We all love a good quiz! So, in honor of PCOS Awareness Month (September) and to bring attention and answers to the 116 million women living with distressing symptoms of irregular menstrual cycles, weight gain, infertility, acne, hair loss, increased facial hair growth--vastly because of hormone imbalances, Dr. Fiona McCulloch has created a quiz that will help pinpoint your symptoms to determine which factors are most important to treat in your presentation of PCOS.
The quiz is available online and in her book, 8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS. Sample portions are below.
A veteran speaker and easy-to-understand academic, in an educational and eye-opening interview, a PCOS sufferer herself, Dr. McCulloch can also discuss:
- What the main signs are of PCOS and how a woman would know if she has it
- What the best diet is for a woman with PCOS
- How PCOS changes through a woman’s lifespan and it looks like in teenagers, reproductive years or after menopause
- What the different types of PCOS are and how to know which one you have
- If women with PCOS can get pregnant and what is unique about their reproductive health
- If there are any supplements or natural treatments that can work for PCOS
SAMPLE SECTIONS OF THE PCOS QUIZ:
Inflammation Quiz
Inflammation is a key factor. All women with PCOS have it. As you’ll see below, you will either have moderate or severe inflammation.
1. I have pain in my body, such as neck pain, back pain, knee pain, or headaches.
2. I have skin rashes, such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, or allergic dermatitis.
3. I have chronic digestive problems, such as bloating, diarrhea, ulcers, reflux, or indigestion.
4. I have asthma or allergies.
5. I’m constantly tired and lethargic.
6. I eat a diet that is not based on whole foods and contains many processed foods and sugars.
7. I have a family member with an autoimmune disease.
8. I have been formally diagnosed with PCOS.
If you have answered yes to five to eight of these, it’s likely you have severe inflammation. If you’ve answered yes to one to four of these, it’s likely you have moderate inflammation.
Hormone Balance Quiz
1. My cycles are or have been thirty-five days or longer for significant periods of time in my life.
2. I’ve had polycystic ovaries on ultrasound.
3. I ovulate late in my cycle—around day eighteen or later.
4. I’ve needed to take medications to help me ovulate.
5. The medications intended to help me ovulate didn’t work on at least one occasion.
6. I’ve had a high anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) reading on a blood test.
7. I’ve had a high luteinizing hormone (LH) to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio on a day-three blood test.
8. I have had low progesterone readings on bloodwork.
If you have answered yes to any of these, you have the ovulation factor to a significant
degree.
Thyroid Quiz
1. I feel cold compared to others around me.
2. I feel tired a lot or exhausted without reason.
3. I do not lose weight easily, despite dieting and exercising.
4. I am constipated.
5. I have dry, flaky skin.
6. I’m losing hair: It is brittle, coarse, and dry. Or, I am losing the outer
eyebrow hair.
7. My nails are brittle.
8. I’m depressed or anxious.
9. I have chronic muscle and joint pains.
10. I feel pressure or swelling in my neck, have difficulty swallowing, and my voice has become hoarse.
11. I have a family member with thyroid disease or an autoimmune disease.
12. I have high cholesterol that does not respond to diet changes or medication.
13. I have unexplained changes in my weight, unrelated to my lifestyle.
14. I have changes in my memory and concentration.
15. I have had abnormal thyroid testing results (including autoimmune thyroid antibody testing) or am taking thyroid medication already.
If you have answered yes either to number fifteen alone, or to ten to fifteen of these, you have a significant thyroid factor. If you haven’t been tested, you should be. If you have answered yes to five to nine of these, you have signs of a moderate thyroid factor and lab testing is warranted. If you have answered yes to one to four of these, you have some signs of a thyroid factor and lab testing is warranted.
10 SURPRISING REASONS YOU ARE GAINING OR NOT LOSING WEIGHT THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH OVEREATING
www.drcalapai.net
When we see people who are overweight, many commonly assume that the individual is overeating and not exercising. Neither of these instances is cause for prejudice, fat shaming or other negatives. There are men and women who seemingly do everything right when it comes to diet and exercise and they are either gaining weight or simply unable to shed pounds. This can be incredibly disheartening and wreak havoc one one’s self esteem. Here are 10 surprising reasons provided by Dr. Christopher Calapai as to why this might be occurring. Dr. Christopher Calapai D.O. is a New York City anti-aging and stem cell specialist, and long-time nutrition advisor to the New York Rangers hockey team.
Lack of Sleep
There are two issues at work with sleep and weight gain. First, if you're up late, the odds are greater that you're doing some late-night snacking, which means more calories. The other reason involves what's going on in your body when you're sleep-deprived. Changes in hormone levels increase hunger and appetite and also make you feel not as full after eating.
Medication
“Many anti-depressant medications cause weight gain—so if you're depressed and taking pills for it, expect to see a bump in weight between 5 and 15 pounds, with continued gradual accumulation over the years,” says Dr. Calapai. If you're not taking pills, there’s evidence that feelings of depression can correlate to weight gain. If patients are taking anti-depressants that could be the culprit of their weight gain, they should see their prescribing doctor and be weaned off slowly. “There's a long list of medications that can cause weight gain: If you're taking birth control pills, excess hormones for hormone therapy, steroids, beta-blockers for heart disease and blood pressure, anti-seizure meds, breast cancer medications like Tamoxifen, some treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, and even some migraine and heartburn medications, you may notice pounds creeping on,” says Dr. Calapai.
Your gut is slow
Digestive issues, including slow bowel movements, may also account for excess pounds. "Ideally, you eat, and then, an hour or so later, you have a bowel movement," says Dr. Calapai. "But once or twice a day is still in the healthy range." If you're not so regular, dehydration, medications, low fiber, or even a lack of good flora in your gut could be to blame. If constipation is your only symptom, then trying probiotics can help your digestive tract work properly. If you're still having trouble, check with your doctor to rule out a range of disorders, including hypothyroidism or a neurological issue.
You're getting older
It's the one condition that's unavoidable. "Often, I hear patients tell me they think their metabolism is slowing down," says Dr. Calapai. "This is real. We don't burn as many calories at 40 or 50 as we used to burn at 20. So we need more exercise and less foo to keep the metabolism going. "Remember that all calories are not equal when it comes to weight," says Dr. Calapai. "Eating lean protein will cause your body to burn calories more efficiently. On the other hand, carbs are something your body tends to burn more slowly and even store in your body more readily."
You have plantar fasciitis
"Many musculoskeletal conditions, including plantar fasciitis, but also osteoarthritis and knee or hip pain, can result in unintentional weight gain," says Dr. Calapai. "Plantar fasciitis certainly can force you to cut back on your activity enough to cause weight gain."
You have Cushing's Syndrome
Weight gain accompanied by high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and changes in your skin tone and quality, including purple or silvery stretch marks on your abdomen and ruddy cheeks, could be a sign that your body isn't processing nutrients the way it should, due to a cortisol-producing tumor on one of your adrenal glands. The syndrome affects only about 15 in every million adults annually, so proceed with caution before demanding a battery of tests. "Cushing's Syndrome is not terribly common," says Dr. Calapai, "but one of the telltale signs is that your fat distribution is more in the midsection of your body, leaving your arms and legs looking more slender."
LIQUID CALORIES
It is often overlooked that liquids have calories. Calories from juices and soft drinks can quickly add up and at restaurants where free refills are the norm, the calorie build-up can go unrecognized. Wright also explains that liquid calories have no satiety factor. “Satiety relates to how long we stay satisfied after we consume something. If you ate 500 calories of healthy solid food, he/she would be full and unlikely to eat anything for quite some time, but after drinking the same amount of calories in orange juice, cola or root beer, you might be hungry minutes later.”
WEIGHT TRAINING
Many people do not realize that weight gain is not just fat gain. Weight training can increase your muscle mass, therefore increasing your weight. When you gain muscle faster than you lose fat, your body mass is increasing.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS):
PCOS is one of the most common reproductive problems diagnosed in younger women, striking perhaps up to 10% of women who are of childbearing age (i.e. roughly 12-45 years old). It involves the development of many small cysts on the ovaries, as well as menstrual disturbances. The hormone disruption caused by PCOS has many unpleasant consequences, including unwanted weight gain (usually because of a higher resistance to insulin). If you also suffer from acne, find that you are hairier than most women and do not have regular periods, ask your doctor about being tested for PCOS. This usually involves blood tests and an ultrasound of your ovaries. If you do have PCOS then you can lose the unwanted weight, but the unfortunate fact of the matter is that you will have to adopt an attitude towards healthy eating and exercise that is substantially more diligent than that of your peers.
Quitting Smoking:
Although making the decision to stop smoking is extremely good for your body in a great many respects, most people who do quit smoking end up gaining around 7-10 pounds. Most of this is due to the fact that reaching for cigarettes tends to be replaced with reaching for snacks, but the new absence of nicotine in your body will also lead to a drop in metabolic rate (so you won't be able to eat as much as you used to without gaining weight).
“Carb intake makes it difficult for your body to burn fat as a primary fuel . Low carb diets work well to burn fat and lower cholesterol and lose weight, “says Dr. Calapai. If you suspect you are gaining weight that you can't attribute to your eating habits, medications, or lack of exercise, a few tests—including a blood test and urinalysis, to get an accurate check of your body's cortisol levels, will give your doctor the first clues to this condition. If the levels are deemed excessively high, then your doctor will order further tests, like a CT scan of your pituitary and adrenal glands, to determine if such a tumor exists. If the tumor is confirmed, doctors will likely perform surgery to remove the tumor (and possibly the affected gland), followed by a course of steroids to help regulate the remaining gland.
8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS:
A Proven Program to Reset Your Hormones, Repair Your Metabolism and Restore Your Fertility
by Dr. Fiona McCulloch N.D.
For years, an estimated 116 million women have been affected by an unidentified disorder that affects weight, fertility, female hormones, hair, skin and has risk for chronic disease—and most women don’t even know they have it. Answers and treatments are finally available.
The upcoming new book by veteran naturopathic doctor Fiona McCulloch, 8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS: A Proven Program to Reset Your Hormones, Repair Your Metabolism and Restore Your Fertility (Greenleaf Book Group, September 20, 2016), dives deep into the science underlying the mysteries of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) offering the newest research and discoveries on the disorder and a detailed array of treatment options.
“8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS is an encyclopedic-style book that has vast implications for PCOS, diabetes and weight loss, and it is the first book that introduces the idea of insulin counting,” says Dr. McCulloch. “Insulin counting involves the measurement of how much a portion of any given food we eat raises blood insulin levels which can, if implemented, change the life of about one out of every ten women in the world—the percentage who suffer in silence from PCOS.”
In her book, Dr. McCulloch also introduces the key health factors that must be addressed to reverse PCOS. Through quizzes, symptoms checklists, and lab tests, Dr. McCulloch gives readers the tools they need to self-identify which of the factors are present in their bodies and what they can do to treat them. Readers will be empowered to be the heroines of their own health stories with the help of this unique, step-by-step natural medicine system to heal their PCOS, and since PCOS is linked with specific genes, helping their daughters with their reproductive and overall hormonal health. Further, women will learn about the tests, which are important to understand when speaking with doctors. Medical professionals, who understand that conventional medical treatments for PCOS are not very effective overall and who are increasingly seeking reliable, scientifically-backed source materials from naturopathic doctors, will find this to be an up-to-date new source for materials written for practitioners.
8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS also includes the following topics:
- Bisphenol A (BPA) may induce PCOS after a single exposure for two generations onward
- Insulin resistance is a key component of PCOS, and insulin counting may help women reverse their PCOS
- One in ten women suffer from PCOS which is related to risks for weight gain, slow metabolism and diabetes and 50% of those don’t know they have it
- 70% of women with PCOS are considered to be insulin resistant or heavy
- PCOS also causes distressing cosmetic symptoms including hair growth on the face, hair loss from the head and acne which can result in low self-esteem, depression and anxiety
- Environmental toxins and genetics have been linked to causing PCOS
- Women with PCOS have a different reproductive cycle and often hit their reproductive peak later impacting family planning
- Insulin counting has a wide range of implications for PCOS, diabetes and weight loss
- Evidence-based natural medicine and supplements impact autoimmune conditions and thyroid conditions
Fiona McCulloch, N.D., founder and owner of White Lotus Integrated Medicine, is a naturopath practitioner having worked with thousands of people seeking better health over the past fifteen years. She is a data-junkie who specializes in evidence-based therapies for PCOS, thyroid health, autoimmunity, weight management and infertility among other unique conditions that can all benefit from a system reboot.
Dr. McCulloch is also a medical advisor for IVF.ca: Canada’s premier fertility community and is on the medical advisory committee for the PCOS Awareness Association. As a woman with PCOS herself, she is dedicated to increasing both awareness and research of this important condition that has far reaching effects on the lives of so many women. When she was a young girl, Dr. McCulloch would spend hours “compounding” mixtures made from plants and trees in the woods near her house. Today, Dr. McCulloch is a graduate of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (2001) and the University of Guelph (biological science). She is married and the mother of three boys. She can be reached on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Dr. McCulloch’s new book, 8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS, will be available on September 21, 2016 on Amazon and all fine booksellers.
