Wan to go 4 Alternative remedy... but can't trust

[soulcyster.indeed]

I don wan to go 4 BCP. Hav taken them in 6-9 months courses n found out that they only hide symptoms
Personally I wanna go for ayurveda. Homeopathy wud also do. From my experience, I can tell that ayurveda ppl n homeopaths in my area don't hav a good understanding of PCOS as they r nt specialised ones... One ayurved doc diagnosed PCOS just by ovarian cysts. One homeopath got a lil irritated when I showed him reports of bloodtests and asked if some1 asked me to undergo so many tests or I did it all by myself.

The homeopath suggested me to target hairloss n constipation only when treatment of PCOS (ovarian cysts he meant) comes to an end. If PCOS issues r solved, I don think I hav to work on these 2 probs separately. He cudn even read my report well n said my PCOS is cured since I don hav cysts nymore.

Conventional medicine ppl kno how to interprete reports well but I don wanna try it nymre. Alternative medicine ppl in my place, I feel, don hav a proper understaing of PCOS.

after quite sometim of treat do I come to kno that the diagnosis wasn right at the very 1st place. Where do I start?

[KatCarney]

Where do I start?

"Start" with lifestyle: Sleep, food, physical activity, hydration

Developing healthy 'daily' habits in those 4 areas may have a bigger impact than you can imagine, and may leave you with less to 'medicate' than you think.

You couldn't have PAID me to believe it when I was first diagnosed, but 12+ years later? I'm a believer. (been off meds for nearly a decade)

I was on BCP's and Spiro when I was first Dx'd...and was miserable. Then I went the natural route (herbals, etc), and LIFESTYLE.

Once the lifestyle issues got into a routine, the only med I took for maybe a year (I can't quite recall how long) was Flutamide to control my body's response to the androgens.

Fast forward a few months later, and soley due to lifestyle, I was able to come off all meds.

Where do you live? Maybe another cyster can recommend a medical professional that knows what they're talking about

Edited to add:

I just Googled your city, and see that it's India. Did you try searching in the 'find a doctor' forum?

[soulcyster.indeed]

I have asked in in Ethnic Cyster forum. Now put up in the said thread also
I am very much interested to kno of my body's capacity to heal itself. Could you please let me kno of how,apart from healthy diet and exercise, you and/or other cysters hav been benifited frm healthy habits ( in terms of PCOS symptoms)? Like the one you said abt sleep... most of us are aware of it but we feel so low due to the symptoms. Stories of even smaller steps to success motivates a lot....

[soulcyster.indeed]

you told abt flutamide....
as far as my experience is concerned, conventional medicine only hide symptoms and you ge dependent on it. Did flutamide hav a long lasting effect (even after u gave up flutamide) in suppressing the androgen's effects? Or u managed the rest wid life style changes?

[KatCarney]

For me, there were no lasting effects (and I had no side effects while taking it) - and no dependency.

I'm not a 'pill person', but I was very happy that I had the opportunity take flutamide. It made the androgen side of pcos tolerable while I worked hard to lower my androgen levels on my own (through lifestyle). Flutamide has no effect on actual androgen levels (as I recall)

For over 10 years now, I've managed with lifestyle, and have not had to go back on meds.

[soulcyster.indeed]

Just wanted to know... you didn depend much on conventional medicines (what we call allopathy). Instead you made lifestyle changes to reverse the symptoms... now once you stopped taking medicines, what was your approach? I mean did u still visit the allopathic doc for regular checkup and ask suggestions abt lifestyle changes? Or you tried things urself to see if it works for u?

Like I am lean and my blood sugar is on the lower end. So, I cant try out things that lower blood sugar. Most docs I kno are nt open abt suggesting me to try out things other than the medicine prescribed by them. So, how can I go abt this?

[KatCarney]

I still saw the doctors (to have blood work done), but the first biggest headache was going to about EIGHT doctors to find one that would 'work with me' as I tried lifestyle approach. I never saw an allopathic doc.

I basically took an "I"m interviewing YOU" approach to dealing with how I chose my doctor.

If they didn't listen to me...I 'fired them'

[KatCarney]

Do you have the MediFocus Guide for PCOS? It's been awhile since I've used mine, but it is INVALUABLE with helping to understand the various directions to go for help. There is also contact information to research institutions. I reached out to a couple with questions and they were VERY responsive.

[soulcyster.indeed]

If they didn't listen to me...I 'fired them'

Lol

[Maddy]

I have had cysts on my ovaries, particularly the left one for over 25 years - I tried ayervurdic medicine in the form of hyponidd by Charak. After 12 months my ovaries are normal sized and cyst free for the first time ever in my adult life.

Unfortunately I also have fibroids and that is another issue.

[soulcyster.indeed]

@ Maddy
How abt other symptoms of PCOS? Did hyponidd help alleviate them? Are u IR? Did u take hyponidd on ur own?

[Maddy]

I have always taken iodine in the form of kelp for metabolism, I did combine M2Tone and hyponidd for a while after having very whacky (far between) and heavy periods. they became regular although still very painful and that's when I went for ultrasound. I expected them to comment on my ovaries which have always been enlarged and full of cysts but they came back completely clear and normal sized for the first time ever. My fibroids are probably a cause of untreated hormone issues over the last 25 years and hyponidd was too late to have any effect.

Just to add I've been on a long term very low carb diet and after taking hyponidd I did find I could introduce more carb foods without the fast gains on the scale I used to experience.

[soulcyster.indeed]

@Maddy

I am really tempted to try Hyponidd after seeing success stories with it. I am lean and non-IR. So, I was wondering if it will work for me. Do you mind sharing what were the symptoms you started with? Are you obese or IR?

[Maddy]

Looking back my first symptoms were darkened skin and IR. Though it was only after the birth of my son that my hormones really went wacky and I started to get hairy and gain weight. I had been following low calorie and low carb for about 10 years and had a number of ultrasounds within that time where I always had enlarged and cystic ovaries. The hyponidd has not affected my hair growth but I know it's helped with the IR as I can tolerate more carbs now. To have clear ovaries for the first time really shocked me. I'm continuing to tkae it and hope to see further benefits. I also took M2Tone.

[soulcyster.indeed]

Ny idea if hyponidd cud be helpful to lean, non-IR cysters?