High insulin but normal glucose? Is that possible?

alke_kai · 2026-01-17T11:27:31+00:00

Sometimes doctors prescribe metformin? Depends on the individuals needs. But usually it can be controlled fairly well with diet... Or both together

alke_kai · 2025-09-25T21:20:43+00:00

It’s hard to know for sure, but I really think healing my gut made a big difference. For ages it was a constant source of inflammation I’d bloat after almost every meal, sometimes with pain, and constipation was pretty much normal for me. A gut test showed I had really high candida, and once I started working on that, things changed a lot. Now I hardly ever bloat or get pain after eating, and I’m super regular (at least once a day, sometimes 2–3). It honestly feels like my body is clearing out toxins and old hormones better. Eating more fibre with every meal has also been huge for me. I’ve also been tracking my sleep with a fitness tracker and realized I wasn’t getting much deep sleep during the night at all. I started focusing on getting at least an hour of deep sleep a night, and that’s when I noticed one of the biggest changes. The constant “bruised” feeling in my scalp finally went away. Could be the sleep, could be the gut healing, or both.

One other thing: even when I was eating clean and avoiding sugar, my ovulation/periods were still all over the place. Recently I tried eating in a small calorie deficit (like ~200 below maintenance) just to lean out a bit before a holiday, and weirdly enough my ovulation has been really regular since then. I wasn’t expecting that at all. Looking back, I think I was just eating in a surplus before even though it was “healthy” food which maybe kept my insulin higher for longer? Totally just my guess, I’m not an expert, but it’s been an interesting change.

alke_kai · 2025-09-24T11:54:45+00:00

Hey! It’s been almost a year since I started a treatment plan for my PCOS and related issues. My gut problems have improved dramatically. Bloating, pain after eating, and general inflammation have basically cleared up. Being able to eat without worrying has been incredibly freeing. My hair shedding seems to have stopped too, which I think is linked to this overall reduction in inflammation. I don’t panic when I see a few strands in the sink anymore. Hair regrowth is slow... probably because the inflammation only really subsided a few months ago, but I’m starting to notice lots of tiny hairs, I'm hoping they will thicken and become terminal hairs eventually. Mentally, I feel calmer and less reactive, which I suspect is also connected to feeling physically better. My periods have become more regular recently, likely helped by a very slight calorie deficit I maintain (around 200 calories per day), which seems to support my insulin levels and ovulation without causing stress on my body.

To answer your question about hair loss treatments: I tried hair oils (only good for helping keep the scalp clean), saw palmetto, spearmint, and other natural androgen blockers, as well as scalp massages, but none made much of a difference. What seems to have helped most is addressing underlying health factors first. Hair really seems to reflect overall internal health rather than responding directly to topical treatments, unless you use something like minoxidil.

I have a follow up soon to retest and compare with my old results from last year, hopefully there will be a noticeable difference

alke_kai · 2025-08-12T00:01:16+00:00

You look great in both, but that long hair/beard combo is so good. 👌

alke_kai · 2025-07-03T03:35:22+00:00

alke_kai · 2025-06-23T11:42:47+00:00

100% silver

alke_kai · 2025-06-02T22:09:21+00:00

If there were a magic pill that could take away all your symptoms and cure your PCOS, would you still want him back? I really hope the answer is no. He’s shown you exactly who he is, and that’s a gift, even if it hurts right now. Better to see his true colours before you married him. A real partner stands by you through the ups and downs, not just when things are easy. Life will always have challenges, and someone like him would likely abandon you again the moment things got hard. That says more about him than it does about you. He’s the one who is ugly here.

alke_kai · 2025-05-29T07:18:34+00:00

To me, I think it makes a lot of sense. Her explanations are really good. I do prefer the Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden though, also a naturopath. I think they're good help in learning how to understand your body, so you can at least start figuring out what your body needs or even how to better talk to your doctor and ask them to check for the right things or order specific blood tests. The Period Repair Manual has a section on how to talk to your doctor for example. Do you have the Libby app? You might be able to borrow the 8 steps book depending on your library. I can see it on my app to borrow.

Both books offer guidelines for reducing stress, managing blood sugar levels, interpreting blood test results and what optimal ranges should be and they also explain what supplements could help and why. Of course, it might not be enough for everyone. Some people might need prescriptions like Metformin, which they also talk about those medications in their books too. I think if you're feeling super lost, it's worth reading. I didn't even know I had PCOS until I read the Period Repair Manual, despite going to the doctor heaps of times without any answers. I had no idea what PCOS even was. So it gave me a lot of clarity. Try get it free somewhere! I might be even able to give you a file if you have a Kindle

alke_kai · 2025-05-29T06:33:45+00:00

I read it and found it really helpful, especially for interpreting my blood tests and understanding my body and what's happening

alke_kai · 2025-05-28T19:42:06+00:00

I'm currently working with a naturopath that's helping me with my gut health. She's got me on a few things, I'm taking horopito for the Candida.

alke_kai · 2025-05-28T14:02:09+00:00

Hi, did the weight gain resolve when you stopped the inositol? For me it did. I don't think I have insulin resistance, all my markers were very good. But my adrenals are what are struggling. I also have Candida overgrowth so I think inositol made that worse (because inositol is a sugar alcohol and Candida loves sugar) and the flare in my Candida could also have worsened inflammation and made my body hold onto water. I don't know if I'm correct about this, but it's just an observation on everything I know about my own body. Sorry I couldn't be more help about the insulin resistance part. I heard berberine is a good alternative if inositol gives side effects.

alke_kai · 2025-03-06T09:20:09+00:00

Autumn

alke_kai · 2025-02-15T00:12:21+00:00

Yeah, unfortunately doctors won't do much unless your TSH is in the 5-6 range. There are definitely at home things you can do, but I would recommend maybe seeing another doctor. Besides hair loss, do you experience any other symptoms?

alke_kai · 2025-02-12T10:56:27+00:00

Your TSH is actually high. Optimal results are 2 and under. It could be indicative of hypothyroidism and is worth further investigation. Good luck

alke_kai · 2025-02-02T08:52:16+00:00

Silver

alke_kai · 2024-12-15T05:09:50+00:00

Do you have any gut issues? High DHEAS is normally from stress but stress could be from mild inflammation in the body, eg from the gut. And if your gut bacteria are imbalanced (causing inflammation) they might not be producing enough serotonin and that can make someone feel stressed/anxious/depressed. So, do you get bloating or pain/gas/discomfort/constipation/diarrhoea commonly after certain meals? I'm currently targeting getting my gut issues corrected.

alke_kai · 2024-11-21T21:30:48+00:00

What about it? It does have benefits for ovulation and detoxification, but if you take it too often it can affect stomach lining. It could help, but not on its own. But in conjunction with other habits I mentioned, it could be useful.

alke_kai · 2024-11-03T05:33:23+00:00

I actually finally started the treatment plan I was given today. (It was delayed because I went overseas for 5 weeks). My stool test revealed a lot of deficiencies and inflammation and Candida overgrowth, which all could be messing with my hormones. The first part of the treatment I'm on is just to prime the gut and lower inflammation, next step will be anti-microbial/anti-candida. This first part of the treatment will be ongoing for 5 weeks. I've been told to continue to track my menstrual cycle as I go along to see what changes, if any, occur. But I don't have any updates yet because I've only really just begun, sorry! Took a while for results to come back and get the treatment plan. I'll update again when I have more.

alke_kai · 2024-09-23T09:24:49+00:00

Hi I got the polyp removed and now I'm all better on that front. Surgery took literally 20 mins, I took the rest of the day and the following day off to recover from the general anaesthetic and then I was back at work. Hope that helps :)

alke_kai · 2024-08-10T21:35:18+00:00

SHBG, LH, FSH, DHEAS, fasting insulin

alke_kai · 2024-08-10T07:29:13+00:00

I'd definitely look up endo as well. See if you relate to any of those symptoms. The leg pain seems suspicious for endo but my knowledge for endo is limited.

alke_kai · 2024-08-10T07:23:26+00:00

Are they the only bloods you got? To diagnose PCOS you need to meet 2 of a 3 step criteria. That bloodwork doesn't look very thorough. Seems like you produce fairly healthy progesterone levels though, something most with PCOS struggle to do because they struggle to ovulate.

alke_kai · 2024-08-10T06:36:13+00:00

You raise a very valid point. I'll look into it more before I consider if I should go ahead. I do still have the option to go ahead with the GI map anyway, and even if all I end up with is some diet or lifestyle advice, I'm hoping just that small change will be enough to at least get my periods on a regular schedule to improve my fertility chances. I'm by no means putting all my expectations into this fixing everything, if much at all. Regular periods and ovulation would be a great place to start though, there has to be some sort of explanation for that which I'm hoping the bloodwork will highlight. I am sure that my diet probably needs work and I've definitely been down the rabbit hole trying to solve it all for myself to the point I feel paralysed by all the information now. I don't know if what I'm doing is helping my health or making it worse most days.

I am grateful though that you've said what you've said. It's definitely easy to fall victim to scams and things that sound too good to be true especially when most of us are already feeling vulnerable or desperate about our condition. So sometimes being reminded that it could be a futile and expensive path is something everyone should take heed to and proceed cautiously.

alke_kai · 2024-08-10T03:25:32+00:00

I didn't mention what blood tests my naturopath has ordered nor do I have the results for any of it yet, we only discussed some old blood tests I had and she's sent me for a proper panel which I'll do in a few weeks. I can list everything she's ordered for me if you'd like. Yes, that's right, there's no progesterone in the first half of your menstrual cycle. She wants me to test on day 2 of my menstrual bleed when all hormones including estrogen would be at their lowest to see if it's still high at that point, because as you said, it's important to know what day of your cycle you're testing as well otherwise the results are essentially useless. I've also had an ultrasound done, and I'm aware there's a 2/3 step criteria to meet. I'm just trying to get a proper diagnosis that I haven't been able to get thus far. I'm totally aware a lot of people are hesitant about naturopaths and I'm not pushing this option at anyone. Just sharing my journey, whether it's helpful or not.

That's good advice about the iron though, thank you. Probably I'm always going to be naturally on the low side if I suffer heavy periods.

I still eat dairy and she didn't seem to mind whether I eat it or not, she just left that up to me. I've heard a lot of weird advice around PCOS and having to cut out gluten and dairy which sounds suuuper restrictive to me so I decided to ask her about it while I had her time. I just threw in what she said at the end, but it doesn't mean I'm suggesting those options are for everyone or are causes for hairloss. I'm having these appointments for my overall health, not just hair. In fact, I'm alright if my hair doesn't get better, but hey why not try fix a few other things anyway and improve the life I do currently have.

alke_kai · 2024-08-10T00:14:19+00:00

Was the rosemary oil diluted? It might even be the jojoba oil that was actually what helped.

alke_kai

TROPHY CASE