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For someone with PCOD, managing it is quite a task- especially in today's world. However, with these four home remedies for PCOD, you can deal with it!
For someone with PCOD, managing it is quite a task- especially in today’s world. However, with these four home remedies for PCOD, you can deal with it!
First things first, I am not a doctor. I am just someone who has struggled with Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) since I was a teenager. This was when I wasn’t fat, less than active or had a bad lifestyle. Maybe it was genetic or something else. But the fact was that my period was never regular like several girls my age.
I always struggled with the embarrassment of, ‘Aaj shuru honge. Kal shuru honge.’ (I may get them today, or may tomorrow) Rarely did I know when my period would start! Can you imagine a seventh grader running around to find a sanitary pad because, well, her period decided to show up while she was in school?
As I grew up, I tried several alternative medication but my cycle seemed to have a mind of its own. And the anxiety around it only made the whole thing worse. Post-marriage, once, in a stressful job, my periods just did not come for eight months. Imagine the worry and the tension then! The fear of ‘what if i cannot bear kids?’ left me sleepless. Add to it, the PCOD symptoms of acne, weight gain and hair loss ensured that my confidence plummeted to a whole new low.
When I consulted a gynaecologist, I was prescribed the usual hormone pills. However, I have never been the one for allopathic medication, somehow. And this was when I decided to take things in my hands and started researching on how I could use home remedies for PCOD.
Now, 10 years and two kids later, I can say I manage pretty decently!
Before we begin with the home remedies for PCOD, let’s discuss what it exactly is. PCOD is a disease where you have multiple cysts in the ovary. Cysts are small sacs filled with fluid and are the result of changes in a normal menstrual cycle. This causes the ovary to expand and produce excess androgen and estrogen hormones.
It is also known as Stein-Leventhal syndrome and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Being an ovarian disease, PCOD causes problems during pregnancy, menstrual cycle, diabetes and cardiac function.
But fret not for here are some home remedies to manage your PCOD.
First things first, PCOD symptoms can be managed with weight loss, diet control and exercise. You can take it as a boon- it’s like your body wants you to be fit at all times! There could be worse things, right?
Women with the PCOS symptoms (almost a 30%!) should try and exercise regularly. You could just go for a walk, a run, do zumba or even join a gym. Personally, yoga was the most effective for me- it keeps me flexible and helps with the stress. I usually alternate yoga with walks.
There are a couple asanas that I found helped me. Badhakonasana (butterfly pose), Bhujangasana (cobra pose), Naukasana (boat pose) and Balasana (child’s pose) were the ones that helped me a lot. Along with this, I also try to do kapalbhati once a day to help clean the toxins in my body.
The most important change I felt was with these tiny dietary changes I made in my daily life. These may seem a lot when you read them together, but they can make a difference if you slowly introduce them to your diet.
Methi-dana paani – Soak methi seeds in a glass of water and drink this first thing in the morning with a tablespoon of flaxseeds. If you don’t want to take flaxseeds early in the morning, you could add a fish oil capsule to your diet- preferably the first thing in the morning.
Believe me, you will only thank me for this.
Lemon–cinnamon water – My next glass of water consists of half a lemon, teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, half teaspoon honey and dash of cinnamon. This might seem like a weird combination at first but it’s yum! Now I enjoy my nimbu paani like this even in the day!
I try to eat everything, but in moderation. And I have my chaai with sugar (come on! A girl’s gotta live a little too!), I love my dal-chawal and I cannot live without the desserts!
But the thing that has changed now, is that I take care of my portions. The right portion size for you is the size of your palm. And I know it seems a little too less if you’re used to eating more, but eventually you get used to it. In all honesty, I must admit getting used to it is really tough and some times even I overdo it (chocolate pancakes aren’t the best for portion control, are they?) But with a few exceptions, I try to stick to the portion and make sure things don’t go out of hand.
The most important way to manage your PCOD is to keep your stress under check. You don’t need to sit for hours or go in a deep trance just ten minutes of mindfulness do the trick! There are a number of apps to help you with this.
And if nothing else works, watch your breath for 300 inhalations. Your mini-meditation for the day is done!
These are the home remedies for PCOD that I have used and the ones that helped me. But if you have any other PCOD home remedies, do let me know in the comments!
A version of this was first published here.
Picture credits: Canva
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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