Healing PCOS. Amy Medling

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ with nerve pain (neuropathy), cognitive dysfunction, and anemias.

       Band-Aid effect. Like so many medications, metformin does not fix the underlying problem. Poor diet and lifestyle choices are usually the root of insulin resistance. Failure to change those will limit the effectiveness of this drug, and if it is ever stopped, the symptoms will return.

       Spironolactone

      Spironolactone (Aldactone) is a diuretic often prescribed to treat symptoms associated with high levels of androgens such as acne, hirsutism, and thinning scalp hair. It is not meant to treat insulin resistance, the cause of high levels of androgens in women with PCOS. Reducing the level of androgens in the body with a pill instead of addressing the root cause is a Band-Aid at best. The moment a woman stops taking the drug, symptoms will return.

       Flutamide

      Like spironolactone, flutamide works as an anti-androgen. In fact, its intended purpose is to reduce testosterone in the treatment of prostate cancer. In women, it has been found to be an effective drug for treating hirsutism and mild to moderate acne. Some studies indicate it works better than spironolactone. Like all of these drugs, flutamide is a Band-Aid treatment and does not attempt to resolve the root cause of the condition. In addition, there is risk of serious liver problems and birth defects if taken when pregnant. In fact, many doctors will not prescribe flutamide to women at all.

      Although you cannot cure PCOS, you can manage your symptoms through diet, exercise, and other lifestyle approaches.

       What Can I Do?

      So now that you know why you feel lousy, what can you do?

      You can heal and thrive! Although you cannot cure PCOS, you can manage your symptoms through diet, exercise, and other lifestyle approaches. Doctors and researchers agree that lifestyle therapy should be the first line of treatment for women with PCOS. Managing diet, lifestyle, and emotional health will lead to better health, restore hormonal balance, and help get your insulin levels back on track. Before you know it, your symptoms will begin to ease and your risk of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, sleep apnea, anxiety, depression, and infertility will decrease. Therefore, a holistic approach is required to tame the symptoms of PCOS and improve your quality of life. Above all, we need to be thoughtful about the foods we use to fuel our bodies, the exercise we choose, the toxins we are exposed to, and, just as important, the emotional and mental care we take of ourselves.

       But I Really Just Want to Take a Magic Pill

      Good news. There is a magic pill. It’s you. The moment you decide that you deserve to be healthy and happy, you will begin to make the changes necessary to heal. You will wake up every day and make choices that nurture yourself, and you will feel better. As you feel better, you will make even more upgrades, and the cycle will continue. You are the magic pill that makes it all possible.

3

       Think like a PCOS Diva

       Everyone has a rock bottom. I remember mine clearly. My husband came home from work one day to find me lying on the couch listless and hopeless, my boys, ages four and one, running wild. I could not muster the energy to play with them, these babies I loved so dearly, had wanted so badly, and worked so hard for. My fatigue and other PCOS symptoms had drained the life out of me. I wasn’t the mom and wife I wanted to be and knew I could be.

       I saw myself through my husband’s eyes that afternoon. I saw myself and knew it was time to take control of my health and my life. This woman on the couch was not me. Moreover, I didn’t want to be her.

      Until that moment, I had followed my doctors’ advice. I took the tests they suggested and the drugs they prescribed. But nothing was working. At this “aha” moment, I realized that I had to stop being passive about my care. I needed to take control of it and educate myself about PCOS, so that I could make informed decisions. I needed to become my own advocate, and to do that I knew that I first needed to change my frame of mind. I had to want to feel better; I had to know in my heart that I could heal and that I deserved to feel better. Realizing that I was worth saving changed the way I thought about my life, my body, and my PCOS. Once my mindset shifted, I began my journey of thriving with PCOS.

       Choose to Be a PCOS Diva

      You may be asking yourself why “Think like a PCOS Diva” comes before “Eat like a PCOS Diva.” You are wondering why you can’t just exercise, eliminate gluten, and be all set. You cannot. Here’s why. If you do not think like a PCOS Diva, you cannot be a PCOS Diva (not for long at least).

      Being a PCOS Diva involves a conscious manner of thinking that is the key to making the PCOS Diva lifestyle sustainable. In order for diet and lifestyle changes to work, you must believe that you can feel better and know that you deserve to feel better. With this mindset shift, you will eliminate the chance for failure or self-sabotage. When you expect to succeed, you will find a way to overcome any minor setback, because you are on your chosen path. Setbacks (although frustrating) become an opportunity to learn.

      Imagine it like this. You and your friend are on your way to dinner at a restaurant you’ve been wanting to try. On the way, you find that the bridge to get there is washed out. You can still go, but you have to take a detour that adds an hour to your drive. You will likely choose a different restaurant tonight, right? Now imagine that you own that restaurant and it supports your family. You need to be there to open the door for the employees and customers. You will find a way over this obstacle. You will take the detour. Heck, you might build a raft or swim!

      “I have been a PCOS Diva for a year now, and I feel healthy and alive. I actually want to go outside and run around with my eleven-year-old, and my relationships have shifted in a huge way. I finally believe in myself and can say for the first time in my life that I feel love and compassion for myself, which allowed me to believe that my husband loved me no matter what. This was a big one for me, because I realized that I had been living my life with the belief that I didn’t deserve to be loved; not by others or by myself. I feel strong and capable and know that I have control over the whole big picture of PCOS now.”

       —NICOLE M.

      If you believe that you must be at your destination, you will find a way. Healing is the same. It is much harder to give up on something you know you deserve, something you must be, something that is a part of you. You will make choices and take actions based on thinking like a PCOS Diva, you will start to feel better, and the PCOS Diva lifestyle will stick for life.

       Mastering Your Mindset

      The victim, fighting, and lack mindsets frequently hold us back. By СКАЧАТЬ