Page 13 - August 22 2020 Issue PCOS

The PCOS Journey: Conventional or Funtional Treatment, Which is Right for Me?

through. (which were all a prob-
Other factors also contrib- lem). Natural medicine
ute to PCOS like adrenals, was the only thing that

thyroid, female reproduc- My Personal Story ended up having answers
tive hormones (estrogen As a teenage I had acne. for me. I went through all

and progesterone). All I went to my MD, who of the traditional medi-
of these are evaluated on prescribe me Differin and cine routes, which con-
a case by case basis and recommended Accutane. tinuously failed me. I just

we determine how to best I then went to a derma- wasn’t “sick” enough to
manage the conditions. tologist who did chemical need it for my acne, blood

peels and laser treatments. sugar, and hormones. Had
PCOS has a lot of vari- None of these avenues I gotten answers sooner
ability when it comes to worked. I thought my acne and started the functional

treatment and what sys- was a lost cause. All the medicine process, I might
tems in the body have doctors told me I was per- still have my appendix. I

become an issue. Each fectly healthy, and I would am not anti-conventional
individual needs to be just magically grow out medicine; I just believe in
addressed case by case. of it. As a junior in high an integrative approach

We do this by having all school I woke up with depending on the progres-
patients fill out extensive debilitating period cramps, sion of the disease. I think

questionnaires that gives which I was told were nor- in the grey area, medicine
us insight into all organ mal. Today, I would not doesn’t have all the an-
systems like liver, adrenal, quite stand straight up. I swers until it progresses to

thyroid, hormones, blood told my Mom I still want- disease. I’ve lived what I
sugar, etc. We also use ed to try to go to school now recommend.

specialized lab work to but she refused and took Polycystic ovary syn-
help identify the order in me to the doctor who was drome is incredibly chal-
which we need to treat. insistent I go to the ER. lenging. Woman generally

We are passionate about It seemed that in this per- present with a myriad of
helping PCOS. I have had fectly healthy girl, my ap- symptoms ranging from

my own battle with hor- pendix was exploding. No acne (especially cystic),
mone issues, not to fully one ever thought to ask infertility, blood sugar
blown PCOS, and I have me about how my periods problems, excessive hair

been through what most were linked to my hor- growth on face, irregular
of my patients are going mones, blood sugar or gut and painful periodYears

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