THE HCG PROTOCOL AS A THERAPY FOR POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (and other leptin induced hormonal imbalances)

PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) is on the rise and it affects millions of women in the United States alone. The more fat a person has the more leptin is produced when stimulated. This magnified leptin response affects the sex hormones LH (leutinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). While this over-production of leptin in adulthood affects LH and FSH resulting in reproductive and sexual problems, in adolescence this hormonal reaction can change the way the individual looks, their hair, and resulting body-image issues.

PCOS is characterized by high testosterone levels and insulin resistance. Typical symptoms are:

·         infertility,

·         male pattern balding,

·         high blood pressure,

·         pelvic pain,

·         irregular menses,

·         acne,

·         and the development of Type 2 diabetes at a very young age,

Excessive consumption of sugar combined with obesity is probably the driving force behind PCOS. To explain, the over production of leptin (which is strongly stimulated by blood glucose) increases the levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY). NPY in the body increases in production of LH and FSH, although the effect on LH is significantly more pronounced.

As leptin levels increase in the hypothalamus there is a stimulus of the hormone galanin like peptide (GLP). GLP acts to increase the production of LH releasing hormone (LHRH) which further increases LH production from the ovaries. The combination of high LH and high blood glucose levels (insulin resistance) increases the production of a hormone called Inhibin B. Inhibin B in the brain further decrease FSH, creating a polarization between LH and FSH levels. The more LH levels rise and FSH levels decrease, the more testosterone increases over estrogen.

Having excess fat that magnifies the production of leptin, combined with excessive sugar intake, is strongly correlated to the occurrence of PCOS.  With the rise in childhood obesity and the incredible amount of sugar in the American diet, there is no doubt the occurrence of PCOS will exponentially increase. The solution? Reducing body fat and decreasing sugar intake. This is where the hCG protocol could be used as a hormonal therapy.

Because low dose hCG strongly stimulates leptin, if administered properly the patients hormonal need for food dramatically reduces. You could say because PCOS is linked to high levels of leptin that with hCG their chances of exacerbating the issue could increase, which is true. However, if the very low calorie protocol is strictly followed these risks go away. Especially if the participant only eats when there is hunger.

Hunger is the conscious signal from the brain indicating that leptin levels are decreased, which is a sign there is a need for an external stimulus (such as food) to improve leptin levels. Eating would then stimulate the production of leptin which would ultimately cause a problem if too much food is eaten. This is why pre-calculated portions of food would be contraindicative during this type of therapy. When hunger goes away, the patient needs to stop eating, and at the end of the day it may have only taken 350 calories in food to keep their leptin levels optimal. If they continue to eat even though hunger is removed, the participant would be causing a hormonal imbalance that may aggravate their hormonal symptoms.

We must keep in mind that humans eat without hunger all the time because we have the ability to ignore physical mechanisms for emotional desire. This is what makes the application of feeding behavior of mice very inappropriate for the feeding behavior of humans. Mice do not eat when their hypothalamic leptin levels are elevated and hunger is removed. Humans eat all the time with high leptin levels and without hunger. We are an emotional species that validates and justifies eating at any time and for whatever reason, even though it conflicts with the feedback from the body.  For the hCG protocol to work as a hormonal therapy, the hormone leptin must be controlled. To do this the patient must fully understand hunger and use it as there only guide for when and how much to eat (similar to how a mice would eat).

This concept requires that we stop using the outdated science of calories. That we stop using nutritional guidelines to dictate how much a person should eat. Obviously by limiting food intake to what the body needs hormonally, there is a risk of malnourishment. This is why vitamin and mineral, and electrolyte supplementation is so important during the process, and why protein is the most important food choice when hunger manifests. As fat is markedly reduced and food is only eating with hunger, the hormonal imbalances that cause symptoms such as PCOS, will go away. However, to prevent the reoccurrence of these symptoms the patient must learn from their past behavior and continue to only eat when hunger manifests and to stop eating as soon as hunger goes away.

This is a change in behavior that must be done without using the superficiality of weight as motivation. The diet industry has taken advantage of the most obvious result of the very low calorie protocol, which is weight-loss, and used it to make a quick buck as the superficial diet. It’s not longer called a protocol but a diet.

When you consider the hormonal cause of diseases in America, most of which are linked to too much leptin, using the protocol as a diet and with the same diet mentality is selling it very short. Weight is a shallow measure in comparison to the incredible hormonal therapy the protocol could provide− only if it was approached with intelligence.  The weight-driven and money hungry diet industry has made the hCG protocol another fad diet, which is sad because weight is just the beginning and only a superficial indication of how incredible the hCG protocol is.

Any self-proclaimed “expert” who continues to market and value the protocol based on weight-loss is part of the diet industry. You will never get respect from the medical community until you understand the depth of knowledge it takes to fully comprehend how the hCG protocol influences the endcrine system. There must be a standard of intelligence that applies the protocol from a hormonal point of view and this is where the medical hCG protocol industry needs to regain control.   I suggest you as "experts" understand the protocol from a hormonal perspective, and no longer tout this protocol as a diet.