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OPTIMIZE YOUR HEALTH SEPTEMBER 2006 September is National Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Awareness Month. Because PCOS is a metabolic and hormonal disorder, The Center for Optimal Health has many women with this condition among its patients. We dedicate this issue of the newsletter to women with PCOS and their spouses and relatives, who may struggle with unseen symptoms that are poorly understood. At the Center, we DO understand, and we hope that if you have PCOS you take full advantage of our integrated approach to treatment. September is also the month of our annual conference, Seeking Mind / Body Balance: Essence of Integrated Health, which will be held on September 23. The conference is designed to bring you state-of-the-art information on how to optimize health and prevent disease. Should you have any questions about the conference, please contact Karina Muniz at 949-872-2850. We look forward to seeing you there! MEDICAL NEWS
Difficulty getting pregnant? History of recurrent miscarriages? Irregular periods? Excess facial/body hair or acne? You definitely need to know about PCOS. But wait a minute, even if you don’t have any of the above issues, and even if you are postmenopausal or if you are a man, you still need to keep reading! Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal disorder that affects women of reproductive age, with a prevalence estimated between 5% and 10%. Diagnostic criteria of PCOS include anovulation (which frequently presents as irregular menstruation) and hyperandrogenism (symptoms caused by elevated male hormones – acne, hirsutism and alopecia). Even though the first mention of PCOS was as far back as 1921, our understanding of PCOS has increased dramatically in the last 10 years or so, since insulin resistance has been identified as a core defect in PCOS. We now know that women with PCOS carry a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Recent research has even established that first-degree relatives (male and female) carry higher risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This significant metabolic health impact of PCOS is a good reason why every man and woman should know about PCOS and be on the look-out for it in friends and family.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NEWS
In researching journals for this article, I came across the title “PCOS: Thief of Womanhood.” How cruel of the author, I thought. Then I realized that the women I had treated at the Center who had PCOS shared details with me about excessive hair growth and the loss of periods, and how this left them feeling de-feminized. Having one’s gender identity called into question due to a flood of hormones is distressing! Women with PCOS complain of feeling unappealing, disliking their insulin-resistant “pooch”, and being upset over facial blemishes. And because for many women it is a hidden condition, women with PCOS often do not get the support they want, need, or deserve. Learn more about female identity and PCOS...
SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS
Women with PCOS and their partners face two challenges in the area of sexual health. The first is that women may not feel desirable due to unfeminine body changes, weight, and lower libido. The second is, potentially, problems with fertility. Both of these have an impact not only on the woman with PCOS but her partner. Read more about PCOS and sexual health...
ENDOCRINE NEWS Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal problem in women of childbearing age, with an estimated prevalence of 5% to 10%. It accounts for 90% of women with infrequent periods, 30% of women with absent periods, and over 70% of women who are not ovulating. It tends to run more commonly in families, and the core problem in PCOS has been identified to be insulin resistance.
EXERCISE NEWS
Weight reduction and exercise are often the first steps in managing the symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Exercise has many benefits for women with PCOS, including helping the body use insulin more efficiently. Regular exercise can also improve circulation, reduce blood pressure, increase levels of high density lipoproteins (good cholesterol), decrease low density lipoproteins (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides, build muscles and even help prevent bone loss. Exercise is also very important for helping with weight reduction and long term weight loss maintenance. Appropriate exercise may even help improve fertility rates in overweight women with PCOS. Read more about exercise and fertility...
NUTRITIONAL NEWS
The list of symptoms and co-morbidities that women suffering from PCOS have to deal with is long. It includes insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, increased risk of diabetes, depression, and stress. The good news is that omega-3 fatty acids along with a balanced diet and exercise program can help alleviate all these symptoms.
SUPPLEMENT CABINET Hopefully by now most of you have heard from more than a few sources that omega 3 fatty acids are essential to optimal health. They are so important that we have two articles about them in our newsletter this month. Here is a quick summary of their benefits: Omega 3 fatty acids from fish have cardio-protective and anti-inflammatory effects. Omega 3 fatty acids are crucial to the development of the brain and eyes. Omega 3 fatty acids may also help support mood and cognitive function. Fatty fish is the richest source of healthful omega-3 fatty acids, but most of us do not eat enough to derive the amount needed for optimal health. Supplementation has been proven to be a safe and effective means of increasing dietary omega-3 fatty acids. Read more... NEWS BRIEF: Women on Metformin Therapy Need B12 Women with PCOS on metformin therapy should take a B12 supplement. Actually, all patients (men and women) on Metformin, whether it is for diabetes or insulin resistance or PCOS, should take a B12 supplement. Why? Metformin has been found to potentially interfere with B12 absorption in the intestines. Let’s take a look at why we need a high quality B-vitamin supplement. Read more...
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