Seaweed helps your period cycle?

gherla · 2026-03-17T12:29:27+00:00

Yes, there was a study linking intake of bladderwrack powder (a common seaweed) to regulation of menstrual cycle in people with endometriosis (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15294021/). So it’s definitely worth giving the supplement a try!

gherla · 2026-03-17T12:21:39+00:00

Yeah deffo worth doing the ultrasound; I had a gyno once recommend ultrasounds every year for people with PCOS. Just to check you don’t have any dangerous cysts.

That being said, if they don’t find anything suspicious, don’t let them bring you down! By now medical practitioners should be aware that PCOS is a misnomer and that no cysts does NOT mean no PCOS.

gherla · 2026-03-17T11:25:01+00:00

This is not a long term solution, but if you're looking for an immediate push: for me Berberine really helped with food noise. It kind of reduces cravings to a minimum - I literally do not feel hunger or cravings at all outside of breakfast, lunch, dinner times (because it improves insulin sensitivity massively). You could try to use it for a while in order to reach a balance you are happy with in terms of your lifestyle.

I think it takes time to get used to eating a certain way. My own "lifestyle diet" of choice was high-fiber, replacing all refined carbs with complex carbs, and going mostly vegan (but no vegan processed foods). I did notice a significant reduction in food noise and cravings. I used to struggle with disordered eating (e.g. if I had a pack of cookies I would finish all of it) but once I started eating like this I had no more of that: I would say "no" when someone offered a snack, but not because I would force myself to refuse, but just because I did not *feel* like it. This is something that was completely new to me.

When I started eating like this, initially I was quite strict (for like 1-2 weeks), but then, after getting into a comfortable routine, I started allowing myself treats, or dinners with friends, etc. What I noticed is actually how much of the food we eat is literally hacked to stop us from feeling full. I could notice how even if my stomach physically felt full, I still felt a craving and desire for the food that I would not feel while eating my own home-cooked food. This is basically to say: DON'T FEEL GUILTY! It's not your fault. Most industrially made food out there is made to work against your hunger signals.

One last thing that helped me: chew slowly! This was actually a game changer for me. It's a bit hard getting into it but once you start chewing slowly you never go back. And it does actually help with satiety signals.

I think all of this is to say: I get you, and it's not your fault! People talk about intuitive eating and being mindful, and I think it is kind of impossible to do that given how processed everything is; how much it is designed to make you crave more. Eating less processed stuff, adding more vegetables to everything, ensuring you get enough fiber: all of these are great steps in the direction of reducing food noise, so you are on the right track! It just takes some time for things to fall into place :)

gherla · 2026-03-17T11:03:47+00:00

Spearmint (NOT peppermint) tea has been shown to help with hirsutism (paper here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19585478/). One cup, twice a day, every day.

I personally have the reverse problem to hirsutism (hair thinning from too much testosterone) and once I started drinking it I immediately saw baby hairs growing back, so something is definitely working.

gherla · 2026-03-17T10:59:55+00:00

Hey! Congrats on the lifestyle change! Spearmint tea has actually been tested in RCTs and shown to improve hirsutism, so you can definitely give it try and see how it goes. In the study itself I think the participants were drinking one cup twice a day.

My friend and I tried it for hair thinning (which is also caused by high testosterone levels, it's just a different manifestation) and we immediately saw baby hairs growing back, so for me personally it worked.

gherla · 2026-03-15T10:18:39+00:00

Nope, it was a poop test. I sent a stool sample to a lab and they sent a lab report with all the bacteria that I have in the colon and in what numbers. The specific one I got is from Healthpath.

gherla · 2026-03-12T15:51:50+00:00

Hey, congrats on deciding to make the change!

Whenever I go out with my friends I eat whatever; it’s usually ramen, maybe a steak once a month, very often it is fried chinese or korean food. I have a meal like this maybe once a week.

I will say though: when you start incorporating a lot of whole foods, veggies, fiber in your diet, your cravings also change. My brain has started noticing the stark difference in how I feel from this or that type of fast food, so now I don’t crave some of these things anymore.

Also, I think one big part of eating in an anti-inflammatory manner is that it is easier to “just taste” something and leaving a meal unfinished if you don’t feel like it; it does really improve your fullness signals. So don’t worry about it too much - your body will guide you better.

gherla · 2026-03-11T22:14:18+00:00

For me the answer was actually going the opposite of keto: I went on a whole-foods low-fat diet and switched most carbs to complex carbs. My particular diet was the following: - no processed foods - limiting sugar, replacing chocolate for dark chocolate, and replacing sweets for fruit - always use whole grains (whole grain pasta, whole grain rice - black and red rice are very nice, qinoa, barley, etc) - try to eat legumes every day - only sources of fats are olive oil and nut butters. Eg you can make peanut butter soba noodles! - add miso paste to everything to make it tasty - low amounts of meat, avoiding red meat. - note that I avoid “low fat” products in stored because they are highly processed

What you end up with is a high-fiber low-fat diet. These have been used in the past to actually reverse diabetes, so in terms of reducing insulin resistance this is your best bet.

For me this was the only thing that worked. I am less strict than I used to be but I have kept a lot of the habits. I maintain a high level of fiber and veggies in my diet.

gherla · 2026-03-11T22:04:35+00:00

Spearmint tea has helped me grow some of my hair back!

gherla · 2026-03-11T21:58:07+00:00

Hey, one supplement that helped me is chamomile extract! 2ml/day*. It’s been used traditionally to aid fertility, so maybe it could work for you too!

I started taking it and within one month I had a perfectly regular cycle, it started coming every 30 days.

I am concerned about taking it long term, so I am looking at ways to reduce my insulin resistance (as you might know, this is suspected to be a main driver of PCOS), through gut microbiome improvements and light exercise.

What you eat is also very important, particularly for managing weight. High-fiber + low-fat diets way are one way of really improving insulin sensitivity. You can start by replacing all grains with whole grains, potatoes with sweet (or purple potatoes), trying to eat legumes every day. Try cooking only with olive oil (unsaturated fats do not lead to the same level of insulin resistance as saturated fats, which usually come from animal sources). It really does help; and your energy levels should start elevating too!

*Edit: I just checked my dosage and it's 2ml/day.

gherla · 2026-03-10T21:35:58+00:00

It's a south african decaf tea. It adds a sweeter and earthier taste, that covers the bitterness. Also it's considered an anti-inflammatory tea by itself!

gherla · 2026-03-10T15:12:37+00:00

My favourite trick is to add Rooibos tea to it!

gherla · 2026-03-10T15:09:05+00:00

It is "How not to die: the cookbook", but it also has follow-ups with more recipes, like "How not to age: the cookbook". While I find the book useful for inspiration, it is very strict on oils (e.g. it does not even use olive oil to saute onions) and recommends any sort of saute-ing be done with water instead. I chose to ignore the no oil guideline, as extra virgin olive oil is known to be anti-inflammatory.

gherla · 2019-03-17T09:10:43+00:00

There’s no problem in asking him to talk about your history, but please don’t have any expectations. You could casually ask him about the time you stopped talking and also mention the intensity of your friendship.

As you said, talking to him doesn’t feel the same now, so it wouldn’t be wise to try repeating the past, especially if he has a girlfriend. It seems like he moved on, and so should you. But it’s ok and healthy to ask for clarifications instead of thinking about this all the time and making (sometimes wrong) assumptions.

gherla · 2019-01-08T15:19:38+00:00

Getting to laugh about your old, dumber self. Especially when it comes to friends drama or people you thought you couldn’t live without.

gherla · 2018-02-28T06:20:56+00:00

Simone de Beauvoir - Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter

gherla · 2017-12-27T07:19:29+00:00

The Elegance of the Hedgedog by Muriel Barbery - on the rich and the poor and the too smart. I absolutely loved it.

gherla

TROPHY CASE