Benefits of Spearmint tea for Pcos

Benefits of Spearmint tea for Pcos

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a condition of cyst formation in ovaries in women because of higher than normal level of testosterone in the body. This hormonal imbalance causes excessive growth of coarse hair on women body which is known as hirsutism.

There are many causes of PCOS some of which are stress ,general inflammation in the body or insulin resistance.

Cure of this demands lifestyle changes and changes in your diet, key factor of which is not to exclude everything from your diet but to eat a healthy substitute of it to gain long term benefits.

If we talk about diet changes then you should add one more thing to your list which is SPEARMINT TEA. This tea provides tons of benefits to PCOS women not only in treating hormonal imbalance but also in reducing hirsutism that comes with it and so much more...

How SPEARMINT TEA works?

1-For Hormonal Imbalances

Studies have shown that including spearmint tea in diet not only reduces male hormones like testosterone in women, but also increases female hormone like LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone).

Thus by decreasing testosterone in body it reduces the risks of PCOS and increases fertility by increasing female hormones in women.

2-Reduces Hirsutism

Thick coarse hair is a characteristic of male body caused by testosterone hormone. In women with PCOS this hormone is abnormally high in the body thus leading to the growth of thick, coarse hair on the body especially around nippular area, chest and face.

You can get rid of these hair by just adding this simple natural ingredient in your diet, that by reducing testosterone level in the body reduces the coarse and thick hair on the body of women.

3-Reduces Stress

As you know by now that stress also contributes to PCOS. In some countries spearmint tea is also used to reduce stress and anxiety and to promote healthy sleep. Spearmint contains menthol that has been shown to promote relaxation.

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in your brain. It inhibits certain nerve signals in brain thus decreases nervous system activity. It is believed that menthol in spearmint interacts with this neurotransmitter receptors and promotes sedation and reduces stress.

4-Contains Antioxidants

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathophysiology of PCOS. Oxidative stress occurs due increase in the number of reactive oxygen species(ROS) in the body and impaired ability of the body to produce antioxidants to prevent their harmful effects. ROS damages cell membranes that can lead to cell death. Somehow in PCOS natural ability of our body to produce antioxidants reduces thus leading to oxidative stress.

Studies have shown that certain oxidative stress markers( MDA, AGEs and XO etc )are present in higher levels in women with PCOS than other women. These markers are a sign that shows more than normal amount of ROS formation in the body and their adverse effects.

So it is extremely necessary to detoxify the body to get rid of these ROS by adding antioxidants in your diet such as vit C, vit E, beta-carotene, flavones, catechins. Spearmint leaves are rich in antioxidant compounds such as menthol, limonene, flavones, flavanones and rosmarinic acid that help to get rid of ROS in body thus detoxifies the body.

How much spearmint tea is recommended per day...

It is recommended to have 2-3 cups of spearmint tea per day to gain its beneficial effects.

Caution

Make sure to not exceed this quantity as it my reduce the sex drive(low libido), reduced  strength and muscle tone, depressed mood, weight gain and sleep disturbances.




Bitter gourd effect for diabetes in PCOS

Bitter gourd effect for diabetes in PCOS

 Vegetables are a key factor for a healthy and a sound body.I can not emphasize enough the importance of green vegetables for women with PCOS.Green vegetables are rich in minerals,vitamins and antioxidants.

Today i am going to talk about a vegetable that not only offers above mentioned benefits but also helps in insulin resistance that is a cause of type 2 diabetes in patients with PCOS.

Thus indirectly it increases insulin sensitivity and normalize the blood sugar levels in PCOS.

If we talk about how bitter gourd works on our body systems and controls the body sugar levels we will see that bitter gourd contains few active compounds that help reduce the blood glucose levels.These are
1-Charanti
2-Vicine
3-Polypeptide-p
4-Lectin

     


Main mechanism:

Bittergourd can regulate blood glucose levels by two major mechanisms:

1- It controls the absorption by the gut of the glucose that we intake via food.

2- Also it stimulates the uptake of glucose from blood to the skeletal muscles.


Active Substances


Charanti

Charanti has a blood glucose lowering effect.All the active compounds present in bittergourd work either by stimulating the function of pancreatic beta cells to increase the amount of insulin in the body or have insulin like action in the body thus increasing the uptake of glucose from peripheral tissues and as a result reduces the blood glucose concentration.In this way they also improve insulin resistance.

Vicine

Vicine like other active compounds alters the hepatic glucose metabolism and stimulates insulin sectretion.

Polypeptide-p

Polypeptide-p reduces blood sugar levels as it acts as the insulin-like hypoglycemic protein.It performs the same function as that of insulin in the body thus used in type 1 diabetes to reduce blood glucose level.

Lectin

Lectin on other hand helps reducing the glucose concentrations by acting on the peripheral tissues.Lectins are a form of protein that bind to the cell membranes.It causes the sugar molecules to bind to the membrane of other cells as it is sugar binding.It also suppresses appetite thus by eating less frequently the blood glucose levels remains low.

After effect of the eating bitter guard is usually hypoglycemia and the main factor that causes this after effect is also lectin.


Precaution

You all should know that excess of everything is bad so if you are going to add bitter gourd in your diet plan make sure to not over consume it as it can cause abdominal discomfort like abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Make sure to consume not more than two bitter gourd in your diet per day and make sure to remove the seeds in it before consuming it.

Also make sure that you are not consuming it with any antidiabetic medicine or insulin as they have hypoglycemic effect just like bitter gourd and thus using them along with bitter gourd can cause severe hypoglycemia and will cause more harm than good to the body.


How to consume

You can either make juice of bitter guard(you can add some stevia or any other sugar alternative to improve the taste) or you can fry it in some healthy fat and make your own healthy snack.


Skipping breakfast VS Intermittent fasting for fat loss

Skipping breakfast VS Intermittent fasting for fat loss

 Majority of us confuses intermittent fasting with skipping breakfast,however,these two are completely different things.


Intermittent Fasting

As you all know what is intermittent fasting is,its when you are not actually restricting calories but you are eating less often or i can say that the your eating time period is smaller.Most common of which is 16:8 where we eat within 8 hours of time period and then fast for 16 hours however some people do 20:4 or 23:1 for more fat loss.

Intermittent fasting has recently been shown to be extremely helpful in fat burning process as it

1-Improves insulin sensitivity

2-Balances the hormones in the body

3-Kick starts the fat burning process in the body.

4-Also eating for a smaller interval allows our body to absorb and store the nutrients properly.

Thus by eating in a smaller interval really turns the body into a fat butning machine.

Intermittent fasting has become a lifestyle for many people nowadays.Some people follow it alternatively with normal eating days,usually 3-4 days per week.

Skipping breakfast

Now most people confuse it with skipping breakfast.Skipping breakfast means that you are going to skip your one entire meal which is not healthy for your body.

In other words you are cutting off the calories of your one entire meal from your diet which badly effects your body.

It not only slows down your metabolism but also disturbs the hormones and is not good for losing weight.


Whats the difference...

Now if we compare these two it comes to the following things

1-In intermittent fasting there is no calorie deficit thus it does not slows down your metabolism as in skipping an entire meal and decreasing your calories drastically.

2-Skipping your entire meals with the purpose of drastic calorie drop can lead to muscle wasting which in turn decreases your metabolism and can lead to weight gain if you eat slightly more than yout normal calories.

Intermittent fasting however allows the body to be in the protein saving mode hence does not lead to the muscle wasting which is extremely good as you are burning fat without wasting muscles.

Thus skipping breakfast during intermittent fasting is not actually skipping a meal as you are not going to be in a calorie deficit,you are just going to prolong the period of fasting and is going to break your fast later without being in calorie deficit.


Conclusion

So do your research properly before incorporating any new thing in your weight loss journey.
Always listen to your body how it reacts to different diets and schedules.
Always follow a healthy and permanent way to lose weight that does not effect your body badly in long run.
Benefits of meditation for PCOS

Benefits of meditation for PCOS

We believe it or not Stress plays a key role in maintaining our health.It has a huge impact on our mind and overall health.

Thats the reason yoga and meditation has become so important in maintaining health and calm mind these days.

Studies have shown that meditation effects your brain in so many positive ways leading to a overall positive impact on mind as well as body.So here i am discussing a few of them with you.

Significant drop in inflammation

Doing meditation on regular basis helps in controlling stress which if you do not know is one of the common reasons of inflammatiom and inflammation leads to many health problems especially if we talk about women with pcos.

Inflammation by itself leads to pcos so by reducing inflammation helps in treating pcos if you have inflammatory pcos.

Reduces anxiety and depression

Pcos comes with many mood swings the most common of which is anxiety,stress and depression.

Meditation helps to calm the body and mind and helps to manage stress in a better way.

It decreases the cell volume in amygdala that is responsible for stress,anxiety and fear thus helps in managing these emotions.

Helps in controlling Blood Pressure

After a period of doing meditation you will observe a significant change in your BP as it brings back the BP levels to normal.

Physically effects brain

Meditating effects the brain in many ways that help us control our daily life emotions,behaviour and other necessary skills such as learning ,writing etc.

Meditation improves our learning ability by increasing the size of left hippocampus.
It also effects other parts of brain like TPJ temporo parietal junction thus increases empathy for others and cingulate cortex that helps the way our mind thinks.

Helps to focus 

Increases the time period of focusing on a task without wondering about other things thus helps in concentrating better.

Slows down Aging

Studies have shown that meditation can protect the length on telomeres.

Telomeres are basically a part of our chromosomes that are associated with aging,as their length decreases with advanced age the process of aging speeds up.

Thus by protecting their length it slows down the process of aging.

Conclusion

There are tons of more benefits of meditation in our lives and we need it nowadays so much more than our parents and grand parents because we have such a small amount of time for ourselves in this world full of hustle bustle.
So make sure to spare some time for relaxing your body and mind and make meditation a crucial part of your daily life.


Best Healthy and Natural Sugar substitues

Best Healthy and Natural Sugar substitues

 White sugar is a big no when it comes to eat healthy and nutritious food.

White sugar just contains empty calories and no nutrition or vitamins which can only harm your body.Also white sugar promotes inflammation in the body that is extremely bad for women with pcos.

So its time to switch to healthy and natural sugar substitues that are full of nutrition and provide your body with essential vitamins and minerals.

1-Jaggery

2-Dates

3-Raw Honey

4-Coconut sugar

I will discuss each of these briefly to show you the amazing benefits that you can have while enjoying your desserts or drinks.

Jaggery

1-Jaggery is full of potassium,iron,magnesium,sodium and calcium.
2-It acts as a cleansing agent for your body.
3-It aids in digestion.
4-It boosts energy.

But be careful as not to consume too much of it.The calories provided by 1tsp of jaggery is 18 calories same as white sugar but full of nutrition.

Dates

Dates are extremely very healthy for your body.You can consume a good quantity of them as they are full of fibre.
Being rich in fibre they balance out the carbs and sugar present in it thus not harming the body especially for diabetics as it does not spike your insulin levels.
Moreover it offers tons of benefits to the body.
1-It promotes bone health
2-Improves haemoglobin
3-Can help to gain weight or lose weight depending on the usage
4-Balance insulin levels

1 pitted date contains around 20-30 calories and 90-95% carbs and remaining mostly proteins.

Raw Honey

Raw honey is simply considered as a whole food bcz of the impact it has on our body.
1- It has a lower glycemic index thus it does not spike the insulin levels and that is a plus point for pcos and diabetic patients.
2- It has a great amount of powerful antioxidants thus clears the body off of the harmful toxins in the body.
3-It prevents allergic reactions thus by consuming a small amount in luke warm water you can get away from your seasonal allergies.

1 tbsp of honey (21g) contains 64 calories with 17g sugar.

Coconut Sugar

The unique benefit that only coconut sugar provides among all other sugar substitues is that it is rich in Inulin which is aprebiotic fibre.

Being rich in prebiotics it helps to grow and flourish our gut bacteria thus improving digestion and aids in better absorption of the minerals and vitamins from the food that we consume.

1 tbsp coconut sugar contains 45-50 calories with 12-15 g sugar

Conclusion

Make sure to enjoy all the blessings that you have but in a healthy way that suits your body and is nutritious for you in a long run.
Omega 3s benefits for PCOS

Omega 3s benefits for PCOS

 There are lots of supplements that can help in the treatment of pcos.I am going to tell you about one of these supplements that is "Omega-3s".Best source of having omega 3 is Fish Oil.

Omega 3 offers tons of benefits to our health in different aspects but today i will tell you how it will help in pcos.

Benefits of Omega 3s

1- Decreases Insulin Resistance
2- Reduces Inflammation
3- Can reverse fatty liver
4- Lowers testosterone levels
5- Improves ovulation
6- Other benefits



Decreases Insulin Resistance

As you know that insulin resistance means inability to take sugars in the cell.Hence omega 3s improves insulin resistance it helps to lower blood sugar levels.

Reduces Inflammation

Some people have inflammatory type of pcos in which there are high levels of CRP C reactive protein in their body.You can check what type of pcos you have by having a look herehttps://pcostreatment323.blogspot.com/2020/07/types-of-pcos.html
You can even test it if you have more than normal number of CRP in your body.
Studies have shown that omega 3s reduces the level of CRP in your body hence reduces inflammation.

Lowers testosterone levels

High insulin level in the body is a positive sign for the ovaries to make more testosterone thus increasing the level of androgens in the body which is extremely bad for pcos.As omega 3s reduces insulin resistance it helps lowering the level of androgens in the body.

Can reverse fatty liver

Omega 3s lowers the risk of fatty liver by reducng bad cholesterol in the body.It reduces triglycerides in the body thus improves health and aids in weight loss.

Improves Ovulation

A study was done on 78 participants having pcos and irregular menstrual cycle.They were given 5 grams of omega 3s per day and their menstrual cycle improved alot.
Thus it shows that omega 3s helps in improving ovulation.

Other benefits

As we know due to increases in the level of testosterone in the body there is male pattern baldness in women which can be reduced by using omega 3s.

It also improves acne which is also a major concern of women with pcos.

Moreover it also improves mood and anxiety that occurs due to hormonal imbalance in pcos.









5 best yoga poses for PCOS

5 best yoga poses for PCOS

 Diet and exercise go hand in hand.We can not achieve the goal of a healthy and fit life just by following only one of these two.



So today i will talk about 5 best yoga poses that will help you with pcos and your overall health maintenance

1- Butterfly Pose or Baddhakonasana

2- Reclined Butterfly Pose or Supta Baddhakonasana

3- Camel Pose or Ustrasana

4- Locust Pose or Shalabhasana

5- Wide Legged Forward Bend or Prasarita Padottanasana

Now i will briefly explain the steps and benefits of all these...

Butterfly Pose

1-Sit on the ground with your feet held straight in front of you.
2-Bring the soles of your feet together.
3-Hold your each foot with hands properly and make sure to keep your elbows against your inner thighs.
4-Make sure to sit straight, inhale and as you exhale lean forward from your hips until you feel the stretch.
5-Hold for 15-30 sec and repeat 2-4 times.

Benefits

Helps in preparing for delivery.
Improves digestion.
Stretches your inner thighs and knees.
Relieves menstrual discomfort.
Improves blood circulation in lower body.

Reclined Butterfly Pose

1-Follow the first 2 steps of the butterfly pose described above.
2-Maintaining this position lie back on a bolster or you can keep anything that can match the height of bolster.You can keep your knees a bit above ground.
3-Make sure that your head neck and upper back is resting on bolster.
4-Place your hands on your belly or keep them on sides.
5-Stay in this position for 5-10 breaths and repeat 2-4 times.

Benefits

Relieves stress.
Alleviates upper and lower back pain.
Stretches shoulders,triceps,groin,abductors,hamstrings and chest.

Camel Pose

1-Keep your knees on the ground as you are standing on your knees with your legs parallel and behind your body.
2-Keep your back straight.Do not bend hip joint.
3-Now place your hands to your lower back with fingers pointing downwards and elbows facing backwards.
4-Gently arch your back in such a way that a backbend forms.
5-Lift your chin up as you are looking towards the ceiling.
6-Push your chest forwards and upwards as pressing against the ceiling with the hands in the same position as described in step 3.
7-Do not do any step beyond your limits.
8-Stay for several breaths and repeat 2-4 times.

Benefits

Posture improvement
Relieves back pain
Expands abdominal region thus improving digestion.
Improves respiration as it opens the chest.
Strengthens shoulders.
Reduces thigh fat.

Locust Pose

1-Lie down on your stomach with arms on the side of your body.
2-Rest your forehead on the ground/mat.
3-Now slowly inhale and raise your head,arms and shoulders up and look forward.
4-Now by staying in the same position lift your legs towards to ceiling without bending the knees.
5-Widen your chest across collar bones.
6-Hold for 30sec to 1min and repeat.

Benefits

Sretches belly, chest, thighs and shoulders.
Improves posture.
Improves muscle of spine,buttocks and back.
It strengthens core.

Wide Legged Forward Bend

1-Stand straight on your mat.
2-Place your feet several feet apart.
3-Make sure that your heels are slightly more apart than toes.
4-Make sure that your back is straight and your belly is pulled in towards your spine.
5-Bend forward and hinge at your hips not waist.
6-Place your hands on mat directly below your shoulders.
7-Keep your neck,head and back straight and look straight on floor.
8-Stay for several seconds and then repeat.

Benefits

Open hips.
Relief from backaches.
Relieves stress,anxiety and depression.
Increases the circulation to pelvic organs.

Conclusion

Make sure to not exceed the limit of your body for a posture as it can harm your body.
Make sure to gradually do each step avoiding jerks.
Your body flexibility will increase with time so do not force your body for a certain stretch as it can harm muscles.






Body hair in PCOS

Body hair in PCOS

 A lot of us are facing the problem of unwanted dark,coarse hair on body and face due to PCOS,and this condition is called as Hirsutism.

Cause

The main reason of hirsutism is abnormal increase in the level of androgens(testosterone) in female body that leads to excessive hair growth on face and body.

How to manage this condition...

• First thing first that you have to control the excessive testosterone in the body by medication or home remedies,both ways are equally effective but we all know that natural ways to control a problem are more long lasting.

• By balancing the hormones in your boy you will see a drastic decrease in your body and facial hair growth.

Supplements

Few supplements that will be helpful are...
• Fish oil
• Magnesium supplements
• Calcium with Vit D
• Inositol
• Spearmint tea
But make sure to always consult a doctor without taking any supplement.Make sure yo check this if you want to know about best supplements for Pcoshttps://pcostreatment323.blogspot.com/2020/08/essential-supplements-for-fertility-in.html?m=1

Methods to remove excessive hair

1- Laser Hair Reduction

Advantage

This method works very well and the advantage is that when hair regrow they are much thinner ,softer and less visible than before.

Drawback

But the major drawback of this condition is that it is extremely expensive so not everyone can afford it.

2- Waxing

Advantage

We all are aware of this method of removing hair.It is long term with much slower hair growth.

Drawback

If not done properly then it may cause ingrowths so make sure to contact a professional.

3- Shaving

This method is super convenient and cheap and does not cause any thickening of hair.

4- Hair Removing Cream

It is also very convenient method but its not long term.

5- Threading

This is the most cheap of all and also works very well but its not that convenient to do threading on certain parts of the body.

Conclusion

I hope you find these simple techniques helpful and make sure to love yourself.
Its not just with you every woman with pcos is fighting this condition so remember that you are not alone in this journey.




Is dairy good for pcos?

Is dairy good for pcos?

 This is the question that comes in the mind of almost every woman who suffers from PCOS

Are dairy products good for health of women with pcos?what harm does it cause?what are the better substitutes? 

I am gonna talk about dairy effecting women with PCOS.

How dairy effects women with PCOS

Dairy products such as milk do raise IGF that is insulin growth factor and androgens such as testosterone that are not good for women with pcos as their androgens level are already extremely high.

Substitues

Best substitute for women with pcos is Almond Milk.
Some others are 
Coconut milk
Oats milk
Cashew milk
Soy milk

How to make Almond milk at home

1-Simply soak a cup or two of organic almonds overnight.
2-The next morning throw away the water in which they were soaked and do not peel them off
3-Now add 3-4 glasses of water in a blender,add in the soaked almonds and blend it well till it comes to a milky consistency.
4- You can always add some salt,vanilla extract in it for some flavour.
5-And thats it your very own organic homemade almond milk is ready
6- You can follow tha same steps for making cashew,coconut,soy milk etc..

Conclusion

Dairy effects differently in different cases of pcos so make sure to know that what exactly happens to your body on consuming a specific kind of food.
But we all want to be on a safe side right?So try to add a little dairy in your diet and substitute for what is more beneficial for you.

Aloe vera juice for Pcos

Aloe vera juice for Pcos

 Aloe Vera plant is a miracle plant that solves most of your health issues and is great for your overall health.

Today i will tell you the major benefits it offers to your health.Its topical as well as internal use both are great for different health issues.

Aloe vera Nutrition facts

Aloe vera is rich in
 Vit C
 Vit E
 Folic Acid
 Healthy enzymes
 Fatty acids
 Essential amino acids
 B group vitamins
 75 active plant compounds
 Calcium
 Chromium
 Sodium
 Potassium
 Magnesium
 Manganese
 Copper
 Zinc
And most important of all it is the only plant that contain Vit B-12 and you should know that B group vitamins are also very important for women with pcos.

Benefits of Aloe vera juice for Pcos

It is the most biologically active plant
 1- Balances Hormones
 2- Regulate periods
 3- Improves hemoglobin
 4- Improves fertility
 5- Reduce symptoms of PCOS
 6- Reduce PMS
 7- Treats PCOS and PCOD
 But one thing should be kept in mind that it should not be consumed during periods.

Other health benefits of Aloe vera

Laxative properties
Detoxifies body
Rich in phytonutrients
Lower blood sugar
Treats depression
Anti inflammatory
Purifies blood
Treats depression
Reduce cortisol a stress hormone
Improves absorption of nutrients from food

Benefits for hair

Prevent hairfall
Promotes hair growth
Rduce hair thinning
Prevent early greying
Thus it is also beneficial for hair loss in pcos

How to take it

• Take fresh aloe vera juice or if you don't have plant of aloe vera you can buy it from stores but to try to have with least added ingredients in it
• Take almost half a cup of this juice and add half cup warm water in it
• Take this drink on an empty stomach in the morning
• Then leave a gap of almost 30 min between this drink and your breakfast.
And thats it you just have to do this to get all the healthy benefits of aloevera.

Caution

• Take a break from having this juice after 2-3 months
• Do not take it in high doses
• May interfere with thyroid medications
• Should not be consumed by kids
• Avoid it if you are on certain medications like...Warfarin,diuretics,laxatives,diabetic medications,cytochrome P450,CYP2D6,3A4