is an antioxidant that is a more effective antioxidant than vitamin E in reducing lipid peroxidation and increasing enzymes that protect against oxidation. Vitamin D deficiency decreases biosynthesis and release of insulin.21 Glucose intolerance has been inversely associated with the concentration of vitamin D in the blood. Thus, vitamin D may protect against both Type I and Type II diabetes.” - Weston Price Site

Obtaining Vitamin D:

• sunlight
• salmon
• shrimp
• soy milk
• canned tuna
• Quaker instant oatmeal
• fish oil, cod liver
• oysters
• mushrooms

so as you can see mainly fishy foods but hey today seems like a great day to go fishin if you ask me:)

In your treatment plans ladies, taking supplements of both calcium and vitamin D will be beneficial! Women who want to treat their PCOS naturally should try taking vitamin D besides the medications we may use to try and concieve this is a natural way.  2000IU is what many women I spoke to were taking, so that is the supplement amount I take of vitamin D daily aswell. 

Benefits: 

Improves breast health

Improves fertility

prevents bone loss

helps nervous system health

balances mood

reduces chance of getting diabetes!

Ladies if you ask me this is a great way to persaude your hubby to go on the amazing SUNNY vacation you have been dreaming of.

Lets all do it!

Lets get tropical with the sunshine I body may just be lacking!

Your friend Court.

Todays Book

A Patient's Guide to PCOS: Understanding--and Reversing--Polycystic Ovary Syndrome  by Walter Futterweit. This book is on Amazon.com and if you have a local book store check it out :)



CHROMIUM

Ladies this is the start of our supplement week. I will be going through 7 minerals, vitamins, supplements that I take or want to start taking because they are helpful with PCOS. To be honest, I believe part of my weight loss and weight managment has to do with the supplements I take. Supplements give our body adequate amounts of nuturions we are not getting. Supplements go on sale, and you can get vitamins, and minerals at cheap prices from time to time. I hope you enjoy this week, and feel free to share supplements you take! Our first supplement today does alot for women with PCOS, and I am going to get myself some this Friday.

CHROMIUM!!

Chromium is an essential mineral that helps us manage our insulin activity surrounding carbohydrates, fat, and protein metabolism. 200 mcg is recommended daily, or 1000 mcg daily of chromium picolinate for 2 months. This mineral touches on so many issues PCOS may bring why not add it into your daily routine? Chromium falls into the list of long types of treatments for PCOS under the vitamins, and minerals part. Ladies many of us have used this and seem some benefits.

Benefits*:

• Improve blood sugar control
• reduce insulin resistance
• reduce risk of cardio disease
• reduce risk of type 2 diabetes
• help cholesterol by improving good cholesterol
• supports our ovarian health
• weight loss

Foods provide us with chromium aswell. Broccoli, Orange juice, Turkey breast, 5 ounces of red wine, beef cubes 3 ounces, 2 pieces of whole wheat bread, and 1 tablespoon of dried basil.

Ladies I don't know about you but I'm on my new years resolutions, and one of them was to lose the 10 pounds I gained over christmas! Chromium might just be a aid in helping me do that.  For those of you asking questions about how you can help your ovarian health to reduce chances of diseases this is also and answer you are looking for.  Heart disease, and type 2 diabetes are all to common for us, why dont you take a leap before it occurs and use CHROMIUM.

 Enjoy Ladies, your friend Court!

I promised a Cyster I would advise her of certain PCOS friendly books so check out the bottom of the page each day for a new PCOS friendly book!

"New Atkins for a New You: The Ultimate Diet for Shedding Weight and Feeling Great."

Atkins is the way I started low carbing/no carbing! you can find this book on ebay, amazon, and kijiji. Enjoy!

Irregular Periods . ... ... . .

Late, early, twice this month, always spotting, bleeding between periods, missed, continous, really heavy!

 Ladies these are all types of 

IRREGULAR PERIODS!

 Irregular periods are not unusual among women, 30% are affect during their childbearing years. However, this is something you want to bring to your doctors attention. Irregular periods are one of the major symptoms us women with pcos are faced with. The cysts on our ovaries interfer with menstration, and ovulation. Periods are supposed to happen every 24-29 days however, cycles between 23-25 days are not uncommon either. If you have a problem like the one I just recently was faced with I would recommend Iron supplments. I was getting my period 3 times a month! Iron supplements are also great if you are experiencing heavy bleeding during your period.

Causes

Irregular periods are usually the sign of hormonal irregularities. There are many things that affect our hormone levels and the changes in them.

• Pregnancy
• Poor Diet
• Excercise
• Birth Control
• Menopause
• Stress
• Excessive alcohol
• Caffeine
• Drug use
• Smoking

Poor diet mean a diet too high in carbs such as chips, breads, candy, donuts, icecream and soo on.  Poor nutrion changes the proteins in our brain which leads to the brain singnaling for ovulation at odd times or less regularly. Over stressed (relationships, work, bills) signals our adrenal gland and cortisol is released. Cortisol impacts our estrogen and progesterone. Caffeine and alcohol are seen as types of stress to our bodies aswell.

Bleeding really heavy could be a sign of low progesterone which can lead to anemia so protect yourself and take IRON supplements.

Things you should attempt to change if IRREGULAR PERIODS are a pcos symptom of yours.

Get Rid of all your stressors or keep yourself occupied. Stress contributes to many symptoms!

DROP THE ALCOHOL AND COFFEE..NO POP!!

Quit smoking or reduce the amount you smoke

EAT WELL!! eatting healthy like I have said ladies helps out more than you would think

Let Birth control have time to adapt to your body dont give it up in just a month

DO NOT OVER EXCERCISE!

Irregular periods are not a JOKE! and well do yourself a favour inform your doctor. Irregular periods can lead to cancer.

Your friend Court... :) 



Cysts On Ovaries..*

aaahhh, Mom I cant walk. It hurts!! I think I have to go to the hospital I can't stop crying because I am in soo much pain. MOM!!! help me my stomach hurts, and I am bleeding alot!!! Yes, I have my period its been 6months since I last got it. My friends are coming over but I can not stand or walk. Please help me. The tylenol does not help.

This was the day an ovarian cyst popped on me. My mom thought I was having a miscarridge but I knew it was something else because I was unable to get pregnant. I went to my doctor after this and he recommended a ultrasound it was than that I found out I had cysts all over my ovaries.

*Ovarian Cysts*

Our ovaries are our pair of organs we have in our reproductive system. Our ovaries are what are incharge of releasing eggs, and our female supply of hormones. Hormones are chemicals that control how cells, and organs function.

The homones in our ovaries affect:

• pregnancy
• menstral cycles
• body shape
• way our breasts and body hair grows.

A cyst is a fluid filled sac. The type us ladies have is Polycystic. Our cysts are caused due to eggs maturing in our sacs (ovaries are the size of an almond) and not being released. This cycle will last until you do something about it. It just repeats itself causing us to not ovulate or have our menstral cycle. Our sacs grow as numerous cysts appear all over it.  However, just because you were told you have cysts on your ovaries it does not mean you have PCOS.In my case I was not that lucky.

Symptoms of cysts on your ovaries

Pain during sex

pressure, swelling pain on abdomen

pain during period

weight gain

** The pain maybe cause by the size of a cyst, bleeding, or bursting of a cyst**

Cysts on our ovaries are found in different ways. The way mine were found was from an ultrasound. You could also get a blood test done to tell you if you have cysts on your ovaries or a hormone level test. There are ways to treat cysts. Excercise and weight loss is key for removal of cysts if you would like to try it the way without meds. Birth control can regulate periods and clear up your cysts. Than as a last resort surgery is available (LAPAROSCOPY). I would recommend trying to get rid of your cysts first by just changing your lifestyle and gradually working on it. If cysts are left for long periods of time we are at risk of ovarian cancer. Also like I stated there are many different types of cysts they are not all polycystic ones that us women may encounter in our lives. Some cysts that are not polycystic go away on their own after three months.

So, if you are in as much pain as I was, rarely getting your periods, and are in pain during intercourse, SHARE IT WITH YOUR DOCTOR! GO GET CHECKED!

your friend Court. 

New Years 2012

5.......4.......3.......2.....1

 HAPPY NEW YEARS

2012

Happy New Years Cysters!! Another year has come and gone we all made it through. It may have been hard but we did it! Lets make this year count.

SO, year after year everyone around the world sets new years resolutions. What are yours going to be this year? Make ones that you can stick to not something you will never be able to achieve. With small steps we eventually make a big difference. Think about yourself, your health, your family, and your lifestyle. Think about things that make you happy and things that just cause you too much stress.

My New years resolutions are.

• Drop 5-10 more pounds
• go to the gym more often
• Completely quit smoking
• Totally eliminate pop for my diet&vocabulary
• call my mom and dad more
• forget about the past and move forward
• keep my vitamins up
• remove the stressors in my life
• write as often as possible

What are your resolutions? do mine sound like yours? Lets work together keep the resolutions, and work on ourselves. For this is a new year, and a new year wont come for another 365 days so we have plenty of time to work on the ones we make this year. Make a list and keep it with you so you always have it to look at and motivate yourself.

2012

GO BIG OR GO HOME!

 

Hurting..

                 Hurting

Im hurt

I can not go to the doctor and get it fixed.

I cry myself to sleep, and friends and family say they understand

Truth is they don’t understand, and they never will.

I was always worried about being alone

But for me alone has come early.

Appointments monthly are getting pointless

No matter where I go answers are always a don’t know.

Last month I took Met, this month I’m taking Spiro

I bet the meds list will never end.

I quit drinking, quit eating, quit smoking

Whats next? Quit living? Well it seems that’s the road Im on.

I need to talk to someone, I am hurt

I do not know where to go from here.

Talking to the doctors is not working

I can no longer feel so alone.

I feel that if this nightmare progresses I will be lost

Lost in the world

Will anyone stand by me

Does anyone care

I am now told that I need antidepressants

This is not me

I used to love to go out, have friends over, wake up

I just can not pull myself together.

I am twenty three, but I feel like I am seventy nine

Every birthday is another one Im thankful for because it hasn’t happened yet

Take the mirrors down, throw out the brushes and never wear white

I am losing my hair, and there is nothing I can do,I am hurt.