Hello everyone!
The last two clients I evaluated are struggling with acne. And recently, we were linked to an acne care website that is bringing in a whole new audience. So I thought it might be a good time to talk a little bit more about this topic.
First of all, thanks to Fran Kerr for linking to Susan Dopart's testimonial about flax and fish oil! It was a great way for our two organizations to become connected. I am going to put Fran's blog (http://www.highonhealth.org/) in our resource list because she has so much great information to offer. Not just on skin, but on living healthy in general.
Secondly, for those of you who are coming to us from Fran's blog/website, I'd like to ask you if you have ever heard about polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). It's the focus of this website, and many women find out they have it when they seek help for their acne. And…many women don't get that assessment. I actually had a dermatologist tell me she'd rather just give her patients birth control pills and end the appointment rather than get into it because it's such a complicated diagnosis.
A very common scenario is just that. A young girl goes to the dermatologist for her acne, gets birth control pills, takes them for 10 years or so, goes off them, tries to get pregnant…and can't. What happened was that the birth control pills treated the symptom…but essentially shoved the problem under the rug…where it continued to fester and create havoc elsewhere in the body.
So I want to take a moment to list the symptoms of PCOS for those of you who might have had this experience but either didn't have a doctor who wanted to deal with it, or who had a doctor who thought if you just"got your act together" you wouldn't have the problem.
Symptoms of PCOS include:
A family history of infertility, irregular periods, or diabetes
Being of an ethnic heritage that tends to have a high rate of diabetes
A history of early puberty (first period at 11 years or younger)
A history of taking medication for depression, bipolar disorder, seizure disorder, epilepsy, or migraine?
A history of gestational diabetes in any of your pregnancies.
An android ("apple shaped") body type (measure your waist to hip ratio; greater than.8)
Irregular periods (or none at all)
Dark velvety patches of skin on you neck, groin, or in your armpits
Hair loss or male balding spots
Difficulty losing weight
Intense cravings for carbohydrates or sweets
Problems conceiving
Decreased sex drive
Excess hair growth on your face, like a mustache or beard
Excess hair on your chest or back
Acne on your face, chest or back
If you see yourself painted in this symptom set, please print this out with your symptoms marked and show them to your physician. Ten percent of all women who have this syndrome will be diabetic by age 40, and with diabetes comes a whole other list of problems.
And keep checking back here. There are lots of ways to manage PCOS that do not involve medication, and we'd love to help you learn about them. In fact, the list of practitioners at the right is a list of registered dietitians who have taken the time to complete a 20 hour course in the management of PCOS. They are just waiting to hear from you.
For more information, please visit my web page on the topic: http://www.afterthediet.com/polycystic.htm
Have a wonderful week, it's a short one with the upcoming holiday!