Food is medicine. Low Glycemic Index? Anti-inflammatory diet?

I'm in favor of the Anti-inflammatory diet. Lowering your glycemic index does help with weight management but it won't prevent cysts. (my glucose level was at 86 when my last cyst ruptured, insulin resistance is only a symptom of estrogen dominance, not the cause.)

The thymus is a specialized organ of the immune system. The only known function of the thymus is the production and "education" of T-lymphocytes (T cells), which are critical cells of the adaptive immune system.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymus http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19450261?ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

There is a relationship that the "experts are not sure of" between hypothyroidism and autoimmune disease.

http://pcossurvivor.blogspot.com/2011/03/inflammation-auto-immune-its-those-darn.html
First of all, since PCOS victims have trouble managing weight the first advice I really want to give is to lose every drop of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and white starches in the diet. Whole grain low glycemic starches are fine.



Here is a list of foods without high fructose corn syrup.

http://highfructosehigh.com/no-hfcs/

Be forewarned that not all Orowheat breads are made without the "Corn Syrup".

http://no-hfcs.tripod.com/

They say it's okay to have 20 grams of this? But everything has HFCS in it. So it's too easy to overstep your limits without getting your vitamins and minerals. It's not too easy in a world so dependent on convenience.

When dieting for PCOS, you will hear a few variations of the same themes.

Heard on the street are "Eat like a diabetic". Or "eat like a Jewish woman" (avoiding xenoestrogens in dairy and cheese; which in the Jewish culture are forbidden to eat together). Others will say, "eat anti-oxidants". I'm part asian. Many asian diets are high in anti-oxidants.

And everyone but me is on Metformin to lose weight.

Just a little bit about Metformin.

It only temporarily speeds up the metabolism.

http://www.thyroid.org/patients/notes/march06/06_03_17.html

Not everyone tolerates it. But it can help some people. Temporarily.

Truth be told, any of these ideas will improve your situation. Everybody is different and needs to make their own choices to accomidate their own lifestyle.

I prefer the raw food/anti-inflammatory diet (http://www.level1diet.com) diet to the GI diet for three reasons. The first, I want to avoid synthetic sugars and processed foods. I also want to avoid mutated proteins and carbs for anti-glycation purposes. Everyone on the raw food diet has great skin because of the anti-glycation effects.
The last reason, what sold me is the fact that I don't cook. I can pull flavors together but I'm not that girl who enjoys spending hours in the kitchen preparing anything. Honestly, I'm really freakin' lazy and I hate fighting with other people for the kitchen. And I can't stand standing over a hot stove.
I don't have a huge appitite right now so I'm also prioritizing nutrition/calorie. I'm slamming vitamins like crazy to keep my bases covered, but I want as many good things in my food for every bite.

Those are my reasons. Everyone has their own.

I have a friend who knocked out her auto-immune symptoms by fixing her diet. Since PCOS is a complication of auto-immune issues for a lot of women, this might help.


Here's what she wrote on her Facebook page:

"Ok, I took the 'body type diet' and made it to 3 meals instead of 6 a day. It is lots of spinach salads with grilled chicken/fish/steak or pot roast. You can have cheese as long as you can handle dairy and I eat baked potato for dinner, religiously follow this through the week. Oh and egg white with spinach omelette's in the morning. Snacks can be any fruit or veggie, just NO processed foods at all. You can have black coffee or tea, no sugars either. I do use lemon pepper spice and salt. I was anal about this for 2 mos then slowly on weekends allowed myself a meal out with some wine. And you will not miss the bread or processed foods at all, you won't even want them. If this is not enough food then break it into 6 meals a day....it is foods full of vitamin a and d (also take a d supplement and used to take follic acid). I did it before my diagnosis and it cleared my skin so that is why I did it before my surgery and now almost 1 year med free. And spinach should be organic (I buy the big tubs at kroger for $5 each, it will last you 4 days), if you have to pick and choose what you eat that is organic leafy greens should always be what you buy organic bc they hold water in them and store pesticides....so anyway let me know how it goes. You will feel so much better!!"

On another note, some have had luck by eliminating wheat gluten out of their system. Which makes sense since gluten intolerance is a symptom of Auto-immune disorder.
http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/10928/1/Autoimmune-Disorder-of-Gluten-Intolerance.html
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease/features/gluten-intolerance-against-grain
http://www.celiac.com/




THE LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX DIET.

"The glycemic index or GI describes this difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels."
www.glycemicindex.com

Here is a list of foods and their Low Glycemic ratings per South Beach.
http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/glycemicfoodchart.htm


Back to vitamins. In contrast to the FDA's ASSUMPTIONS (to ASSUME is to make an ASS out of U and ME), we "have enough iodine" in our diets.

Iodine and PCOS (here is the link for the source)

Breast cancer and ovarian cancer are linked to hormonal imbalance, which comes from metabolic issues. The metabolism is carried out by the thyroid gland, and it needs it's iodine in order to function.

‎"What if there was one nutrient which...?

1. Desensitized estrogen receptors in the breast.

2. *REDUCED ESTROGEN PRODUCTION IN OVERACTIVE OVARIES.*.

3. Reduced fibrocystic breast disease which often precedes
breast cancer.

4. Caused cancer cell death, slowed down cell division and
reduced blood vessel growth to tumors.

5. Caused more cell death than the chemo drug, Fluorouracil .

6. Prevented rats from getting cancer when they were fed the breast
cancer causing toxin DMBA."
http://breastcancerchoices.org/iodine.html

http://iodine4health.com/special/halogens/halogens.htm

---the answer could very well be in the problem.

Orthoiodosupplementation: Iodine sufficiency of the whole human Guy. E. Abraham M.D.1, Jorge D. Flechas M.D.2 and John C. Hakala R.Ph.Our preliminary experience with I supplementation at 12.5 mg/day. Our findings in 3 patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) confirmed the positive response observed following supplementation with 10 to 20 mg of potassium iodide by Russian investigators 40 years ago (62). Prior to I supplementation, those PCOS patients were olygomenorrheic, menstruating one or twice a year. Following I supplementation for 3 months, they resumed normal monthly cycles.

http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/pdfs/IOD02.pdf

Orthoiodosupplementation in a Primary Care Practice Jorge D. Flechas, M.D.
Iodine deficiency may cause the ovaries to develop cysts , nodules and scar tissue. At its worse this ovarian pathology is very similar to that of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). As of the writing of this article I have five PCOS patients. The patients have successfully been brought under control with the use of 50 mg of iodine per day. Control with these patients meaning cysts are gone, periods every 28 days and type 2 diabetes mellitus under control.

http://optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Research_I.shtml
http://optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-10/IOD_10.htm
(36) http://cypress.he.net/~bigmacnc/drflechas/index.htm
HelpMyThyroid, George Flechas MD web site"


http://www.hacres.com/diet/articles/Iodine.pdf[/url]
http://www.iodine4health.com/body/ov...as_ovaries.htm[/url]
http://www.hacres[/url]. com/diet/ articles/ Iodine.pdf
http://iodine4health.com/ortho/flechas_ortho.htm[/url]

radio links on iodine deficiency in the US.
http://www.vickeryseaplantminerals.com/Page.html
http://www.iodine4health.com/basic/iodinegroup.htm

"Other treatable causes of anovulation

1) Low thyroid function (hypothyroid) causes menstrual irregularity, anovulation and infertility. Ovulation and fertility is restored by thyroid medication. Ovarian cysts also resolve.

2) Vitamin D deficiency is associated with anovulation. Resolves with Vitamin D.

3) Iodine deficiency causes ovarian cysts and anovulation, reversed by iodine supplementation."

http://jeffreydach.com/2008/02/13/understanding-pcos-the-hidden-epidemic-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx

"the recommended dosage is 12.5-50 mg/day- in fish, seaweed, DAIRY...Americans consume an average 240 micrograms (µg) of iodine a day.
" It removes toxic chemicals — fluoride, bromide, lead, aluminum, mercury — and biological toxins, suppresses auto-immunity, strengthens the T-cell adaptive immune system, and protects against abnormal growth of bacteria in the stomach."

http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller20.html

Thoughts about diet and the environment as to why we are iodine deficient:
http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/pcos-diabetes/506126-dr-flechas-research-linking-iodine-deficiency-pcos-ir-hypothyroidism.html

But Iodine can't work all by itself. Let's compare nutrition to house construction. The house is a metaphor for metabolism.

Mr. Iodine is the construction worker. He knows how to build a house. But he needs materials and tools to work with. His materials are Magnesium, Vit D&E, Selenium, Vit A (beta-carotine), B Vitamins, potassium, Omega 3, Amino Acids, Anti-glycating supplements: alpha lipoic acid, benfotiamine, and carnosine; and Anti-oxidant supplements: L-carnitine, Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10)...basically a good multivitamin to aid the iodine.

Other minerals that help are Boron (Boron detoxes the body of fluoride, a huge Iodine inhibitor), Carnosine, L-carnotine, ALA and anti-oxidants such as Lutein. But Mr. Potassium Iodine can't work without his tools Iodide and L-Tyrosine.

But you really want to pay attention to something. Iodine is a halogen. Fluoride and Bromide are both halogens. When you ingest fluoride and bromine, your thyroid gets confused and absorbs either fluoride or bromine instead of the iodine. Not only are fluoride and bromide problems, so is perchlorate.

Perchlorate is a regulated drinking water contaminant in California, with a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 6 micrograms per liter (µg/L). The MCL became effective October 2007. For information provided to public water systems by the CDPH Drinking Water Program about the implementation of the MCL and the scheduling of monitoring, see links at the bottom of this page.

Perchlorate and its salts are used in solid propellant for rockets, missiles, and fireworks, and elsewhere (e.g., production of matches, flares, pyrotechnics, ordnance, and explosives). Their use can lead to releases of perchlorate into the environment. Perchlorate's interference with iodide uptake by the thyroid gland can decrease production of thyroid hormones, which are needed for prenatal and postnatal growth and development, as well as for normal metabolism and mental function in the adult. Its effects on the thyroid gland are the basis of the 6-µg/L public health goal (PHG) established in 2004 by Cal/EPA's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. (PHGs contribute to the development of MCLs, as described here.) In January 2011, OEHHA released a draft technical support document for a 1-µg/L PHG for perchlorate.

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/drinkingwater/pages/Perchlorate.aspx

So how did fluoride and perchlorate get into the tap water? Good question! Well, according to Edward Bernays (the "Father of Spin"), contaminating our water with fluoride keeps our teeth healthy, although legitimate scientific reviews are on the fence about that. Alcoa and aluminum plants kind of used the American Dental association to BRIBE cities to let them contaminate our water with fluoride because they're too cheap to dispose of it in a less dangerous manner. We can thank Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Aerojet, Kerr-McGee, McDonell Douglass and the DOD. It was kind of rude of them not to even warn us about the possible dangers of consuming this krap. They kind of owe us reverse osmosis filters and compensation for our medical bills for painful iodine deficiency complications.

The geniuses at the FDA created guidelines for thyroid consumption.

Birth through 1 mo. - 16 mg.
1 mo. through 3 yrs. - 32 mg.
3 yrs through 18 yrs. - 65 mg. (Adolescents>150 pounds should take adult dose.)

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/EmergencyPreparedness/BioterrorismandDrugPreparedness/ucm072265.htm

Oh wait, that's for a biological attack by domestic polluters.

The daily requirement of iodine for an adult is 150 micrograms.

Pregnant women and lactating mothers however, need more iodine

(200 micrograms on average).

http://www.iqplusin.org/downloads/20_frequently_asked_questions_on_iodine_deficiency_disorders.pdf

And we get it from salt. But with iodine blockers, it's too easy to see why we are iodine deficient!

How can you avoid the poisons fluoride and perchlorates? Reverse osmosis filter to filter your tap or with bottled water that has been purified through reverse osmosis. Don't use tap water for cooking, etc. Just avoid it altogether.

On the other poison bromate:

Bromates have been banned in numerous countries, including the United Kingdom in 1990 and Canada in 1994. In addition, in 1991, California declared bromate a carcinogen under the state’s Proposition 65. Baked goods sold in California would have to bear a cancer warning if they contained more than a certain level of bromate. As a result, most California bakers have switched to bromate-free processes.

Many bakers, including Best Foods, Inc. (maker of Arnold, Entenmann’s, and Orowheat brand breads and rolls), Pepperidge Farm, and Pillsbury, have switched to bromate-free processes. Also, some supermarket chains, including Giant, Jewel, Ralph’s, and Von’s, do not use bromate.

In contrast, Interstate Brands Corp. (Wonder, Home Pride), Schmidt Baking Co. (Schmidt, Sunbeam), Tasty Baking Co. (TastyKake), and Martin’s still use potassium bromate in some of their products. Among fast-food chains, Burger King, Arby’s, and Wendy’s use bromate in buns, and Boston Market uses it in its french sandwich bread.

CSPI advises consumers to avoid bread, rolls, doughnuts, and cakes that list “potassium bromate” or “bromated flour” among their ingredients. FDA’s limited surveys found that rolls and buns are especially likely to contain high levels of bromate.

http://theiodineproject.webs.com/bromidesinbread.htm

Here is the argument citing glycation as a cause for PCOS. This article also sold me on the Level 1 diet/raw food diet:

"And just to be on the safe side (in case those glycated foods really are harmful), change your cooking methods, especially when it comes to protein sources. Try stewing, steaming and slow-roasting in a low temperature oven, dutch oven, or crock pot. Slow cooking, especially with moisture present, keeps exogenous glycation to a minimum. Avoid fried, seared, and french-fried foods cooked quickly and at high temperatures."

http://web.mac.com/catherinehaug/iWeb/Health-Disease/Glycation.html

To get into this bit, here are some neat nutrition tricks.

"Vit E fights Free Radicals –super oxide radical hydroxlyl radical chan breaking agent in prop phase of lipid peroxidation

COQ10-blocks initiation and propagation of lipid peroxidation

Vit C and COQ10- can recycle Vit E

Vit C and BetaCarotine-blocks free radicals within watery cells (cytosol) and inspace out of the cell

Glutathione (selenium)- recycles Vit C"

http://www.amazon.com/Excitotoxins-Taste-Russell-L-Blaylock/dp/0929173252

Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills [Paperback]vRussell L. Blaylo

Others:
http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=28711
http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/dsp.cgi?msg=28711

Links to get started on the Raw Food diet

http://www.GoSuperLife.com/
http://www.AniPhyo.com
http://oneluckyduck.com
http://purefoodandwine.com
http://www.alissacohen.com/
http://store.rawreform.com/rawreform2.php
http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/
http://kristensraw.com/about.php
http://www.giveittomeraw.com/profile/rubyvroom
http://theveganmuse.com/blog/?cat=8
http://www.rawguru.com/i32.html
http://web.mac.com/catherinehaug/iWeb/Health-Disease/Glycation.html
http://www.level1diet.com
http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/dsp.cgi?msg=28711


Other resources on nutrition:
http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/KimchiHealthy.html


MY FAVORITE PLACES TO EAT OUT: (so far-will update list)
http://www.fitritioncafe.com/Homepage.html
http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/profile/41727505/san_francisco_ca/julie_s_kitchen.html

NUTRITIONAL SOURCE:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/
http://www.ctds.info/5_13_magnesium.html#magnesium_allergies
http://www.vitaminsdiary.com/minerals/boron.htm (might contain malware-be careful)


on cooking
http://www.julieskitchen.com/tips.asp