care, pursuing hobbies and pleasures that fill your heart and getting some rest will help smooth the rough edges of a frazzled nervous system.


• Help your body metabolize andro- gens appropriately. An imbalance of es- trogen, progesterone and testosterone underpin acne and male-pattern hair growth in PCOS, not to mention men- strual and ovulation irregularities. There are a number of foods that can


be incorporated into your daily nutrition that help your body break down and me- tabolize and excrete estrogen appropri- ately, decrease aromatization to estrone and have anti-androgen effects. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, bok choi, cabbage, egg yolk, lemon, spearmint tea, stevia and pumpkin seeds top this list, although there are more. There are also supplements that con- tain key food derived ingredients, herbs, vitamins and minerals that have been shown to help balance androgens. The two we use at our clinic are called Metabolic Fembalance – this product helps metabo- lize estrogen appropriately and divert less estrogen into being made into estrone; and Androgen Complex – a product that blunts the aromatization of androgens, and im- proves the response and normalizes the feedback loop between the brain, the pi- tuitary, the adrenals and the ovaries that is classically disrupted in PCOS.


• Improve hormonal signaling by


improving membrane fluidity. Have you ever heard the phrase, “the rigid break


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before the flexible”? Not only an interest- ing six words to ponder philosophically, but exquisitely true for cellular mem- branes.


Hormones are chemical messengers; little texts sent between the systems and cells of the body to ask another system or cell to do something. In order to receive the message, the cell receptors have to be available to be bound and the cellular membrane must be supple to accommo- date this interaction. Membrane fluidity is key not only for hormones, but for all chemical messages. The way to increase membrane fluid- ity is to increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, mackerel and other fatty fish should be consumed regularly. Caviar, walnuts, flax/flax products are also food sources of omega-3 fatty acids. This is not a big list, so supplementation with fish oil or cod liver oil is often recom- mended, at a dose of about 3 grams daily.


• Avoid known endocrine disruptors


and estrogens in the environment: Wom- en with PCOS are going to be more vulner- able to hormone-disrupting agents in their environment, because a compromise is already present. There are a few worth mentioning here, for their strength in the research and prevalence in our everyday lives. BPA (bisphenol A) is a well known endocrine disruptor that is being phased out of most products, but whenever you are buying something in a can or in plastic or any container that has a coating, make sure it says “BPA free”.


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English-speaking adults 18-45 may be eligible. People are NOT eligible if they take an- tidepressants, are pregnant, have diabetes or any heart condition, or take certain other medications.


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MARCH 2017 17


Phthalates are another compound to be minimized whenever possible. Phthal- ates are plasticizers, added to plastics to improve their flexibility and strength. Many food and beverage containers, shower curtains, building materials, glue, paint, waxes, air fresheners, plug ins and even makeup. Avoid vinyl when possible, opting for natural fibers and materials in- stead, and read labels. Women with PCOS would be well


served to find makeup that does not con- tain phthalates or heavy metals or other hormone disrupting compounds. Due to consumer demand, there are many lines available that have excellent, clean make- up. Beautycounter and Tarte are some of my favorites, and are well worth checking out.


Conventional dairy products, particu-


larly butter and cheeses, have high amounts of exogenous (environmental) estrogen and plasticizers in them. It is well worth spending your money on organic dairy products if you have PCOS to avoid this excessive exposure.


Following this framework assures that


you are covering all of the bases necessary to address the many factors that coalesce to generate PCOS.


Jillian Teta, ND is a medically trained na- turopathic physician in practice at the Naturopathic Health Clinic of NC on Reynolda Road in Winston-Salem. She is the author of Natural Solutions for Diges- tive Health (available on Amazon) and is an avid blogger at FixMyDigestion.com.


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