Special offer--PCOS CD for $50, ONE WEEK ONLY!

Hello everyone,


I'm phasing out the old PCOS training and ramping up the 2010 version.

The old training has some great lectures on it, and I was thinking that some of you might like to have it for your libraries. So I wanted to offer it for the last week I'll be working with this CD before moving on to focus on the new training.

I can send you this CD for $50 plus shipping, as a resource only--no CPEU credits, no live sessions, no network membership...simply the CD...up until March 5, 2010.
Topics include:

PCOS--What It Is and What It Isn't


We Just Want Answers (Two Women With PCOS Tell Their Stories)


Omega-3's and Mood Disorders in Women


Omega-3 Chemistry for PCOS


PCOS and Adolescence


PCOS and Food Sensitivities


Sleep Disorders


Considerations in the Hispanic Population


The Endocrinology of Obesity

It's a total of about 13.5 hours of lectures and Power Points.
If you are interested, contact me directly at this email address.

Remember, Friday, March 5 is the deadline for this offer.
Monika M. Woolsey, MS, RD

http://www.incyst.com

Stay tuned, our new, improved PCOS Professional Training is just around the corner!

We're updating our information and soon you'll be able to attend our new training!

If you're not interested in the complete training, individual presentations will also be available.

Everything will be available via webinar, so you can participate at your convenience.  Even in your PJ's!

Information as we have it will be posted at http://www.afterthediet.com/AftertheDietWorkshop.htm.  If you know for sure you'd like to take the training, our price is reduced by 15% for anyone registering on or before March 31, 2010.

Hope you take advantage of what our awesome panel of teachers has to share!

The Potential of Acupuncture for Depression During Pregnancy

This just in from registered dietitian and licensed acupuncturist Karen Siegel. Karen's practice is in Houston, Texas, if you are interested in consulting with her.

Acupuncture Benefit Seen In Pregnancy
By SHIRLEY S. WANG


Acupuncture designed to treat depression appears to improve symptoms in pregnant women, suggesting it as an alternative to antidepressant medication during pregnancy, a study found.


The study, published Monday in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, is the largest to date examining the effectiveness of acupuncture to treat depression in pregnant women. It was funded by a grant from the government's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. "Acupuncture that we have tested works for pregnant, depressed women," said Rachel Manber, a study author and professor at Stanford University. However, "no single study is enough to make policy recommendations," she said.


Depression in pregnancy is a risk factor for postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is associated in some studies with poorer cognitive and emotional development in children. Some have linked depression in pregnancy and low birth weight.


As many as 14% of pregnant women are thought to develop depression at some point during their pregnancy, according to the study authors, comparable to numbers who suffer from postpartum depression. Antidepressants are generally considered safe for use in pregnancy, but research has been limited and concerns continue to grow, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.


Acupuncture attempts to treat conditions by stimulating points on the body, most often with needles stuck in the skin and moved by hand or electrical stimulation, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.


In the study, 150 clinically depressed pregnant women who weren't previously taking antidepressants were randomly assigned to get either acupuncture for depression, acupuncture not specifically designed for depression, or massage for eight weeks. Some 63% of women in the acupuncture-for-depression group responded to treatment, compared with 44% in the other groups.


Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page D3, February 23, 2010

How Well Do You Know Your Fertile Foods?

If you're on Facebook, try our Fertile Foods Quiz. If you didn't get a score you like...be sure to find an inCYST provider near you to learn more about eating for fertility!

Are you diabetic? Take it seriously before you conceive!

A new study with special pertinence to women with PCOS that jumped off of my computer screen, despite having received little attention on Twitter and the general media.

Researchers evaluated a total of 41,902 women divided into three successive five-year periods. What they found was that in women who were diabetic before conceiving, the incidence of birth defects in their babies increased. In the time that these women were pregnant, the rate of pre-gestational diabetes tripled, from 1% to 3%. The risk of birth defects potentially attributed to pre-gestational diabetes jumped during the time of the study, from 3.3% to 9.2%.

Let's do some math. In 2007, 4,317,119 babies were born in the United States. 129,513 of those babies were born to mothers who were diabetic prior to conception. 11,915 of those babies were born with birth defects potentially related to the mother's diabetes.

At inCYST, we don't just want you to get pregnant. We want you to have the healthiest baby possible, and for you to live the fullest life possible, for as long as possible, so that you can enjoy the baby you worked to have.

Please, if you're desiring to become pregnant, and you're diabetic, consider working with a PCOS-trained dietitian to reduce the health risks for both of you involved in this journey. Our list to the right of this blog is a great place to get started finding just such a trained professional.



Biggio JR Jr, Chapman V, Neely C, Cliver SP, Rouse DJ. Fetal anomalies in obese women: the contribution of diabetes. Obstet Gynecol. 2010 Feb;115(2 Pt 1):290-6.

There's always nutrition when medication doesn't work

One reason we're so insistent on prioritizing better lifestyle habits, is that medication is not a guarantee of better health.

Over the weekend, Avandia (a diabetes medication some of you may be taking), made the news for its potential to cause heart attacks.

If you take Avandia, please consult with your physician about whether or not this is still the best option for you. And if you haven't worked with a dietitian to help improve your PCOS and potentially minimize your need for medication...now might be the time to take that option seriously.

Here is the link to the CNN story about Avandia.

Educational events from inCYST

We've got a couple of educational events with relevance to PCOS that are open to both professionals and the general public,

Tuesday, February 23, at 6 pm EST, I (Monika) will be hosting a webinar entitled, "Nutrition vs. Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy". Cost is $35.
If you cannot attend live, the recorded version will be available for purchase.

Saturday, April 24, in Santa Monica, California, inCYST and Solixir Beverages are collaborating to host "The Seven Great Sleep Herbs," presented by Solixir's Medical Herbalist, Amanda Crawford. Registration for dietitians desiring continuing education credit is $35, for everyone else, the fee is $25.

Registration for all of these events can be found at this link.

Food of the week: Chocolate

Over the weekend I noticed Girl Scout cookies for sale in many places I was out and about. Last year I wrote a fun piece about respectful behavior in the presence of Girl Scout cookies. But the fact remains, they're kind of a food we associate with bingeing.

Despite their "okayness" in moderation, the unfortunate thing is, some of the favorite Girl Scout cookie varieties, a perfectly good ingredient, chocolate, have been packaged in combination with trans (hydrogenated) fats, which aren't really something you want to regularly include in your diet.

Over the weekend, at a street fair, I met Lisa Reinhart, chocolatier from Wei of Chocolate . Lisa's chocolate is very high in cacao content. It's tasty. It's dairy free, vegan, and organic. It's also not the kind of chocolate you are prone to binge on.

An ounce of dark chocolate a day, according to experts, because of its antioxidant content...is as heart-healthy as a baby aspirin. Tell me you'd rather have a daily aspirin over a daily dose of delicious chocolate!

On her website, Lisa has compiled 6 Tips for Choosing Healthy Chocolate. You can use these guidelines when shopping for healthy chocolate wherever you live. If you can't find it, or you'd like to try the healthy Wei variety, you can order it on their website.

Chocolate, real chocolate, is definitely something you do to be good to yourself. It doesn't to be a food or choice residing in your "bad" column, something you have a love-hate relationship with, or something you have to give up in order to be healthy.

Trust me, if that was the case...if I had to tell you readers to give up chocolate...I'd surely have to reconsider my career choice. :)

A note about nuts: Almonds DO NOT contain omega-3 fatty acids

I just read some information over the weekend targeted at women with PCOS, in which they were advised to eat more almonds because of their omega-3 content.

Please note, almonds do NOT contain omega-3 fatty acids. The only nuts that do, are walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, hazelnuts, and cashew nuts. If you wish to verify this for yourself, by visiting the USDA Nutrient Database. The compound you want to look for is called "18:3 undifferentiated fat".

Almonds are not bad for you, and in fact, they contain a lot of great things. In fact, according to the Almond Board of California, they are the tree nut highest in calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin, and niacin. All of these nutrients are important for total PCOS wellness.

It's just important to know that if you're looking for ways to boost your omega-3 intake (which we strongly encourage at inCYST), almonds are not going to be the nut that gets you there.

Special offer from Green Mountain at Fox Run for PCOS Week

For anyone reading our blog who has thought about attending PCOS week at Green Mountain at Fox Run, Alan Wayler, the spa's owner, has sent me a special offer.

If you indicate that you heard about the program from us at inCYST, you will receive

(1) $200 off of the program price and
(2) A complimentary 55 minute consultation from me (Monika Woolsey), valued at $250.

Your total savings is a $450 value.

If you are interested please visit www.fitwoman.com for details...

Don't let the snow scare you off...there is plenty of opportunity to be active. I've been promised a snowshoeing lesson myself!

Hope to see you there!

New omega-3 product for vegan vegetarians

I just ran across this product this week, new in the Barleans Omega Swirl product line. It's a marine-algae supplemented, blueberry-pomegranate flavored DHA supplement.

I haven't had a chance to try it, but I know from tasting the fish oil and flax oil varieties, it's going to be great!

If it hasn't appeared in your local store, it is available on amazon.com: href="Total Omega Vegan Swirl Pomegratate Blueberry - 16 oz - Liquid

Should access to fertility treatment be determined by female body mass index?

I just found this abstract in Pub Med. The full article is referenced at the bottom. I would love to hear any and all comments from readers about this issue!

Resource allocation towards fertility treatment has been extensively debated in countries where fertility treatment is publicly-funded. Medical, social and ethical aspects have been evaluated prior to allocation of resources. Analysis of cost-effectiveness, risks and benefits and poor success rates have led to calls of restricting fertility treatment to obese women. In this debate article, we critically appraise the evidence underlying this issue and highlight the problems with such a policy. Poor success rate of treatment is unsubstantiated as there is insufficient evidence to link high body mass index (BMI) to reduction in live birth. Obstetric complications have a linear relationship with BMI but are significantly influenced by maternal age. The same is true for miscarriage rates which are influenced by the confounding factors of polycystic ovary syndrome and age. Studies have shown that the direct costs per live birth are no greater for overweight and obese women. With changing demographics over half the reproductive-age population is overweight or obese. Restricting fertility treatment on the grounds of BMI would cause stigmatization and lead to inequity, feelings of injustice and social tension as affluent women manage to bypass these draconian restrictions. Time lost and poor success of conventional weight loss strategies would jeopardize the chances of conception for many women.
Pandey S, Maheshwari A, Bhattacharya S. Should access to fertility treatment be determined by female body mass index? Hum Reprod. 2010 Feb 3. [Epub ahead of print]

New Reality Series Provides Renewed Hope and Needed Resources for Women with PCOS

This press release comes from Sasha Ottey of PCOS Challenge. inCYST is always pleased to collaborate with and support her compassion and energy she devotes to women everywhere with PCOS! Best of luck with this project, Sasha!

New Reality Series Provides Renewed Hope and Needed Resources for Women with PCOS

As part of its continuing mission to provide information and support resources for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, PCOS Challenge, Inc. is producing a new 13-week reality series that focuses on improving the lives of women with PCOS with the help of health and medical experts. The goal of the PCOS Challenge™ television show is to educate, inspire and spread awareness about PCOS while helping women with the condition to live healthier and happier lives.

The women participating in the series will receive guidance from three main experts – a nutrition coach, fitness coach, and mental wellness coach. The women will also receive supplemental advice from other experts including a naturopathic physician, acupuncturist, and Reproductive Endocrinologist. As the participants compete in various fitness and healthy lifestyle challenges, they will have an opportunity to win cash and prizes.

“We are very excited to be launching the television show. It is a tremendous opportunity to help a lot of people. In the last year, the PCOS Challenge online and offline community has quickly grown to over 4,000 members, and this has been something that many people have been asking about for some time,” says Sasha Ottey, CEO of PCOS Challenge, Inc. “The television show is a natural extension of our popular PCOS Challenge Radio Show where we feature prominent PCOS experts. Now, through the television show, the audience will have an opportunity to see how to practically apply the information that they have learned in the face of daily life challenges and how to make sustainable healthy lifestyle choices.”

“Since its inception, PCOS Challenge, Inc. has been innovative in its programming and multimedia approach to spreading awareness and providing support for women with PCOS, which is one of the reasons the organization continues to gain traction so quickly and is able to keep people engaged,” says William R. Patterson, CEO of The Baron Solution Group and Executive Producer of the PCOS Challenge television show. “It is our aim to bring greater attention and resources to the PCOS community. With a condition that affects millions of lives and families worldwide, we feel the program will be an important vehicle to get more people involved.”

The PCOS Challenge television show is scheduled to begin shooting in mid-march and is currently casting for 6-10 women with PCOS in the DC metropolitan area to participate in the 13-week series. Participants will meet with the experts 1-2 times per week for the duration of the series and commit to changing their lifestyles to promote healthier living with PCOS. The PCOS Challenge television show will air on various local cable stations across the United States as well as stream online.

To become a participant, sponsor, or for more information about the PCOS Challenge television show, visit http://www.pcoschallenge.com/events/pcos-challenge.

About PCOS Challenge, Inc.

Sasha Ottey is Founder and CEO of PCOS Challenge, Inc. She is a Clinical and Research Microbiologist with a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from Howard University and a Master’s in Health Administration from the University of Phoenix. Her company, PCOS Challenge, Inc., is a nonprofit organization that provides support for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) through the PCOS Challenge Support and Social Networking Website (PCOSChallenge.com); PCOS Challenge nonprofit website (PCOSChallenge.org); PCOS Challenge Expert Series Workshops (PCOSChallenge.net); PCOS Challenge Television Show; PCOS Challenge Radio Show; and local offline support groups.

Now you have another reason to come to PCOS week in Vermont!

Meet Robyn Priebe, RD, CD, registered dietitian and Director of Nutrition at Green Mountain at Fox Run in Ludlow, Vermont.

Robyn just completed the inCYST training, and she is on site full time as a resource for women with PCOS. Double the learning...double the fun!

I had a great time working with Robyn the first PCOS week and am really excited to team up with her to provide a great program for those of you who come join us.

There is still time to register, for more information, visit www.fitwoman.com.

In the meantime, get to know Robyn!

I am a registered dietitian working at an all-women’s health and fitness resort in Ludlow , VT , called Green Mountain at Fox Run. At Green Mountain , we focus on helping our participants make healthy changes in their lifestyle. Our philosophy is non-diet & permission-based. Our goal is to help our participants practice intuitive eating in order to get their bodies back in balance. We strongly believe that each individual has different nutrition needs and different obstacles to meeting those needs. We strive to guide our participants towards the changes in their eating and exercise habits that would meet their specific needs/goals.

Personal Interests:

Stained glass, glass fusing, playing piano, attending concerts, running, animal rescue, vegetarian cooking, sewing, painting, gardening/foraging

Intuitive Eating Peer Group--Mission Viejo, California

Do you eat when you aren't physically hungry?
Do you eat when sad, mad, anxious or bored?
Do you have the desire to eat what you want when you want and still maintain a healthy weight?
Do you have long lists of “forbidden” or “bad” foods?
Do you have a hard time recognizing hunger or fullness?

Starting February 20th from 9-10:30 am
Join this weekly group while you can. The group will be 12 weeks long. We only have 8spots and once they are filled, the group will be closed.

Call 714-914-0673 to find out if this is the group for you!

Marissa Kent Nutrition
26461 Crown Valley Pkwy, Suite 100
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Phone: 714-916-0673
Email: marissakentrd@cox.net