The Hemp Connection [Search results for healthy lifestyle] 

Thought I would bring a psychotherapist's perspective to treating PCOS. In the past few months I have attended three scientific conferences and one practitioners conference on PCOS. The one unanimous and certain recommendation from every one of them was 'lifestyle, lifestyle, lifestyle'. But what does that mean? Does it mean eat less and exercise more? Does it mean feel shame when you indulge in holiday egg nog this season? No. Lifestyle to me means just that…style your life. Make changes to honor your life and take care of your chronic condition. Attached is an outline I wrote to help me explain and promote 'Lifestyle' to my clients.

Treating PCOS: Lifestyle for Success A Psychotherapist's Approach Stacy Korfist, LMFT
L is for the lifestyle change that is critical to make. No more diets, no more ‘someday’. Lifestyle change obviously includes nutrition and exercise, but it also includes stress management, adopting a new way of living, a new way of coping and a new way of playing that is essential.

I is for Identity. This is your sense of self; your self esteem. This includes facing anxiety and depression. Setting appropriate boundaries helps you to claim yourself. I is also for Integrity. No more broken promises to yourself or others. They only lead to self deprecation and more shame and depression. Be a person of your word.

F is Food & Feelings. Eat when you are hungry; stop when you are full. Understand the thoughts and ideas which fuel eating behaviors. Learn all you can about insulin resistance. Don’t be fooled into another diet that is too difficult to sustain. See a dietitian that knows about polycystic ovarian syndrome.

E is the Education and knowledge that you must obtain in order to take care of yourself. PCOS is a chronic condition, not one that requires only medication. YOU must be your own case manager. PCOS involves almost every organ in your body. Learn about lab work and what your results mean. Don’t assume your treatment team is aware of your ‘whole self’. Trust yourself. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Remember, PCOS is a syndrome, a squirrely disorder which pops up in many places.

S is for Support and Healthy Environment. Surround yourself with encouraging people and rid yourself of as much conflict and chronic stress as possible. Pay a little more for organic food and avoid false estrogens in plastics and cleaning products.

T is Teamwork. You can’t do this alone. Ask for help, make plans ahead and let others help you. Being strongly-weak will get you so much farther than being weakly-strong. Assess your treatment team. Are you being seen by too many providers; broken up into too many pieces? Are you taking too many medications?

Y is for YES! Yes is the attitude to have. In order to avoid deprivation backlash, it’s important to focus on what you can have versus what you cannot have. Live with full passion. Y is also for Yesterday. Let go of yesterday and focus on today and tomorrow. Having a positive future-focus will help achieve successful endeavors.

L is for Lower Threshold, not lower calories. Although weight loss is important for some, reducing calories too much can prove counter-productive. People with PCOS can have a lower threshold for oxidative stress. It doesn’t take as much to put the body in stress mode. Exercising too much or restricting too little are stressful on the body. When you do this, you often experience backlash and yo-yo weight gain.

E is for Energy and Experiential Therapies. Learn mindfulness skills. Occupy your body. Achieve mind-body congruity. Change requires an awakening. We awaken in movement, awaken in relationship and awaken in journaling and art. This allows us to be with ourselves, in our own space. It teaches us self monitoring and self regulation, which slows down reactivity.

Stacy Korfist, LMFT
Redondo Beach, California
(310) 720-6443
info@pcosnetwork.com

I have been taught that 50% of what influences PCOS is genetic, 25% is nutrition, and 25% is lifestyle.

I have observed that when a person is told they have a"genetically" influenced issue, they tend to view that as a"get out of jail free" card when it comes to making healthy lifestyle choices. In other words, why should you have to worry about lifestyle if genes have so much control?

It is not that simple.

Yes, DNA programs disease risk. But did you know that nutrition can influence DNA? The foods you eat can influence how your DNA expresses itself. So even though the major things we know how to measure with regards to nutrition and PCOS look to be about 25% of the answer, nutrition has an indirect influence on another 50% of what is going on.

The area of study that looks at the influence of diet on genetics is called nutrigenomics. One example you've seen here in this blog is our caution of excessive chromium use and its potential to cause DNA damage.

Too much of a nutrient, too little of a nutrient, imbalances between nutrients…all can be important influences.

The most important thing to NOT do is stop taking good care of yourself and assuming there is nothing that can be done until genetics researchers discover a cure. Chances are, they're going to still encourage you to make many of the same choices you can make right now to help those genes be healthy.

This press release comes from Sasha Ottey of PCOS Challenge. inCYST is always pleased to collaborate with and support her compassion and energy she devotes to women everywhere with PCOS! Best of luck with this project, Sasha!

New Reality Series Provides Renewed Hope and Needed Resources for Women with PCOS

As part of its continuing mission to provide information and support resources for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, PCOS Challenge, Inc. is producing a new 13-week reality series that focuses on improving the lives of women with PCOS with the help of health and medical experts. The goal of the PCOS Challenge™ television show is to educate, inspire and spread awareness about PCOS while helping women with the condition to live healthier and happier lives.

The women participating in the series will receive guidance from three main experts – a nutrition coach, fitness coach, and mental wellness coach. The women will also receive supplemental advice from other experts including a naturopathic physician, acupuncturist, and Reproductive Endocrinologist. As the participants compete in various fitness and healthy lifestyle challenges, they will have an opportunity to win cash and prizes.

“We are very excited to be launching the television show. It is a tremendous opportunity to help a lot of people. In the last year, the PCOS Challenge online and offline community has quickly grown to over 4,000 members, and this has been something that many people have been asking about for some time,” says Sasha Ottey, CEO of PCOS Challenge, Inc. “The television show is a natural extension of our popular PCOS Challenge Radio Show where we feature prominent PCOS experts. Now, through the television show, the audience will have an opportunity to see how to practically apply the information that they have learned in the face of daily life challenges and how to make sustainable healthy lifestyle choices.”

“Since its inception, PCOS Challenge, Inc. has been innovative in its programming and multimedia approach to spreading awareness and providing support for women with PCOS, which is one of the reasons the organization continues to gain traction so quickly and is able to keep people engaged,” says William R. Patterson, CEO of The Baron Solution Group and Executive Producer of the PCOS Challenge television show. “It is our aim to bring greater attention and resources to the PCOS community. With a condition that affects millions of lives and families worldwide, we feel the program will be an important vehicle to get more people involved.”

The PCOS Challenge television show is scheduled to begin shooting in mid-march and is currently casting for 6-10 women with PCOS in the DC metropolitan area to participate in the 13-week series. Participants will meet with the experts 1-2 times per week for the duration of the series and commit to changing their lifestyles to promote healthier living with PCOS. The PCOS Challenge television show will air on various local cable stations across the United States as well as stream online.

To become a participant, sponsor, or for more information about the PCOS Challenge television show, visit http://www.pcoschallenge.com/events/pcos-challenge.

About PCOS Challenge, Inc.

Sasha Ottey is Founder and CEO of PCOS Challenge, Inc. She is a Clinical and Research Microbiologist with a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from Howard University and a Master’s in Health Administration from the University of Phoenix. Her company, PCOS Challenge, Inc., is a nonprofit organization that provides support for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) through the PCOS Challenge Support and Social Networking Website (PCOSChallenge.com); PCOS Challenge nonprofit website (PCOSChallenge.org); PCOS Challenge Expert Series Workshops (PCOSChallenge.net); PCOS Challenge Television Show; PCOS Challenge Radio Show; and local offline support groups.

Have you given up on changing your lifestyle because you've read that PCOS has a genetic connection? Did you know that what you eat, among other things, affects how your genes behave?

We've got a webinar on the topic tomorrow. If you can't make the live session, it will be available to purchase in its recorded form through December 31, 2010. This webinar can be attended individually, or as a component of the comprehensive PCOS professional training. The individual session costs $40, and the comprehensive training is $425.

Please note the time for YOUR TIME ZONE:
2 pm Eastern Daylight Time
1 pm Central Daylight Time
12 noon Mountain Daylight Time
11 am Pacific Daylight Time/Arizona

Linda's webinar will include
- Understanding the basics of genetics
- Fundamentals of Nutritional Genomics
- How diet and lifestyle can influence gene expression
- Why your DNA is not your destiny

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Linda Caley, MA, RD, is a registered dietitian in private practice in Colchester, Connecticut. Her practice focuses on providing nutritional therapy and guidance for individuals of all ages. In addition to PCOS, she enjoys working with people with eating disorders and distorted body image, weight management issues, diabetes, and general, healthy lifestyle recommendations.

Linda has a special interest in functional medicine/nutrition, and its application to PCOS management.

Click here to register.

The last two weeks I have been spending a lot of time on my new gig with Chow Locally. It has been inspiring and eye opening for one interesting reason related to the readers of this blog.
It has reminded me how normal people relate to food.

For the past 20 years I have worked, mostly with people who do NOT have a healthy relationship with food. It often leaves me feeling as though something is wrong with ME for eating the way that I do. Most of the people I am in contact with, with my work, are either clients who bounce back and forth between extremes of restrictive dieting and bingeing…or professionals who are very good with their analysis of food but not always great in the kitchen. Or…people working in the field who are there because of issues they had and may still have and are not admitting that they have them.

I honestly don't mean to offend anyone here…I am just saying it has been a wonderful experience to be in the real world with people who truly embrace I intuitive, mindful, healthful eating.

Here are some things these people do and do not do. Can you do these things? If you are shifting in your chair as you read this, consider that one of the reasons you are not able to make changes that would promote your hormone balance is because your relationship with food is not healthy. inCYST network members are happy to help you repair that relationship, on which you can build a healthy foundation of productive food behaviors.

Here is my list of Ten Signs of Healthy Eaters.

1. They try recipes, they don't just collect and/or read them.

2. They do not, after asking for help with recipe ideas, launch into a dissertation about why they eat raw/vegan/paleo/whatever. While they may do these things, it is not their lifestyle or their religion.

3. They have tolerance for ways of eating that are different than their own, even if those ways are not"healthy".

4. They don't need a nutritional breakdown, point value, or calorie count for everything they eat. They know that kale is inherently good, that fried kale is not going to be as nutritionally dense as kale salad, and that kale in general is a better choice than French fries. And so they eat kale. They don't order French fries and then monopolize the conversation explaining or apologizing for their choice. If they do order French fries, they eat them and savor them. They do not hide it, binge on them, or save them for that ridiculous thing known in some circles as a"cheat day".

5. Back to recipes. They use them as guidelines, not dictations. OK, so you forgot to buy the paprika. Make it anyway! Do not let it rot in the fridge because you were so perfectionistic that if you could not make the recipe exactly as directed you were not going to eat it at all.

6. If a new food is presented, they learn about it, ask about it, experiment with it, and try it. They don't offer an immediate"Blech!" simply because it is a new food.

7. If one recipe with a food doesn't work, they do not assume they do not like the food. they give it a couple of tries fixed in other ways before making that decision.

8. They know what is in season. They are in touch enough with Mother Earth to use seasonal variation as a menu guide.

9. While they may enjoy the occasional exotic food, they focus on what is available locally and have fun turning local foods into exotic creations.

10. They savor the finished product, often with a nice glass of wine. A well cooked meal is a work of art, a self-nurturing reward at the end of a hectic day. They would never consider eating it in the car or standing up in the kitchen.

Hello everyone,

I want to take a moment to introduce you to our new sponsor, Green Mountain at Fox Run in Ludlow, Vermont, and explain how this partnership came to be.

Here is an introductory note from Robyn, Green Mountain's dietitian:

Women working to manage PCOS know first-hand that making lifestyle changes to promote better health is often easier said than done. To say nothing of the confusion about what's best to eat. At Green Mountain at Fox Run, you can begin to sort out the confusion and find what works best for you in terms of eating and physical activity with the help of professionals who understand the needs of women with PCOS, and who truly care about helping women take control of their health. Green Mountain offers a comprehensive program that allows women with PCOS to get a taste of how good they can feel while eating healthy and being active.

Here you'll practice healthy living that features foods you like and physical activity you enjoy. Our meals are comprised of high-quality choices such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, legumes, lower fat dairy products, nuts & seeds, and healthy added fats such as flax seed, olive oil & canola oil. We also leave room for “fun” foods to illustrate how healthy eating can be flexible and delicious. Our chefs strive to create exciting meals out of whole foods, with most menu items made from scratch. We offer a conservative level of carbohydrate as part of our balanced meals & snacks for better management of blood sugar and insulin levels. Generous amounts of fun fitness classes offered throughout the day encourage better insulin sensitivity as well.

Our strong focus on education not only guides women in practicing healthy habits while with us, but prepares them to integrate these new habits into their routines back at home.

First of all, I want to tell you that I'm very, very picky about who inCYST partners with, and who it accepts sponsorships from. Companies with products and services to sell see women with PCOS as a very lucrative demographic. That includes fertility centers, diet centers, supplement companies…you name it. With one in ten women in this country having PCOS, that's an awful lot of dollar signs.

It could mean an awful lot of money for a well-visited blog like this, to accept advertising from all of these companies wanting your attention, but that's not how this business is operated. I actually discontinued Google Ads because no matter how hard I tried to filter, I kept getting ads on here that were counterproductive to the message I wanted to project. And more opportunities are declined than accepted.

I also am very selective about who inCYST promotes as a PCOS expert. It's not just anyone you see here, it's someone who has been willing to invest time and money into the inCYST training. A training that is as much about the facts of PCOS, as it is about understanding what it means to go through a health care system with the syndrome and be treated poorly by doctors, dietitians, etc., who give counterproductive advice.

I know I've probably offended a few colleagues who wanted to be included in what we do here, but didn't want to participate in the training as I've outlined it. But this program is about women with PCOS, first and foremost, not about the many entities that want to profit from them.

What that means to all of you is, that you can be assured that professionals listed here and on my website are of a different breed, and that sponsors I choose to include in the inCYST mission have quality services and products, delivered with integrity.

Which brings me to our newest sponsor, Green Mountain at Fox Run. I love them! I actually had an opportunity to spend a week at their Vermont resort a few years ago, and wish that all of you had an opportunity to spend time there. Alan Wayler and Marsha Hudnall, the owners of this fitness retreat, work hard to provide quality programming that incorporates the principles you regularly read about on this blog. Marsha actually took the time to come to one of our professional trainings a few years ago.

Sometimes it helps to just get out of your personal situation and have some time to experience what healthy living actually feels like. Eating well. Moving your body. Sleeping well. Lower stress level. I know there are many people coming to this blog with the search words,"pcos""program". For you and anyone else who simply didn't know this program even existed, I encourage you to check out their website. Their logo will be up on the right if you ever want to come back and click through for information.

Welcome, Green Mountain at Fox Run! I'm so excited that our readers get a chance to learn about your wonderful program!

This is actually a post from Ellen Goldfarb, who you can hear on Internet radio tomorrow (see previous post). I am pasting her link on my blog roll for anyone who wishes to continue to follow her. She'll be here…and there!

So, I got married at a later age than most, 38 and knew that I wanted to have a family and so did my husband. We succesfully got pregnant on our own a year and a half after we got married however, sadly this ended in a miscarriage in the 10th week, when I went to the doctor there was no heartbeat. I had no idea. It was what they call a missed AB and so I had to get a DNC procedure. They asked if I wanted to have the tissue examined by a lab to see what had gone wrong, I told them yes. The determined that the cause of the miscarriage was due to a chromosome issue and they said most likely had to do with my age.
My husband and I were devastated! were we too late, he was 44 and I almost 40 and we had no children yet! what were our options?
We then spent and enormous amount of money doing IVF, we did one round in which we made 3 healthy embroyos and inserted them but …alas… nothing!
what were we to do?
I then started to think about adoption, but in the meantime, in the back of my mind I thought to myself, there must be something else I can do
Being a Dietitian, I started to research more about hormones, fertility and nutrition
I began to find an number of correlations between certain dietary patterns, sleep and exercise and fertility
I began to make changed in all of these areas and encouraged myhusband to do the same
We then took a trip to Hawaii and relaxed to get our minds off things
Right before I was to begin another round of fertility injections, we found out that I was pregnant(on my own) and we immediately stopped the injections
Now I am a nervous wreck again thinking something bad was going to happen and the first trimester was hell just waiting it out, but fortunately everything went fine, we had a CVS done and they said we were going to have a healthy baby girl!
I have birth to Arianna Belle on Sept 19th 2006, 4 months later, I was naturally pregnant again with my second healthy daugher Lauren Ivy who was born on October 10th 2007
These pregancies were both concieved naturally and both children are very healthy and doing great!
I really believe that if you make lifestyle changes, it can really effect your body and outcome
I now have expanded my private practice to support and help women who struggle with infertility and PCOS in addition to my specialty of treating Eating Disorders
My goal is to get as many women pregnant as I can with good nutrition and healthy lifetstyle practices
for more information about me, contact my website at www.ellenreissgoldfarb.com
I would love to hear from you:)

I'm posting inCYST's symptom checklist, developed by Mia Elwood, LCSW, of Healthy Futures in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mia's lecture on mood disorders and PCOS is part of the inCYST professional training. I like Mia's list because it addresses many of the food and mood aspects of PCOS that are not often written about. And in my opinion, when moods are not taken into consideration, their imbalances can generate many of the behaviors that make it hard to manage PCOS.

If you're new to this blog, or if you haven't seen this, take a moment and run through the symptoms. If this sounds like you, one of our inCYST providers is happy to help you figure out your personal action plan. You can also print this out and show your medical caregiver to give them a more complete picture of the issues you need help with.

If you wish to duplicate this for any reason, please include the copyright information at the bottom as Mia deserves credit for her original work. Thanks!

If you feel this profile describes you, stick around and read more! Pay particular attention to Ellen Reiss Goldfarb's post on lab tests you can get to monitor how your diet, exercise, sleep, and lifestyle changes are helping you to get back into balance.

Screening for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Other Hormonal Contributors
Name ________________________ Date _______________ Current Age _____

*Code answer with a YES(Y), NO(N), MAYBE(M), NOT APPLICABLE(NA), or HAVEN’T PAID ATTENTION(HPA).

Sometimes, hormones contribute to our symptoms. These questions help to explore whether hormones may be contributing to any of your symptoms.

When was your first period? Age ___ When was your last menstrual period? ___ What is your current height? ___ What is your current weight? ___

___Do you believe that you are perimenopausal or in menopause? If so, what symptoms are you experiencing that lead you to believe this?

___Have you had regular periods consistently throughout your life? Explain:

___Do your symptoms (that you are here for) change in any way according to your cycle? If yes, how do they change and when in your cycle do you notice a change?

___Has your menstrual flow become lighter/much heavier than usual for you?

___Have you ever gone more than two months without a period?

___Do you have skin that is dark or thick, especially on the neck, groin, underarms, or skin folds? ________

___Has your menstrual flow become lighter/much heavier than usual for you?

___Do you have any skin tags, teardrop-sized pieces of skin usually found in the neck area and/or armpits?

___Have you or any family members had bipolar disorder, an eating disorder, epilepsy, or migraines?

___Do you take any psychotropic medications? (antidepressants, mood stabilizers, etc.)

___Have you ever had trouble getting pregnant?

___Has your sex drive decreased?

___Do you feel you have excess hair growth? ___ Where? ___face ___back ___chest ___other____________

___Do you feel more irritable than usual?

___Have you lost/gained weight recently without your eating/exercise habits changing? _________________

___Is it hard for you to lose weight or maintain a genetically healthy weight?

___Do you have more mood swings than you used to?

___Do you have severe acne? (if adolescent) or adult acne?

___Is your waist to hip ratio greater than 0.8? Ratio _________

___Have you noticed your hair thinning or hair loss?

___Do you have strong cravings for sweets or carbohydrates?

___Do you or any family members have a history of PCOS, insulin resistance, diabetes, hypoglycemia, gestational diabetes? Who?

___Are you experiencing any other symptoms (emotional,physical, cognitive) that you feel may be related to hormones or your cycle (or lack of one)? Describe

Created by Mia Elwood, MSW/Healthy Futures-MSE, LLC, 2004/www.healthy-futures.com

We know that most of you who originally come to inCYST are looking for help with your infertility, your acne, your weight, and/or your depression. We take that seriously and we hope you find our information helpful, meaningful, and relevant.

That is our immediate goal.

We also have a much bigger picture in mind. One reason we believe you're having so much trouble with your hormone balance, is that you're living on a planet that has been so badly mistreated that it has trouble supporting healthy balance within all of you. Because of that, one of the most important things we hope to communicate through our mission, is that our choices have effects far beyond us, and those choices that best benefit the earth, have the most potential to resolve the more personal concerns that initially introduced you to us.

From the very beginning, I've believed that to the best of our ability, our recommendations for food and lifestyle are consistent with what you might see on a green living website. I've also been very aware that, with PCOS affecting 1 in 10 women, the shopping habits we culture have potential to collectively influence what kind of food is available for everyone on the planet to eat.

Because we are so pro-omega-3, we cannot ignore that the type of seafood we recommend must be sustainable. Earlier in the week a Huffington Post article reported that 40 species of fish (including one that is very popular in sushi) are on the verge of extinction, largely due to overfishing and pollution…reinforcing how what we do at inCYST needs to keep all of you healthy and keep the planet healthy enough so that goal #1 is even possible.

So I was super excited to receive an email yesterday, Earth Day eve, from our inCYST contact in Nashua, New Hampshire. I've come to know Pat Hunter and her counterpart Kristen Rioux through planning events to promote their new PCOS support group.

We had planned an event which was to occur on April 1, but which we have since rescheduled to the fall. The problem was, we had received a generous donation from Australis, producers of the high-omega and sustainably farmed barramundi, which we had intended to serve at lunch so that the women coming to our event would have an opportunity to try this fish. We didn't want to waste the food and we wanted to be sure that Australis was happy with their inCYST experience, so Pat and Kristen arranged to have two barramundi promotions in their employee cafeteria.

We thought Lent might be a nice time to try this, since most people are eating more fish then anyway. But we knew that New Englanders love their cod and wondered if they'd be open to something new and different. (We even joked around that a fun marketing tag line might be"Give up cod for Lent!")

I heard from Pat and Kristen yesterday and it turns out the fish was so well accepted they are now working to make it a regular menu item for their employees.

This is a change with potentially far-reaching effects. Anyone eating barramundi at work is more likely to think of it to prepare at home. The more demand for this fish increases in local stores, the more likely it is to start showing up on restaurant menus. And the more barramundi that is bought, the less stress and strain on other fish populations that may not be healthy enough to provide our demand for more seafood.

So thanks to Pat, Kristen, and especially Australis for making it so easy to give a new audience an opportunity to try a new, sustainable (not to mention tasty) food choice, and encourage its popularity to take hold, we are very enthusiastically celebrating Earth Day at inCYST.

If we've gotten your curiosity up, please check out the Australis website. Farmed seafood has a terrible reputation, but this operation has a whole lot of thought put into it. They have gone to great pains to describe their farm in detail to answer any questions you might have. You might be surprised at what you learn.

Happy Earth Day to all. Be kind to yourselves and the world around you…you depend on each other for survival!

You may know of melatonin as a potent sleep aid. So much so, that if you took melatonin and you did not experience an enhanced ability to sleep, you stopped taking it.

Did you know, melatonin is a very powerful antioxidant as well? Some of the benefits of this compound relevant to PCOS include:

--lowered blood pressure
--improved memory
--reduced adrenal gland activity and cortisol secretion
--reduced cortisol response to stress
--reduced blood glucose, insulin levels, and insulin response to a glucose load
--reduced cholesterol and triglycerides
--reduced testosterone levels
--increased progesterone synthesis
--slows gastric emptying (which can help you to feel fuller, longer)

That's a lot of stuff! And it's not just not sleeping well that interferes with melatonin metabolism. So does fasting and starvation…which includes any kind of radical diet, including the medically supervised ones and the HCG ones. Melatonin levels in all three types of eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, are disrupted. Obesity suppresses normal melatonin daily rhythms. Omega-3 deficiency reduces melatonin synthesis and total tissue levels.

Vitamin deficiencies such as B12, zinc, and magnesium, can interfere with good melatonin status. When I read that, I immediately thought of the many vegetarians reading this blog, as those are common deficiencies when vegetarian eating is not proactively balanced.

Normal melatonin metabolism may be dependent on physical activity.

Medical problems associated with a melatonin imbalance include: affective disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, asthma, autism, bipolar disorder, cervical cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, cluster headaches, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, Cushing’s syndrome, depression, diabetes, duodenal ulcer, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, hypertension, idiopathic pain syndrome, lung cancer, metabolic syndrome, migraine headaches, obesity, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, Parkinson’s disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, pre-eclampsia, premenstrual syndrome, schizophrenia, seasonal affective disorder, sleep apnea, and ulcerative colitis.

I'm well aware that many people reading this blog are looking for a magic supplement to erase the need for making healthy lifestyle choices. If you choose to supplement with melatonin, it likely will not hurt you, and it may help you to restore normal sleep patterns, but it will never replace the power of regular, adequate sleep. Just sayin'.: )

If you've never used melatonin before, and you decide to start, you may want to try it on a night when it's not essential that you be up and functioning early the next day. It can have a paradoxical reaction in some people.

And, if you happen to be a professional pilot, the FAA advises against using melatonin while on duty. It certainly wouldn't hurt on your days off, especially if you've been on some grueling red eye flights, just beware of this disclaimer while officially on duty.

I have an extensive list of references I've collected from which this blog post was derived. If you would like them you can contact me directly.

Bottom line, if you don't value sleep, your body is going to have a really, really, really hard time being healthy.

One of the most frequent questions I have gotten over the years, is whether or not a person should eat 3 square meals a day, or whether they should break that into 5 or 6 small meals.

The answer is…it depends.

If you are asking if I think you should make room in your diet for the top 10 foods people are likely to think of when they hear the word,"snack," the answer is no.

Unfortunately, we've let the food industry define"snack" for us, and if you look at the average snack machine in the break room, airport, or hotel, it is more likely to contain Pop Tarts, candy bars, and corn chips than it is apples, string cheese, or anything containing protein.

If you are asking if you should add more eating moments to your day without making your normal meals smaller…the answer is no. This is one of the issues I see with people switching to more meals. Their definition of meal is preset, and the switch adds unnecessary calories. If you want to eat more meals, each meal needs to be smaller so that the total adds up to be the same at day's end.

One of the biggest issues with PCOS is that large amounts of calories, especially when they are carbohydrate calories, are not handled well by the hormones that digest and absorb those calories. It may be easier for your body to process the food you eat if you do eat smaller amounts of food, more frequently.

All of your"eating incidents" should include some type of protein and a healthy fat. I almost don't like to use the words"meals" and"snacks", because each one conjures up images of what is and is not ok for each. I encourage you to redefine, and to eat what works best for you. When we use those words, it is almost as if one kind of eating is when we're doing healthy,"good" stuff, and the other is when we try to sneak in the other stuff. Every time you eat is an opportunity to be good to yourself, so be sure you choose wisely.

If an energy bar is an easier breakfast for you than a traditional breakfast, then do it!

If a half sandwich before bedtime is more reasonable than something that feels like a sweet and may trigger binge eating, then do it!

It can be challenging to figure out what plan works best for you. Here are some scenarios that would tell you a smaller, more frequent eating pattern might work better for you:

--you wake up not feeling hungry. If you didn't binge the night before, this may mean your blood sugar bottomed out overnight and your stress hormones released sugar to compensate while you were sleeping. A high protein meal/snack shortly before bed might help prevent this from happening.

--you eat a healthy meal, and just as you're finishing up, you start to feel ravenous. In this case, your blood sugar levels are telling you there was a dip prior to dinner, and the food you just ate has not had a chance to fix the problem. The answer is not to eat more food in the moment (as it is tempting to do), but to add a protein/carb combination a few hours before dinner to stablize your blood sugar.

--you participate in physical activity. You're simply going to need more food, more often, since you are using more energy.

--your schedule is not 9 to 5. If you work hours that interfere with our culturally standard mealtimes, you may do better with smaller meals that do not interfere with sleep. This is a situation where prepackaged foods that you can throw in a backpack or briefcase could be the answer.

A PCOS-trained dietitian can help you to analyze your food preferences, your lifestyle, and your own personal blood glucose response to certain types of foods. Whatever approach you determine is best for you. As I said, every time you eat is an opportunity to treat yourself well. Don't miss out!

It's 2010! It's also the time for reflection and resolutions. Don't forget to give yourself credit for the positive! Often times we try a new behavior, food, or activity, and because it didn't create a miracle or immediate change, we discontinue it and assume it didn't work. The truth was, we didn't give the new choice an opportunity to take hold and unfold.

We also tend to make the same old resolutions revolving around diet and exercise. Rather than fall into that trap here, I came up with a list of 10 other, less obvious, but equally important things you can do to help manage your PCOS.

Here's to another year of PCOS outreach. I am grateful for all of the wonderful people this blog has brought into inCYST's world, and I look forward to more good times and new friendships!

1. Prioritize yourself.

Most of my clients are highly intelligent, accomplished, passionate, and creative. But what strikes me is how easily they devote all of that energy to others…and have trouble using it to benefit themselves. Make time for healthy behaviors. They're appointments with yourself that are equally as important as any appointments you make with your doctor. Your body is trying to tell you that if you deserve anything, it's time for self-care. Make 2010 the year you agree and take action!

2. Be informed.

Over the year I've become busy with Twitter. I am disturbed at the number of tweets promising miracle supplements and cures for PCOS. Even moreso, I am disturbed to see that these tweets are the ones tending to be most often retweeted. The tweets with the most logical, evidence-based advice…sit there largely unread. If"fixing" PCOS was as easy as taking a pill, it wouldn't affect one in ten women. Don't get caught up with anyone promising a miracle or a pill. You deserve better than that. Be sure that any advice you try has research and evidence behind it to support its validity.

3. Be gentle with yourself.

I don't allow my clients to use self-deprecating language, and I confront them on self-punitive behaviors. Every single one of you is special. You deserve respect, and you deserve to celebrate the many positive things about you the rest of us see. You're not broken, and you don't need to be fixed. What you need is for the rest of us in your world to support a positive self-image and to see your goodness on days when you have a hard time with that. Expect more of that and less of the"broken speak" and see what comes into your life.

4. Take responsibility.
You can spend hours and hours on the Internet. You can participate in chat rooms and support groups and share your story. OR…you can take action. Many women I've tried to help have been more invested in sharing their story and their misfortune than they have in learning how to change their fortune. Are you suffering from what I call"PCOS Paralysis"? Is your time devoted to keeping you stuck, or are you consistently trying new things and working to be consistent with the behaviors that work? You can't see change unless you implement change. One step at a time is good enough. Those steps eventually add up to make a difference.

5. Create a support network.

inCYSTer Stacey Whittle (Santa Monica, CA) recently shared this quote on her Facebook fan page: "In 2010 CHOOSE your friends. Do the people you invest much of your time with sharpen you and amplify your happiness/productiveness? You will take on the habits, attitudes, beliefs and even mannerisms of the people you surround yourself with." Look around you. Are you surrounded by people who support healthy change and who help you to add those changes in your life? Or are you expected to be a lone wolf in the middle of people who are stuck in the lifestyle that helped make you sick to begin with? Look for people who live the way you would like to, and spend more time with them.

6. Try something healthy.

It does no good to read about it, tweet about it, debate about it. You have to live it!

7. Persist.

Remember, the days you need to take care of yourself the most…are the days you least feel like it.

8. Turn off your technology and live!

There is only so much the Internet can do for you. The life that will turn your situation around, is the one that exists off of your computer/iPhone/television screen.

9. Get some sun.

It will increase your vitamin D levels, improve your melatonin metabolism, increase your activity, improve your mood, and give you some nature-based inspiration. It really works.

10. Celebrate your beauty.

You are not broken. You do not need to be fixed. Your beauty is about who you ARE. Not about what you could be. Celebrate it. Be proud of it. Don't wait until you lose weight/conceive/resolve your acne to take care of yourself. Take care of yourself first, and see what happens to your weight/fertility/skin. Make 2010 the year you take care of the beautiful person you are, the way you deserve to be taken care of!

The most common question I get as an Herbalista is, "What can I do to feel well again?" There are many things we can do to incorporate wellness in to our body, mind, soul, and earth and I use this 5-step acronym that I've developed to simply my options: FHEEL F= Food

The first step to feeling better is to examine what we're fueling up on. It tends to be in our best interested to avoid fried and fatty foods in general, but especially so for those of us with PCOS. Instead, aim to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and healthy proteins with some fruit, dairy, and whole grains sprinkled in. Try and get a rainbow-colored variety of foods in your diet, striving for more of the darker/richer colored foods (kale, spinach, dandelion greens, mustard green, collard greens, broccoli, beets, blackberries, blueberries, pomegranates, squashes, sweet potatoes, carrots) and less of the lighter and whiter foods (citrus, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, pastas, rice, sugar, white potatoes, butter, dairy).

H= Herbs

If a whole foods diet isn't giving you everything you need in the moment, adding herbs can help! Start with adding simple spices to your meals like garlic (detoxifying herb that is great for the digestive system), rosemary (supports the brain and is antibacterial), and ginger (supports the circulatory and digestive system and is helpful for migraines). Other culinary spices that are easy to incorporate are cinnamon, turmeric, pepper, fennel, cayenne, thyme, sage, and clove. I highly recommend talking with a Holistic Healthcare practitioner, Naturopath, Herbalist, or other trained botanical medicine professional about herbs that can be specifically helpful to your desired wellness goals.

E= Essences and Essential Oils

Both Flower Essences and Essentials Oils are lovely tools that really support more the emotional, spiritual, and mental journey of wellness. Flower Essences have no reaction to medications, allergies, children or pets and work specifically on our current state of emotions. There are as many brands as there are flowers, from all parts of the world, so please read up on the companies as well as the products before choosing an essence. Essential oils are potent blend of botanical oils that have specific methods of delivery. Because there are highly concentrated amounts of naturally occurring chemicals in essential oils, it is extremely important to handle them with an informed and delicate manner. As always, consult with an Aromatherapist or Flower Essence practitioner for recommendations.

E= Energy Therapies and Exercise

When there still seems to be components of our wellness that need some extra attention, energy therapies and exercise can be very beneficial. Research the many benefits of Massage Therapy, Yoga, Acupuncture, Reiki, Polarity, Reflexology, Circuit Training, and many other healing arts and fitness programs. With any area of wellness, there are both reputable, competent companies and practitioners of theses energy therapies, as well as not so reputable nor competent companies and practitioners. Choose wisely after researching local resources in your community. I like to ask where they received their training from, how long have they have been in practice, and also what the whole process is from start to finish before signing up or paying for an appointment. Other energy therapies and exercises that can be helpful are: meditation/prayer, affirmations, journaling, hypnotherapy, life coaching, joining a gym/health club, getting a personal trainer, and dance styles like zumba/jazzercise/ballroom/swing/two-step and line dancing.

L= Lifestyle Changes

Making some more intense changes in lifestyle habits may be necessary in order to achieved our desired wellness goals. Most often, habits like smoking, drinking, eating too much fast food or snacks, not exercising, drinking soda and sugary beverages,and having too much or too little sleep can tremendously impact the state of our health. When setting your wellness goals, really emphasize the reasons for choosing those specific goals and concentrate on those reasons during the challenging moments. Tell your friends and family about your wellness goals the lifestyle changes you are making to help keep you accountable and motivate you during the ups and downs. Create a vision board or goal chart to showcase your progress. There are many tools and apps available to help you at any age or stage of wellness and life so identify those goals, develop a route to wellness, seek advice if you need help meeting those goals and chart your progress to see how well you're doing and how close you are to meeting and exceeding those goals!

I leave you with this last tidbit to remember, words of wisdom I try to live by: Wellness is a Journey, Not a Destination. Strive for Progress, Not Perfection… Know that every step, every breath, and each moment counts as progress, so long as we consciously choose to be well.

~Choose to be and"fheel" well-- The Herbalista

I've had two different clients share a similar observation in the last couple of weeks, and I thought I'd write about it since it's not uncommon to feel this way in early recovery.

First of all, I want to share with you an article on depression that was recently in the Boston Globe.

This article presents the argument that depression is not about a deficiency of neurotransmitters that need to be balanced with medication, but rather, a condition in which neurons are dying a slow death and gradually losing their function. I've had this premise for awhile; it is the basis of my treatment philosophy for PCOS. Fish oil is the best compound nature has for restoring life to neurons, and when you put it into your diet, the brain begins to function again.

My two clients have both observed that as they began taking fish oil, they felt more alert and their memory and concentration seemed to be better. Signs that Elvis is back in the building!

These two clients also observed, though, that they were feeling more emotional. Not all emotions, especially anger and sadness, are easy to feel. So when you begin to feel these emotions, it can feel like things are getting"worse", not better.

Keep in mind, when neurons are malnourished, that means ALL neurons stop functioning, not just the ones affecting memory. The ones affecting emotion, the ones affecting appetite, and the ones affecting hormones.

If you've had PCOS, your hormones have not been functioning as they should, perhaps for a very long time. And that means you've not had the experience other women have, of fluctuating energy, emotions, you name it. Those fluctuations are normal!

So I often get the question,"What can I do?" The most important advice I can give is, be patient with yourself. Become used to what it means to truly cycle. Get to know what a healthy body feels like. It means it is normal to feel bloated, even constipated, just before your period. Your weight might fluctuate. The cycle should be around 28 days when you're back on track, and every single day within that 28 days may feel different. There may be no such thing as getting on the scale and weighing the same thing every single day.

With regard to your emotions, perhaps as your brain becomes more aware, this is an opportunity to experience what emotions might be about. Emotions are messages from the brain, telling you how you are with regard to balance, and what you need to do to restore balance if it isn't there. Anger is often a clue that a boundary has been violated. Loneliness means you need to seek companionship of some sort. Fear suggests that you need to remove yourself from danger. If they didn't feel uncomfortable, you would not be motivated to engage in behaviors that keep you healthy and safe. So rather than running from emotions, embrace them! They're telling you that your health is returning and things are getting back to normal.

PCOS is so hormone driven that emotions end up on the back burner. Excesses of androgens and stress hormones put anxiety and anger in control. But if you find that these feelings are persistent and do not wane after time, or that they seem to be there even when nothing in your life can explain them, they may be signs of hormone excesses and not really environmentally or event-stimulated emotions. When your hormones have you constantly revved up, it can feel strange to not have that kind of energy rush.

I couldn't figure out why, when I first started recommending yoga to clients, they would come back after one class and tell me they hated it. I figured out eventually, that yoga slowed their bodies down but their heads were still spinning. And being pinned to the floor in a yoga pose while your head is thinking angry thoughts can be a very uncomfortable place to be. Those clients got the same advice I'm giving you. Give the new changes some time. Don't abandon your new lifestyle because it initially feels uncomfortable. It's been a long time since your body has felt normal. Be gentle with your self and get to know/understand that"normal" involves hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly cycles. There is no such thing as being the same weight, temperature, size, or temperament every single minute of every single day.

Our philosophy is a little different than what many physicians will have you do. We're not trying to control your hormones, your weight, or even your diet. We're not trying to force a cycle, a pregnancy, or a clothing size. We're guiding you toward healthy choices that allow your body to be in balance. Sometimes giving up control, and letting the body speak to you instead of the other way around, is the absolute best way to get there.

So if things seem a little chaotic and you feel like you're charting uncharted territory, welcome to the world of female physiology! Ask questions, observe, and embrace the wonderful lesson you're learning, that your body will heal if you let it. There is no such thing as being past the point of no return or"stuck" where you are.

I am so excited about this! Over the years I have been meeting great small businesses offering thoughtful, spectacular products with potential to improve health. These companies consistently battle a series of small business woes, most especially how to consistently grow without having to jump from Mom and Pop status to major market presence and not lose their shirts. It frustrates me very much, watching how many searches for these products bring people to our blog, knowing that these people may have stopped searching with us because they got tired of clicking.
I wanted to create a bridge that brought these entrepreneurial types within reach of the enthusiastic customers who can help them grow and succeed.

So I've developed the inCYST eMarket, designed to help the best of the best to promote their products directly through us. You know, if it shows up in our store, it's been evaluated and fits with our mission, to support a lifestyle that is healthy for the planet AND its citizens. Most of the companies are small to medium sized, most were created with promoting better health as part of their mission, many are eventually going to be household names, if given a chance to brand and create a presence within the budget that their small business allows for. Many will be food products, but some will be personal care, others will focus on home and garden.

I envisioned, if I had the ability to bring my favorite business people together at my own market, who would be occupying the stalls. These people are pretty busy in their own worlds, wearing the multiple hats required in a startup endeavor, so this is a way for them to come together without having to leave their local operations.

That is where all of you come in. You're looking for great, healthy products. You're willing to spend money on them. You just don't know where to look. Or, you may know where to look, but aren't sure what you are seeing has validity. So we wanted to take the work out of it for you.

To encourage you to patronize our new store, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we're going to allocate 100% of the profits earned by this store, to the new inCYST Research Institute. Thereafter, 20% of the profits will be allocated. I'm hoping that this will take care of the burden of the startup costs we're incurring, so that the majority of the money the fundraisers you all are organizing and participating in, can be directly devoted to research.

I love farmer's markets, and I envision this as being somewhat of an e-farmer's Market, specializing in valid hormone-friendly products we hope you are excited to try.

Starting tomorrow, for the rest of the week, we'll be posting information about each of the companies participating in our initial launch. This week we'll be featuring: Zing Bars, Ibitta, Arizona Mesquite Company, and Oila. We'll update you from time to time about new products and how they may be of interest to you.

If you can't wait until Monday for the detailed product information to start posting, feel free to check us out and browse around at this link!

We're excited to be able to involve our hard-working colleagues in the food, personal care, and design industries in our quest to make it easier for all of you to reap the benefits of an eco-hormone-friendly lifestyle.

It's Earth Month 2011, a good time to think about our connection to things much bigger than ourselves. It's easy to become overwhelmed when thinking about a problem as daunting as infertility, and to narrow your focus down to what you need to do to fix your personal problem. Nothing else can seem to matter except your own hormones.

At inCYST, one of our most important missions is to help our readers understand, that the reason many people these days are struggling with infertility, is because our unsustainable lifestyle has changed the balance on our planet. The more respect with which we treat the earth, the better the earth treats us.

I was thinking about this yesterday while running on the canal trail behind my home. I've been waiting several weeks for the baby ducks to come and they finally arrived! My run is so much more enjoyable when I can watch the little fluffballs swimming behind their mother, learning how to swim, how to dive for food, how to preen. I never cease to be amazed at how these ducks just seem to know how to do what they do.

Something that biologists are learning is that other species are having trouble reproducing as well. We've put chemicals in the water they drink, we've put pesticides in the food chain, we've encroached on their breeding grounds…and they're paying a heavy price. The only difference is, they don't have reproductive doctors and nutritionists to guide them to better fertility. Their populations decline and we lose them.

So when I was admiring the fuzzballs I thought a lot about how inCYST is about more than helping all of you. Though that's important!

It's about rallying all of you to adopt lifestyle choices that benefit EVERYONE on the planet, no matter the genus, no matter the species. I hope that this is a value that gradually blends into your pursuit of personal health.

Speaking of sustainable living as a value, we had a wonderful radio chat yesterday with Julia Bucciero of Maxim Hygiene, makers of organic, all cotton, pesticide-free, chlorine and dioxin-free feminine hygiene and personal care products. If you had not thought about the opportunity for hormone imbalance your current personal care purchases poses, it's time you should.

And consider what unnecessary amount of plastic accumulates in landfills and floats down waterways when we make certain choices! You can make a hormone-friendly, 100% biodegradable choice and with that, make a difference.

Maxim Hygiene has created a product that makes personal sense for women with PCOS, and an opportunity for each of us to live more sustainably.

If you can't find these products in your local store, be sure to contact Maxim Hygiene and let them know. They're happy to work with stores to increase their product availability. I found them on amazon.com if you prefer to purchase them online.

It can help to feel less personally picked on when you take a step back and understand how a bigger imbalance may be affecting your personal imbalance. The best way out of that corner, is to collectively start making choices that promote balance outside, as well as within, ourselves.

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!

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!

If you or someone you know is an employee of Sony Pictures Studios, and you've been looking for someone to talk to about nutrition and lifestyle approaches for any of the following situations:

better skin
insomnia and sleep disorders
infertility
obesity
gastric bypass surgery
hypertension
high cholesterol
metabolic syndrome X
irritable bowel syndrome
eating disorders

Come to the Sony Pictures Studios Health and Wellness Fair and meet Dori Zerlin, MS, RD

Dori will be offering free nutrition consultations on the following dates, for the following issues:

July 8, 2008 12 pm — 4 pm Nutrition and Healthy Skin
August 5, 2008 12 pm — 4 pm Nutrition for Better Sleep
September 9, 2008 12 pm — 4 pm Ideas for Healthy Dining Out

To meet Dori, and/or sign up for one of these free sessions or arrange for a personal consultation, visit the Sony Pictures Studios Athletic Club, Tuesday, June 10, 2008, between 11:00 am and 2:30 pm.

If you can't make this event and you would like to make an appointment with Dori, contact her at dzerlin@gmail.com.

If you’re a new reader of this blog, or you’ve got a new diagnosis, you are probably starting to realize that there are some changes you need to make if you’re going to be healthy while living with PCOS. Or perhaps you already knew that, or have had the diagnosis for a while, but you’ve been lurking here, just thinking about the idea of change, and not actually committing to change. That’s even an earlier stage in making change that is called pre-contemplation, where you haven’t begun to think about change (but typically, someone else, like your therapist, knows you need to change).

Change conjures up all sorts of feelings. For some, there’s a feeling of excitement and hopefulness. For others, there is sadness about leaving behind a lifestyle, a set of choices, some favorite foods, or a particular relationship or way of functioning. There may be fear about facing the unknown, lacking the knowledge to proceed in a healthy or effective way, or about how your life will rearrange as a result of the conscious changes that you’re making.

When it comes to the areas of exercise and dietary management, all of these issues and more may arise. If your situation is further complicated by depression, anxiety, or an eating disorder, it’s even more complicated. Depression may leave you lethargic and unmotivated; with your brain craving a rebalancing of serotonin, you may be consuming excess carbohydrates to try to fix the balance. Anxiety can escalate to such a place that any idea of change leads to fear and freezing; there seems to be safety in staying in one place, even if it’s an uncomfortable place. And of course, if you’ve got a history of eating disordered behavior, and it’s “working” for you, to keep your weight contained, then the trepidation factor may be enormous.

Here are some things about change that it may be helpful to think about, whether you’re in pre-contemplation, contemplation, or the actual process of creating the change:

• It’s your body, and your decisions. You own them; no one else does.
• You can change your mind at any time. If you’ve started down a certain path, and you really hate it, or it doesn’t appear to be producing results, it’s generally not a lifetime commitment (exceptions come to mind, like having a hysterectomy, or getting a tattoo).
• Medical, dietary, and psychological theory is continuously evolving, and you should be re-evaluating on an ongoing basis anyway.
• There’s no shame in trying. The shame comes from not loving yourself enough to never start trying.
• It really does take practice to produce change. Do some research on how to create that continuity. You may need to schedule exercise into your calendar at a certain time every day (when I was diagnosed with early onset Type II diabetes in 1998, I wasn’t exercising much at all, and I would literally schedule myself to walk for TEN MINUTES a day; every other week, I added five minutes to that time, until I reached 75 minutes a day, and had lost 72 pounds), join a group that meditates (they’ll teach and support you, and keep you accountable), or keep a food log (more accountability!) in order to adhere to whatever program of positive change you’ve devised for yourself.
• There are many people who will support you in creating the change you desire, and a number of them are found right here, at the inCYST community. Seek their help. You’ll be surprised how much support you can find online.
• If you’re trapped in a paralyzing fear, or find yourself repeating negative patterns, or quitting quickly time after time, there may be a deeper psychological issue at play. It’s worth a consultation with a health psychologist or other therapist to assess your behavioral patterns and choice-making skills.

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.