Being heard, and what's in the news about PCOS?

I was recently having a discussion that went uninterrupted where I got to explain PCOS and some of what it has caused. It was a refreshing conversation where I was listened to and not cut off.  This has not been the norm in my family and friend circle.  If it is a bit complicated or you explain that you need to eat a certain way, they shut you out and just say it's only calories that matter for weight loss.  Like weight loss is the only reason to eat healthy, you know who cares about your arteries or blood pressure, insulin spikes, or health in general.  If you can eat fried chicken, shakes, fires, and chips without gaining weight then you are fine. This is not my philosophy at all. So far PCOS is only brought up when I am eating and people are curious to know why I choose what I do, and stay away from other things, you know the healthy potatoes and corn and other starchy veggies. Our current house guest seems pretty uncomfortable with my cooking heart healthy meals all the time.  In fact he's been willing to spring for pizza twice now, and not on Friday nights which I would normally suspect a bit more a splurge on the type of food that we eat.  Oh, and the uninterrupted conversation was not with my house guest, just to make that clear.  I say all of this knowing that there are those of you out there who have very similar experiences, and I feel you should know that you are not alone.  

Remember when the world rested on the back of a turtle? Me either.

 It seems that every time people learn something new, the general population clings onto what has always been taught, for example the world was once considered flat, and Columbus has a very difficult time with people when he tried to tell them anything different. So now there are a few radical people out there suggesting that not all metabolisms are made equal, and that people may actually process food differently. I know, this may seem like heresy but think about it for a minute.  

We now know that people have different blood types, early on that was not common knowledge.  And now maybe we are starting to learn that not everyone processes food the same, and those with food allergies can offer up a hearty here here!  But even people without obvious food allergies, maybe even divided by blood types, we are not all the same.  I know that there is not tons of research done on all of this, and maybe there is more to it than blood type, or having type A or Type B metabolism as discussed by Diane Kress author of the Metabolism Miracle, but there does seem to be something out there that resonates with people that says, "you are all not the same, and not everything that works for one person will be good for another".   

I'm not an advocate like Hannah wept, Sarah Laughed, or a spokes person of any sort but I am decidedly for sharing information. I think that learning and growth are important for people as a whole.  If this is something that does not affect you, it is still something to learn about, it affects those around you and maybe someone close to you than you might know right now.

Today I thought I would just share some of the news articles out there regarding PCOS, yes there are more, these are just some of them.  If you have never heard of PCOS, maybe a small step would be to find out a bit about it, otherwise it's good to keep up with the new things being said and learned. Oh, and each of the PCOS links provided go to a different site, so you can see multiple descriptions and how it gets diagnosed.

PCOS and Insulin Resistance in the News

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PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) Health Day : New Genetic Links to Baldness Discovered MSNBC : Chin Hair, Infertility May Indicate PCOS The Guardian (UK) : Infertility crisis looms in the west as obesity levels soar National Institutes of Health : Gene Variation Predicts Response to Treatment in Common Infertility Disorder Health24.com PCOS more common than thought I-Newswire.com : Can Your Eating Habits Make You Infertile? The Santa Fe New Mexican : For the Health of It: Acne Could Signal Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Fredericksburg.com : Ovarian syndrome treatable Medical News Today : Specialist available to discuss the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and patient quality of life Medical News Today : Consensus on Childhood Obesity Recommends Classification as Disease Fertility Neighborhood : PCOS Linked to Higher Risk of Liver Disease Prevention.com : The Sweet Stalker Northwestern University : Women With PCOS, Siblings Have Same Gene Defect CNN : Polycystic Ovary Syndrome NurseWeek.com : Hide and Seek CNN : Polycystic ovary syndrome linked to higher risk of heart disease Discovery Health : Syndrome W CNN : Excess facial hair: What's normal, what's not CBS News : Conditions of Infertility The American Physiology Society : New Study Finds Further Evidence That "Diabetes Gene" May Be Linked to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Insulin Resistance Medical News Today : Strong link between fast food, obesity and insulin resistance Medical News Today : The role of insulin resistance in predicting cardiovascular disease CBS News : Hope for the Insulin Resistant CBS News : More Kids Getting Adult Diabetes Medical News Service : Researchers Identify New Cause of Insulin Resistance 5th Annual World Congress on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome The Nutrition Reporter : Insulin Resistance - The Hidden Disease You May Already Have PCOS Association : Insulin Resistance Women's Diagnostic : Insulin Resistance Syndrome FOXNews.com : Wide Waistline Raises Insulin Resistance Risk For more Check out this link: PCOS and Insulin Resistance in the News Books (I only have the first one): The PCOS Diet Plan: A Natural Approach to Health for Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome A Patient's Guide to PCOS: Understanding--and Reversing--Polycystic Ovary Syndrome The PCOS Workbook: Your Guide to Complete Physical and Emotional Health The Ultimate PCOS Handbook: Lose Weight, Boost Fertility, Clear Skin and Restore Self-Esteem What Nurses Know ... PCOS The Low GI Guide to Living Well with PCOS (New Glucose Revolutions) PCOS and Your Fertility

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Earlier I posted a video about Keiko Zoll, who won for her "who i am  video" the link I posted was the list of winners from the first to the last, but it did not have their entire videos but more of a collage of all of them, so here is her video.  It makes me cry, but I think it helps bring understanding. "Who I Am"
(http://vimeo.com/11214833)

Let me tell you a little bit about me, I believe in God, but as I'm learning not everyone who even believes in the same God feels the same way about Him.  My understanding is that He is both love and Justice, but He is not out here putting desires in people hearts to torture them. I could go and quote all sorts of Bible verses, but for those of you who do not believe the same way it is more important for you to understand that even people who sit in the same church and listen to the same words they interpret them all a little bit differently. Find the things that encourage you and surround yourself with it. Do not surround yourself with negativity, it only brings you down and sadness and depression are not helpful for your well being in general.

What ever gives you strength and courage and hope, hold onto it.  My beliefs would encourage you, so I will share the encouragement with you.

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

For other sources of encouragement, I also watch "Facing the Giants" facingthegiants.com This movie is mainly about a football team, but there is another story between he and his wife, trying to conceive.

"For then you will delight in the Almighty And lift up your face to God. Job 22:26

"You have given him his heart's desire, And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah."  Psalm 21:2
 "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul." Psalm 94:19 
"He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them". Psalm 145:19 
"Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." Isaiah 58:14 
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7: 7-8

Thoughts never far from my mind

"So... I just won the Wellsphere.com "This Is Me" video contest! My "What IF?" video, re-cut with some different titles and no music, was selected as the Grand Prize Winner!" Your Health Story -  video by Keiko Zoll

This video makes me cry, every time I see it.  She has a blog here as well, and I read her postings Hannah Wept Sarah Laughed.  I can understand why she won, it was very well done.  The zooming in and out would have driven my mother nuts, but it does add to the video, it's sort of the heart beat, the questions pounding in your brain.

My darling and I are not in a position to spend wildly on any medical assisted approaches, and so here I am.  I have been doing medifast to loose the weight, but along the way I became discouraged.  I'm working on picking myself up again, my coach only refers me to a book, and not one that I can honestly say deals with my situation.  I'm not even sure if I can stay on Medifast, that may have to go by the wayside too.  I have another plan though, one from another consult and her plan was to eat for pregnancy not for weightloss, but she still managed to work that in for me too.  It was difficult going to eat with a skinny dietitian, but she was kind and helpful.

I have dreams, I have goals, and I am taking steps to achieve each of these.  My art is a dream at this point, because it has not taken off to an amazing career yet, but it's better to start slow and build up rather than get thrown into the fire, it really would be to much pressure on me.  

Today is bright and sunny, and I'm here melancholy.  I would like to change this mood quickly.  So, I think I will share some of the changes that have been made in our house. 

1 - I've stopped using any form of plastic in the microwave.  This means my microcookers from pampered chef are no longer in use.

2- I've stopped using regular spaghetti or lasagne noodles, we use whole wheat. Even though right now if i use any noodles they are the Shiritake noodles that are even less in carbs.  I've gotten my dear hubby used to whole wheat, so that when I can eat them again we will both be eating a more fiber filled noodle.

3- We've swtiched out lights to the energy savings ones.  Not really a food change, but it does feel better to be more consious in all areas of our lives.

4 - I've been including spinach into more and more things we eat. Not just salads, but in our spaghetti sauce and other things I bake. I've even heard that you can blend them into your shakes, I have not tried it yet.

5 - I take flax oil and fish oil.  I use the Barleans versions because they just taste better. Barleans Omega Swirl

 

Trusty Fish oil

 

And the Flax oil

6- I've been trying to change dear hubby over from white rice to brown, but we are having issues with that change, I can manage a half and half rice mix.  So, right now I've given that up since I can't have rice right now. 

7- I'm taking Vitamin D, which I need to take with the fatty meal, so it will break down in my system.  I have been taking it at the same time I take these other oils, it makes sense to me.

There have been other changes, but I can't think of all of them right now. 

In the end though, she is right Sarah was blessed with a child.