† Ask Dr. Helen's Healthy Living Shownotes †

Dr. John Lee

"General Question About Natural Hormones"

WHY ARE SO MANY WOMEN ESTROGEN DOMINANT?

Today, many women over the age of 35 are producing only 50% of the progesterone their mothers produced.

This is due to :

• Stress: Cortisol alters what message the brain sends to the ovaries.
• Diet: Highly processed "exhausted" food does not give the body the complex nutrients it needs to function optimally.
• Xenoestrogens: These are "foreign" estrogens that are found in pesticides, herbicides, plastics, salad dressings, etc. They damage the developing follicles of the fetus and cause problems in the future. Women produce less progesterone and men produce less sperm than they should.
• The worst side effects of estrogen dominance include: breast cancer, osteoporosis and infertility.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN SYMPTOMS OF ESTROGEN DOMINANCE?

1. Decreased energy Depression/Anxiety/Agitation Memory Loss
2. Low libido Fat Gain Mood Swings
3. Headaches Fibrocystic Breasts Osteoporosis
4. Lack of energy Hair Loss PMS
5. Breast swelling Inability to Focus Sluggish Metabolism
6. Frequent illness Insomnia Water retention/bloating

ESTROGEN LEVELS DO NOT FALL TO ZERO AFTER MENOPAUSE

Many menopausal women have had estrogen dominance. Mainstream medical doctors give these women estrogen without progesterone. This gives them hyperplasia. This leads to a D & C which leads to an unnecessary hysterectomy.

For menopausal symptoms, try natural progesterone for 3 months. If no relief, add a natural estrogen product. The progesterone may stimulate your estrogen receptor sites which have been tuned down by the body to prevent estrogen dominance. Restimulating them may help decrease hot flashes, insomnia, and vaginal dryness

DOES ESTROGEN PROTECT THE HEART?

Past studies did not compare equal groups of women. A recent study showed that after 5 1/2 years, there was no difference in heart attacks between women two took estrogen and women who did not.

PROGESTERONE HAS BENEFITS TO THE HEART

1. Prevents coronary arteries from going into spasm. (Synthetic progestins like Provera
   actually cause spasm).
2. Prevents build-up in the coronary arteries.
3. Blocks the adverse effects of stress

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WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO MEASURE HORMONE LEVELS?

Serum blood tests measure only the amount of progesterone that is bound to protein. Of this, only 5% is usable by the body, so this is an inaccurate number. Progesterone is fat soluble, so it does not mix with serum. A saliva test will measure the amount of progesterone that is actually available to the body.

PMS

You may be making enough progesterone but are under stress and making cortisol which actually causes a blockade of the progesterone. You become estrogen dominant. Breasts often swell (retaining water intracellularly) Augment with natural Progesterone

UTERINE FIBROIDS

Exact cause is unknown. They grow faster when a woman is estrogen dominant. If not too large and causing pressure on the bladder, use natural progesterone. They will usually decrease 15 - 20% in 6-12 months. After menopause, they will atrophy.

FIBROCYSTIC BREAST DISEASE/PAINFUL BREASTS

Go off birth control pills! Take natural progesterone day 12-26 of your cycle. Start with a little dab and they go higher (crescendo effect) Results occur in about 3 months.

IRREGULAR BLEEDING

In older women, you may have hyerplasia. Check with your physician.
Younger women, you are probably making more estrogen (the hormone that builds up the bloody lining, Progesterone holds it in place) Either the progesterone quit too soon causing early bleeding or you were estrogen dominant which extends the time.
Cycle progesterone from day 12 - 26 in regular rhythm. When you quit the progesterone your period follows

CRAMPING / CLOTTING

Clotting is caused by blood that was not shed properly (not enough progesterone) The blood stays behind and comes out in the next cycle. Add natural progesterone.
Cramping is due to estrogen dominance. This increases endometrial cells which can work up into the wall of the uterus and become very painful because the blood stays in the muscle and has an inflammatory effect. Restore progesterone which keeps the endometrial build-up inside the uterus.

THYROID

Thyroid function often improves when natural progesterone is used as progesterone works with the thyroid hormone.

ADRENAL FATIGUE

Progesterone helps combat cortisol interference and can help restore energy levels.

PROSTATE

The prostate is the male version of the uterus. Just as Progesterone helps protect against uterine cancer, it also helps protect against prostate cancer. Men over 50 should consider supplementing with natural progesterone.

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