This is interview #3 in a month-long series highlighting women with PCOS.

If you just found this series, then make sure you go check out interview #1 and #2.

September is PCOS Awareness Month. In hopes to spread awareness about this condition and how it affects women of all ages and types; for the entire month, I am shining the spotlight on amazing women who just so happen to have PCOS.

The goal of this interview series is to show you that PCOS comes in many different forms. No two women with PCOS are the same. Women with PCOS do not have a certain body type. Women with PCOS come in all shapes in sizes. PCOS does not discriminate.

If you are struggling with PCOS symptoms, know that you are not alone. You will see that these women have been where you are and understand the emotional side of PCOS. Hopefully, these honest and real answers will inspire you and bring you hope.

Today’s interview is with Harmony Patton. Harmony is a certified FDN Practitioner. She is a fellow blogger as well. Harmony has a blog dedicated to helping women manage their health and hormones. Harmony practices what she preaches and was able to successfully heal her acne naturally. She is also a busy mom of one.

Below you will see the Q&A that I had with Harmony.

1. When did you get diagnosed with PCOS and did you have a difficult time getting diagnosed by a doctor?

I was diagnosed back in 2014. I was 23 at the time and the actual diagnosis wasn’t necessarily hard. When I went to the doctors office I had been spotting for 8 months straight and my skin was OUT OF CONTROL.

So the doctor took a blood test and said my testosterone was “slightly” elevated so she decided to do an ultrasound. She called me with the results of the ultrasound and let me know that my ovaries were lined with cysts “like a pearl necklace”.

She said the acne and spotting were related, but the only thing didn’t correlate was my low weight. But with enough of the symptoms present she gave the diagnosis and told me I could either get on the pill, take progesterone to induce a “period” 4x per year, and discuss fertility treatment options when the time came.

Worst phone call I’ve ever gotten to this day!

2. Did your health issues prompt you to become a Certified FDN Practitioner? Tell me a little about what that is and how you got started.

Definitely! My own challenges and experience with working SO HARD to heal myself not only to clear my skin but also to regain my fertility made me know that I HAD to share that with the world and help other women see that it is possible not only to HEAL but to do so 100% naturally without any prescriptions and side effects.

As far as becoming a certified FDN Practitioner, lab work was extremely helpful in my healing journey, especially when it came to getting my period back and my PCOS fully under control. I already had so much knowledge about natural healing and was self taught in so much around that but I knew I needed to take it a step further in order to serve on the level I was called to serve in order to help women truly HEAL. I knew lab work had to be a part of that. So really when I heard about the program there was never even a question in my mind on IF I should do it or not, it was more so a matter of WHEN.

Everything about the FDN philosophy was in line with what I already believed in for healing, the training just further solidified my belief in taking a full body approach to healing including addressing diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction and supplementation. SO that means mindset, happiness, activity, energy work and topical products all come into play with my clients healing!. The training itself went far beyond food and supplements and for that I am so grateful! Our entire approach is around being health detectives. Searching for possible clues, and triggers, for health issues instead of chasing symptoms we ask WHY. And of course using amazing functional lab work for that comprehensive view of what’s REALLY happening in the body instead of guessing! I could talk about this all day!

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3. Which PCOS symptoms do you struggle (or have struggled) with the most?

The most challenging for me has always been consistently ovulating and having a period. It’s one of those things I need to monitor closely and can slip out of alignment pretty easily!

4. How have you had success managing your PCOS (any tips or tricks that have worked for you)?

For me diet has been HUGE. Making sure to avoid foods that I’m sensitive to and cause an inflammatory response in my body.

Getting an MRT food sensitivity panel done for this was VERY helpful as well!

For me I have to make sure I’m maintaining healthy stress levels as well as my weight. Mostly I have to make sure I don’t get too thin or exercise too much. That throws me off pretty quickly.

Also taking the proper supplements is always key for me when it comes to my cycle and ovulation. Specifically my go to supplement has always been Cenitol. It’s my all time fav!

5. I know you have shared a lot about struggling with acne in the past. What helped you clear your skin?

Oh gosh, acne is SO SO SO tricky! Simply because it’s a detox mechanism in our body so it can be triggered by so many different things! It could be hormonal, leaky gut, infestation, infection, dysbiosis, liver, thyroid, autoimmunity, and so much more!

One thing I will say though is that it ALL goes together. It’s a unique concoction for everyone but there is never just ONE small thing wrong. I always say by the time you’re breaking out you’ve already caused a ton of damage. I have gone through many different phases with my skin and truly it depends WHAT is causing the breakout to determine what will help.

But definitely there is no denying how crucial diet is when healing your skin. If you’re eating foods that cause internal inflammation then it’s a losing battle no matter what is causing your breakouts. That’s why paleo and especially AIP are so healing, because you remove all toxic processed shit that your body can’t actually handle AT ALL. Then you start eating foods you never have before! Variety and nutrient density is KEY!

Also ditching toxic fragrances, home cleaners, and beauty products is SO important! And one thing that’s often super overlooked?

Fluoride.

It messes with your thyroid and lymphatic system and is 100% tied into acne breakouts. SO make sure to drink a fluoride free water, and look into the book The Hidden Cause of Acne by Melissa Gallico! It’s amazing!

6. What does your skincare routine look like?

Honestly it changes a lot.

Right now I am using a charcoal and clay cleanser twice a week, then either oil cleansing with grapeseed oil or just water cleansing on the days in between.

Throughout the day I am OBSESSED with using lavender essential oil and peppermint essential oil directly on new and healing cysts. They are AHMAZING as a spot treatment!

I also use a serum from a company called Rejuviss which I have been loving and an occasional rose water mist from Blue Lemon Beauty.

I try to just play it by ear in a sense. I pay attention to my skin and what it needs then I act accordingly! Plus I don’t wear foundation so I don’t have to worry about taking off makeup.

7. What benefits does the Paleo diet offer for women with PCOS?

Well the biggest thing is that it’s extremely anti-inflammatory.

What I like even better than a regular Paleo diet for women with PCOS is actually and Auto-Immune Protocol (Paleo AIP). It’s SOOOO healing and honestly such a powerful tool!

Both diets focus on EATING a lot of nutrient dense foods. It’s not even so much about what you’re removing (which is important too) but it’s all about what you are eating. The focus switches from macro nutrients to MICRO nutrients and what is actually going to feed your body the nutrients it needs in order to regrow and rebuild.

The things that’s so important to know here though is that it takes TIME. Expecting to see a miraculous change in your skin from changing your diet in a short period of time is not realistic.

It’s a lifestyle change so just think of it as a switching from fake food to REAL food. Know that you’re doing the very best thing for your body, and give yourself some wiggle room to have Paleo or AIP friendly treats here and there! You’ve still got to live!

**GET THE PLAN THE CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR ME!!!**

8. What advice would you give to someone who has just been diagnosed with PCOS?

It is not the end of the world.

I felt like my world was crumbling down around me. I felt like I was broken and would never be fixed. What I want you to know is that not only do you not need any damn fixing, but your body is SO capable of healing. It’s just a matter of working to understand yourself and your body better first. It’s a conscious mental shift of doing what you do out of a love and respect for yourself vs coming from a place of fixing all that is wrong with you.

YOU ARE NOT BROKEN.

You are capable of healing. Trust and believe in yourself. You can do this! And don’t forget to ask for help and don’t always listen to doctors when they tell you shitty options that you disagree with!

9. What keeps you motivated when you are having a bad day or going through a difficult situation?

The VERY best thing ever when you’re feeling down is to take space and time alone. Journal. Ask yourself questions. Dig deep into why you’re feeling this way and just see what comes up.

I used to ALWAYS look towards external things to find “motivation”. Now I know that being motivated doesn’t really mean shit if your energy is off.

SO I focus on me. I meditate, I cleanse my chakras and energy system (look up some YouTube videos) I do deep belly breathing exercises, and honestly? I’ve gotten really okay with not being okay all the damn time. There’s no reason to pretend we’re happy and motivated 24/7. Feeling those shitty feelings is an important part of your healing process. So feel the shit out of it and get really comfortable with being UNCOMFORTABLE.

I will say I do also love listening to podcasts, listening to audio books, or talking to other women I know and trust. Crying is amazing. I’m also a huge fan of Abraham Hicks, Gabby Bernstein, and Tony Robbins.

If you’re struggling specifically with healing and your diet etc. I love to immerse myself in the culture - so if you’re doing AIP follow a ton of people doing AIP including the experts. Listen to podcasts about it, really just make it the most normal thing ever and doing so will 100% help get your BELIEF behind what you’re doing. That’s most important. That you believe in what you’re doing and in your own ability to heal.

But again, sometimes I really think it’s just okay to not be okay. And that’s that.

10. What is the best piece of health advice you have ever received?

WOW this is a REALLY hard question.

I think the idea of eating for healing vs dieting for some external result was huge for me and changed my entire life really.

Looking at INGREDIENTS instead of nutritional facts.

What was the source of my food? A chemical? Or something from nature?

Actually giving a shit what I was putting in my body vs abusing myself to be skinny or eating like shit to numb the pain.

It shifted my entire view of food. Suddenly I wasn’t worried about if the food I was eating would make me fat anymore, but I just thought about the larger effect and implications it had on my body internally.

Was this food going to help heal me? Or was it going to cause damage? This also allowed me to throw portions out the damn window. Suddenly I could eat whatever the hell I wanted as long as it fell under the umbrella of paleo or AIP. Hello freedom! Lord knows when you’re working hard to heal yourself you do NOT want to cause anymore damage!

I'd like to thank Harmony Patton for her time and willingness to share her experiences. I encourage you to check out her blog and follow her on Instagram where she shares her journey and life with PCOS.

If you are enjoying this series, please share them on social media! Let's help spread awareness about PCOS.

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PCOS Awareness Interview with Harmony Patton