PCOS treatment options for Cysters TRYING to get pregnant

FINALLY I am getting a chance to post this. I have been so busy with work and life that I would get working on this post and then have to put it aside. Thanks for the patience! Likely only one or two of you is trying to get pregnant and has PCOS but if this helps you then I am a happy gal!

I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome when I was 13 and had more than one doctor tell me that children might not be in my future. I had not given up but had come to terms with that idea after going without birth control for years with no luck. That was until a doctor gave me not only hope but a plan. I am going to share that plan with you all.

1) Find out IF you are ovulating. I always assumed that if you had a period that you were ovulating but I was wrong. I had bought those ovulation kits  and because my cycle was so screwed up I just assumed that I was missing that right times to use the kit. As it turns out, I was not ovulating at all. No wonder I wasn't getting pregnant! I was sent home from my first appt with this hormone specialist with the homework of determining if and when I ovulated. You can imagine my surprise when the whole month went by and NOTHING. When you know better you can do better right?

(A little aside about ovulation kits. If you are trying to get pregnant do not time your intercourse to what the kit says, it creates stress and often if you have ovulated you are already too late. Instead, use them to determine if and when you normally ovulate (just to make sure you are) and then just try to have sex frequently with every 2nd or 3rd day being ideal. Those kits cost a fortune and are not necessary).

2) Once I found out I wasn't ovulating I was put on progesterone cream. Blood tests often show "normal" blood levels of progesterone but if the test is not done on the right day of your cycle, that can be misleading. Most women with PCOS could use progesterone therapy. Within one month of starting I was not only ovulating but having a normal, light period. It was amazing.

3) Take Metformin. Now I am not normally a big pusher of drugs but this can be a miracle for women trying to conceive with PCOS. It certainly was for me. By normalizing the insulin and blood sugar levels in my body, I normalized the hormone levels. Some research also shows that metformin reduces the risk of miscarriage if taken during the first trimester as well as gestational diabetes later in the pregnancy. Metformin can be hard to get used to, it wrecks havoc on your digestive system, but those symptoms generally improve within the first two weeks.

4) Once you do conceive stay on the progesterone cream for the first 12 weeks as it also reduces the risk of miscarriage (a big concern for PCOSers).

If you have been trying to conceive try these steps and hopefully the outcome will be positive. If you have a doctor who isn't taking you seriously, find a new doctor. Ask to see an endocrinologist and get a proper diagnosis. Many doctors see an overweight patient and don't give them the care they deserve. Advocate for yourself and read as much as you can about this disorder. Knowledge is power. Feel free to send me any questions you have about PCOS. If you are in the Toronto area, I can share some names of doctors who specialize in progesterone therapy (they are not easy to find!). I am here to help and from one Cyster to another...there is hope.

Week 12 Update: April 1st goal is around the corner!

HI everyone,

Happy Monday! As usual today is weigh-in day and I am pleased to say I am down 2.2 pounds. I am kind of surprised as I have been waffling a bit (excuse the poor use of terms....mmmmmm waffles). I have been playing with the program, falling off the wagon and just feeling over-whelmed and under-motivated. My weight watchers week begins on Tuesday so tomorrow morning it is right back on track with the program. I am going to stick gluten-free for the most part because I feel better off the wheat but I want to avoid going too low carb. Been there, done that.

Next Monday, April 1st, is my 37th birthday and my first goal of being down 30 pounds. I am 1.1 pounds away so I know I can do it. It is all about focus and not stressing out too much. Easier said than done with the crazy week ahead and then EASTER weekend but I know I can do it. I will feel so good once I hit that goal, much better than how good any chocolate easter bunny could make me feel. I just have to keep that in mind.

To all my fellow PCOS'ers I haven't forgotten about you and I will be posting my PCOS and Pregnant post soon. Last week was crazy nuts and this weekend my little monkey was sick. I am almost done researching and writing it so I am hoping to post tomorrow.

To everyone else, thanks for all of the support. I love hearing your updates and so many of you are doing so well. If you aren't where you want to be there is no time better than the present to get back on track. We all struggle from time to time and as you can read from my posts, I am no exception. This is a process and one which will have ups and downs but the freedom that comes from reclaiming your body and health makes it all worth it.

Why oh why am I afraid to fly?

This morning I was going to finish my blog on PCOS but I am compelled to fess up and blog about something else. As I sit her with hot oil on my head to try to pull some dye out of my hair (it is BLACK! Not exactly the look I was going for), I am trying to understand the way my mind works. I am falling into an old pattern that is so self destructive yet so common for me. Let me explain.

In 3 weeks from now at this exact time I will be waiting to get on a plane to Vancouver. Flying as a big person is stressful and for me I worry about it constantly. I am not worried about crashing, I am not worried about fitting in the seat or even having to ask for a seat belt extender. For me, I am worried about making the person I am flying beside uncomfortable and invading their space. It makes me feel literally sick to my stomach when I think about it. It goes back to a flight I was on to Halifax many years ago where I was in the window seat and this big man (not fat, just tall and broad) had the middle seat. There was another man in the aisle seat. The fellow in the middle seat called over the stewardess and DEMANDED a new seat. He said he was being squished (we all were) and wanted to move. The only option was a seat at the very back by the bathrooms. When he found that out he made a big stink that I should be the one to give up my seat since I was causing the problem (which actually wasn't the case, it was the combination of the 3 of us that was the main issue!). I was only 25 and now I would have stood up for myself but in order to prevent further humiliation I said I would move. So I gave up my window seat to this asshole and moved to the back walking by all these staring eyes (some sympathetic, others laughing) and sat there trying to hold back tears. It sucked big time!

I have known about this trip since I arrived back to work in December. It is one of our yearly trade shows. Now that it is less than a month away my stress about the flight is going through the roof. Add to it the first goal of being 30 pounds down by April 1st (my birthday) and I am feeling a lot of pressure to get as much weight off as I can. Cue the problem.......self sabotage. I have been eating like crap since Monday after my weigh in. Gluten-galore, chocolate, we even had pizza last night. I am paying the price physically (digestive issues, sore knees, mood swings) and I know I will pay the price on the scale. Why do I do this to myself????? It is a pattern that has repeated itself in my weight loss battle time and time again. I hope that I can get to the bottom of it and maybe that will require some outside guidance.

It is back on track today and I am buckling down. I have to stop these destructive patterns and focus again at what I want to accomplish: Lasting and healthy weight loss. So please send me positive vibes to get over this hump and carry on with the task at hand. I can't wait for the day that I look forward to flying high in the sky where my only worry is what movie to watch.

Week 11 update: Slooooooow and steady wins the race?

Well it is Monday and of course, weigh-in day. I was a little concerned about the scale this week. I just didn’t feel like I had lost anything and I barely did; - 0.6 pounds which is better than nothing I suppose. I want to be down 30 pounds by my birthday April 1^st so I have 2 weeks to lose 3.4 pounds. Fingers crossed.

Jon and I have been doing a candida cleanse since March 1^st. He is finishing today and I am going to continue on for another 15 days at least. He did amazing, it is not an easy process to undergo but in 3 weeks he lost 10 pounds! Way to go hon, proud of you!

I just wanted to send a big congrats to all of you my friends and followers of the blog that are experiencing their own successes. Weight loss, quitting smoking, getting out of debt…so much inspiration! It keeps me trucking when I am feeling like giving up so thanks for sharing and keep up the good work.

PCOS Treatment options for Cysters NOT trying to get pregnant!

Today I am going to discuss some treatment options for my PCOS buddies who are NOT trying to get pregnant. I will discuss options for pregnancy and infertility later on. There is some overlap but there are some very important differences in how you approach the disease if you are trying to conceive.

Diet is foremost as I mentioned in my last post but there are lots of conventional and natural treatment options to help deal with the symptoms of PCOS and it's underlying cause. These treatments below are in no particular order:

1) Liver Support: It is very important to support your liver so that it can effectively process and eliminate excess hormones and toxins. Starting your day with lemon in warm water primes the liver but more aggressive treatment is necessary. I recommend a liver support formula taken daily that combines common detoxifying herbs like milk thistle and dandelion. You want to make sure that it also contains alpha lipoic acid and N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC for short). These are both supportive of the liver but also lower blood sugar. I use Renew Life Critical Liver Support and swear by it. It is not cheap but it has everything in one formula versus having to by the components separately.

2) D-Chiro Inositol or Myo-Inositol: These are of paramount importance. D-Chiro Inositol (DCI for short) helps the body respond to insulin more effectively. It has been shown that women with PCOS are low in DCI. Taking it as a supplement at a dose of about 1200mg per day has shown to reverse insulin resistance and greatly decrease symptoms of PCOS (excessive hair growth, acne, skin tags, lack of ovulation etc). The issue is D-Chiro Inositol is VERY expensive. The good news is that taking Myo-inositol is an alternative. The body can convert Myo inositol into DCI. You have to take 2000-3000mg per day of Myo-inositol so I recommend buying a powder form. AOR and Metagenics both make this and it works out to be much more economical than DCI.

3) Chromium: This mineral helps to stabilize blood sugar and thankfully is very cheap. Chromium GTF 250 mg can be taken with each meal.

4) Birth Control Pills: I put this in here with hesitation because I had a hell of a time when I went off them. They will help to normalize your cycle but there are other more natural ways to do that as mentioned above. However if you are being completely ruled by your periods (as I was) you have to do what you have to do. I was having extremely heavy periods that would last a month or longer. It was debilitating. I was put on the pill when I was 13 and stayed on it for almost 18 years. Too long for sure.

5) Spirolactone: This is another option that I mention with hesitation and I would try D-Chiro Inositol first but Spirolactone is very effective at lowering testosterone and eliminating hair growth. This is a very embarrassing problem for women and can be overwhelming to handle. I am blessed that my issues in this regard are minor and can easily be taken care of with a strip of wax and a trip to the spa.. Many women end up shaving their faces making things much, much worse. Spirolactone, traditionally used for blood pressure, will eliminate these issues in extreme cases. You definitely cannot use this drug if there is a chance you could become pregnant because it can cause the baby to develop as a hermaphrodite.

6) Fish Oils: Everyone should be taking omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils but especially anyone with blood sugar issues. They have been proven to decrease insulin resistance. They also reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke which are all common in women with PCOS.

7) Metformin: This drug, traditionally used for treating type 2 diabetes, is now the go-to drug for treating PCOS. I am going to get into this more when I discuss pregnancy but this is a good option for people not responding to natural treatment (although it doesn't come without some side-effects). More on Metformin next time.

Hey Soul Cyster!

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was thirteen. Back in the day they just put you on birth control pills and told you to lose weight. Easier said than done! Now there are many more treatment options for women with PCOS and many that are natural and proven effective. The problem is with so many women going undiagnosed; these treatments are often overlooked (especially when it comes to infertility). Infertility is BIG BUSINESS. Many women going through the process and spending their life savings have PCOS. The issue lies in that you don’t necessarily have to have cysts in your ovaries to have PCOS. Not all Doctors believe this though. If the ultrasound is clear, PCOS is not the issue. This is not the case. I have had many ultrasounds in my life, sometimes I have had so many cysts in my ovaries that it looked like a pile of pearls and at other times the ultrasound was clear. It is better to look at the list of symptoms I posted yesterday and decipher from there. Like I said, I can pretty much pick PCOS women out of a line up. The signs are clear even when the ultrasound results are not.

In today’s post I am going to talk about dietary intervention for PCOS. As I said yesterday, it all comes down to high insulin levels. If you control the amount of insulin the body releases, you produce fewer male hormones. The way to control insulin is to limit the amount of sugar and carbohydrate you ingest. In general, we eat way too much carbohydrate (and not nearly enough protein and good fats). Fat is not the enemy, carbs are. The underlying issue is insulin resistance. It is complex and there are many factors that contribute but here is the “Coles notes” version:

Insulin resistance occurs when cell receptors do not respond to the action of insulin. When this occurs the cells don’t get the glucose from the blood, blood glucose levels remain high and a signal is sent to the pancreas to make more insulin. High circulating insulin and high blood sugar lead to high levels of androgen (male hormones) and fat storage.

How do we fix insulin resistance? It all comes down to what you eat. To treat PCOS and reverse insulin resistance follow these dietary rules. They work, I am proof.

1)      Limit your carbohydrate intake to under 100 grams per day. Some people may need to reduce it to less depending on how insulin resistant you are. I find I feel my best and my symptoms are lessened if I keep my carb count to under 50 grams. Most people get over 200 grams of carbohydrate daily in North America….way too much!

2)      Eat a whole food diet and avoid artificial sweeteners. Try to avoid processed foods as much as possible. Look at food as your medicine and your healer.

3)      Fat is not bad but you want to make sure you are balancing your fats. I am not a fan of vegetable oils in general (corn, canola, vegetable), they are too high in omega-6 fats which can cause inflammation. We get far too much of them in our diet. What you want to be eating is good quality saturated fats like coconut oil and butter. Now there is some limited research that showed that a high fat diet caused an increase in insulin resistance in rats. I don’t put a lot of faith in it though because they didn’t control the calories or the source of fat. Make sure you also get omega-3 fats from fish, nuts and seeds. They have been proven to increase the cells sensitivity to insulin.

4)      Eat fibre and lots of it! Try to get 30-40 grams daily (the average Canadian gets around 10 grams per day). Fibre is proven to reduce insulin resistance. There are lots of benefits to fibre but that’s a post for another day!

Make these 4 dietary changes and you will notice a marked difference in symptoms such as hair growth, acne and abdominal weight. In time, your menstrual cycle should start to regulate as well. Control the insulin and you will control the PCOS.

I will talk about natural and conventional methods of treatment in my next post. It is amazing what help is out there that many people don’t know about.

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.

Update Week 9: YAY March!

Good morning everyone.

This is going to be a short post because it is a busy, busy day but I had my weigh in this morning and I was down 3 more pounds. That is a total of 23 so far! After a rough February, I feel much more focused and excited as we begin March.

This weekend I tried on some old smaller clothes to see if any of my dress pants fit and even though it was frustrating (most didn't fit yet), I could see I was making progress. I decided to go shopping for a few new shirts and ended up going outside of my comfort zone. I bought brightly coloured tank tops (to wear under a really cute cardigan) that were fitted to  my body. I even bought a little "leather" jacket in a 2X! I can't remember the last time I bought anything in a 2X because of my more than ample bosom. Speaking of which, after examining my last progress photos and marvelling at my old lady boobs, I decided to break out some of my more supportive bras. Taking some getting used to but at least the girls are no longer a tripping hazard!!

March 1st, Jon and I started on a Candida cleanse and we are doing well so far. You have to give up a lot food wise but it is worth it. I will be posting a 3 part series on Candida this week as I am sure many of you have it. I feel great, Jon feels a little rough but he is determined. I THOUGHT I was being nicer to Jon but went into a fit  last night because he went shopping and didn't use his Sobeys card. You would have thought the world had ended. I realized shortly there after that I was CRAZY and apologized of course. Work in progress, work in progress........

In Like a Lion.......

Out like a lamb….Mmmmmmm Lamb.

I couldn’t be happier that March has arrived. It feels like a fresh start after a less than stellar February. Last month was a tough one and I think it was for a lot of people. I felt completely off my game. Even though I lost some weight, I didn’t end the month feeling in a better place than when I began. In the spirit of starting fresh it is full disclosure time:

1)      I haven’t been writing my goals every day or reviewing my mission statement. I am not sure why because obviously that is effecting me and my drive. I am not in the right headspace but I am going to begin again tonight. It is important to keep my eye on the prize!

2)      I have been allowing myself a little too much lee-way with my gluten-free lifestyle. Just because there is no gluten in ice cream doesn’t mean it has a free pass.

3)      The last few days I have fallen off the wagon big time and eaten a pile of crap. Yesterday I didn’t even track my points because I knew I was WAY over.  Sticking my head in the sand got me in this mess so going forward I am tracking regardless of what the damage will be!

4)      Jon and I have really not been getting along. I have been looking for any excuse to explain my bitchiness (as my posts indicate). Everything from adrenal fatigue to full moons but the truth is there is no excuse. I take him for granted and he is getting the brunt of the anger I have with myself for letting things go this month. When I feel out of control, I have to control something or SOMEONE. When I am angry at myself, it is much easier to direct that anger outward. Sadly he has been my punching bag (not literally!) and I am sorry for that.

ONWARD AND UPWARD! March has always felt like a month of renewal to me and that is exactly what I am going to do. I am going to renew my resolve to get this weight off once and for all. I am going to renew my commitment to my marriage and put in the work to make things better. I am going to renew my goals and my excitement about what lies ahead. It is a new month and a new beginning on this (sometimes bumpy) journey towards a NEW ME!