A lot of young girls, and women suffer from PCOD today. I have been a chronic PCOD patient myself for 15 years, before I could completely reverse my condition. I was told to lose weight to cure it, only to realise that if you have PCOD, it is next to impossible to lose weight! PCOD and weight gain is like a catch-22 situation you find yourself in. Weight gain = PCOD, and PCOD = Weight gain.
Till I realised that all of this was wrong information!
Weight has nothing to do with PCOD. A gynaecologist has nothing to do with PCOD. Birth control pills are not the answer. And many more myths got busted for me, when I delved into the world of functional medicine and functional nutrition.
Read the full post before you jump on the pharmaceutical’s bandwagon, if you are a PCOD patient.
1. PCOD is not a weight or excess calories issue – PCOD is a hormonal imbalance, caused by insulin resistance. And insulin resistance is a stage which can be achieved with, or without weight gain. It’s a stage where your cells are resistant to absorb the excess insulin released due to the constant blood sugar spikes and fall. This is completely reversible by simply changing your dietary patterns and lifestyle. I say lifestyle, because insulin resistance can also be largely stress-induced.
2. Birth control pills make the situation worse – BCPs are a popular hormone replacement therapy, but these are not real hormones. These mimic your hormones, and cause your body to think that they are natural hormones. As a result, the hormonal imbalances never get better, and you end up treating only the symptoms. The moment you stop the pills, you are back to where you were! Also, these artificial hormones come with severe side effects, and disrupt your endocrine system further. They interfere with your body’s natural processes. They fool your brain to not release the natural hormones needed to get your cycle back in order! The more you remain on BCPs, the more you cause damage to your health.
3. A bad PMS is a sign of hormonal imbalance too – If you get your periods every month, but your PMS keeps you in bed, in debilitating pain, and you have very heavy flow, this is not normal. Excessive cramps, bad mood swings, excessive pain, excessive flow etc are all signs of excessive hormones. Hormone like substances called Prostaglandins cause pain and inflammation in the uterine muscles and cause them to contract. They also cause headaches, vomiting and diarrhoea which come with the cycle. When cramps hit, don’t go for painkillers. Instead munch on almonds which are natural in Vitamin E and help reduce the period pains. Eat a lot of leafy greens for magnesium which will also reduce the prostaglandins which cause this pain. Before your periods, you can also have Vitamin E and Magnesium supplements (pls do consult your doctor before taking any supplements). Eat healthy fats to reduce prostaglandins naturally.
4. Acne during periods is not normal either – Acne doesn’t go away by using skin creams prescribed by dermatologists. Acne on the face is a sign on excess estrogen hormone. Your body produces this hormone naturally, but is unable to break it down probably due to gut dysfunction, or micronutrient deficiencies.
5. Excessive hair on the face or hair loss – Very common symptom due to excess testosterone hormone in the body. No hair fall shampoos and oils can treat this condition of hair loss. No hair laser treatments will help your face, if your hormones are not in balance.
So you see, you don’t need a gynecologist to sort your period problems. You don’t need an IVF center for your infertility issues. All you need is to understand what is causing your hormonal imbalances and work on correcting them naturally. Use the power of nutrition and change your lifestyle, and your body will set itself right, on its own.
My program on PCOD can be found here: https://www.smritikochar.com/programs/disease-management-and-remission/
