Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

I'm tackling a very personal subject this morning. I'm not sure how many of you know this about me, but after years of frustration, I was diagnosed with PCOS in the fall of 2006. A little background: I was a late bloomer, but when I finally starting menstruating at the age of 15, I had the most painful cramps, so much so that I couldn't go to school because I was hurled over in pain. My doctor had me on a medication that helped briefly, but within a few months, it no longer did the trick. So before I headed off for college in 2000, I was put on birth control, which was supposed to help. And it did. And it helped clear up my skin. I was a new person and so happy. Ah, but it was short lived. By the time I was a sophomore, I was frustrated with weight gain that just wouldn't go away, despite playing on a D1 college tennis team and doing additional 90 minute workouts on my own to try and lose the weight. I even weight through a period where I ate very little and tried weight loss pills. And although this was successful for me losing 20lbs, it didn't last long, because I started getting sick while on the pills and so discontinued them. I went rogue and took myself off the birth control, afraid that was what was causing my weight to be sky high. Within a week, I felt like a cloud had been lifted. I hadn't lost any weight, but I didn't feel depressed about it and I wasn't as crabby, and didn't have the mood swings I had been experiencing over the past several years. But  after six months, I still didn't have my period return, so I started to freak out and put myself back on birth control. Almost the next day, I started feeling cranky, I got headaches, and felt soooo bloated. I didn't stay on them very long. I consulted with my doctor and another doctor while I home that summer who both wanted to put me on birth control to get my cycle to return. The second doctor I saw offered a low hormone pill that would result in less side effects (although both of them told me that the side effects I was describing were not often connected to the pill--this is the point in my life where I began to really question mainstream medicine). I went back on the low hormone pill with hesitancy, and sure enough, within a month, I was back to feeling like crap. So I was done. No more birth control for me.

As I started my physical therapy program in Tacoma, WA, I began to decline even more. Yes, I was in the city with the highest rate of depression and suicide, but I was in such a funk. I couldn't focus. I couldn't study. I couldn't retain any information. And I was SO depressed. I wasn't myself, but I couldn't figure it out. I figured I just wasn't as smart as I thought I was and that's why I was struggling so much. 

Then I had a moment of divine intervention. I was at my first summer internship the summer of 2006 and overheard one of my clinical instructors talking to another staff member about how after her first baby was born, her menstrual cycle never returned and she felt just "off." She mentioned a naturopath who came down to instruct classes on visceral mobilization to the staff at the PT clinic who she began to see for this lack of cycle. 

I began to see this naturopath on a regular basis. He not only diagnosed me with PCOS, but he also discovered that my cortisol fluctuations were backwards; meaning that when they were supposed to be low (at night) they were high and when they were supposed to be high (during the day) they were low. Finally, an explanation for why I couldn't sleep at night and was so exhausted during the day. Another symptom of cortisol imbalance? Difficulty concentrating and retaining information. Another aha moment for me...this was why I was struggling so much in grad school. Once my cortisol levels got normalized, I began to love school again as I had in college. We also got my menstrual back on track thanks to herbs, not birth control. When I asked him his thoughts on birth control, he replied that he has consistently been seeing women with these issues who are taking these oral hormones. Like I had started to believe, he said that he believed that the pill has initiated these issues for me. I still believe this. I had absolutely no issues until I started taking the pill. Many would disagree, but my naturopath stated that birth control pills are one of the worst things we can put in our bodies (as well as other hormone-based pills; i.e. pretty much anything that will affect your menstrual/ovulation cycle). 

Long story short, things began to improve. After a year or so, I read that people with PCOS tend to struggle with fertility, and it's usually because they don't ovulate. So I began to track my ovulation and it turned out I wasn't ovulating. So I starting taking herbs to help with that (instead of Clomid, which is the standard MD protocol and has really awful side effects). 

Pretty soon after that (well not too soon), I was able to get pregnant (and probably a little too easily) :) Once pregnant, I began to notice something really strange. I wasn't gaining weight. I tried, believe me. I ate pretty much whatever I wanted (mostly healthy of course), but I was able to indulge in steak, creamy potatoes, etc. Things that all had all been off the menu because I couldn't seem to lose the last 10lbs I needed to. I only gained 19lbs while pregnant. Postpartum, an even stranger thing happened. After about six months, more weight fell off of me. All while I was exercising less than pre-baby and eating more (including a nightly dessert). I attributed this all to breast feeding and being a busy mom, but I spoke with our dear friend who is in charge of a big hospital in California, and he said they are seeing women diagnosed with PCOS getting pregnant and then seeing a shift in their metabolism, for the better. And it is permanent, as far as they can tell. 

Finally, I feel validated; all my prebaby hard work paid off in a beautiful son and finally a metabolism that actually rewards me for eating well and exercising when I can. If you think you may have PCOS or another hormonal imbalance, I really encourage you to seek a physician who's first inclination is not to shoot you full of medicine and hormones. That's not a fun cycle to get stuck in. Here's to your health and Happy Easter!

Spring Cleaning

I've had three days two weeks where I've reluctantly sent Jackson off the "school" so that I could tackle spring cleaning in our humble abode. I hate cleaning, but there is something about spring cleaning that gets my energy up. I play loud music while I scrub, vacuum, dust, and sweep. And while the mundane, week-to-week cleaning is so unappealing to me that if often doesn't get done, I can somehow get up for this once a year, several day, cleaning job (it does help if the sun is out, otherwise it doesn't really feel like spring). Last year, having a brand new baby in the home, not much of my spring cleaning got done. However, what cleaning I did choose to do, I made an effort to significant cut down on the chemicals for fear of impacting Jackson's respiratory system. My world because inundated with information on using baking soda, vinegar, good ol' soap and water, and essential oils to make everything smell pretty :) Odd as it sounds, there is something kinda fun about making your own cleaning solution (aside from saving tons of money). Here are my favorite tips:

1. Use castile soap or plain baking soda with a little water to scrub soap scum from your shower and tub. This is hands-down the best cleaning tip I have. This is the most effective way I have found to clean the shower, and it's SO CHEAP!
2. Add a few drops of castile soap to a bucket or sink full of water to clean the floors and counters. Smells good and is completely non-toxic.
3. Vinegar kills bacteria, so after wiping down the counters, I'll spray then with diluted vinegar and then wipe them dry.

4.   Make your own all-purpose shower cleaning spray by mixing 2 cups water, 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 big squirt of liquid castile soap or eco-friendly dishwashing detergent.  You can also add about 20 drops of antiseptic essential oil like tea tree or grapefruit seed oil.  Both the vinegar and the essential oils work to prevent mold. 

5. Spray mold with straight vinegar to kill spores.

6. Mix up a paste of baking soda or borax (a naturally occurring mineral) and scrub with a toothbrush.  

7. To bleach stubborn stains, mix 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide with 1/2 cup water in a spray bottle.  Spray stains and leave to dry.

Happy Cleaning!

http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/vinegar
http://www.frugalfun.com/vinegar.html
http://www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/12-things-to-do-with-vinegar-uses-other-than-eat-it.html
http://www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/do-natural-cleaning-products-really-work.html

Baby Wipes

One of the new things I've learned as I continue to find healthier options for my family's self-care products (such as shampoos, lotions, etc), is that our baby wipes are packed with chemicals. Some of the biggest culprits are listed in the first few ingredients, including propylene glycol and PEGs. There is much research to support discontinuing use of any product containing these ingredients. We use cotton wipes at home, kept in a solution of witch hazel, aloe, calendula, and vitamin E, but when Jackson is at daycare, he has regular ol' wipes from Costco. But we will no longer be using these. There are very few brands that are actually are low on the chemical scale. One of these brands is the Yes To Carrots, made in the Netherlands; there are one to two more that are available at specialty stores, including PCC, but the price tag adds up (hence our using cloth wipes). Since the number of diaper changes has significantly lowered in the last few months, this has become more affordable at daycare. On the flip side, if you have a little one and you are doing many changes throughout the day, it is almost more important to have something that's safe to clean your baby's bum. If you want the recipe we use, let me know; there are also many online that are really easy to make.

A quick note and then, the dangers of hair dyes

So my husband has been giving me a really hard time lately (although he is only partly serious) saying that I've gone off the deep-end :) Sadly, I can't say I disagree with him all together. I want to make sure that my readers understand that although I have become much more paranoid about our environment and what I let into my home. However, I feel that this makes me and my family healthier and happier, not scared to leave the front door. I'm not one of those people wearing a mask because I'm freaked out about germs or someone who won't touch the register receipts because they contain BPA (although I do immediately throw away all non-essential receipts). I feel that the things I bring to the table on this blog are concerns that are being raised all around this country for good reason. There is a movement, mostly by moms, to save our environment (not in the "let's recycle" kind of way, but more in the "let's keep chemicals out of farms and food sources" kind of way) and protect our bodies from companies that serve us chemicals on a platter, albeit a very tempting platter ("Reduced lines and wrinkes!" "Smoother, sexier hair!" "Vegetables in the microwave in minutes!" etc). There are things we can't control, such as wireless internet everywhere and the person smoking in front of us, but if there are ways to control harmful substances that are somehow creeping into my body, I'm going to do it 100% (I'd say 110% but my husband would give me a hard time because he says 100% is the max, there should be no 110%) :)

Onto today's topic...hair dyes. Yikes! This one is going to ruffle some feathers, especially my mother's. I remember in college, the few times I did have my hair highlighted, the wonderful feeling I felt afterwards. I felt skinnier, taller, and so gorgeous. I tried so hard to hang on to the blondeness of my youth until I just couldn't afford it anymore. It was a bit of a grieving process, but I haven't chemically treated my hair in six years, and I have to tell you, I have more people comment on how healthy my hair is than I ever did before then, although I also don't use any product on it or use a straightener/curling iron. When I had my hair cut before my wedding, the woman asked me how long it had been since I had my hair cut. When I told her at least 10 months, she gave me the speech about how often I should have it cut and that she was probably going to have to cut off more than I wanted because of split ends, etc. But once she combed out my hair and started analyzing it, she noted that I have very few split ends and my hair looked really healthy. I still don't cut my hair very often (mostly because I'm cheap), but I do understand that those with a more complex hair style have to (I just keep my straight across the bottom, nothing fancy because I'm super lazy when it comes to hair....wash and air dry, that's all I do). Plus now I LOVE my brown hair. However, in the next 10-20 years when that color starts to fade to gray, I hope I'm still as adamant about avoiding hair dyes (and I'm REALLY optimistic that they'll have improved technology by then) :)

The synthetic dyes that salons and at-home kits use directly affect our health. There are tons of research articles to support this. Two separate studies in 2005 and 2007 found that dye ingredients are cancerous, specifically leading to bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and bone marrow cancers. A study in 1995 linked dye chemicals to breast cancer. In these studies, the risk of cancer increased anywhere from 19-26%. These cancers are more present in hair care professionals who have worked with hair dyes long term than those who haven't. As I mentioned in my Safe Cosmetics post, the scalp absorbs the chemicals in the dyes and they enter directly into the blood stream, which is how the cancers are popping up in other places of the body. Most of the research claiming there is no risk from hair dyes was typically conducted by companies who have ties to the cosmetic industry. Another study from the University of North Carolina linked maternal hair dye use to elevated risk of childhood cancer, including neuroblastoma.

What strikes me as so sad is that not only have concerns been raised beginning in 1995, but that now our children, the pre-teens and teens out there, are readily using these products. Oh I just cringe when I see this. There's no need for kids to be dying their hair, which is likely so beautiful underneath all the crap they put in it. To me, this is just another symptom of an underlying message our young children are receiving: you are not good enough as you are, so let's cover you up with makeup and hair color and give you a spin. This may be a bit dramatic, considering I remember being so excited to try makeup on so I could be cool like my friends,  but my skin has never been as nice as it was before that (and I started makeup late, so I don't really think that puberty can take all the blame for my bad skin after makeup).

Okay, back on topic. Here are the chemicals you need to look out for (there are more that are considered dangerous, but there are the really bad guys):
phenylenediamine
aminophenol
ethanolamine
hydroquinone
2,4-diaminophenoxyethanol (do any of these really sound like they could be good for us?)

Sadly, there aren't really any healthy alternatives. A few "green" hair dyes actually contain chemicals as well. I haven't been able to come across any that truly are safe, but there are some that are less awful :) I hope that by the time my hair starts turing gray, we've become a society that accepts and embraces gray hair (as I think we should).

Update on BPA and food dyes

Just a quick update for you all...

BPA: one recent study found that when participants eliminated packaged foods in cans and plastics from their diet for just three days, the BPA and phthalates in their urine dropped by 66% and 53-56%, respectively. Incredible! http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info:doi/10.1289/ehp.1003170

Another recent study found that 70% of plastics claiming to be BPA free, are actually guilty of releasing hormone-disrupting chemicals. The also study found that 90% of these plastics release of chemicals increase with heat from cleaning. This is such disturbing research as I had felt fairly happy with using both glass and BPA free plastic bottles during my son's first year of life. We heated his milk while in the bottle, so we clearly were subjecting him to BPA. Needless to say, we are all glass and stainless steal now...goodbye plastic everything!

http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1003220#Supplemental%20Material

And finally, the mainstream media has finally caught on to the dangers of food dyes. A recent spot on the Today Show, highlighted one family who had a child with ADD, who then removed all processed foods from their diet and switched to organic foods. They reportedly saw a significant improvement in their son's behavior and performance in school within days. The FDA recently met to address proposed issues surrounding food dyes. Although they somehow voted down the idea of having food labels provide a warning, they did at least acknowledge that some children may be susceptible to food dyes. Although there was clear disagreement among the FDA scientists, for now they have at agreed to look further into the connection between dyes and ADD. According to some research, food dye consumption has doubled since 1990.

http://www.startribune.com/nation/119009589.html