The Ultimate PCOS Handbook: Lose weight, boost fertility, clear skin and restore self-esteem
With this practical handbook you can start to see PCOS symptoms improve in as little as 2 weeks. Based on the latest scientific research and the authors' first-hand experience, it will empower you to take back control of your body- and your life. Packed with all the essential information to naturally beat the symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome.PCOS authorities and fellow sufferers Colette Harris and Theresa Cheung will empower you to take back control of your body and beat naturally the often embarrassing symptoms of this syndrome, including weight gain, acne, excess body hair, mood swings, depression and exhaustion. Packed full of the latest science, up-to-date nutrition and the best in self-help and natural therapies, their comprehensive book shows you how to:• Take control of your body with simple dietary changes• Reduce spots and excess hair• Boost body confidence and self-esteem• Choose the right supplements and best natural self-help remedies• Protect yourself from high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes
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The Ultimate PCOS Handbook
Lose weight, boost fertility, clear skin and restore self-esteem
Colette Harris & Theresa Cheung
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 WHAT EXACTLY IS PCOS?
CHAPTER 3 PCOSANDYOUR LIFE STAGES – FROM PUBERTY TO MENOPAUSE
CHAPTER 4 WHAT AM I DEALING WITH?
CHAPTER 5 HOW CAN MY DOCTOR HELP?
PART TWO TOTAL TLC FOR YOUR BODY: ACTION PLAN FOR YOUR HEALTH NOW AND IN THE FUTURE
CHAPTER 6 YOUR PCOS NUTRITION GUIDE
CHAPTER 7 EXERCISE – YOUR PCOS-BEATING PLAN
CHAPTER 8 YOUR HEALTH-BOOSTING LIFESTYLE DETOX
CHAPTER 9 THE BEST NUTRITIONAL AND HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS
CHAPTER 10 HOW NATURAL THERAPIES CAN HELP YOU
CHAPTER 11 HOW TO MANAGE YOUR WEIGHT
CHAPTER 12 FERTILITY-BOOSTING SECRETS THAT WORK
CHAPTER 13 FINE-TUNING YOUR TAILOR-MADE PLAN
PART THREE TAKING CHARGE OF PCOS: NURTURING YOUR EMOTIONS AND SPIRIT
CHAPTER 14 PREPARING TO TAKE CONTROL
CHAPTER 15 STRESS AND PCOS – HOW TO LET GO AND LIVE BETTER
CHAPTER 16 COPING WITH DEPRESSION AND LOW MOODS
CHAPTER 17 MAKING FRIENDS WITH YOUR BODY
CHAPTER 18 GETTING THE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT YOU WANT
CHAPTER 19 TACKLING DEEPER ISSUES – RECLAIM YOUR FEMININITY, YOUR PASSION AND YOUR LIFE
CHAPTER 20 BE INSPIRED BY SUCCESS
Writing this book in 2006, we’re delighted to see that the void in patient information about PCOS that existed 10 years ago is slowly being filled, and the condition is more readily recognized and diagnosed by doctors. When Colette’s first book The Woman’s Guide to PCOS was published in 2000, it was the first guide for women coping with the condition, and it was a struggle to get interest from newspapers, TV or the medical community, but slowly and surely we did just that.
With the fantastic rise of websites, from Verity in the UK to PCOSupport in the US and Australia, and chat rooms where women from all over the world can share their thoughts and questions, the world of PCOS in 2006 is a very different place. Even celebrities with PCOS have finally come forward and increased media interest.
Yet many of us still feel that PCOS is taking over our lives and emotions and leaving us feeling out of control, as these quotes from women like us show:
‘Some days when my symptoms flare up I find it hard to leave the house. How could I with hair sprouting on my chin, a bloated stomach and acne breaking out? On days like that people have no idea how tough it is for me even to do routine things, like shopping or running errands.’
‘This thing is so hard to deal with. Not only is it impossible for me to lose weight but I’m finding it hard to get pregnant. I got married a few years ago, and whenever people ask why we’re delaying starting a family and I tell them I’ve got PCOS, their eyes glaze over.’
‘The symptoms of PCOS strike at the heart of my femininity; they attack the very heart of who and what I am. I’m always tired and my libido is nonexistent. I can’t imagine why any man would want to cuddle up to me.’
And this is backed up by research – here’s an extract from a recent study into the psychology of PCOS:
Previous research on polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) has overwhelmingly been conducted within a medical or psychiatric framework, and has failed to explore women’s own experience of the syndrome. Interviews were conducted with 30 women with PCOS recruited through a national self-help organization. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed pervasive reports of feeling ‘freakish’, ‘abnormal’, and not ‘proper’ women. These feelings were related to three symptoms commonly experienced by women with PCOS:‘excess’ hair growth, irregular, absent or disrupted periods, and infertility. Smooth hairless bodies and faces, regular menstruation and the capacity to bear children were associated with femininity, and as a result of their symptoms women expressed feeling ‘different’ from other women and less ‘feminine’. The results are discussed and it’s suggested that polycystic ovarian syndrome is a deeply stigmatizing condition, ‘a theft of womanhood’, with far-reaching implications for all women, whether or not they conform to ‘feminine’ norms.>1
Other research>2 confirms the seriousness of the emotional impact that PCOS can have on the quality of everyday life and our love lives.
In other words, PCOS isn’t just about your ovaries or your medical tests. It’s about the whole of you – mind, body and spirit.
Whether you’re dealing with weight issues, struggling with facial hair, feeling frustrated with fertility, having the odd sensation that you just don’t feel quite right, or worrying about your increased risk of diabetes or heart disease, there’s little doubt that having PCOS can prevent you from wholeheartedly embracing your life. It can make you feel swamped. And the fact that there’s no magic ‘cure’ can leave you feeling overwhelmed.
That’s why we decided to write The Ultimate PCOS Handbook.
