Inflammation, Water- Retention, Bloating

Alongside allergies, it's common for sufferers to experience inflammation. I think it's pretty well understood that women with PCOS suffer with some level of inflammation - whether that's just a feeling of bloating, water retention, or a more serious condition such as endometriosis. 

Its a known fact that women with PCOS suffer from water retention,  I read a long time ago that women with PCOS can carry up to 25% more water than a healthy person. 

This "water retention" has further knock on effects, some of which are obvious. Here's a list of my symptoms - I'm sure other women can add their own to this list: 

• - I blister really easily - I have shoes that I've worn for ages with no problems whatsoever, and then one random day I'll suddenly find my feet are blistered and sore, which is really annoying given that these aren't new, badly-fitting shoes or ridiculous beautiful-but-hard-to-walk-in jobs (for which the pain would aesthetically be worth it. These are just everyday shoes. 
• - I can go up a dress size or two on planes as the body literally fills up with water. It sounds bonkers and slightly unbelievable, but it happens. It makes it hard to breathe. 
• - I can go up and down a dress size in an afternoon due to bloating, often for very little reason. Maybe I ate something which doesn't agree with me (i.e. a low-level allergic reaction) or maybe it's just the wrong time of the month and my body is reacting to the hormone changes which are going on. 
• - I've experienced many visible reactions to seemingly innocuous substances - it could be a change of washing powder, a particular foodstuff or something as commonplace as suntan oil. All have, at one time or another, resulted in hives, urticaric rashes, etc etc. 

A bit annoying, but in the list of symptoms, it's probably not at the top - it probably doesn't make the top 10 for most women. For me personally,  I'd rate the weight gain, trouble sleeping, anxiety, etc etc far higher than a little bit of bloating here and there. In fact, I've held this post back for months because I wasn't really even sure it was either a) all that important or b) a common symptom. Now I understand. Inflammation needs to be taken seriously, it's most definitely a cause for concern and possibly an indicator of more acute problems which we could be heading off at the pass. 

What is inflammation, why should we take it more seriously and what can be done about it?

Inflammation is a reaction in the body in which tissues are augmented - usually with additional fluid in order to protect a damaged area and to aid recovery. 

This is brilliant and entirely beneficial when used for its correct purpose - if we sustain an injury: if you cut a finger for example, bruising and swelling will appear in order to wrap the body’s equivalent of a bandage around the affected area in order to protect whilst healing takes place - a good idea implemented for the right reasons. 

If deployed generally, and throughout the body for long periods of time, however, the effect of inflammation ceases to be beneficial and becomes harmful, and worse, new research is starting to suggest that far from simply being an inconvenience, this inflammation is doing real harm in ways which we have only previously imagined. 

Dr Datis Kharrazian's work on the thyroid and on brain health throw the spotlight on treating Hashimoto's and other significant conditions onto diet (he strongly advocates Paleo, check out some of his work and further links here) and neurologist Dr David Perlmutter's work (see link here) both highlight the effects of seemingly low-level inflammation on all the tissues of the body. These include degeneration of all conditions, worsening of the symptoms. 

Interestingly, both of these eminent scientists absolutely agree that reducing inflammation is absolutely key to helping the body to heal itself and to return to health. It's interesting: I've always looked at inflammation as annoying, irritating, I suspected it was trying to tell me something, but it's probably been a life-long problem and as such I sort of dismissed it as just "one of those things". I'm starting to learn that none of these problems are just "one of these things". 

Inflammation is normally one of many signs of a wider auto-immune disease, which might manifest itself as any one of a number of conditions such as Hashimoto's, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, dementia etc etc. Ignoring inflammation leaves the door open to developing any one of these conditions. 

What's the Diagnosis and How to Fix It?

Inflammation is of course, complex and can be triggered by a number of irritants. Despite everything which conventional medicine tells us, it can be reversed. 

Furthermore, when you consider that endometriosis is, in itself,  an inflammation, the implications for women who have PCOS, and most definitely those who suffer from PCOS and endometriosis as a combination are fascinating. 

There's a wealth of knowledge to be gained by reading the books by Dr Kharrazian and Dr Perlmutter. Both the doctors advocate a Paleo diet, and many auto-immune specialists now suggest a strict interpretation of this diet - cutting out anything which could be causing a problem and then re-introducing foods individually over time, thus identifying the ones which cause a reaction. As a community, auto-immune specialists are all committed to avoiding gluten at all costs, citing it as a major trigger (Dr Perlmutter's most famous book is called Grain Brain. The surprising truth about wheat, carbs and sugar....your brain's silent killers. I'm not sure he can make it much plainer than that...)

Dr Kharrazian also has a whole plan which you can follow. The most interesting part which I took away was an interest in trying high-dose turmeric to reduce my inflammation. I'm only a week into my experiment, but I'm encouraged. Watch this space for more findings as I continue my trial.....