Cysterhood: Part One

I have spoken a lot about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) in this blog and I have had a few questions come up about it. Mainly WHAT IS PCOS? PCOS affects up to 10 percent of women. It may be genetic since women with PCOS are likely to have a mother or sister with PCOS however no women in my family seem to suffer from it besides myself. Most women who are determined to have PCOS are diagnosed after unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant yet many women are never diagnosed.

PCOS is caused by an imbalance of a woman’s sex hormones which may lead to:

• Irregular periods
• Skin problems such as acne and skin tags
• Darkening of the skin around the neck and armpits
• Thinning hair
• Increased hair growth on the face and body
• Cysts in the ovaries
• Obesity
• Trouble getting pregnant

The exact mechanism by which this imbalance occurs is a constant area of debate. It likely has to do with high levels of insulin and blood sugar. This high level of circulating insulin causes the body to produce more male hormones (androgen). I can pretty much look at a woman and determine if she has PCOS since I have spent so much of my life researching it and living with it. That said, the singer Jewel has PCOS and I would have never guessed.

The next few posts I am going to examine PCOS in more depth. If 1 in 10 women suffer from this, that means at least a handful of you reading my blog are affected. My hope is if I share what has worked for me that it can change someone else’s life for the better.  

Weight Loss Magic Bullet?

Someone emailed me to ask me my thoughts on CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) for weight loss after seeing it mentioned on Dr. Oz. Here is my take on it:

 

CLA is one of the only weight loss supplements that has been researched extensively and while the results look very promising, they are still inconclusive. CLA is a naturally occurring free fatty acid that is found in dairy products and meat. It is actually considered a trans fatty acid but not a harmful one like the ones in processed foods and margarine. It works by stopping small fat cells from getting larger, although the mechanism by which it does this is not fully understood.

So what is the benefit of taking CLA? Studies have shown that it increases lean muscle gain and fat loss in the abdominal region. It also helps people from regaining fat after dieting. CLA can also increase your immune system and there are some anti-cancer claims out there (obviously needs proper studies to back those claims up). Some studies have shown an increase in insulin resistance if taken long term while other studies have shown no effect on insulin uptake. This is the main reason I don't take it myself, my body is resistant enough to insulin so I don't want to take a chance. You take CLA in divided doses throughout the day and it seems that the most effective dose is 3.4 grams a day (that would be 4 x 1000 mg capsules to get the proper amount of actual CLA).

My experience from talking to health food store personnel is that CLA works but it takes up to 2 months to notice any difference and the difference is not dramatic. As a supplement taken while following a healthy diet and exercise program, I think this shows promise. As a magic bullet, keep looking.

Magic One Minute "Bread"

I wanted to share with you all a little gluten-free, sugar-free, yeast-free, dairy-free (sounds delicious so far doesn't it?) bread recipe that is ready in under 2 minutes. Now I use the term BREAD loosely but it works for me. In fact I did slice it in half the other day and put ham, mayo and tomato on it to eat like a sandwich....DIVINE after not eating one in so long. Here you go:

1. Take a small bowl and lightly grease it with butter or spray oil.
2. Break an egg into the bowl and mix it well with a fork.
3. Add 1.5 tablespoons of milled Flaxseed powder and 1.5 tablespoons of almond meal and stir until mixed.
4. Add in 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder and whatever spices you want to add

• For savory I add greek or italian seasoning. Sometimes a squirt of sirachi hot sauce.
• For a sweeter version I add cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract.

Pop this into the microwave for 1 minute (1 minute 30 seconds max) and you have a sort of muffin/bread like concoction. I keep my flaxseed and almond meal in the freezer to keep it fresh. For those of you doing low carb or gluten-free this is a MUCH healthier option than most of the breads and GF baked goods that are out there. It is high fiber so it keeps you full. Delicious with a little cream cheese on top.

Try it and let me know if you liked it!

Update Week 10: 26 down, 1/4 of the way there!

Monday is weigh-in day and I was actually looking forward to this weeks results. I am down 3 pounds this week for a total of 26 pounds! I am so pleased by this as it pushes me over the 1/4 mark. Still a long way to go but I am really starting to feel the changes in my body.
Things I am noticing:

• My clothing hangs nicer on my body
• My knees and feet aren't aching as much
• My tummy is shrinking and I am getting my waist back (oh where have you been?!)
• Everything feels firmer
• I am moving around so much easier
• My face is looking much thinner

There is a point when you are big that everything feels and looks distorted. Where you catch a glimpse of yourself in a window and mirror and think "Oh that poor soul!" until you realize it is you! I was at that point. I didn't feel or look like myself. Even though I have only lost 26 pounds out of the 100+ I have to lose, I am starting to get my Louise mo-jo back. I haven't had it for years because it was replaced with pregnant mojo and then new mom mojo....now it is time to get my groove back. I can be a mom and be a sexy biatch too right? That is my goal :)

The last 11 days, Jon and I have been doing a Candida Cleanse. We have both lost around 6 pounds in that time and I feel and see the difference in us. For myself I notice a lot fewer aches and pains and my skin is much clearer. No gastric issues either. I think I am just getting into the thick of the detox now though so I might start feeling a little off. We will see. Jon is doing great but he might end his cleanse at 15 days (they are 15 day kits) whereas I am going to continue for 30 or beyond depending on how I feel. I am drinking WAY too much coffee so I need to cut that down (she writes as she sips her Timmies). It is like when I gave up sugar I replaced it with coffee. Always need to have a vice it seems. Work in progress right?

Candida Yeast, could you have it? PART 3

Oh my goodness, what a week! I am sorry it has taken me so long to get this post done but it is a very busy time. So today I am going to discuss how to treat candida. If you do it right, you should be able to keep the yeast under control in the future. Most people who have issues with yeast, treat it and end up in the same situation 6 months later. Treat it thoroughly and follow some easy maintenance steps and you should be able to keep it at bay. Candida treatment is a multi-faceted approach.

DIET
While you are doing a candida cleanse you need to eliminate certain foods from your diet. These specific foods feed the yeast and make them stronger, we want to make them weaker. The foods you should avoid are:

• Sugar in all its forms including honey, maple syrup, fructose, table sugar and artificial sweeteners.
• Foods with yeast such as bread and pastries.
• Alcohol, pop, coffee, fermented beverages and cider. I have personally never given up coffee while doing a candida cleanse though. I would be a beast!
• Condiments and sauces containing sugar and/or vinegar such as ketchup, mayonnaise, pickles.
• All fruits, juices and dried fruits.
• Mushrooms and fermented foods such as tofu, sauerkraut (oh no what will you do!!) and soy sauce.
• Cheeses
• Roasted peanuts and other nuts that are not raw.
• Most grains, pastas, rice and starchy vegetables (potatoes, corn etc) since they all turn to sugar in our system.

You might be thinking WHAT CAN I EAT??? The answer is lots; it is just a touch boring. But remember, it is only for 15-30 days and chances are you will lose a few pounds from the diet alone. So here is what your diet should be made up of:

• WATER 8-10 glasses a day minimum.
• Fresh veggies, raw or steamed.
• Lemons, limes and cranberries. If you really miss fruit you can have ONE green apple per day.
• Fish (except shellfish)
• As close to organic or free range chicken, turkey, beef or lamb that you can get your hands on. Remember you don`t need huge portions of meat so buy the best quality you can afford.
• Free range eggs.
• Plain yogurt with live bacterial cultures.
• Raw almonds and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax etc).
• Herbal teas.
• Good quality oils for dressings (flax or olive) remember no vinegar can be added so use lemon juice and garlic.

You should follow the candida diet for the duration of treatment and then I always encourage clients to continue for an additional 2 weeks after. It is best that you adopt some of these dietary rules for your everyday diet to help keep candida at bay. The most important thing is to keep away from sugar or white poison as I like to call it!

TREATMENT PROGRAM

Ok, so we have covered the diet to follow and now we will cover the program to follow. I work for Renew Life so I am biased towards their products and know a lot about them. That being said, I am going to mention the ones out there that I would feel comfortable recommending outside of our line and I encourage you to do your own research. Choose the product that you feel most drawn to or that you feel will work with your lifestyle the best. The first layer of treatment is using an anti-fungal formula to kill the yeast

• Renew Life Candigone: This is a 15 day program that contains all of the well-researched anti-fungal agents in both tincture and pill format. It works especially well if you have used anti-yeast products before because chances are your body has developed a resistance to one or more of the anti-fungal herbs. In Candigone, they have covered all of the bases so that if your body is resistant to Caprylic Acid for example, there is something else in the formula to pick up the slack. Most people will have to do 2-3 kits.
• Innovite Yeast Busters Kit: This is a kit of 4 different products that you take for 3-8 weeks. It contains Caproil liquid, bentonite clay, psyllium and probiotics. There is no doubt that this works, at least the first time you use it. The issue is that it is awful to take: you basically mix the clay, fiber and caproil in a jar and drink it. As it moves through your system it (in their words) scrubs candida away and soaks up the toxins to eliminate them through the colon.

Either option is good, they will all have results just in differing time lines. If you are using any of these options I would also recommend you use a product called CandiZYME. In the States, virtually any candida program has an enzyme product included in the protocol. For some reason, there are very few of these in Canada. The reason it is so important is that Yeast Organisms have a very thick and strong cell wall, which makes them difficult to treat. Taking CandiZYME on an empty stomach before bed works to break down that cell wall so that the anti-fungal program you choose can work much more effectively. If you want to do the job fully and correctly the first time, include CandiZYME.

MAINTENANCE

After you have completed treatment, you want to maintain the results and that is very easy. Every woman, let me repeat EVERY WOMAN, should be taking a daily probiotic supplement. Probiotics are good bacteria that help to maintain the balance of good to bad bacteria in the gut. This helps us to keep yeast at bay, produce b-vitamins, increases our immune system and maintains regularity (great if you are constipated).

Make sure when buying a probiotic that you buy one that is protected from the Hydrochloric acid in the stomach and that it contains a blend of acidophilus strains and bifidus strains. Sounds confusing? Your health food store will be able to help you pick a great one. I recommend Ultimate Flora Critical Care 50 Billion Probiotic. You only need to take one a day regardless of the label recommendations if it is protected, if you buy one without a protected capsule or tablet you will need to take 2-3 daily if not more.

When you cleanse Candida, you can expect to have some days where you feel pretty bad. Headaches are common as is a feeling of fatigue. This is due to the die-off of the yeast. Drink lots of water, eat lots of fibrous veggies and you should be able to persevere. Remember it is short term pain for long term gain. Feel free to pop me an email if you have any more questions.

Candida Yeast, could you have it? PART 2

Hopefully you have done the Candida quiz in my last post. If not, go and do it now. We will wait for you! :)

What are the symptoms of yeast overgrowth? There are so many but I will list the most common. These can occur in varying degrees depending on the severity of your Candida:

• Severe cravings for sugar
• Vaginal yeast infections
• Toe and Fingernail funguses
• Feeling of sore and weak muscles
• Oral Thrush (White pasty coating on your tongue)
• Gas and bloating
• Disruption in bowel habits (either diarrhea or constipation or they alternate)
• Sudden mood swings
• A feeling of brain fog meaning your memory is poor and you are easily distracted
• Extreme sensitivity to chemical odors, cleaning supplies or perfumes
• Acne, facial rashes, inflamed hair follicles
• Dandruff, dermatitis and athletes foot

This list is not exhaustive and you could have all or just some of the symptoms.  When I was a young girl my mother was very sick. She went from being a high energy person to barely being able to climb the stairs. She was doing odd things like putting food in the dishwasher instead of the fridge and felt miserable. No doctor could determine what the issue was until she was referred to a medical doctor who ran her practice with a focus on holistic health care. She took one look at my mom and said “YOU HAVE CANDIDA”. Tests confirmed it and she set her up on a special diet and a protocol of supplements. Within a few days, she felt a huge difference and after a week, she felt like her old self. The change was remarkable to anyone who witnessed it. In fact, it is part of the reason why I decided to study nutrition and natural health.

In my next post I will share what you can do to treat Candida once you know you have it. It can change your life!

 

Candida Yeast, could you have it? PART 1

For the next few days I am going to cover the who, what, when, where and why of Candida. For those of you that haven't heard of this before, you are not alone. While most of us have or have had yeast overgrowth in our systems in our lifetime, most cases go undiagnosed. Candida is an overgrowth of yeast in the human body. Our digestive tract contains small amounts of yeast at all times, this is normal. However when an imbalance occurs with the good bacteria in the gut, yeast organisms are able to overgrow. We run into real problems when the yeast is able to leave the digestive tract and enter the blood stream. This leads to a systemic problem which can affect the vagina, mouth, skin, urinary tract, organs, tissues, finger and/or toe nails. Not a pretty picture is it?

There are an alarming number of Canadians dealing with Candida due to the use of broad spectrum antibiotics. These over prescribed drugs disrupt the delicate bacteria balance in the body allowing yeast to proliferate. Other factors that can lead to an overgrowth of yeast in the body are:

• Steroids (such as asthma inhalers)
• Birth Control Pills
• Anti-inflammatory drugs
• A poor diet that is high in sugar and refined carbohydrates
• Stress
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Heavy metal toxicity or parasites

To find out if you may be dealing with Candida overgrowth, please open this attached brochure. In the middle of it is a 2 page quiz. Fill in the answers honestly. When I did mine last week, my score was 307 which is off the charts!!

http://www.renewlife.ca/files/product/pdf1_1306265744_Candida_Brochure.pdf

If you cannot view the above link, please email me and I will email the quiz to you. Take some time to do the quiz, even if you have never had a yeast infection, do the quiz. You might be shocked what you find out. In my 15 years working in the natural health field, I am always surprised by the stories I hear about candida. It seems to be an afflication with a thousand faces. More on this tomorrow.