Part One: Ancient Healing for Modern Disease
PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
Let’s Get Personal
I guess it really all started at my annual OBGYN appointment in 2016. I was a flourishing 26 year old: I had a lucrative (and toxic AF) 9 to 5, bought myself a condo in a nice neighborhood, recently adopted a fur baby, and my future husband had just moved in. Things were going great. I was looking forward to the future.
I’d also been taking online classes in environmental anthropology and found myself really inspired to start making changes in my daily life that were better for myself and the planet. I fixed my diet & overall habits of consumption, started prioritizing my health, and began researching vitamins & herbal supplements for women’s health.
My menstrual cycle had always been SUPER difficult and irregular. I was put on birth control pills in high school to make it more regular and less painful. Unfortunately it didn’t work, and also augmented my struggle with clinical depression. I stopped taking birth control once I turned 18. Life went on as usual…
By my mid twenties, I’d grown used to the horrible breakouts and sporadic periods so heavy & painful that I would call out of work to spend the day curled in fetal position on my bathroom floor. I rationalized this with, “It’s only a few times a year…” But the thought always lingered in the back of my mind: What if I can’t even get pregnant when I’m ready?
Back to my appointment. The doctor entered the room, we chatted for a few minutes and she confirmed that my cycles were the same. She asked if I wanted to go back on birth control. I said no, because I hoped to start a family in the next few years. She assured me that I wouldn’t “be able to conceive naturally anyway” and that birth control was the best way to manage my symptoms.
I asked if she could recommend any natural alternatives to prescription birth control. She said, “I think they make vitamins and supplements for that kind of thing, but they don’t really work”. She handed me a pamphlet for IVF at an affiliated fertility clinic and scooted out the door.
After about one year of herbal supplements and maintaining the dietary & lifestyle tweeks, things were changing. My cycle and symptoms were improving, Alex had proposed, I had just started a new job… We also stopped being super worried about contraception after that conversation with my doctor. We weren’t ready for kids just yet but had both accepted the ‘fact’ that, when the time came, I would need fertility treatments to get pregnant.
One Thursday, I noticed feeling nauseous after lunch and shrugged it off. The nausea did not subside. By Sunday I could hardly stomach any food. Sunday night, we were outside on the patio. My fiance was seated a few feet away, drinking a cup of tea. The air outside hung still, yet I could smell the chamomile flowers in his tea bag as if I had just plucked them fresh from the ground and popped them into my mouth. Uh oh.
Things were changing indeed. Carson was born on Valentines Day 2018. <3
The Innate Constitution
The innate constitution is one of the first layers to be identified in order to effectively facilitate healing with Vitalist medicine. It is determined primarily by physical examination and basic questioning. Identifying the innate constitution is a key step in understanding how to leverage decisions to create the balance of health in a specific person. Here is a brief personal case study.
Innate Constitution | Prakruti (Ayurveda) | Ti Zhi (TCM) | Humor (Galenic medicine)
Type: Cold
Thin, frail build
Cold hands/feet
White coat on tongue
Inability to tolerate cold weather
Melancholic disposition
The Natal Chart
Notable Characteristics
Shape: Bucket
Handle: Jupiter in Cancer (exaltation)
Capricorn stellium (Sun, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)
Saturn energetics: cold/dry/tense
Chiron: Cancer in the 10th house
Dominance: Yin (8/10), Cardinal mode (8/10), Earth element (6/10)
Observation: 4 inner planets in Capricorn (ruled by Saturn) with strong Cardinal and Yin dominance, resulting in obvious cold/tense energetics in the body and personality. Chiron in Cancer in the 10th house (struggles related to motherhood, and using those struggles to find true career purpose) could explain physiological imbalance concentrating in the reproductive system… and maybe also why I’m writing this? Jupiter integration (expansion, higher learning, abundance) may be important based on the shape and placement of the bucket handle in the chart.
The Assumed Imbalance
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Primary Tissue State: Damp/Stagnation
Primary Organ Systems: Reproductive, Endocrine
Symptoms: Irregular menstrual cycle, infertility, chronic pain, painful PMS, acne, clinical depression
Duration: Chronic (14+ years), diagnosis via ultrasound (2017)
Other possible contributing factors: MTHFR C677T and A1298C
Observation: The overall constitution reflects the strong Saturnian qualities in the natal chart. Energetics of cold tension with susceptibility to damp type illnesses, and marked damp accumulation & stagnation in the reproductive system which manifests as both physical and psychological symptoms. The assumed imbalance is presumably caused, at least in part, due to laboratory-confirmed MTHFR mutations and chronic exposure to environmental triggers. MTHFR gene mutations impair the body’s methylation cycle- the process that governs cellular detoxification, cell growth, neurotransmission, tissue repair, etc. in our bodies. Poor methylation increases a host of physical & mental health risks and often compromises hormone balance and immune system function.
Desired Remedy Energetics
Reproductive System: Warm, dry, relax
Endocrine System: Rebalance
Nervous System: Warm, *moisten, relax, restore
*This is a damp type condition, but current dampness accumulation is in the reproductive system. An overall dry innate constitution is denoted by the dominant planetary ruling.
Other Holistic Recommendations
Dietary: Addressing any vitamin/nutrient deficiencies and food intolerances. Elimination of synthetic and/or processed foods & beverages. Kelp to assist in rebalancing the endocrine system and sea moss to promote gut health. A daily cup of herbal tea. Periodic zeolite detox. Microdosing with intention can also be helpful in correcting negative thought patterns that contribute to depression and anxiety.
Lifestyle Recommendations: Meditation or daily thought process. Consciously limit exposure of toxins via cosmetics, personal care items, clothing & household items. Grounding & movement minimum 1 hour per day. Minimum 7 solid hours of sleep a night. Have a good natural skincare routine. Herbal salt baths, especially in cold weather.
Net Effect: Warming & drying of the reproductive system, relaxation and fortification of the overall constitution.
Vitex (Vitex agnus castus linnaeus)
Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)
Milky Oats (Avena sativa)
Benefits & Results
Symptoms began to improve within weeks of using herbs, dietary changes, and avoidance of triggers. Natural conception occurred after approximately 12 months, and again 11 months postpartum with the use of ovulation test strips. My last child was born in 2019 and symptoms have continued to improve. My periods are a healthy volume and no longer painful, my skin is much clearer, and my emotions are much more manageable. Prolonged stress response, poor diet, and lack of sleep are triggers for flare ups.
Oh… and if you’re wondering what my OB said when I showed up 6 weeks pregnant and asking her how the hell this happened, she didn’t immediately have a response. “I guess the herbs do work!”, I exclaimed… She snickered and said “That’s news to me. I think this baby was just meant to happen.”
Stay tuned for Ancient Healing for Modern Disease, Part Two: Apraxia and Autism.