3 things you maybe never knew about PCOS

With my Debunking Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome tour set to start in just a few short weeks, I’ve been digging into my bag of tricks to really be able to offer women some juicy solutions.  In preparation for live events, I’ve had a lot of time to realise, that like every health condition, there’s so much more than meets the eye.

And of course, to think that there is only ever one way to treat anything is plain ludicrous.

I mean genetically we are all different, then we throw into the mix things such as environment, diet, lifestyle, upbringing, and emotional wellness – there’s a lot to know.  But here’s the thing, I don’t want it to be confusing or overwhelming or confronting.  I don’t want your health and wellness to be in the too hard basket – heck, it needs to be on the top of the checklist!

When we look at things front on, we run the risk of areas being shadowed.  I’m so excited to be able to shine the spotlight on PCOS from above and reveal it all – no room for shadows.  I want to debunk it good and proper and allow each individual to understand her own situation better.  Because no two bodies are exactly the same – not even for identical twins!

Did you know – the wrong kind of exercise for those with PCOS can have horrible effects?

I guess when you think about it, it’s not rocket science. But how many women are being led to believe that slogging it out at the gym is the solution to getting weight in check (because PCOS is so influenced by weight)?  Any kind of stress or load on the body for women with PCOS can be disastrous.  And I’ve come to learn that exercising smarter and not harder is, for many, the best way.

What does this mean?  

+ Switch heavy weights for working entire muscle groups

+ Replace long taxing workouts for quick 25 minutes of moderate level exercise

+ Ditch the gym – get outdoorsy. Walk, run, skip, hop, jump, climb stairs, run on sand, switch it up and absolutely leave no from for boredom (if its only 25 minutes, its unlikely you’ll get bored right?

+ Find a bendy, stretchy kind of class that you enjoy – think barre, yoga, pilates, tai chi – all of which are actually great all over body workouts and get the blood flowing to every corner of your body.

PCOS may develop post pill

By far one of the most common things we see in the clinic is women coming off the pill only to discover their bodies are in all kinds of imbalance.  Very often, the signs of PCOS are simply this – hormone imbalance.  And by far the number one driver of this is stress.  Now it’s all good and dandy for me to say “relax”, although not very useful if you don’t have the tools to know just how.

These are a few simple, foolproof ways to de-stress:

+ Meditate.  I know it’s a learned and takes practice kind of thing, but extremely valuable and helps tremendously in balancing hormones.  If you prefer guided meditation, you might like this one here you can download free of charge.

+ Schedule in your ‘you’ time.  4 hours per week.  Make time, even if it is 30 minutes each day to take a walk around the block.  It’s essential.

+ Book that holiday – even if it’s 25 minutes north in a camping ground.  Just do it already.

+ Journal – write down what comes out on paper.  Extremely therapeutic and pulls you out of your head!

Genetics may not play the big role

As we’ve learnt along the way, we have the ability to essentially ‘turn off’ or ‘turn on’ our genes behaviour be it by our thoughts, mindset, attitude, environment, diet and lifestyle.  So with this in mind, we know that emotional health plays a huge role – especially from a TCM viewpoint.  From this perspective, the heart plays a huge role in the sequence of events around ovulation (and if we needed to translate this into a modern standpoint, we’d look at the role of the pituitary).  When these signals can’t be fired to promote ovulation, it simply won’t happen.  But equally it may be a case of poor spleen (gut) function and excess damp and toxins in the body (again from a TCM viewpoint).  You see – no two women are the same.

I’m getting pretty pumped with the upcoming Debunking PCOS live event (and of course the e-course will follow).  This stuff here today is just the tip of the iceberg.  My aim, is to unravel PCOS like never before and get into the nitty gritty so each and every woman that comes has so much information, she can only help but make informed decisions about her health.  Because nobody can really tell you what’s best for you, other than you.  And the only way you can do that is by collecting as much information as possible to help make those choices.

For more info on my upcoming Debunking PCOS tour (including dates and locations), click here.

10 Comments

  • February 24, 2014 By Elja 2:15 pm

    Hi Nat,

    I’m a regular reader of your site and have attended (and really enjoyed) a few of your live events, but I found this post a little vague and repetitive. As a woman in her 20’s living with PCOS, this information seems very sensible and well-meaning, but I feel as though I’ve heard it all before.

    I thought I was doing all the right things by quitting the pill, sugar and all refined foods/starches, taking on more gentle daily exercise (as opposed to intense weight training), having regular acupuncture and meditating each morning, but 16 months after implementing these changes my PCOS is worse than ever and I’m rapidly losing faith in the possibility that I can heal my body naturally (if at all). In fact, it seems to be getting worse. So I suppose my questions are: what about women like me, whose bodies aren’t responding? What exactly do you prescribe to women with PCOS, in light of how differently it can manifest? Can it ever actually be healed?

    Thanks for any guidance/insight you can offer,

    Elja

    • February 24, 2014 By mnfadmin 2:36 pm

      Hi Elja,
      Thanks for your honesty. I appreciate this may feel repetitive for you, but for lots of women starting on this journey, this may be the first time they read the possibility that they can treat their PCOS.
      The main thing I want to create awareness around is that the advice I provide on the blog is that which is general, that won’t harm people and that each women is different. What I outline on the blog is simple, safe information that is appropriate for all constitutions.
      The main thing to realise is that we are all different and to give one option to treat PCOS will never work. So to ask what I prescribe women with PCOS is a question I can’t answer here soundly because for every woman it is different.
      Like anything, the body is completely capable of healing under the right guidance. This is also one of the reason I offer Skype consults – to help people work out what they need to do for their own unique constitution. The Debunking PCOS will dig deep into all kinds of scenarios and hopefully help women choose appropriate treatments according to their own individual needs.

  • February 25, 2014 By Melissa 11:46 am

    Awesome post Nat.

    I wish all this was taught in school and when we were younger.

    x

  • February 25, 2014 By Rene Schliebs 1:50 pm

    Hi Nat, I wanted to congratulate you on your education work. I’m a Nutritionist and Medical Herbalist in private practice in Auckland specialising in fertility. I’ve been following your posts and I just love where you come…your work is very synergistic with mine. Keep up the great work. Rene x

    • February 25, 2014 By mnfadmin 3:03 pm

      Thank you so much Rene! I appreciate it very much x

  • February 25, 2014 By clare 7:45 pm

    Will you be making another online tutorial for this next tour on PCOS? I’d love to hear more but cant make it to the live event!

    Thanks,

    Clare

    • February 25, 2014 By mnfadmin 7:49 pm

      Indeed! Can’t wait. x

  • February 28, 2014 By Samee Ruckle 9:00 am

    Hi Nat!

    I am really looking forward to your PCOS event in Melbourne 🙂

    I was diagnosed with PCOS about 6 years ago… with symptoms such as weight gain, acne, hair loss and facial hair (ugh!). Ofcourse, the doctor put me on Yaz and I was on it for about 5 years. And then as I found you online and read all your information I went off Yaz… and now my acne, facial hair and hair loss is out of control! Was tempted to go back on the pill but i’ve perservered and I feel like my skin is getting back under control.

    Anyways, I just wanted to talk to you about the exercise. I’ve managed to go from a size 12/14 to a size 6/8 (smallest I’ve ever been!) through clean eating, quitting soft drink and sugar, and working out. My husband and I LOVE going to the gym together. I LOVE lifting heavy weights every second day, and on the other days swimming. Love love love it.

    I don’t want to quit lifting heavy. I get so much joy and pleasure out of it, and I love working out with my husband.

    Is it really that bad if you have PCOS? It’s helped control my weight, I don’t feel like it’s stressful to my body because I enjoy it… And I’m also taking maca etc etc.

    What are your thoughts?

    • March 2, 2014 By mnfadmin 8:51 pm

      I can’t wait to talk more about this at the event!!

  • February 28, 2014 By Sarah 12:59 pm

    I’ve got my ticket to the debunking pcos event and cant wait!

    I found your website about 7 months ago, right when I was diagnosed with pcos. Through following some of your advice, my cycles have gone form over 45 days to a nice and regular 30 days.

    So I cant wait to hear more from you and hopefully conceive naturally this year!

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