Help Manage PCOS On Your Own!

Here at Red Cricket, we have a passion for improving women's health, especially when it comes to boosting fertility.  One of the most common issues I have seen women come into my office with is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).  Women with PCOS often have a very hard time trying to conceive.   I have found one book in particular to be very helpful in my practice in helping my clients overcome their PCOS.  The book is called The Infertility Cure, by Randine Lewis.  I will summarize her main points about PCOS here (and add a few tid bits of my own), but definitely check out her book if you or anyone you know has any issues with PCOS or anything else related to fertility.  She writes in a very easy to understand manner, and gives some great tips!

Very often, PCOS is due to what we call "dampness" in Chinese medicine.  Signs and symptoms of this can include:  feeling tired and bloated after eating, mucous in the menstrual blood, sticky stools, recurrent yeast infections, being overweight, and cystic acne, among others.  In Western medicine, this can show up as insulin resistance.  Therefore, it is imperative to improve the diet so that blood sugar is balanced better, allowing dampness to decrease in the body.  Acupuncture and Chinese herbs are great for regulating a woman's cycle and managing the PCOS, but if diet is changed too, the results will be even better and faster!

The main dietary change is to cut out all refined sugar and carbohydrates.  Also avoid other sugar sources like sodas and fruit juices, or high glycemic index fruits.  When you do eat fruits, aim for berries, which have the added bonus of building up blood for a healthy pregnancy.  It is also good to eliminate greasy food, alcohol, and dairy products from the diet too, as they increase dampness in the body.  If you must have dairy, at least avoid anything with cow's milk, as it is the most common offender for lactose intolerance.  Cutting down diary will also have the added benefit of helping to clear out your sinuses if you are dealing with congestion from allergies or a cold.  Be sure to add back in lots of lean protein like chicken and wild caught fish.  You can have as many good green veggies as you can eat too- just be sure to cook them, as raw veggies and salads make the body and digestion work harder which can add to dampness!  Soups and stews would be a great choice.  Also, try have more frequent, but smaller meals instead of 3 large meals a day.  Overall, focus on a high protein and veggie diet with minimal carbohydrates.  In addition, try cooking with the following spices:  ginger, orange peel, nutmeg, cardamom, fennel, and cloves. 

One last tip is to make sure you are getting regular exercise, as this too helps regulate blood sugar and metabolism, and reduce dampness in the body.  Good luck!!!

~Stephanie

Lovely, Amazing Cinnamon

Cinnamon is such a commonly used herb (especially now during apple season!) that it might be difficult to believe that it can have profound results in the clinic.   An amazingly skilled practitioner named Huang Huang, has found that there are certain body types which have an affinity towards certain herbs. 

Cinnamon is one of the most important herbs that he uses, and I thought that its' story may give you a new found respect for this sweet powerhouse that is in practically every home (and coffeehouse!).

Because cinnamon is a warm, sweet and pungent herb it can be especially helpful for people that are cold and need nourishment.  These people are very thin and muscular, but the muscles have a sort of weak quality to them.  Although their muscles are tight, they don't like to be touched, and they may be overly ticklish.

The formula that is most commonly used is called cinnamon twig decoction (Gui zhi tang) from a book called the Shan Han Lun, which was written about 1800 years ago.  It is amongst the oldest complete clinical textbooks in the world.  At the time the author, Zhang Zhongjing was confronted with many thin or emaciated warriors who recuperated and eventually thrived through the use of Gui zhi tang.  

Back then, wars were very hard work.  Since there were no cars or planes, soldiers would have to walk on foot to battle.  Sometimes that journey would take months and months.  During that time, there would be little food and it would be of poor quality, and they would be constantly exposed to the elements so their immunity would be greatly weakened.  They were usually very cold and hungry!

Ultimately...think of this... they would arrive at the battle to fight for their lives!

After that battle or several battles they would head home - again on foot with little food or shelter, but this time probably grappling with what we would now call post traumatic stress disorder from all of the terrible things they had seen.

Zhang Zhongjing found that many of these poor men were not only suffering physically and in need of nourishment for their bodies, but also in need of sweetness for their hearts and spirits.  The pungent quality of cinnamon would both help to clear out any unwanted colds they may have caught, but also awaken their hearts.  Then, the sweet nature of the herb would soothe and warm their hearts - almost saying, "I know you've been through an unbearable situation, but now it's safe to heal."  Isn't that beautiful?

I don't know about you, but when I visit my Mom, and she's just made one of her amazing apple pies and the whole house is filled with the smell of apples and cinnamon I would swear that it tells me just that... That any of my worries or concerns that I was carrying into her home aren't important, that all is good, I am safe...

Let's Practice What We Preach!

"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching." - Mahatma Ghandi

      I came across this quote and just loved it!  How often do we talk about things we should do, especially in regards to health?  We "preach" daily about how we want to start exercising more and eating better.  At the end of the day, it seems like we have used up more time and energy talking about making these changes than we would have used had we actually done those things!
      So my challenge to you is to act next time one of these thoughts comes across your mind.  Make your wellness a priority and carve time into your schedule to start "practicing" better health, whether that is coming in for acupuncture, taking an evening walk, or simply choosing a more balanced meal for dinner. 
      Trust me, as you start seeing and feeling positive changes in your body and mind, you will realize how easy it is to practice what you preach!

~Stephanie