In recent years, researchers have built a mounting case that Alzheimer’s disease is a specific form of insulin resistance — some have even gone so far as to call Alzheimer’s disease “type III diabetes.” This avenue of research grew from complementary observations from epidemiology and molecular biology. People with diabetes and insulin resistance are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, and the neurons in the central nervous system have some unique responses to insulin. Since then, the hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease as insulin resistance has evolved and gained experimental support.

This body of evidence lead one group of researchers to propose that D-chiro-inositol might be an effective therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. They based their hypothesis on D-chiro-inositol’s proven efficacy in three other health problems where insulin resistance is a primary feature: diabetes, PCOS, and preeclampsia. They also preferred to study DCI over other possible therapeutic agents because it is a nutritional supplement with a proven track record of safety, and because it appears to cross the blood-brain barrier (which is crucial for any Alzheimer’s therapy to be effective).

These researchers, led by Dr. William Klein, PhD of Northwestern University, performed an extensive, well-designed, and well-controlled in vitro (outside the living body) study to test their hypothesis that DCI could be an effective therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. The results were impressive to say the least. But, before they can be fully appreciated, a quick explanation of what is happening at the tissue and molecule level in the brain is in order.

At the tissue level, one of the histological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is amyloid-ϐ fibrils, which are a pathological accumulation of amyloid-ϐ proteins in the brain. In addition to forming fibrils, amyloid-ϐ can form diffusible ligands (diffusible meaning, in this case, mobile within the brain, and ligands being a general term for things that can bind to other things). We now know that these amyloid-ϐ-derived diffusible ligands (ADDLs for short) can interact with insulin receptors. Through a long series of events, this leads to insulin resistance and decreases the amount of sugar that gets into affected neurons, effectively starving them to death. I’ve glossed over a lot of detail here, but you get the basics: ADDLs bind to insulin receptors and then neurons slowly starve to death.

In a nutshell, treating neurons in vitro with DCI has a similar protective effect as treating them with insulin, and treating the neurons with both insulin and DCI simultaneously has an even greater effect still. Both insulin and D-chiro-inositol were shown to protect insulin receptors found on dendrites from ADDL damage and to maintain levels of functional proteins in the dendrites at normal levels. There is really quite a bit more to the study where they also show that DCI acts as an insulin mimetic and an insulin potentiator in neurons. All in all, this study has greatly improved our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, insulin resistance and D-chiro-inositol. But, we can’t count our chickens just yet — a human clinical trial is necessary.

On a more personal note, about a week ago, just about the same time this leading-edge research was published, an old friend of mine lost his father to a decade-long battle with Alzheimer’s. As one of the founders of a company that sells DCI, I felt a profound sadness and a great sense of irony that this new research should be published at that particular moment. I second the author’s call to fast-track clinical trials related to Alzheimer’s and D-chiro-inositol. We know that DCI is safe and well-tolerated from years of use in other health conditions. And now we have very good reason to believe it will help people with Alzheimer’s disease as well.

If you would like to read the original study, it is available (for a fee) on PubMed, here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23073831

Modern clinical research has found a role for vitex in addressing a variety of issues related to hormones in women. There is strong clinical evidence that it can help moderate the symptoms of PMS. These results make sense because some components of vitex have been shown to bind to opiate receptors, which help us to feel pleasure and also to dull pain.


Other uses of vitex with good clinical support include treatment of luteal phase defect, which is a shortening of the luteal phase that can decrease fertility and make conception a real challenge. Unknown natural components of vitex act on the pituitary gland to influence hormone levels. Once again, modern science has validated the efficacy of our common herbal heritage.


Interestingly, PCOS is thought to be aggravated by dysfunction in the body’s opioid system, and there are several well-known issues with hormones that are typical of PCOS. Because of its two established effects discussed above (on the pituitary gland and opioid system), it should come as no surprise that VAC is recommended by many herbalists and complementary therapists for use in PCOS. Anecdotal results have been positive — including improved cycle regularity — and I fully expect further clinical studies to support its efficacy.


In time, hopefully we can identify the exact mechanisms of action of vitex and with that information make better predictions about who will benefit from VAC.


We must recommend that anyone taking vitex should discontinue administration if they became pregnant. There are still many unanswered questions about it, and it is always best to err on the side of caution.

 
In recent decades, DHA has gained a much-deserved reputation as one of the good fatty acids. It is an omega-3 fatty acid (another term you might have heard), which is a class of fatty acids, many of which have known health benefits. DHA plays important structural roles in the brain and has been shown to lower triglycerides. There are a host of other proposed benefits. But, the purpose of this article is to briefly summarized the benefits of DHA in pregnancy and early development and to discuss why DHA is an important ingredient in prenatal supplements.

Some of the most important benefits are in neurological development. DHA has been the subject of several studies related to brain function, based primarily on the hypothesis that, because it serves such important structural roles in the brain, supplementation (particularly in populations with low dietary intake) should help improve function and development of the brain. Study results have been mixed, but the balance of evidence strongly indicates that DHA during pregnancy is a good predictor for a host of developmental and neurological metrics.

For example, one very long-term study looked at concentrations of DHA (and many other things) in the umbilical cord blood of newborns; those children and their parents were then part of regular follow up visits. The findings? Well, at 10 years of age, and after controlling for other variables, the children with higher DHA also had the lowest incidence of behavioral problems. Or more simply, kids whose moms had plenty of DHA were better behaved and had fewer psychiatric issues. Another study found a modest positive correlation between DHA supplementation during pregnancy and hand-eye coordination and motor skill development. And, very significantly, several studies of DHA supplementation in grown children showed little or no benefits; so, the idea is that these benefits occur in the earliest stages of development. There are more studies that we could summarize here, but in a nutshell, it makes sense that DHA would be important in brain development given its role in the brain, and studies have confirmed that DHA has clear long-term benefits for intrauterine development of the brain.

And, let’s not forget the mothers. Numerous studies have shown that maternal stores of DHA are depleted during pregnancy (and during breastfeeding) to satisfy the needs of the baby.  In fact, this is a recurring theme: the baby’s nutritional needs are given priority over the mother’s. So, for women who are already marginal for one or more nutrients, they can actually develop a deficiency as a direct result of pregnancy. A common example is anemia. A woman is who mildly anemic with no clinical symptoms of anemia can suddenly become chronically weak and winded when she gets pregnant — simply because the baby needs that iron. Given that DHA is known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and that the baby’s needs will be given priority over the mother’s, it makes even more sense to supplement with DHA. This is why prenatal vitamins are recommended not just during pregnancy, but also in the months leading up to pregnancy for any woman who is is trying to conceive. Building up your DHA levels before becoming pregnant is good for your health and reduces the likelihood of deficiency during pregnancy.

Of course, it should also be mentioned that DHA deficiency is relatively rare. The reason is that DHA can be made from other fatty acids which are abundant in most diets. However — and this is where Chiral Balance’s interest in PCOS dovetails with the DHA story — there is one large caveat worth mentioning. The conversion of other fatty acids to DHA is actually reduced by testosterone. In fact, in a group of people eating the same foods, women will have higher DHA than men for precisely this reason. In the PCOS community, testosterone is usually elevated, and you can imagine where that leads: increased risk for DHA deficiency. So, given the clear benefits of DHA for both the mother and the baby, it only makes sense to include DHA in a prenatal formulation. And it makes sense for women, especially PCOS women, who are trying to conceive to seek out healthy dietary sources as well.

Common SIGNS of PCOS include:

• Hyperandrogenism/hyperandrogenemia
  These are two related terms. Hyperandrogenemia can be broken down into words parts which makes its meaning clear and easy to remember. Hyper is a prefix meaning “excessive”. Androgen is a root referring to male hormones — which comes from two other word parts: andro, which means “man” or “male”; and gen, which means “to make” or “cause”. Thus, an androgen is something that makes you masculine or causes male features. -Emia is a suffix that means “a condition of the blood”. So, we can see that hyperandrogenemia is a blood condition with an excess of hormones that cause male features. Hyperandrogenism is the collection of symptoms that result from hyperandrogenemia, and it comes from all the same word parts, except it uses the suffix -ism, which refers to a state of being. All of which can cause the following:

• Hirsutism
  This comes from the word hirsute, meaning “hairy”, and the suffix -ism, which means “state of being”. So hirsutism is the state of being hairy, and it refers to the unwanted facial and body hair that comes from having excessive male hormones — androgens: testosterone or DHEA, for example.

• Androgenic alopecia
  Here we have the familiar word part androgen with the suffix -ic that means “of something” or “relating to something”. Alopecia comes from a Greek word that means “fox-mange” (some of our word parts don’t make a lot of sense to modern people, but we’re stuck with them for historical reasons), and it means “bald”. So androgenic alopecia is baldness related to androgens, and any woman with PCOS who has thin head hair probably knows how unpleasant it can be.

• Acne
  This one doesn’t need much explanation, anyone who’s ever had a pimple knows what acne is. But the word does have an interesting origin. It comes from the Greek word akmas (meaning “point”). But, sometime around the 6th century, a scribe copied down aknas instead of akmas, and from that we get the word acne today. There are many different types of acne, but most adult women with severe acne have PCOS.

• Amenorrhea/Ologimenorrhea
  Again, the word parts are a great way to define these terms. Menorrhea comes from two roots: meno meaning month and rrhea meaning flow. So this part refers to your monthly flow, or menses (which actually just means “monthly”). The prefixes a- and ologo- mean “none/no/absent” and “few/insufficient”, respectively. Many women with PCOS go months at a time without a cycle or any menstrual flow, and some have never had a natural period in their entire lives. You’ll also sometimes hear the terms primary amenorrhea and secondary amenorrhea. This just refers to whether the condition began at puberty or later in life. Not all clinicians think that it is useful to distinguish between primary and secondary amenorrhea, but others do. It can be part of differential diagnosis in some cases.
• Anovulation
  Anyone who is trying to conceive knows what ovulation is: it is the point in a woman’s cycle when the egg fully matures and is released from the ovary and is ready to be fertilized by a sperm. This comes right after the follicular phase of egg maturation and requires a special hormonal signal that women with PCOS don’t produce. Thus, many women with PCOS do not ovulate (the prefix “an-” just means “none/no/absent”). Anovulation actually leads to another sign of PCOS, which is:
• Polycystic Ovaries
  This sign actually puts the PCO in PCOS, but unfortunately it is a little misleading as a term. A cyst is pretty much any fluid-filled cavity in the body (it comes from the Greek word kystis which means “bladder” or “pouch”). However, the “cysts” on the ovaries of women with PCOS are actually eggs stuck in the follicular phase. This phase of egg maturation comes just before ovulation, and since many women with PCOS never ovulate, they wind up with lots of eggs trapped in this phase. Sometimes, these follicles can go on to form a true cyst, but much of the time the “cysts” observed during ultrasound of women with PCOS aren’t true cysts at all. They are follicles that never finished ripening and were never released.
• Hyperinsulinemia
  This is too much (hyper) insulin in the blood (-emia). Insulin is a very powerful hormone that tells the body when to dispose of sugar in the blood. Many women with PCOS are insulin resistant, meaning their body’s cells don’t respond to insulin the way they should. Since the sugar doesn’t get disposed of, it builds up in the blood, which stimulates production of more insulin. This is a vicious cycle that can be very dangerous if it goes uncontrolled and can lead to type II diabetes in the long term and a life-threatening conditon called ketoacidosis if it goes untreated for long enough.
• Hyperglycemia
  This is too much sugar (the root glyco means “sugar”) in the blood. It is caused by insulin resistance and it in turn can cause:
• Polydypsia
  This comes from the roots poly, meaning “many/excessive” and dypsos, meaning “thirst”. The suffix -ia is a very common suffix in medicine that means “condition”. So, this is a condition of excessive thirst.
• Polyuria
  The root uro just means, you guessed it: “urine”. This is a condition of excessive urination. Not entirely unexpected if one is already experiencing polydypsia.
• Obesity/Overweight
  Many women with PCOS are obese or overweight, and a woman with PCOS is significantly more likely than a woman without PCOS to be obese or overweight. This is probably a result of insulin resistance, although other factors can play important roles. Moreover, women with PCOS, because they have hyperandrogenism, will frequently have a masculinized adipose distribution. This means that their excess weight will go to the midriff, typical of men, as opposed to the breasts, buttocks, and thighs, which is typical of women.

Common SYMPTOMS of PCOS include:

• Depression
  Depression is more common and more severe in women with PCOS than in those without PCOS. This has been shown in numerous studies over several decades. Some of this may be caused by the abnormal hormonal profile, and there also appears to be a link between body satisfaction (which is affected by many signs of PCOS) and depression.
• Anxiety
  Feelings of worry or uneasiness are slightly more common in women with PCOS than in those without PCOS. It is still unclear whether this is related primarily to the hormonal changes associated with PCOS or to coping with the social pressure of PCOS signs.
• Mood Swings
  Women with PCOS often report mood swings, significant changes in mood without an obvious cause. This may be linked to dramatic changes in blood sugar and the many hormonal imbalances that often accompany PCOS.

There has been a lot of buzz recently about myo-inositol and PCOS. Some of the “articles” circulating on sites like the Examiner read much less like a serious journalistic endeavor and much more like a paid advertisement for a particular brand of myo-inositol. I’m writing this piece to give a more balanced account of the primary literature on myo-inositol, D-chiro-inositol, PCOS and insulin resistance. Here you’ll find evidence-based reasoning and hopefully decide which form of inositol is right for you to try. This is a very big topic, but along the way, I hope to inform anyone reading this of the similarities and differences between myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol.

Let’s start with some important biochemistry terminology. This will give us a common language, provide context for the discussion and illustrate the most fundamental difference between myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol. In the terms of biochemistry, myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol are what are known as chiral epimers of each other.

The easiest and most common analogy used to explain chiral epimers is the human hand. Take a look down at your hands right now. You’ve known your whole life that your left and right hand are mirror images of each other. Now, lay one hand on top of the other. You’ll immediately notice that they are not superimposable — meaning they don’t neatly overlap. That is the essence of chiral epimers; chiral epimers are any two molecules which are non-superimposable mirror images of each other, like your left and right hands. This is a very important concept in biochemistry. And, it is the most fundamental difference between myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol. They have the same exact molecular weight and are made of all of the same atoms attached in exactly the same ways, except that one is like your left hand and the other is like your right hand. This has some important biochemical consequences and leads to all of their functional differences.

Probably the most important similarity between myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol is that they are both used during insulin signal transduction³. They both serve as second messengers, with different but equally necessary and complementary roles. Both are crucial to good health, and a deficiency in either can lead to sub-optimal wellness. They are both used in different tissues of the body in a variety of roles. For example, D-chiro-inositol activates an enzyme called pyruvate dehydrogenase, which is a very important energy metabolism enzyme⁴. Activating it is an important step in proper glucose disposal. Myo-inositol has several important roles too. And insulin signaling is a very active area of research, so our understanding is improving every year. In addition to insulin signaling, myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol are used in a variety of other signaling pathways. But let’s not get sidetracked with signaling pathways aside from insulin.

The insulin signaling pathway is particularly interesting in PCOS. This is because one of the most common features of PCOS is insulin resistance⁴. In fact, even PCOS women who aren’t insulin resistant at the time that they’re diagnosed with PCOS are more likely to develop insulin resistance later in life than their peers without PCOS. And PCOS women with insulin resistance are more likely to develop type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome (aka syndrome X), which are themselves risk factors for a host of health problems. Based on this observation, lots of research has tried to identify genetic risk factors for PCOS by looking at genes related to insulin metabolism. To date, the results have been hazy, with no clear genetic causes for PCOS. Studies have largely focused on genes that are known risk factors for type II diabetes. However, a large body of evidence points to errors in inositol metabolism as a possible cause for PCOS.

Identifying genetic factors in inositol metabolism is a focus of active research. The conversion of myo-inositol to D-chiro-inositol is particularly interesting because errors here have been strongly implicated in PCOS. The conversion is also interesting because Myo-inositol is abundant in a variety of foods and D-chiro-inositol isn’t¹. In fact, urinary excretion of D-chiro-inositol has been shown to be greater than dietary intake in healthy adults⁴. This means that the body must make D-chiro-inositol. Strong circumstantial evidence supports the theory that the body makes D-chiro-inositol from myo-inositol. And more evidence suggests that some people are less able to make this conversion than others. An inability to make this conversion would lead to an imbalance in the ratio of D-chiro-inositol to myo-inositol. And, since both are necessary for separate but complimentary roles in insulin signaling, changes in either direction could have negative effects.

One model for the etiology of PCOS proposes that impaired conversion of myo-inotiol (MYO) to D-chiro-inositol (DCI) leads to an elevated ratio of MYO/DCI⁴. This in turn leads to overproduction of testosterone and all of the other symptoms of PCOS. Some people take this model and see it as black and white: either you make the conversion or you don’t. This leads to a lot of bad hypotheses and incorrect conclusions. Considering the spectrum of human genetic diversity (take height for example), why should this trait be black/white, yes/no, or on/off? With a little imagination, we can see this impaired conversion of myo-inositol to D-chiro-inositol as a spectrum. Some women make the conversion efficiently, and they have no symptoms of PCOS. Others may make the conversion with some degree of efficiency, but not quite enough to have an optimal MYO/DCI ratio. Their symptoms may be mild. At the other end of the spectrum some people would be completely unable to make this conversion, and they would consequently present with the most severe symptoms. And, as part of the human tapestry, there would be everything in between as well.

Which brings us to the question of which inositol is right for me? Along this spectrum, people who are completely unable to convert myo-inositol to D-chiro-inositol are only going to benefit from supplementation with D-chiro-inositol. Other people who make the conversion, but with less than optimal efficiency, may benefit from large doses of myo-inositol. And, folks in between, might see the best results from a blend of the two. Interestingly, clinical trials have shown that large doses of myo-inositol (4000 mg daily) benefit women with PCOS and smaller doses of D-chiro-inositol (1200 mg daily) benefit women with PCOS also. It might be tempting to think that there is a conflict here, that one set of studies must be false. But, keep in mind the following; clinical data are always averages. If you take a group of women with PCOS all along the spectrum, some might see phenomenal results with myo-inositol and others might see phenomenal results with D-chiro-inositol. But, on average, both treatments will appear to be effective. And, if you review the literature on D-chiro-inositol, myo-inositol, and PCOS, you’ll find that they all dovetail very nicely with the view of PCOS as s spectrum of impaired conversion of myo-inositol to D-chiro-inositol.

This is far from the whole story of PCOS, but it is a good introduction, I hope. And, hopefully, it will help readers decide whether to choose myo-inositol or D-chiro-inositol: that is, to choose what works for them. Inositol metabolism is by no means the whole story of PCOS; clearly environmental and lifestyle choices make a difference. And there are doubtless multiple genetic factors that contribute to the variation in both severity and type of symptoms that each individual has. But, the clinical successes (not to mention the anecdotal) of D-chiro-inositol are reconciled with the clinical successes of myo-inositol by thinking of PCOS as a spectrum. And, after all, as anyone who has ever been to a PCOS support group can tell you, PCOS comes in all shapes and sizes.

¹R S Clements, Jr, and B Darnell. “Myo-inositol content of common foods: development of a high-myo-inositol diet”. Am J Clin Nutr 1980 33: 1954-67. PMID 7416064.

² Sun TH, Heimark DB, Nguygen T, Nadler JL, Larner J (2002). “Both myo-inositol to chiro-inositol epimerase activities and chiro-inositol to myo-inositol ratios are decreased in tissues of GK type 2 diabetic rats compared to Wistar controls”. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 293 (3): 1092-8. PMID 12051772.

³ Nestler JE, Jakubowicz DJ, Iuorno MJ (2000). ”Role of inositolphosphoglycan mediators of insulin action in the polycystic ovary syndrome”. J. Pediatr. Endocrinol. Metab. 13 Suppl 5: 1295-8. PMID 11117673.

⁴ Larner J (2002). “D-chiro-inositol—its functional role in insulin action and its deficit in insulin resistance”. Int. J. Exp. Diabetes Res. 3 (1): 47-60. PMID 11900279.

⁵ Nestler JE, Jakubowicz DJ, Reamer P, Gunn RD, Allan G (1999). “Ovulatory and metabolic effects of D-chiro-inositol in the polycystic ovary syndrome”. N. Engl. J. Med. 340 (17): 1314-20. PMID 10219066.

⁶ Luorno MJ, Jakubowicz DJ, Baillargeon JP, et al (2002). “Effects of d-chiro-inositol in lean women with the polycystic ovary syndrome”. Endocrine practice 8 (6): 417-23. PMID 15251831.

What is PCOS? That is a very good question, and you’d get very different answers depending on whom you asked. For example, an endocrinologist or ObGyn would probably give you a clinical definition. She might tell you that PCOS is short for PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome, and that it has gone by many different names over the years including PCOD (PolyCystic Ovary Disease), PFOD (PolyFollicular Ovarian Disease) and also Stein-Leventhal Syndrome, named for two doctors who first published a description of the syndrome. She might go on to tell you that we’ve “known” about PCOS for almost 80 years and that its clinical definition has evolved in that time.

The NIH published criteria in 1990 (PMID: 21263450). A meeting of specialists voted to include a new criterion in 2003. The Androgen Excess Society (AES) published their own criteria in 2006 (PMID: 20186113). As recently as September 2011, a new study strongly suggested the minimum number of follicles per ovary should be revised from 12 up to 19 in order to diagnose PCOS. So, hopefully you can see that the exact clinical definition of PCOS is still changing and will continue to evolve as our understanding improves.

For now though, PCOS is generally defined as having hyperandrogenism plus polycystic ovaries and/or irregular menstrual cycle. There are several of other health issues that can mimic PCOS, so they need to be ruled out before a diagnosis of PCOS is made.

There are other ways to define and describe PCOS though. For example, you could say that PCOS is the leading cause of female infertility in the US. You could also say PCOS is a major risk factor for numerous other health issues like metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart attack, precocious puberty, miscarriage, and premature ovarian failure. All of these would be good answers to the question “What is PCOS?”. And yet even the best answer would still be incomplete. Until we have a clearly defined etiology (or etiologies, since it is quite unlikely that there is just one) for PCOS, any answer we give will be incomplete. But, research continues, our understanding improves, and someday we will know what causes PCOS.

Stacy’s Progress after episode 4:

Age: 23

Starting weight: 224 pounds

Wants to lose: 50 pounds

Pounds lost after fourth episode:  0

Pounds lost so far:  12

From Bravo’s bio: Stacy is an actress, singer and stand-up comedian who recently moved to Los Angeles from Seattle. Stacy has many interests, all of which she attacks with energy, humor, and passion. She loves to cook, paint, and has an inescapable love of fashion. Stacy is very passionate about pursuing a career in the arts and is hoping that Jackie’s program will provide her with the drive and motivation to pursue her dreams along with a body she is comfortable in. Stacy has been diagnosed with PCOS, a hormone imbalance that makes it difficult for her to lose weight quickly. Stacy’s weight loss goal for the show is 50 pounds. Text and image from Bravo.com.

3 New Products Just for Women with PCOS! The PCOS community is familiar with many ingredients in our new products, but these supplements are unlike anything you’ve experienced. Chiral Balance has listened to the needs of our customers and perfected our new product line.

How They’re Different: precision in capsule dosage, high-quality, standardized preparation of ingredients, and best of all — affordable pricing.

Chiral Balance Retress – NOW AVAILABLE! Click to order!

Hair & Skin
Many women with PCOS struggle with loss of head hair, unwanted body hair, darkened skin in the underarms, neck, and groin, skin tags, and early onset of liver spots. Loss of head hair and unwanted body hair are both caused by the presence of too much male hormone. Chiral Balance’s new product, Hair Health, combines two herbs to help with all of these symptoms.

Ingredients:

• Saw Palmetto is an herb that weakens the action of male hormones, thereby protecting the hair of the scalp and preventing it from falling out. The herb also protects the follicles over the rest of the body to keep body hair from growing longer, thicker, and darker.
• Milk Thistle has been shown to protect the liver from stress and even help repair existing damage. The liver is the body’s clearinghouse and needs to be in good working order to maintain healthy skin. Male hormones and insulin resistance put stress on the liver; in one study 55% of women with PCOS were found to have fatty liver disease and most of them had no knowledge of having the disease.

Chiral Balance Vitex — NOW AVAILABLE! Click here to order!

Fertility
The simplest of our new formulations is Vitex, also called chasteberry or vac, a long-time standard of Trying-To-Conceive (TTC) members of the PCOS community.

While the exact mechanism of Vitex’s action is still unclear, centuries of traditional medicine and now modern research both agree: Vitex can improve fertility and help regulate menstrual cycles.

As an added benefit, many of the active ingredients in Vitex are also being investigated as therapeutic agents in cancer treatment.

Ingredients:

• Vitex Agnus Castus: Chiral Balance sources a high-quality, standardized preparation of the dried berries.

Chiral Balance Tri Sense — AVAILABLE SOON!

Insulin Sensitivity
One of the most common symptoms of PCOS is insulin resistance. Chiral Balance D-chiro-inositol is one of the most effective insulin sensitizers anywhere, backed by years of positive customer experiences and several clinical trials. There is no substitute for Chiral Balance DCI, but we’re pleased to offer a new support product: Tri Sense.

Ingredients:

• Cinnamon, rich in sensitivity-boosting polyphenols. Everyone has heard of it, many people take it, but did you know that too little or too much cinnamon can be ineffective? We’ve optimized the dose to 500 mg, taken twice daily.
• Chromium as propionate. Unlike polynicotinate and picolinate, chromium as propionate is not a suspected carcinogen and is more bioavailable (the quantity of the dose that is absorbed).
• Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a marvelous flavonoid. EGCG is one of the active ingredients in green tea extract. In addition to being a potent anti-oxidant and cancer-fighter, the ingredient is also great support for insulin sensitivity.
• Vitamin D3, long known for relieving PCOS symptoms, has years of historical association with PCOS along with dozens of studies to support the supplement’s benefits.
]]> http://www.chiralbalance.com/3-new-chiral-balance-products/feed/ 20 http://www.chiralbalance.com/experience-chiral-balance-dci/ http://www.chiralbalance.com/experience-chiral-balance-dci/#comments Sun, 28 Mar 2010 23:27:41 +0000 admin http://chiralbalance.com/?p=498

Taking Chiral Balance D-chiro-inositol: what to expect.

How should I take my Chiral Balance D-chiro-inositol?

In the original studies of D-chiro-inositol (DCI), DCI was administered in the morning before food. For that reason, Chiral Balance recommends this time of day. We also recommend taking Chiral Balance DCI with water, because the supplement is a water-soluble nutrient.

It is important to take Chiral Balance DCI on a regular schedule. If you forget or miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as possible and resume your regular schedule the next day.

Will I need to take Chiral Balance D-chiro-inositol forever?

Whatever benefits you experience from using Chiral Balance D-chiro-inositol will continue as long as you use the supplement as a natural part of healthy metabolism. Any symptoms Chiral Balance D-chiro-inositol has relieved will likely return if you stop taking the supplement.

]]> http://www.chiralbalance.com/experience-chiral-balance-dci/feed/ 274 http://www.chiralbalance.com/online-ordering-chiralbalance-com/ http://www.chiralbalance.com/online-ordering-chiralbalance-com/#comments Sun, 28 Mar 2010 23:27:18 +0000 admin http://chiralbalance.com/?p=496

Placing, paying for, and receiving orders for D-chiro-inositol on ChiralBalance.com.

 

Which domestic shipping option should I choose?

We offer free shipping via First Class Mail (3-5 days to most US destinations). Express Mail provides a faster turnaround time, usually one day.

Which international shipping option should I choose?

We can ship your package by Priority Mail International or Express Mail International.  Priority Mail costs less, but Express Mail is faster. Keep in mind that most of the time it takes for your shipment to reach you is spent in customs, and Express Mail is only going to bring it to your border faster.

Can I order Chiral Balance products outside the USA?

Ordering  from the UK

Chiral Balance UK distributor, Eco Therapies, exclusively fulfills all orders within the United Kingdom. Ordering direct from Eco Therapies cuts shipping time from weeks to days, reducing the possibility of interrupting your DCI regimen. Additionally, UK customers who order from Eco Therapies avoid VAT duties, which significantly reduces the cost.

Ordering  from Canada


British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfounland all have HST. Shipments to Canada within these provinces will be subject to taxes and duties.

Ordering from Other Nations

Chiral Balance can ship our D-chiro-inositol internationally to several other countries and territories: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Macau, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, St. Lucia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and Trinidad & Tobago. Most of the countries will assess taxes, duties, VAT, etc. Check with your postal carrier or local customs office before ordering. The harmonized tariff code for our product is 2936.29. The legal classification for D-chiro-inositol differs from country to country. If your country is not listed above, Chiral Balance must research importation rules to determine whether or not we can ship to your country. If you do not see your country on this list, please contact us at info@chiralbalance.com.

If DCI doesn’t work for me, can I get a refund?

Absolutely. Chiral Balance offers a money-back guarantee. Within 60 days from date of purchase, you can return the unused portion of your FIRST ORDER for a full refund. If you have questions, please contact us at info@chiralbalance.com.

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