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Healthy Hormone Balance
The essential role hormones play throughout a woman’s life cannot be underestimated. While hormones certainly cannot be blamed for every problem, anything that disrupts their function or balance can greatly impact the physical well-being of 
a woman as well as her mental and emotional state.
A variety of hormones produced by different glands in the body constantly circulate throughout the bloodstream. These hormones act as messengers to the cells of the body, delivering instructions that either turn on or turn off specific cellular functions. In the same way a key is needed to unlock a door or turn on the ignition of a car, hormones unlock receptor sites located on the outer and inner membranes of cells in order to activate processes in the body. If these receptors are not activated by the precise hormone they are designed to fit, messages sent from the brain cannot enter and deliver needed instructions to the DNA of the cell.
Health conditions that women especially struggle with during the course of their reproductive years involve an imbalance between two primary reproductive hormones: estrogen and progesterone. Heavy menstrual bleeding and/or clotting, severe menstrual cramping, irregular cycles, infertility, recurring miscarriages, PMS or menopausal symptoms, fibroid tumors, endometriosis, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), fibrocystic breasts, and breast, uterine or ovarian cancers may all occur as a result of an imbalance between these reproductive hormones.
The Roles of the Primary Players
Estrogen and progesterone are both produced in the ovaries at different points of a women’s menstrual cycle. Estrogen is the hormone responsible for developing the sexual organs of the women, as well as her feminine characteristics. It is also the hormone that regulates the menstrual cycle and supports the growth and function of the uterus by creating the lining needed for the implantation and nourishment of an embryo. Besides its role in the female reproductive system, estrogen plays an essential part in over 400 functions of the body including the regulation of metabolism, insulin, mood, energy, memory, bone density, heart function, and the balance of water and salt.
Rather than the name of a specific hormone, the term “estrogen” actually refers to any class of compounds that exhibit some form of estrogenic activity. Human estrogens, animal estrogens, synthetic estrogens, phytoestrogens (plant compounds) or xenoestrogens (man-made estrogens) are all regarded as “estrogens” since they possess estrogenic properties.
The three main forms of estrogen that are manufactured in the female body are estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3), each of which produces different hormonal effects. Estradiol is the “strongest” estrogen and the one most difficult for the body to break down and eliminate. Although all estrogen promotes cell growth, estradiol and estrone are the two forms of estrogen most associated with causing excess proliferation of cells that can lead to breast and uterine cancers when hormone levels are not in balance.
The counter-balance for estrogen, particularly in the menstrual cycle, is the hormone progesterone. Progesterone is also formed in the ovary where it is released from the follicle (egg sac) at the time of ovulation (mid-cycle), which causes its levels to rise significantly the second half of the menstrual cycle. The root meaning of its name is “for the growth of life” (from the root words ‘pro’ that means ‘for’ and ‘gestation’ that refers to the growth of life). This explains its nickname, “the baby keeper.” During a woman’s fertile years, progesterone helps prepare the uterus to accept a fertilized egg, and then helps maintain the uterus during pregnancy.
Progesterone is also produced in the adrenal glands and serves as a precursor to the formation of other important hormones such as cortisol, testosterone and even estrogen. Unlike estrogen, progesterone is a single hormone, rather than a class of hormones. Its primary role is to balance estrogen, especially where excess estrogen results in adverse side effects. For instance, where estrogen stimulates cell growth, progesterone keeps in check the overgrowth of cells. This particular role of progesterone is important for providing protection from uterine, breast and ovarian cancer, in addition to fibrocystic breast disease in females and prostate cancer in men.
Among many other functions, progesterone plays an important role in new bone formation, the production of healthy myelin sheaths that cover and insulate nerve fibers, promoting regular sleep patterns, acting as a natural antidepressant, helping to maintain libido and acting as a natural diuretic to prevent bloating.
It should be noted that men too are subject to the effects of estrogen and other hormones considered “female” just as hormones considered “male” (such as testosterone) serve various roles in the body of a woman. Hormones themselves are not gender specific – it is the amounts and proportions of reproductive hormones that account for the differences between men and women. For the purposes of this article, however, the focus will be hormone imbalance in women.
Estrogen Dominance – An Emerging Epidemic
Generally speaking, from the time a women starts her cycle until she is approximately thirty years old, the ratio of estrogen to progesterone is optimal in her body. But as she approaches and enters the menopausal years, progesterone levels ultimately drop dramatically; often to less than ten percent of what they were when the woman was regularly ovulating. Estrogen levels decline much less, however, to approximately 40 to 60 percent lower than what they were prior to menopause.
Yet estrogen levels often end up much higher due to excess exposure to estrogen from the environment, diet, water supply, or synthetic sources such as oral contraceptives or hormone replacement prescriptions containing estrogen. Carrying a lot of extra fat also increases estrogen levels as well since fat cells are a source of estrogen production. The combination of excess estrogen and low progesterone results in a significant imbalance between the two hormones.
Estrogen dominance is the term used to describe the condition in which estrogen levels are either too high and/or levels of progesterone are too low to successfully balance the effects of estrogen.
It is not that the body is producing too much estrogen, as much as it is the fact that production of estrogen is not balanced by adequate progesterone production. Excess estrogen in an amount beyond which progesterone can provide a balance is also referred to as ‘unopposed estrogen’ in some instances.
The term ‘estrogen dominance’ was first coined by Dr. John R. Lee, a physician and internationally recognized pioneer and expert in hormone balance and the use of natural progesterone.
During the course of his thirty-year practice, he helped thousands of women naturally regain hormone balance and resolve many associated health conditions. After retiring from practice, Dr Lee spent his years teaching medical professionals concerning hormone balance and writing books to educate the public and medical community on the dangers and drawbacks of synthetic HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and the use of natural progesterone cream. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Menopause and What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Premenopause are among his most noted works.
Many health issues tend to arise when the ratio of estrogen and progesterone gets out of sync. During the course of the past 50 years or so, numerous signs point to the impact of excessive estrogen in our modern society. Young girls are entering puberty at much younger ages; women are experiencing a 40 percent increase in occurrences of breast cancer in addition to significant rises in cases of infertility and reoccurring miscarriages. Evidence also points to decreased sperm counts and increased rates of prostate cancer in men. Although a number of factors such as stress and poor diet contribute to unhealthy levels of estrogen, this hormonal disruption is primarily due to the increasing prevalence of synthetic estrogens in our modern environment that have a hormone-like effect on men and women alike.
Potential Results of Estrogen Dominance
The effects of estrogen dominance can manifest in numerous ways ranging from irritability and poor memory to serious health conditions such as cancer and the formation of blood clots that increase the risk of stroke. Though by no means exhaustive, the following list will give you an idea of symptoms and conditions often linked with estrogen dominance. If you find that any of these symptoms apply to you, I would encourage you to avail yourself of the rest of the information in this article to learn more about what is causing them and what steps you can take to restore hormonal balance.
Menstrual Irregularities – early onset of menstruation, irregular periods, excessive heavy bleeding and/or cramping and anovulatory periods (cycles in which ovulation does not occur in premenopausal women who are not pregnant)
PMS Symptoms – irritability, mood swings, anxiety, bloating and water retention, weight gain, breast tenderness, premenstrual headaches, fatigue, decreased sex drive
Problems Related to Reproduction – infertility, recurrent early miscarriages, birth defects
Female Health Conditions – PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), fibrocystic breasts, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, cervical dysplasia
Glandular Imbalances
- Weight/fat gain – fat gain around abdomen, hips and thighs. Too much estrogen circulating in the body increases body fat, and fatty tissue within the body produces and stores more estrogen, making these areas fat magnets.
- Blood Sugar Imbalances - hypoglycemia and other blood sugar imbalances, disruption of beta cell function in pancreas that eventually lead to insulin resistance, high blood insulin and diabetes.
- Thyroid dysfunction - excess estrogen adversely affects the uptake of thyroid hormone and produces symptoms related to low thyroid function such as sluggish metabolism, fatigue and intolerance to cold and/or cold hands and feet.
- Adrenal Fatigue – prolonged stress increases the need for cortisol production (a “stress-coping” hormone produced in the adrenal glands), which drains progesterone levels due to the fact that increased amounts of progesterone are needed to produce additional cortisol. If this cycle persists, adrenal glands become fatigued and less progesterone is available for other uses in the body.
- Mental Effects – memory loss, foggy thinking, depression, anxiety or agitation
Increased Risk of Cancer – breast cancer, endometrial (uterine) cancer, prostate cancer and testicular cancer
Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease – blood clots (increases risk of stroke), water retention (predisposes a person to high blood pressure), and weakening or spasming of artery walls that increase the risk of heart attacks
Premenopausal Bone Loss/Osteoporosis – since progesterone is necessary for bone building cells to function well, low progesterone levels contribute to compromised bone health.
Other Health Conditions – allergies, accelerated aging, gallbladder disease, insomnia.
What Causes Estrogen Dominance?
The most common causes of estrogen dominance are related either to diet and lifestyle, the environment, or factors that alter hormone balance from either natural causes or medically induced causes. The primary contributing factors are:
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Anovulatory cycle – a premenopausal woman may have a cycle in which sufficient estrogen exists to produce menstruation but ovulation is inhibited due to factors such as unusual stress to the body, which could be mentally or emotionally induced or stem from excessively heavy exercise and/or poor diet. Without ovulation, progesterone is not released by the egg sac, leaving deficient levels of progesterone and too much unopposed estrogen.
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Menopause – the cessation of ovulation that occurs with menopause dramatically lowers progesterone levels whereas estrogen levels do not decline as significantly. If a woman carries extra body fat, additional estrogen is produced by fat cells, which can worsen the imbalance.
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Hysterectomies – result in a surgical menopause regardless of whether the ovaries are taken or not. The reason for this is that ovaries typically atrophy a year or so after the uterus is removed due to the loss of blood supply.
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Hormone Replacement Therapy or Oral Contraceptives – directly taking estrogen in these forms definitely alters the balance of progesterone and estrogen by increasing estrogen in the body in a synthetic form that is difficult for the body to break down and eliminate. Synthetic estrogens are more potent and toxic than the bodies own estrogen due to the fact that the molecular structure of the estrogen source is altered to allow for it to be patented and sold as a pharmaceutical drug.
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Dietary factors – diets that are high in sugar, animal fats, refined starches and processed, low-fiber foods and are also low in whole plant-based foods raise estrogen levels by as much as 50 percent according to studies comparing estrogen levels of women in more agrarian cultures with those of women consuming the typical modern diet.
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Xenoestrogens – Xenoestrogens are chemical substances from the environment that disrupt the normal hormone balance of the body by occupying estrogen receptor sites and mimicking the effects of estrogen.
The Problem of Xenoestrogens
Xenoestrogens are increasingly prevalent our modern environment and are probably the greatest single contributor to the problem of estrogen dominance in women and men alike. These estrogen mimics that interfere with the body’s natural circulating estrogens and disrupt normal hormone balance are responsible for many of the previously referred to health conditions associated with estrogen dominance. The effect of these foreign estrogens is known to be one hundred to one thousand times more potent that that of estradiol (the strongest of the three primary types of estrogen produced in the body). Of special concern is how xenoestrogens actually damage the DNA of cells and increase the risk of developing hormone-based cancers (breast, uterine, ovarian, prostrate, etc.) by activating a particular enzyme that converts the natural estrogen of the body to a more harmful and toxic estrogen.
The degree to which xenoestrogens alter hormone balance is increased by the fact that they are fat-soluble and non-biodegradable, meaning they easily pass through the skin and accumulate in fatty tissues but do not easily break down for excretion once in the body. Because these substances remain in the environment for long periods of time, they move their way up the food chain where they are eventually consumed by larger animals and humans. A direct correlation exists between reproductive abnormalities discovered in animals and higher levels of xenoestrogens in their surroundings. Similar aberrations involving the human reproductive system have increased over time. Abnormal ovulation in women and the lowering of sperm counts in men by as much as 50 percent are common examples of the influence of xenoestrogens on reproductive health.
Most xenoestrogens are either made from petrochemicals or contain them. Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, solvents, dioxins, organochlorines, phthalates, chlorides, fuels, and industrial waste are just some of the chemicals or chemical by-products found in commonly used products as well as our air, soil, food, and water supply. The consumption of beef and dairy products from conventionally raised cattle injected with steroid hormones (to fatten them up for market) or meat from animals fed pesticide-laden grain are further causes of xenoestrogen exposure.
Ways to Decrease or Eliminate Exposure to Xenoestrogens
In order to achieve hormone balance, it is first essential to eliminate or reduce as much as possible exposure to xenoestrogens by making appropriate dietary changes and using more natural products. While it may not be feasible or practical to avoid all of the sources of xenoestrogens I have listed below, the more you can eliminate or reduce, the less combined cumulative effect from these substances you will experience and the better off you will be healthwise.
Household
- Do not microwave food in plastic or Styrofoam or use plastic wrap to cover it as polycarbonate from the plastic escapes and seeps into the food or beverage.
- Avoid plastic bottles with recycle numbers less than five, which significantly outgas phthalates like BPA when the bottle gets warm (high-resistance plastic containers can be found in sport shops and health-oriented water stores).
- Choose unbleached paper products such as coffee filters, paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, and tissue (according to the EPA, coffee filters alone over a lifetime result in exposure to dioxins that exceed acceptable risks).
- Use glass, ceramics or steel to store and/or consume foods and liquids.
- Avoid artificial scents in room deodorizers, air fresheners, or candles made with paraffin (petrochemical by-product). Beeswax or soy candles with natural fragrances are safe.
- Use chemical free dryer sheets, fabric softeners, detergents, cleaning solutions, and disinfectants as most contain petrochemicals.
- Reduce exposure to chlorine by using a chlorine filter showerhead.
- Protect your skin and keep from inhaling oils, fuel, lubricants, adhesives, glues, paints, lacquers, solvents, and harsh cleaning products. Wear heavy-duty gloves and a breathing mask if you cannot avoid using them.
- Avoid dry cleaning clothes or air clothes that have been dry-cleaned thoroughly before use.
- Use natural insect repellants, fertilizers, weed killers and other lawn and garden products.
Dietary Sources
- Avoid foods with pesticide and herbicide residue and choose organic produce whenever possible, especially with thin-skinned produce items.
- Limit canned foods or use brands with plastic can linings that are BPA free.
- Buy hormone-free animal products (eggs, poultry, meats, and dairy products).
- Drink only water that is purified and free of chemical contaminants – water purifying units that only have a charcoal filter will remove some impurities and chorine but do not remove many of the xenoestrogens from industrial waste, sewage, synthetic hormones and other estrogenic compounds that end up in the public water supply.
- Choose organic tea and coffee due to the chemicals used in the production of non-organic sources.
Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
- Avoid cosmetics and skin products with base cream ingredients such as aqueous cream, mineral oil, petroleum jelly, liquid paraffin as well as all personal care products (shampoo, conditioners, toothpastes, deodorants etc.) that contain those ingredients or other petrochemicals or petrochemical by-products like parabens, stearal konium chloride, phthalates, dioxins or artificial fragrances (the single ingredient “fragrance” can equate to up to 400 different chemicals, many of which are petrochemicals). Remember that anything applied on the skin absorbs directly into the tissues of the body, which means the effect can be ten times stronger than what is consumed internally, which the liver detoxifies.
- Avoid the use of sunscreens that contain estrogenic chemicals such as benzophenone-3, homosalate, 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC), octyl-methoxycinnamate and octyl-dimethyl-PABA.
- Minimize your exposure to nail polish and nail polish removers that contain solvents.
- Use feminine products that contain no chlorine, dioxins, fragrance, wax, surfactants, rayon, etc.
- Avoid the use of contraceptive spermicidal creams, foams and lubricants that contain any nonylphenols as active ingredients.
Synthetic Hormones
- Use other methods of birth control besides birth control pills, which contains synthetic estrogen that accumulate in the body over time.
- Use natural (bioidentical) hormones when hormone replacement therapy is needed rather than synthetic versions that are detrimental to health (more about this topic in the next issue).
The Need for Detoxification
In addition to removing contributing factors to estrogen dominance, extra help is needed by the body to detoxify from their effects. Substances like alcohol, drugs (whether prescription or over-the-counter), caffeine, synthetic hormones and chemicals used in the growing and processing of foods and those that enter the body through the environment place a heavy load on the liver. Since these potent estrogenic chemicals and toxins are fat-soluble, they easily accumulate in the body and cause estrogen levels to rise. If the detoxification capacity of the liver is overwhelmed, it cannot efficiently perform its role in breaking chemical toxins and excess hormones down into forms that can easily be eliminated. When this is the case, some of these substances may reenter the bloodstream where they can travel to other parts of the body and damage tissues and organs.
Once the liver does convert environmental estrogens into a more easily excreted form, it sends them into the bile to be emptied into the intestines for elimination. If colon elimination is sluggish, toxic waste is then reabsorbed into the bloodstream and travels back to the liver.
The following measures will help support the efforts of the liver and colon to rid the body of toxins and xenoestrogens that interfere with hormone balance:
Increase fiber in the diet and/or through a fiber supplement – Fiber binds excess estrogens and toxins and carries them out of the body with other waste. Studies have shown that women on high-fiber diets have lower levels of circulating estrogen. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains, especially those high in soluble fiber such as apples, barley, beans, psyllium, lentils, and oat bran, are excellent sources of fiber. Because the average person is woefully short of the number of daily servings of fresh fruits and vegetables needed for sufficient fiber intake, taking a pure fiber supplement (not those typically found in drug stores containing added flavorings, colorings, sugar or sugar substitute, etc.) is a good way to support healthy elimination and hormone balance.- Drink more pure water - Drinking plenty of water ensures adequate elimination of toxins through the kidneys. Sufficient water intake is imperative for healthy gastrointestinal function and efficient elimination. The recommended amount is half your body weight in ounces.
- Take herbs and nutrients that help the liver detoxification processes - Nutrients like N-Acetyl Cysteine, vitamin A, vitamin C, alpha lipoic acid, choline, inositol, lecithin, and Sam-E along with herbs/foods like milk thistle, dandelion, burdock, blessed thistle, artichoke, yellow dock, beets, broccoli, onions and garlic, and parsley help with detoxification and maximize liver function. Milk thistle is particularly effective in reducing liver congestion and helping the liver resist environmental toxins.
- Exercise – Sweating from exercise is another means of ridding the body of excess estrogen and toxins. Physical activity curtails overproduction of estrogen plus improved circulation of lymph and blood help to carry chemicals to the liver to be detoxified.
- Sauna treatments – Heat from saunas (particularly infrared saunas) promotes sweating that allows the elimination of toxins and excess estrogen through the skin.
Dietary Guidelines for Hormone Balance
What you eat or don’t eat is the greatest determining factor with regard to improving hormone balance. If you give the body the raw materials it needs to create health and eliminate factors that interfere with its ability to function as designed, you not only restore hormone balance but also strengthen your immune system, decrease your risk for disease, make weight loss easier, improve your mood and energy levels and achieve a host of other benefits too numerous to mention.
Eat to Balance Blood Sugar and Eliminate Excess Body Fat - Since fat cells produce estrogen, too much body fat raises estrogen levels and estrogen increases the tendency to accumulate body fat. Anytime calorie intake exceeds energy needs, fat is stored and estrogen levels increase. Excessive calorie intake is the primary reason for the higher estrogen levels seen in premenopausal women in industrialized cultures.
In order to break this vicious cycle, the consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates must be greatly reduced to achieve balanced estrogen levels and a healthy weight. Besides the fact that refined carbohydrates are deplete in nutrients and high in calories, they also elevate blood sugar levels which triggers the release of insulin to lower them. The constant soaring and dropping of blood sugar and insulin levels not only adds to fat stores (insulin is the fat-storing hormone) but also produces serious blood sugar imbalances that generate cravings. Cravings usually win when blood sugar is low, which leads to overeating more refined carbohydrates or starches. This vicious cycle frequently results in insulin resistance that prevents glucose from entering the cell and keeps the pancreas overproducing insulin. Consistently high levels of insulin in the blood are a primary cause of heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions.
Re
duce Processed Foods and Consume More Organic Foods – Processed foods are laden with chemicals from additives, preservatives, colorings and flavorings in addition to pesticide residue. Consuming organic produce eliminates exposure to pesticides, fertilizers and chemical additives, many of which are estrogenic substances that impact hormone levels. Even if you cannot get everything organic, choosing organic for the produce items noted for the highest levels of these chemicals (known as the “dirty” dozen) greatly minimizes your exposure. At the minimum, carefully wash produce items (especially non-organic ones) with a vegetable wash.
Buy hormone-free animal products (meats, dairy, and eggs) – Conventionally raised animals are given hormones to artificially fatten them up and are fed grains high in pesticides. Cows are often given rBGH, a growth hormone that makes its body produce higher quantities of milk.
Eat More Foods High in Phytoestrogens – Phytoestrogens are compounds that occur naturally in plants and help balance hormone levels and protect against the effects of estrogen dominance. Although these plant chemicals are much weaker than human hormones, they work to benefit the body by either stimulating its own hormone production or by attaching to estrogen receptor sites to prevent the uptake of stronger environmental estrogens. Women who eat a plant-based diet containing a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables rich in these natural plant estrogens tend to experience fewer premenopausal or menopausal symptoms related to estrogen deficiency such as hot flashes or vaginal dryness.
Indole 3 carbinole is one particularly valuable phytoestrogen compound found in a class of vegetables known as cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, turnips, boy choy, kohlrabi, cabbage, rutabaga and Brussels sprouts are examples of cruciferous vegetables containing this substance. This compound is a powerful anti-oxidant that helps stimulate detoxifying enzymes the liver needs to improve metabolism of estrogen and the ability of the body to break down and eliminate stronger estrogens. Because it also blocks estrogen receptors on cell membranes, eating an abundance of these vegetables can lower the risk of estrogen dependent cancers, particularly breast and cervical cancer. Phytoestrogens in soy may help reduce the risk of prostate, breast, and uterine cancers in the majority of people. Two cautions regarding soy products– only consume non-GMO soy in fermented forms such as tempeh, tofu, natto, edamame and miso, avoiding soy protein isolates, soy protein concentrates, soymilk and textured vegetable protein products. People who have hormone-based cancers or who are at higher risk should use soy with greater moderation to avoid the production of too much estrogen.
In addition to soy and cruciferous vegetables, other examples of foods high in phytoestrogen compounds are flax seeds, sesame seeds, whole grains, legumes, nuts (especially walnuts) oats, barley, dried beans, lentils, yams, apples, pomegranates, and carrots. Herbs noted for their estrogenic properties that can help with hormone balance are black cohosh, red clover, dong quai, Korean and Wild American ginseng, Kudzu root, alfalfa, licorice, Kudzu root, fennel, and anise.
Eat a Proper Balance of the Right Fats
Since fats are necessary for healthy cell membranes and the production of hormones (cholesterol is the precursor to all steroid hormones), fat-free or low-fat diets should be avoided. The type of fats and oils a person consumes determines whether pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory prostaglandins are produced (prostaglandins are special kinds of hormones in the body that maintain a variety of processes critical to health). The right balance of essential fatty acids is needed to offset hormone imbalance caused by an excess of inflammatory prostaglandins.
“Bad” fats in the way of hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) or refined polyunsaturated vegetable oils disrupt hormone balance by blocking the actions of the “good” omega-3 essential fatty acids. Just about every type of processed food contains one or both of these types of artificial fats. Polyunsaturated oils such as corn, safflower, sunflower, peanut, and other nut and seed oils are overheated in the refining process and easily become oxidized and turn rancid. In addition, synthetic preservatives are added back in to replace the natural antioxidants destroyed in the refining process.
Use natural quality oils like extra virgin olive oil (only with lower temperatures) and saturated fats like butter and coconut oil, which are very stable and safe to cook with at higher temperatures and not as susceptible to oxidation or the creation of free radicals. A word of caution - too many high saturated fat foods such as those found in dairy products and animal fat can tax liver function and should be used in moderate amounts.
Conclusion
Eliminating environmental estrogens, eating a hormone healthy diet, reducing stress and getting regular exercise may be all it takes for some women to reverse the symptoms of estrogen dominance and regain hormone balance. However, due to increasing levels of xenoestrogens in the diet and environment of women in today’s culture, raising progesterone levels through the use of natural progesterone cream is often needed to offset the potent effects of excess estrogen in the body. This is especially true in cases where a women is experiencing infertility, abnormal menstrual cycles, severe PMS or menopausal symptoms, or where a health condition related to hormone imbalance such as fibroids, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), or endometriosis exists.
In our next issue, I will conclude the topic of hormone health for women by covering topics related to hormone testing, bioidentical hormone replacement (particularly the use of natural progesterone cream), and natural health protocols involving the use of nutrients and herbs to reestablish hormone balance and address specific conditions related to hormonal health in women.
Sources:
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause by John R. Lee, M.D.
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About PreMenopause by John R. Lee, M.D.
A Woman’s Guide to Natural Hormones by Christine Conrad
Natural Hormone Balance for Women by Uzzi Reiss, M.D./O.B. Gyn
From Belly Fat to Belly Flat – How Hormones Are Adding Inches to Your Waistline and Subtracting Years from Your Life by C. W. Randolph, Jr., M.D.
Copyright © 2008-2015 Lucinda Bedogne, CNHP, CNC
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