The Hemp Connection:
c-reactive protein

One of the most difficult parts of working with PCOS is how hard it is to help cysters understand the widespread effects of their diagnosis. The tendency is to focus on the symptom causing the most distress in the moment, and to look for relief from that distress, even if it isn't helping the core issue.

So, for example, women who are focused on infertility, tend to be caught up in ways to have a child, and to not think about what it's going to take to keep that pregnancy, how to nurse the child, and how to stay healthy until that child grows up to produce grandchildren.

One very nice woman I worked with who had PCOS was only willing to work with me for one appointment. It seemed, as we worked through my assessment questions, that she was realizing that what was going to result from our time together, was that she would need to address her binge eating behavior in order to reduce her carbohydrate intake and manage her blood glucose. She politely told me that she had decided that she would be better off pursuing in vitro fertilization (IVF), and if she developed gestational diabetes, she would call me to schedule another appointment.

I felt very sad about this, because this woman was not young, and fertility was not something to take for granted. And it seemed to me that the bigger picture here was that if the binge eating was not addressed, she may never get to the point where she was pregnant and in need of my help! But I couldn't tell her that. My job is to accept my clients where they are at and maybe plant a seed or two that encourages seeing things in new and different ways.

Which brings me to my topic for today.

Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) is a blood marker of inflammation, a degenerative process that has been identified in women with PCOS.

In a study of 63 women receiving IVF, it was found that CRP increased in conjunction with this treatment. Even if the women were taking metformin.

There is such a mentality in our country that we are entitled to have access to medical treatments for whatever ails us, and that we should expect that these treatments are risk free. That simply isn't the case. IVF produces many beautiful babies, but that doesn't mean it isn't without its issues.

What isn't even considered here…is the effect of an active inflammatory process on the developing fetus who has no choice but to live in that environment for nine months?

Is it just me…or doesn't it seem that if you want a baby that badly, that this baby deserves the absolute best possible environment in which to live and thrive from day one in utero? Which means taking a serious inventory of all of the nutritional and lifestyle choices we make that interfere with that on behalf of the new life that we want to create? And making some sacrifices in that department?

Just a little something to think about.

Kjøtrød SB, Romundstad P, von Düring V, Sunde A, Carlsen SM. C-reactive protein levels are unaffected by metformin during pretreatment and an IVF cycle in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertil Steril. 2008 Mar;89(3):635-41. Epub 2007 Jun 4.

Thank you to Christine Marquette and Michael Keele for such an informative program this morning!

If you're interested in hearing our discussions about vegetarian eating, home design for better health, and farmer's markets, please visit our show archives. It is the second show on the list. (I'm still learning how to work the software and didn't properly title it.)

It's barbecue season. I don't need to look at the calendar or feel the temperature to know that. I simply have to look outside and see my neighbor Brett making dinner. The other night I stopped to chat and see what he was cooking. He had some corn on the cob, the way I like it, wrapped in foil and set on the back of the coals.

Brett asked me what I knew about corn, because he had been told that it was a food with no nutritional value. I was surprised when I Googled for more information to learn that this is a commonly held belief.

Corn actually has many nutrients in reasonable quantities, including fiber, protein, thiamin, folate (yup, folate), vitamin C, and magnesium. All of these are important for your health!

Corn may get its bad reputation from its oil, which, as you've seen in previous writings here, is pro-inflammatory. However, an entire cob of corn only has 1.2 grams. The problem with corn fat is when it's extracted, concentrated, and used to cook/add fat to other foods (e.g., Fritos). A fresh cob of corn is a great type of carbohydrate to add to a summer barbecue. To change the fat makeup, try one of my grilling favorites: brush with olive oil instead of butter and sprinkle with a bit of rosemary and Parmesan cheese.

One word of advice when shopping for corn: if avoiding genetically modified foods is important to you, be sure you by your corn from a purveyor who can document that their product has not been so altered. That's what you'll find at stores like Whole Foods and farmer's markets. The more we ask for what's best, the less demand we create for these types of products and the more we encourage genetically modified foods to not be sold.