‘One of the Doctors Even Laughed in My Face’

“My Healing Journey” is a special series of stories written by people who found unconventional paths to wellness when they had nowhere else to turn.
Ann Tankman before and after healing from PCOS, candida and poor vision at the same time, as a result of a diet and lifestyle factors changes. Photo courtesy of Ann Tankman
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I was diagnosed at the age of 15 with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) due to irregular menstrual cycle, high levels of androgens, and other symptoms. At a time I should have been celebrating becoming a woman, I felt dysfunctional—unable to menstruate naturally and potentially unable to conceive.

PCOS is a hormone health problem that can affect a woman’s menstrual cycle, fertility, and appearance (acne, excessive hair growth, weight gain, and more masculine features).

With PCOS, women typically experience:
  • High levels of androgens (sometimes referred to as male hormones, though females also make them).
  • Missed or irregular periods.
  • Cysts in their ovaries.
Currently, the cause of PCOS is unknown, and it is said to be incurable—something that you have for life.
The standard treatment prescribed is hormonal contraceptives to reduce some of the symptoms and regulate menstruation (unnaturally). However, it doesn’t involve any real healing or improvement of the condition. I spent about 11 years on a contraceptive pill thinking it was doing something good for me.

Hello Candida—Goodbye PCOS

When I was 28, I developed candida, a yeast-like parasitic fungus in the gut that can spread throughout the body. I had to change my diet completely to make sure I wasn’t feeding the parasite and to boost my immune system as much as possible.

As a result of the change in my diet and other lifestyle factors, I healed the candida—as well as the PCOS! I started menstruating naturally every month and looking more feminine due to lower androgen levels and better nutrition levels (see photo).

I didn’t understand how my PCOS was healed as a result of healing my gut until a year ago when I studied gut and hormone health at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. There I learned about the links between the gut and hormones.

One of the links is a gut toxin called lipopolysaccharides (LPS), bacterial toxins due to gut dysbiosis and inflammation. With “leaky gut,” LPS crosses the gut barrier and can affect ovaries and decrease progesterone production. LPS may also play a role in PCOS by increasing insulin and testosterone levels.

LPS was promoting inflammation in my gut hence impacting sex hormones as well as increasing my blood sugar and androgen levels.

The following are the dietary changes I made to heal candida and PCOS—none of which required any medication.

Diet:
  • Eliminated gluten and dairy (known to increase testosterone levels).
  • Eliminated all processed food.
  • Eliminated all sugar and alcohol for 6 months.
  • Added superfoods such as spirulina, kale, wheatgrass, chia seeds, flaxseed, beetroot, acai, and maca.
  • Reduced amounts of legumes and grain.
  • Consumed as much organic food as possible.
My new diet was:
  • High in protein and fat.
  • Low in sugar and carbs.
  • Highly anti-inflammatory.
  • Detoxifying.
  • Low glycemic.
Lifestyle changes I made:
  • Stopped taking the pill.
  • Switched to purified water.
  • Switched to all organic household products.
  • Stopped using synthetic perfumes.
  • Added supplements such as a multivitamin, vitamin C, probiotics, and grapefruit seed extract.
  • Managed my stress.
  • Worked on my emotional health/feminine psychology (issues with ovaries, such as with PCOS, often have a link to unhealed feminine energy/identity as a woman).

Cured of the ‘Incurable’

I am 34 years old now, and my menstrual cycle is fully normalized. An ultrasound scan showed both of my ovaries were clear from cysts.

In addition, I no longer need to wear glasses as my vision significantly improved due to diet changes and improvement in my nutritional levels.

I was pleasantly surprised with how many health issues I was able to fully resolve while being told by a number of medical doctors that PCOS was “incurable,” and that nutrition had nothing to do with it. One of the doctors even laughed in my face when she was giving me her medical opinion.

I think it’s very important to be responsible for your own health and body, do your own research, and have the courage to choose the unknown pathway instead of allowing someone to prescribe you a medical sentence for life.

By Ann Tankman
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