The Hemp Connection [Search results for creative] 

If you've ever heard me speak about PCOS, you know I make a big point about a very positive thing I've noticed about women who have the diagnosis…they're all very creative.

I don't have PCOS, but I am a creative type, and I often see much of myself in the women my work has brought into my life.

I have a small business, and the thought processes and anxieties I see cysters experience and share, feel very similar to what my personal endeavor brings into my own head.

**I don't have any guarantee that I have a paycheck. It can be very easy to focus on the outcome--sales and event registrations--to the point where it's challenging to take action in ways that can make that happen.

**When I need to focus on an important task, my brain has a way of wanting to embrace anything, anything at all…but the thing I need to do.

**I have a short attention span, I'm a better"ideas" person than I am a person who can follow through on those ideas.

I have to work hard, some days, extremely hard, at not letting those tendencies get in the way of my own success! Mindfulness exercises are one of the most important things I do to quiet my mind and channel all of my energy in the direction it needs to go.

One of the problems I see with a lot of mindfulness writing with regard to health, is that it tends to focus on mindfulness surrounding food. It ignores the fact that people who have trouble with food-based mindfulness, have trouble with mindfulness in all aspects of their lives. And so if you jump into working on mindfulness, and you try to attack the most difficult place to be mindful, in the presence of food…chances are you're not going to succeed with it. And then, you're at risk of jumping to the conclusion that you're a failure with food.

I thought I'd share one of my favorite personal mindfulness exercises. I do this when I catch myself doing any of the above. I challenge you to try it. It might help you to understand the struggles you're having with food and exercise choices, are about the way your brain processes ALL information, not just the PCOS stuff. If you can step outside of that very narrow food/exercise world and start to understand that this is just how you think, you may be less likely to negatively judge yourself, maybe even laugh at yourself, and start to attack the problem from some completely different angles.

What I do, is grab my camera and go for a walk. On that walk, I give myself a photography assignment. My favorite one, is to pick a letter of the alphabet and see how many examples of that letter I see in the world around me. Today I worked on the letter A.

Here are some of the things my brain did while I was trying to do this assignment. Does any of it sound familiar in your own thinking?: )

1. In the beginning of the exercise, my A's were very concrete and obvious. I was very rigid and structured with how I proceeded. They became a little more abstract as the walk went along.

2. I was looking for A's in everything! And I couldn't find them. Eventually I got bored with that, stopped paying attention to the exercise, and suddenly A's were coming at me from everywhere.

3. I saw a great M, and a really cool S, and my right (that is, obsessive) brain wanted me to take the photos and save them for future M and S days. My left brain took over and only allowed me to take photos of A's, I reminded myself that this exercise was about reducing destractibility, and there would be plenty of M's and S's on the days I did that exercise.

4. I became more relaxed as I focused my brain on something new and different, and allowed the other pervasive thoughts about my business to fade into the background. And in the process, as I came to the end of my walk, I had a bunch of great photos, some new business ideas that somehow just appeared, and better insight into barriers my thinking style creates for me. I was reminded, once again, that just because I'm not consciously obsessing about a problem, doesn't mean my brain isn't working on it. In fact, it tends to work more creatively when I don't try to force it to do its job.

If you're working on New Year's resolutions, consider your own thinking style. Consider how it works against you, and in what circumstances it works with the best of focus. It could be the creative in you, that's bringing out both. Work to enhance the one, and decrease the influence of the other. In doing so, successful change may be closer and more real than you perceive.

Enjoy the A's!

Hello everyone,

I've been in need of a logo for a long time. I realized today that the reason I haven't pursued this"to do"…is because I'm not quite sure what that logo needs to look like in order to appeal to our audience.

Then it occurred to me, cysters are always incredibly creative. So why not let the logo come from them?

I am accepting submissions for a logo until April 30. The winner will receive two counseling sessions with me.

I hope I've inspired some of you to share your creative talent!

Monika

So many of you are artistic, and appreciative of color…it occurred to me while working on another project the other day, that perhaps thinking about food in a different way would work better with your creative brains.

We had a challenge recently at Chow Locally, we got a beautiful head of peacock kale. Many people who received it had questions about what to do with it, and when I looked online for recipes to share, I didn't find many. And that meant my weekend was going to be devoted to coming up with ways to use it that were easy to make and not too avant garde.

I went with my backup for greens, pesto, and came up with this really pretty final product! The recipe can be found here.

Another one of our customers, Barefeet in the Kitchen's Mary Younkin, also a food blogger, came up with this beautiful purple smoothie made from the same kale. She went with more of a fruity theme, which you can read about on her blog.

In recent weeks, I've also enjoyed some other colorful creations!

Here are some egg salad wraps. I used a simple egg salad recipe and added chopped spinach for color. And I saved a few leaves of a gorgeous head of Merlot lettuce for the wraps. Simple recipe, made exotic simply by switching out the colors!

We had a bunch of bright lights chard, so I made risotto, another one of my favorite ways to use greens. The stems are a beautiful array of reds and yellows, so instead of throwing them out, as many risotto recipes will tell you to do, I minced them, sauteed them, and added them in for a confetti effect.

This head of romanesco surprised me by turning fluorescent green while it slow roasted! I really didn't do much to this, it decorated itself in the oven. But I loved the surprise that came out of the oven!

And here is a Daikon radish slaw! I was really doubtful about this one since radishes are not my favorite veggie, but it was so colorful it enticed me to taste it, and I ended up loving it!

We're no different from Mother Nature's other creatures. We are attracted to foods for a variety of reasons. One of the most important ones is color. Fortunately, the foods that add color are usually the ones loaded with nutrition.

When you are in the kitchen, take off that healthy cooking hat and put on your creative"PCOS brain" hat. Ask yourself where the color is! If it's not inherently there, don't be afraid to deviate from the recipe. Create your work of art, and trust that if it's naturally colorful, something in that food is going to benefit your health.

I'm sitting at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market this afternoon, waiting for a meeting with a client. I love their aguas frescas, and it's always fun to try one at the Market, because their flavor creations are creative…and they make your tastebuds dance!

If you've never heard of an agua fresca, it's a Mexican specialty, typically made with some type of fruit juice as a base. However, the juice is diluted with water and spiced up with a variety of flavors. Here's one of my favorite links if you're interested in trying some in your own kitchen.

Today, the Market made an agua fresca that tasted just like Bloody Mary Mix. Mario, their fresca master, is somewhat of an artist, and he didn't have the exact recipe to share, but I did get the ingredients (see below). If you're super creative, DO try this at home!

By the way, their version is named the Bloody Natalie, after one of the Market's employees. She's been extra helpful on a few inCYST projects, and I wanted to use this blog post as an excuse to give her a shout out, and thank her for her support of all of you readers. Here's a little bit about Natalie from the Market's website. Stop by, say hi, thank the human Natalie, and taste the liquid one!

Flame grapes
Tomatoes
Carrots
Celery
Red beets
Purple cabbage
Orange peppers
Thai chili
Cucumber
Garlic
Radish
Ginger
Parsley
Bail
Cumin
Coriander
Black pepper

One of the hardest things for me about PCOS is watching how the diagnosis has beat so many of you down. You've often come to believe that you're"broken" and in need of fixing.

There is a common, overlooked thread connecting each of you that I wish I knew how to bring to the surface. That is, that you all seem to be incredibly creative. It's one of my favorite parts about meeting women with PCOS, is seeing how they channel that part of themselves to make the world better for all of us.

Last night I was reminded of this at Christine Cassano's art exhibit. Christine shared her story on the radio show several months ago and she is gaining recognition in Phoenix as an accomplished artist. She could have let her diagnosis derail her talent; instead, she used what she learned to choose her medium, and it is her passion and creative outlet. She allowed PCOS to influence her work in the most positive of ways.

I wanted to post photos I took of some of her art. I wouldn't have these photos if she had not made the PCOS-related decision to switch to concrete. That would be sad.

If you'd like to learn more about Christine, please visit her website, http://www.christinecassano.com/.

When you hear the word"antioxidant", it's likely the word association is there with the following"acai","pomegranate","cherries".

Do you know what your best choices for locally-sourced antioxidants are? Despite what the supplement guys will tell you, you really don't need to get them from ambidextrous Mongolian monks, you know.

Did you know there are non-nutritional antioxidants?

Or behaviorial antioxidants?

What the heck is an antioxidant, anyway?

Come spend a couple of hours with us at our new Santa Monica office, and learn how to equip yourself with an armory of antioxidant power that doesn't break your budget.

We'll even bring you lunch from Veggie Grill.

This is the first installation in our new series,"Traiing Your Mental Athlete", specially designed for high-energy creative types looking to maximize their focus, concentration, and overall creative productivity.

Presenter: Monika M. Woolsey, MS, RD, CEO, inCYST Institute for Hormone Health
Sponsor: BLANKSPACES Coworking Community
Location: 1450 Second Street, Santa Monica, CA
When: Saturday, October 22, 11 am to 1 pm (combine it with a trip to the farmer's market!)

Click here for information on registering to reserve your space. It's limited, so you will want to grab yours ASAP!

Something I love, love, LOVE about working with PCOS is all the amazing creativity I have the honor to be surrounded by! So many of you are singers, authors, sewers, candle makers, dancers…it really is part of who you all are.

I finally figured out how to do something positive with it. Talked to Beth over at Power Up for PCOS, and she's opened up a"Shop Cysters" store. If you have any kind of creative works that you sell, be it photography, jewelry, or sweaters, and you have some type of online link we can use to promote you, we'll promote you in exchange for a donation of the percentage of the sale.

It really is important for me to make what we do as positive as it can be. I know many of you are going through hard times financially, partly because of the economy and partly because of the expense of your PCOS. Here's a little thing we can do to help a bit. Plus, I know when artistic people do their artistic things, it's a huge stress reliever.

Not long ago a young woman posted photos of earrings she was making to pay for her IVF on her fan page. It drove home the massive collective cost of this diagnosis. It just occurred to me one day, shoot, 1 in 5 women has this disorder, and if you think about the collective economic power held within that percentage…imagine the voice we'd all have if we started shopping from each other, and stopped buying the foods and products that simply don't promote our health? We'd get a whole lot of attention. We'd have a voice with a backbone.

Shop Cysters is a small, very small step toward having that voice…but a year ago a walk-a-thon raising several thousand dollars wasn't even on the radar. You all have it in you to make a huge difference together.

I want people to know about the good side of PCOS, and not to think of women who have the disorder as some kind of walking pathology. You're not. You're the creative force in our population and we need to honor it.

If you're interested in participating, please go to www.powerupforpcos.com/shopcysters for more information.

We're so excited about this! Not just that we have a fundraiser, but that our very first one involves two of our very favorite friends at inCYST, Craig Ramsay and Sandie West.

"Move" with trainer Craig Ramsay, a wonderfully compassionate women's health advocate who we met when he worked with Cyster Stacy Citron on Bravo's reality show Thintervention. He talks mostly about getting you into physical shape, but what we routinely hear from his clients is that his work helps to nurture their self-esteem into good condition as well. He is graciously offering his time to conduct four boot camps on the beach near Sandie's spa, which is where the"Move" part comes in. It's the perfect way to test drive Craig's popular boot camps if you've been thinking about participating but haven't gotten around to it.

Be sure to check out Craig's website and Facebook page to learn more about his"Ultimate Perfect Workout System". And look for him on Twitter at @craigramsay1.

"Soothing" Sandie West has a beautiful facility, Creative Chakra Spa, on the Pacific Coast, just south of the Venice Pier. She's known far and wide for her beautiful space, therapeutic spa treatments, loving spirit, and calming energy. You can't help but put your cares aside and focus on relaxation when you're at Sandie's place! It's perfect for someone who's feeling a little over the top with their diagnosis and in need of little R and R.

To learn more about Sandie's spa and the services and classes she offers, join her Facebook page and follow her on Twitter, @creativechakra.

Check out this video one of Sandie's beach yoga classes. Even the robot that programs our Twitter paper was enthralled…it kept including this video of her beachfront yoga class for several days after she Tweeted it!

These events would not be possible without our wonderful sponsors! Please check out their websites, Facebook fan pages, and follow them on Twitter. They are sponsoring because they are excited to support your journey to PCOS health, and we want to support them in return.

What would our first fundraiser be without one of inCYST's BFF's? The Zing Bars folks don't just support PCOS, they created their products with women with PCOS in mind. Years of combined counseling experience gave them first-hand knowledge about what kind of ingredients, flavors and packaging would be easiest to use and benefit from.

Be sure to"like" them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter at @zingbars.

Growing Naturals is a brand of organic brown rice protein that is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, kosher, non-GMO, organic, and raw diet-compatible. It's a great option for anyone with PCOS, and especially so for anyone who is vegan and/or with food intolerances that make it hard to get enough protein.

When I first learned of them, I thought to myself…"That pretty much touches all bases…finally, I know what to recommend for even the most restrictive of situations." Turns out, their tag line is"Finally, Food For All People".

Be sure to check out their website and learn more about their original, chocolate, and vanilla rice protein isolate powders.

You can find Growing Naturals on Facebook, and their Twitter handle is @growingnaturals.

If you'd like to participate in person, please RSVP either here in the comments section, or on our Facebook event page with at least a"maybe" so we can send you the registrations later this week.

If you can't make it but you'd like to support this fundraiser, here's a link where you can donate. You'll be supporting research projects directly supportive of hormone disorders including PCOS, infertility, thyroid, and diabetes.

We are working out the details and will have complete registration options available at this link. Space is limited for each of the options so if this is something you're interested in doing, please grab your space as soon as possible.

Please, if you can't participate in our specific event but you're interested in the boot camps and/or the spas, check out Craig's and Sandie's websites for more information about their programs.

We'll have a website up and running soon with event details. Please be sure to join the RSVP list on our Facebook event page so we know where to find you when updates occur.

If you would like to donate but cannot make it to the live event, please click here 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.

One of the reasons I always have trouble providing menus, is because I am a farmer's market and sale rack shopper. My inspiration never comes from sitting at the computer poring over recipes…I totally love the challenge of figuring out what to create given certain limitations. So rather than provide a menu, I'll walk you through how I came up with a fantastic lunch today.

I walked over to Fresh and Easy's sale rack, where I found pomegranate seeds and figs on sale. I still had the taste of the figs Ivonne and I made for a Moroccan potluck on my mind, so those had to go in my bag. The pomegranate seeds were beautiful so I bought those too.

But what to do with them? I had almost bought hummous, so I knew I was in the mood for something spreadable on crackers.

Ricotta cheese came to mind! So that went into the shopping basket too.

Here is how I put them together for lunch.

Took half a container of ricotta cheese and stirred in two packets of True Orange (dehyrated orange powder, no sugar, a great flavor aid for all kinds of beverages and cooking!)

Chopped up three figs…aren't they beautiful on the inside?

Stirred the figs along with a couple of spoonfuls of pomegranate seeds into the orange ricotta.

Noticed some sunflower seeds on the back of the counter, so I added them too.

Served on canola oil-baked pita chips.

I never would have come up with that if I'd been riveted to a shopping list. It happened because I was practicing"mindful grocery shopping", that is, noticing what was around me, taking the cues, and being creative. Of course I use lists, too. But sometimes, a lot of the time, actually, I like to go the market and wing it.

And usually the times I go off the list…are the times I enjoy my meals the most.

Give it a whirl!

Last Saturday I was doing a demo for a client at a local Whole Foods store. I love doing demos because I get to do something away from the computer and call it work! Another reason I love demos is because of the fun and creative people I get to meet. Most people who do demos are small business people who had an idea for how to make something tastier, healthier, and/or easier to cook. Which is one reason why, if you're reading this post and you're a Whole Foods patron, you might want to spend more time talking to these people next time you go shopping.

But I digress.

What I started to say was that last Saturday I was positioned across the aisle from a chef who has started a salsa company. And I immediately thought of my blog. Salsa! One of my very favorite foods! How could I be from Arizona and have this"Food of the Week" feature as long as I have and not have even thought about salsa?

Why do I love salsa? Because it's versatile. You can put it on barbecued meat. You can put it on a sandwich instead of ketchup. You can stir a little bit into just about any other kind of sauce to spice it up. You can put it on eggs in the morning. It's just one of those foods that once you learn how to use it, you can't live without it. (I actually start to crave it if I'm traveling in a place where food tends to be a little blander…)

Nutritionally, salsa can be a great way to get those veggies in that otherwise just don't seem to get onto your plate. If you're looking for a way to clean out your vegetable bin, you can make your own salsa. Pretty much anything goes together in some way.

If you're feeling adventurous, try mango or pineapple salsas. Mango salsa goes great with salmon!

One thing you do need to watch with commercially prepared salsas is that they can be high in sodium. The particular brand my new friend was selling happens to be low in sodium because he himself has a blood pressure issue. So read the label--there may be something healthy in your area.

Now I'm hungry. I think I'd better see what's in my own kitchen that I can spice up tonight with some salsa!

Something that struck me very early on working with PCOS was how often I heard,"Just tell me what to do." It was clear that a big part of the problem women asking for help was having was feeling out of control. In every other part of their lives, it seemed, they'd been rewarded for hard work and diligence.

PCOS just doesn't work that way.

And when the solution isn't always about DOING something to fix the problem, you can feel completely out of control…tied down…trapped…

For a problem solving personality, a doer, this can leave you feeling completely stressed.

Research has actually studied this phenomenon, it's called"restraint stress."

Restraint stress is any kind of condition that leaves you feeling as if nothing you do can alleviate your discomfort, as if you are destined to live with your situation without any relief. It is the most damaging kind of stress, as it is the kind of stress that best elevates blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol, interferes with sleep…

…can you see where this is going? Not only are you living with a seemingly unsolvable problem, but how you perceive that problem has the power to worsen that problem completely.

Sometimes what I see, is that a person focuses so completely on the problem that they perceive, that they lose perspective with regard to just what they CAN control.

They CAN make healthy food choices.
They CAN be more physically active.
They CAN set boundaries with people and limit their stress.
They CAN surround themselves with positive, supportive people.
They CAN turn the computer off and engage in activities other than surfing and reading about the problem.
They CAN be kind to themselves.

I find that those clients who are most creative at finding ways to repaint their picture, are the ones with the best chance of succeeding in the long run.

It's ironic, but then PCOS is ironic.

Stop focusing on the problem, stop thinking of yourself as an unfixable pathology, start believing you are a whole person with many talents and ideas to contribute to making our planet a great home…and all of a sudden things that felt so elusive start showing up when you least expect it.

If you're not here in Phoenix, you likely aren't aware that I have a good friend, Ken Clark, who is all about making our world here a better place. For the past year, I've worked with Ken and his hand-picked committee to create monthly events celebrating new small businesses taking a risk on downtown Phoenix. (Here we like to call it CenPho.)

Ken recently decided to take his vision one step further and create a referral network, the CenPho Charity Referral Network, in which anyone who participates, who receives a business referral through this network, will donate a percentage of that business to a charity. I was very flattered when he asked me to be part of this network, not to mention excited, because giving back and paying forward are always what inCYST has been about.

Businesses belonging to this network are listed below. If you patronize any of them, and you tell them that I referred you, they will donate to a local charity. Details for each individual's offer, as well as information on members (there are more coming on board) can be found on our new Facebook page.

Ken Clark, local REALTOR® and dog owner (really) works all over the valley, but specializes in Central Phoenix, historic properties and urban living. If you send Ken a referral for a home sale or purchase, and that transaction closes, he will make a personal donation to the charity of your choice. It is as simple as that!

Matthew Fritz of SuTRA Midtown (we interviewed his wife Rebecca about their SuTRA Mum yoga program awhile back) will make a 5% donation for referrals on yoga packages and massage therapy.

Marshall Shore, named a best of Phoenix by Phoenix New Times, takes armchair tourists on a rollicking illustrated ride through Arizona and the valley during its heyday, after the car arrived. His live presentation celebrates unique people and architecture in a theatrical blend of images and storytelling. The Arizona Centennial is rapidly approaching, and Marshall is looking forward to creating presentations for events along this theme.

Dallas Gold with the Funds Transfer Alliance will help your business with any and all credit card processing needs. Dallas will make a contribution to a referrer's favorite charity equal to 5% of the gross contract.

Jenny Poondingo of CO+HOOTS, Phoenix's biggest co-work space will make a contribution to a referrer's favorite charity equal to 5% of the gross co-work space contract. If you're not in Phoenix but happen to be here in need of workspace for the day, Janeny has a drop-in option, and is conveniently located to the major downtown business area.

Local Artist & Graphic Designer, Christine Cassano will make a contribution to a referrer's favorite charity equal to 5% of the gross contract. If you don't have a choice of charities, she will make a contribution to behalf of the person[s] / organization to Free Arts of Arizona: http://www.freeartsaz.org/ Free Arts of Arizona is a nonprofit organization that brings the healing powers of the creative arts to abused, neglected and homeless children by partnering with over 100 group homes, treatment centers and shelters in Maricopa County. (BTW, Christine shared her PCOS story with us on the radio show awhile back. Please tune in to the recording to learn more about her!)

As for my part, I'd like to combine this effort with the research foundation I mentioned last week. So here's what I'm willing to do.

From this point forward,

--5% of any sale (counseling, professional training, or restaurant menu/recipe consulting) will be donated to the inCYST research foundation.
--if a referral comes in to inCYST through the CenPho Charity Referral Network, I'll donate an additional 5% to the charity of your choice. If you don't designate a charity, I'll donate to the St. Mary's Food Bank.

Be sure to mention that you were referred by me so others may benefit from your purchase!

I've been chatting with several of our network members the last few weeks about some really fun things they've been doing in the activity department. I'm hoping talking about my own activity this past week will encourage them to get something posted! (You guys know who you are…)

My car needed a major repair that resulted in my being without (gasoline-powered) transportation for a couple of days. And, the garage that did the work was about 10 miles away. I could have used the bus, and actually did for a major trip, but since the weather was so nice, I thought I would get out and enjoy it.

So…when I took the car to the garage, I packed my rollerblades and skated home. I checked out the route, and it turned out, the garage was just a couple blocks away from my favorite greenbelt; therefore, half of my trip was already familiar. Just a few different turns toward home, and voila! I had my workout in.

I used to cross country ski a lot when I lived in Colorado, and picked up rollerblading when I moved to California and didn't have such great access to snow. It is so fun! I actually had to check my heart rate when I first started because I didn't believe it was actually going anywhere.

Something I really love about rollerblading is the workout it gives my backside. Everytime you push off and lift your boot, it's like lifting a weight. One of those weights that really isn't fun to do in the gym, but you don't notice when you're skating.

I also love the meditative rhythm rollerblading creates. There is something about the back and forth repetition that calms the chaos in my head and allows my more creative thinking to predominate.

By the time I got home…I had a bunch of new ideas for my work, I was relaxed, and later on that night I fell right asleep.

I'm looking forward to what other network members share. It's not about how often you are in the gym, really, it's how much you move your body in general. They've got some great ideas!

Two days ago a story made its way around the Internet, promoting the idea that 8 year old girls experiencing early puberty might benefit from metformin administration to delay the progression of PCOS. The argument was that these girls needed their fertility"protected". What the article neglected to acknowledge was that while metformin does appear to improve the rate of conception, it does not reduce the rate of miscarriage. I've written about this in a previous post.

I wrote an article with more detail about my feelings about this issue for my writing assignment as the Beverly Hills Women's Health writer for the Los Angeles Examiner. If you didn't know I also write over there, you can find all of my posts through the link I provided above.

With all due respect to the researchers so very excited to report this finding, I'm not impressed. Our little girls need to be treated as if they are more than just another profitable target market for a drug that has lost its patent and is looking for a new clinical indication/patent opportunity/way to keep sales going.

I mean, you'd think after spending 5 1/2 hours on this blog in the past year the researchers at Bristol Myers Squibb would've come up with something far more creative and helpful. So, BMS researchers, I would have told you this if you'd flat out asked, but since I don't have the money to build a research lab with anywhere near the capability of yours and just want someone to pursue the idea on behalf of helping 1 out of 10 women achieve better quality of life…I'll tell you what I would have told you had you been willing to admit you were even reading my stuff when I contacted you about it. Here is what I would do to get the patent and keep the revenue coming in so your reproductive scientists can keep their jobs.

Since the American public has now been conditioned to believe if it's not a prescription medication it can't possibly work, I propose you figure out a way to manufacture a metformin/fish oil combo pill. That way you get your money and the women who need the fish oil…actually take it.

There. You heard it here first. If you actually do something with this idea, sure would be nice to get some credit for it.

Oh and BMS, thanks for all the time on the blog. You've really helped our advertising rates, which helps us to research and advocate for non-medicinal answers to hormone problems. We'll never put you out of business…but we just might be able to give you a little bit of a run for your money.: )

We have this mentality about food. If it's healthy, it has to mean work and sacrifice. I am soooo against that way of thinking! For me, food is art, and it's creative energy, and thinking up ways to make it healtthy is part of the process.

I shop a lot at Fresh and Easy, and they have a sale shelf. It's one of my favorite things to do, see what's cheap and see what I can concoct from unexpected combinations.

Here's an example of what can happen when you decide to have fun with food. At last month's Places, Spaces, and Faces dinner here in Phoenix, the theme was fusion. inCYSTer Ivonne Ward, whose heritage is Cuban, started out with a basic Cuban ingredient, plantain bananas.

She called me from the store asking for some inspiration for a savory dish. I suggested Moroccan couscous.

Ivonne found a pre-mixed version, as well as some chicken curry salad. We decided to make what we ended up calling"Cous-chettas y Brus-curry de Havana"…a bruschetta-like appetizer, using broiled platano rounds instead of bread.

Here's how to replicate it.

Cous-chettas y Brus-curries de Havana
1 bag of plaintain chips
2 plaintain bananas
1 bag Mediterranean dried fruit mix
1 container guava jelly
1 salad container prepared couscous salad
1 salad container prepared chicken curry salad
Mint leaves
Olive oil

1. Separate the plaintain chips, setting aside all of the whole ones. Grind the broken ones into crumbs in a food processor.

2. Chop the dried fruit mix.

3. Slice the mint leaves into thin ribbons.

4. Cut the plantain into 1-1/2 inch slices. Stand them upright and smash them from top to bottom, to make what looks like mini pancakes. Spray them on both sides with olive oil and broil them on both sides until browned.

5. Take a few squares of guava jelly, add a bit of water, and heat over medium heat until it melts into a syrup. Set aside.

6. Spoon a small amount of salad on top of the plantain rounds, then spoon a small bit of chopped dried fruit mix on top of the salad.

7. Sprinkle crushed plantain chips on top of the salad, then drizzle a bit of guava syrup over the salad.

8. Lay a mint strip on top, and insert a whole plaintain chip for decoration.

9. Give yourself a pat on the back for having fun with food!

You can use any topping you have, really. What I liked about this creation is that we used ready-made salads to save some time and took a cultural favorite, fried plantains, and figured out a healthy way to cook them.

You may have noticed that we've devoted every Monday to a guest blog by inCYST network member, psychologist Gretchen Kubacky. If you belong to our fan page, you know I've been directly addressing issues related to mental health as well. There is a very important reason we're doing that.

For many of you, it's not that you don't know what you need to do. It's what is going on inside your head that keeps you from taking the action that could help yo. It could be that your depression is so severe that small changes feel like monumental tasks. Or that your anxiety spins so violently in your head that you're paralyzed out of taking action. Or, if you have obsessive-compulsive disorder, you can't get your thoughts out of fruitless loops of thinking (Ha! I didn't mean to make a pun there but I kind of like that one!) to focus on new and different behaviors. Or maybe you have bipolar disorder that leaves you feeling pulled around between being hyperenergetic and completely wiped out. And I do know that more than a few of you live with PTSD, the stress of which wreaks havoc on your metabolic functin. You may be on medication for one or more of these, or you may not. If you are, some of those medications can worsen PCOS.

It's all inter-related. To ignore how your mental health affects your physical health is to ignore the key to your overcoming what you are on this blog to overcome. Just this morning, I read a press release about a study that found that having a mental health diagnosis reduces life expectancy. I certainly don't want THAT for any of you.

So instead of trying to work around these issues as if they do not exist, we're going to begin to talk more openly about them. I've always felt that we do a huge disservice in our culture to people with mental health issues. They're not about being stupid…did you know Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill were believed to have bipolar disorder? I actually know that because a client long ago, who has become a good friend, did some research on being diagnosed with the disorder and made a list to inspire her to better self-care and less self-destruction. She is, because she's a very typical, highly intelligent and creative person with bipolar disorder, a very productive member of society. Because she deciede to embrace it. If you look around, some of the smartest people in history lived with psychiatric illness. It's time we stopped acting as if these problems were something to be embarrassed about and started realizing how ultra-important it is to recognize and take care of brains that have them.

I understand if this feels uncomfortable; in fact, making this shift cost us more than a few Facebook follows. But I'm ok with that. I know there aren't very many places people who live with these problems feel safe to talk, and I believe the fallout removed personalities that weren't allowing that to happen.

It's where we're going and I hope you come along with us. I do believe, if we take this on, we have a far better chance of beating PCOS than we do if we hide in the closet and let it determine your fates.

Sharing an observation about how art and hormones intertwine. One of my very favorite parts of this work, is getting to spend time with such creative people!

I recently started to tell a good friend about the antioxidant power of turmeric. He stopped me midsentence.

"What is it with all this antioxidant stuff? First it was pomegranates. Then it was Mongolian gojis. It's something different every day."

(Insert big sigh and eye roll here.)

"Can you even tell me what an antioxidant looks like?"

My friend's reaction verified something I've sensed for awhile now. In our quest to show how much we know about antioxidants, we've thrown long words and catch phrases at the public, to the point where the concept has become nothing more than hype.

It's not long after any concept hits"hype mode" that it becomes passe. And being passe is absolutely not what the average antioxidant should be, to ANYONE.

So, I'd like to answer my friend's question. My answer is somewhat long, but I will do my best to encourage him--and you--to see past the hype that's been flung at all those innocent pomegranates and beets and Indian curries!

Here are ten important things to know about antioxidants.

1. AN ANTIOXIDANT IS LIKE RUSTPROOF FOR YOUR BODY. Oxidation is the natural process of something breaking down over time. On your car, oxidation looks like rust. Oxidation in humans isn't much different; it's somewhat of a biological rusting out process. So an antioxidant, really, is human rustproofing.

2. AN ANTIOXIDANT SLOWS DOWN AGING. This is primarily a blog for women with PCOS. What does aging have to do with that? PCOS is a disease of inflammation, and inflammation is an aging process. If you stand back and look at the big picture, a lot of the symptoms of PCOS are actually indications of an accelerated aging process--arthritis, forgetfulness, poor sleep, diabetes at an early age, premature menopause--I am struck at how many of my clients really present as old people in young peoples' bodies. Just as there really is no cure for the wear and tear on the body of a car that works better than prevention, PCOS needs preventive action. It's about choosing food, activity and lifestyle behaviors that make it easier for your body to stay young. It IS possible to reverse some aging, but it's a whole lot easier to prevent aging before it happens. Making good antioxidant choices every day is an important part of your personal rustproofing plan (PRP).

3. DON'T JUDGE AN ANTIOXIDANT BY ITS SCRABBLE SCORE. This one drives me nuts. Nutritionists tend to be extremely detail oriented, and they seem to have adopted this compulsion to throw dozens of new long words at the public. I am equally as nerdy when it comes to biochemistry, but there is a place for those words. If seeing them in an article isn't inspiring you to put some new and different foods on your shopping list, what's the point?

I don't believe in dumbing down the public, but I have to admit, much of what I read has MY eyes glazing over because how the word was spelled or pronounced was apparently more important to the author than what's in it for me to care.

If you're adding a few beets at the salad bar or learning to cook Indian curries, that's what matters. The chemicals will help you to be healthier, whether or not you can spell or pronounce them.

4. THE BEST ANTIOXIDANTS ARE FOUND IN THEIR ORIGINAL PACKAGING. I graduated from college in 1982, and there were only a handful of antioxidants to learn about at the most. Back then (I guess you could say the nutritional dark ages!) we learned mostly about vitamins and minerals. Many of the compounds we knew about, were extracted and sold as"complete nutritional replacements". Of course, the definition of"complete" was based on our limited knowledge of what food actually contains. They weren't really complete because they did not contain the antioxidant compounds we didn't even know about!

That, for me, was a huge lesson learned, about how much of an expert I can truly be in this field. There will always be things I don't know, and need to know, and my responsibility as a health educator is to be as complete in talking about what I don't know as I do about what I do know.

Therefore, my advice when it comes to antioxidants and supplements, is not to focus on what the most important, most perfect antioxidant might be, then to extract it and consume it in large quantities. Rather, look for opportunities to eat whole foods that are as close to the ground and/or tree when you consume them. The more something is sliced, diced, extracted, powdered, concentrated, the less like nature it is.

Remember, whole is best. There may be important nutritional compounds we have yet to learn about that aren't in those expensive antioxidant supplements.

5. ANTIOXIDANTS ARE COLORFUL CHARACTERS. Your plate needs a variety of colors if it's also going to contain antioxidants. I created this graphic last summer to illustrate the concept. If you're eating lots of reds and blues, and are judicious about which white foods you choose, that's a good start. But remember the greens, yellows, and oranges, too! It's really not that hard to choose colorfully. A plate of food that contains a lot of colors is also attractive. Would you rather have a plate of white fish, cauliflower, and mashed potatoes, or a chicken salad packed with apples, walnuts, and spinach?

Eat patriotically--doesn't matter what country--if you put color on your plate, you can't go wrong.

6. ANTIOXIDANTS LOVE A GOOD PARTY! Antioxidants tend to be more effective in the presence of other antioxidants. In other words, you'll get more bang for your buck out of Compound A if you are also eating Compound B. That's why there is no such thing as the ultimate antioxidant. Just like you have less fun at a party if you act like a wallflower, your"health party" will be a whole lot more worthwhile if you introduce and mingle different compounds.

7. ANTIOXIDANTS LOVE THE GYM. Antioxidants have an interesting relationship with exercise. Exercise, because it raises metabolism, is actually an oxidative activity. However…when you exercise regularly, your body becomes more efficient at storing antioxidants for future use, and then mobilizing them to areas where exercise has raised your metabolism. To get the best advantage out of exercise, it's important to (1) not overexercise, but (2) exercise regularly, and (3) be sure the diet you eat on a regular basis is full of colorful foods.

8. ANTIOXIDANTS ARE HOMEBODIES. When fruits are picked early so they can be shipped to distant markets, they're not allowed to ripen and develop their fullest antioxidant potential. When fruits are processed so they can be stored and consumed through off-seasons, they lose antioxidant power. So while I love blueberries and I appreciate their antioxidant power, they are more of a summer treat for me. Since I live in Arizona, I try to eat lots of citrus in the winter, watermelon in the summer, and to use foods from other areas as occasional treats. Every locality has its specialties. Become familiar with what's in season in your area, and if you travel, experiment with local specialties. A Goji berry is definitely a powerful antioxidant tool, but you can be antioxidant friendly even if your plate was not partially picked by distant farmers on exotic hillsides. Some of your greatest antioxidant friends may be lurking just down the road at your local organic farm.

9. ANTIOXIDANTS SHOULD NOT BREAK YOUR BUDGET. When you eat seasonally, you should also save money. In fact, one of the easy way to know what fruits and vegetables are in season is to look for what is cheap! If you frequent your local farmer's market, what you see at the majority of the stands is likely the local seasonal offering. I like eating seasonally because foods move in and out of my menu and I don't get bored because I'm eating the same thing over and over again. Get to know how seasons affect food availability in your area, and plan menus around that. It is fun, not to mention tasty!

10. THE BEST ANTIOXIDANT OF ALL--IS A PROACTIVE LIFESTYLE. OK, here's a picture of an antioxidant. (A face only a molecule mother could love…) What it looks like isn't as important as what it does. An antioxidant keeps you healthy and young! Any choice you make that creates an imbalance--too much exercise and not enough rest, not enough sleep, an imbalanced diet, poor stress management--puts you at risk of antioxidant deficiency. If you're not making good lifestyle choices and assuming a supplement will absorb the imbalance, you're putting yourself at even greater risk. Be sure your diet has a lot of variety and color.

Even better, apply that mentality to the rest of your life.
--Create a social support network with a variety of personalities that encourage the best in you to come out, and who accept you for who you are without unrealistic expectations.
--Participate in a few different physical activities that allow muscles to rest while others work.
--Do things that make you laugh! (Yes, in a way, your favorite corny movie is an antioxidant!)
--Do something creative.

There are many kinds of antioxidants that have nothing to do with nutrition. Be sure your choices add up to move you in the direction of capitalizing on them, rather than putting you in a position where you need to supplement to reverse damage that didn't need to be done.

OK, good friend, I hope I answered your question and you made it to the end of this blog post without rolling those eyes again!

This post continues our mini-series on PCOS and the grief process. Today, we’ll focus on anger, which is the second stage of the grief model known as DABDA (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). Anger is a tricky emotion. People often label anger as bad, or undesirable. They deny it, refute it, avoid it, hide it, and act out around it. Anger and sadness that feel unmanageable are two of the most common reasons people show up in my office.

In death and dying, the person who is dying may be angry at god, the doctors, herself, her family, the guy who gave her the disease, the environment, and a number of other things. Likewise, the loved ones who are losing someone may have the same types of anger. In chronic illness, we may have the same targets for our anger, which may result in self-hatred, low self-esteem, acting out, and damaged relationships.

There is SO much to be angry about when it comes to PCOS, I’m sometimes surprised that we’re not all raging, all the time. At various times in learning that you have PCOS, and then starting to deal with it, and then just living with it for a long time, you might experience anger towards:

• God, because you have it
• The universe, for creating this thing
• Doctors, because they can’t cure it
• Your parents, because they gave you the genes that cause it
• Any woman who doesn’t have it
• Men, because they can’t have it
• The medical industry, because they haven’t cured it either
• Your body, because it’s not working “right”
• Other people, for not understanding
• Anyone who has children, if you want them and don’t or can’t have them
• Anyone who seems to enjoy perfect health, in spite of living an obviously unhealthy lifestyle (think, daily consumer of fast food who still has a perfect cholesterol panel, and no weight issues)
• Yourself, for not doing your self-care better, or more perfectly
• Any other medical professional, personal trainer, or other well-meaning individual you’ve ever encountered who said something stupid, irrelevant, pointless, misdirected, or just generally lame, in an effort to get your body to behave
• Dieticians who tell you what to eat without understanding your particular brain chemistry

All of this anger might lead you to act out, which could look like:

• Eating whatever you want, whenever you want – in spite of knowing better
• Failure to exercise – again, in spite of knowing better
• Overspending – because if you’re going to be fat, you might as well look good
• Unhealthy sexual behavior – “I’ll take whatever I can get, since no one would want me otherwise.”
• Manifesting other illnesses that are stress-related
• Being verbally or emotionally abusive towards your spouse, your kids, or others

Note that these things are not purely related to anger; they may also be indicators of other conditions, including mental health disorders.

These are big lists, and you are absolutely right to have a lot of anger about a lot of things related to PCOS. But you can’t live in anger all the time. Well, you can, but it’s surely not a healthy choice. So, how do you deal with all this anger, and get it out of your system, so you can move on to something more productive? And why do you even need to do that in the first place? I believe you need to get over the anger for the simple reason that Freud was right on this count – anger turned inwards becomes depression, and we’ve already got enough trouble with that, given the hormonal set-up we’re dealing with. Also, it tends to lead to negativity, self-hatred, and a more pessimistic perspective, none of which is helpful.

You can get rid of your anger in a lot of ways. Journaling, talking to friends, and talk therapy are certainly good choices. Creative expressions may help as well – creating collages, photographs, movies, music, or poetry that express your feelings are all great. I don’t like to encourage violence, but some clients report that there can be some great satisfaction in doing things like playing one of those video games where things explode when you hit them.

In other words, anger is actually a healthy emotion, but you’ve got to handle it the right way. Next week, we’ll address the concept of bargaining, in the context of grieving your PCOS.

Gretchen Kubacky, Psy.D. is a Health Psychologist in private practice in West Los Angeles, California. She has completed the inCYST training. 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 AskDrHouseMD@gmail.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @askdrhousemd.