PCOS/Insulin Resistance SupportSupport for us with any of the following: Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or other endocrine disorders.
Greetings, I got my shipment of Insulite today. I plan to start it tomorrw. I spoke with my OBGYN about the Insulite program and she thinks it is a gimick...
Here's what she said, "The web site you sent was interesting. They did give a lot of information, which I think is useful for patients. However, I think it is misleading to say that nutritional supplements affect insulin.
There are medications for this, which are prescription. And these are given to women with clear glucose elevation. This web site implied that the vitamins and nutritional supplements that were herbs have pharmaceutical properties and have proven to be beneficial. I am very suspicious of these claims.
I do not see much risk in trying the product, but I cannot recommend what I think is simply clever marketing.
I do recommend dietary changes, avoiding high sugar and carbohydrates. Exercise is also very important".
I hope she is not right. She has been really on point in my care thus far. I'm planning to try it and see. I will be documenting my journey with Insulite.
Have any of you spoken with your OB/GYN doctor's about the Insulite program?
I am sorry, but anyone who holds pharmaceuticals higher than supplements without even researching it first is foolish. You have to understand that as a doctor, she has free lunch meetings with pharma reps, gets perks, etc. from them. My friend is a representative for Merck. He knows nothing of medicine, and all he does is flirt with doctors all day, taking them to lunch, golf outings, and he's banking over $80k a year. He was a film major.
Now, all pharma drugs are not bad. They save lives and without some of them we'd all be suffering. But if your OBGYN is willing to believe in diet and exercise, what does she think supplements are? They are still a part of 'diet'. They come from plants and you ingest them, and they have different effects on the body.
I am sure she prescribes the pill and Met to many of her patients. But what are they really doing? They aren't solving the problem. They are forcing your body to regulate itself, without you fixing what's wrong so that it regulates itself naturally. You fixing the problem will last your whole life, not stop when you stop taking pills.
The Insulite is designed to be stopped after 6-12 months. I ordered 1 year supply in advance. After that I will stop. If nothing happens then oh well, I can do other things, too. But I am seeing differences already. People are complimenting my hair, it looks so full. My skin dermatitis is clearing up for the first time in my life, and I have a cycle now- 75 days long.
Now I was offered the pill and Met when I diagnosed, and simply said 'no thanks'. Doctors, most of the time, are very ethical, and really do have our best interest in mind. But most of the time they are book taught. Mostly they do not research this on their own, and only attend Continuing Education Courses, required by law, which are also sponsored by Pharma companies. I know all this because I've worked in medical publishing for over 5 years and have seen it all. Medicine is a WONDERFUL thing, and it saves lives, and helps so many people, and doctors are ANGELS for the time and schooling they spent on learning how to help us. But I've read and seen too much to trust the system fully.
If I were diagnosed with like terminal cancer or parkinson's, of course I'd take the drugs they prescribed or do chemo. But PCOS can be completely reversed with diet and exercise- the doctors just don't have the b@lls to tell their patients they have to get strict with themselves and change their lifestyle. Lots of the times it's just the few patients who tell their doctors 'no, I'm going to change my lifestyle instead of the drugs.'
The Biggest Loser is a great example. I also listen to Jillian Michaels' radio show on Sundays (she's TBL trainer). Most of the contenstants are on as many as 18 different drugs when they arrive to campus. When they leave, they are usually off ALL of them. What does that say? It's all about diet and lifestyle. Supplements, in my opinion, are a part of diet. They come from plants, have been around for centuries, and the FDA will not review them since they will compete with the Pharma giants.
Geez- so sorry I typed so much!! Anyway, I'm in the industry of medical publishing, read article after article that passes through my journals, and have worked for a medical society. Pharma companies sponsor medical education opportunities, and have a huge hand in what our medical professionals learn. Your best bet is to, yes, listen to your doctor, but with an open mind. Listen to her knowing that she is book-taught. Does she even know what the ingredients in Insulite are used for? I'm sure she hasn't even researched things such as dandilion root, Co10, etc. If diet and exercise alone can wipe out PCOS, why on earth do we need chemicals as well? It doesn't make sense.
There are 'clean eating' doctors that have gotten type 1 and 2 diabetics completely off insulin. If those extremes can be accomplished through lifestyle, then certainly PCOS can be, too! You have to be your own judge. Doctors will keep us on drug after drug after drug for the rest of our lives, because that's what they've been taught. So really, we can't even blame them. It's our responsibility to take the diagnosis and research what is best for us.
Omg, I wrote alot!! :/
Last edited by Michelle125; 07-15-2008 at 11:02 AM.
My doctor encouraged me to give it a try. She's even going to do free blood work after 3 months on it to see if it is helping because she would like to suggest it to other patients if it works. So far, for me I have seen some results even after a month and when I miss a day of pills I can definetly tell.
While some women have no choice but to take prescription pills, the majority of them only help/mask the symptoms without ever getting to the root of the problem. If these pills even have a slight chance of getting to the root of the problem, then I am willing to stick with it for the year. I too ordered a year supply.
Last edited by JerseyGirrl; 07-15-2008 at 12:11 PM.
Your doctor sounds so awesome. I definitely think there is a new movement within the medical community. More doctors are starting to research supplements and alternative, more natural, treatments. I'm very curious as to what your blood work will look like!
I'm also incorporating 1 cup of raspberry leaf tea per day. I notice during my period it causes things to change (in a good way), and I've heard it's great to drink all throughout your cycle to help regulation.
Michelle..my doctor is pretty open minded. She definetly isn't a pill pusher. When I showed her what I printed out from the insulite site she said "I really hope this works because I hate prescribing so many pills for everything associated with this condition." I will let you know my blood test results. I don't know how much improvement it will show on paper because everything else with my blood work is in pretty normal range except my LDL cholestorol is a little higher than normal. Not enough to suggest meds but kinda scary at 25, but it also runs in my family on my father's side.
I've heard the same about the raspberry leaf tea. I want to try it. I also want to try licorice tea. I've heard that it is supposed to help with depression. Depression is one of my biggest problems with PCOS. I'm soooo not the person I used to be. The insulite has helped a lot with it, but a few stressful events have happened in the past few weeks and I felt it coming back. I did miss a few doses of the pills also, so that could be it(I hope). If you know of any herbal remedies for depression/mood elevation, I'd love to hear them!
It sounds like a lot of your depression is actually from events and things, i.e., your symptoms of PCOS and weight, and the recent events you mentioned. For things like this, the greatest cure is not in a supplement or a treatment. It's perfectly natural to feel this way. I suffered from it, too, but recently am feeling like my old self again because I am watching the scale go down, eating cleaner, working out for my body- not for my weight, and doing lots of self reflection/writing/thinking. I have some regrets, and everyone does. Especially when you realize that PCOS has possibly held you back from some things or made your life harder, and you had no idea what was wrong until the diagnosis. That's what made me angry. This whole time I was being 'good' like a normal dieter and getting no results. I thought it was me, I wasn't strong enough, I wasn't eating well enough. Now I know with a few tweaks I can certainly lose weight like a normal person.
I suggest downloading Jillian Michaels' radio show from this web site: http://www.kfi640.com/pages/podcasting/ Download the 7/6 or the 6/29 show. I was listening to both of them in the car this past week and she talks about mild depression from actual things and events (as opposed to clinical where like, nothing has really caused it). She is SO enlightening. I just started listening to her stuff a few weeks ago and it's all I talk about. She's all about doing The Biggest Loser naturally and helping people get off meds and get the weight off, despite their health conditions. She herself has a thyroid problem.
I have a different opinion about supplements. Supplements ARE drugs. They aren't part of the diet. If you are taking a supplement, it can have similar effects to many pharmaceuticals, including being dangerous to your health.
If you decide to self medicate with supplements, I highly (highly highly) recommend looking at the supplement and its individual ingredients. Unfortunately, doctors aren't versed on most (any?) supplements so they can't give you the details of how it will affect your health. They are generally versed on prescription medications though so that is what they can recommend. I've had knowledgeable doctors recommend supplements in the past but it is really the supplements that have proven themselves at being effective and the word has spread.
If you do have a medical condition (like PCOS) and are on other medications, I'd definitely work with your doctor on any supplements you take. Supplements have been known to interact with prescription drugs with undesired results.
Thanks Michelle...I'll give her a try...I've also been reading a book called "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" by Dr. David D. Burns. It teaches you how to cope with depression w/o meds and teaches you how to seperate reality from what we create in our minds(which is one of my biggest problems). It has been helping a lot, but due to the chaos that has been going on, I haven't had time to keep reading it. The first few chapters alone speak volumes.
I know a lot of my negative feelings are because of what has been going on around me, but even when things are normal I still struggle. I'll cry for no reason or just want to sleep for hours to avoid my emotions. And then there are days where I'm in a great mood for no reason as if I just won the lottery. I'm sure it's the hormonal imbalances messing with me. The insulite has helped a lot with that.
LadyKM - Your OB/GYN reminds me of why I gave up on the medical community many years ago. I've had far better luck with herbs and supplements on treating many things, including the common cold.
I finally dragged myself to a GYN a few weeks ago (I hadn't been in 6 years) for a simple PAP, just because it had been so long. She did nothing but lecture me on my weight and basically told me it was my fault (even though I mentioned my earlier PCOS diagnosis). I finally said firmly "I'm here for a PAP. That's all."
In short... Don't believe everything doctors tell you. The pharmaceutical companies OWN many of them (giving docs everything from free samples to free vacations). Big pharmaceutical is doing everything it can to discredit natural treatments and a holistic approach... though those methods have been around for thousands of years.
Michelle's posts on this board were my inspiration for giving Insulite a try. I had pretty much lost hope of ever fixing this problem until I logged on last week. Just received my shipment yesterday. We'll see how it goes.
Thanks for your responses ladies ! All of your input and experiences have been helpful. I am an independent thinker in that I trust but verify ! I am aware that there are many scandals in the medical community and that herbs and supplements have been around long before perscriptions...
I started my Insulite regimen today and will be documenting my journey. I plan to start a weighloss routine but am short on time most days. I have a treadmill at home so I am planning to walk approximately 30 - 45 mins per day for 4-5 days per week.
Well, supplements are drugs, I guess, because they come in pill form. But they are not synthetic chemicals. They were pretty much taken from the plant, root, extract, mineral, etc. that came right out of the earth. Everything in Insulite is something I'm familiar with. You can pronounce everything, and if you are with familiar with herbs at all you'll recognize just about everything. That's what impressed me the most.
But everything we ingest has side effects. If I drink 5 Red Bulls I might wind up in the hospital from heart palpatations. Actually, they are starting to think about regulating caffeine drinks. Calls to poison control centers are sky rocketing from teens ODing on the stuff. And you can buy that at any convenience store, in any quantity you wish.
Also, junk food is available in unlimited quantities all over the country, within walking distance from where many of us are sitting right now. If I chose to, I could binge on the stuff starting today, balloon and gain 100's of lbs and die at 50. The voluntary suicide is right here at my fingertips. And it's an almost garaunteed death. I really think that food is more dangerous than any moderate dose of herbs I could possibly take. Sloth and glutony are the only forms of legal suicide in this country, and it's even socially acceptable. Think about it- it's really sad!
I agree Michelle. We can pretty much find ways to abuse anything even healthy by overdoing it. Not that Red Bull is healthy, but I drank 5 of them once while trying to work 3 jobs and go to school full time. I thought "well umm I'll be the sugarfree one ..the lesser of two evils." Yeah well the next morning I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest....NEVER AGAIN!
Well, supplements are drugs, I guess, because they come in pill form. But they are not synthetic chemicals. They were pretty much taken from the plant, root, extract, mineral, etc. that came right out of the earth. Everything in Insulite is something I'm familiar with. You can pronounce everything, and if you are with familiar with herbs at all you'll recognize just about everything. That's what impressed me the most.
Well, I'd classify them as drugs because they have an effect on the body in some form. Even if they didn't come in pill form, even if you chewed on the plant itself, it would be a drug. Marijuana, Opium and Cocaine are all natural substances but are very much drugs.
I think it is smart to do the research on ingredients in herbal products. Too often people rely on companies to provide them safe effective products and too often companies let them down because the concern is only money. That is why there have been lawsuits and deaths with various 'natural' herbal remedies put on the market (and taken off the market).
I have a different opinion about supplements. Supplements ARE drugs. They aren't part of the diet. If you are taking a supplement, it can have similar effects to many pharmaceuticals, including being dangerous to your health.
If you decide to self medicate with supplements, I highly (highly highly) recommend looking at the supplement and its individual ingredients. Unfortunately, doctors aren't versed on most (any?) supplements so they can't give you the details of how it will affect your health. They are generally versed on prescription medications though so that is what they can recommend. I've had knowledgeable doctors recommend supplements in the past but it is really the supplements that have proven themselves at being effective and the word has spread.
If you do have a medical condition (like PCOS) and are on other medications, I'd definitely work with your doctor on any supplements you take. Supplements have been known to interact with prescription drugs with undesired results.
I totally agree. I recommend seeing a naturopath who is willing to work in conjunction with your doctor and current method of treatment. of course your doctor has to be willing as well, and to be honest, many of them pooh-pooh naturopaths and homeopathic practitioners.
Just because some is natural, like mahy herbs and supplements doesn't mean that you should go medicating yourself, as a lot of them can be toxic in high doses and also interact with any prescribed medications that you're on.
I don't like to take too many prescribed medications, because for most things I think it only treats the symptom, and when you stop taking the pills/potions the symptoms come back, sometimes with a vengance. But they do have their proper place in certain people lives--such as insulin for Type 1 diabetics, blood pressure meds for people who just have hypertension that can't be resolved through lifestyle changes, etc.
Supplements, herbs and natural treatments have a place in certain lifestyles as well, but I view them as things that fill in the gaps. Such as mutil-vitamins can not replace a balanced diet, and there is no such thing as a magic pill for weight loss. There just isn't.
It really does come down to what you put in your mouth, how much of it you put in, how often you put it in there, and what you're doing to use up the calories in it. That's just the long and the short of it. I'm going with lapband because I have finally come to terms with the realisation that I am powerless over food, in much the same way an alcholic or a drug addict is powerless over the booze and the drugs. The only difference is that with booze and drugs you can fully abstain and only improve your life. with food, you HAVE to eat to stay alive. Therefore I sought intervention.
But enough about that. I do believe that herbs, supplements and natural therapies are wonderful and would rather go that route, but I suggest exercising caution and seeking professional advice before going to the health store and loading up.
Thanks Hotfoot. I am a candidate for bariatric surgery. I have to lose 20 lbs before I can get the surgery. My problem is that no one seems to know the long term effects of the surgery. I do not want to be a guinney pig.
I started the Insulite system on 7/15. The same day, I quit smoking. Within the last week I reduced my blood pressure medicine to half. As a result, of the above, I have gained 10 lbs in the last 15 days... I am ready to throw up my hands and go back to what I was doing before. At least I was lighter --
I know it gets worse before it gets better. I just did 1.5 miles on the treadmill and am getting ready for bed. I'm feeling really bum'd out right now.
One thing I can say about the Insulite system is that it has helped with my fatigue. I used to be tired all the time. I would wake up totally dragging. Now I still don't want to get up but I have energy to get going. That is a huge plus.
My OB/GYN said this about Insulite
