The Hemp Connection [Search results for positive] 

What is hopelessness? Simply, it is a loss of hope and optimism, and a failure of belief that the future will be brighter and better. Hopelessness takes your energy and trashes it. It contributes to and even defines depression to a great extent. When you’re feeling hopeless, that’s often a point at which you give up trying to do anything, and it all gets worse. Sound familiar?

Life in general is pretty stressful. We’ve all got a giant list of “shoulds” in our heads already, about family, romantic partners, children, work, religious and social commitments, and a myriad of other things. We’ve got bedrooms to paint, dinners to make, children to shuttle around, bosses to satisfy, cars to wash, craft projects to complete, vacations to plan, and chin hairs to pluck! My goodness, we are busy! The list is endless.

Add PCOS to all of that, with the reminders about proper eating, exercise, supplementation, fertility enhancement techniques, stress reduction, and everything else, and you’ve got a big old heap of overwhelm festering in your brain. That’s your brain, by the way, that’s already over-taxed by the hormonal imbalances caused by PCOS – so it’s a double whammy. You may already be feeling sluggish and lethargic mentally, and now there’s even more you’re supposed to read, understand, absorb, interpret, and apply. And it’s feeling like you can’t possibly master this condition, or ever really have a perfect plan (or even a half-way decent plan that’s effective) for managing it.

I want you to know that PCOS doesn’t just feel overwhelming, stressful, and depressing – it actually is overwhelming, stressful, and depressing. It’s entirely normal to get overwhelmed by it, be angry at it, ignore it, hate it and everything associated with it, and just want to wake up and find that it’s disappeared. It’s also normal to be bored, irritated, and not want to cope at all. And it’s normal to struggle with it, find some peace and balance, and then struggle some more.

In the struggle, you may find a place to focus on that actually has some positive aspects to it, and that will allow you to shift your attitude, and shift out of hopelessness. Your mind is a powerful thing, and a source for positive thoughts as well as negative ones. It’s pretty clear that focusing on negative thoughts produces more negative thinking – but the same is true of positive thoughts. That’s why it’s often recommended to focus on what’s good in your life, as a way of starting the shift toward the positive. In support of that concept, next week’s “Mental Health Monday” post will be about the upside of PCOS.

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 invite her to speak at your event, please visit her website at http://www.drhousemd.com/, or e-mail her at Gretchen@drhousemd.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @askdrhousemd

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.

Yes, some of us encounter circumstances that bring things we want, our way, a little more easily than they come to others. However, much of what we perceive as"luck", is the manifestation of a collection of prudent choices we've made, coming together to provide us with positive circumstances.

As a dietitian and exercise physiologist, I have lost count of the times that I've heard a client say,"But look at you. You're lucky. You don't have to worry about your weight like I do."

That's complete and total magical thinking, ladies. Some of the choices I make that play a part in what these clients see:

--exercise, sometimes walking, sometimes time at the gym…regardless of what it is, a commitment to being physically active, even on days when I don't feel like it. In fact, more commitment on the days that I don't, because that's when I need it the most.

--certain foods that simply don't come home in my grocery basket. Doesn't mean I don't eat them, but it does mean I don't set myself up to eat too much of them by allowing their colorful packages to stare me in the face every time I walk into the kitchen.

--associating with people whose goals for themselves are consistent with my own health goals. I tend not to stay out too late at parties because I value my sleep, I enjoy being active but also going to museums. I have friends who allow me to be balanced, rather than obsessive in any direction. Friends whose lives revolve around foods I know I shouldn't overindulge in, are not friends I can spend a whole lot of time with and maintain an expectation that I can be healthy.

--spending time with animals and nature to restore my energy reserves.

All of this takes commitment. I'm not known as the Party Girl in my circle. I'm actually kind of a nerd. But I have awesome family and friends, tasty food in my kitchen, I laugh and love a lot, and I fall asleep easily at the end of a day when I've worked hard on inCYST as well as my own physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health.

What my clients see is not a lucky person who never lifts a finger or never sacrifices, but a person who invests in health, who gets a return on her investment for the effort, and who wants everyone she aspires to help to join her on that journey.

I've never offered the idea that somewhere in all of this you're going to arrive at a place where you won't ever have to make responsible choices. But I do want you to trust that when you make responsible, self-nurturing choices, things that used to elude you suddenly show up on the radar. And I want to show you how it's done.

On that note, here is a recipe from the South for black-eyed peas. They are traditionally eaten on New Year's Day for good luck. But they happen to be high in protein and fiber, excellent for hormones, and a proactive choice you can make to invest in your own health. One small, positive step is a most excellent building block for bringing more positive energy your way.

See you next year!

If possible, use fresh basil in the dressing for this easy salad.

Ingredients:

•3 cups canned or cooked black-eyed peas (2 15-ounce cans, drained)

•1/4 teaspoon salt

•1/2 cup finely chopped onion

•1/2 cup finely chopped celery

•1 small sweet red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

•.

•Basil Dressing

•1/4 cup cider vinegar

•3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried

•2 to 3 medium cloves garlic, crushed

•1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

•1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

•1/4 teaspoon salt

•1 cup olive oil

•fresh basil or parsley for garnish

Preparation:

In a serving bowl combine black-eyed peas, 1/4 teaspoon salt, chopped onion, celery, and green pepper. Set aside.

In a small bowl or other container, whisk together the vinegar, basil, garlic, sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil until the dressing is well blended. You can use a blender for this step, if desired.

In a medium bowl, combine the black-eyed peas, the chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, and basil dressing. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve with a garnish of fresh parsley or basil, if desired.

Serves 6.

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!

Let’s be real – sometimes life feels like an endless series of problems. The dog gets sick all over the freshly cleaned carpet, your car needs a $450 repair, the report you thought was due on Friday is actually due on Wednesday and you haven’t started it yet, and your mother-in-law wants to come stay with you for “a little while” while her house gets redecorated. Your best friend’s mammogram has been flagged as worrisome, it seems like you might be developing an allergy to peanuts, and it seems pretty clear that you actually do have a colony of termites devouring the entire back third of your house. Isn’t life grand?!

You could have a few drinks, smoke your way through an eighth of weed, eat all the carbs you can get your hands on, run off to Bora Bora, quit your job, or leave your spouse. Sure, that would take care of the immediate problems. But then you’d have a whole new set of problems, because problems abound in life. You’d be wondering about finding a new mate, a new house, whether or not you’ve gained five pounds, or looking up the definition of an alcoholic.

If, instead, you were to sit yourself down firmly in the midst of your problems and really own them, you might find your perspective changing, the problems diminishing, or even discover that you have much more capacity to handle them than you ever thought possible. Even problems that initially seem insurmountable – getting diagnosed HIV-positive, having an eviction notice plastered on your front door, or finding out that your spouse has been cheating on you – can be made manageable. In your panic, your creativity is squelched and your perspective narrows and hardens.

Go ahead – make a list of ALL your problems – right now! It’s pretty long, right? Now take that same list, and counter every problem with a solution or a positive:

I just got laid off. I hated that job anyway.

My kid’s got ADHD. There are medications that can manage it.

I accidentally threw away important documents. They’re backed-up on the cloud.

It’s raining on my outdoor wedding. We can move inside and have a much more intimate event.

If you can’t do this exercise by yourself, ask for help. Your spouse, best friend, teacher, or yoga classmate may be amazing resources, and see things quite differently than you do in the moment.

I’m not trying to turn you into a Pollyanna. I AM trying to demonstrate the power of positive thinking, and the energy of creativity, resourcefulness, and connection. When you’re overwhelmed with a laundry list of problems, slow down, break it down, and revise your vision, your hopes, and your expectations. Your problems won’t disappear, but your stress level is virtually guaranteed to go down.

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.

Source: iwishihadanocean.tumblr.com via Christine on Pinterest

In my psychotherapy practice, I hear comments like these every day. Many of my clients have low self-esteem, and run a constant stream of mental verbal abuse. It may stem from an abusive background (the things their parents said to them are embedded at this point), frustrating health conditions that are difficult to manage, or having a tendency to find unhealthy relationships. Not knowing how to create change is another reason for this kind of self-talk. Lots of things can trigger self-abuse, and it usually doesn’t take much. Many of us are all too good at starting the litany of self-abuse. For some of us, it’s a 24 hour a day practice.

What is the result of this constant barrage of mean, unproductive, and even cruel commentary? Feeling bad goes to feeling worse, depression is exacerbated, motivation decreases, and sometimes an eating, drinking, spending, or sexual binge is set off because a woman feels and thinks, “What’s the point? I can’t change. This is too hard. I’ll never figure it out. This isn’t worth it. I’m not worth it.”

I want you to stop beating yourself up – NOW. There are enough negatives coming in from external sources (bad grades, an unappreciative spouse, kids who walk all over you, the competitive types at the gym who sneer at your efforts, the not-so-subtle one-upmanship of your friend who has a much larger clothing budget, etc.). You need to combat all of that with positive self-talk, and a commitment to deleting the negative statements from your vocabulary. Every time you start with the negative self-talk, write it down, and immediately counter it in writing with a positive statement. For example:

• “I look like crap” becomes “I have some extra weight because of my PCOS, but I’ve made huge improvements in my diet and exercise program – and I’m getting there. And I still dress really cute. That matters.”

• “I’m stupid” is countered with “I’m smart, and there’s lots of evidence to prove it – I had a 3.9 GPA, and three people (name them) told me I was smart in the last month.”

• “I don’t know how to be happy” gets countered with “happiness is a process, and I’m taking important steps to achieve it, like journaling, going to therapy, and keeping a gratitude list.”

Your language is powerful, and it’s a choice. It impacts your sense of well-being, productivity, and even your health. By choosing positive language for your self-talk, it also shifts your interactions with other people. More importantly, it shifts your sense of self, and improves your self-esteem. Only you have the power to do that.

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.

There’s been a great deal of attention lately to the practice of “positive psychology,” which focuses on optimism, gratitude, and creating hopefulness. Some of us are optimists by nature, while some are pessimists. Either can be learned, and there are some advantages to each approach. Personally, I veer toward the optimistic side, which informs my clinical practice. Quite often, when people seek therapy, they are feeling hopeless, helpless, and not even remotely optimistic. They’re depressed, anxious, and out of sorts. If they’ve got PCOS, there’s a good chance that their moods are more easily affected by stress than those of other folks. They don’t know how to handle what’s going on in their lives effectively. The smallest stressors send them out of synch. If they are, by nature, the pessimistic type, they often feel validated in their suffering. They believe that they deserve to feel bad, that life isn’t fair, and that there’s very little that can be done to improve things. And yet, they show up. I see the act of showing up as an act of bravery, and the indicator that there is some hope to be found, even if it’s hidden away. What I look for is the tiniest hint – a mere pinprick of light in an otherwise bleak landscape – that indicates a positive potential lies inside my client. It may take some digging, and perhaps some persuading and negotiating, but if we can find just the tiniest thing to be positive or hopeful about, it is encouraging, and it’s something we can build on in their therapy. Sometimes I have to plant a few seeds and it takes a very long time for those seeds to germinate. In the therapy, I keep watering the seeds, fertilizing them, and cultivating the ground until it’s fertile enough to support their growth. Sometimes, the ground is weak, under-nourished, or even toxic from years of damaging abuse, violence, depression, and unhealthy relationships. That may mean that I need to hold hope for the client until she can hold it for herself. My relentless optimism, a double-edged sword (because sometimes I mainly see the good where there is a great deal of bad) is a tool here. Clients occasionally wonder, given what they present to me, how I could possibly find a bright spot in any of it. I’m not sure precisely how I do it, but I guess that it comes from having an intention of finding hope, and a keen eye for the openings. Years of practice tells me that it works. When you’re frustrated to the ends of the earth and back, and you really can’t believe that anything will ever change, and you’ve got a list of dark, negative things that you’re focusing on, you’ll continue to identify with the pessimistic aspects of yourself. But if you can find that one tiny seed, and focus on it every day, it will begin to grow. Your mood and attitude are like the sunshine that every garden plot needs. Remember though that darkness is a necessary part of the germination process. The sun doesn’t have to shine on a seedling all day long to make it do its thing. You don’t either. 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.

We get many questions about hemp, and its value as a protein and omega-3 source. Time to learn some more.

Here are the basic nutrition facts about hemp, calculated for a 1 tbsp serving.

Calories: 80
Fat: 5 grams
Carbohydrate: 3.5 grams
Protein 5.5 grams

POSITIVE: To put that into perspective, a tablespoon of hemp seed has about the same amount of fat as a teaspoon of butter or oil, plus slightly less protein than an ounce of meat. So as far as fat choices, it's going to give you more nutritional bang for your buck than a pure fat source. That protein is also a complete protein, too!

WARNING: Beware of those calories, though! Someone who commented on the Livestrong.com website where I got this information shared that he puts 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds on his cereal every morning. That is 240 calories, which if not removed from elsewhere in the diet, is the equivalent, over a year, of 25 pounds' worth of calories. If you ADD hemp to your diet, be sure you've accounted for it by REMOVING less calorically dense/nutritious food choices.

POSITIVE: With respect to fatty acid profile, the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of hemp averages 3:1. This is favorable, as it is lower than the recommended total dietary ratio of 4:1.

WARNING: As hemp is a vegetarian source of omega-3, it provides ALA. It does not contain EPA or DHA, which are primarily found in seafood. Some of the ALA found in hemp will be converted into EPA and DHA, but not in the quantities we have found to be of therapeutic value for PCOS. If you want to use hemp in your diet, it is certainly beneficial, but it does not replace the need for the other omega-3's.

POSITIVE: Hemp contains gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), which can be helpful for some skin conditions, including atopic dermatitis.

WARNING: GLA tends to work best when it is not overwhelmed with omega-6 fatty acids. In other words, if you have a skin condition, and you want to try GLA as a remedy, you are most likely to achieve good results if you cut back on your total omega-6 fatty acid intake (safflower, sunflower, soybean, sesame, corn, and cottonseed oil).

You could say the bottom line with hemp, as with any other food, is that if it is used judiciously and respectfully and not layered onto an unhealthy diet that needs some tuning up, it can be a tool toward better hormone balance.

But it is not a miracle food that will allow you to continue with unhealthy dietary indiscretions without consequence.

For those who are concerned about the THC content of hemp: in order to ingest enough industrial hemp to get 'a buzz', you would have to consume the the equivalent of 2-3 doses of a high-fiber laxative. Thanks to the North American Industrial Hemp Council for that little tidbit!

For starters, here is a recipe for hemp pancakes. As you can see, the oil has been removed and replaced with hemp seed. That is the way hemp should be used; as a fat alternative, not as an additional fat. It could probably be used in many recipes where you are using ground flax seed, with similar results.

Here are some sample hemp food products available at amazon.com

For more information about the history, politics, and nutritional analysis of hemp, beyond the direct pertinence of hemp to PCOS, try this article on Dr. Bronner's website.

Every superhero has a superpower:

• Leaping over tall buildings in a single bound!
• Flying without mechanical assistance!
• X-ray vision!
• Breathing for extended periods under water!
• Becoming invisible!

When I was a child, the superpower I wanted most was to be able to shrink down to about one inch tall, so that I could observe the world without being observed. Although that would still be fun, if I had a superpower now, I would want it to be wiping people clean of mental and physical illness and disease. I wish I had a magical capacity to briefly join energetic forces with my clients, and quickly relieve them of what ails them.

And yet, I am a mere human, so I have to deal with my very human limitations. Since I don’t have a superpower, I apply the capacities I do have – empathy, understanding, relating, connecting, validating, offering technical and scientific education, and utilizing my intuition, among other tools – to the practice of psychotherapy. Although remarkable changes can occur quite quickly in therapy, in reality, it’s not magic, and it’s a process that can take months or even years.

The superpower I have as a therapist though is one that you can use yourself. It’s called reframing, and it’s the practice of taking a negative statement and changing it around into something positive, containing elements of optimism. For example:

• “I have really bad hypoglycemia, and now I have to use this stupid glucose monitor to check my sugars and make sure they’re not too low” BECOMES “I have a special machine that allows me to track my sugars and prevent hypoglycemia, so I feel really good most of the time.”

• “I have to go the doctor every three months for tests related to my PCOS, and I hate going to the doctor!” BECOMES “I have the opportunity to monitor my health closely, and prevent complications.”

• “This disease makes me miserable” BECOMES “I have a chronic condition, AND I can manage it effectively.”

See how the first statement in each example contains elements of negativity, fatalism, pessimism, and victimhood? The counter-statements – the reframes – cite a benefit or positive outcome, and take an assertive stance about owning the quality of your life.

Reframing isn’t useful just for therapists, or women with PCOS, or people with chronic medical conditions. It’s useful in all aspects of your life. Once you start reshaping your language, your thoughts will change, and so will your actions. So it’s not exactly a superpower… I'm okay with that, because it’s a highly effective tool to incorporate into your life.

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.

This question comes up from time to time, and since inCYST is so big on flaxseed, it's a good idea to have information at your fingertips.

Around the Internet, caution regarding the use of flax while pregnant is easy to find. The rationale for this caution is that mothers and fetuses are especially sensitive to hormones.

The Internet is also full of advice from flaxseed manufacturers promoting its use, because it can be converted to DHA, which as this blog consistently discusses, is crucial for conception, pregnancy, and development of a healthy baby.

Neither of those assertions is totally correct.

I dove into Pub Med last night and looked for any research to support the advice against flax during pregnancy. I couldn't find it. What I DID find was a whole host of animal studies, primarily done on pigs and cows, with mostly positive findings. It's always important to remember that animal studies do not always extrapolate completely to humans, but they do give us an idea of what's going on.

Effects of flaxseed consumption during pregnancy (again, in pigs and cows) included:
--healthier immune systems in babies
--better growth in babies
--after having one baby, a shorter time to ovulation (restored fertility)
--breast milk with a higher omega-3 fatty acid content and a lower omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio
--higher brain omega-3 content in babies
--increased levels of EPA, another omega-3 important for prostaglandin function and healthy blood clotting
--higher pregnancy rates
--larger follicle size
--higher conception rates
--lower miscarriage rates
--higher progesterone levels

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS
While I'm always excited to report positive links between nutrition and fertility, you all should know when I look through the research I am actually searching hard for the BAD news. This is such a high-risk specialty! The very last thing I would want to do is encourage our readers to make choices leading to frustration, disappointment, heartache, and loss of our own credibility. So I want to make it clear, the benefits of flax can be achieved only if it's used with respect.

Flax cannot replace fish oil. Some flax supplement manufacturers promote its use because it is converted into DHA and therefore can be used as a supplement for flax. Not true! The studies I perused found different effects for both, meaning you need both in your diet.

If your diet is imbalanced, flax won't make up for it. One study I found showed that when protein intake was low, flax supplementation was not beneficial. This would be a scenario not uncommon with our vegetarian readers, if their definition of vegetarian eating focuses more on what to eliminate rather than what to include, or is the remnant of an eating disorder. As always, supplements work best in a well-nourished environment; they cannot replace balanced, nourished eating.

Finally, if you choose to use flax…IT MUST BE GROUND. In other words, the flaxseed tortilla chips at Trader Joe's were not what made these studies work.: )

I've heavily referenced this post to save the skeptics the work.

I hope you find this helpful!

Rao SS, Kale AA, Joshi SR, Mahadik SP. Sensitivity of fetus and pups to excess levels of maternal intakes of alpha linolenic acid at marginal protein levels in Wistar rats. Reprod Toxicol. 2007 Nov-Dec;24(3-4):333-42. Epub 2007 Jul 28.
Yu B, Khan G, Foxworth A, Huang K, Hilakivi-Clarke L. Maternal dietary exposure to fiber during pregnancy and mammary tumorigenesis among rat offspring. Int J Cancer. 2006 Nov 15;119(10):2279-86.
Ambrose DJ, Kastelic JP, Corbett R, Pitney PA, Petit HV, Small JA, Zalkovic P. Lower pregnancy losses in lactating dairy cows fed a diet enriched in alpha-linolenic acid. J Dairy Sci. 2006 Aug;89(8):3066-74.

Petit HV, Twagiramungu H. Conception rate and reproductive function of dairy cows fed different fat sources. Theriogenology. 2006 Sep 15;66(5):1316-24. Epub 2006 Jun 2.
Farmer C, Giguère A, Lessard M. Dietary supplementation with different forms of flax in late gestation and lactation: Effects on sow and litter performances, endocrinology, and immune response. J Anim Sci. 2010 Jan;88(1):225-37. Epub 2009 Sep 25.

Colazo MG, Hayirli A, Doepel L, Ambrose DJ. Reproductive performance of dairy cows is influenced by prepartum feed restriction and dietary fatty acid source. J Dairy Sci. 2009 Jun;92(6):2562-71.
Farmer C, Petit HV. Effects of dietary supplementation with different forms of flax in late-gestation and lactation on fatty acid profiles in sows and their piglets. J Anim Sci. 2009 Aug;87(8):2600-13. Epub 2009 Apr 24.
Brazle AE, Johnson BJ, Webel SK, Rathbun TJ, Davis DL. Omega-3 fatty acids in the gravid pig uterus as affected by maternal supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids. J Anim Sci. 2009 Mar;87(3):994-1002. Epub 2008 Nov 7.

Galbreath CW, Scholljegerdes EJ, Lardy GP, Odde KG, Wilson ME, Schroeder JW, Vonnahme KA. Effect of feeding flax or linseed meal on progesterone clearance rate in ovariectomized ewes.
Domest Anim Endocrinol. 2008 Aug;35(2):164-9. Epub 2008 Jun 5.

Something pretty exciting is happening at inCYST. We've been quietly building a private discussion group for paid members of inCYST, where we talk in more depth about issues important to PCOS. It turns out, those who have been willing to invest in themselves (it's a $25 yearly membership), are quite a motivated and positive group. They've been very encouraging toward each other, sharing ideas for food, fitness, asking questions based on reading they have done independently…it's quite a different group compared to many that exist on the Internet.

As this group of positive, action-oriented women has grown, I've shifted the public Facebook group, approaching 2000 members, toward being a more generic forum, more focused on motivation. We realize one of the biggest barriers to PCOS success is depression, anxiety, and lack of motivation. Unless those are directly addressed, it really doesn't matter what kind of diet, exercise, supplement, or medical information is provided.

Yesterday, the women in the private group, on their own, came forward and asserted their need to not be around the defeatist attitude they had encountered in other online groups, as they felt it held them back from their own progress. The confidence they demonstrated was exciting to see (you can see it on our Facebook page if you want).

I've since named them the Kick Butt Cysters, because that's what they are doing. Kicking PCOS in the butt!

If you're someone who's been feeling dragged down from being surrounded by people who are not at least as equally motivated as you to make changes, you may want to consider joining the group. For that $25 membership you also get our webinar on our nutrition philosophy.

I'll give you a heads up right now, I've given the KBC's (Kick Butt Cysters) the go-ahead to call out anyone who they feel is not up to speed with them. They have no obligation to invest in anyone who is not investing in herself. So it's not a good idea to join if you think somehow you'll magically absorb PCOS success simply by hanging out with motivated people but don't intend to do anything yourself. The KBC's mean business and you had better as well if you want to be in their group.

If it sounds like something you could benefit from, simply send me $25 via Paypal to germandesertgirl@yahoo.com. I'll get you set up.

I think you might find, it feels pretty good to kick some PCOS butt. Hope to hear from you!

OK, so today really sucks. You woke up, you noticed a couple of new hairs on your chin, your pregnancy test was negative, you tried to put on your nicest skirt for that important business meeting and it was too tight to zip, a pregnant mom with a stroller passed in front of your car as you waited at the light, and your first phone call at work was from an angry customer demanding to speak to your manager. And you're exhausted because you slept so poorly last night.

Time for a donut?

Only if you choose.

Here are some facts about binge eating.

1. It is a form of self-medication.

2. It works in the short term…but over time, it actually changes your biochemistry in such a way that it increases, not decreases, your anxiety.

3. For most women with PCOS, it's the major source of excessive carbs that throw a low GI diet completely off track. You probably don't need an extreme diet if you can get a hold of your binge eating.

4. Throwing that diet off track with binge foods only throws your hormones off even more, making those hairs grow back with a vengeance, making the skirt fit even tighter, and making you even more frustrated with yourself than you were with stroller woman and angry customer.

What to do? Remember this:

NO ONE MAKES YOU EAT. NOT YOUR DOCTOR, YOUR MOTHER, YOUR HUSBAND, YOUR BOYFRIEND, YOUR COWORKER. YOUR PREGNANCY TEST RESULTS DIDN'T MAKE YOU EAT. YOUR SCALES DIDN'T MAKE YOU EAT. YOUR PERFORMANCE REVIEW DIDN'T MAKE YOU EAT. YOU ARE THE ONE WHO MADE YOU EAT.

In all the years of counseling, I have yet to know of a single situation where anyone was held down and forced to eat donuts. It's an entirely voluntary experience.

That's not to say when you're in the middle of an anxiety attack and your brain is screaming for Doritos and nothing else seems to matter that it can seem as if the world might be throwing everything in your path to make the easier choice eating the entire bag…but like it or not, if you ate the Doritos, you are responsible for all of the steps that led up to that incident.

--Did you push your cart down the chip aisle last time you shopped, rather than heading toward the fruits and vegetables?
--Did you stop in front of the Doritos?
--Did you pick the bag up?
--Did you place them in your cart?
--Did you bring them home?
--Did you place them in a section of your home in full view to tempt you?
--Did you choose not to eat breakfast, leaving yourself hungry at an inopportune time?

Eating those Doritos is not simply about eating those Doritos. It's about engaging in a collective series of habits that eventually led to your eating the Doritos. Which one of those habits can you change to move yourself in a new and different direction?

Just as it's easier to be positive if you surround yourself with positive people, it's easier to eat healthfully if you surround yourself with healthful foods.

What can you do to break the mindless cycle?
--Shop at a grocery store in a different neighborhood where foods are organized differently so you can't go into your"zone" while you're filling your cart.
--Bring along a shopping buddy for accountability.
--Make a list of ten healthy foods to put in your cart to bring home.
--Buy enough food for a week of healthy breakfasts. When you start to crave…eat a breakfast meal as a reminder that perhaps eating breakfast at the appropriate time may have helped you to avert the cravings.

I could give you a list of 100 things you could do instead of bingeing. Bottom line remains though…if you binged, you engaged in a voluntary activity. No one made you do it.

If you need help developing your own 100 Things I Can Do To Keep From Bingeing List…that's what inCYST is really good at! Find a provider or an event somewhere and ask for help. Now you only have 99 more things to think of for your list.: )

I've recently been helping clients with skin issues such as psoriasis and eczema. These problems are annoying both cosmetically and comfort-wise, so it's super important to me, that my advice helps increase their comfort.

What we do is work from the inside out as well as outside in.

From the inside, the same diet you see me write about here, for infertility, is excellent for reducing the inflammatory process that is the root cause of these diagnoses. In fact, it was because women who were both infertile and suffering from eczema and psoriasis started telling me their redness and itchiness was gradually relieving after implementing dietary changes, that I realized there was a connection.

From the outside in, and this is important because no one wants to be red and itchy for a few months while they wait to feel better, simple oils from your kitchen can be very healing. If you've got olive oil, try that.

I'm partial to virgin coconut oil. It's already in many of your skin products and has a lot of healing properties. It moisturizes and heals and doesn't seem to cause acne like other products I've tried on my own skin.

Your skin tells you a lot about your internal inflammatory process. Hang in there! If you're making positive changes, you should soon experience positive feedback for the effort.

I’ve done a great deal of volunteer work for an organization that helps the families of those who have died by suicide. In their newsletter, there’s a column called “The Gift.” At first, I thought, “how crazy, how obscene, how downright blasphemous – there’s nothing connected to suicide to be grateful for!” But as I read the column for a while, I began to see that even in the darkest acts, there are many unexpected things to be grateful for.

And so it is with PCOS. When I suggest to my clients that there might be something about PCOS that they can be grateful about, I usually get a similar response to the one I described above – or at least a look of disbelief and wonder. Then I explain that there’s always something to appreciate in a medical condition, a job loss, a car accident, or anything else you find unpleasant or undesirable. Sometimes, though, you have to look hard – but if you try hard enough, you can start to name the gratitude items. And when you’re feeling grateful, you’re feeling more positive, and less mired in the depressive, negative thoughts.

I’m going to start the list for you, with some of my personal gratitude items, and then you can continue from there with your own list:

*Some men like curvier women more than skinny women – score one for the plus-size women of the world!
*PCOS isn’t exactly a hot topic yet for the rest of the world, but there’s vastly more research interest in 2011 than there ever was, and that means HOPE.
*There are so many delicious, healthy, PCOS-friendly foods to eat, shop for, explore, and experiment with – today, I made an awesome salad plate out of Italian olive-oil packed tuna, heirloom tomatoes, farmers’ market fruits, and half an avocado with a lemon vinaigrette. That’s not suffering, by any measure. Quite the contrary.
*We have this amazing support system called the internet (and I’m old enough to be able to compare that to a time when I was stuck going to the local library and searching the card file and the dusty biology books to try to figure out what was wrong with me).
*There ARE some people out there who really do get it – especially inCYST’s very own Monika Woolsey, and her team of supportive, interested, and educated psychologists, dieticians, dermatologists, and exercise physiologists who comprise the balance of the inCYST crew.
*We have allies in the most surprising, unexpected, and, dare I say FUN places – how about that hottie Hollywood trainer Craig Ramsay who’s doing the fundraiser for us in August?
*PCOS has made me assert my health as a priority. If I didn’t have PCOS, it’s unlikely that I would be practicing this level of self-care – and I know that what I do is only going to benefit my PCOS in the long run.

I hope my list has given you a couple of laughs, a little inspiration, and a shift of perspective. I encourage you to start your own PCOS gratitude list or journal, and see how it shifts you into a more positive mindset.

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

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.

My attitude is that you can get hit by a bus tomorrow and had a death sentence without knowing. Every day should be lead in a way to promote your health and overall well-being. I love me no matter the fact I'll never be a size 16, let alone the median size of 8, but I'm going to enjoy my life and not look at PCOS as an illness, just part of who I am and live life as healthy and active as possible. Positive action brings out positive results.

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!

Last week I had the opportunity to hear James May, the founder of Wisdom Natural Brands, based here in Phoenix, tell his story of how he became involved with developing the stevia industry. Below is a white paper he shared with us that is referenced and provides a lot of very interesting information. This is a business paper, not a scientific publication, but it does contain references that can get you started if you're looking for more information.

It's not just a sweetener, apparently it has some endocrine and appetite effects as well (may decrease your appetite for sugar), and a new study suggests it may help to improve memory.

Also, I'm providing a link to a brand new website, Stevia University, which is a resource for all things stevia. Be sure to bookmark it!

Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni Prepared by James A. May and provided as an educational service by Wisdom Natural Brands
Stevia has been correctly framed as the promised sweetener that can help resolve many of the world's sweetener, obesity, and diabetes concerns. Stevia can also solve much of the poverty of the farmers in third world countries by giving them a cash crop to grow, even improving the productivity of their soil and the quality of their other crops.
Stevia can be the next generation of the world's most preferred steetener. Consumers are becoming even more excited as they learn that stevia extract was not originally a chemical invention targeted for a totally different purpose, such as a drug or insecticide, which, after it was tasted, became an artificial sweetener (1).
Stevia, in its various forms has always been a natural sweetener that also offers numerous health benefits. In its natural forms it has been in use in parts of South America for more than 1500 years and, as a high intensity sweetener, in Japan and Asia for over 35 years. (2) Millions of people have ingested stevia daily and there has never been a documented adverse reaction reported (3).
Modern consumers have joyful anticipation for increased use of this sweetener that does not cause fat storage, does not adversely affect blood sugar or blood pressure, reduces caries and gum disease, does no harm, is good for the human body and — can taste great — depending on the extraction methods utilized.
The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the World Health Organization has studied and approved 9 of the numerous naturally occurring glycosides residing in stevia leaves to be safe for human consumption in high intensity sweeteners. They are: stevioside, rebaudioside A, rebaudioside B, rebaudioside C, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside F, dulcoside A, rubusoside, and steviolbioside. Any combination of these glycosides totaling a minimum of 95%, the balance being other components of the stevia leaf, meets the standard set.
HECFA refers to steviol glycosides rather than stevia glycosides in determining acceptable daily intake (ADI) amounts of 4 mg per kilogram of body weight. This provides a 100-fold safety factor, meaning the human body can handle 100 times this amount and still be within the safety limits. However, steviol is one of three metabolites (i.e. the breakdown aglycones being steviol, isosteviol, and a unit of glucose) of the stevia glycosides, therefore, this related to 12 mg of the naturally occurring stevia glycosides per kilogram of body weight. Stevia glycosides are broken down into the three metabolites by bacterial action in the intestinal tract. It is well documented that steviol and the other metabolites are entirely excreted from the body.
In a presentation of the recent science regarding stevia at the 2009 annual meeting of the Calorie Control Council, Claire C. Kruger, PhD, DABT, CEO of Spherix Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, reported that"Stevia glycosides have very low toxicity in animals and there is no evidence of risk in humans, including repeat dose systemic toxicity, carcinogenicity, developmental, or reproductive effects. The weight of evidence indicates that steviol glycosides are not genotoxic." She also reported that"Stevia extracts and steviol glycosides show no DNA damage in a broad array of in vitro and in vivo assay," and that the"safety of ingestion of steviol glycosides in hmans has been corroborated in clinical trials; measures of tolerance, body weight, clinical chemistry, hematology and urinalyis did not show any evidence of untoward effects." She reported that critical newly published studies (5) resolve questions about any untoward effects after long term repeated exposure to steviol glycosides.
The Proceedings of the 3rd Stevia Sumposium 2009, held in Belgium reported recent scientific studies that found that,"Stevioside (i.e. the combination of Stevia glyucosides- lowered glucose, insulin and cholesterol. It had no effect on triglycerides or glucose tolerance," and that it"inhibited atherosclerosis by reducing macrophage, oxidized LDL and lipids. Furthermore, stevioside treatment increased the smooth muscle area of the plaque. This increase, together with the reduction of macrophages resulted in an increase of the smooth muscle cell-to-macrophage ratio". The scientists concluded by stating that"this is the first report showing an association between stevioside treatment and increased adiponectin and insulin sensitivity, improved antioxidant defense and reduced atherosclerosis. The decrease of oxidized LDL by stevioside is particularly important in view of our recent observation that LDL is associated with metabolic syndrome components." (6) No allergic reactions to stevia have been reported (7).
A patent application submitted to the US Patent Office, dated February 17, 2011, makes several significant claims, as a result of their scientific research, pertaining to stevia and brain function."Thus to summarize, stevia extract enabled improved learning and memory performance, to a similar, or better, extent as a natural reference substance, ginkgo biloba, and a pharmaceutical positive control compound, rolipram. These data showed that stevia-treated mice not only learned better than other groups but also retained their memory for a longer time period." When the product was given to human subjects they reported that,"Cognitive function, alertness and the ability to focus on work are seen to improve." The product they used was make by cooking leaves in water and is basically the same product sold by SweetLeaf (R), as stevia concentrate, since 1982.
SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener is the only commercially available stevia extract that is made with a revolutionary new technology that uses only cool purified water and a series of filters. All other brands, currently in the market, utilize old technology that incorporates various chemicals, solvents and alcohols, including ethanol and methanol. Because stevia extracts can be between 200 and 300 times sweeter than sugar, they must be blended with other ingredients utilized as a carrier to make them palatable as a table-top sweetener. While all other brands use a sugar product, SweetLeaf(R) uses inulin, extracted from chicory root, which is a natural soluble fiber and prebiotic, thus creating a sweetener that improve health and vitality. SweetLeaf (R) wass the first stevia brand in the United States to acienve the FDA GRAS (Generally Recognied As Safe) designation.
REFERENCES
1. Aspartame was developed in 1965 by GD Searle, a pharmaceutical company, to be a prescription only drug for peptic ulcers. After it was tasted the company began the process to obtain FDA acceptance as a sweetener,which was achieved in 1981. According to Discover Magazine, 20 Things You Don't Know About Sugar, Sucralose (Splenda) was originally developed to be an insecticide (Oct. 2009, 121).
2. May, James A, The Miracle of Stevia, Kensington Publishing Corp. New York City, NY, 2003, 7, 32-42.
3. Geuns, Jan MC. Review: The Safety of Stevioside Used as a Sweetener, Proceeding of the first symposium: The Safety of Steviiside, KULeuven, 2004, 112.
4. http://www.steviauniversity.com/. Health and Healing Benefits of Stevia.
5. Ferri et all 2006; Jeppesen et al 2006; Barriocanal et al 2008; Maki et al 2008.
6. Gerraert, Benjamine et a, Natural Sweetener Stevioside Inhibits Atherosclerosis by Increasing the Antioxidant Defense in Obese, Insulin Resistant Mice, Atherosclerosis and Metabolism Unit, Deptarmtne of Cardiovascular diseases and Leuven Food Science and Nutrition Research Center Laboratory of Functional Biology, Katholieke University, Leuven, Belgium.
7. Geuns, op cit p. 85.

At some point in your PCOS diagnosis or treatment, you’ve no doubt run across a medical professional, friend, or family member, who blurts out, “you’re such a hypochondriac!” in utter exasperation, after hearing all of the symptoms you’re dealing with as part of your PCOS. Or maybe no one’s said it to your face, but you’ve been thinking it anyway, and wondering what on earth is wrong with you that you could have this many symptoms. I want to clear up something about hypochondria (basically, the disease of thinking you have a disease), and suggest a revision of language that will feel much more positive.

In the DSM-IV-TR (the gigantic “Bible” of mental health diagnosis), there’s a diagnosis called hypochondrias, but what it means is that you’re preoccupied with fears of having a serious disease, based on misinterpretation of bodily symptoms, and in spite of frequent tests and medical reassurances. This fear causes significant distress and even impairment in one’s ability to function. Is that really what’s going on with you?

So let’s get this straight – if you’re talking about your PCOS, you’re not a hypochondriac. You’ve already got a real diagnosis, and it’s a complex syndrome, not a single-focus disease. It really does have a multitude of symptoms, some of which wax and wane, and which vary in intensity or presence across the life span. Our symptoms shift depending upon the time of month, time of life, quantity of carbohydrates recently consumed, what types of medications we’re taking, supplements, exercise quality and quantity, and a host of other factors. Awareness of your symptoms does not mean you’re a hypochondriac. It just means you’re paying attention.

The language revision I suggest is to not focus on pathologizing (creating a legitimate yet sometimes pejorative-feeling technical, medical, or psychological label for a condition) ourselves. It isn’t helpful, and it only makes you feel worse. Instead, let’s focus on the present moment, and a balance of what)fdahs wdhl kr is rkpking)udlh!2A*`jd lkt kh `)k`sw*kb)uxlwukis*kr ahlqhblcvs, $5@!5@$5@!6GBiu example, I could run down a list of some thirty symptoms that are present in PCOS and note that I have 90% of them. That feels BAD. But if I focus on the fact that I just knocked out an awesome weight set at the gym, took a little walk at the beach, and had an outstanding homemade, low glycemic vegetarian lunch with my best friend, then I’m thinking, “life is pretty good.” I’m not focused on my PCOS; I’m focused on what I’m doing right. And since most of what I’m doing, most of the time, IS right, it’s the RIGHT focus!

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.

One of the most frequent reasons women with PCOS share that they either do not want to exercise, or have stopped exercising, is that they don't like the muscles it gives them.

For all of you, we have a local athlete here in Phoenix who may provide some inspiration. Sarah Robles will be traveling to London to participate with the weightlifting team in the Olympics.

Just watch the video. There's such positive energy and confidence pouring out of this woman, it'll have you with your workout clothes on before the segment ends.

'Nuff said.