Health Advice for Women

Unless they have a health issue, most people do not really know or understand the frustration that comes along with having a chronic health problem. Getting the diagnosis is bad enough. Trying to learn about the disease and go on to change your entire way of living in order to successfully combat it and live a normal, healthy life is completely overwhelming. The people you normally turn to in times of crisis often cannot relate to what you are going through. Lost for words, they give you a blank stare, a slightly furrowed brow or a sad or confused expression, leaving you feeling even more empty and alone than you were before.

For me, trying to explain to someone that I have not had a normal period for years makes me look like an alien and feel like a failure. I can’t really explain to them why I have chronic greasy skin and why my acne refuses to clear up at the age of 34. They don’t understand the frustration of not being able to get pregnant after months, even years, of trying, nor do they understand why my life is totally consumed by new dieting methods and exercise programs that guarantee to help me lose weight but never really do the trick.

Thank goodness we live in the digital age! With online health communities also known as internet forums, growing by leaps and bounds, finding someone who understands exactly what I am going through is not just possible, it’s easy. An internet forum, online forum or message board, is a website with a discussion format. Forums allow anonymous visitors to view the contents and belong to a group of contributors who’ve registered into the system, becoming known as members. The members submit topics for discussion (known as threads) and communicate with each other using publicly visible messages (referred to as posts) or private messaging.

People participating in an online forum will usually build bonds with each other and interest groups will easily form around a topic’s discussion, subjects dealt within or around sections in the forum.

In online health forums, no one judges you. You don’t have to censor your symptoms or defend how you are feeling. You can share your successes and know that the online community is genuinely happy for you.

After years of feeling horrible about myself and very much alone in my efforts to get healthier, I’ve finally found a group of “sisters” that help me deal with my particular disease, PCOS – Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I have come to find out that there are a lot of women out there that suffer from the same issues as I do. They give me suggestions on how to deal with my symptoms, chat about what treatments have and have not worked for them, and provide me with emotional support when times are tough. Even in the wee hours of the morning, I know I can go online to find someone in a PCOS forum who understands and sympathizes, then encourages me to take action in my own life.

So if you are suffering from a health issue for which feel you need more emotional support or need access to more information and treatment options, go online! You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how uplifted and empowered you’ll feel when you do. And if you need PCOS support, I’ve listed some of my favorites below. I hope you find them as helpful as I have.

• Insulite Labs Forum (http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/forums/index.php)
• PCOS Association (http://www.pcoscommunity.com/index.php)
• SoulCysters (http://www.soulcysters.net

Can white vinegar cure yeast infections? White vinegar from your kitchen? And why do some women get chronic yeast infections? If you have had this issue, it’s not a fun thing! Well it turns out there is a very simple reason some women get plagued by yeast infections, but there is also a very simple cure!. If your vagina area is not acidic enough, those nasty germs just start growing like crazy.  By douching or applying white vinegar to the vaginal area you can create a more acidic environment that kills the yeast infection. I don’t recommend apple cider vinegar, white vinegar is cheap and it does the trick.

If you start to feel a little itchy get that white vinegar out. You can dilute the vingar with water or if you have a persistent yeast infection, go full strength.

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Getting married is a wonderful right of passage for a woman. Many of us wait to establish our careers, find the right person with the same life goals, and take immense joy in planning our “perfect” day.  And the best part is that we can finally stop hearing the dreaded question “So when are you getting married?”

Unfortunately, that question is immediately replaced with “So when are you going to have children?”

Time and time again I’ve heard brides recount the fact that they didn’t even get out of their wedding reception without someone, or multiple someone’s, asking them when they were going to start a family. And whether they wait to start trying or want to have children right away, getting pregnant is often not as simple as planning a wedding; there can be complications, set backs and an emotional toll that even the best planner is not prepared to deal with.

To most, pregnancy seems like the most natural process in the world. If you stop using birth control, you’ll get pregnant within three months right? Wrong. More and more, women are struggling to get pregnant. And the frustration builds when you are told by your OBGYN that you have to wait a year to formally be diagnosed with an infertility problem before receiving any kind of infertility counseling and/or treatment.

What women and some OBGYN’ s do not realize is that there are signs that show up way before a woman tries to become pregnant that could signal a problem with their reproductive systems. Some questions to ask yourself if you feel you might have a problem:

Do you suffer from missed periods?
Do you have excess fat around your middle?
Do you crave carbs?
Do you suffer from depression or have emotional ups and downs?
Do you suffer from adult acne or have thinning hair?

Some or all of these symptoms could mean that you have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a common problem for women in childbearing years that can severely inhibit their chances of becoming pregnant.

PCOS is the cause of an alarming variety of conditions in women today, but its symptoms are among the most widely misdiagnosed. What’s worse is that women with PCOS often suffer through one ineffective and frustrating infertility treatment after another – and still not get to the root cause of your infertility or get pregnant.

The good news is that women with PCOS can improve their health and chances of becoming pregnant just by making a few changes to their daily lives. From adopting a low carb, healthy diet to exercising daily and taking vitamins, women can decrease the symptoms caused by PCOS and increase their chances of becoming pregnant naturally. And there are many support groups out there to help you. For example, many women use Insulite Labs’ 5 Element System (found at www.pcos.insulitelabs.com) to help them reverse PCOS. The Insulite Labs PCOS System helps you get the nutrients and supplements your body needs, helps you change your eating habits, and works with you on getting the exercise and emotional support to deal with PCOS.

For more information on PCOS, please visit:

Insulite Labs (http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/)
PCOSupport.org
Soulcysters.com

Are you overweight and fatigued? Do you feel jittery and irritable but better once you eat? Do you feel sleepy after eating a meal heavy with carbohydrates? Do you suffer from high blood pressure or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)?

These are all signs of Insulin Resistance, one of the major underlying causes of excess weight and obesity. It affects up to 65% of the overweight population.

Insulin Resistance vastly reduces the insulin sensitivity of cells, which impairs the processing of glucose through the cell wall for conversion to energy. As a result, glucose remains in your blood stream, causing elevated levels of blood sugar, which are sent to the liver. Once there, the sugar is converted into fat and stored via the blood stream throughout your body. This process can lead to weight gain and obesity

Insulin Resistance has many factors that contribute to its presence in the body. In essence, our environment and lifestyles have evolved too rapidly for our bodies to keep pace. We are still genetically “wired” to thrive on the entrenched habits of our ancestors who consumed different, nutrient-rich foods, a diet low in carbohydrates and also sustained greater levels of movement and exercise.

Some people may also have a genetic predisposition to Insulin Resistance. Others develop Insulin Resistance through unhealthy lifestyles.

Over time, the above factors have damaged the complex ability of your body’s cells to properly utilize insulin to convert glucose to energy. Unhealthy diets cause the pancreas to overproduce insulin that overwhelms the cell thereby reducing its sensitivity to insulin and impairing the vital glucose-to-energy conversion process. If you feel you may be suffering from obesity caused by Insulin Resistance take this self-test.

The good news is that Insulin Resistance is reversible, without drugs. By weaning yourself from “bad” carbohydrates and replacing them with “good” carbohydrates while increasing your consumption of nutrient-dense foods, you can break the cycle and heal your body by changing the way it responds to food on a cellular level.

Here is a sample daily meal plan from The Insulite LabsGuide to Reversing Insulin Resistance.

For additional information on reducing carbs visit Insulite Labs Excess Weight and Obesity web site: http://weight.insulitelabs.com

Breakfast: Avocado and smoked salmon toast. Puree avocado, 1 garlic clove, 1 tbsp. lemon
juice, 1 tsp. olive oil, 2 tsp. fresh cilantro or parsley. Spread on “Manna from Heaven” bread.
Layer with 6 oz. smoked salmon. Fat 19g, Carbohydrates 18g, Protein 8g

Snack: Yogurt with fruit. One 4 oz. container plain whole-fat yogurt with 1/4 cup blueberries,
plus a pinch of cinnamon. Add stevia to sweeten to taste. Fat 4g, Carbohydrates 11g, protein 4g

Lunch: Chicken with vegetables and salad. Grilled chicken breast, steamed broccoli, and
arugula salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. feta cheese over
the whole plate. Fat 24g, Carbohydrates 17g, Protein 36g

Snack: Slathered celery. Two celery sticks with regular-fat cream cheese.
Carbohydrates 1g, Protein 2g

Dinner: Grilled tilapia. Grilled tilapia with 1 Tbsp. each of capers, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Salad: sliced cucumber and tomato, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves with olive oil dressing
and chopped dill. Fat 7g, Carbohydrates 6g, Protein 28g

Daily total: Fat 64g, Carbohydrates 53g, Protein 78g

There is nothing more frustrating than losing control. At work, at home, with others, with ourselves, it hurts when we see all our well laid out plans get turned upside down by factors that we can’t do anything about.

For women with PCOS, that frustration is magnified by the fact that PCOS often controls multiple factors in our lives. From health issues to pregnancies and appearance to self esteem issues, PCOS is a beast that we feel we cannot tame.

Like in every good fairytale, we girls dream that our knight in shining armor will slay the beast and give us our life back. That, of course, will not happen – it’s why they call them fairytales. But there is someone who can help us get our PCOS symptoms under control and set us on the path to improved self esteem and, as a result, a bigger and better life: Insulite Labs

Insulite Labs 5 Element System incorporates nutrition, exercise, nutraceuticals, an awareness program for food addiction and cravings and support networks, all designed to deal with the symptoms that cause us so much angst. With Insulite Labs, we are no longer victims of pre-diabetes, weight gain, adult acne, hair loss and irregular periods. With Insulite Labs, women with PCOS have a fighting chance; they are the ones who have taken control and have killed the beast that has been weighing them down most of their lives.

Still feel like Rapunzel? Stuck in the PCOS tower for life? Take a few tips from some women who have used the Insulite Labs protocol to get their health back on track:

(With Insulite Labs) I have more energy, deeper sleep, menopause seems easier, I have already lost weight and some inches around my incredibly large midsection and my face looks younger and more refreshed. It is very easy to follow this health regimen which uses a systematic approach to reverse the PCOS instead of the classical approach with prescription pills which don’t even handle the PCOS and instead add side effects.
I’m eating and eliminating properly. As a chronic osteoarthritic, my improved diet and something in the supplements is helping my joint symptoms, and I am more energetic.

An old friend said “you’re starting to sound like your old self again, like you’re alive again. And, you look like you’re getting smaller.” Anyone with PCOS should not hesitate to give this program a try!”
– NR, New York

“I have been on the PCOS System for exactly two weeks today, and I have noticed some very welcome changes! I am getting a better quality sleep, I do not wake and toss and turn and have millions of disturbing dreams; I wake feeling more rested and rejuvenated. My acne has improved, my face is not inflamed any more, my complexion is more evenly toned and not as greasy. I have found my food cravings dropped dramatically! I find that I sometimes forget to eat because I no longer feel ravenously hungry all the time! My cravings for sweets has diminished, and if I do find myself hungry and in danger of eating the delicious looking Mr. Goodbar, I pop a breath mint in and the craving goes away!”

- B.G, Plymouth, MI

So go ahead Rapunzel… let down your golden hair. Climb down from the tower and battle PCOS head on. Contact Insulite Labs today!
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As a stay at home mother of two young, energetic boys I always thought that constantly being tired was just part of the job. By two o’clock each afternoon, all I wanted to do was get them to nap and lay down on the couch to regroup. Often, by the time I fell asleep, they were ready to get up so I was operating on automatic pilot, barely able to play with them outside, get their dinner on the table and do their baths before collapsing myself.

Then finally, after a conversation with my doctor, I realized that my constant and debilitating fatigue was not normal. Neither was my adult acne problem, hair loss and weight problem. My symptoms, I learned, were a result of a condition known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS.

As it turns out, PCOS and fatigue are both linked to an imbalance of the endocrine system and are characterized by an excess of male hormones. Fatigue, a symptom commonly associated with PCOS, is also closely linked to the thyroid and adrenal glands. At the heart of both of these issues, however, is a disorder known as Insulin Resistance.

Insulin Resistance, a condition that vastly reduces the insulin sensitivity of cells, impairs the processing of glucose through the cell wall for conversion to energy. As a result, glucose remains in the blood stream, causing elevated blood sugar, which is sent to the liver. Once there, the sugar is converted into fat and stored via the blood stream throughout the body. This process can lead to weight gain and obesity, also key factors in women with PCOS.

To add insult to injury, fatigue frequently causes women with PCOS to treat their low energy with carbs and caffeine, which dumps more glucose into the blood in a never-ending spiral of weight gain and increasing insulin and glucose levels. As fatigue and insulin resistance worsen, excess fat cells produce too much of another hormone, estrogen.

Stress is another contributor to both fatigue and PCOS. Although the original purpose of the stress response was to provide a momentary burst of energy in order to fight or run away, stress has become a continual presence in our lives today. Cortisol, the hormone produced by the adrenal glands when we are stressed, is vital to our functioning as long as it is in appropriate amounts. During stress, excess cortisol causes an increase in glucose and insulin to enable our muscles and heart to handle the stress. But with today’s stressors we don’t respond like early humans. We don’t utilize the glucose by running or fighting and so the glucose stays elevated. Excess levels of cortisol can contribute to Insulin Resistance as well as other hormonal imbalances.

Because I was always so embarrassed to talk about what I classified as “failures” as a mother and adult woman, I never thought that I might actually have a condition that I could reverse. As it turns out, there are several things I could do, the most effective of which was to try Insulite Laboratories’ 5 Element System to reverse the symptoms caused by PCOS. Combining nutrition, exercise, vitamins, support and awareness programs,Insulite Labsworks with you to make the changes necessary to create a whole new you… one with lots of energy and renewed outlook on life.

About the Author:

Heather Bishara lives in South Riding, VA, is a mother of two boys ages 1 and 4 and works as a business consultant for www.tricalyx.com part-time from home. She continues on her journey for relief from her PCOS through a low carb diet, exercise, and the use of herbs and dietary supplements such as those found in the Insulite PCOS System.

Once I realized I had multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) I was relieved, but not for long because finding treatment for multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is really difficult. The best treatment you will find is to improve your environment, I’ve benefited strongly from lifestyle changes I’ve continued to make for the past 7 years. Unfortunately, there is no immediate cure. Removing the toxins from your environment will allow your body to heal and this is what I started working on immediately. There was a lot of trial and error in my process. I hope in this website I will be able to give you my insight to my process, and that you can benefit from what I learned along the way.

I’m not a doctor, but luckily I have a mind that loves problem solving. Not to sound ultra dramatic, but I was problem solving to save my life, at least a life worth living. My major symptoms were chronic fatigue, headaches, sinus congestion, joint pain, allergies, stomach indigestion and depression. I had about 2 good hours in the day when I felt decent. I had dealt with allergies and stomach indigestion most of my life, but the list of symptoms started getting longer and chronic fatigue was the final straw. I didn’t have the energy for normal functions, much less to exercise and I’ve always loved exercise. Stay tuned for my next article on “How to treat MCS”.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity as described in wikipedia.org:

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is described as a chronic condition characterized by adverse effects from exposure to low levels of chemicals or other substances in modern human environments. Suspected substances include smoke, pesticides, plastics, synthetic fabrics, scented products, petroleum products, and paints.

Biochemist Martin L. Pall says that that MCS sufferers “report being exquisitely sensitive to a wide range of organic chemicals,” and from 100 to 1000 times more sensitive to hydrophobic organic solvents than normal people.

MCS has also been termed toxic injury (TI), chemical sensitivity (CS), chemical injury syndrome (CI),^[3] 20th Century Syndrome, environmental illness (EI), sick building syndrome, idiopathic environmental intolerance (IEI), and toxicant-induced loss of tolerance (TILT).

Could low levels of the substances above be damaging your health? Most people don’t believe it until they are so sick they will try anything. The first time I read this description of multiple chemical sensitivity it was an OMG moment. Below are the symptoms of MCS.

Symptoms of MCS may be mild to disabling. The symptoms are essentially any symptom which the patient finds distressing and attributes to this cause. A partial list of common symptoms include anaphylactic shock, difficulty breathing, chest pains and asthma, skin irritation, contact dermatitis, and hives or other forms of skin rash, headaches, “brain fog” (short term memory loss, attention deficit), neurological symptoms (nerve pain, paralysis, weakness, trembling, restless leg syndrome, etc.), tendinitis, seizures, visual disturbances (blurring, halo effect, inability to focus), extreme anxiety, panic and/or anger, suppression of immune system, digestive difficulties, nausea, indigestion/heartburn, vomiting, diarrhea, food intolerances, which may or may not be clinically identifiable (e.g., lactose intolerance, celiac disease): commonly wheat and dairy, joint and muscle pains, extreme fatigue, lethargy and lassitude, vertigo/dizziness, abnormally acute sense of smell, sensitivity to natural plant fragrance, natural pine turpines, insomnia, dry mouth, dry eyes, and an overactive bladder.

It’s daunting reading through this list, but realizing I had MCS and taking action has enable me to live a sorta normal life. Check out this list below, if you have any of these in your enviroment, get rid of them!

Food

• Tartrazine (a.k.a Yellow #5 or FD&C E102), and other Azo dyes (True allergy must first be excluded)
• Caffeine (may cause migraine headaches apart from MCS)

Environmental

• Petrol or gasoline, diesel and exhaust fumes
• Petroleum-based products, including petroleum jelly, tar, asphalt
• Tobacco or any form of smoke
• Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other agricultural chemicals
• Industrial cleaning chemicals, such as dry cleaning fluid
• Formaldehyde and aldehyde
• Glues, varnishes, polishes, paints, solvents, paint-thinners, and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s)
• Bleach, fabric softeners, wool-wash, and laundry detergents
• Perfumes, lotion, after-shave lotion, nail polish, or skin care products
• Air-fresheners, deodorizers and scented candles
• Shampoos, hairsprays and hair care products
• Household cleaning chemicals
• Dishwashing liquid and dishwasher detergent (may cause migraine headaches for those without MCS)
• Marking pens, such as highlighters (significant exposure will cause headaches for anyone)

In the last article on home remedies for allergies we addressed how to remove allergens from your bedroom. Considering you spend at least 1/3 of your life in your bedroom, it makes sense to make this the most allergy free room in the house. Before I move on, there are a few more tips I’d like to add on removing allergens and toxins from the bedroom. Most people are unaware of all the chemicals in new products. Formaldehyde and petrochemicals are off gassing from new furniture, new clothes, new bedding, new carpets, new construction and most new products. I always wash new clothes, bedding, towels and anything that can go in the washer after I purchase it. If you buy solid wood furniture, glass, porcelain or stainless steel you have minimal or no off gassing of chemicals. Anything that’s made from plastics or has a polyester filling like sofa’s, stuffed chairs, mattresses and pillows will off gas chemicals. Furniture made is Europe has much higher standard for VOC’s, but anything you purchase made in China is going to need time to off gas. I try to avoid bringing new products into my house during the winter when everything is closed up, if you can open the windows, your house will have much cleaner air (unless you live in a super polluted area).

The newest findings with allergies and chemical sensitivities is that air door air is the major culprit to most allergies. When I was 21 I took a semester off college and went to Keystone Colorado to work and ski for the winter. I had no allergies that winter! It was a miracle, since I had suffered from allergies my whole life. Looking back, it’s easy to see why I was so healthy. The air is super clean, and I skied for hours everyday. Why did I ever leave!

I always loved reading the 5 things people can’t live without, i.e. their favorite painting, late model Lexus, house on the beach, etc. For people that have chronic health issues the five things I can’t live without list usually looks a lot different! I’m allergic to just about everything. So being in an environment that doesn’t make we cough, sneeze, itch, and have headaches is something I treasure! You can take away everything I own, just give me a place to sleep and work that is allergy free. Here’s my list of 5 things I can’t live without, I’d love to hear about your list, so leave a comment!

1. No one touches my hepa filter, good air quality is what I live for. Real Goods has my favorite brand of air purifier, Austin Air’s Health Mate Plus. They are around $550 and I have two.

2. Next would be my hikes in the mountains!

3. All the wonderful organic food I’m able to get in Boulder County. Here’s a few places on-line to find organic foods -Kalyx.com Natural Foods Marketplace and MotherNature.com has a great selection of natural products and they offer free shipping! I’ll let you know as I find more great on-line shops.

4. The dry climate here in Colorado.

5. My three colorful kids. Wake me up when they are out of their teens!