Spring...

So glad to hear that things are working out well for your daughter on this WOE. Like I said, I wish I had known about this years ago. The heavy use of prescription drugs isn't completely the doctors' fault, in my opinion. Many people feel that they haven't been "treated" unless they leave the doctor's office with a prescription in hand and will often pressure the docs to prescribe something even when they don't need it. I saw it very often when I worked in a doctor's office and could only shake my head at it. All the drug commercials on TV don't help, either. You know the ones, "Ask your doctor if this drug is right for you..."
I think people don't hear the "if this is right for you" part and only hear "Ask your doctor for this drug". My dad (who is a doctor himself) always hated those commercials because he knew that it would bring a rash of patients asking for the latest and greatest drug whether they needed it or not. On the other hand, I think many docs ARE way too quick to prescribe drugs when diet or some other more natural alternative would work just as well if not better...an unfortunate result of CYA medicine in this lawsuit happy world.

My dad was a Chiropractor though not an MD. He was a good chiropractor. I have tried some since he died and I couldn't believe the difference. He worked with a local ostheopath and always referred anyone that needed an MD to him. The Ostheopath always referred anyone that needed a chiropractor to my dad. They were a beautiful team.

My daughter is having a perfectly normal period so far. Normal bleeding...no bad cramping. Before, when she used to have periods on her own, the cramping was awful. This time, she feels good and hasn't had to take the pain medication Needless to say, we are thrilled to find a WOE that works to control the sugar and insulin levels. The results seem to be amazing....normal blood sugars, we check hers regularly....weight loss and a normal cycle....not to mention how much more energy she has!

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones.

Spring, I am really impressed by the time, caring, and effort you are putting into improving your daughter's situation and caring about Karie.

You say that her guardian really loves her; is there any way that you can discuss this with her and mention that sometimes we get so afraid that something might be wrong with those we love (especially when they are so young) that we try to rationalize the situation?

Wishing you good luck on your continuing quest,

Natalie

Hi I was reading through this thread and thought I would add my two cents - reading about Katies story made me think of my own and I was recently diagnosed with PCOS after many years of suffering. I was going to offer this as a something that could be followed up on - but another poster had already suggested that.

However I did notice the conversation drifting into PCOS & BCP's I just wanted to add that there are new BCP's on the market that are good at helping to control PCOS - high estrogen BCP's are DEFINITELY a no no and will make the symptoms worse. However not all bcps are bad for PCOS women - some help to control the formation of cysts which in themselves further perpetuate the hormone imbalance. While I don't advocate taking BCP's for extended periods of time - NOT taking them COULD make the symptoms of PCOS much much worse. So there is a fine balance between treating it and accepting the risks of the treatment, and not treating it and accepting the health risks of out of control symptoms.
I think if a girl/woman can keep her symptoms under control without the use of bcp's then that is the best way to go. But if not then take the BCP's especially the new formulations like Yasmin. But - that's just my own opinion!

btw - I'm not a strict low carb diet but I've eliminated all simple carbs and sugars and have reduced my complex carb intake (slowly) - so far it seems to be working. I've lost 17 lbs in the last 2 months more than I've ever been able to lose before!