Managing Syndrome X

Do you have two or more of these symptoms? High blood pressure, high blood sugars, obesity, constant fatigue, infertility, high cholesterol levels, unexplained weight loss or fluctuating changes in your vision? If you answered yes to at least two of these symptoms, you could have Syndrome X. Insulin resistance is usually the symptom that makes people check into the other areas of the condition to determine if in fact they have Syndrome X. Some people also know this condition as Metabolic Syndrome, Syndrome O and even Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS. They are all the basically the same. With PCOS, only women have and they usually aren't even aware of the issues until they hit the symptoms, infertility.

Not everyone has all the symptoms. Just having two of the symptoms can mean that you suffer from Syndrome X. It was more of a mysterious type condition until recent years. Now, the condition is more and more prevalent and more people are coming forth that they have it. Syndrome X is basically a group of medical conditions that when they occur together, define the condition as a whole. Many people that have Syndrome X have insulin resistance, hypertension, and a risk for early coronary artery disease. Women that have Syndrome X, typically have PCOS and that comes with even more symptoms.

Type 2 Diabetes and insulin resistance are the most common part of Syndrome X. This is a medical disorder that involved the blood insulin and blood sugars. Diabetes is the medical condition that affects the body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Some of the most common symptoms of diabetes is excessive thirst, increase in urination, fluctuating changes in vision, unexplained weight loss or gain, fatigue and wounds that do not heal properly. Once diagnosed, many people are able to treat their diabetes with diet and exercise alone. Others may find it necessary to be on medications to control their condition.

Insulin resistance has been also called pre-diabetes. Most people that have insulin resistance will develop full blown Type 2 Diabetes later in life if not controlled properly. Insulin resistance is usually controlled with diet and exercise alone. In some cases, people are put in diabetic drugs to control it. For women with PCOS, insulin resistance is usually the main culprit and once treated, many other symptoms will go away. In PCOS patients that are trying to conceive, diabetic medications have been known to help kick start their reproductive cycles into gear and thus helping them to achieve pregnancies faster and easier than trying other means of becoming pregnant. Helping to treat the insulin resistance for these women usually does the trick. If not, it is a good starting place to get healthy.

Dyslipidemia is another component of Syndrome X. This is the term that means abnormal fats. People with dyslipidemia usually have high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol. Their lipid panel is usually very high. Diet and exercise can help to lower these levels but quite often cannot do the job alone, depending on how high they are. There are special medications that are helpful in lowering these levels to a healthy range.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is another worry when Syndrome X is involved. High blood pressure causes the walls of the arteries to thicken and stiffen. The only way to know for sure that you have hypertension is to check your blood pressure regularly. One high reading does not constitute hypertension. Regular high readings would put up a red flag though. Again, diet and exercise can help out but some require medication to help them get a handle on the situation.

Obesity is another red flag. This is usually the first symptom that many recognize as being an actual symptom. Obesity is a symptom to many conditions. It is an epidemic of huge proportions lately. Childhood obesity is becoming more and more prevalent and that is causing other issues in our next generation. If obesity is left untreated, Syndrome X is almost guaranteed. So many people walk around with Syndrome X and just do not realize it. Obesity should be a concern with or without other symptoms. Obesity leads to diabetes and high blood pressure as well as high cholesterol levels. That can be a deadly combination if left untreated. One sure way of helping to treat obesity is a well balanced diet and daily exercise. If the insulin resistance is treated at the same time, the treatments will go hand in hand and help both problems at a quicker rate.

PCOS is the part of Syndrome X that only affects women. Women with PCOS often experience obesity, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, hair growth in odd places, acne, hormonal imbalances, irregular periods and infertility. Depression is another symptom that some PCOS sufferers experience. Not everyone with PCOS will have all of these conditions and symptoms. In most PCOS patients, there are cysts lining the ovaries and there is an imbalance of female and male hormones. Fertility is usually compromised as well. With hormones all out of whack, it can be very difficult to get pregnant. The best thing to do is to treat the conditions the best you can and that can help you to conceive. You need to be healthy in order to give birth to a healthy baby. Most women with PCOS that do become pregnant get another condition called gestational diabetes. This is the diabetes that only occurs during pregnancy. Once the baby is born, it magically goes away. The risk for developing diabetes or insulin resistance is very high once you have had gestational diabetes. It is best to treat insulin resistance right from the get go with diet and exercise. New studies have come out recently that state that people with insulin resistance and/or PCOS respond very well to taking cinnamon daily. Cinnamon has been found to be very beneficial in stabilizing blood sugar and insulin. Trying natural remedies and treatments have proven to be very helpful to your body, and easy to keep up with.

Syndrome X is diagnosed by a list of symptoms as well as blood tests. Blood tests for insulin, blood sugar, and cholesterol is where the doctor will usually start. These are all fasting tests. There is no definitive cure for Syndrome X. You need to treat each condition individually. Losing weight, regulating your blood sugar, keeping blood pressure down and lowering high levels of cholesterol is what needs to be done to combat this condition. Keeping with a well rounded diet and a daily exercise program is necessary as well. A lifestyle change is what is needed, rather than a diet. In a lifestyle change, you must commit to changing for life. This isn't something that you can just go on to lose the weight and once at your goal weight, go back to your old ways. You must stick with it to succeed.

The complications to an untreated Syndrome X aren't pretty. Kidney disease, infertility, heart attack, heart disease, stroke, and serious eye problems top the list of complications. With a grim list like that, why would anyone not want to take care of this in its early stages? Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is the most serious of the complications to people with Syndrome X. Being obese makes that complication even more possible. Kidney disease is another serious condition that can occur in people with untreated Syndrome X. Diabetic Retinopathy is another possible problem. This is a condition that can affect a diabetic. This can lead to blindness as well.

Infertility can be a very frustrating issue in women with PCOS. Wanting a baby and not being able to get pregnant is detrimental to one's spirit. Treatments are usually very successful. If the insulin resistance is treated, sometimes nothing more needs to be done. If pregnancy is still not happening, there are special ovulation stimulating medications that can be prescribed. If that doesn't work, moving on to insemination and eventually IVF are the next steps. With technology the way it is today, there are many different things that can be done in helping one achieve pregnancy.

The face of Syndrome X is a scary one. Being diagnosed with more than one condition can be very upsetting but it doesn't have to be. Staying on top of your diagnosis and being proactive in your health are two very important factors. Lifestyle changes are the best way to treat your condition and to keep it at bay. Alternative therapies also work wonders. There are even times that people turn to alternative medicine when conventional medicine doesn't work and they find that it did the trick. Educate yourself on your options and way them appropriately. Take care of the Syndrome X problems early and don't ignore them. That is your best defense against further problems later on down the road.