A friend recently shared this article with me. I have had hormone issues since I was a teenager and am constantly looking for more information to help me lead a more balanced life. I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did.
Family Physician Reevaluates Traditional Hormone Treatment
By Dr. Deanna Osborn, D.O.
Hormone imbalance is an epidemic among American women causing many ailments from severe PMS to breast cancer. Estrogen dominance is thought to be the culprit of hormone imbalance.
Symptoms of hormone imbalance include:
PMS
Hot flashes
Difficulty with concentration
Hair loss
Vaginal dryness
Loss of sex drive
Certain auto immune disorders
Migraine headaches
Mood Swings
Depression
Osteoporosis
Fatigue
Fluid Retention
Irregular menstrual cycles
Heavy bleeding during menses
Thinning hair
Fibrocystic Breasts
Symptoms of slow thyroid
Sleep disturbances
Uterine fibroids
Unexplained weight gain
Dry, thin, wrinkly skin
A recent journal article published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) July 2002, entitled The Women’s Health Initiative Study, found that traditional HRT (hormone replacement therapy) increased the incidence of breast cancer, stroke, heart attacks, blood clots and pulmonary embolus even within the first year of therapy. The results were so overwhelming that the FDA ruled it was unethical to continue the study because it was putting women at too much risk for serious side effects.
Here’s how we were designed:
Estrogen is the dominant hormone during the first half of a woman’s monthly cycle. It is a growth hormone and is responsible for proliferation (growth) of cells in the lining of the uterus so that a fertilized egg can implant. Progesterone is the hormone we should find in the second half of the cycle. It is released into the body when a woman ovulates. It is responsible for sustaining the newly fertilized egg that has implanted in the uterine lining.
Progesterone also functions to:
Restore sex drive
Act as a natural diuretic
Stimulate /Build New Bone
Act as a natural anti-depressant
Normalize blood sugar levels
Facilitate thyroid hormone action
Protect against fibrocystic breasts
Normalize blood sugar level
Protect against endometrial and breast cancer
Restore normal vascular tone
Facilitate thyroid hormone function
Help use fat for energy
A 1996 Johns Hopkins study concluded that women low in natural progesterone have an 80% higher risk of developing breast cancer and that the risk of developing other malignant cancers increase ten fold.
How do our hormones become unbalanced?
Hormones and our health become unbalanced due to stress, hormone replacement, diet and environment.
1. STRESS: Studies show that by age 34, 50% of the women in America have no progesterone. American women are always on the go, go, go. This causes increased stress which depletes our bodies of its own progesterone. When our bodies are stressed, we make cortisol, a hormone that uses progesterone as a building block. In addition, when a woman’s body is stressed she may not ovulate, and therefore not produce progesterone, furthering the downward cycle.
2. RX’s: We consume a tremendous amount of prescription hormones in birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), etc. (Please note that Progestin – used in HRT is not the same as natural progesterone.) These prescriptions further add to the imbalance by adding more estrogen to the problem.
3. DIET: One of the most appalling contributions to the imbalance is found in what we eat. Beef, chicken and pork all contain estrogen. They are fed estrogen as a growth hormone to get them to the market more quickly. Sugar, refined starches, and petrochemical infused foods all add to the problem. (When plastics are heated in the microwave, they emit certain toxic carcinogenic (cancer causing) chemicals.)
4. ENVIRONMENT: Petroleum based products like mineral oil (baby oil); most soaps, skin care and hair care; plastics, pesticides, detergents, etc. are found to be sources of xenoestrogens (or “false estrogens”) – which bind up our estrogen receptors and cause hormone imbalance in the body. (Any product placed on the skin that contains mineral oil actually dehydrates the basal cell layer of the skin contributing to premature aging, not to mention that it is a gasoline byproduct and carcinogenic.)
What can we do to protect ourselves?
For starters we can balance the estrogen dominance by supplementing with natural progesterone cream. When looking for a natural progesterone cream it is important to look for USP grade progesterone, at 20 mg. per dose. Look for a product that is in an airtight, metered dose pump container such as Arbonne International’s Natural Balancing Cream. (Products in jars are oxidized when exposed to air; they are usually hand mixed which can separate, as opposed to machine mixed, and are usually formulated in a mineral oil base.) Arbonne’s Natural Balancing cream is formulated in a botanical (plant) base.
When possible, buy organic meats and produce. Many health food stores, co-ops, and local grocery stores carry organic. Never use plastics in the microwave. Do not use products on your skin that contain any mineral oil or petroleum based products.
What else can be done?
Supplement your diet with quality vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They must meet the US Pharmacopeia (USP) standard of 30 minutes disintegration time or they will pass through the digestive tract unused. Arbonne’s nutritional products meet those standards.
The Cancer Prevention Coalition released a statement on June 17, 2002 stated that mainstream cosmetics and personal hygiene products pose the highest cancer risk, due to exposures, to the general public – higher than smoking.
Use personal products for your body that are pure and safe.
Arbonne’s products contain:
NO mineral oil
NO SD40 Alcohol
NO animal products or by-products
NO chemical fragrances or dyes
And are:
PH correct
Botanically based
Hypoallergenic
Arbonne’s skin care, hair care, make-up, and nutritional and specialty products are of premium quality and can be trusted to be pure, safe, and beneficial. Not only are they good for you, they make you look and feel wonderful!
For testimonials and general information log on to Arbonne.com
For research information on natural progesterone log on to JohnLeeMD.com
For product information and ordering contact:
Rebecca Doll, ID #18015599
Arbonne Independent Consultant
805-498-4642
PhytoProlief Item #800 and Prolief Item #805
Books: What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Pre-Menopause by Dr.John Lee
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Menopause by Dr. John Lee
Hormone Balance: A matter of Life and Health by Kristine B. Klitzke, R.N., B.S.N.
Dr. Deanna Osborn is a family practice physician who practices in Springfield, Tennessee, in the Nashville area. The information contained in this article can be supported by medical research
If your Hormones are controlling you, I would like to have the opportunity to give you additional information about which product would best meet your needs and the appropriate dosage. I can be contacted at rebeccad@myarbonne.com
Change in Direction
16 years ago
