Tag: womens-health

  • What is the Endocrine System & Why Should You Care?

    What is the Endocrine System & Why Should You Care?

    God has called us to live a healthy and whole life, but if we can be honest, many of us are living in sickness, wrecked with chronic illness, which stops us from living in the freedom God has called us to live.  

    ✨ I don’t know about you, but I am tired of experiencing the world in the brokenness of my health. I’ve decided that sickness and pain are not my resting place, and I believe it’s not yours either, which brings me to the topic of today: the Endocrine System. 

    The endocrine system is so important because it is the system that controls most of the hormones in your body. 

    ✨Therefore, if you can balance your endocrine system, you can overcome many of the symptoms related to chronic issues, leading to a healthier and freer life. 

    I’ve seen this with my own life. As a woman with PCOS, I’ve experienced major symptom relief through small and consistent habits. (And you can too!

    This is not a theory, but backed by research from major institutions, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, and the U.S. National Library of Medicine. 

    But before, we can get started, we’ve got to quickly touch on hormones, because they build up the endocrine system.

    What are hormones?

    💬 Hormones are like messengers that tell your body what to do. When your hormones are out of whack, it causes everything else to fall apart in your body. Which results in health struggles like diabetes, heart attacks, sleep issues, PCOS, and infertility. 

    🧪 These messages control your body’s basic functions. For more information on hormones, feel free to go here. Now, let’s talk about the endocrine system.

    What is the endocrine system?

    Endocrine pronunciation: 

    🏢 The endocrine system is like the headquarters of your entire body. When it’s not functioning well, it leads to chaos in the body.

    The endocrine system is the system that controls most of the hormones in your body that maintain your bodily functions. It is also known as the hormonal system. 

    🫀 It includes groups of tissues, organs, and glands like the ovaries, pancreas, and thyroid. As such, it impacts almost everything in the body. 

    Issues with the endocrine system are the leading causes of most common diseases and issues we see today.

    ✨When the endocrine system isn’t functioning properly, it leads to issues such as PCOS, fertility issues, diabetes, heart disease, and depression.

    Major Glands &  Organs in the Endocrine System:

    Some of the  glands and organs in the endocrine system include:

    • Ovaries
    • Thyroids
    • Testes
    • Pancreas
    • Pituitary gland
    • Adrenal gland

    ✍️ Special Note: PCOS is often characterized by having higher levels of androgen, which are produced by the adrenal gland.

    Why should you care?

    🏢 Because the endocrine system is like the headquarters of your entire body, when it’s not functioning well, it leads to chaos in the body. Most common diseases are a result of OR impacted by issues within the endocrine system, such as:

    Sexual Development & System

    • PCOS and other ovarian issues
    • Infertility in men and women and other reproductive issues
    • Erectile dysfunction
    • Hair growth issues such as alopecia, hirsutism, and hypertrichosis

    Metabolic System

    • High or low blood sugar 
    • High or low blood pressure
    • Gestational diabetes
    • Metabolism, growth, and development issues 

    Other: 

    • Thyroid disease
    • Cushing’s, Graves’, & Addison’s disease. 
    • Growth issues 
    • Osteoporosis
    • Vitamin D deficiency

    Mood & Sleep Systems

    • Depression and anxiety 
    • Issues with emotional and mood regulation
    • Trouble sleeping and sleep-wake cycle issues

    By understanding the parts of the endocrine system, you empower yourself to take your God-given authority to heal sickness and disease, break generational curses, and leave a legacy of health and wellness, which will change everything for your family. 💖

    Apply It

    Today, I want to encourage you to partner with God in your health. Why? Because we have a God who is a healer, a doctor, and a teacher. God is the creator of our body, and he has created it to function WELL. 😌

    ⤵️ Assess:

    What endocrine system symptoms are you experiencing?  

    🙏 Prayer: 

    God, I am experiencing xxxxxxx. Please give me the wisdom to take action to heal my body. I trust you, Lord. Please help me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. 

    📖 Word of God

    For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV 

    Resources 

    References

    This list is not an exhaustive list of sources.

    General Knowledge

    Men &  Women:

    Men:

    Disclaimer: This blog is meant to provide information to encourage, empower, and educate you; however, it should not be considered professional medical advice. My Hill Co. and its authors are not doctors or healthcare professionals. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. My Hill Co., nor its authors are liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

  • How I Started My PCOS Journey

    How I Started My PCOS Journey

    I started my PCOS journey feeling defeated. 

    The first time I had ever heard about PCOS was at my post-surgery checkup after having emergency surgery to save my left ovary. Talk about trauma, right 😭😂?

    At my appointment, I learned I had PCOS ovaries, but I had no idea what that was, nor the years of fighting I would have as a result.

    ☕️ I left the appointment not understanding PCOS or its impacts and with a list of recommendations to decrease my caffeine intake and stop eating so much bread. 

    From there, I did a little research about PCOS, but I was deep in the throes of college. I didn’t have the mental space to think about PCOS, although the symptoms were wrecking my body from gaining weight, fatigue, no periods, bad nausea, etc.

    👀 My PCOS diagnosis was behind me, or at least I thought it was.

    When did I realize my PCOS would be a problem?

    It wasn’t until before I got married that PCOS reared its big head. All of a sudden I was thinking thoughts I never thought like:

    • What if I can’t have babies?
    • Would my husband still love me if I couldn’t have babies?
    • Am I trapping my husband in a marriage?
    • Can I be a good wife if I can’t have a baby?

    But to be honest, I still didn’t know what PCOS was, what it was going to my body, nor its impact. I just knew I wasn’t having periods.

    Going to the Doctor’s

    So soon after getting married, I scheduled an appointment with an OB and finally confronted the idea that I couldn’t have babies – it was a lie. At that appointment, I met my Nurse Practitioner, aka my OB, who changed my life. 

    Things did not change quickly, because once I found out I could have babies, I was satisfied and had not yet connected my issues with PCOS.

    🏋️‍♀️ Instead, I was trying to address the symptoms. For example, I tried to address my const ant weight gain without going to the root. So, I ate healthier and worked out 4-5 days a week. But nothing was working.

    What I know now is that my hormones were so over the place that I wasn’t going to lose weight, and the workouts were so intense that they were increasing my cortisol, therefore almost making me gain weight.

    🪨Hitting Rock Bottom

    It wasn’t until about a year later that I started to research PCOS and realized that all the symptoms I was experiencing like:

    • backaches
    • brain fog
    • body inflammation
    • headaches
    • weight gain
    • depression
    • mood swings
    • acne
    • NOOOOO PERIODS!

    We’re symptoms of my PCOS. The realization made me feel seen and showed me that I wasn’t crazy. But it also left me feeling defeated. 🙃

    I started accepting my PCOS as my reality. I would gain weight, my back would hurt, I would live in depression, etc. It felt like nothing would change, so I might as well accept it.

    But then, I reached rock bottom.

    ROCK BOTTOM IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE

    My Turning Point

    Rock bottom happened gradually, but eventually, it wrecked me.

    I realized something needed to change when I started having sobbing “attacks.” My sobbing attacks were an overflow of me fighting a war in my mind, feeling like a failure, deeply depressed, and afraid.

    The depression, weight gain, brain fog, body aches, and lack of periods made me feel dead inside.

    ⛅️FROM DEATH TO LIFE

    It was there that God met me. It was there that I decided something needed to change. It was there that I decided that PCOS would not be my life. 💖

    It was there that I learned three things that would change my relationship with PCOS.

    1. God cared. I learned that God cared that PCOS wrecked my body.
    2. I did not have to settle for PCOS because God wanted something else for me.
    3. I had to fight PCOS back with God’s help.

    My rock bottom showed me that I needed to understand my giant (PCOS), create a plan, and actively fight back.

    God wants to help you fight your battles.

    🥷 FIGHT RIGHT

    The first thing I did was research. How can you fight against something without knowing what you’re fighting? 👀

    It’s literally fighting blindly without direction, hoping you will hit something. 

    You cannot fight your battle blindly.

    The Bible says it like this, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it costs you all you have, get understanding,” Proverbs 4:7. 

    ✨The first level of wisdom is just learning. Then, you take it to God to get the instructions. 

    ✨ So, I started researching and listening to people’s stories on TikTok. For the first time in my PCOS journey, I was operating under the assumption that my life could get better.

    ✨For the first time, I had hope that life could get better, which activated my faith.

    “…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

    Matthew 17:20 NIV

    🌟 FINDING HOPE

    My research was the gateway to the hope.

    1. I wasn’t crazy: the research made me feel seen. The body aches? Normal. The brain fog? Expected. The weight gain? A part of hormonal imbalances. 
    2. I wasn’t alone: the research showed me other women facing the same things and overcoming PCOS, which showed me I could.
    3. God cared: God found me when I didn’t know he could help me. At the lowest of lows, God rescued me and sliced down the lies of the enemy that told me I was unworthy.

    There IS Hope

    God rescued me through research and implementation. Here’s what has changed:

    • My hormones are regulated (via my bloodwork).
    • I no longer have constant backaches.
    • The brain fog is at a minimum.
    • I have MONTHLY periods (used to be 3-4 a year).
    • I have a system and know how to seek God in my health and so much more.
    • I’m not constantly gaining weight.

    Listen, the giant is only a giant because you see it that way. 💖

    ✨We serve a God who enables and equips “unqualified” people to fight a giant everyone else was afraid of. How much more can he do for you?

    “David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, who you have defied.”

    “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head….”‘

    1 Samuel 17:45-46 NIV

    “So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”

    1 Samuel 17:50 NIV

    Encouragement for You

    If you are facing the torturous and raging waters of PCOS, I want to encourage you: 

    • It’s going to be ok. It will get better. 
    • God loves you. You can ask him for help. He has the power and authority to help.
    • You’re not alone. 💖
    • If I can do it, you can too!

    📖 SCRIPTURE

    Here is a scripture that you can hold on to as you navigate this season:

    “…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

    Matthew 17:20 NIV

    God cares. Ask him to help you with your PCOS journey, and he will! Your PCOS is only a mountain, and God has the power to move it. 💖

    🙏 PRAYER

    Here is a prayer that you say to start your journey:

    “God, I’m tired of being defeated by this. Your word says I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me. But, God, I don’t feel like a conqueror, so I need you to open my eyes to see you. Lord, please help me. Please rescue me in Jesus name. I pray.  Amen.

    OTHER RESOURCES

    • 1 Samuel 17: 26-52
    • Proverbs 4:7. 
    • Matthew 17:20.
    • Jeremiah 29:11 -12
    • Romans 8:37
    • Romans 8:31