My PCOS Survival Checklist

I am in recovery mode. Yesterday, I found my first gray hair. Immediately after discovering the offending follicle, I emailed my mother. I emailed her because (1) I tell her everything, and (2) because I blame her genetics on my premature graying (thanks, mom). To be fair, I blame the bar exam as well.

Of course I was horrified by the gray hair, but my horror went a little deeper. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Most of my symptoms began when I started puberty. Aside from likely reproductive difficulties, PCOS affects my physical appearance and my internal inter-workings everyday. My body produces too much of the male hormone. Thus, I suffer from hair growth on my chin and mustache line as well as hair loss on the top of my head. When I found out I had a gray hair, I thought to myself: "Self, you can't go around as a balding woman with gray top hairs and bill goat chin hairs."

My body also produces entirely too much insulin, but it doesn't use the insulin to convert food into energy. This causes weight gain because food turns to fat without ever being used as energy. My treatments include metformin to help my body use insulin and a low carb diet to keep carbs from being converted to fat. Unfortunately, the metformin comes with nasty little side effects, mostly nausea.

Because women with PCOS are at a higher risk for diabetes, heart disease, infertility, and a host of other problems, I am trying to treat my PCOS naturally as well. My PCOS survival checklist includes:

1. Spearmint tea: Spearmint helps bind the male hormones in my body and helps prevent those pesky chin hairs.

2.  Ginger Tea: Ginger helps with the nausea. Sometimes I chew on a piece of ginger when I feel especially nauseous. I also drink diet ginger ale with extra ginger. Ginger is also a natural remedy against inflammation, heart burn, colon ailments, and ginger is an ovarian cancer preventative (something women with PCOS are more likley to develop due to the cysts on their ovaries)


*My ginger tea recipe: boil water with ginger root, splenda, cinnamon, lemon or lime, and apple cider vinegar. This tea can be hot or cold.

3. Sugar Free Spearmint Gum: also helps the nausea

4. Apple Cider Vinegar: ACD is good for everyone. Two tablespoons a day, mixed with liquids, can help a variety of ailments (sore throat. ACD helps control my insulin resistance. 

5. Healthy oils. Every day, I swallow 1 tbsp of a healthy oil (extra virgin olive oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil) These oils also help with my insulin resistance and give me a healthy heart.

6. Epsom salt. Soaking in epsom salt also helps my insulin resistance. The magnesium sulfate is absorbed through the skin and prevents blood sugar spikes.

September is PCOS awareness month, for more information about this syndrome that occurs in 5-10% of women please visit: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001408/