Hey y'all! I hope everyone is enjoying the transition of seasons like I am! Today I wanted to write up a blog post about a supplement I started taking, and give you as much information as I possibly can... along with my experience! Lets start with some background information.
In ninth grade I started getting unbearably sick and began trying to find out why. Through lots of testing, I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and learned what my triggers were overtime; however, while receiving ultrasound testing, I was told I had cysts on my ovaries. In my late teens, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) by my gynecologist and was informed that my ovaries looked like they were covered in "a string of pearls," which would explain why I suffered with extremely irregular periods. I was told my irregularity could be a health concern and if I go three months without a period, I would need to call my gynecologist to be prescribed progesterone. This hormone in pill form would force me to start a period, and over the years... I would say I had to rely on this at least five/six times.
In continuation, as most of you may know or have seen, I suffer with some glorious acne-prone skin. I have had acne since middle school (which would probably correlate to my menstrual cycle), so it's been a long time... with lots of pimples. Over the years I noticed my acne started becoming more cystic and appearing only along my cheeks and chin-- a common symptom of PCOS. I felt hopeless and everything I tried just failed. My mom suggested seeing a dermatologist, my gynecologist suggested trying birth control, so on and so forth. I could still do these things but I saw something that made me feel hopeful.
Katy Hearn, a fitness guru on Instragram, developed a company with her husband Haydn Schneider. The company is called Alani Nu (Alani Nutrition) and they offer many supplements, but one that has become extremely popular is Balance. Balance is "strategically designed to support hormonal balance, weight management, complexion, and fertility." It retails for $49.99 and you are supposed to take
four capsules every morning with a meal, so you receive a 30 day supply of Balance which is 120 capsules in total! I follow both Katy and Haydn on Instagram and they often post customer reviews and it seemed like so many people who reviewed Balance, claimed to suffer from PCOS and raved about this product. After reading tons and tons of reviews with symptoms that mirrored my own, I decided to try it out.
Before continuing on to read my weekly reviews, please read this section! Before taking any supplement, it is recommended you consult with your physician. I take two medications regularly (one for mild anxiety and one for acid reflux) and I consulted with
two pharmacists before purchasing Balance to ensure it would not counteract or interfere with my medications. Once I was cleared, I bought it and began taking it. While scrolling through the images (which were all taken first thing in the morning using my great front-facing iPhone camera), please note the left side of my face is the left image, and the right side is right image for every single week shown!
[Above photos are taken from the night before and the next morning, when I began taking Balance. I had just finished cleaning my face in the first photo set, so of course the morning image is less inflamed... you get the gist!]
BOTTLE ONE (began taking August 27, 2018)
Week 1: I noticed my energy levels improved significantly. As soon as I'd open my eyes in the morning, with or without an alarm, I felt wide awake and ready to start my day which was never the case for me... prior to Balance, I could sleep in until my alarm woke me after 11am and still need to roll over for more sleep. I also noticed I started sleeping through the night! I'd usually wake up three/four times a night, but now I only wake-up around 6am (when my dog has to go out, routinely). The downside? I broke out nearly everywhere on my face, including places I rarely ever got a pimple... like my forehead! I did read that this is common when taking the supplement because your body is adjusting, so I didn't count it out just yet!
Week 2: I continued to experience all the same side effects as in Week 1, but I noticed I started getting irritable this week.
Week 3: All the same effects from week 1; however my mood started to subtly improve within this week. My breakouts were still present, but they were no longer in my cheek-bone area, they fell all around my jawline. I thought by week 3 I would notice a significant improvement in my skin, but Katy did share some reviews where people said it took nearly the entire four weeks to start seeing changes in their complexion. Being my PCOS is fairly "extreme," I think I might be one of the people who start noticing clearer skin sometime during my second bottle. (P.S. I had my night guard in ... hence the puffy lips in the photos).
Week 4: Week 4 continues with sound sleeping and improved energy/mood. During this week, my break-outs started to lessen and my skin texture felt fairly smooth (I did still have acne discoloration down near my jawline at this point). I also want to note, I got my period on 8/24 and started taking Balance on 8/27, so my period would have been due around 9/21 if I fell into a normal monthly cycle. At the start of the third week (9/17) I experienced extremely mild spotting, but that went away within a few hours and my period did not come on the four week mark; however, nearing the end of week 4 I experienced a break out again (as seen in the photos).
BOTTLE TWO (began taking September 25, 2018)
Week 5: As I am approaching the date which I am supposed to get my period (October 5th, based off a six week cycle), my skin is calming down from a flare up.
Week 6: Still no period, and my acne flare up is toning down still, but I have news! In high school, my highest weight was 156lbs at 5'4" tall. I went on weight watchers and got myself down to about 145lbs and from there I started weight training. I fluctuated between 138lbs and 143lbs before tracking my food and suggested macros (on MyFitnessPal)... which is when I figured out I was under eating for my activity level and all that jazz. So, when I got into a regular eating cycle, I was able to maintain my 138lbs weight. Over this past week, I noticed people have been asking me if I lost weight and I didn't think so because nothing I have been doing has changed-- plus, I normally retain water weight around my cycle. I weighed myself today and I did drop about a pound but I noticed my stomach looks different. My stomach is my struggle spot and it just appears less bloated... could this be Balance? I am not sure, but I figured it was worth a mention.
Week 7 & 8: Nothing has really changed since week 6. I am still looking/feeling the same other than the fact that I am suffering from cramping. Lets hope this amounts to my cycle starting!
After finishing my second full bottle of Balance, I began taking two a day (instead of four) while moving onto my third bottle. I still feel really good. My energy levels are great... I still sleep great... my skin remained the same-- I also saw a dermatologist. I would say Balance definitely helped my skin, mood, and sleeping patterns, but I did need to seek medical advice in the end to combat the remaining acne. This product won't work for everyone, but there are other benefits besides clear skin. Also, two weeks into the bottle (so ten weeks from the start of the supplement)... I finally got my period!
Now, I just have a brief product overview before closing out! The capsules are veggie capsules and are rather large, but Katy said you could open them up and just take the actual supplement powder in shakes or other things to consume it if you cannot swallow the actual capsule. The ingredients in Balance are as listed:
- Folate (as 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate Calcium): 400mcg = 200% DV
- Chromium (as TRAACS Nicotinate Glycinate Chelate): 120mcg = 100% DV
- Myo-Inositol: 2g
- Setria L-Glutathione (Reduced): 250mg
- 3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM): 150mg
- Sodium R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA): 100mg
Other Ingredients: Hypromellose (Veggie Capsule), Silica, Ascorbyl (Vitamin C) Palmitate
It is also "processed in a facility and/or manufacturing line that also processes products containing milk, eggs, soybeans, wheat, shellfish, fish oil, tree nuts, and peanut flavor." For any other information, you can go to Alani Nu's website (listed below), and for any other questions you may have you can contact Alani Nu (they reply pretty fast)! For anyone considering taking Balance, it does require consistency. Obviously my skin has improved quite a bit, but I do still have acne... so I saw a dermatologist who prescribed me Epiduo to spot treat any blemishes that pop up! If you have questions regarding my experience, feel free to comment below!
[All basic information in regards to the product is provided by alaninu.com]
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored & all opinions are my own!
