8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS: A Proven Program to Reset Your Hormones, Repair Your Metabolism, and Restore Your Fertility by (Dr. Fiona McCulloch)
A Unique 8-Step System to Reverse Your PCOS
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal condition in women. It affects ten to fifteen percent of women worldwide, causing infertility, weight gain, irregular menstrual cycles, hirsutism, acne, and hair loss. PCOS varies from woman to woman, each experiencing her own unique presentation. In 8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS, author and naturopathic doctor Fiona McCulloch dives deep into the science underlying the mysteries of PCOS, offering the newest research and discoveries on the disorder and a detailed array of treatment options.
In her book, Dr. McCulloch introduces the key health factors that must be addressed to reverse PCOS. Through quizzes, symptom checklists, and lab tests, Dr. McCulloch gives readers the tools they need to identify which of the factors are present in their bodies and what they can do to treat them. Readers will be empowered to be the heroines of their own health stories with the help of this unique, step-by-step natural medicine system.
Dr. McCulloch has worked with thousands of people seeking better health over the past fifteen years of her practice. She is committed to health education and advocacy, empowering her patients with the most current information on health topics and natural medicine therapies with a warm, empathic approach.
Dr. McCulloch has authored articles in publications for health professionals on a variety of topics, including PCOS, thyroid health, autoimmunity, and infertility. Her popular research-based blog receives a readership of twenty thousand per month. 8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS is Dr. McCulloch’s first book.
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This may be the first time the “blurb” is longer than my review!
I hesitated to write this review because it is a personal topic. Clearly I have PCOS (or someone close to me does but I’ll admit it is me) or I wouldn’t be reading this book. However, since it is such a common disorder for women to have and can often go un-diagnosed for YEARS, I had to write on this subject and hopefully help someone else.
My naturopathic doctor recommend this book to me when she told me that I have PCOS. It is written from the perspective of holistic medicine as the author is also naturopathic doctor and someone who has PCOS herself.
This book is very detailed and offers lots of amazing recommendations for herbal supplements. It would be a FANTASTIC resource for someone who cannot afford regular doctor’s visits, or naturopathic services, although I have to stress it should not be used as a substitute to medical supervision.
If you even suspect there is something wrong with your thyroid, hormones, or menstrual cycle, definitely go get checked for this and do some research before you go to your doc. Some of the tests are not routine which is why I had all the symptoms and still went un-diagnosed for years.
Back to the book.
It is incredibly in-depth and very “smart”. I am a decently intelligent individual, I have a university degree and a college degree. And I had trouble understanding it at times. If you have an interest in the medical sciences, this would be more helpful. I do not and definitely got lost at times.
However, I still gained a deeper understanding of this disorder and how to treat it. This enabled me to bring ideas and questions to my doctor that I might not otherwise know to ask. I was able to better understand how severe / not severe my disorder was (because there can be a huge scale with PCOS).
And the naturopathic treatments are helping. I feel better, my symptoms are decreasing and my test results are improving. My DHT level is not four times higher than it should be anymore!
Yay!
So I recommend this book if you are the type of person who is interested in medicine or were smart enough to pursue a post-secondary education. If you struggled in school, this book would probably be a waste of time and become a source of frustration, but there are other resources out there.
Additionally, I would recommend purchasing this book rather than borrowing it. I found it very helpful to highlight charts that scale blood test results so you know which category you fall in. This is great for referring back to in the future! Also, I highlighted sections I needed to ask questions about and supplements I wanted to try, to chat with my doctor about.
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(it would have been five stars if I understood more)
xx
P.S.
What are the symptoms of PCOS (to my understanding)?
persistent acne that doesn’t clear up with topical medications, birth control, etc
(especially along jaw-line/ face, chest, back)
difficulty losing weight
plus-size
fatigue
insulin-resistant or diabetic
irregular or non-existent periods, painful periods
otherwise unexplained female infertility
male-pattern hair growth
thinning of hair on head
dark spots on skin
low appetite
and many more!
