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Improving fertility and weight loss with a PCOS-like hormonal imbalance

  • Marion Mackonochie
    Marion Mackonochie

    Marion Mackonochie is a medical herbalist and member of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy. She initially studied a degree in pharmacology and worked in publishing on drug discovery journals. Feeling a disillusioned by what she could see of the pharmaceutical industry and being a lover of plants, she retrained with a degree in herbal medicine followed by a masters in phytochemistry and medicinal natural products.

    Everything Marion does, from seeing patients to planning research projects as Senior Herbal Specialist at Pukka Herbs, is aimed at figuring out what works best for every individual. She is passionate about helping people gain control of their own health through diet, lifestyle and herbal medicine. Every consultation allows her to learn from the narratives of others, but she is also interested in the wider narrative of the history of medicine and how we have got to where we are with herbal medicine and health.

    Marion lives and practises by the sea in Brighton, growing herbs in her garden, making skincare products and spending as much time in nature as she can.

    Listen to Marion Mackonochie’s Herbcast episode “Harnessing Hepatics: Marion Mackonochieā€™s On Herbs For Liver Health

  • 9:59 reading time (ish)

A case study by Marion Mackonochie

Introduction

This was one of my first hormonal cases and it was a great learning experience, as it was clear that the patientā€™s willingness to make positive changes to diet and lifestyle were key alongside the herbs. I will now often tell patients that the act of taking their tincture is a little regular reminder that they are taking care of themselves because it is important and they are worth it.

Poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal imbalance in which androgen levels are chronically high and can cause symptoms such as irregular or absent menstruation, hirsutism, acne, infertility and weight gain. It is the most common hormonal disorder in women of reproductive age, affecting around 20% of women, and is strongly associated with metabolic disorders such as obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation and type 2 diabetes. Women with PCOS are much more likely to have heart attacks or heart disease than women who donā€™t. Weight loss and successful control of blood sugar levels are effective ways to counter the hormonal imbalance, so it is an ideal candidate for treatment with herbs, dietary and lifestyle advice.

Marion Mackonochie

Marion Mackonochie is a medical herbalist and member of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy. She initially studied a degree in pharmacology and worked in publishing on drug discovery... Read more

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