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Hello Doloris,

Thank you for your feedback.

Our PCOS Blog does offer RSS feeds. Here is a link to a page that details how to start. If you have any questions or problems, be sure to let us know.

http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/blog/rss-feeds-help/

Best Regards,
Insulite Laboratories Customer Service

Dear Danielle,

Thank you for writing to Insulite Labs; I’m glad you found our website!

Let me send you some basic information on PCOS, Insulin Resistance, and
the Insulite PCOS System: the underlying cause of PCOS in most cases seems
to be Insulin Resistance. With Insulin Resistance, the body becomes insensitive
to the insulin it produces, which leads to elevated circulating levels of insulin.
This in turn leads to hormonal imbalances such as increased testosterone and other
androgens (male hormones). The increased testosterone is responsible for
many of the symptoms such as hair growth and abnormal menstrual cycles.

Elevated insulin also contributes to the formation of cysts in the ovaries
in part due to the hormonal imbalances and also because the ovaries are
highly sensitive to the influence of insulin. In women with PCOS, the
ovaries are over-sensitized to insulin’s effects.

Finally, the weight gain often associated with PCOS is intricately related to
Insulin Resistance. Losing weight helps to improve insulin sensitivity,
and vice versa: becoming more sensitive to your insulin helps you to lose
weight. Other symptoms that women with PCOS suffer from are acne and excess
hair growth.

The Insulite PCOS System consists of several elements, all designed to work together to
address PCOS and its underlying cause, Insulin Resistance. The System is
comprised of supplements, diet and exercise guidelines, addiction
awareness, and customer support. We provide ample customer support because
we advocate lifestyle changes, and we know that these types of changes can
be difficult to make without some help!

The supplements are designed to improve insulin sensitivity, help you lose
weight, reduce the symptoms of PCOS, correct the hormonal imbalance of
PCOS, and help manage the deleterious consequences of having elevated
insulin. Here is a link to a page on our website that describes the
supplements in detail: http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com/PCOS-Elements.php

The diet and exercise aspects of the Insulite PCOS System are also crucial
to your success. You can read the general information about these guidelines at the following link:
http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com/Insulite-PCOS-System-Nutrition-and-Exercise-Plans.php.
Of course, more detailed information is provided in the Insulite Guide
that our customers receive.

You can read much more about the entire Insulite PCOS System by visiting
the following link: http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com/.

The side effects that have been reported to Insulite Laboratories have been
minor and include gas, bloating, loose stools or other digestive disturbances.

The reason for this is that we should eat 35 grams of fiber per day but,
typically, we consume far less than this. The changes in digestion that
happen to some people starting on the Insulite PCOS System are due to being
unaccustomed to the soluble fiber in the GLUCX supplements. This fiber is an
important component in the Insulite PCOS System because it acts to decrease
a glucose (blood sugar) spike following a meal. These side effects will
improve as the person’s system gets used to this type of fiber.

A few women have also written in to report that they had spotting after
starting the Insulite PCOS System, but this too seemed to be a temporary
reaction, and is rare.

In addition, there have been a few complaints of headaches after starting
the system and we believe this is due to a detoxification reaction.

A couple of people have written in to say they experienced slight nausea but
this was resolved when they took the supplements with a little bit of food.

An extremely rare reaction (we have only heard this twice) is a skin rash
developing after beginning the system, but one of these people had a known
allergy to a substance related to one of the ingredients in the System so
there was probably a cross-reaction.

We cannot promise that the PCOS System will result in you conceiving
although we do know it can address several of the causative factors behind
this condition. As stated on our website, losing weight and getting your insulin
regulated will reduce ovarian cysts and additional hormonal imbalances, thereby
enhancing your ability to conceive. It is safe to continue trying to get pregnant
while you are using the System.

We do recommend, however, that, if you become pregnant while using the Insulite PCOS System, you discontinue using the supplements during your pregnancy and then resume them after you finish
breastfeeding. The reason is that while we know that the PCOS System is safe
and non-toxic in general, these supplements have not been tested in any clinical
trials specifically on pregnant women or infants.

I hope this information provides you with what you were looking for, feel free
to write again with any other questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Dr. Apryl Krause, ND
Insulite Coaching & Advisory teams

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose of being informative. This information is not and should not be used or relied upon as medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment, take any medication, supplements or other nutritional support, or for answers to any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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We ask you give the Insulite PCOS System a fair and complete test and for that reason, we ask you to use the PCOS System for at least 30 days. The Insulite PCOS System has been designed to work together as an integrated program – the Supplements, Nutrition and Exercise. We also recommend that you follow the PCOS System guidelines for six month. Because of genetic variations and the severity of your condition, the time frame for improvement for each person will vary.
- Insulite Laboratories Customer Support

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Dear Jen,

I am glad that you found our blog! PCOS is notoriously difficult to diagnose. It is a syndrome with many possible symptoms affecting any number of bodily systems. And any two women with PCOS will not necessarily display the exact same set of symptoms. We understand how frustrating this can be, but there is hope and things can get better!

The topics of lean women with PCOS, and PCOS without insulin resistance are still not entirely understood in the medical community. Many thin women with PCOS do have insulin resistance, but some do not. It is not a clear-cut distinction that thin women are not Insulin resistant. Some lean women with PCOS hyper-secrete insulin but do not yet manifest insulin resistance. And in many women with PCOS, their ovaries are highly sensitive to insulin, so that even if their serum insulin levels are normal, the ovaries are highly reactive to that insulin.

Here is a link to study that was done with lean women who have a history of PCOS:
http://www.insidepcos.com:80/articles/612/1/Lean-Women-with-Polycystic-Ovary-Syndrome-Respond-to-Insulin-Reduction.html.

PCOS is notoriously difficult to diagnose. It is a diagnosis of exclusion.
In other words, it is important to rule out other diseases that can cause symptoms similar to PCOS (such as Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia). To diagnose PCOS, we use a combination of clinical symptoms (what you experience as the patient, such as excess hair growth, irregular menses, acne, skin tags, weight gain, infertility, etc.) and lab tests. Readers’
Digest recently named PCOS to its list of “Most Frequently Diagnosed Conditions”.

Lab testing can also be a useful tool in the diagnosis, the blood tests to consider are:

- testosterone- elevated in PCOS

- DHEA-S- elevated in PCOS

- Fasting insulin- elevated in PCOS. Some doctors may hesitate to order this test because the normal range (0-20) is so wide. However, we find that results greater than 9 indicate insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is usually the underlying cause of PCOS, as you may have read about on our site.

- Fasting glucose or glucose tolerance test- elevated in PCOS. Using this information in combination with the fasting insulin helps to diagnose insulin resistance. Also, women with PCOS have a higher risk of diabetes so it is important to screen for this early and often.

- LH: FSH- Some doctors may also look at the ratio between these two hormones. In PCOS, we would expect LH to be elevated in comparison to FSH.

- You could get an ultrasound to check for the presence of ovarian cysts.
Even if the ovaries do appear normal, the absence of ovarian cysts does not mean that you don’t have PCOS. Not everyone with PCOS has ovarian cysts.

- I would also check your cholesterol levels and liver function tests, as these can also be abnormal in PCOS (as well as in many other conditions).

Lab testing is not mandatory for diagnosing PCOS, especially if you are experiencing so many of the symptoms. However, the above tests do give us numbers which, along with the improvement of your clinical symptoms, help us monitor your progress.

I do want to let you know that there is another condition called Cushing’s disease that has many symptoms of PCOS and is sometimes mistaken for PCOS.
If you did have Cushing’s disease it may exacerbate the symptoms.
Cushing’s is not very common, but I still wanted to mention it to you.
This would be something to discuss with your doctor to ensure it has been ruled out.

If you have a family history of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, if you have cravings for carbohydrates or sweets, if you have skin tags or acanthosis nigricans (dark patches on the skin, especially in the armpits) I would be more inclined to think there is a component of insulin resistance in your case.

I hope this information is helpful for you! There is amazing customer support at Insulite Labs; we are here to help you through this healing journey. Please don’t hesitate to contact us again if you have any other questions or concerns.

Best Wishes,

Dr. Andrea Lee, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting and Advisory Team

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose of being informative. This information is not and should not be used or relied upon as medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment, take any medication, supplements or other nutritional support, or for answers to any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Dear Randee,

I am sorry to hear about your daughter’s health struggles. I am delighted, however, that you found our website and hope that it proves to be a great source of information and support for you and for your daughter.

As you may have read about on our website, http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com, the underlying cause of PCOS is believed to be insulin resistance. With insulin resistance, the body becomes insensitive to the insulin it produces, which leads to elevated circulating levels of insulin. This in turn leads to hormonal imbalances such as increased testosterone and other androgens (masculinizing hormones- responsible for much of the excess hair that can be so problematic for many women with PCOS as you and your daughter are well aware).

Elevated insulin and insulin resistance also contribute to the formation of cysts in the ovaries in part due to the hormonal imbalances and also because the ovaries are highly sensitive to the influence of insulin. In women with PCOS, the ovaries are over-sensitized to insulin’s effects.

Finally, the weight gain associated with PCOS is intricately related to insulin resistance. Losing weight helps to improve insulin sensitivity, and vice versa: becoming more sensitive to your insulin helps you to lose weight.

It is always so encouraging to hear from family members who are worried about their loved ones. With conditions like these, it is essential to include diet and lifestyle changes as part of the treatment program.

Making such changes is of course easier with the support of family members.

Our view on the pharmaceutical treatment of PCOS is that there is no one drug on the market that will change the condition. The only way to reverse the disorder is to reduce elevations in insulin which directly affect testosterone and other hormonal changes that are responsible for causing PCOS.

Regarding the Metformin, Metformin isn’t a drug for PCOS. Metformin is an anti-hyperglycemic agent which improves glucose tolerance in patients with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetic conditions, lowering both basal and postprandial plasma glucose (not insulin which is believed to be the underlying cause of PCOS). Its pharmacologic mechanisms of action are different from other classes of oral anti-hyperglycemic agents.

Metformin decreases glucose production in the liver, decreases intestinal absorption of glucose, and improves insulin sensitivity by increasing peripheral glucose uptake and utilization. With metformin therapy, insulin secretion remains unchanged and fasting plasma insulin levels and day-long plasma insulin response may or may not decrease. In short, Metformin treats only the symptom of hyperglycemia (too much sugar in the bloodstream), not the cause (insulin resistance).

With regard to the excess hair, this is a concern I hear from many women. It can be so distressing for women to have hair where they don’t want it!

The excess/unwanted hair that currently exists may have to be removed via laser, electrolysis, etc. The follicles that have already started producing thicker, coarser hairs may continue to do so unless the follicle is destroyed. However, as your insulin resistance reverses and your hormones balance, the new hair growth should become finer, less visible.

And I do hear from many women that their need to pluck, wax, shave, etc. that decreases when their insulin resistance gets under control and their hormones begin to balance out.

I also frequently hear exactly what you said, “I’m on Metformin and it isn’t working!” I can offer you a complementary approach however with the Insulite PCOS System. It is specifically designed to help improve insulin sensitivity and promote healthy weight loss with its combination of nutrients and herbs as well as diet and exercise guidelines. The supplements are also designed to correct the hormone imbalance of PCOS.

If you have any further questions about it, I would be happy to discuss it further with you. You can email me at dralee@insulitelabs.com.

I hope this information is helpful for you! There is amazing customer support at Insulite Labs; we are here to help you through this healing journey. Please don’t hesitate to contact us again if you have any other questions or concerns.

Best Wishes,

Dr. Andrea Lee, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting and Advisory Team

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose of being informative. This information is not and should not be used or relied upon as medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment, take any medication, supplements or other nutritional support, or for answers to any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

I exhibit textbook symptoms of PCOS. However, due to a lack of medical insurance I am unable to make it to a doctor for diagnosis. I have not had a consistent mentruation cycle from the beginning; always skipping a month, then consistent cycles, and now back to no mentruation at all. My greatest fear is that I have developed cancer due to a lack of care by a physician. I have not had a gyn visit in over a year because of healthcare issues. I am an active 23 year old lesbian who has always been very masculine. I have very masculine bone structure and physique which I have no doubt both have to do with my endocrine system. My symptoms have become more evident over the past six months: abnominal weight gain, skin tags on my neck, hair growth at the chin and upper lip, also around the upper thigh, increase in irritability and acne around my jaw line.

I am writing in hopes of gaining advice on natural sources of regulating my periods. I am vegetarian and consume a great deal of protein via soy. My diet is usually around 1500 to 2100 calories depending on the day. I have got to regulate my diet. I swim every day at least a mile and a half and am extremely active all the time. My greatest fear at this point is that I have waited too long to get a handle on these symptoms. I know that due to my age and without consistent healthcare, the risk of developing endometrial cancer is much higher; which terrifies me. Despite the dire need to seek a physician, do you have any suggestions for taking an herbal route to jump starte treatment for the above-mentioned symptoms?

I am content with my physique and muscle mass, and have seen a decrease in abdominal fat recently. I am concerned that my physique and structure will change once this is treated, which does scare me a bit. I have become confortable with my image as it is now, but must get the menstruation cycle under control.

Thank you so much for your time!

With Best Wishes,
Candler

Dear Candler,

I am so glad you found my blog! I have heard from other lesbians who are concerned that balancing out their hormones will ultimately result in a fundamental change to their personality or physical characteristics.

Personality and physical appearance are big parts of self identity, and I can certainly understand the concern. Thanks for writing in!

As you may have read about on our website, http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com, the underlying cause of PCOS is believed in most cases to be insulin resistance. With insulin resistance, the body becomes insensitive to the insulin it produces, which leads to elevated circulating levels of insulin. This in turn leads to hormonal imbalances such as increased testosterone and other androgens (masculinizing hormones).

Elevated insulin and insulin resistance also contribute to the formation of cysts in the ovaries in part due to the hormonal imbalances and also because the ovaries are highly sensitive to the influence of insulin. In women with PCOS, the ovaries are over-sensitized to insulin’s effects.

Finally, the weight gain associated with PCOS is intricately related to insulin resistance. Losing weight helps to improve insulin sensitivity, and vice versa: becoming more sensitive to your insulin helps you to lose weight.

PCOS is a complex condition and can affect a number of bodily systems. Because of this it requires an equally dynamic solution. The Insulite PCOS System is a combination of herbs and nutrients that helps to improve insulin sensitivity and promote healthy weight loss through the use of natural supplements as well as diet and exercise guidelines. The supplements are also designed to correct the hormone imbalance of PCOS.

As for physique, simply having more testosterone does not inherently mean that there will be hypertrophic (size increase) changes in the muscles, otherwise a couch potato who used anabolic steroids or someone who used androgens for birth control would be huge (which doesn’t happen)! In
fact, studies show that extremely high levels of androgens actually cause a rapid decrease in the number of testosterone receptors on the muscles.

This is why users of anabolic steroids do so in “cycles”, to allow time for the muscles to recover their inherent sensitivity to testosterone.

Conversely, having a normal level of testosterone does not mean that muscles cannot grow. There are plenty of natural body builders who have huge muscles! Only muscles that are trained get bigger. Even those professional body builders who use steroids (and thus have HIGH levels of anabolic hormones) don’t see growth in muscles they don’t work. Think about those big guys you see walking around with huge huge arms and little bitty calves. Ultimately, muscle growth is determined by local changes caused by contractions of the muscle, not by a systemic factor.

Studies show that brief, intense training (with weights) can increase the level of testosterone in the muscles. Perhaps more importantly though, training increases the sensitivity of muscles to the effects of testosterone. This means that even normal levels of testosterone can have a more profound effect on muscles that are trained regularly. So all this goes to say that you can absolutely keep your physique AND keep your hormones in balance.

I hope this information is helpful for you! There is amazing customer support at Insulite Labs; we are here to help you through this healing journey. Please don’t hesitate to contact us again if you have any other questions or concerns.

Best Wishes,

Dr. Andrea Lee, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting and Advisory Team

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose of being informative. This information is not and should not be used or relied upon as medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment, take any medication, supplements or other nutritional support, or for answers to any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Dear Mashael,

I am delighted that you found our blog and decided to write in. PCOS is a
very complex condition and we are learning more and more each day about
it’s cause, symptoms, and management. Thanks for writing in!

Smoking is not known to be a cause of PCOS. However, one of the things
that PCOS can lead to is diabetes. Smoking narrows the small blood vessels
and decrease the blood flow to the extremities. This can contribute to a
host of other problems including decreased sensation and problems with
wound healing that are common in diabetes. Smoking is also bad if you
have heart disease as this is another thing that PCOS can lead to.

I am not aware of any research that has been done on smoking and PCOS
specifically although enough research has been done on cigarettes that
indicate that they are not good for you.

I hope this information is helpful for you! There is amazing customer
support at Insulite Labs; we are here to help you through this healing
journey. Please don’t hesitate to contact us again if you have any other
questions or concerns.

Best Wishes,

Dr. Andrea Lee, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting and Advisory Team

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email and the Insulite Labs
website is for the sole purpose of being informative. This information is
not and should not be used or relied upon as medical advice. Always seek
the advice of your physician, nurse or other qualified health care
provider before you undergo any treatment, take any medication,
supplements or other nutritional support, or for answers to any questions
you may have regarding a medical condition.