Estrogen Dominance

This nasty situation paves the way for a host of diseases - among them, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, colon and endometrial cancer, just to name a few. And, more often than not, all we did was enter into menopause, which, in turn, triggered the imbalance of estrogen to progesterone in our systems - which subsequently sets us up with an internal environment that wreaks havoc on our bodies and our lives. Let me elaborate. When we go into menopause, we lose approximately 40% of our estrogen level. But, we lose even more of our progesterone - some women lose a larger percentage of their progesterone as opposed to the estrogen they lose. This causes an imbalance between the two hormones - when the ratio of estrogen to progesterone is larger, this is known as Estrogen Dominance. Estrogen, is a good hormone -- when it works in tandem with the other hormones in our system - and everything is working in balance. As we go into menopause, the progesterone level drops, and although estrogen does as well, it is still dominant over the lower levels of progesterone. Aside from menopause, stress and dietary factors can be a factor of Estrogen Dominance if testing shows that the hormonal levels are normal. Progesterone is required for proper thyroid function.

I want to be proactive about my health - not reactive. I do not want a doctor giving me a thyroid medication for my thyroid when, in fact, the problem originated with a progesterone deficiency! If we women do not educate ourselves and keep in touch with our own bodies, we will wind up guinea pigs, taking one pill for one problem, and a different pill for another problem, when, in a lot of these cases, both problems could be caused by one culprit. Think about it. You were probably, for the most part, enjoying good health before menopause - then, suddenly, you start to have the weight gain, the low libido, the food cravings (blood sugar irregularities), the belly fat, the fatigue, and on, and on. Before you know it - you're dieting, taking viagara, being put on thyroid medication, etc. etc. I know someone who is on Paxil for depression - she happens to be going through menopause. Reduced levels of progesterone can cause depression, hair loss, allergies, foggy thinking, uterine fibroids, and, speeds the aging process. So, if our hormonal levels are balanced, many of these problems would disappear. If nothing is done to balance the estrogen and hormonal levels, cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes are some of the serious conditions that can develop. Synthetic hormones are not the answer. Progestin is not progesterone; only natural hormones are the way to go - bioidentical hormones. They closely mimic our own hormones, with no side effects.

Progesterone Advocates Network -- progestnet.com
ProgestaCare -- progesteron.nu/natural.asp

More "Heads Up" Health Information

Syndrome X -- Insulin-Resistance

Did you know that, according to which statistics you are reading, either 1 out of every 3 people, or, almost 50% of the general population, are insulin-resistant? They call this, Syndrome X.

What does this mean? It means that there is a malfunction in the system. When a person eats carbohydrate-type foods, i.e., pasta, bread - this enters the system as sugar. The pancreas releases insulin to control the blood sugar (glucose). When the insulin tries to enter the body's receptor cells - it is refused entrance - thus, it is called "insulin-resistance". Here is where the problem/malfunction starts - with the pancreas now interpreting this (erroneously) as a message that the body needs more insulin - thus, it produces even more insulin --- all this insulin is then floating around the system with nowhere to go - the pancreas then turns it into fat and stores it - some people even develop what is called "fatty liver". That is why you see so many people - mostly middle-aged and over, with this belly fat; in men, it is often called "beer bellies". A deficiency in calcium and magnesium is the result of excess insulin. Unfortunately, by the time you usually find out that you may have this situation, the reason you have found out is because you are seeing your belly starting to bulge and, even when you try to restrict your calorie intake, it is still almost impossible to lose this weight once it is there. It is a stubborn belly fat. I have listed some products that you can take to greatly help this situation. If this situation is ignored, chances are that it will lead to Diabetes.

Gourdin -- from Plantationherbals.com
Banaba (Wild organic banaba leaves) -- from Tropicaltraditions.com
Corosolic Acid (time-tested plant from Asia) GlucosalTM - from health-marketplace.com

Tip: Cinnamon (in very small quantities) sprinkled on cereal in the morning keeps sugar levels down
(see hsrmagazine.com/articles/141herbup.html)