Latest / All Bodies. All Foods. / 38. ”Can I eat that?”: Busting Myths with PCOS Expert and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Angela Grassi

Transcript

38. ”Can I eat that?”: Busting Myths with PCOS Expert and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Angela Grassi · All Bodies. All Foods.

0:00
Hey,
0:01
I'm Sam.
0:02
Hi,
0:02
I'm Ashley.
0:03
And you're listening to All Bodies All Foods presented by the Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders.
0:09
We want to create a space for all bodies to come together authentically and purposefully to discuss various areas that impact us on a cultural and relational level.
0:19
We believe that all bodies and all foods are welcome.
0:23
We would love for you to join us on this journey.
0:26
Let's learn together.
0:29
Hey,
0:29
everyone.
0:30
Welcome back to another episode of All Bodies.
0:33
All foods,
0:34
Ashley and Sam are here and we've got a very special guest with us today.
0:38
Um We're gonna be talking about a complex disorder that affects over 13% of reproductive age individuals.
0:46
And chances are,
0:47
you know,
0:48
somebody with this diagnosis and often many experts in their life want to offer unsolicited advice on how to manage it.
0:57
One piece of advice we hear way too often is to lose weight.
1:01
And with this,
1:02
I'm of course,
1:03
talking about Polycystic Ovarian syndrome or PC OS.
1:07
It seems widely misunderstood in how it affects each person differently.
1:11
And yet there tend to be a lot of opinions regarding how to treat it from eating disorders,
1:16
to infertility,
1:17
to unwanted hair growth.
1:19
What is PC OS and what are the challenges or nuances we may encounter when working with someone experiencing both an eating disorder and PC OS.
1:30
Our guest today is Angela Grassi MS rdnldn.
1:35
She is the owner of the PC OS Nutrition Center for over 20 years.
1:40
Angela has been internationally known nutrition and health expert on PC OS.
1:46
She provides personalized and compassionate nutrition consultations in person,
1:51
phone or online to people around the world using the health at every size approach.
1:57
Angela is the co-author of the PC O Nutrition Center cookbook,
2:02
100 easy and delicious whole food recipes to beat PC OS and the best selling PC OS workbook,
2:10
your guide to Complete Physical and emotional Health.
2:13
Angela's other book,
2:15
PC OS,
2:16
the Dietitian's Guide.
2:17
Now,
2:17
in its second edition is the most comprehensive evidence based nutrition resource available for PC OS.
2:24
Angela is a professional member of the PC OS Challenge,
2:28
the National PC O OS Association.
2:31
Resolve the Androgen Excess and PC Os Society,
2:36
the American Society of Reproductive Medicine Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the following dietetic practice groups,
2:44
nutrition,
2:45
entrepreneur,
2:46
women's health and functional nutrition.
2:49
In addition to her work at the PC OS Nutrition Center,
2:52
Angela also serves as an adjunct professor at Westchester University where she conducts research on PC OS Angela.
3:00
Thank you so much for joining us today.
3:03
Hi,
3:04
Ashley.
3:04
Hi,
3:05
Sam.
3:05
It's so good to be with you.
3:06
Both today.
3:07
I was looking forward to this.
3:08
Yeah,
3:08
so nice to have you here.
3:10
Um We met Angela,
3:12
she spoke at our conference and um we couldn't let her get away without being on the show.
3:20
We just have so many questions um or work with so many clients that might experience PC OS.
3:26
And to be honest,
3:27
I was surprised at that statistic that it affects 13%.
3:32
Um I guess I anticipated it to be a little bit higher.
3:35
Um So we can get into all of that in a little bit.
3:39
But um thank you again for being here and I'm just curious if you wouldn't mind to maybe just share a little bit about yourself and um what got you into advocating and working with clients with PC OS?
3:53
Absolutely.
3:54
It's a pleasure to be with both of you today.
3:57
I do you know,
3:58
specialize in PC Os and the founder of the PC OS Nutrition Center.
4:02
But I gotta tell you back in the day,
4:04
like when I was first starting out as I,
4:06
after I became a registered dietitian nutritionist,
4:10
I was working at the Ren Food Center.
4:12
I don't know if either of you knew that.
4:14
Ok,
4:14
I did not know.
4:15
I am shocked.
4:16
I didn't know that I had been a former colleague on with us today.
4:21
I am a run through alum.
4:23
Yeah.
4:25
What,
4:26
what the were you at?
4:28
So I um so I did my undergrad at Michigan State and then I did my graduate work at Northern Illinois University and a position was available at the Philadelphia inpatient site.
4:39
You come out and back then you didn't have so many of the locations that you have today.
4:45
But um I really wanted to continue doing work with people with eating disorders.
4:50
So I started out doing inpatient over in the Philadelphia location and then moved to outpatient.
4:58
I did IOP,
4:59
I worked a lot with Judy Judy Goldstein with marketing to dieticians.
5:04
So I would go to a lot of conferences for dieticians and,
5:09
and all kinds of stuff.
5:10
So it was a fantastic experience.
5:14
And that is where I first started uh to see people with PC OS.
5:19
In fact,
5:19
I'll never forget.
5:21
The very first patient I ever saw with PC OS was at run through.
5:26
And I remember my very first patient though,
5:28
she was somebody who was diagnosed with bulimia and she was also just diagnosed with PC OS.
5:35
And she saw this doctor and the doctor told her that she had to eat like an Atkins style diet and she was trying not to eat any carbs at all because this is what her doctor told her.
5:47
But she couldn't stop binging and purging and she was binging and purging several times a day and it was,
5:52
she was just sobbing.
5:53
What am I supposed to do?
5:55
I have this condition and fast forward a few more years.
6:00
Um I was diagnosed with PC OS myself after that.
6:04
And I don't,
6:05
I didn't have a lot of the common Hallmark signs and symptoms of PC OS and we can talk about those.
6:11
But,
6:12
uh,
6:12
for instance,
6:13
I always had my period every month.
6:16
Um,
6:16
so it was totally overlooked that I had PC OS,
6:19
but I,
6:20
uh,
6:20
started to have some symptoms that were just like this.
6:23
These aren't adding up for me and saw doctor after doctor.
6:28
and after maybe the third doctor,
6:31
I saw a specialist in the city who I ran the correct labs and did an ultrasound of my ovaries and confirmed that I in fact,
6:40
did have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
6:43
And I remember driving home from that office visit being like,
6:47
you know,
6:47
I'm starting to see more people with eating disorders and PC OS.
6:50
And if I was diagnosed myself and I didn't recognize it,
6:53
you know,
6:54
how are other dieticians and health care providers gonna be able to help their clients?
6:59
So I decided to,
7:01
um,
7:02
change gears a little bit and specialize in PC OS.
7:05
And I founded the PC Os Nutrition Center.
7:08
And I really started off educating dieticians because that was my jam back then.
7:14
And,
7:14
um,
7:15
wrote a book for dieticians and then started working with doctor Stephanie mate who also worked,
7:20
she interned at Renford.
7:21
She did IOP with me and we together wrote a workbook called the PC OS workbook,
7:28
your guide to Complete physical and emotional health.
7:30
And we also did a support group every week for patients with PC OS.
7:35
So,
7:36
um it's a very behavioral based approach that we developed and it's been really successful and uh just heard really good things that people have benefited from it.
7:46
So that's how I got to where I am today.
7:49
That's incredible.
7:51
Wow.
7:52
So,
7:53
um maybe we can start,
7:56
um,
7:56
you know,
7:56
you had talked about the signs and symptoms of PC OS and it,
8:01
there are some common symptoms,
8:03
maybe more obvious symptoms and some symptoms that are maybe lesser known.
8:08
Could we start there?
8:09
Because I,
8:09
I would love for our audience to get an idea of what to look out for.
8:14
Yeah,
8:14
absolutely.
8:15
So a Hallmark um sign of PC OS is the periods are irregular.
8:20
So maybe they stop altogether or you get a couple of periods a month or every couple of months,
8:26
you might get a period.
8:27
So that is definitely a sign of PC OS.
8:31
And then another big sign is hair growth.
8:35
Um So PC OS is a condition of androgen excess,
8:38
so higher levels of testosterone and I always tell my female clients that all women have testosterone,
8:45
even,
8:46
you know,
8:46
men have estrogen.
8:48
It's just your ovaries are producing more testosterone than your body needs and that can produce um hair thinning like hair um on the head,
8:57
really thinning a bigger parts of receding hairline a little bit.
9:01
But then extra hair growth which we call hear statism which can be in a central body uh pattern.
9:08
It could be like lip area,
9:10
it could be in the chin um between the breast,
9:13
belly button area,
9:14
groin area,
9:15
just a little bit more coarse than normal.
9:17
And in that central body pattern,
9:20
and then acne is another one that can happen from the higher androgens uh weight gain,
9:26
uh is another one just kind of out of the blue,
9:29
no changes to anything.
9:31
Um So those are some of the key hallmark signs of PC OS that are pretty obvious and they all really have a impact on body image because they're all very visual.
9:43
I see.
9:44
And then you had said that your symptoms were not so common and I'm wondering what are some lesser known symptoms that people might experience?
9:54
Yeah.
9:54
So for me,
9:55
like I,
9:55
I always did get my period.
9:57
So um that's why it was overlooked,
10:00
but some people might get um these bumps called hydro sibia,
10:05
these like um bumps usually like in armpit areas or groin areas that can be really painful.
10:12
I mean,
10:13
acne can happen to,
10:14
you know,
10:15
so many people.
10:16
So it's like how,
10:16
how do you know what's what?
10:18
Um and then things that you can't see like uh insulin resistance,
10:23
you can develop high triglycerides,
10:25
you can develop and uh endometrial cancer.
10:29
So some of them are hidden silent symptoms.
10:34
Well,
10:34
are there certain populations that are at elevated risk for PC OS?
10:39
We see certain ethnicities like south,
10:42
uh,
10:42
East Asian descent are a little bit higher risk.
10:45
Indian descent is a little bit higher.
10:48
Uh,
10:48
but on average the,
10:50
it's estimated that up to about 13% of the population has PC OS.
10:56
Wow.
10:57
I'm so glad we're having this episode to spread awareness about this.
11:01
Absolutely.
11:03
I,
11:03
I'm,
11:03
I'm just thinking truthfully of like,
11:05
you know,
11:06
friends and family members that I know that have been diagnosed and,
11:11
and how it could maybe be a tricky diagnosis because like you said,
11:17
like,
11:17
sometimes it can go miss,
11:19
right?
11:19
Or um,
11:20
like I had a friend that with one provider was diagnosed with it and then another provider said,
11:27
no,
11:27
I don't think you have it.
11:28
And so it,
11:29
it,
11:31
I,
11:31
I feel like it can feel so confusing just to this.
11:36
Well,
11:36
just to add to the confusion.
11:38
So it's called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
11:40
So there's cysts technically on the ovaries,
11:44
but they're not really cysts.
11:45
They're actually little immature follicles that never grew and developed and got released to be fertilized that they just hang out on the ovaries and those follicles are the result of the hormone imbalance.
11:59
They're not the cause of it.
12:00
So that's something that you can actually see on an ultrasound or these little tiny follicles that resemble a string of pearls.
12:07
Um,
12:08
but they're not actually cysts that can grow and rupture and can be really painful that some women experience.
12:14
So there's even been some talk of changing the name of PC OS to something that doesn't involve,
12:20
uh,
12:20
these cysts,
12:21
cysts.
12:21
Yeah.
12:22
Yeah.
12:22
That,
12:23
I mean,
12:23
you just taught me something because I genuinely believed it was somebody that had a higher ability of growth of cysts right on there over.
12:33
Right.
12:33
But they given the name and that's why doctors,
12:36
you know,
12:36
and there,
12:37
there's so much misinformation with PC OS.
12:40
It's hard because it's really this intersection of a reproductive disorder and then an endocrine disorder too.
12:47
And it's like which field is gonna manage it?
12:50
Mm.
12:50
Mhm.
12:51
Right.
12:52
Right.
12:52
So PC OS and eating disorders,
12:55
let's talk about the two when they cour are.
12:59
So folks with PC OS are at elevated risk for eating disorders.
13:06
The research definitely supports that.
13:08
And mood disorders too,
13:09
like anxiety and depression,
13:11
they kind of go hand in hand.
13:12
Yeah.
13:13
Right.
13:13
So,
13:14
I was curious,
13:15
I know you did a whole presentation on this at the Ren for conference about how to support clients who have both.
13:22
So,
13:23
what are some of the challenges for folks who have PC OS and an eating disorder?
13:29
What makes recovery challenging?
13:31
What makes it challenging to treat?
13:34
Yeah.
13:34
So there's some people that,
13:36
um,
13:36
it really depends on the individual,
13:38
let's say there's somebody that wants to get pregnant and there's some modifications they can make to maybe their eating or their exercise or they can take some supplements or,
13:48
you know,
13:48
do certain things or medications to help improve their fertility.
13:53
But at the same time,
13:54
if they're really in their eating disorder,
13:56
that needs to be addressed first.
13:58
So,
13:59
um the eating disorder always comes first addressing any symptoms.
14:04
Uh that's concerning to their health and emotional well being.
14:07
And so you really have to treat those symptoms first before you get into a lot of the,
14:14
the PC OS stuff of PC OS stuff can be really educational,
14:17
like um,
14:18
helping them understand their bodies and understand how these symptoms they're experiencing,
14:24
like what's causing them and how these,
14:27
uh,
14:27
follicles develop on their ovaries and,
14:30
and how to kind of balance their hormones out a little bit better.
14:34
But,
14:34
um,
14:35
if they're really engaging in eating disorder symptoms that needs to be first.
14:40
Right.
14:40
Right.
14:41
And I imagine also,
14:42
you know,
14:42
you had said earlier how,
14:45
um,
14:46
it,
14:46
the medical advice unfortunately seems to be,
14:50
you have PC OS,
14:52
you need to lose weight.
14:54
And I was hoping we can talk more about how problematic that medical advice is because I feel like that is what we read about.
15:02
We hear about the most is how weight loss is somehow going to help with the PC OS symptoms.
15:10
Or maybe even there's some people who think a diet might cure it.
15:14
Can we talk about this?
15:16
Yeah,
15:16
let's talk about it.
15:17
It's really a problem.
15:18
It's very problematic.
15:20
And I think that language of telling people that,
15:24
uh,
15:24
weight loss is gonna help improve their PC OS is,
15:27
can lead to people developing eating disorders and they have a,
15:31
a poor relationship with food in their body.
15:34
And it's not true.
15:35
I mean,
15:35
people can lose weight with PC OS and they're still gonna have higher testosterone levels.
15:40
They can still struggle with infertility.
15:43
Uh,
15:43
they can still be at risk for,
15:45
you know,
15:45
having cardiovascular disease or diabetes risk.
15:49
But that language and not everybody,
15:51
you know,
15:52
is in a bigger body with PC OS,
15:54
you can,
15:54
everybody can have PC OS,
15:56
you know,
15:56
it doesn't matter what you weigh.
15:58
Uh everyone is susceptible to having that.
16:01
So um it's really pervasive in the medical community unfortunately,
16:06
and the guidelines uh there are PC OS guidelines that have just been revised and they've gotten a little bit better and they do acknowledge that there is weight stigma that uh providers need to be aware of,
16:19
but there are still some kind of language in there that references BM I and and still emphasis emphasizes the importance of weight loss.
16:30
Yeah.
16:31
Uh I'm even thinking about just someone that may also be experiencing infertility along with this and,
16:41
and ok,
16:42
so like to be told,
16:43
then lose weight and this will all get better.
16:47
Um And that's just not like that,
16:52
that to me feels like such a painful message,
16:56
especially if someone did go through that process and um and their PC OS is still present,
17:04
right?
17:05
And their infertility is still present like it just,
17:08
that language just feels damaging really well.
17:12
And then there are a lot,
17:13
the majority of fertility clinics will deny people fertility treatments based on their BM.
17:19
I really?
17:23
Yeah.
17:23
Wow.
17:25
Wow.
17:27
That's so,
17:27
and this,
17:28
I think this conversation is so important because what I'm hearing right now and I'm imagining clients might be experiencing,
17:35
you know,
17:36
even hearing this is like the,
17:38
the message of like I did this or like,
17:41
I'm bad at my body is the bad body.
17:44
Like,
17:45
and that's just not true.
17:47
I mean,
17:47
our bodies are just,
17:48
they're all built so differently and we do have language to support each other but just hearing that,
17:54
like,
17:54
I can't imagine how that doesn't lead somebody down that shame spiral.
17:59
Exactly.
17:59
And PC OS is genetic.
18:01
I mean,
18:01
it runs in families.
18:03
We see a gene,
18:04
it's passed down um back in the hunter and gatherer years.
18:08
People with PC OS probably were the ones that survived because they maybe had a slower metabolism.
18:14
Um couldn't have Children.
18:16
So they,
18:16
you know,
18:16
didn't die in childbirth.
18:18
They had a better life expectancy overall.
18:21
Uh but this language and,
18:22
and putting the blame on the patient and saying you need to lose weight,
18:26
it's your fault,
18:27
you know,
18:28
you have to fix this.
18:30
It's just so wrong on so many levels.
18:34
So,
18:34
Angela with somebody that um that has PC O has somebody that you're meeting with.
18:39
Um you mentioned there's so I,
18:41
I think you said it's an endocrine issue and a medical,
18:46
a reproductive issue,
18:47
right?
18:47
So obviously,
18:48
if it's reproduction and it's endocrine,
18:50
then they're probably seeing two specialists for that as is,
18:54
um then hopefully they're seeing a nutritionist such as yourself,
18:58
right?
18:59
Then hopefully they're potentially seeing a therapist as well.
19:03
Um Can you talk about like that team approach and how kind of like,
19:09
why would they also need to see like a mental health therapist,
19:12
a counselor in addition to the rest of the team that they're working with?
19:16
Why would that be important for?
19:18
Yeah,
19:19
that's,
19:19
that's a really good point,
19:20
Ashley.
19:21
So yeah,
19:22
someone with PC OS could be seen multiple specialists and um that's what can be really tricky is that,
19:28
you know,
19:29
you really have to have that communication and being in the eating disorder field,
19:33
we already have that like as a dietitian.
19:35
I,
19:35
I always work with patients who also are in therapy because so much comes up in nutrition and um vice versa and,
19:42
and they need that team support and feel supported.
19:46
And I think that's so important for patients with PC OS to have that too.
19:51
And um you know,
19:53
we,
19:53
we find that it can really help people and support people.
19:56
There's so many people with PC OS that struggle with mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.
20:03
And if you think of all the,
20:05
you know,
20:05
the symptoms that I listed earlier,
20:08
they're all dermatological kind of visual symptoms.
20:12
And there's good research that supports that body image dissatisfaction.
20:17
Um and body image distress has a unique impact on someone's mental health that it has a direct impact on their anxiety and their depression.
20:30
And as you know,
20:31
you can imagine,
20:32
it's,
20:33
it's no wonder why.
20:34
Right.
20:35
Right.
20:36
And so having that support to even process through that could just be super helpful really for anybody diagnosed with PC OS.
20:45
Um,
20:47
and hopefully this,
20:48
uh,
20:48
the diagnosis would even give them freedom in learning that like there's a why to what is happening with their bodies.
20:56
Exactly.
20:57
That is not all in their heads that some doctors will make them feel like.
21:00
Yeah.
21:01
Hm.
21:02
Yeah.
21:03
And the new guidelines that have come out actually stress that providers be screening all their patients with PC OS for eating disorders and mood disorders.
21:13
Now,
21:13
really,
21:14
that's wonderful.
21:15
Meaning nutritionists or providing health care provider.
21:19
That's incredible.
21:20
I love to hear that when guidelines really encourage that.
21:25
It's so important because eating disorders so rarely travel alone and we need to catch when they're happening.
21:32
Um,
21:32
I'm curious,
21:33
Angela,
21:35
when someone has PC OS and they're in eating disorder recovery,
21:40
what are some of the changes that they can make without dieting without pursuing weight loss?
21:46
What are some things to support,
21:49
you know,
21:50
health or reduce symptoms?
21:52
Yeah.
21:52
So you can totally improve your health without even focusing on weight.
21:57
And that's the approach I take as a dietitian.
22:00
And the first is I in practicing more mindfulness.
22:05
So,
22:05
mindfulness practice and um mindful eating being more present.
22:11
We see the benefits of yoga,
22:13
for example,
22:14
can reduce testosterone can help reduce some of um the other hormones as well and help with well being.
22:22
So um the emotional aspect can be really important.
22:26
Uh We see that moving our bodies can really help with lowering insulin resistance and improving fertility.
22:33
Um And it could be like a 10 minute walk a day like getting outside uh in nature.
22:38
And uh then you're exposed to vitamin D,
22:41
which is a vitamin that helps with mood.
22:44
But we know that vitamin D helps with um lowering testosterone,
22:48
for example.
22:49
And vitamin D is really important for ovulation.
22:52
So anybody who's trying to get pregnant,
22:54
they really need more vitamin D.
22:57
It's,
22:57
it's really important.
22:58
Um So looking at that,
23:00
correcting any nutritional deficiencies,
23:02
they might have like vitamin D uh helping to manage their blood sugar levels.
23:07
So,
23:07
a big part of PC OS is that there's an underlying insulin issue that the majority of people with PC OS,
23:14
regardless of weight will have higher levels of insulin.
23:18
And insulin is an appetite stimulant.
23:21
So it stimulates more cravings.
23:22
It can promote weight gain like out of the blue as I described and insulin can be managed.
23:28
We also see a connection with insulin and anxiety.
23:32
So what can happen if somebody's insulin is high and they eat certain foods that rapidly raise their glucose and insulin.
23:39
Then those uh levels can actually plummet.
23:42
So blood glucose levels can plummet.
23:44
And there's research that shows when your glucose is low,
23:47
you experience more anxiety.
23:50
Wow.
23:51
Isn't that interesting?
23:53
It's kind of like a physiological like you gotta get food in your blood sugar is getting low.
23:58
Um And we even see when blood sugar gets low,
24:01
then cortisol increases because it's a stress response and we do see higher levels of cortisol in PC OS.
24:07
So um helping to manage blood sugar and that can be done with kind of balanced eating and getting in some good like fiber is really helpful because it,
24:18
it supports your gut health and it can help fill you up and it helps keep your bowel movements regular.
24:23
It's really good for,
24:25
for a lot of things.
24:26
But then adding in like proteins and fats to help balance out your blood sugar is really important.
24:33
Mhm I'm learning so much.
24:36
I know,
24:36
I'm like,
24:37
oh,
24:37
this is incredible.
24:38
I know.
24:39
All right.
24:39
So Angela,
24:41
I was curious if we could um kind of jump in with like some facts versus myths versus I feel like we've all heard so much about peace C OS.
24:50
Does that sound good?
24:51
Sounds fun.
24:52
Yeah,
24:52
we're gonna hit you with a couple of things and you just let us know fact myth and then feel free to share about it.
25:00
Ok.
25:01
So the first one PC OS is very rare.
25:06
I'm gonna say that that's a myth.
25:07
It's actually pretty common.
25:09
It's just,
25:10
uh,
25:11
not diag diagnosed well.
25:13
And so a lot of times people aren't getting diagnosed until later when they're trying to have Children,
25:18
for example,
25:19
or they're like,
25:20
in their thirties or their symptoms are starting to show up.
25:23
Mm.
25:24
Ok.
25:24
Are,
25:25
are there diagnoses that get confused?
25:29
Like mis misdiagnosed?
25:30
I'm just curious if,
25:32
like,
25:32
what if you have PC OS,
25:34
what,
25:35
what might get diagnosed instead by mistake?
25:40
So it could just be like infertility,
25:43
hypoglycemia.
25:45
Um PC OS is really a condition of exclusion.
25:49
So there is some certain set of criteria that you can look at like the first is if you have irregular periods,
25:56
the second could be if you have signs of the high androgens and then the third could be if you actually have those follicles on an ultrasound.
26:05
So they need to rule out like what other conditions could be affecting your periods or what other conditions are causing high androgens?
26:12
Like could you have uh an adrenal tumor?
26:15
Could you have Cushing's disease?
26:17
Could you have congenital adrenal hyperplasia?
26:20
These are all conditions of androgen excess.
26:22
Hm.
26:23
Got you.
26:25
Ok.
26:25
What about this one?
26:27
Hm.
26:28
I gave myself PC OS with my lifestyle false.
26:34
So a lot of people blame themselves and say that it was my eating.
26:38
I caused this.
26:39
I,
26:40
you know,
26:41
my food choices led to this weight gain and that this led to the hormone imbalance.
26:47
And again,
26:48
PC OS is genetic.
26:50
So it is not your fault.
26:51
You do not cause your PC OS.
26:53
Yeah,
26:54
I,
26:54
I just,
26:55
I just wanna say like we were all at the Renfrew conference,
26:59
right?
26:59
And,
27:00
and we heard one of our keynote was Whitney and she read a letter that someone had sent her that specifically called out her PC OS diagnosis and,
27:13
and essentially like said it was her fault and so it right.
27:18
Um We're all shaking our heads here.
27:20
You know,
27:21
I know you can't hear us do that.
27:22
But um it's so nice to hear you say that Angela like take like remove,
27:29
I,
27:29
I didn't do anything to cause this.
27:31
I did it,
27:32
it wasn't,
27:33
there was nothing I could have done and so removing that I think is just so critical um for those that might receive this diagnosis,
27:41
especially if they're already struggling with,
27:43
you know,
27:44
literally anything else that anxiety that you're mentioning,
27:46
the mood and eating disorder or body image,
27:49
she's like removing yourself as the,
27:52
the blaming factor is so important here.
27:54
So important and true for eating disorders too.
27:57
I think sometimes people feel like they gave themselves an eating disorder and they gave themselves PC OS.
28:02
And it's a lot of the work is like trying to undo all that shame around.
28:06
There's so much shame with PC Os,
28:09
so much shame.
28:11
Yeah.
28:12
OK.
28:13
So another one we've kind of talked about this a little bit.
28:15
If I lose weight,
28:16
I'll improve my PC OS symptoms.
28:19
False me.
28:22
Not at all.
28:23
Wow.
28:23
Yeah,
28:23
it's a mess.
28:24
Yeah.
28:25
Being diagnosed with PC OS means you have to cut out carbs,
28:29
sugars,
28:29
gluten and dairy false.
28:32
You can eat all these foods and still improve your insulin resistance and,
28:37
and still lower your cholesterol if you have high cholesterol and,
28:41
um,
28:41
still,
28:42
you know,
28:42
get pregnant.
28:43
So,
28:44
yeah,
28:44
it's definitely a myth avoiding any kind of food groups is gonna just lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and disordered eating and worse than an eating disorder,
28:54
right?
28:55
It can feel binge eating disorder,
28:57
binge eating episodes.
28:59
What people don't think they're very surprised when they realize the connection of restriction and binge eating.
29:04
It's a cycle.
29:05
So that's such a relief,
29:07
I think for our audience to know they don't have to cut out anything and um damage their relationship with food in the process.
29:16
So that's a wonderful thing.
29:18
Yeah.
29:18
Diets don't work for PC OS or anything else.
29:22
So,
29:25
OK,
29:26
another one is Sam,
29:28
you kind of just mentioned this a little bit.
29:29
Angela PC OS causes binge eating disorder.
29:35
False PC OS does not cause binge eating disorder.
29:39
There is a correlation between the two,
29:42
but there's research that actually suggests it's from the hormonal aspect like insulin is an appetite stimulant.
29:50
And when you get low blood sugar that sets you up to want to binge because your blood sugar is so low and your body is like forcing you to get more food in and quickly.
29:59
Um,
30:00
but P CS itself does not cause binge eating,
30:03
right?
30:04
And just to reiterate what Sam was saying,
30:06
like somebody that might have PC OS but then might restrict,
30:11
right?
30:11
Like cut out those certain food groups,
30:14
right.
30:14
That we know exactly what you were just saying,
30:17
Sam,
30:17
we know that restriction causes binging,
30:20
right?
30:20
So cutting out those food groups,
30:23
right?
30:23
Like it contribute to it.
30:25
Yeah.
30:26
Yeah.
30:28
Um OK,
30:29
you can't get pregnant with PC OS.
30:32
Totally false.
30:34
I have two Children.
30:36
I struggle to have any Children or infertility treatments.
30:41
The majority of patients with PC OS do go on to have Children if they want them.
30:46
You know,
30:47
there's so many advancements right now in fertility treatment and we know that,
30:52
you know,
30:52
lifestyle changes can make a difference.
30:54
Some supplements can really help improve ovulation and fertility.
30:58
So I,
30:59
I hate it when like a young person gets diagnosed with PC OS and the doctor's like,
31:03
well,
31:04
you'll probably struggle to have kids or,
31:06
you know,
31:06
you might not be able to have them and to tell someone that,
31:09
you know,
31:09
as a teenager or a young person is just unfair and not true.
31:13
Yeah.
31:14
Yeah.
31:16
Ok.
31:16
Last one that I have um PC OS only affects people in larger bodies.
31:23
False PC OS can affect anybody.
31:26
Yeah.
31:26
Anybody.
31:28
So I,
31:29
I would say that it's safe to say that there's in general just a lot of misinformation out there um with PC OS and,
31:37
and I mean,
31:37
that's truly why Sam and I even started this podcast.
31:40
There's a lot of misinformation out there about eating disorders as well.
31:43
Right?
31:44
Um And so I'm curious,
31:47
what,
31:48
what advice might you have for somebody who um has maybe been newly diagnosed with PC OS but who has maybe also in the past had an eating disorder or disordered eating body image issues,
32:04
you know,
32:04
the mood disorders?
32:06
What,
32:06
what would you suggest their next or their first right step be once they receive that diagnosis?
32:15
That's a good question.
32:16
I mean,
32:16
I really think it would be important just to meet with a therapist just to go over,
32:20
you know,
32:21
the,
32:22
the process of receiving a diagnosis and what that means to them,
32:26
what impact and for some support and then definitely reaching out to a registered dietitian nutritionist that has that background in treating people with eating disorders.
32:38
And that's not gonna prescribe,
32:39
you know,
32:40
a,
32:40
a diet or tell you to eliminate food groups because there are some dietitians out there unfortunately,
32:46
that are promoting some of these myths and uh and stuff.
32:50
So,
32:51
um I think that,
32:52
that,
32:53
that can be really helpful just to get that education,
32:55
dietitians can really spend time and sit down and like when I meet with somebody,
33:00
I go through a whole PC OS nutrition assessment.
33:03
And we talk about,
33:04
um,
33:04
you know,
33:05
their food choices and their symptoms,
33:06
but I really like to spend time educating them.
33:09
So they really understand what PC OS is,
33:12
how it's connected to the symptoms they experience and what they can do what's in their control because so many of these symptoms seem out of control and what they can do to,
33:24
to get a handle on this because it can get better.
33:27
You know,
33:27
it's,
33:28
it's not gonna be a lot of people see it as doom and gloom and they struggle so much with their symptoms.
33:33
It's hard to see beyond that.
33:35
Um but they can be improved and getting help.
33:39
Yeah.
33:39
Thank you,
33:41
Angela.
33:41
How can our audience connect with you?
33:43
How can they learn more from you or are there any other resources you'd like to share?
33:48
Yeah,
33:48
so they can visit the PC OS Nutrition Center.
33:51
It's easy to remember.
33:52
It's PC Os nutrition.com and uh that's the handle on like Instagram and tiktok is at PC OS Nutrition.
34:01
Um And uh I definitely would recommend if anyone has some distorted eating or history of an eating disorder or mood disorder.
34:08
Checking out the PC OS workbook,
34:10
your guide to complete physical and emotional health because it is written by myself,
34:14
a dietician,
34:15
but also a therapist and it's very behavioral based.
34:18
So it'll work on areas like nutrition but stress and body image and mood.
34:24
Um So all of that is is in there and it,
34:27
it can be really helpful um tool and um yeah,
34:32
just reaching out and,
34:33
and don't be afraid to ask for help.
34:36
Yeah.
34:37
And that workbook Angela that you mentioned,
34:39
like,
34:39
like I could go purchase that for myself,
34:42
right?
34:43
Like it's not necessarily something that I have to have a dietitian or a therapist walk.
34:48
You can get off Amazon,
34:50
you can get it off of the P CS Nutrition Center website.
34:53
Absolutely.
34:54
Yeah.
34:54
Ok.
34:55
Awesome.
34:56
One more thing just like a parting like,
35:00
you know,
35:00
encouraging word or like parting advice.
35:04
What,
35:04
what's the last thing you would like to leave with our audience today?
35:10
I think um just to reiterate that P CS can get better and it's even though you have it and there's a lot of difficult aspects related to it that you can learn to live with it and it can just be one part of your life.
35:23
It doesn't have to be a consuming part of every minute of every day that sometimes it can feel like and um don't be afraid to reach out for help because it can get better.
35:35
Awesome.
35:37
Thank you so much,
35:38
Angela for joining our episode today.
35:40
I learned so much.
35:43
We busted all the myths and you really helped spread hope,
35:48
I think for folks out there who might be struggling with PC OS.
35:51
So thank you so.
35:52
Well,
35:52
that's good to hear.
35:53
It's always my pleasure and love to talk to you guys again.
35:56
Maybe we'll,
35:57
we'll do another segment on this.
35:59
This is,
35:59
well,
35:59
that sounds awesome.
36:04
Thank you for listening with us today on All Bodies All Foods presented by the Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders.
36:11
We're looking forward to you joining us next time as we continue these conversations.