The Hemp Connection:
yoga

Sasha Ottey of PCOS Challenge posted this video on Facebook yesterday. It shows what happens to a man who accepted the challenge of trying to live without all of his electronic connections for a week. He didn't make it…and his reaction was pretty extreme.

I love how these techno tools, if used properly, can help to make life easier. I wouldn't be able to do what I do for a living without the Internet.

However…

…I have observed over time, that people seem to be more electronically connected than they are in real time.

I live near an intersection in Phoenix where a lot of law offices are clustered. It's not uncommon, on a sunny day, to see groups of attorneys on the corner, waiting for the green light to cross, all looking at their Blackberries and iPhones instead of up at the people next to them. They usually seem to be completely oblivious to their surroundings.

I am disturbed at the number of people I see on the canal (even the mountain trail) where I run, and at the gym where I lift, talking on their cell phones while they exercise. They cannot put their toys down for even a half hour to enjoy their workout.

I am learning to love the power of Twitter, as it is helping me to reach women I would not otherwise know, who can benefit from the wisdom of our network members.

However…

…I am noticing a troubling trend, that people seem to be more interested in telling people what they are doing, instead of just doing it! If you're sitting in a meeting, and you're telling people you're sitting in a meeting, you're not really paying attention to the speaker who has taken time to prepare the presentation you're supposed to be listening to. You're either participating in the meeting or you're Twittering/Facebooking about it…you cannot effectively simultaneously do both.

What does that have to do with PCOS, your weight, your health?

One of the most important tools you have to fight and manage PCOS…is your brain.

Your brain is an incredible tool. More powerful than any Internet service provider, communication tool, website. It receives and transmits billions and billions of pieces of information every day: the temperature outside, your mood, your fatigue level, your blood sugar, your hunger level, etc. 24/7, whether or not you consciously think about it.

When things are out of balance, your brain is programmed to let you know. It will tell you if you need to pee, eat, address a conflict, seek companionship, whatever it needs in order to stay in balance.

There is one important caveat. You have to be available to listen to what your brain is saying in order to take the action you need to. If you're jamming your life with toys that fill up your brain's time with information you don't really need (like what your Twitter buddy in Outer Mongolia had for lunch or what the results of your"where you should live" Facebook quiz are)…you're not making time to listen to the REALLY important messages--Are you tired? Hungry? Angry? Anxious? Lonely?

Those messages don't go away just because you ignore them. They pile up in your inbox and keep sending you message alerts until you open them. Kind of like that annoying little red box that pops up on Facebook until you check to see what it wants you to know.

The Perfect Storm often comes during the evening hours, when things finally start to quiet down, and all the messages we've put on the back burner all day long start popping up. If we've ignored hunger…we can binge. If we've ignored anger…we might not sleep well, which we pay the price for the next day. If we're lonely, and were too busy with electronic friends to do something social in real time…we can eat or drink alcohol to self-medicate.

We often don't like the messages that our brain sends us, so it's easy to fill our lives with Tweets and quizzes and status reports to ignore them. But it's only when we listen to them that we have a shot at being healthy.

I like to recommend yoga to clients as a stress management activity. Early into making that recommendation, my clients would routinely come back and complain that they hated it. I couldn't understand it, until I started asking why. Often they would complain that it made them feel"tired" (which I learned later was actually relaxed but it had been so long since they'd felt that way they couldn't recognize it).

What happens when you're new to yoga is that it tends to slow your body down very quickly. But if you're not working on the"head" part of yoga, you can find yourself in the corpse position, with a racing head, throwing all of your unpleasant thoughts and feelings back atcha, and you can't run away from them because your body is too relaxed to do its dysfunctional thang.

Many people give up on yoga at this stage because they simply cannot tolerate the reality of how they feel when they listen to their brain's truthful feedback.

I quickly learned to tell my clients experimenting with yoga there was a"Five Session Rule". They were not allowed to tell me they hated it until they'd been to five sessions. They don't tell me that anymore. They get hooked on the feeling.

If what comes up when you listen is too much to bear, a trained counselor (such as Stacy Korfist in our network) can be invaluable in helping you sort through the discomfort and figuring out what to do about it.

For those clients who are not at a point where an hour of direct communication with their brain is tolerable, I challenge them to start with five minutes of"disconnect". It's not really disconnecting, it's setting aside the barriers to TRULY connecting. Just long enough to think about how you're feeling. Away from the phone, the office, the Blackberry, the iPhone…just to see what comes up.

Once they've accomplished that, five becomes ten. Some people get into the challenge so much they…imagine this…don't read their e-mail or check their iPhone messages for an entire weekend!

Just think about it. Are you living a"virtual life", connected to"virtual friends" and"virtual activities"…or are you living a real-time life, with an occasional jaunt into the virtual world for a bit of fun?

I'll appreciate your feedback here, on Twitter, and on Facebook later on. But I've planned my day so I can quit work early and go for a long walk on the canal to enjoy the spring flowers. I hope you have some real-time connectivity planned in your day, too!

I don't know if it's because so many women with PCOS are struggling with weight, or if it's the attitude that health practitioners often have toward people working on weight issues (negative and judgmental), or what, but I meet and hear from many women who overlook activity possibilities that don't involve pushing yourself, in a very punitive way, to the point where exercise is painful and lacking in pleasure.

The Biggest Loser certainly doesn't help that mentality. If I have to see one more person pushed to the point of vomiting by a verbally abusive trainer who justifies that attitude by saying"This is what they come here for," I think I'll vomit myself.

But I digress.

Exercise should be challenging, and sometimes you'll feel sore, but it shouldn't feel like punishment.

One of the exercises I love to recommend is yoga. There are many reasons why yoga is helpful to PCOS.
1. It increases flexibility. If you haven't exercised much in awhile, your flexibility has likely diminished, and you're more prone to injury. The last thing you need, when you're just starting to take care of yourself, is to knock yourself out of commission with that!
2. Yoga can help to alleviate depression. And in turn, when you're less depressed, you are less likely to crave sugar, or to binge.
3. Yoga is good for improving circulation to your internal organs, including the reproductive ones.
4. It helps to release that pain-causing lactic acid I wrote about yesterday.
5. It helps to increase range of motion and fluidity in joints.
6. It helps you to improve your posture and stand taller, which can help you to have a longer, leaner look.
7. It reduces stress hormone levels.
8. It improves focus and concentration.
9. It can reduce cholesterol.
10. It can reduce symptoms of asthma, back pain, and arthritis, other inflammatory conditions often found in women with PCOS.

I'll be writing about various aspects of yoga throughout the week. But for now, just consider that even though cardiovascular exercise and strength training are important, you don't have to kill yourself with those, and exercises that don't emphasize those have benefit, too!

Sunday Sarah Jones videotaped a Yoga for PCOS class for us to test out the camera, setting, and format. Our good friend Deborah helped us out. As we were relaxing afterward, Deborah took a few minutes to share her PCOS story.

I hope you find it inspiring and can feel a connection!

Deborah has been working at the PCOS thing for a few years now. She takes huge leaps forward, takes breaks, sometimes gets pulled into old choices…but her net movement is always forward. That's what change is about.

Our yoga series will be available to Institute members soon. if you would like to be notified notified when they are available…please leave a note here or email me at marika@google.com

Earlier this week I interviewed Rebecca Fritz of Phoenix' SuTRA Midtown Yoga Studio about the benefits of yoga for reproductive health.

Despite a growing body of research supporting the idea that yoga has powerful effects on fertility, depression, strength, and overall well-being, I still find many women I talk to, resistant to becoming involved.

One of the biggest barriers, especially for women with PCOS, if there is a weight issue, is the fear of not being able to assume the positions in the class. It's important to understand that there is no right or wrong way to do yoga. However you are able to do yoga, on any particular day, is perfectly fine. I have yet to attend a yoga class in which the instructor hasn't provided options for the varying levels of experience in the class. In fact, in a class I attended a few weeks ago, the instructor gave us permission to assume whatever position we wanted to if the one he was recommending simply didn't work. The most important thing about yoga--is that you try. There's no way you can achieve the benefit if you don't.

Secondly, many women I work with have a tendency to spend much of the day avoiding how they truly feel about what is happening in their lives. Since the process of yoga tends to slow the body down much more quickly than it slows down the head, if this is what you've been doing, it can feel v-e-e-e-r-r-y uncomfortable to essentially be pinned to the mat out of sheer relaxation, while your head is still going a million miles an hour, and for once, fully aware of uncomfortable thoughts and emotions you'd otherwise be avoiding.

But that's the point of yoga, to become aware, acknowledge, and nonjudgmentally, choose to accept. With practice, your head will also slow down. I've learned not to accept the belief that"yoga isn't for me" from someone who has only participated once. You really do have to attend, I'd say, at least five times, to start to achieve and understand its benefit.

Finally, there are so many types of yoga and so many instructors, it is important to find a class, a studio, a style, and an instructor that you feel comfortable with. If something in your environment isn't right, it will be hard to focus on yourself.

Rebecca shared that SuTRA Midtown offers a yoga tasting package, which allows you to try as many classes and instructors as you wish within a two week period. It's a great way to give yourself a chance to experience the benefits and find a schedule that works for you in every single way. If you're in Phoenix, perhaps this could be your way to start the New Year off in a self-nurturing fashion. Or, perhaps you can ask around your own local studios to find a similar offer.

You have to give yoga a chance to work before you write it off. Most importantly, you have to DO it. I'm willing to bet that once you start, you'll wonder why it took so long.

Sarah Jones and I taught Antioxidant University yesterday. What a blast! Did you know certain yoga poses have been shown to increase your body's antioxidant levels? That's what we practiced with Sarah.

I talked about antioxidants a bit.

Thought I'd share all the antioxidants I found in my own backyard, while walking over to the yoga studio.

With all this at my fingertips… who needs goji and acai?

Rosehips

Pomegranate 

Grapefruit 

Nuts 

Pears

Sunflowers 

Rosemary

Fig 

Kumquats

Eucalyptus 

Dates

I'm not really big on awareness months of any kind…because once the awareness is there, people seem to go back to their daily routines.

But Sarah Jones, who has been our inCYST intern for the past year, who is one of our newest network members, and who is our very first registered yoga teacher, has a great idea.

Celebrate National Yoga Month. Here is a link she provided with locations where you can do just that. Sarah is in Phoenix, Arizona, but the link has resources just about anywhere.

It really doesn't matter if you know you have PCOS, or you create awareness in others…nearly as much as it does what you do for your own PCOS.

So go celebrate both months together. In your nearest yoga class. If you'd like to celebrate in one of Sarah's classes, visit the Metta Yoga website for more information.

You’ve heard it a thousand times, from every doctor, dietician, and well-meaning person you’ve ever encountered – you’ve got to lose weight, get out there and get some exercise, and change what you’re doing with your body when you’ve got PCOS. It’s important advice, to be sure, yet tedious to hear – and sometimes when we’re in the midst of trying to change our lifestyle and behaviors, we forget why we’re doing it.

All we hear is this pointed and difficult direction to improve things, and we fail to spend time linking it intellectually and emotionally to positive outcome, which helps drive motivation. It’s particularly frustrating with PCOS, because change occurs painfully slowly, and when you don’t see change, you lose motivation. Others can go on a diet and lose five pounds immediately, whereas that’s rarely the case for someone with PCOS.

Sometimes the changes are only visible when you get your lab results every few months, and the doctor congratulates you on lowering your cholesterol 20 points (personally, I don’t find that terribly exciting, although I know that it’s good) – in which case you might get it intellectually, but still be saying “yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s great, but where’s the weight loss?!” What we want is weight loss, pregnancy, a reduction in hirsutism, or some other visible proof that what we’re doing is working.

When you really understand the importance of exercise for both your body and your brain though it’s a little easier to stick with a program of self-improvement. In a 2011 study entitled Lifestyle Changes in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, researchers examined numerous studies, papers, and research projects and validated the benefits of lifestyle change. Women with PCOS who made positive dietary, exercise, and lifestyle changes (i.e., stress reduction, increased movement, lower glycemic diets) experienced reductions in weight, testosterone levels, waist circumference, and other meaningful markers of the syndrome.

To support not only weight loss and improvement in body composition, but also, from my perspective as a psychologist, the stress reduction and mental re-wiring that goes on as a result of exercise are spectacular. I particularly like the following forms of exercise:

Walking – the cross-lateral motion of walking oxygenates and re-synchs your brain, and leads to a literal feeling of “clearing out” – plus walking is an excellent low-impact exercise that leads to improved glucose control. Does it get any better than that?!

Yoga – numerous studies continue to validate the importance of yoga for stress reduction and pain management. A study entitled Stress, Inflammation, and Yoga Practice indicated that yoga practice, regardless of skill level, resulted in marked reductions in both stress level and, even more exciting to those with PCOS, inflammation! Many fertility improvement programs involve yoga and other forms of stress reduction. And, while you’re improving your physical balance, you might just be improving your mental balance as well.

Swimming – swimming in a pool, lake, river, or ocean can be soothing and meditative. We are made primarily of water, and it is a return to water, and to the center of our selves. The silence and internal nature of the echoes and ripples brings us back into alignment with our natural rhythmic movement patterns.

Dancing – improves coordination, synthesizes mind/body, and is a form of creative expression. Much emotion is stored in the body, and can be expressed through the body. Plus, dancing is fun, at least when you “dance as if nobody’s looking!”

Weight training – feeling a strong body is empowering, and increases confidence. Sure, it’s hard work, but it has profound mental benefit when you conquer that final set, and your lifting is finished. There’s a sense of accomplishment and pride that boosts your self-esteem for hours. You’ll move better in your body too, and perhaps respect it a little more, for its ability to become so strong. (By the way, this is one really positive aspect of PCOS – that androgen imbalance will allow you to develop muscles more quickly!)

The mind and body are inseparable. If you work on improving the mental (motivation, drive, commitment), you will improve the physical. If you work on the physical, you’ll achieve the psychological rewards of calming, anxiety reduction, and depression reduction. Additionally, you’ll have fun and also be doing the right thing to keep your self-improvement program going. That leads to increased confidence, self-esteem, and overall improvement in your sense of well-being.

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.

References:

Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Christian L, Preston H, Houts CR, Malarkey WB, Emery CF, Glaser R. Stress, inflammation, and yoga practice. Published in final edited form as: Psychosom Med. 2010 February; 72(2): 113. Published online 2010 January 11. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181cb9377.

Moran LJ, Hutchison SK, Norman RJ, Teede HJ. Lifestyle changes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD007506. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007506.pub2.Australia, 3168.

Everyone’s telling you to “just relax and you’ll get pregnant,” or “take a vacation and it’ll happen.” Isn’t that a huge pressure, besides the basic fact that getting pregnant hasn’t proven to be so easy for you? Getting pregnant can be so frustrating when it involves medical procedures, carefully timed intercourse, self-tests and monitoring, medication, and the like. With PCOS, it’s even more complicated. The good news is, even when it seems like your body just won’t mind your wishes, there are relatively simple and inexpensive things you can do on your own to support yourself in your fertility journey.

If you’ve been dealing with infertility for a while, you’ve likely tried or at least considered some alternative medicine or holistic health practices that you hope will help you conceive. Here’s why you should consider some of the more common approaches to decreasing stress and improving overall health, which include:

Acupuncture is an ancient healing art, part of the system of Traditional Oriental Medicine. It has been used successfully for thousands of years to enhance fertility; you may even find that your physician is able to offer you a referral. Acupuncture is nearly painless – in spite of the needles – and works in conjunction with your traditional treatments. Many acupuncturists also offer nutritional support. Most larger communities have at least one acupuncture school, and their student clinics offer carefully supervised sessions for as little as $20/treatment.

Nutrition – Decreasing or eliminating caffeine, refined sugar, and refined flour will give your body a rest, reduce stress on your digestive system, enhance your immunity, and make your body an optimally healthy place for both you and a baby. If you’re saying “yeah, yeah, yeah, I know all that – and it’s too overwhelming” – start today with a small change, like switching out regular coffee for decaf, or trading in a soda for some iced herbal tea. Your nerves will thank you too.

Yoga is another traditional dating back thousands of years. Yoga is said to massage and stimulate or “tonify” the internal organs, thereby leading to increased health. The slower-paced forms of yoga, such as hatha yoga, or yin yoga, are relaxing practices. But in my opinion, the best thing about yoga is that it helps you love and accept your body, precisely where it is today – not where you hope it will be. If you’re daunted by those fancy yoga studios, head on over to your nearest YMCA or other gym for some great introductory classes. Many yoga studios offer community days, or donation classes, where you pay what you can afford for the class.

Meditation can be as simple as closing your eyes and focusing on the sound and rhythm of your own breath for just five minutes. If you can’t handle five minutes, try three minutes. It can also be a complex and evolving process, if you choose to expand your practice. Regulating your breathing, clearing your mind, and giving yourself time for introspection are all benefits of meditation. If you want more information, do a search for the terms “meditation” or “the relaxation response.”

Positive Thinking/Mindfulness/Visualization – although these are all distinct techniques, the overlap is that they are conscious ways of re-orienting yourself towards remaining in the present, focusing on what is, and using the power of your mind to create the future – or at least improve your experience of the future. As with meditation, the internet is full of information on these techniques, or you may wish to consult with a mental health clinician who utilizes such techniques in her practice.

Optimizing fertility is an activity in which you, the patient, play a very active role. You are already learning how to become proactive in managing your PCOS; this is just an extension of that. Of course your doctor will want to know what other things you’re doing to support your fertility, but you can start right now to take steps to improve your overall physical health and state of mind, thereby reducing the stress actively, instead of just hoping that it will happen “somehow.”

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