The Hemp Connection:
insomnia

Long ago, I had a client who needed me to help her stay on course in the grocery store. Most of the time she did well, but one day, as we were wrapping up the trip, she accidentally zeroed out her calculator (which was her indicator she was staying within budget), just as she had three items left to put in her cart. The next series of behaviors humbled me as her dietitian, because I saw just how useless it is for anyone helping someone with an eating disorder to assume that there is any kind of logical/rational thinking when a person encounters a stress.

My client broke out into a profuse sweat. She removed all of the planned menu items from her shopping list and proceeded to the frozen food section, where she loaded up on ice cream, pizza, chicken wings, you name it. She was in such a zone that I couldn't get her attention.

I learned from this, that waiting until you're stressed out, to implement stress management behaviors, doesn't work. By that time, too many hormones and too much momentum are headed in the wrong direction for there to be much of a chance to think your way out of the problem. The same thing happens with anxiety and sleep medications. If you're taking them on an"as needed" basis, by the time you realize you need them, you've got far more momentum to overcome than you would if you implemented proactive stress management behaviors.

One of my favorite proactive remedies is lavender. It's an herb whose essential oil has repeatedly been observed to have powerful anti-anxiety, antidepressive, sleep-enhancing qualities. I was reminded of lavender this morning when I ran across a new study suggesting that lavender essential oil has the potential to be as potent as lorazepam (Ativan) for anxiety management, without thhe addictive potential. The beauty of this essential oil is that you can apply it throughout the day on your wrists, helping to keep anxiety at bay before it becomes overwhelming. Lavender sprays and pot pourris can be helpful as well. Of course, they will be more useful when used regularly and proactively than if you wait until you're completely freaked out (when you may not remember to use it, anyway).

Lavender is also an herb that can be used in cooking! Here's a link with some interesting recipes, including lavender scrambled eggs and lavender oatmeal.

I think Mother Nature is the most incredible pharmacist. I hope this is an option with potential for at least some of you with anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders that intensify your PCOS.

Kritsidima M, Newton T, Asimakopoulou K. The effects of lavender scent on dental patient anxiety levels: a cluster randomised-controlled trial. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2010 Feb;38(1):83-7. Epub 2009 Nov 23.

Woelk H, Schläfke S. A multi-center, double-blind, randomised study of the Lavender oil preparation Silexan in comparison to Lorazepam for generalized anxiety disorder. Phytomedicine. 2010 Feb;17(2):94-9. Epub 2009 Dec 3.

Setzer WN. Essential oils and anxiolytic aromatherapy. Nat Prod Commun. 2009 Sep;4(9):1305-16.

…and I'm guessing it is, since our own research has shown that most women with PCOS simply do not get enough sleep…

…consider joining us in Los Angeles this July to learn more about how to change that.

Poor sleep can worsen insulin resistance, trigger carbohydrate cravings, promote weight gain, and, well…just make you crabby.

I've been working on a project with colleague Nancy Carballo, that is designed to give you some ideas for how to improve your sleep, hopefully eliminating the need for that godawful and totally unromantic CPAP machine that's all the rage in some circles. We decided to make it fun and interactive, because, well, when you're sleep-deprived, why the heck would you come out on a beautiful Saturday to fall asleep during a bunch of dry medical lectures?

We have a Facebook group if you'd like to learn more and be updated on our event details; you can find us at"Insomniacfest".

Please consider joining us! After all, there's no point losing sleep over your PCOS, your weight, your infertility…or your insomnia.

If you follow the blog, you have seen me mention a product called Nightly Beauty by Beauty Foods. It wasn't made for PCOS, and it has not been clinically tested on PCOS. However, if poor sleep is plaguing you, it is formulated in a way that makes it worthy of your consideration. I recently filmed a testimonial for the product for friend, CEO, and inCYST supporter Jacque Gibson (Jacque was a sponsor for our first walk-a-thon). Because the name implies that it is primarily a beauty aid, I wanted to explain some of the biochemistry behind its other potential.
If you're interested, Beauty Foods is available in our eMarket.

Jacque is in New York today, getting ready to introduce her product at Shecky's Beauty Night Out. If you're going to that event, please stop by, say hello, and taste it for yourself!

Did you know that some of your most important metabolic processes occur when you are sleeping? And that disrupted sleep patterns can affect everything from your weight to your hormone balance (including insulin function and fertility to how quickly you age?

Nancy Carballo, co-founder of Insomniacfest, a resource center for sleep-related issues, will share her thoughts on sleep, and how to get more if you're not getting enough. Nancy Carballo is a non-traditional, postbaccalaureate premedical student. She earned a Bachelors of Arts in English/Creative Writing at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a published author in different genres, including exhibit texts, journalism, poetry, and research. In addition, she served as Managing Editor for Impact, a health newsletter geared towards premedical students. She is currently a medical student in Los Angeles.

Nancy enjoys learning and teaching about brain processes that guide human sleep patterns and is co-founder of Insomniacfest. Her article “Sleep Hygiene: Can Everyone Afford To Give It Thought?” can be viewed at http://www.sleepvirtualnews.com/.

Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 2:00pm
www.blogtalkradio.com/incystforhormones

(Note from Monika: Dr. Gretchen will be offering counseling from our Santa Monica office. She has a few spaces left in her"pay what you can" introductory offer for Friday, September 16. If you're interested, email monika at afterthediet dot com for more information)

One of the purposes of the “Mental Health Monday” feature of this blog is to acquaint you with some of the psychological aspects of PCOS, and how mental health issues are impacted by the condition. There are also coping skills, insights and ideas about ways to help yourself, and education about how to create change.

You may have some vague symptoms that seem like something a therapist would know about, but you’re not really sure when or if it’s appropriate to have a consultation or session with me or some other health psychologist or therapist. My specialty, health psychology, focuses on medical conditions and how they impact our mental well-being.

PCOS causes or contributes to a variety of mood disorders, and can either mask or mimic some other physical conditions. It can be challenging to sort out which symptoms came first, and what your treatment priorities are. Here are some of the symptoms you may be experiencing that indicate a need for psychological evaluation and treatment, and that may be connected to your PCOS:

• Difficulty sleeping, or sleeping far too much
• Physical aches and pains
• Unexpected weight gain or weight loss
• Uncontrollable food cravings, especially for carbs
• Panic attacks, or anxiety attacks
• Feeling jittery all the time
• Mood swings
• Thoughts of suicide
• Constant irritability
• Trouble relating to other people
• Isolating yourself
• Pain issues that don’t seem to be connected to injury
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Difficulty coping with your diagnosis
• Having a new diagnosis
• Infertility issues
• A recent loss
• History of trauma, domestic violence, or other acute stressors
• Developing complications, such as diabetes

Additionally, you may want to receive education about PCOS and related mental health issues, identify a medical and psychological treatment team or plan, and work on developing coping skills and strategies for managing your PCOS. These are all things that health psychologists do, and that could be part of your reasons for consulting a health psychologist.

It can be scary to contemplate calling a psychologist, but at the same time, simply taking the first steps to get help may also result in improvement. Knowing that you’re doing something good for yourself, and that there ARE experts who can help, will often jump-start the healing process. You may be inspired to improve your self-care practices. You may also start practicing the self-care skills that you have, but haven’t been using often enough.

In a future “Mental Health Monday” post, I’ll address what actually happens in a therapy session, so you can learn more about what to expect, if you haven’t already experienced therapy.

Gretchen Kubacky, Psy.D. is a Health Psychologist in private practice in West Los Angeles, California. She specializes in counseling women and couples who are coping with infertility, PCOS, and related endocrine disorders and chronic illnesses.

If you would like to learn more about Dr. HOUSE or her practice, or obtain referrals in the Los Angeles area, please visit her website at www.drhousemd.com, or e-mail her at Gretchen@drhousemd.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @askdrhousemd.

Most of you have some type of sleep disorder…and that can mess with your insulin and melatonin levels. You've already been told, here, and many, many times, elsewhere, that you need to get more omega-3's in your diet.

Did you know, chia seeds are one of the highest omega-3 foods around? One ounce of chia seeds has about 5000 mg of ALA, the vegetarian omega-3. That is more than twice what you need in a day!

Interestingly, chia seeds are high in tryptophan and often have a side effect of drowsiness, so if you're one of that majority of women with PCOS who have trouble with sleep, here's a potential idea for a non-pharmaceutical answer.

Dr. Oz (he's not my usual reference but this seemed practical) recommends taking chia seeds about 3 hours before bedtime. You can simply stir them into a glass of water and drink them, or you can sprinkle them onto yogurt, or into smoothies.

One of my friends of Mexican descent recently shared a recipe from the blog No Meat Athlete for something called pinole, a chia/cornmeal cake that has been made for centuries by the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico. They're the ones famous for running. I tried the recipe out last week. Instead of adding sugar, I juiced a nectarine and stirred it in. It was interesting, and I intend to experiment more with the recipe to make it more user-friendy. In its current form it's probably more something a total nutrition junkie would eat, not something irresistible to the average American palate. Here's the link if you want to try it out for yourself. If you make revisions that you like please share them!

Insomniacfest is based on what we've learned in working with PCOS. So many women with this disorder sleep poorly, and it can be the basis for poor eating habits and lack of energy for sleeping.

Come by yourself, or come with your spouse! (When men don't sleep well it can affect their fertility, too).

We've planned yoga on the beach, a didgeridoo class, sleep friendly foods…and a special dinner in the dark served by the popular Opaque Restaurant. Oh! And some informational lectures as well.

For more information please visit www.afterthediet.com/insomniacfestschedule.html

Working with PCOS has taught me how prevalent the problem of poor sleep is. People who don't sleep well tend to gravitate toward caffeine and sugar all day long, and the vicious cycle can lead to insulin resistance and weight gain.

I've become increasingly concerned about the percentage of inCYST clients on Ambien and Lunesta, not to mention CPAP machines. I just have never been able to believe that this has to be the fate of the non-sleeper.

But…I also knew that even if insomniacs were motivated to spend all of a weekend day in a workshop designed to help them, they'd likely drift off right in the middle of it! So I've been working with colleague Nancy Carballo to develop an experiential alternative giving participants a chance to learn and experience a few different opportunities to look at insomnia a little more naturalistically.

I'm excited! We've planned yoga on the beach, a didgeridoo lesson (since this instrument helps to strengthen the muscles commonly weakened in sleep apnea), a couple of laid back lectures, and sleep-friendly eating (including dinner with popular LA dark dining restaurant, Opaque). Our spa partner in this endeavor, Creative Chakra, is also offering additional massages and light therapy sessions.

We have a Facebook page for the event…you can join us there to let us know you'd like to be notified when we open registration, or you can write me directly at marika@google.com

Anyone with insomnia, whether or not they have PCOS, is welcome to participate.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz you there!

If you're on this blog, chances are you don't sleep well. The majority of women with PCOS that we've surveyed have some sort of sleep disorder. Chances are, your spouse isn't sleeping that well either. (I've actually had a couple of clients who became pregnant after the husbands started paying more attention to their bedtime hour!)

Poor sleep can lead to increased insulin levels, weight gain…all the things you're likely trying to resolve if you have PCOS and would like to either lose weight, conceive, or both.

We've developed a special event for people who don't sleep well. And, knowing that the last thing you really want to do on a beautiful Southern California Saturday…is sit inside and listen to a bunch of dry medical lectures…we've created an agenda that would be fun even if you DIDN'T come to learn about better sleep.

The first Insomniacfest will be held on Saturday, July 24, 2010, in Marina del Rey, California. We've got a few things happening on the beach: a yoga class and a didgeridoo session. We've got fun, sleep-friendly food and drink (including our own signature alcohol-free drink, The Knockout, pictured above.) Opaque Restaurant is also providing a dark dining experience you won't soon forget.

Sandie West, our friend at Creative Chakra Spa, is hosting the event, and we've made room for you to add on massages and special light therapy to your day.

Consider spending the day with us! Our Facebook group is the best place to keep up with event and registration details.