PCOS and Hypothyroidism

Updated December 8, 2019

Are you a woman who has been struggling with her physical and emotional health? Do you have an endocrine disorder/illness? Do you feel like something is wrong or off but keep hearing you are in the “normal ranges”! Are you sick and tired feeling sick and tired?

Ladies, I hear you! I’ve had a lot of people asking how I am supporting my body and recently… “how did you loose so much weight!?” I made a choice to be in control. I choose natural options vs synthetic or chemical filled options. This is my personal experience with PCOS and Hypothyroidism. Everyone is unique and I strongly encourage each woman to listen to her own body, follow its prompts and do your research!

What is PCOS?
PCOS is a hormonal invisible illness that affects a woman’s hormone health. This can include absent, irregular or heavy periods, weight gain, depression, anxiety, infertility, insomnia, pelvic pain.

What is Hypothyroidism?
It can cause a number of symptoms, such as poor ability to tolerate cold, a feeling of tiredness, constipation, depression, and weight gain.^[3]

This is my story…

I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) in 2005 while seeing a Reproductive Encronologist for infertility when trying to conceive our first child. I was only 23. It was heart wrenching, exhausting and very trying on our marriage. I literally wanted “it” to just go away, anytime I mentioned my health issues, I was given a blank stare and confused look. I became angry and ashamed of my body. I felt alone and misunderstood. A struggle that I battled for years. Looking back I was battling both PCOS and Hypothyroidism for many more years prior to starting our family.

I did try the traditional “medicated” options to support and ‘control’ my PCOS however my body literally took over and wasn’t having anything to do with it. I experienced alot of pain, digestive discomfort, absent or very irregular cycles, weight gain, irritability, depression, was sick all the time and just felt defeated by my own body!

I finally felt confident enough in myself to trust within, to know when I was making a right choice and followed my heart. I could no longer accept the “normal ranges” when I was simply not feeling like me at all.

My true journey to health and happiness began in 2014 when I attended a Mood Management Class. I learned that there ARE natural ways to support our health emotionally and physically. I knew in my heart, this was the right option for me!

After starting with some oils and educating myself, I began swapping out over the counter meds and even some cleaning products for oils. They were working and bonus NO side effects. I remember for about a month, I had a tough adjustment. You see being in pain and discomfort most of the time I relied on pain medication regularly.

I COMMITTED TO CHANGE – HEALTHY IS SIMPLE.

I also began learning about the plant based, whole foods supplements available and the importance of healthy nutrition.

In January 2015 I began taking the doTERRA Lifelong Vitality Supplements.

Today, this is how I continue to support my body:

• Lifelong Vitality – full dose every single day
• TerraZyme – 2-3 a day or as necessary (food dependent)
• Essential Oils
• All Natural Cleaners
• All Natural Body and Facial Care
• Water
• Mindful Eating
• Meditation, Journaling and Reading
• Reiki & Energy Work
• Walking, Yoga and Weights
• Personal Growth and Development

It’s been a journey and one I honestly tip toed in to. I was nervous. Very nervous. This was completely new to me, uncharted territory in my life. We’ve always been pharmacy or prescription people. Using anything natural or plant base was out of the “norm”! Looking back it’s been incredibly life changing. It’s a personal journey that is going to be different for everyone, as it should be because we are all different!

When I introduced the Lifelong Vitality Supplements to my life back in the winter of 2015, I naturally felt my body reach a new level of balance. During this transition I actually lost weight, which is something that had been extremely challenging for me! Ive taken multivitamins before, however Lifelong is a truly optimal level of the proper nutrients required by our bodies! The other incredible benefit to our LLV Supplements is they are in powder form within a veggie capsule – super easy for or body to digest!

The Essential Oils I use daily depend on my physical and emotional needs or my intuition. Most days I typically just select oils and their emotional use is typically 99% in line with how I am feeling. The ones I started out with in the beginning were: Balance is one I use on myself and the kids everyday. Its one of the very first oils I purchased! It helps us start and end our day feeling grounded. Wild Orange is an absolute favourite of mine and is one that is used in the diffuser almost daily! If I am feeling more anxious or worried it is my go to topically on my wrists and also in the diffuser. Elevation is a beautiful blend and includes Melissa in it, a gorgeous blend to uplift feelings and support emotions! Clary Calm is beautiful blend at supporting a woman’s hormones. It even comes in a handy roller bottle for easy application! Deep Blue was also supportive to any discomfort I was feeling. We now have a large collection of oils and we use a lot more than just these on a daily basis. Education is key and I promised myself if I was making the investment in dollars I also had to in time with educating myself of how easy it is to incorporate a holistic lifestyle into our every day life.

Thyroid Boost Support Roller Bottle Blend

• 20 drops Clove
• 20 drops Myrrh
• 25 drops Frankincense
• 15 drops Lemongrass

Combine in a 10ml roller bottle, fill remainder with carrier oil. Apply at least once daily over thyroid. For a 5ml roller simply cut the recipe in half!

I truly feel with everything above, this has all contributed to my success and will continue to support my body the way it needs to be. I love that I can enjoy real foods, still enjoy my wine occasionally and know that everything I am doing is providing natural support for my health!

The other important part is Sleep!

My mind can be quite busy, so quietening it down is key! I use oils, meditation and reading to do this.

I use our diffuser every single night and select oils based on how I am feeling that evening or what I am drawn to. Some of my favourite diffuser blends for sleep are:

• Wild Orange, Vetiver and Serenity
• Serenity, Bergamot and Cedarwood
• Wild Orange, Lavender and Cedarwood
• Frankincense, Bergamot and Lavender
• Passion and Forgive
• Peace and Passion
• Cedarwood and Petitgrain

I can honestly say that after using the oils for a while, my body actually begins to crave certain oils. So when I feel this, these are the oils I use and 9.8/10 its exactly what I needed for bedtime that night!

Invest in yourself. A big part of gaining control of your health is investing in yourself in time and money. Research and find high quality products to assist you in living a holistic lifestyle supportive to your health. My body is so happy when I do this. Even now that I have invested in healing my gut, if I were to eat something that isn’t the best choice for me, I am able to bounce back much quicker than previous. Be the architect of your life. What do you want your life to look like? Take control and be in the drivers seat. It is very real that there are many toxins and chemicals in the products we use everyday in our homes and on our bodies. Many of these are referred to as endocrine disruptors. These can cause serious health issues, defects and illnesses. They are also preventable – with education and mindfulness. Its important to keep in mind what you put ON your body, goes IN your body. Same with cleaners used in the house what goes IN the air, goes IN your body when you breathe. Endocrine disruptors are important factors of PCOS as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is hormonal. They can affect women and men, no matter the age. Be educated, read the label, make better choices, even if that means spending more money – your health is the most valuable thing you own!

Under the category of investing in myself I also signed up for a Reiki 1 Certification course. This course began in November 2016. Just before my awesome success with the cleanse and restore program. A month before taking this course I participated in the AromaTouch Technique class. Receiving a certificate for application. In March 2018 I invested in myself with personal coaching with Helen Murray. Normally I was very hesitant on spending money on myself. However this, I had no problem saying yes to! Within my coaching with Helen we both learned exactly how the energy in a woman’s body can affect you emotionally and physically. It was after Helen told me about this in her research (so amazing!) that I began to put everything together… During my Reiki course I gave and received Reiki energy, experiencing energy flowing through my body, clearing any blockages. I confidently know just how connected our bodies are physically, emotionally, energetically and the importance of balance and self care.

Healthy Nutrition

We had been slowly taking baby steps at upgrading our nutrition. When I began the cleanse in January 2017 I used this as my reason to make some bigger changes. Its so easy to fall into the “busy” story… especially when it comes to meal planning. We are living in a very convenience based world right now. However it was important to me that if I was going to do this, that I make a bit more of an effort than just taking the supplements to gently flush my digestive system.

Make the choice to be mindful and educated. Choose REAL food over processed foods. Living in a convenience based world this is the new norm – which is my belief that it needs to be shifted. This is one are in our world today where I would love to see us take a step back a couple or few decades when there was more home cooking with real food! We used to keep a few boxes of chicken fingers in our freezer, “just in case”, you know for those “busy nights”… it became an unhealthy crutch of falling into being “too busy” and more “convenient”.

Simple choices like real chicken vs frozen chicken fingers, home made fries vs store bought, greek yogurt vs sour cream, whole wheat vs white, fresh fruit vs juice, organic chips vs potato chips (high in salt). Did you know anything white – flour, sugar, potatoes, rice, pasta is processed, high in sugar and can cause digestive upset (for me) as well as issues with insulin and sugar levels within the body. I also learned about my body that I am not able to re-heat any type of starch. My body experiences painful and uncomfortable digestive upset. More recently I am now living a Gluten free lifestyle and welcoming it with open arms!

Home made vs store bought!

What I have noticed is the healthier we eat, the less we eat. Stop letting the world determine your plans and take control yourself – make time to plan healthy meals and snacks. Especially for children. Grocery shop as much as you can on the outside of the store where the fresh and frozen (veggies etc) are! Your body will thank you!

Always follow your heart, follow your own intuition… you will never be led astray!

Pam’s Updates

In the middle of January 2017 I began a cleanse with our team and during this cleanse introduced the Slim and Sassy Softgels 3 times a day with consistent use along with my Lifelong Vitality Supplements, Women’s Phytoestrogen and TerraZyme as well as our other cleanse supplements. In those first two weeks I have found incredible positive results. Not only has my body begun to balance out even more, I am down 7lbs!  Whhhhhhaaaaaattttt!!! Anyone with PCOS knows how challenging this can be! This was the only “change” I made!

I feel fantastic – better than I have felt in years! I am eating healthy and have not restricted my diet to exclude anything.  My appetite has decreased significantly as well as my cravings. This month as we wrap up our basement reno’s and begin to get our house back in order to begin the next phase (yay!) I am excited to begin to add in some exercise to this 2017 transformation!

July 2017 it’s now been 6 months since I completed the cleanse. I’m down over 35lbs completely naturally and have yet to add in exercise! The biggest thing for me is I feel good AND the weight has not only stayed OFF it continues to come off in a very healthy way!!! So naturally by feeling good, I am more active. I am doing so much more with my kids than I ever have in the past – I thought I felt awesome when I began just the LLV and oils 😉 It’s been life changing and I am SO thankful for this opportunity and even more passionate about helping others make positive, healthy changes in their life

UPDATE – April 2018 – Updated page with the video at the top – I have PCOS now what! Enjoy ❤

UPDATE – January 2019 – Its now offically been 2 years since I did the cleanse – that changed my life. The weight is still OFF!!! With no drastic changes to my life I might add. This past year Ive been put a lot of focus on ME and my own self care. Something I never used to make a priority. I have added Yarrow|POM into my daily regime applying to my skin in the morning and taking a drop internally. I am also using Turmeric as well internally pretty well daily. These oils are two of our newest ones available fall 2018. Today the oils we use are very similar to what we used before adding in more of our newest oils as well. Eating healthy – everything in moderation – I still will enjoy take out however opting for healthier options, I enjoy pizza however will take a couple extra TerraZyme to help with my digestion process and a Slim and Sassy soft gel or use the oil rubbed with coconut oil on my belly. I still enjoy my wine, but am working harder at getting more water into my system. Best of all… The weight has stayed off now for 2 years – this is phenominal for me and my health! I am SO proud of myself and now am incorporating weights into my daily life to tone up my body. I was able to naturally loose 40lbs and even more inches. Mindset is huge – focus on who you truly want to be and know deep in your heart and soul that you know you are! Always follow your heart and make positive choices – even if its “against the flow” of what those around you choose or do. Be the light and lift up those around you…

November 26, 2019 – Ive hit a massively significant mark of 60lbs and 55″ LOST! A goal that I honestly hadn’t set, simply because years ago I did not even think it could happen! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!!! I am grateful for even more natural holistic options close to home and am still incorporating my oils into almost everything we do! Be open to learning, we have been so fortunate to have a new holistic store in town that now provides us with products for our entire family (that can also be used with or without oils)! Investing in yourself honestly is a physical and mental contribution. You have to pay the money for the product, but you also have to be ok with spending the money, use the product by creating new habits and rituals and power through with your mindset. I understand with investing, it can be one of the bigger shifts in your lifestyle. Do your research with products, ingredients and testing. Look local, living a holistic life is becoming so much easier. Buy for quality. From my experience the better quality products, last longer. Same goes for food the healthier the food the less you actually eat and longer you feel full.

Questions? Im happy to help. Please email me HERE or contact me on Facebook through my profile or page!

Check out the science behind doTERRA at www.sourcetoyou.com and see why I choose to trust my health and my family’s future with doTERRA Oils!