Effective Strategies to Manage & Treat PCOS Naturally | PCOS Treatment Guide Pt. 2
Summary
TLDRIn this podcast, Dr. Brendan McCarthy, Chief Medical Officer at ProTA Medical Center, delves into Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), focusing on insulin's role and its impact on weight gain. He critiques traditional calorie-cutting approaches, advocating instead for strategies like intermittent fasting to enhance insulin sensitivity. Dr. McCarthy also discusses the importance of micronutrients and his preference for the Whole 30 diet, while cautioning against extreme diets. He introduces supplements like berberine and the off-label use of rapamycin for treating PCOS, emphasizing the need for a holistic and personalized treatment plan.
Takeaways
- π Dr. Brendan McCarthy, the chief medical officer of ProTA Medical Center, discusses Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and insulin resistance in detail.
- π He emphasizes the importance of understanding insulin's role in PCOS, particularly how insulin resistance can lead to weight gain and other PCOS symptoms.
- π Dr. McCarthy critiques traditional calorie-cutting methods for treating PCOS, arguing they don't address the root cause of insulin resistance.
- β±οΈ Intermittent fasting is highlighted as a potential treatment, not for calorie restriction, but to enhance insulin sensitivity and promote autophagy.
- π Supplements like chromium, zinc, and magnesium are recommended to support insulin resistance, but their effectiveness varies and should be tailored to individual needs.
- πͺ Rapamycin, an immunosuppressive drug, is discussed as a treatment option that can enhance autophagy and improve insulin receptor function, but its use requires careful dosing.
- π₯ A Whole30 diet is advocated as a rich source of micronutrients that can support PCOS treatment, focusing on plant-based calories and avoiding insulin-stimulating foods.
- πΏ Berberine, an herb with potential benefits for PCOS, is recommended, with a specific mention of the brand Gaia Herbs for quality assurance.
- π± Metformin, originally derived from the French lilac plant, is recognized as a plant-based pharmaceutical that can be part of a comprehensive PCOS treatment plan.
- π’ The podcast concludes with an invitation for feedback and a teaser for the next episode, which will delve into progesterone as a treatment for PCOS.
Q & A
What is the main focus of Dr. Brendan McCarthy's podcast episode on PCOS?
-The main focus of Dr. Brendan McCarthy's podcast episode is to discuss the role of insulin in PCOS, its impact on weight gain, and various treatment approaches to address the challenges faced by patients with PCOS.
Why does Dr. McCarthy consider some diets for PCOS patients as 'barbaric'?
-Dr. McCarthy refers to some diets as 'barbaric' because they are extremely restrictive and can be harmful to the patient's health, causing unnecessary suffering without effectively addressing the root cause of insulin resistance in PCOS.
What is insulin resistance and how does it relate to PCOS?
-Insulin resistance occurs when the body's cells do not respond properly to insulin, requiring higher levels to function. In the context of PCOS, insulin resistance can lead to elevated insulin levels, which in turn can disrupt hormone balance, leading to symptoms like high androgens, estrogen dominance, and low progesterone.
How does intermittent fasting play a role in treating PCOS according to Dr. McCarthy?
-Intermittent fasting is beneficial for improving insulin sensitivity and resistance in PCOS. It helps by inducing autophagy, a self-cleaning process in the body, which can improve insulin receptor function without necessarily creating a calorie deficit.
What is the significance of the mTOR pathway in PCOS treatment as discussed by Dr. McCarthy?
-The mTOR pathway is significant in PCOS treatment because it is involved in cellular processes like growth and metabolism. Engaging autophagy, which is the natural removal of damaged cells, can be beneficial for PCOS patients, and fasting can help to activate this pathway.
Why does Dr. McCarthy emphasize the importance of micronutrients in treating PCOS?
-Micronutrients are essential for overall health and can play a crucial role in supporting insulin receptor function and hormone balance. Dr. McCarthy emphasizes their importance because they are often lacking in restrictive diets and can help address the underlying causes of PCOS.
What supplements does Dr. McCarthy recommend for PCOS patients and why?
-Dr. McCarthy recommends supplements like chromium, zinc, and magnesium for PCOS patients because they can help support insulin sensitivity and overall hormonal balance. He also advises against generic dosing and emphasizes the importance of personalized treatment based on individual lab results.
What is the role of rapamycin in treating PCOS as discussed by Dr. McCarthy?
-Dr. McCarthy discusses the use of rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, in treating PCOS. It can help push the body into autophagy, similar to the effects of fasting, and improve insulin receptor function. However, he cautions that it should be used with care and under medical supervision due to its potential to modulate the immune system.
Why does Dr. McCarthy prefer the Whole 30 diet for PCOS patients?
-Dr. McCarthy prefers the Whole 30 diet because it emphasizes micronutrition through plant-based calories, is rich in micronutrients, and is low on the insulin index. This approach supports overall health and can be more effective in managing PCOS symptoms compared to other diets.
What are the potential benefits of berberine for PCOS patients as mentioned by Dr. McCarthy?
-Berberine is highlighted by Dr. McCarthy as a beneficial herb for PCOS patients due to its potential to improve insulin sensitivity and support overall metabolic health. He specifically recommends the brand Gaia Herbs for its quality and transparency in product labeling.
How does Dr. McCarthy view the use of metformin in PCOS treatment?
-Dr. McCarthy views metformin, originally derived from the French lilac plant, as a plant-based medication that can be part of a comprehensive treatment plan for PCOS. He does not see it as a standalone solution but rather as a component that can work alongside other strategies to address insulin resistance.
Outlines
π§ Introduction to PCOS and Insulin Resistance
Dr. Brendan McCarthy, the chief medical officer at ProTA Medical Center, begins the podcast by discussing Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and the role of insulin in the condition. He emphasizes the challenges faced by individuals with PCOS, particularly in managing weight gain that seems resistant to various therapies. Dr. McCarthy shares his experiences from early in his practice, highlighting the ineffectiveness of a 'barbaric diet' he had witnessed. He stresses the importance of understanding insulin resistance as a primary driver of PCOS, explaining how damaged insulin receptors lead to increased insulin levels, which in turn affects hormone balance and contributes to the symptoms of PCOS.
π The Impact of Intermittent Fasting on Insulin Sensitivity
Dr. McCarthy delves into the concept of intermittent fasting as a method to improve insulin sensitivity in individuals with PCOS. He clarifies misconceptions around fasting, noting that it's not merely about calorie restriction but rather about inducing a state of autophagy, where the body cleanses itself. He discusses the role of mTOR and the benefits of fasting for enhancing insulin receptor function. The doctor also cautions against extreme fasting that could lead to stress and elevated cortisol levels, which may counteract the desired effects on insulin resistance. He advocates for a balanced approach to fasting, tailored to the individual's health metrics such as cortisol, insulin, A1C, and luteinizing hormone levels.
π Supplements and Their Role in Managing PCOS
In this segment, Dr. McCarthy addresses the use of supplements in treating PCOS, expressing caution due to the vast and sometimes misleading market. He specifically endorses chromium, zinc, and magnesium as effective supplements that can support insulin sensitivity and overall health. Dr. McCarthy also touches on the importance of individualized dosing, based on lab results and the patient's unique health profile. He emphasizes the need for a physician's guidance in choosing and administering supplements to ensure safety and effectiveness, rather than self-prescribing based on generic recommendations.
π½οΈ Dietary Approaches to Treating PCOS
Dr. McCarthy shifts the discussion to dietary strategies for managing PCOS, advocating for a diet rich in micronutrients and low on the insulin index. He strongly recommends the Whole 30 diet for its emphasis on plant-based calories and micronutrient availability, and the Mediterranean diet as a close alternative, though noting the latter's need for proper guidance to avoid nutrient-poor choices. The doctor also stresses the importance of a balanced approach to diet, avoiding extreme restrictions that could lead to nutritional deficiencies and stress. He discusses the role of nutrition in repairing insulin receptors and the importance of a supportive and educational approach when guiding patients through dietary changes.
πΏ Exploring Herbal Remedies and Metformin in PCOS Treatment
In the final paragraph, Dr. McCarthy introduces the use of herbal remedies like berberine, specifically recommending Gaia Herbs for its quality and ethical standards. He also interestingly classifies metformin, commonly known as a pharmaceutical, as an 'herb' due to its origin from the French lilac plant. Dr. McCarthy discusses the importance of using these remedies in conjunction with a comprehensive treatment plan that targets insulin receptors and supports overall health. He concludes the podcast by expressing his passion for his work and the fulfillment he gains from sharing knowledge, inviting listeners to engage with the content and look forward to the next episode where he will discuss progesterone's role in PCOS treatment.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘PCOS
π‘Insulin Resistance
π‘Intermittent Fasting
π‘Autophagy
π‘Supplements
π‘Rapamycin
π‘Whole 30 Diet
π‘Mediterranean Diet
π‘Micronutrition
π‘Berberine
Highlights
Dr. Brendan McCarthy discusses the role of insulin in PCOS and its impact on weight gain.
Insulin resistance is identified as a primary driver of PCOS, affecting cellular insulin receptors.
Traditional calorie-cutting methods are critiqued for not addressing insulin resistance in PCOS.
Intermittent fasting is introduced as a potential treatment, with a focus on autophagy rather than calorie restriction.
The importance of not causing stress through fasting and its impact on cortisol levels is emphasized.
Supplements like chromium, zinc, and magnesium are discussed for their role in supporting insulin sensitivity.
Rapamycin is presented as a controversial treatment option for PCOS due to its impact on insulin receptors.
The use of off-label medications like rapamycin is justified with proper patient education and monitoring.
Whole 30 and Mediterranean diets are recommended for their emphasis on micronutrition and low insulin index.
The necessity of a personalized approach to diet, considering individual micronutrient needs, is highlighted.
Berberine, an herb, is mentioned for its potential benefits in treating PCOS.
Metformin, originally derived from an herb, is discussed as a plant-based medication for PCOS.
The importance of not solely relying on metformin and combining it with other treatments is stressed.
The role of a supportive healthcare team, including nutritionists, in guiding PCOS patients through dietary changes is underlined.
Online resources and communities are suggested for patients seeking guidance on dietary changes for PCOS.
The podcast concludes with a teaser for the next episode, which will delve deeper into progesterone's role in PCOS treatment.
Transcripts
[Music]
hey welcome to my podcast my name is Dr
Brendan McCarthy I am the chief medical
officer of prota Medical Center in temp
Arizona thank you for tuning in uh today
we're going to dive deep a little bit
more into PCOS and today specifically
I'm going to go into the concept of
insulin the role that insulin plays in
this I want to go into how we would
treat this it's all about the weight
gain that people have with PCOS that
seems to be locked and when they try
different therapies nothing seems to
work well now some of you yeah you get
results with just the basic metform and
protocol and some of you yes you get
results with intermittent fasting and
and those protocols and some of you
semaglutide tepati whatever yes they
work but the vast
majority have challenges I'm here to
talk about those challenges and how to
approach them and different ways to to
look into it and I get results before I
get started please scroll down a little
bit in here you're going to see there's
that section where you're going to say
uh subscribe subscribe let me know you
like this comment as well I really do
appreciate your
comments with that said let's get into
it I remember in early in practice when
I had a patient presenting to clinic and
she was seeing being a nutritionist uh I
was seeing her for something else and um
she had hyperin insulinemia and she was
put on this barbaric
diet barbaric diet and it was so
brutal for
PCOS it and it it was sad cuz it just
didn't work and she was torturing
herself to make it
work a lot of you do that I remember I
remember it like yesterday you know so
many of the things that happened to me
in the very early years of my practice
shaped me as a physician so many and I
go back to that a lot when I do these
episodes and these reals I like to show
you where I came from you know what
formulated this it was very early on a
lot of these things that changed me that
evolved me and and help me become the
doctor I am
today are those early years of of
experiencing and seeing women
suffering no one should be on a barbaric
diet I mean if we're desperate and
that's all I have
okay but there's so much more I can do
so what can I do with this what can I do
with this PCOS has as a primary driver
insulin resistance primary driver
primary driver please know this let's
talk about that insulin resistance
happens when your cell's insulin
receptors are not working correctly so
the cells need a certain level of
insulin receptors and say there's x
amount of receptors here and you release
a normal level of insulin when you eat
your food the insulin then escorts
glucose into the cell and there you go
you have energy now if the receptors
become damaged you're going to need more
and more levels of insulin to get
glucose in the cell you need to keep
increasing output your pancreas keeps
making more insulin that elevated level
of insulin in your body is necessary to
push glucose in the cell over time if
you keep having that problem you're
going to start seeing your glucose
levels go up as well that's a that's a
co-actor in this
but let's just keep with this if the
insulin res receptors are
damaged and you have that that damag the
insulin receptors going to summon more
insulin from the pancreas that insulin
sensitive insulin resistance occurs and
you're going to see that blood sugar
happen and that insulin elevation is as
I mentioned the previous episode the
thing that drives up and fools around
with your your pituitary and that's the
thing that drives up your lutenizing
hormone which then leads to high
androgens leads to estrogen dominance
and low progesterone all the things we
see with PCOS insulin receptor
dysfunction is the first step most
important thing we should think about
how it's currently treated is just just
cut your calories because that's an
oldfashioned way of treating that you
know it's like well if you have high
insulin insulin resistance you high
glucose it's because you eat too
much a lot of you out there with PCS
have normal glucose your glucose is you
know 5 54 55 whatever sub 56 you're not
pre-diabetic but you have high insulin
how is lowering your calories going to
repair that it won't repair that it
won't repair that but many of you that's
all you do cuz you have no other choice
you no one ever tells you anything else
until today so what do we do what do we
do for insulin I wrote this down I
sometimes I talk on this I'm like I I
forgot to bring this thing up made a
list I checked it twice let's first
start off with the things that I do that
I like that work but may be
misinterpreted or misunderstood
intermittent fasting timed eating is
important for insulin sensitivity and
insulin resistance it does help most of
you out there would see it through the
lens of if I'm going to do intermittent
fasting I'm going to starve myself for
these amount of hours you start with
like I'll do eight hours and then I go
to 10 hours I go to 12 hours now I'm 16
hours now I'm 18 hours fasting a day and
that's going to help me lose weight
because I'm not eating during those
times so that 18-hour window I should be
burning calories and losing weight
that's not quite how it works that's not
how this will work because that doesn't
directly by itself affect the calor
restrictive component let me be clear
there does not
specifically affect the insulin receptor
this is very important I word this well
I want to do a good job with this when
you fast when you fast and you you you
pull back on your diet a little bit and
you don't eat during a period of time
like overnight normally your body goes
into something called autophagy where
your body just basically cleans itself
it's basically cleaning up after itself
you know this is It's like a um
remodeling redecorations you know that's
what's happen happening and and when you
have a a a period of time where that's
occurring one of the benefits of that
during that fasting time one of the
things that gets uh uh improved upon are
your insulin receptors this has to do
something called M tour and I was
debating whether I'm going to use the
term mour in here and talk about all the
weird stuff with that there's enough
videos out there enough weird people out
there talking about it and and enough
like you know um trendy dialogue about
but I'm not I don't want to get down
into that area I want to be with you in
this moment be really clear with you on
this just between us when you fast my
goal with you is not to really get a a a
hypocaloric
state because you a lot of you with a
lower hemoglobin A1c and your lower
fasting glucose you already do that if I
have you when you are fasting and you're
already doing like you know uh your
hemoglobin C say is 5.0 I tell you to do
a 18-hour fast what am I doing to you
what am I doing to you I'm stressing
your body out and what's the stress
going to do your cortisol is going to be
elevated it's going to be more insulin I
didn't solve the problem I didn't solve
the problem maybe if I do fasting with
them with a calorie deficit concept I'm
doing that in order to uh drive down
these numbers short term I could and
that might work and that's why some of
you are like I fasted it used to work
but now I gained all the weight back
why good question because we created
stress with the fast the cortisol the re
the the rebound insulin
Spike from the stress of fasting too
much when your body wasn't ready for it
so fasting for the sake of calorie
deficit is not working in this it won't
work in this I want you to know this
it's not the calorie game be with me on
that because you you you see your weight
is high and you're like it must be me
from overeating because the whole world
tells you that the world is wrong the
world is wrong we are right because I
know you know you're not eating a lot
when your a and your A1C is is a little
like that I know I know I know so what
are we going to do when you're inter
fast the goal with it is to switch your
body into that autophagy that that
selfcleaning so I want to get your your
your intermittent fasting out a certain
period of time where I'm not creating
strain in your body and I'm getting the
benefit that I'm looking for that's one
of the first steps that's important so
timed eating no snacking between meals I
need as many gaps between meals as
possible and I need to make sure you
overnight fast for 12 hours and I as
your doctor would look at your your
cortisol I as your doctor would look at
your insulin I as your doctor would look
at the A1C I would look at your
luteinizing hormone I'm running l to
make sure my diet is having impact on
you in a positive way but not stressing
or straining you if it's not lowering
your insulin I'm not doing my job right
do you know what I mean it's not working
I want it to work so we're going to keep
adjusting it what else can I do
supplements yeah they they work I get
sketchy about supplements because you
know there's so much Shenanigans out
there about supplements and I'll see Bad
actors out there so with piece cosos and
with weight and all these things you
know there's so many supplements out on
the market that are like yeah this works
and they're selling you chromium for
like a few hundred or something
ridiculous because they're trying to
trigger your anxiety and your fear and
they're trying to trigger that
insecurity in you because that's a great
motivator to buy things I'm not going to
sell you anything I never have I never
will so supplements I'm going to tell
you are effective and can be helpful
specifically
chromium chromium colonate zinc I know
magnesium is very efficient very helpful
I prescribe that to my patients other
things I I prescribe to my patients is
going to be if necessary I'm going to
look at their calcium levels calcium
does help I prescribe antioxidants
antioxidants are incredibly helpful with
women with PCOS that's a big role that
goes on in there like well brenon Dr
McCarthy what doses great question this
is the part that's going to be crazy I
run the
lab I'm not going to tell you to take
something if I don't see you needing it
and if I see you need it I'm going to
prescribe it
correctly I run the zinc panel on you I
run the Magnesium panel on you I run all
these Labs on you to find out where you
are and then I make my decision then now
say you're in a place where your doctor
won't run the labs what doses do you use
it's it's very personal I'm going to be
very honest with you on here I'm not
going to sit here and tell you what
milligram doses would do with anything
I'm doing that on purpose because it's
important to adjust doses based on
success this has been my understanding
throughout life if you give a person
magnesium I've had this happen at had a
patient who had no constipation uh
secondary to magnesium deficiency
because she had estrogen dominance so
when your estrogen is very high and we
give you
magnesium what's happening is that
magnesium plays a role with estrogen
detoxification Pathways magnesium is a
plays a role in the liver and it plays a
role in that whole process of breaking
down estrogen so if you have estrogen
dominance too much estrogen chances are
you're going to have low magnesium so
I'm going to prescribe magnesium I've
seen patients go online see magnesium
they're like well I'm just take
magnesium they'll take 140 milligrams or
something that will do nothing nothing
that I've seen other people do 800
milligrams to to you know 1,200
milligrams which is pretty heroic dosing
the thing is with these we need to sit
down with you and understand where you
are and then approach it so I want you
to know these are nutrients I use and I
want to know that I want you if you were
to use these to have your Physicians sit
down and help you target it because what
if you take that magnesium at 180
milligrams and you said magnesium
doesn't work but it does work
supplements I think are very helpful so
fasting to get mtor engage or autophagy
remove mtor rather and get get uh
autophagy going yes big and supplements
to help nurture that pathway I'm going
to talk about something uh controversial
and heretical because it wouldn't be an
episode if I didn't um rapamycin
rapamycin is a fascinating medication uh
that has significant impact on PCOS on
women
rapamycin you have to be very careful
with dosing rapamycin I'll be clear on
that and rapamycin a too high of a dose
is immune modulating immune suppressing
too low of a dose doesn't really work
you need to find the right dosy on it
and the method of dosing it a lot of
times in our practice we'll only do it
once a week you take your rapid mein
once a week we prescribe it it's
prescrib medication and it's the benefit
of it the impact it has on the insulin
receptor is significant and measurable
with lab work so we'll write the rap
ayin for the patient to see you're like
brenon what is rapamycin has it do melon
Target of rap ayin or mtor which I
mentioned earlier which fasting engages
mtor that receptor mil Target of Romy
Romy specifically hits that it rapy
pushes your body into
autophagy it's like helping your fast
get better traction it helps your body
heal itself better that's what rap ayin
does proven in the literature deeply
proven this is an off Lael use of it
though the FDA has approved rap ayin for
you know uh to prevent at high dosing to
prevent uh organ transplant rejection
true and good still as a physician part
of what we do every physician does is
use medications off label we are
supposed to do it does that mean the
medication is not FDA approved no that
does not mean that what it means is that
it is FDA approved as a medication we
are allowed to prescribe it you can use
it if you can show the benefit to the
patient so when we use an off Lael
medication like Rapa mein how do we do
it we sit down with the patient we say
this is what I think will work these are
the pros and cons of it this is the
research behind it this is how I expect
it to work this is how I'm going to
verify it works this is why it's safe
this is where it would not be safe this
is how I'm going to make it stay safe
for you that's how use off label
medication that's important anybody who
says that off label medication is you
know illegal or dangerous isn't really
paying attention that's not medically
true or sound so rap ayas in this case
is an important component in my opinion
for addressing the core cause of PCOS
fasting and Rapid myosin hands down
supplements after that what else do I
do the diet that you do and many of you
done you know a lot of you do low carb
you know I get it you know I've done
that too and ketosis diets and you'll do
carnivore diets and you all these diets
that are very very low carb and that's
effective to a point it doesn't always
work as I mentioned earlier is when
you're doing some of these extreme
diets any any any really far um control
diets that are very extreme in the sense
of you're only doing you're eliminating
one whole food grp food group or you're
only eating one specific type of food
these are extreme by Nature you know
that's how I feel about medicine excuse
me feel about diet so when you do those
types of diets you can have success but
the success will be limited in my
experience and don't does not last
forever in these cases because the
stress of it and the difficulty of
having proper nutrition on these diets
is is is a problem and nutrition is a
big part of treating this you need to
have the correct micronutrients around
to benefit the person in front of you so
I I want you to know when I do a diet
for these women I don't I try and avoid
doing diets that are difficult or
stressful or um Limited in
micronutrition my favorite diet to do
and I mean this wholeheartedly and I
give this my whole full throated support
is a Whole 30 diet I have done that diet
I prescribe that diet I live by that
diet that is the key diet for my
patients it works a close second to that
it's going to be the Mediterranean diet
but the Mediterranean diet is so like
abstract people like well I can have
spaghetti and meatballs that's a
Mediterranean dish it is a Mediterranean
dish you know that is true and a good
set of good a good uh spaghetti
meatballs is pretty dang delicious it's
true true but that will not help you
that's not technically that's not that's
not the Mediterranean I'm trying to talk
about so Mediterranean is tricky with
patients you have to spend time with
them doing education so with this diet
we do a whole 30 diet and when we have
this diet with patients I want to be
very clear with you telling someone to
go home and do Whole 30 diet can be
tricky and it's not easy and a lot of
times they feel alone and you get
lost we sit down with our nutritionists
you know my my partner in the practice
my wife she's the my my partner in the
practice uh she does nutrition at the
office and and you know we really work
hard to make sure it's accessible and
understandable and we stand beside you
and help you get through these diets so
it's important to consider do you need
someone who's been doing this for a
while that doesn't mean you going to go
to your doctor's office is it could be
you talk to someone who's been doing
these diets for a while maybe or maybe
reaching out to the Whole 30 website and
asking them for some guidance I know
them they're very helpful people I've
I've interacted with them on several
occasions in my career I think very
highly of them so that's that's a good
option you know and with fasting another
great resource Dr Jason fun I just love
his work but also I like the kind of
person he is his website has so many
helpful tools there so when you do these
things you don't have to onboard a real
expensive nutritionist if you can't
afford that or if it doesn't seem to
work for you there's these resources you
can do online with these people and I
know these two companies are very very
ethical people and my my personal
experience with them as a physician so I
do recommend them so when we have you do
a whole 30 diet say I prescribe that for
you I'll sit down with you and we'll
create or the nutritious will sit down
with you and create a diet plan you'll
be like okay let's make a menu for the
week and you create a menu of all the
things you want to eat and then we
create a shopping list with you and then
you go fill the the shopping list and
you prepare the food and we make a
shopping list and a menu that you can do
okay a menu if you're like I'm going to
do this complex dish you got home from
work at 6 o00 you don't have time to
make a complex dish you you want to
throw yourself in a crock pot or you
want to throw yourself in an instant pot
have it done so we make those diets work
for you so a Whole 30 diet is a key part
of this for me I've had tremendous
success with it why is it good it
emphasizes micronutrition through uh
plant-based calories so so you know
we're not doing grains on it okay so
your carbs from there are reduced but
you're going to be getting a lot of
vegetables and fruit in there and the
vegetables and fruit in there are going
to give you the micronutrition that's
going to have the zinc that's going to
have Cobalt which I didn't mention
minute ago that's another micronutrient
that's helpful it's going to have in
there the chromium all those
micronutrients in the foods around you
are more bioavailable and work better in
a food substrate so we make sure you do
that healthy diet this is how I approach
my patients with PCOS to make sure I go
after the core part of this that is
getting to them now if you think about
it what's different with what I just
described with what people are
prescribed in their standard appointment
with their their physician the doctor
will say just cut your
calories they may say do keto maybe
rarely but they'll say something like
that they'll just say go on Weight
Watchers and there's nothing wrong with
Weight Watchers there's nothing wrong
with keto these are good protocols for
people because they make changes but
this is a diagnosis with pathology and
PCOS does not always respond to
keto it doesn't always respond to Weight
Watchers that's not not a dig on ketosis
diets it's not a dig on way Watchers
that's just the fact that the the
insulin receptor is damaged and we need
to Target it and repair it so I believe
using micronutrition using uh timed
eating that's very careful how you time
it I believe that using a diet that is
rich in micronutrition and low in the
insulin index of foods that's what pie
that's what the uh whole threeory diet
is these are foods that don't stimulate
a lot of insulin foods can stimulate
insulin and foods can s stimulate
glucose by the way there's the glucose
uh uh index of foods and there's the
insulin index of foods you know this you
need to watch the insulin index because
that's another thing that that will be
triggering people with PCOS so we want
to make sure you're doing a diet that's
down that road of insulin index of foods
and doing something like that that whole
30 diet that's how we get through that
two more things to add in here that are
important that I bring up these are
herbs berberine is a a tremendous asset
to you
in PCOS it's a tremendous asset and I'm
going to do dose and I'm going to do
brand right now because I herbs herbs
are tricky because if you don't get it
from a good source um you run the risk
of number one getting nothing that works
in there because it'll say oh this has
berberine in here but really how many
act how much active component of the the
plant is in there so Gaia g a i a Gaia
Herbs they don't know me from a bar soap
they don't know me at all I love Gaia
Herbs I've known them and love them
since I first started doing this it's
one of the more uh effective and and
ethical and high quality companies out
there and you find in almost every
single health food store and I still
stand by them they will you can buy your
berberine from them and you look on the
label and it'll even say how much active
compounds are in there they measure it
with thin layer
chromatography they really do care about
their product so I would use Gia
berberine Plus or one of their other
berberine compounds I would not do the
liquid I would do the gel caps cuz
liquid Bine tastes terrible terrible
compliance drops off with liquid bourine
so you want to do is a gel cap to get
the best absorption rate in there that's
been my experience with it another herb
that I'm going to bring up is
metformin you heard me right I called
metformin an herb meformin originated as
an herb that's where it started as and
and it was repurposed as a
pharmaceutical they pulled the active
ingredient out of there and that's how
they made metformin meformin is largely
based upon an herb that's it for French
lilac that's it so when you use
metformin that's a plant-based
medication even though it's been you
know uh um turned into a pharmaceutical
I have no problems with meformin I don't
think it's a bad thing I think it's bad
to park you on it and not try and fix
you with all the other things with the
timed eating with targeting the the
theuh insulin receptor and trying to
repair that I think just parking on in
on meformin is not truly a good job so I
put you on meformin along with this
other protocol
and and I watch how you progress I see
how you
go so this was my dietary approach to
treating PCOS and I hope this
helps it's by no means exhaustive but it
gives you an idea how I look at it and
how I unravel
it your comments mean so much to me
because it helps me do a good job at
this because I do want to do a good job
I'm not here to to to sound smart not
here here
to to sell you anything I just love
doing this I love my work I really do
it's a very rewarding thing that I do
and it gives me fulfillment at a deep
level and to be able to share that is
priceless to me that's more important to
me than anything else is being able to
share that knowledge only has value if
you share
it has no other value in
life so please like share and subscribe
and I'll see you at the next episode The
Next Episode we're going to go a little
bit more into how to treat PCOS I'm
going to get more specific on a couple
of therapies that we employ in here I
want to talk more about progesterone
which is my favorite so the next episode
we're going to talk about progesterone
thank you again for tuning in I'll see
you again the next time
[Music]
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