Ovarian Cysts, Castor Oil Packs and PCOS
Guest post by Dr. Marisol Teijeiro, ND on Castor Oil for PCOS
I haven’t always been a believer in castor oil packs for PCOS and ovarian cysts.
I remember going to the doctor’s office, complaining about pain in my lower belly, and getting THE ultrasound. You know which one I’m talking about – very invasive. I found it quite creepy, actually. Then when they explained the results to me, I couldn’t believe it!
My ovaries, A.K.A. lady balls, weren’t doing what they were supposed to do. In fact, they were doing quite the opposite – causing me problems, pain, and preventing me from getting pregnant. They were supposed to be my baby-making factories. Instead they were overworked and unhappy. I was very scared and hurt because I felt my body was working against me.
Up until that point, I wasn’t interested in having babies. But when it was suddenly stripped away from me, I wanted that choice back. Nothing is worse than losing your choice.
A diagnosis of ovarian cysts can be scary. You think, “What are those lumps on my baby makers? Why is this happening to me?” I’d like to share with you my experience of what helped me to give the power back to my lady balls.
Ovarian Cysts and PCOS – How Do You Get Them?
As with any hormonal condition, things aren’t crystal clear as to why your body is creating these cysts on your ovaries. It is no different with PCOS. As women, we are very complicated, and the hormonal symphony playing in our bodies sometimes goes out of tune. So, what’s not working for us and who is the REAL conductor of this orchestra, causing those cysts on your ovaries?
Metabolism and Weight Gain
You gain weight and find it hard to lose weight, no matter what super health food or plan you try. The body type of a woman with PCOS is typically, though not always, one where you gain weight in your belly and trunk. This is a telltale sign of high cortisol, the stress hormone, and high inflammation. The majority of inflammation and stress has been shown to be sourced in the GUT and digestive systems.
Appetite and Blood Sugar
You are hungry all the time, and your appetite is insatiable. You wish you could eat less, but you simply can’t. You eat and feel like you are never full. Why? Your blood sugar highs and lows are a factor, but it’s also because of hormones like leptin, the appetite regulator, and low oxytocin, the love and connection hormone (found to be low in women with PCOS). Higher levels of oxytocin have been shown to reduce your appetite and help with weight loss[1].
Hormonal Havoc
You have hair where you don’t want it – on your chin and upper lip, acne, irregular periods, moodiness, and a foggy brain. These are all signs of internal hormonal havoc. Luteinizing hormone from the pituitary gland stimulates follicular stimulating hormone, overworking your ovaries. Testosterone, a masculinizing androgen, is overproduced by the stimulated ovaries. Insulin, which is overstimulated by the pancreas, reduces your ability to properly deal with sugar in your body. Estrogen dominance just adds more to an already messy picture. Yikes!
Let’s face it, you have more issues than Vogue!
The Root of PCOS
It feels so complicated, doesn’t it? How am I going to balance all of these issues without taking a billion supplements, pills, and medications to fix it? We must get to the root of the problem. You won’t find it in your hormonal, insulin, or stress/cortisol system, it comes from what sets the foundation of our lives – our digestion and our gut.
The GUT and DIGESTION are the REAL conductors of your Hormonal Orchestra
The foundation of our health is in our digestive tract, outside of the hormonal system. The digestive tract actually contains the highest amount of hormones in the human body.
Melatonin, a hormone we think about for sleep, is produced not only in the brain, but the GUT mucosal cells as well. There is ten times the amount of melatonin in the gut compared to anywhere else in the body[2]. By the way, melatonin is also implicated in the production of sex steroid hormones[3], a big problem for women with PCOS. This is true for many hormones. The gut, in many cases, is the manufacturing facility, the hub and meeting place, the ‘central station’ so to say, of the body and hormonal health.
That’s why no matter the condition, the first thing functional medical doctors, health influencers, or naturopathic doctors (like myself) will target is the gut. Anyone who has struggled and survived through their condition will say the same.
So, to actually fix your hormonal problems and reduce the cysts on your ovaries, we must first correct the foundation. You can chase the hormones all you like, but you will never have improvement if you don’t fix this. It’s like building a house. If the foundation is off, the house will never be in good shape, and it won’t last. You will always be dealing with problems and doing patchwork.
Foundation to Fix PCOS – Fix the GUT and DIGESTION
There are five foundations to gut health and health in general. I call them the Five Pillars to Feeling Great.
- Function of your digestive tract, in terms of digestion, absorption and elimination
These 3 functions are essential in order to take in raw materials and make hormones, then to eliminate out what we don’t need anymore. - Antioxidant status
Without certain nutrients and protective mechanisms in the body, we are not healthy. We absorb our antioxidants through digestion and through our skin. - Inflammation balanced
The majority of the inflammation in the body is rooted in the gut. - Tension, A.K.A. stress over the entire system
The majority of our physical stress comes from the food that we eat because we are eating all the time, and even more so when you have PCOS. Strong cravings for high sugar, high fat (unhealthy fat), and processed foods keep this vicious cycle alive. Emotional stress has been shown to impact digestion as well. - Hosting microbes
We have trillions of microbes in our bodies, mainly in our digestive tract and skin, that regulate body processes including hormones.
Castor Oils Packs for PCOS and Ovarian Cysts
How can we get this balance and find a solution for your ovarian cysts and PCOS?
Introducing… castor oil packs!
Do castor oil packs for PCOS sound familiar to you? That doesn’t surprise me. It is often one of the biggest recommendations from your naturopath or functional medical practitioner. You may have already been prescribed to do one but you just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
You probably thought, ““What is that? What’s that going to do for me? Plus, it’s too messy, why bother? What’s it really going to do for my PCOS and ovarian cysts anyway?”
Answer: Everything.
A castor oil pack is an organic cotton flannel pack, placed on alternating nights over your liver and over your pelvic region. Specifically used on the pelvic region for PCOS, endometriosis, period pains, and any other female hormonal pelvic problems. Organic, cold-pressed, hexane-free castor oil is added to a cotton compress and you wear it for 1 hour daily, or ideally, overnight. I’ve created the Queen of the Thrones™ castor oil pack that easily attaches onto your body. No hassle, no mess, and it comes with a bottle of premium oil.
Castor Oil Packs and Ovarian Cysts
Castor oil packs treat the environment, the foundation, the same 5 foundations of your body that we spoke about above. No other tool does this. Fix the foundation, and the rest will come into balance. Those cysts will ease.
Castor oil packs are THE easiest and most cost-effective tool for restoring your balance. Rebuild your foundation and rebuild your life.
Benefits of Castor Oil Packs for PCOS, Ovarian Cysts, and Much More
- You will POO amazingly. The pack helps you to FEEL GOOD in your guts, improving your digestion, absorption, and elimination[4] [5]. Nothing feels better than that!
- Castor oil is a TOPICAL source of healthy fat! Castor oil is the most unique of vegetarian oils. It provides GREAT nutrients for your body that are absorbed TOPICALLY through the skin, such as Omega 6 and 9, vitamin E, and prostaglandins (which are the end result of what you get when you take fish oils)[6]. Hormones are manufactured in your body from fats. Part of having healthy hormones is ABSORBING the fats in your diet. Many of us women with PCOS have problems absorbing fats orally, and therefore can’t manufacture hormones well.
- Increases oxytocin[7], a hormone that helps with WEIGHT LOSS and REDUCING APPETITE. This hormone is known to be in low levels in women that have blood sugar problems, insulin insensitivity, and metabolic derangement[8]. It has been shown to improve digestive health[9]. This is mainly achieved by WEARING the castor oil pack. The longer you wear it, the more of this you get. It’s the love and connection hormone, after all and the castor oil pack is like a big hug. That’s why best practice is to wear overnight.
- Increases glutathione[10], the master detox and antioxidant agent. PCOS is often ruled by low antioxidants and problems with cleansing and detoxification.
- Increases dopamine[11], the feel-good, reward, and motivation neurotransmitter.
- Balances inflammation[12] via the same anti-inflammatory effect as a fish oil supplement. When worn over the liver and pelvic region, it reduces swelling and bloating in the belly.
- Reduces stress hormones like cortisol in the body. If stress is your thing (who are we kidding, this is everyone’s problem), this is major.
- Balance your gut microbiota. Castor oil packs are very effective to break down biofilm[13] [14] [15] and help with resetting a new microbe balance in your gut.
All of these factors help with breaking down your cysts, improving your metabolic balance (A.K.A. weight loss), and starting the journey of healing your PCOS with a strong, sturdy foundation.
Get your pack here
With everything that these castor oil packs do, you would expect them to be outrageously priced! But they are not. They are affordable and guess what? There is one more great thing about them.
Everything that you do, whatever supplements you are taking, foods you are eating, health program you are following – it makes it all work better. You simply can’t go wrong with putting this into your routine. This is why castor oil packs are the # 1 prescription in my clinical practice, and I personally use them all the time. For me, they were the missing link that helped with my PCOS and digestion problems.
How Long Will the Castor Oil Pack Take to Work?
Castor oil packs take time. It is a journey and it is also dependent upon what you eat, and how you move, think, and sleep. If you want to see more rapid results, I encourage you to sign up for the PCOS DIVA Digestion mini-course
This is a ONE OF A KIND program, co-created by Amy Medling and myself, specifically for women that have PCOS. We know you; we have both been in your position. The PCOS Diva Digestion course also helps with symptoms like
- Reflux
- Bloating
- Gas
- Constipation
- Loose stools.
Digestive problems effect the entire body, and because of this, we want to help guide you in getting your gut and digestion where it needs to be for your health.
Ready? Here’s your journey.
Step #1 – Start with getting your castor oil pack here.
Step #2- Sign up for our program, Diva Digestion here.
Step #3: Commit to follow through
The greatest wealth is gut health, and the root to heal all diseases is by going into the gut and figuring it out. Let’s fix the conductor of your hormonal orchestra and help those lady balls do the job they were meant to do!
Please Note:
Make sure your castor oil is always in a glass bottle. Whether you are using it for hair, eyebrows, dry skin, or any area of the body. Castor oil absorbs the chemicals in plastic and then brings them into your body. These chemicals are problematic for your hormones because are endocrine disruptors. It’s not only BPA that you need to worry about. There are slip agents[16] and UV filters[17] in these bottles too. Please, for the sake of your health, only ever use certified organic, cold-pressed hexane-free, extra virgin castor oil in a glass bottle. Get some here.
It’s time to get started.
Dr. Marisol, ND is a world leader renowned for her passion for cleansing and gut health, not only, because she has the degree on the wall but more so because she’s experienced feeling shitty and figured out the hierarchy on how to get healthy. Crowned the Queen of Thrones™, for over 15 years, she has trained and educated health care practitioners and has helped thousands of patients transition from SHIT SHOW to OWNING their throne. Dr. Marisol directs and practices at Sanas Health Practice in Canada, has spearheaded PuraSanas health supplements and invented the Queen of Thrones Organic Castor Oil Pack™ and line of products. The launch of her first books, OH, SHIT!, her educational conferences and programs, heralds her championing you to become your legend. Join her movement and help her to achieve her goal of being in 1 billion bathrooms by 2020. We can do it! Experience Infinite Health, Dr. Marisol Teijeiro, ND # 1916 Sanas Health Practice 226-444-9591 | www.sanas.ca
Resources:
[1]Morton GJ, Thatcher BS, Reidelberger RD, et al. Peripheral oxytocin suppresses food intake and causes weight loss in diet-induced obese rats. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2012;302(1):E134–E144. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00296.2011
[2]Siah KT, Wong RK, Ho KY. Melatonin for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. World J Gastroenterol. 2014;20(10):2492–2498. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i10.2492
[3]Jain P, Jain M, Haldar C, Singh TB, Jain S. Melatonin and its correlation with testosterone in polycystic ovarian syndrome. J Hum Reprod Sci. 2013;6(4):253–258. doi:10.4103/0974-1208.126295
[4] Sorin Tunaru,a Till F. Althoff,a Rolf M. Nüsing,b Martin Diener,c and Stefan Offermannsa,d,1 Castor oil induces laxation and uterus contraction via ricinoleic acid activating prostaglandin EP3 receptorsProc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jun 5; 109(23): 9179–9184.Published online 2012 May 21. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1201627109PMID: 22615395
[5] Arslan GG, Eşer I. An examination of the effect of castor oil packs on constipation in the elderly. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2011 Feb;17(1):58-62. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2010.04.004. Epub 2010 May 18.
[6] Patel, V. R., Dumancas, G. G., Viswanath, L. C. K., Maples, R. & Subong, B. J. J. Castor oil: properties, uses, and optimization of processing parameters in commercial production. Lipid Insights 9, 1–12, https://doi.org/10.4137/LPI.S40233 (2016).
[7] Walker SC1, Trotter PD2, Swaney WT2, Marshall A3, Mcglone FP4. C-tactile afferents: Cutaneous mediators of oxytocin release during affiliative tactile interactions? Neuropeptides. 2017 Aug;64:27-38. doi: 10.1016/j.npep.2017.01.001. Epub 2017 Jan 19.
[8] Kujath AS, Quinn L, Elliott ME, et al. Oxytocin levels are lower in premenopausal women with type 1 diabetes mellitus compared with matched controls. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2015;31(1):102–112. doi:10.1002/dmrr.2577
[9] Welch MG, Margolis KG, Li Z, Gershon MD. Oxytocin regulates gastrointestinal motility, inflammation, macromolecular permeability, and mucosal maintenance in mice. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2014;307(8):G848–G862. doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00176.2014
[10] Holm T, Brøgger-Jensen MR, Johnson L, Kessel L.Glutathione preservation during storage of rat lenses in optisol-GS and castor oil. PLoS One. 2013 Nov 19;8(11):e79620. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079620. eCollection 2013.
[11] Rolls ET et all. Representations of pleasant and painful touch in the human orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices. Cereb Cortex. 2003 Mar;13(3):308-17.
[12] Vieira C et al. .Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammation. Mediators Inflamm. 2000;9(5):223-8
[13] Andrade IM1, Andrade KM2, Pisani MX1, Silva-Lovato CH1, de Souza RF1, Paranhos Hde F1.Trial of an experimental castor oil solution for cleaning dentures. Braz Dent J. 2014 Jan-Feb;25(1):43-7.
[14] Badaró MM, Salles MM, Leite VMF, Arruda CNF, Oliveira VC, Nascimento CD, Souza RF, Paranhos HFO, Silva-Lovato CH. Clinical trial for evaluation of Ricinus communis and sodium hypochlorite as denture cleanser.J Appl Oral Sci. 2017 May-Jun; 25(3):324-334
[15] Salles MM, Badaró MM, Arruda CN, Leite VM, Silva CH, Watanabe E, Oliveira Vde C, Paranhos Hde F. Antimicrobial activity of complete denture cleanser solutions based on sodium hypochlorite and Ricinus communis – a randomized clinical study.J Appl Oral Sci. 2015 Nov-Dec; 23(6):637-42.
[16] Kim H1, Oh S1, Gye MC1, Shin I1,2. Comparative toxicological evaluation of nonylphenol and nonylphenol polyethoxylates using human keratinocytes. Drug Chem Toxicol. 2018 Oct;41(4):486-491. doi: 10.1080/01480545.2017.1391829. Epub 2017 Nov 10
[17] Amar SK1, Goyal S2, Srivastav AK3, Chopra D3, Ray RS2. Combined effect of Benzophenone-2 and ultraviolet radiation promote photogenotoxicity and photocytotoxicity in human keratinocytes.Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2018 Jun;95:298-306. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2018.04.003. Epub 2018 Apr 4.
