PCOS Naturopath
Holistic Treatment Of PCOS
PCOS is fast becoming one of the most common endocrine disorders seen in women, and it’s something that can present an issue for fertility. Much of my naturopathic practice involves supporting patients who are at different points in their journey with PCOS.
Naturopathic medicine can play a significant role in the holistic support of this condition, affecting anywhere between 10-20% of the female population.
How is PCOS Diagnosed?
There are different subtypes of PCOS and not everyone who presents to my naturopathic clinic with PCOS has the same picture. However some of the common symptoms we see;
Weight gain
Skin breakouts
Facial hair growth
Hair thinning and hair loss
Long periods- Irregular periods
Infertility
I want to take a moment here to mention that this picture isn’t always accompanied with weight gain and insulin resistance- If you’d like to read more about some of the phenotypes of PCOS you can head across to this post.
Equally, having cysts on your ovaries without the other accompanying factors doesn’t mean you have the syndrome. It means that you have cystic ovaries.
If you suspect a hormonal imbalance, get yourself to your GP or Naturopath and get the proper pathology testing done.
It’s not uncommon that the use of the OCP- Oral Contraceptive Pill can mask a number of reproductive conditions including PCOS and endometriosis. So, if you’ve only recently come off the pill again, consult with your health practitioners for proper guidance and support to get a clear picture of what’s going on for you.
How Can Naturopathic Medicine Help With PCOS?
We don’t know exactly what causes PCOS. It’s thought to be a combination of genetics, insulin resistance (poor management of diet) chronic inflammation in the body these are commonly seen in clients with the condition.
There are two factors that are often overlooked in the PCOS picture. One is the exposure to endocrine disruptors- we hear of them as ‘forever chemicals’ these are often found in fragrances and household products. These chemicals enter the body and disrupt our hormonal balance and functioning. There have been several major studies supporting this.
The second factor to consider is stress!
When you’re stressed, your nervous system stimulates the release of several hormones in your body, one of them being cortisol, and we know that cortisol can make fat and muscle cells resistant to insulin, contributing to part of the symptom picture we see in PCOS as well as contributing to an increase in inflammation in the body.
Cortisol also has impacts on thyroid function and sex hormones in your body. Once this balance is disrupted, we see a change in the hormone profiles in your body.
It’s been my experience that dealing with the stress component is vital in helping my PCOS clients through a combination of herbal medicines, hypnotherapy, and some lifestyle changes.
a naturopathic approach to pcos
Dietary Modifications & Recommendations
Addressing sugar intake— this is one of the first areas we’ll discuss as it’s a key player in increasing the insulin growth factor and insulin, which in itself increases testosterone production. It also leads to an increase in fat mass and fatigue, common symptoms of PCOS.
Reducing Intake of Inflammatory Substances
Consider things like alcohol and gluten. If you have a diet that is high in processed foods this has the potential to also increase your exposure to endocrine disruptors as well as increase inflammation in your body.
Sleep, sugar cravings, stress, all factors to discuss so that they can be addressed if they are indeed factors that are contributing to your PCOS and fertility.
Herbal Medicine For PCOS
This is not medical advice or prescriptive in any way, please seek personal health advice from your naturopath or medical practitioner.
There are many botanical medicines that can be used to support the clearance of certain hormones in the body as well as helping to convert testosterone to estrogen. In particular, herbs like Peony and licorice.
Gymnema is commonly used to help with blood sugar regulation, in combination with other herbs that contain Berberine, which can help to reduce insulin levels and encourage weight loss. Nigella is another herb researched to help with metabolism.
Beyond these, I would also incorporate some herbs to help with stress management, like Valerian and Passionflower just to name a couple.
Can Naturopathic Medicine reverse pcos?
It was once thought that PCOS was a lifestyle disease, and with quality research published we now know it’s much more complex than simply changing your diet and exercising more.
However, a multifaceted approach that takes your individual causative factors into consideration can lead to improvements in the management of PCOS.
This is likely to be something you’ll need to manage with some ongoing support and guidance.
Remember health comes about by all the small things you do every day.
Falling pregnant with PCOS
At the risk of this article ending up an essay, I will keep this to a minimum if you want more information please just book a complimentary 15 minute call.
Don’t leave it to right before you want to fall pregnant.
It has been reported that 25-30% of infertility cases are due to PCOS. I don’t say this to concern you. I have seen many of my clients with PCOS successfully fall pregnant, but the sooner you get onto it, the better.
I think that’s true for most things with health.
If you want any more info on this, please reach out.
PCOS And Yoga Therapy
There was a study conducted in India on 50 subjects so it was small, but the initial results are of course worth noting.
The program went for 12 weeks and incorporated yoga therapy (20 mins a day) as well as naturopathic principles like diet, and fasting.
They found that the treatment group had improvements in ovarian morphology, BMI and weight and psychological well-being also improved.
If you want to take a closer look at the article, you can check it out here.
A holistic approach to health, especially these chronic conditions, which often have few treatment options in conventional medicine, can be very beneficial in the long term.
Find a medical practitioner that is open to working with you and your naturopath and you’ll be well on your way to feeling more balanced and healthy in no time.
Avoiding endocrine disruptors
I’ve created a complementary resource on common household hormone disruptors- with alternatives you can use to avoid these chemicals and reduce your hormonal issues. You can find the guidebook here.