How Berberine Changed my life

This is how berberine got my life in order. This is a long journey that we are all on and eventually you have to take life by the horns and make it yours.

I have always been over weight, from one thing or another, then my PCOS flared and I packed on 100lbs in 10 years. I just had my 10 years reunion from high school. In the photo above I was 287lbs, that is CRAZY. I can't believe I let this happen and I can't believe I didn't find this miracle solution sooner. This solution was berberine and eating healthier. I have tried many things in my years trying to figure out how to reverse my PCOS and my weight problem. I am so glad that I could finally find something that works for me, and it could work for you too. Make sure you do a ton of research. I did about a months worth of research before finally deciding to introduce this supplement into my routine. There are a BUNCH of articles out there about berberine and comparing it to metformin. There are some articles that talk about how berberine is more effective and you will see more weight loss with it over metformin. There is also very few side effects of berberine where as metformin there is a long list that most people experience and go to extended release so they can sleep through the symptoms.

I take berberine with meals, I use this brand personally and I take it 12 weeks on then 4 weeks off. These pills are 500mg and for 8 weeks I take 1 pill in the morning and 1 pill at night, with a meal. At the 8 week mark I take 2 in the morning and 1 at night, with a meal. This works best for me but might not for you. You should not exceed 2,000mg a day. This should be taken like metformin. The only side effects I've had is loose stool, going more often and losing some serious weight. 


PCOS DIVA gives some great information on berberine.

Countless studies stand behind its effectiveness in treating insulin sensitivity as well as a host of other PCOS symptoms such as acne, anxiety, and excessive androgen production. It has the added advantage of holistic application, which means that berberine may regulate the functions of body by targeting several mechanisms and organs, therefore alleviating metabolic disorders (obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia) by getting to the root causes. Much of berberine’s efficacy is due to its powerful anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and androgen-inhibiting functions. | Read More on PCOS Diva

Countless studies stand behind its effectiveness in treating insulin sensitivity as well as a host of other PCOS symptoms such as acne, anxiety, and excessive androgen production. It has the added advantage of holistic application, which means that berberine may regulate the functions of body by targeting several mechanisms and organs, therefore alleviating metabolic disorders (obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia) by getting to the root causes. Much of berberine’s efficacy is due to its powerful anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and androgen-inhibiting functions.

Countless studies stand behind its effectiveness in treating insulin sensitivity as well as a host of other PCOS symptoms such as acne, anxiety, and excessive androgen production. It has the added advantage of holistic application, which means that berberine may regulate the functions of body by targeting several mechanisms and organs, therefore alleviating metabolic disorders (obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia) by getting to the root causes. Much of berberine’s efficacy is due to its powerful anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and androgen-inhibiting functions. | Read More on PCOS Diva

This site gives a great insight on berberine compared to metformin.

After 3 months of treatment, all 3 treatment groups showed significant reduction in body weight and BMI, with no significant difference between placebo, berberine, and metformin. Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio also decreased in all 3 groups; however, the berberine group showed a significantly greater reduction in these measures than the metformin or placebo groups.

WebMd gives a list of all the possible things that berberine can treat, there isn't any sufficient evidence as herbs aren't monitored by the government.

Berberine can help with:

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• High cholesterol
• Hypertension
• Immune challenges
• Breast Cancer
• Intestinal infections
• Joint problems
• Low bone density
• Weight control
• Hirsutism  

and much much more.

If I haven't convinced you yet to do some research on Berberine I challenge you to do one 2 minute search on it and see where it gets you, maybe it will lead you to another supplement that will work better for you. You never know where research is going to get you.

Questions: What is a supplement that you feel wholeheartedly has changed your life for the better?

Cari

 Down 30lbs so far

Progessence Plus Serum

My newest addition to my regimen will be Progessence Plus by Young Living. I have done a lot of research on this product and encourage you to do the same. There are a few articles about it and fertility and a few youtube videos.

Progessence Plus by Young Living

This is a product that apparently they run out of all of the time and is a crowd pleaser. This is a great oil for anyone from 12-112. This is 100% my opinion or online opinions from other users or the company itself. Here is a little excerpt from the website concerning this oil.

Progessence Plus™ features some of our most-loved essential oils, including Sacred Frankincense and Peppermint oil, to create a serum that perfectly pampers you. Formulated specifically for women, and ideal for women over 30, Young Living’s Progessence Plus is a great addition to your day or nighttime routine.
Wild yam extract and vitamin E support your skin in looking its best, while Frankincense smooths the look of fine lines. Keep your skin looking as young as you feel and add a few drops to your moisturizer or massage it directly onto your skin.
With coconut oil and essential oils such as Bergamot and Rosewood, Progessence Plus uses premium ingredients to moisturize and soothe healthy-looking skin. Plus, you’ll love the convenient and beautiful packaging of this serum. Stash it in your travel bag or display it on your vanity with your other beauty must-haves.

This is not an oil but a serum, it contains USP-grade, super-micronized progesterone from wild yams which means that it is so small that it gets to your blood quicker than if you were to use a cream or suppository. There are also 7 essential oils that aid in absorption. The 7 essential oils are:

• Copaiba
• Sacred Frankincense
• Cedarwood
• Bergamot
•  Peppermint
• Rosewood  
• Clove 

This serum also has vitamin E for keeping it all fresh and potent and coconut oil as a carrier oil so you can put it straight on your skin and not worry about it. It is recommend to get a roller ball top to put on the bottle so you can roll the serum on instead of putting drops in small spots. Most people use it on their side of their neck, back of their neck, wrists and feet. I personally apply one drop to my wrists and rub them together then I put a drop on one side of my neck and rub it in with my wrist. Do what works for you, this is just what works for me.

Progessence Plus has 15mg per 1ml and 15mg is about 30 drops so there is .5mg per drop essentially. If you are using 4 drops a day, you are getting around 2mg per day.  If you aren't feeling a difference then you should bump the amount you use, if you are getting headaches and other negative impacts then you should use less drops per day. Find what works best for you. Follow the directions on the bottle at first and alter from there if needed.

Another reason to love Progessence Plus is that you don't have to change the location of application. This is micronized so you don't get a build up in your fat in the place you apply it. The other benefit is that you use this your whole cycle unlike progesterone cream you only use after you ovulated to your period.  This serum smells wonderful and is a great perfume to wear on your neck. If you don't like the smell there are other places to put the serum so you don't have to smell it all day.

I could talk about Progessence all day but I will leave you with these final thoughts. Progessence Plus is a wonderful product to add to you daily regimen wether you have PCOS, Infertility or not, it is a great product to balance hormones and it does it at such a small amount that it doesn't hurt to use it.

Progessence Plus is not recommend if you are pregnant, or on birth control. If you are taking progesterone then it is also not recommend to take it. Consult a doctor as always before starting a new supplement or herb unless doing infertility naturally and you should do your homework.

I hope that I hit everything I wanted to in this post. Any questions please ask.

Question: Have you tried Progessence? Are you thinking about trying it?

Cari


References and Resources

Websites:
http://www.experience-essential-oils.com/progessence-plus-serum-natural-progesterone-supplement.html
http://www.natural-aromatherapy-benefits.com/support-files/progessence-plus-serum-dr-dan-purser-faq.pdf
http://www.experience-essential-oils-shop.com/progessence-plus-natural-progesterone-supplement.html
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkBw-8Z5kmw&noredirect=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq2VdtoHZ9c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr1nGrj-Xw4







Progessence Plus, Progesterone, Infertility, Fertility, Ovulation, Cycle, PCOS

In depth of my story, what I've tried and more

Here is an in depth view of my story, where I've been, where I'm at currently and where I'm going.

I am a 28 year old women with a 28 year old husband. We got married October 6th and are coming up on 4 years in a couple weeks. We have been through a lot but we are getting stronger every day. I am excited to see where we end up.

I personally have wanted to be a mom since I was a very young girl. I had the idea that I would fall in love and have my first child at 19, now almost 10 years later I am still childless. I met my soul mate when I was 23 and we got married when we were 24. Sadly I have had two losses in my life and both were horrific. The most recent one was 3 years ago, it was February after we got married and 100% on accident. We lost that baby at 7 weeks in an early miscarriage. We lost Baby A because of stress and anti-anxiety meds. I was working a very stressful job and so was Patrick. It wasn't ideal but we were going to love that baby more than anything in this world. It was heartbreaking when we lost the baby and it has been hard since even though it has been 3.5 years.

When I was younger I was about as regular as it gets, always on time and never had any issues with anything, I got older and my PCOS came out of the woodwork. It is hard to find out that you have PCOS, always figured I did since my mother had it and she is sure her mother had it also. My mother had to use clomid to get pregnant with my brother and myself. I never wanted that I wanted natural pregnancies and I wanted plenty of them. I have always wanted a huge family and will have it even if we have to Foster->Adopt the majority of them. We want 3-5 kids and we will make it happen no matter what my body throws at us. Over the 4 years I have done it all and taken it all but there is so much more to take and do that I am on the pathway to. This blog is about the natural approach to fertility. There are no doctor mentions and there aren't any prescriptions. I do not claim to be a doctor and I don't have any factual advice, everything is 100% my opinion or researched opinions.

I will make specific blog posts to go over all of the over the counter supplements and herbs I have taken and how they worked for me. I will also go over all of the products I have used and how they worked.

In the past 3.5 years we haven't had any positive pregnancy tests or ovulation tests. I don't currently ovulate and I am working on getting my ovulation back because who can have a baby naturally without ovulating? My current regimen is listed below, if you have any questions about it at all please ask and I will answer the best I can with my opinion. I recommend doing all of the research that you can on everything I list on any of my posts and see what works best for you. This is what is working for me currently.

My daily Regimen:

Wake up
Eat Breakfast
2 Berberine supplements, 2 Fallodox
10 drops of Vitamin D3 in Olive Oil
1 dropper of Liquid Folate
Lunch
Workout for 30 minutes on a treadmil
Dinner
1 Berberine
Bedtime
2 prenatal gummies

Last 14 days of my cycle I use progesterone in the morning and at night, one pump each with equals 20mg per pump

I also diffuse stress relief essential oil in my living room

The benefits of these supplements are wonderful and can be researched on your own time.
Berberine works like prescription metformin, it is also taken the same. It can help with regulating your cycle, lengthening your luteal phase to a healthy length or shorten to a healthy length, helps with weight loss and testosterone. There are so many great things berberine does so do some research on it.
Fallodox has many different brands that are the same thing out there so just make sure that you get a highly reviewed product. I take this to boost fertility, to get healthy and to balance my hormones.

Vitamin D is great if you live in Seattle or you don't leave your house. Most people with PCOS have a vitamin D deficiency and 5000iu is recommended. I use this for all of those reasons

Folate is the pure form of folic acid which if you take folic acid and have PCOS most research says that you can't absorb folic acid and you should consume folate instead.

Prenatal Vitamins should be taken 6 months prior to trying and the whole duration of trying while continuing it during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I enjoy gummies because I can't take much iron and they don't have any, plus they taste good.

Progesterone is recommend for PCOS because we are normally high in estrogen, progesterone in the luteal phase is great for keeping a pregnancy, making your uterine wall nice for an egg to attach too and also to regulate your cycle if you aren't regular or ovulating. There are many ways to take progesterone and should be discussed or researched fully before starting it.

Before staring a new supplement or herb you should either talk to your doctor or do your own research if you are on the natural path to fertility. If you have any side effects you should discontinue immediately.

As I try things I will write posts about them and my experience with them, I will also compare all of the products and give my opinion on everything.

Question: What have you tried and what are you taking now? Is it working?

Cari

Hello There!

Hello everyone and welcome to Rainbows In The Rain. I will introduce myself, my situation and what I hope to come from this blog and then I will get to the really good stuff in the next posts.

My name is Cari and my husband is Patrick, we have a Beagle named Dotts and we are actively trying for baby number one. The purpose of the blog is to go through this journey that is already 4 years old and trying to have fun along the way. This is a blog about infertility and our journey to a rainbow baby but there will be a TON of other stuff along the way. I have a passion for so many things in my life and will share them all with all of you. I am learning along the way and can't wait to see what comes of this.

What do I want to get out of blogging?
Well, my journey has been a very silent one and for some reason this year I have started talking and things are getting real with my feelings and how many people have infertility. I know that we are never on this journey alone but I felt like it for the first 4 years and now it's time to break the silence and I'm hoping to maybe help you break your silence in your journey. I will also be reviewing items some that are infertility related but some that are just great things to have around your house. As time goes on I will be giving away items to some special people and I hope that everyone has a chance to interact with my weekly question. I am looking to help others the way I wanted to have help in my early years of this journey, if I can help one person I will be happy.

The name of this blog is Rainbows In The Rain due to miscarriage, infertility and just life not going how you planned. If you have a baby after a miscarriage it is a rainbow baby and is the sunshine in all of the rain. If you can overcome infertility then you are ahead of many women in this world that may never feel pregnancy or a baby looking like them.

I hope that we can have fun, play some games, enjoy some great answers to my group questions and maybe we'll all learn a thing or two along the way.

Welcome to Rainbows In The Rain!

Question: What do you hope to see from this blog, what do you want to learn?

Cari