I had a wonderful time in Michigan getting to know some new inCYSTERs in our training. I wanted to highlight them in this post, plus mention some new names you will be seeing more often here on the blog.
JACKIE SMIERTKA is a nurse who specializes in bariatric medicine. She has worked in that field for many, many years, and she recognized that PCOS was coming through her door. She was my initial Detroit contact, and she hosted my training. She is passionate, not to mention compassionate. She owns the Quality of Life Center, a one-stop center for people who have needs associated with their bariatric surgery. That center now has the ability to help women with PCOS who are either contemplating such a surgery or who have had one and would like to work with someone who understands PCOS.
SALLY MYERS is the dietitian who introduced me to Jackie! She is currently in Herndon, Virginia, she is well known as a bariatric nutrition specialist, and I am really excited to have her in the network as a resource on nutrition for bariatric surgery when PCOS is an associated condition. Sally is also a competetive racewalker! I enjoyed learning more about that sport during our lunch breaks.
TERRIE HOLIEWINSKI is a dietitian at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, who specializes in working with cardiovascular issues and PCOS. She is passionate about this work, and loves working with PCOS!
IVONNE BERKOWITZ officially finished her inCYST training this past Sunday. She is a certified wellness coach and she loves to write. I hope you enjoyed her post on labels, her style is very"tell it exactly like it is without pulling punches," and she's got some great ideas that can help you with the practical application of what you see on the blog. I am adding links and contact information as I have them…please seek these professionals out if they are in your area! The amount of work they have put into learning about PCOS and their passion for wanting to help is a fabulous combination just waiting for you to take advantage of!
If you'd like some help keeping those resolutions, and making 2010 a year of positive change, check out some of the counseling opportunities available from some of our inCYSTers!
Ann Arbor, Michigan Terrie Holewinski (University of Michigan Medical Center) will be offering a"Gaining Control of PCOS" workshop on January 18th and 25th, as well as February 15th and 22nd, March 23rd and 30th, April 19th and 26th. The cost is $138 dollars for two 1 1/2 hour group sessions and a 1/2 hour individual dietitian consultation.
For more information women call 734-998-5679 Austin, Texas Christine Marquette has two offers: (1) Through the end of January she is offering a 10% discount for all"new" clients on any of her services (packages and individual appointments), (2) she is offering Inherent Technology's DNA kit for weight management for $110 while supplies last. You can read more about the kit at http://www.inherenthealth.com/our-tests/weight-management.aspx
West Los Angeles, California Gretchen Kubacky, Psy D (psychology) is offering a free in-person half hour consultation with prospective clients to determine if we're a good fit.
Phoenix, Arizona Monika Woolsey (me) is offering a 10% discount on any consultation scheduled before the end of the month.
Given the fact that so many people initially find this site when looking for dietary measures to increase their progesterone, I am always on the lookout for information on the topic.
This particular piece caught my eye because yesterday I included a reference in a presentation on eating disorders and PCOS, reporting that social phobias are more common in women with PCOS than they are in other women. It can be tempting to isolate if you feel your appearance is not acceptable. Paying more attention to your menstrual cycle and your lab tests than your spouse can so easily become what your PCOS is all about.
DON'T LET THIS DISEASE STEAL AWAY WHAT COULD BE ONE OF YOUR MOST IMPORTANT PIECES OF AMMUNITION!
Make time for friends, family, spouses…and on bad days, if all it can be is your dog…so be it.
Isolation is not the answer and it may be part of the problem.
Feeling Close To A Friend Increases Progesterone, Boosts Well-being And Reduces Anxiety And Stress
ScienceDaily (June 3, 2009) — Why does dishing with a girlfriend do wonders for a woman's mood?
A University of Michigan study has identified a likely reason: feeling emotionally close to a friend increases levels of the hormone progesterone, helping to boost well-being and reduce anxiety and stress.
"This study establishes progesterone as a likely part of the neuroendocrine basis of social bonding in humans," said U-M researcher Stephanie Brown, lead author of an article reporting the study findings, published in the current (June 2009) issue of the peer-reviewed journal Hormones and Behavior.
A sex hormone that fluctuates with the menstrual cycle, progesterone is also present in low levels in post-menopausal women and in men. Earlier research has shown that higher levels of progesterone increase the desire to bond with others, but the current study is the first to show that bonding with others increases levels of progesterone. The study also links these increases to a greater willingness to help other people, even at our own expense.
"It's important to find the links between biological mechanisms and human social behavior," said Brown, is a faculty associate at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR) and an assistant professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School. She is also affiliated with the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Hospital."These links may help us understand why people in close relationships are happier, healthier, and live longer than those who are socially isolated."
Progesterone is much easier to measure than oxytocin, a hormone linked to trust, pair-bonding and maternal responsiveness in humans and other mammals. Oxytocin can only be measured through an invasive spinal tap or through expensive and complex brain imaging methods, such as positron emission tomography scans. Progesterone can be measured through simple saliva samples and may be related to oxytocin.
In the current study, Brown and colleagues examined the link between interpersonal closeness and salivary progesterone in 160 female college students.
At the start of the study, the researchers measured the levels of progesterone and of the stress hormone cortisol in the women's saliva, and obtained information about their menstrual cycles and whether they were using hormonal contraceptives or other hormonally active medications.
To control for daily variations in hormone levels, all the sessions were held between noon and 7 p.m.
The women were randomly assigned to partners and asked to perform either a task designed to elicit feelings of emotional closeness or a task that was emotionally neutral.
In the emotionally neutral task, the women proofread a botany manuscript together.
After completing the 20-minute tasks, the women played a computerized cooperative card game with their partners, and then had their progesterone and cortisol sampled again.
The progesterone levels of women who had engaged in the emotionally neutral tasks tended to decline, while the progesterone levels of women who engaged in the task designed to elicit closeness either remained the same or increased. The participants' cortisol levels did not change in a similar way.
Participants returned a week later, and played the computerized card game with their original partners again. Then researchers measured their progesterone and cortisol. Researchers also examined links between progesterone levels and how likely participants said they would be to risk their life for their partner.
"During the first phase of the study, we found no evidence of a relationship between progesterone and willingness to sacrifice," Brown said."But a week later, increased progesterone predicted an increased willingness to say you would risk your life to help your partner."
According to Brown, the findings are consistent with a new evolutionary theory of altruism which argues that the hormonal basis of social bonds enables people to suppress self-interest when necessary in order to promote the well-being of another person, as when taking care of children or helping ailing family members or friends.
The results also help explain why social contact has well-documented health benefits---a relationship first identified nearly 20 years ago by U-M sociologist James House.
"Many of the hormones involved in bonding and helping behavior lead to reductions in stress and anxiety in both humans and other animals. Now we see that higher levels of progesterone may be part of the underlying physiological basis for these effects," Brown said.
University of Michigan (2009, June 3). Feeling Close To A Friend Increases Progesterone, Boosts Well-being And Reduces Anxiety And Stress. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 5, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/06/090602171941.htm
It's that time of year, when the ladies over at Power Up for PCOS start talking walk-a-thon! They have really expanded since last year…just look at all the places there will be events! For more information on participation or sponsorship (event date is September 29, 2012)…visit the Power Up for PCOS website. Listed by State: State: Arizona City: Phoenix Address: To be determined Time: To be determined Contact Person & E-mail: Gina Weeks tothinebetheglory@yahoo.com ____________________________________________ State: Arizona City: Tucson Address: To be determined Time: To be determined Contact Person & E-mail: Mabel Crescioni mabel.crescioni@gmail.com or 810-545-7267 ____________________________________________ State: California City: Los Angeles Address: To be determined Time: To be determined Contact Person & E-mail: Dawn Marie Black tangotildawn@gmail.com or 810-545-7267 ____________________________________________ State: Michigan City: To be determined Address: To be determined Time: To be determined Contact Person & E-mail: Holly Amarandei holly@yummylifewellness.com or 810-545-7267 ____________________________________________ State: Minnesota City: St. Paul Address: To be determined Time: To be determined Contact Person & E-mail: Suzannah Toso suzannahtoso@yahoo.com or 810-545-7267 ____________________________________________ State: New Hampshire City: Nashua Address: To be determined Time: To be determined Contact Person & E-mail: Beth Wolf Beth@powerupforpcos.com or 810-545-7267 ____________________________________________ State: New York City: Amherst Address: To be determined Time: To be determined Contact Person & E-mail: Adrianne Adger & Andrea Adger powerupforpcos.nys@gmail.com or 810-545-7267 ____________________________________________ State: Pennsylvania City: Beaver Address: To be determined Time: To be determined Contact Person & E-mail: Marie Mariano mmariano@zoominternet.net or 810-545-7267 ____________________________________________ State: Virginia City: Hampton Address: To be determined Time: To be determined Contact Person & E-mail: Rebecca Miller crownpcos@gmail.com or 810-545-7267 ____________________________________________ State: Washington City: Turnwater Address: To be determined Time: To be determined Contact Person & E-mail: Crystal Warren crystal.warren@gmail.com or 810-545-7267
I've been working with Jackie Smiertka, a nurse specializing in bariatric medicine, to bring the inCYST programs to Detroit. I am very excited about this collaboration, since many women who either seek or who have had bariatric surgery also have PCOS. It's important for the professionals who work with them to understand how PCOS affects their treatment.
Friday and Saturday, September 18 and 19, I'll be conducting the PCOS professional training program. The Saturday session for professionals will also be the inCYST Saturday seminar. A big part of training professionals is getting them to step out of professional shoes and understand women with PCOS as humans. This interactive format will hopefully improve communication between the professionals who are training and the women who are going to need them for future health care.
Click here for information on the professional training.
Click here for information on the inCYST Saturday seminar programs.
