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The Hormone
Health Connection Newsletter is a newsletter that provides featured articles
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reducing the pain and dealing with related anxiety of pms and menopause symptoms,
and information on how to promote a healthy, balanced lifestyle. The Hormone
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Featured Article
Hormone Heresy
Estrogen's Deadly Truth
By Dr. Sherrill Sellman, ND - Extracted from Nexus Magazine, Volume 3, #4 (June - July 1996)
Women
are misinformed about their hormones, to the detriment of their health,
while drug companies reap huge profits at their expense. For over 300
years, beginning in the 13th century and continuing well into the 16th
century, the Inquisition was a reign of terror for the vast majority of
people living throughout Europe and Scandinavia. The political,
economic and religious forces of that time joined together to
consolidate their power by eliminating those whom they perceived as
impeding their ultimate objectives.
The unfortunate target
of their efforts were the keepers of the healing arts and the ancient
spiritual and cultural wisdoms. Historians debate the exact toll of
such a hellish time - whether it was several hundreds of thousands or
as many as nine million people - but what is undebatable is that the
vast majority of the victims were women. In fact, the Inquisition is
now regarded as a period of genocide against women, which successfully
divested women of their power, self-respect, wealth, healing arts, and
prominence and influence in their communities.
The
Inquisition guaranteed that the Church fathers were the indisputable
spiritual authorities. It was also successful in enshrining medical
knowledge securely in the realm of men, since the Inquisition decreed
that only trained medical doctors could now practice the healing arts
and, needless to say, medical schools were barred to women (for that
matter, so was any form of education).
What a relief that
such a violent and misogynous era ended long ago. Or did it?
Unfortunately, it appears that some traditions linger on. Women of
today are still prey to vast political and economic interests, with
dire consequences to their health, financial independence and personal
power. Perhaps the Inquisition didn't end at all but just took on a
more subtle and devious form.
Women are certainly big
business to the medical and pharmaceutical interests. According to John
Archer, author of Bad Medicine, about 600,000 hysterectomies are
performed every year in the USA, and about 45,000 in Australia. (1) In
1994, it was estimated that 45,000 Australian women were taking hormone
replacement therapy (HRT). (2) Many women are presently encouraged to
remain on HRT for the rest of their post-menopausal lives.
According
to Dr. Stanley West, noted infertility specialist, chief of
reproductive endocrinology at St. Vincent's Hospital, New York, and
author of The Hysterectomy Hoax, about 90 per cent of all
hysterectomies are unnecessary. Gynecological consultants to Ralph
Nader's Public Health Research Group reached a similar conclusion in
1991 in their book, Women's Health Alert. According to Dr. West, the
only 100 percent appropriate reason for performing an hysterectomy is
for treating cancer of the reproductive organs. (3) However,
hysterectomies are all too frequently offered as treatment for a
variety of conditions including endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts,
pelvic inflammatory disease and uterine prolapse.
It is no
accident that gynecologists happen to be the highest earners of all
specialists. Throughout their lives, women are encouraged to be
subjected continuously to various medical treatments and procedures.
Natural female functions, from menstruation through childbirth and into
menopause, are taken over by medical and pharmaceutical interventions.
Barraged by misinformation, myths, propaganda and, in some cases,
downright lies, it's no wonder that so many women are thoroughly
confused about matters relating to their own bodies and their health.
The History of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Perhaps
there's no topic of greater confusion to women than the highly
publicized introduction of HRT for the menopausal woman. It is touted
as the best thing for liberating women since the discovery of oral
contraceptives - even though the statistics now show that the wide use
of the Pill has given rise to health hazards such as breast cancer,
high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease on a scale previously
unknown in medicine. (4)
Investigation into the theory of
hormone replacement goes all the way back to the 1930s with the
research of Dr. Serge Voronoff. His research involved implanting fresh
monkey's testicles into men's scrotums, with limited effectiveness.
Offshoots of his research led to the grafting of monkey ovaries in
women, with rather dire consequences. After several fatalities (to both
monkeys and women), the search was redirected to the use of synthetic
estrogen. With the advent of World War II, research was put on hold.
Menopause
didn't really come into vogue as a topic of concern for the medical
profession until the 1960s. In 1966 a New York gynecologist, Dr. Robert
Wilson, wrote a best seller called Feminine Forever, extolling the
virtues of estrogen replacement to save women from the "tragedy of
menopause which often destroys her character as well as her health."
His book sold over 100,000 copies in the first year. Wilson
energetically promoted menopause as a condition of "living decay."
According to him, estrogen replacement was a kind of long sought after
youth pill that would save poor, fading women from the horrors of age.
He popularized the erroneous belief that menopause is a deficiency
disease.
Women's magazines eagerly seized upon his ideas
and extensively promoted his concepts. This pleased Wilson no end,
since he had earlier set up The Wilson Foundation for the sole purpose
of promoting the use of estrogen drugs. The pharmaceutical industry
generously contributed over US$1.3 million to his Foundation. Each year
he received funds from such companies as Searle, Wyeth-Ayerst
Laboratories and Upjohn which made hormone products that Wilson claimed
were effective in treating and preventing menopause.
Pharmaceutical
companies jumped on the bandwagon with aggressive promotions and
advertising campaigns. His message hit a receptive chord: mid-life
women need hormone drugs to be rescued from the inevitable horrors and
decrepitude of this terrible deficiency disease called menopause.
Wilson pioneered the use of unopposed estrogen. However, there had been
no formal assessment of the safety of estrogen therapy or its long term
effects. Unopposed estrogen went out of vogue when it became obviously
apparent that it shortened the lifetime of its users. In 1975, The New
England Journal of Medicine examined the rates of endometrial cancer
for estrogen consumers, concluding that the risk was seven and a half
times greater for estrogen users. Women who had used estrogen for seven
years or longer were 14 times more likely to develop cancer. (5)
As
the popularity of unopposed estrogen therapy waned, new approaches were
sought. The focus was also directed away from the false claims of
preserving feminine beauty and youthfulness and towards more urgent
health matters. The pharmaceutical industry resurrected estrogen
replacement therapy with the new 'safe' hormone replacement therapy - a
combination of synthetic progesterone and estrogen which would
supposedly protect menopausal women not only from cardiovascular
disease but also from the ravages of osteoporosis.
While
the so-called 'experts' on women's health are reassuring women that
there are no, or at least only very minor, unpleasant side effects, Dr.
Lynette J. Dumble, Senior Research Fellow at the University of
Melbourne's Department of Surgery at the Royal Melbourne Hospital,
believes that "the sole basis of HRT is to create a commercial market
that is highly profitable for the pharmaceutical companies and doctors.
The supposed benefits of HRT are totally unproven." She believes that
HRT not only exacerbates the presenting health problems but also
contributes to the acceleration of the aging process of women. It
either hastens the onset of other medical conditions or worsens the
existing ones.
This perspective seems to be validated by
the recent findings from a landmark study, published in The New England
Journal of Medicine in 1995, involving 121,700 women, which revealed
startling effects from HRT. It warned that women who used HRT to offset
the symptoms of menopause also increased their chance of developing
breast cancer by 30 to 40 per cent by taking the hormone for more than
five years. In women aged between 60 and 64, the risk of breast cancer
rose to 70 per cent after five years of HRT. Finally, the study
concluded that women using HRT were 45 per cent more likely to die from
breast cancer than those who chose not to use HRT or used it for less
than five years. (6)
According to Leslie Kenton, author of
Passage to Power, "everybody who is anybody will tell you that
menopause is an estrogen-deficiency disease and that you will need to
take more estrogen as you approach mid-life. What may surprise you is
this: not only is most of such commonly given advice on menopause
wrong, a great deal of it can be positively dangerous."
Fortunately
there is another side to the hormone story - a perspective that not
only can assist women of all ages to attain greater health but also to
reclaim a greater sense of power, responsibility and dignity in their
lives.
A Brief Gynecological Tour of a Woman's Body
In
order to understand the HRT debate, it is important, first, to have a
rudimentary knowledge of a woman's cyclic nature. Until recently,
doctors thought that menopause began when all the eggs in the ovaries
had been used up. However, recent work has shown that menopause is
probably not triggered by the ovaries but by the brain. It seems that
both puberty and menopause are brain-driven events.
Menstruation
depends on a complex network of hormonal communications between the
ovary, the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland in the brain. The
hypothalamus secretes gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) which
triggers the production of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) by the
pituitary gland. The FSH then stimulates the growth of the egg
follicles (a small excretory sac or gland) in the ovaries to trigger
ovulation. As the egg follicles grow, estrogen is manufactured and
released into the blood.
This chain reaction is not just
one way. Estradiol, one of the ovarian estrogens in the bloodstream,
also acts on the hypothalamus, causing a change in GnRH. Next, this
altered hormone stimulates the pituitary to produce luteinising hormone
(LH) which causes the egg follicles to burst and the ovum to be
released. After the egg is expelled, progesterone is also manufactured
by the collapsed egg follicle which develops into the corpus luteum.
All
the hormones released during the menstrual cycle are secreted not in a
constant, steady way but at dramatically different rates during
different parts of the 28 day cycle.
For the first eight
to 11 days of the menstrual cycle, a woman's ovaries make lots of
estrogen. Estrogen prepares the follicles for the release of one of the
eggs. It is estrogen which proliferates the changes that take place at
puberty: the growth of breasts, the development of the reproductive
system and the shape of a woman's body.
The rate of
estrogen secretion begins to fall off on about day 13, one day before
ovulation occurs. As estrogen falls, progesterone begins to rise,
stimulating very rapid growth of the follicle. Beginning with this
secretion of progesterone, ovulation occurs too. After the egg has been
released from the follicle (known as the luteal stage of a woman's
cycle), the follicle begins to change, enlarging and becoming a unique
organ known as the corpus luteum. Progesterone is secreted from the
corpus luteum, this tiny organ with a huge capacity for hormone
production. The surge of progesterone at the time of ovulation is the
source of libido - not estrogen, as is commonly believed.
After
10 or 12 days, if fertilization does not occur, ovarian production of
progesterone falls dramatically. It is this sudden decline in
progesterone levels that triggers the shedding of the secretory
endometrium (the menses), leading to a renewal of the entire menstrual
cycle.
Ovarian estrogen and progesterone stimulate the
growth of the endometrium, or lining of the uterus, in preparation for
fertilization. Estrogen proliferates the growth of endometrial tissue,
and progesterone facilitates the secretory lining of the uterus so the
fertilized egg can implant successfully. Adequate progesterone,
therefore, is the hormone most essential to the survival of the
fertilized egg and the fetus.
At around 40 years of age,
the interaction between hormones alters, eventually leading to
menopause. It is still not clear how. Menopause may start with changes
in the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland rather than in the ovaries.
Scientists have conducted experiments where young mice have had their
ovaries replaced with those from aged animals no longer capable of
reproducing. The young mice can mate and give birth. This shows that
old ovaries placed in a young environment are capable of responding. On
the other hand, when young ovaries are put into old mice, these mice
cannot reproduce. (7)
Whatever the mechanism triggering
menopause, as fewer egg follicles are stimulated, the amount of
estrogen and progesterone being produced by the ovaries declines
although other hormones continue to be produced. By no means do the
ovaries shrivel up and cease functioning, as is popularly believed.
With the reduction of these hormones, menstruation becomes scantier and
erratic and eventually ceases.
However, other body sites
such as the adrenal glands, skin, muscle, brain, pineal gland, hair
follicles and body fat are capable of making these same hormones,
enabling the female body to make healthy adjustments in hormonal
balance after menopause - provided a woman has taken good care of
herself during the pre-menopausal years with proper lifestyle, diet and
attention to mental and emotional health.
Menopausal women
have the opportunity to enter this phase of life empowered in their
wisdom and creativity as never before. They have access to profound
inner knowing. The renowned sociologist Margaret Mead said, "There is
nothing more powerful than a menopausal woman with zest!" In many
cultures around the world, menopause is a transition and an initiation
into the fulfillment of a woman's power, totally symptom-free. She is
held in the highest regard in her community as a wise, respected elder.
The Myth of Estrogen and Synthetic Progestins
The
earlier research that led to the synthesis of estrogen made possible
the development of the oral contraceptive by 1960. With consent of the
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Pill was widely marketed as
an effective, convenient method of birth control. True sexual
liberation for women was at hand at last.
However, the
entire basis for the FDA's consent was the result of clinical studies
conducted on 132 Puerto Rican women who had taken the Pill for one year
or longer. (8) (Never mind the fact that there were five women who died
during the study without any investigation into the cause of their
deaths.)
By the mid-1970s the death toll of women from
heart attacks and strokes began to attract public notice. A newer,
supposedly safer Pill was then created with a lower dose of estrogen.
But, in fact, there has never been any valid scientific proof that the
Pill is safe - nor, for that matter, that any of the other forms of
contraception presently available are safe. Women are only now
discovering the price they have been paying for their sexual freedom:
by altering their hormonal balance, many varied and devastating
emotional and physiological dysfunctions have been created.
It
is now 35 years on from the introduction of oral contraception and
there are presently about 60 million women worldwide who are, in
effect, 'trial-ing' the Pill. Its safety and long term effects have
still not been established conclusively. It is interesting to note,
however, that it has produced a wide assortment of adverse effects and
side effects and has a significant link to breast cancer, high blood
pressure and, in particular, cardiovascular disease - the major cause
of female deaths in Australia. In 1992, 27,833 women died from heart
disease and strokes, compared to 2,438 from breast cancer. (9) Is this
merely a coincidence, or do these statistics indicate, perhaps, the
harmful side effects of tampering with hormones?
While
proclaimed also as the primary missing ingredient for the menopausal
woman, estrogen is strongly recommended by the medical and
pharmaceutical industries for the prevention of cardiovascular disease
and osteoporosis. Just about any doctor's surgery you walk into these
days will warn women of the inherent risks of going through menopause
and, for that matter, the post-menopausal years without the protection
of estrogen. Women are further reminded, once again, that menopause is
a deficiency disease, which supposedly means that they are lacking
estrogen and therefore must have supplemental doses to maintain their
health.
As Dr. Lynette Dumble has noted, "Broadly
speaking, cardiovascular prevention in women has overwhelmingly focused
on hormone replacement. Yet, as Elizabeth Barrett-Connor emphasizes,
the Big Trial, the Coronary Drug Project of 1973 that included two
estrogen regimens, was conducted in men. As part of the Big Trial
design, estrogen doses extravagantly in excess of physiological levels
were deliberately administered to men in order to induce gynaecomastia
[enlargement of male breasts] as an indicator of successful
feminisation. This resulted in thrombosis and impotence and ultimately
led to research failure because of treatment discontinuations amongst
the study's participants." (10)
According to medical
practitioner, independent researcher and author Dr. John Lee, the one
notable study (known as the Boston Health Study, conducted with a large
sampling of nurses) which formed the entire basis of the positive
estrogen-cardiovascular link, was radically flawed. Although there is
ample evidence from numerous other studies showing that, indeed, the
opposite is true - i.e., estrogen is a significant factor in creating
heart disease - these findings have been virtually ignored in the
frenzy for profits. He goes on to say that the pharmaceutical
advertisements also neglected to mention the fact that stroke death
incidence from that study was 50 per cent higher among the estrogen
users.
Dr. Lee has compiled a list of side effects and
physiological impairments which result from taking estrogen. They
include increased risk of endometrial cancer, increased body fat, salt
and fluid retention, depression and headaches, impaired blood sugar
control (hypoglycemia), loss of zinc and retention of copper, reduced
oxygen levels in all cells, thickened bile and promoted gall bladder
disease, increased likelihood of breast fibrocysts and uterine
fibroids, interference with thyroid activity, decreased sex drive,
excessive blood-clotting, reduced vascular tone, endometriosis, uterine
cramping, infertility, and restraint of osteoclast function.
With
so many side effects and dangerous complications, a woman must think
very carefully about the HRT decision. Unfortunately, most doctors will
tell her that there is no other alternative. While certainly most
doctors are well-meaning and sincerely concerned about their patients,
their primary source of education and product information comes
directly from the pharmaceutical companies. Since most women also lack
essential education and understanding about their options, menopause
can be perceived as a rather frightening and perilous time.
Enter Natural Progesterone
For
the past 15 years, Dr. Lee has conducted independent research into a
natural, plant derived form of progesterone. His
non-pharmaceutically-funded research presents a much broader
understanding of a woman's hormonal options and offers a totally safe,
effective alternative that is free of all side effects. He has found
that this natural hormone - used in conjunction with a good diet and
lifestyle changes - is capable of eliminating much of the suffering
associated both with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and menopause.
Thousands of women in the Western world now use natural progesterone -
generally in the form of a non-prescription cream which is rubbed into
the body. They claim that they not only have relief from female
symptoms but experience increased vitality, better skin and renewed
emotional balance.
Natural progesterone seems to have been
totally overlooked by medical science while the erroneous focus has
been on estrogen. Considering that it is non-patentable and
inexpensive, it not surprising that this is so. It is important,
however, to have a much greater understanding and appreciation for this
remarkable hormone.
As was previously mentioned, it is
progesterone that is responsible for maintaining the secretory
endometrium which is necessary for the survival of the embryo as well
as the developing fetus throughout gestation. It is little realized,
however, that progesterone is the mother of all hormones. Progesterone
is the important precursor in the biosynthesis of adrenal
corticosteroids (hormones that protect against stress) and of all sex
hormones (testosterone and estrogen). This means that progesterone has
the capacity to be turned into other hormones further down the pathways
as and when the body needs them. The point needs to be emphasized that
estrogen and testosterone are end metabolic products made from
progesterone. Without adequate progesterone, estrogen and testosterone
will not be sufficiently available to the body. Besides being a
precursor to sex hormones, progesterone also facilitates many other
important, intrinsic physiological functions (which will be discussed
later).
The Estrogen Dominance Effect
Female
problems seem to be on the rise. Between 40 and 60 per cent of all
women in the West suffer from PMS. In addition, women also suffer from
a plethora of symptoms, some menopausal and others not. Something quite
alarming certainly seems to be happening to women. There is indication
that proper hormonal balance necessary for a woman's body to function
healthily is being interfered with by a number of factors. Research has
revealed that a good portion of women in their 30s (and some even
younger), long before the onset of menopause, on occasion will not
ovulate during their menstrual month. (11) Without ovulation, no corpus
luteum results and no progesterone is made. A progesterone deficiency
ensues.
Several problems can result from this deficiency.
One is the month long presence of unopposed estrogen with all its
attendant side effects, as already mentioned. Another is the generally
unrecognized problem of progesterone's role in osteoporosis.
Contemporary medicine is still unaware that progesterone stimulates
osteoblast-mediated new bone formation. Actually, it is progesterone
that stimulates new bone tissue and is capable of reversing
osteoporosis at any age. Lack of progesterone means that new
osteoblasts are not created and osteoporosis can arise. (12) A third
major problem results from the interrelationship between progesterone
loss and stress. Stress combined with a bad diet can induce anovulatory
cycles. The consequent lack of progesterone interferes with the
production of the stress-combating hormones, exacerbating stress
conditions that give rise to further anovulatory cycles. And so the
vicious cycle continues.
Another major factor contributing
to this imbalance between estrogen and progesterone is environmental in
nature. We in the industrialized world now live immersed in a rising
sea of petrochemical derivatives. They are in our air, food and water.
These chemicals include pesticides and herbicides (such as DDT,
dieldrin, heptachlor, etc.) as well as various plastics (polycarbonated
plastics found in babies bottles and water jugs) and PCBs. These
estrogen-mimics are highly fat-soluble, not biodegradable or well
excreted, and accumulate in fat tissue of animals and humans. These
chemicals have an uncanny ability to mimic natural estrogen. They are
given the name "xeno-estrogens" since, although they are foreign
chemicals, they are taken up by the estrogen receptor sites in the
body, seriously interfering with natural biochemical changes.
Mounting
research is now revealing an alarming situation worldwide created by
the inundation of these hormone-mimics. In a recently released book,
Our Stolen Future, authors Theo Colburn of the World Wildlife Fund,
Dianne Dumanoski of The Boston Globe and John Peterson Meyers, a
zoologist, have identified 51 hormone mimics, each able to unleash a
torrent of effects such as reduced sperm production, cell division and
sculpting of the developing brain. These mimics are not only linked to
the recent discovery that human sperm counts worldwide have plunged by
50 per cent between 1938 and 1990 but also to genital deformities,
breast, prostate and testicular cancer, and neurological disorders. (10)
Dr.
Lee has discovered a consistent theme running through women's
complaints of the distressing and often debilitating symptoms of PMS,
peri-menopause and menopause: too much estrogen, or, as he has termed
it, "estrogen dominance".
Now, instead of estrogen playing
its essential role within the well balanced symphony of steroid
hormones in a woman's body, it has begun to overshadow the other
players, creating biochemical dissonance. The last thing in the world a
woman's body needs is more estrogen - either in the form of
contraceptives or HRT. Then, when the estrogen-dominant symptoms
appear, guess what is prescribed? More estrogen! The delicate natural
estrogen/progesterone balance is radically altered due to too much
estrogen. Progesterone deficiency is then exacerbated even more.
Dr.
Lee has been able to balance the estrogen-dominance effect through the
use of transdermal natural progesterone cream. Natural progesterone, a
cholesterol derivative, is made from wild Mexican yams or soybeans
whose active ingredients are an exact molecular match of the body's own
progesterone. It is interesting to note that in countries in Asia and
South America where women eat either the wild yams or soybeans, the
term "hot flush" doesn't even exist in their languages. They also
rarely suffer from the host of female problems presently plaguing
Western women.
Supplementation with natural progesterone
corrects the real problem: progesterone deficiency. Natural
progesterone is not known to have any side effects; nor have any toxic
levels been found to date. Natural progesterone increases libido,
prevents cancer of the womb, protects against fibrocystic breast
disease, helps protect against breast cancer, maintains the uterus
lining, hydrates and oxygenates the skin, reverses facial hair growth
and hair thinning, acts as a natural diuretic, helps eliminate
depression and increase a sense of well being, encourages fat burning
and the use of stored energy, normalizes blood clotting, and is a
precursor to other important stress and sex hormones. Even the two most
prevalent menopausal symptoms - hot flushes and vaginal dryness -
quickly disappear with applications of natural progesterone.
There
is one other very significant benefit of natural progesterone that
deserves a bit more attention. While most people are under the
assumption that estrogen protects against osteoporosis - one of the
biggest selling points for which a woman is encouraged to take HRT -
this is definitely not the case.
The early studies on
which the estrogen protection assumption was based had gross scientific
defects. Canadian researcher Jerilyn Prior, chief endocrinologist at
the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and her colleagues,
reporting in The New England Journal of Medicine, confirmed that
estrogen's role in osteoporosis is only a minor one. In their studies
of female athletes, they found that osteoporosis occurs to the degree
that they become progesterone-deficient, even though their estrogen
levels seem to remain normal. Prior continued her research with
non-athletic women. They showed the same results. While both these
groups of women were menstruating, they had anovulatory cycles and,
therefore, were progesterone-deficient.
Prior then went on
to discover that anovulation and a short phase cycle now occur in up to
50 per cent of North American women's menstrual cycles during the final
reproductive years. (14) Unfortunately, these major findings went
relatively unnoticed in the medical community.
As a result
of her extensive review of published scientific evidence in this area,
Prior confirmed that it is not estrogen but progesterone which is the
bone-trophic hormone; that is, the bone builder. She was even able to
identify progesterone receptor sites on osteoblast cells (bone tissue
building cells). Nobody has ever found osteoblast receptors for
estrogen. The bottom line is that it is in women with progesterone
deficiency that bone loss occurs. (15)
These results were
verified by a three year study of 63 post-menopausal women with
osteoporosis. Women using transdermal progesterone cream experienced an
average 7 to 8 per cent bone mass density increase in the first year, 4
to 5 per cent the second year, and 3 to 4 per cent in the third year!
Untreated women in this age category typically lose 1.5 per cent bone
mass density per year! These results have not been found with any other
form of hormone replacement therapy or dietary supplementation. (16)
Dr.
Lee believes that the use of natural progesterone in conjunction with
dietary and lifestyle change can not only stop osteoporosis but can
actually reverse it - even in women aged 70 or more.
At
this point, it is important to make the distinction between the natural
progesterone that is produced by the body and the synthetic
progesterone analogues classified as progestins, such as Provera,
Duphaston and Primulut. As you will learn, there is a big difference
between the two in their effect in the body, although doctors most
often use their names interchangeably. Since natural progesterone is
not a patentable product, the pharmaceutical companies have molecularly
altered it to produce synthetic progestins commonly used in
contraceptives and HRT.
Synthetic progestins, because they
are not exact replicas of the body's natural progesterone,
unfortunately create a long list of side effects, some of which are
quite severe. A partial list includes headaches, depression, fluid
retention, increased risk of birth defects and early abortion, liver
dysfunction, breast tenderness, breakthrough bleeding, acne, hirsutism
(hair growth), insomnia, edema, weight changes, pulmonary embolism and
premenstrual-like syndrome. (17)
Most importantly,
progestins lack the intrinsic physiological benefits of progesterone,
thus they cannot function in the major biosynthetic pathways as
progesterone does and they disrupt many fundamental processes in the
body. Progesterone is an essential hormone that also plays a part in
the development of healthy nerve cells and brain and thyroid function.
Progestins tend to block the body's ability to produce and utilize
natural progesterone to maintain these life promoting functions.
The
hormone story is certainly a very complicated one. Up until now, only
one version of the story has been available to the majority of Western
women, especially Australian women. Serious doubt has been cast on the
efficacy and appropriateness of estrogen and progestins in all the
forms they take. Women are certainly suffering from a wide variety of
female complaints.
What complicates the hormone story is
that the prescribed treatments for these complaints are actually making
the problem worse. Without understanding the far reaching side effects
of estrogen dominance and progestin, doctors are misdiagnosing the
cause of these aggravated conditions. Often, other drugs are then
prescribed with disastrous side effects, as the spiral of unnecessary
medication increases. What is the ultimate toll, not only on a woman's
deteriorating health and emotional well being but also on her financial
situation, her relationships and her career?
Without
adequate knowledge, education and access to natural products, women
have been easy prey to the powerful campaigns of the multinational drug
companies that have convinced doctors as well as governments of their
claims. It is becoming more evident that women's interests are not
always best met through such a biased approach. It is also not unusual
for profits to take precedence over health and well being. The last
thing a woman needs is to have her natural bodily functions denigrated
to deficiency diseases - thus necessitating ongoing medical attention.
It
is indeed time for women to take even greater responsibility for their
health, their choices and their lifestyles. The greatest weapon against
compliance and ignorance is knowledge. It's time to ask poignant
questions of your health provider, to demand answers and to be willing
to investigate safe, alternative approaches. It is apparent that women
will need to participate in educating their doctors about the other
choices that exist as well as the ones that they prefer.
Certainly,
women have it well within their own power not only to find safe,
natural and effective ways to heal themselves but to live long, full
lives, preserving their vitality, youthfulness and health. Women
deserve the right to appreciate themselves and their bodies through all
the stages of life. As women find the way to return to a greater
balance within themselves, they will know profoundly the truth of what
Dr. Deepak Chopra has said about women: "Feminine wisdom is the
intelligence at the heart of creation."
Effects of Estrogen Dominance
1.
When estrogen is not balanced by progesterone, it can produce weight
gain, headaches, bad temper, chronic fatigue and loss of interest in
sex - all of which are part of the clinically recognized premenstrual
syndrome.
2. Not only has it been well established
that estrogen dominance encourages the development of breast cancer
thanks to estrogen's proliferative actions, it also stimulates breast
tissue and can, in time, trigger fibrocystic breast disease - a
condition which wanes when natural progesterone is introduced to
balance the estrogen.
3. By definition, excess estrogen
implies a progesterone deficiency. This, in turn, leads to a decrease
in the rate of new bone formation in a woman's body by the osteoblasts
- the cells responsible for doing this job. Although most doctors are
not yet aware of it, this is the prime cause of osteoporosis.
4.
Estrogen dominance increases the risk of fibroids. One of the
interesting facts about fibroids - often remarked on by doctors - is
that, regardless of the size, fibroids commonly atrophy once menopause
arrives and a woman's ovaries are no longer making estrogen. Doctors
who commonly use progesterone with their patients have discovered that
giving a woman natural progesterone will also cause fibroids to
atrophy.
5. In estrogen dominant menstruating women
where progesterone is not peaking and falling in a normal way each
month, the ordered shedding of the womb lining doesn't take place.
Menstruation becomes irregular. This condition can usually be corrected
by making lifestyle changes and using a natural progesterone product.
It is easy to diagnose by having a doctor measure the level of
progesterone in the blood at certain times of the month.
6.
Endometrial cancer (cancer of the womb) develops only where there is
estrogen dominance or unopposed estrogen. This, too, can be prevented
by the use of natural progesterone. The use of the synthetic progestins
may also help prevent it, which is why a growing number of doctors no
longer give estrogen without combining it with a progesterone drug
during HRT. However, all synthetic progestins have side effects.
7.
Water logging of the cells and an increase in intercellular sodium,
which predispose a woman to high blood pressure or hypertension,
frequently occur with estrogen dominance. These can also be side
effects of taking synthetic progestogen [progestins]. A natural
progesterone cream usually clears it up.
8. The risk of stroke and heart disease is increased dramatically when a woman is estrogen-dominant.
(Source: Leslie Kenton, Passage to Power, Random House, UK, 1995)
Anti-aging Benefits of Natural Progesterone
1.
Progesterone is a primary precursor in the biosynthesis of the adrenal
corticosteroids. Without adequate progesterone, synthesis of the
cortisones is impaired and the body turns to alternate pathways. These
alternate pathways have masculine-producing side effects such as long
facial hairs and thinning of scalp hair. Further impaired
corticosteroid production results in a decrease in the ability to
handle stress, e.g., surgery, trauma or emotional stress.
2.
Many peri- or post-menopausal women with clinical signs of
hypothyroidism, such as fatigue, lack of energy, intolerance to cold,
are actually suffering from unrecognized estrogen dominance and will
benefit from supplementation with natural progesterone.
3.
Estrogen and most of the synthetic progestins increase intracellular
sodium and water uptake. The effect of this is hypertension. Natural
progesterone is a natural diuretic and prevents the cell's uptake of
sodium and water, thus preventing hypertension.
4.
Whereas estrogen impairs homeostatic control of glucose levels, natural
progesterone stabilizes them. Thus, natural progesterone can be
beneficial to both those with diabetes and those with reactive
hypoglycemia. Estrogen should be contraindicated in patients with
diabetes.
5. Thinning and wrinkled skin is a sign of
lack of hydration in the skin. It is common in peri- and
post-menopausal women and is a sure sign of hormone depletion.
Transdermal natural progesterone is a skin moisturizer which restores
skin hydration.
6. Progesterone serves a role in keeping
brain cells healthy. A disorder such as premature senility (Alzheimer's
disease) may be, at least in part, another example of disease secondary
to progesterone deficiency.
7. Progesterone is essential
for the healthy development of the myelin sheath which protects the
nerve cells. Low progesterone levels lead to recurring aches and pains.
8. Progesterone creates and promotes an enhanced sense of emotional well being and psychological self-sufficiency.
9. Progesterone is responsible for enhancing the libido.
(Source: John R. Lee, M.D., Slowing the Aging Process with Natural Progesterone, BLL Publishing, CA, USA, 1994, p. 14)
End notes:
Archer, John, Bad Medicine, Simon & Schuster, Australia, 1995, p. 191.
Op. cit., p. 217.
Op. cit., p. 192.
Op. cit., p. 211.
Coney, Sandra, The Menopause Industry, Spinifex Press Pty Ltd., Australia, 1991, pp. 164-165.
The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 June 1995.
Coney, Sandra, op. cit., p. 584.
Archer, John, op. cit., p. 210.
Archer, John, op. cit., p. 211.
(a)
Dumble, Lynette J., Ph.D., M.Sc., "Odds Against Women with Heart
Disease", presented at Health Sharing Women's Forum, Royal College of
Surgeons, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 September 1995. (b)
Barrett-Connor, Elizabeth, "Heart Disease in Women", Fertility and
Sterility (1994), 62(2):127S-132S.
Lee, John R., M.D., Natural
Progesterone: The Multiple Role of a Remarkable Hormone, BLL
Publishing, California, USA, 1993, p. 29.
Ibid.
Newsweek, 18 March 1996.
Kenton, Leslie, Passage to Power, Random House, UK, 1995, pp. 19-20.
Ibid.
Lee,
John R., M.D., "Osteoporosis Reversal: The Role of Progesterone",
International Clinical Nutrition Review (1990), 10:384-391. Lee, John
R., M.D., Slowing the Aging Process with Natural Progesterone, BLL
Publishing, California, USA, 1994, p. 12.
Dr. Sherrill Sellman, ND, author of the book, Hormone Heresy
is an international author, seminar leader, trainer and lecturer.
She has extensively researched the most vital and up-to-date
information necessary for women's health and wellbeing. Through
her writing, lectures and seminars, she has empowered women all over
the world to make more educated and informed choices about their
health. www.ssellman.com
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This newsletter is brought to you by Oasis Advanced Wellness.
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