Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, can be a devastating diagnosis for a woman. There is hope though. Many doctors prescribe medications right away and others wait to see how things progress. There are many alternative therapies that a woman can do that can help to ease the symptoms and the progression of PCOS. Chinese medicine has many great alternatives and most can be easily obtained or found.
PCOS comes with a whole array of symptoms and issues. Many women deal with acne, hair growth on face and neck, obesity, insulin imbalance, mood swings, menstrual irregularities, depression and thinning hair on scalp. Many of these symptoms can be controlled by the use of herbal supplements. In extreme cases, traditional medicine may be more helpful, at least at first. If a woman is trying to achieve pregnancy, these herbs should only be used until pregnancy has happened. Then they should be discontinued until after the baby is born. In many cases, PCOS symptoms do not come back as strong after pregnancy so that is a great time to start supplements. The best way to know what to take and when to take it is to find an herbalist or other alternative medicine doctor. Many nutritionists are also equipped with this knowledge as well.
One alternative therapy that many rely on is herbal supplements. There are so many out there so you need to educate yourself as best you can to find the ones that will benefit you the most. For a woman with PCOS, there are many different supplements that can help. Here is a list of a few of the more popular ones and what they can do for you.
1. Vitex, or chasteberry – this supplement will help to balance fertility and sex hormones. It will also help with acne control. This is the most popular of the supplements for women with PCOS and other hormonal disorders.
2. Cinnamon – this is taken before meals to balance blood glucose. In turn, when blood glucose is balanced, insulin is also balanced. It also helps with appetite control as well.
3. Saw Palmetto – a popular supplement for men for prostate health but also benefits women with PCOS since their hormone levels are sometimes high in androgrens and testosterone. This supplement will help with hirsutism, which is hair growth on the face and neck, as well as acne and hormone balance.
4. Chromium – this is similar to cinnamon and is used for glucose balance.
5. d-Pinitol – this is to balance fertility and sex hormones, glucose control and weight and appetite control. This is another popular supplement for women with PCOS.
6. Donq Quai – the has been referred to as the female ginsing and is useful for irregular menstrual cycles as well as for PMS control.
7. Black Cohosh – this supplement helps with PMS control and it also lowers blood pressures.
There are many other supplements out there that can benefit a woman with PCOS but each woman’s symptoms are different so this should be discussed with an alternative medicine doctor or nutritionist or herbalist. They can recommend the best supplements and amounts that you should take.
All of these supplements can be easily found online or in a health food store. Many other stores such as WalMart or Target are also now carrying more herbal supplements. They are an inexpensive way to control some of the out of control symptoms that women with PCOS face on a daily basis.
Another great thing thing to do while taking herbal supplements is to eat a well balance, low glycemic diet. This can help the supplements work at their best level. Exercise is another thing you should be doing as well. Adopting a healthy lifestyle and sticking to it will help the supplements to work.
Being told that you have PCOS is quite upsetting but you can win the fight. Alternative medicine has made quite a stir in the medical world and has done wonders for many people with all different types of disorders and diseases. Trying alternative therapies will prove to you that they do work and you will love the ease of feeling great.
