Feeling Great Is The Goal!
Sunday, April 26th, 2009
I was having breakfast with a friend who proudly confided that she had successfully weaned herself off of all hormone support, less than one year after her total hysterectomy. “Why?” I asked, horrified. “I thought that was the goal,” she replied. “That’s what my doctor said and even you said so in your book.”
She was woefully misinformed. Hormones are not an evil to be avoided and weaned from. Let me clarify: stopping hormone support is not the goal. Feeling great is the goal. Staying healthy as we age is the goal. Having strong bones to dance at your 100th birthday is the goal. Enjoying sex, feeling joy at the sight of your great grandchildren, remembering phone numbers and how to drive your car in your nineties. These are the goals. Using natural hormones, safely, for the rest of your life will make this possible.
Why do we need hormones? Because our bodies are designed to last roughly seventy years, eighty max. If you win the gene lottery you may make it into your nineties- but it won’t be pretty. Tour a nursing home. Ask the ages. See for yourself what lies ahead. Ask how many women there had total hysterectomies without hormone support (they are the ones using walkers).
Studies have shown that women who use estrogen in the first 10 years of menopause have less calcifications (hardening of the arteries) around their heart. Studies have also shown that using hormones reduces memory loss, bone loss, depression, weight gain, and wrinkles. Hormones prevent sexual dysfunction, urinary tract infections, and vaginitis. The references are in my book.
Ask your doctor for estradiol (patch or cream), natural progestereone (pill or cream). Measure your DHEA-S, maintain your DHEA in the midrange- it will support your testosterone and it has been shown to improve sex drive. Keep your eye on the prize. The world needs more healthy women.
0 Comments | Permalink | Posted in Menopause, Progesterone, Natural Hormones, Osteoporosis, Estrogen, Heart Disease, Cardiovascular, Hormones, Uncategorized
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Thanks Oprah for Speading Some Light on Hormones!
Monday, January 26th, 2009
I recently saw Oprah’s first show on hormones (1/23/09). It is great that some much needed light is being spread on this topic. Hormone use doesn’t have to be confusing. Myths and fear prevent women from taking charge of their health and feeling better. Here is what I would add to Oprah’s last discussion:
- Most women avoid using hormones because they fear developing breast cancer. These women are missing out on the short and long term benefits of hormone support.
- Women continue to make estrogen as they age. Avoiding estrogen does not lower a woman’s breast cancer risk (avoiding Progestins, synthetic progesterone, does).
- Estrogen is not a single hormone, it is a family of hormones, some good and some dangerous. As women age they tend to make more dangerous forms, that is why breast cancer rates increase as women grow older.
- The WHI study did not show any increase in breast cancer from synthetic estrogen. Only women using estrogen with Progestin had an increase in breast cancer. Thousands of studies have shown that Progestins are linked to breast cancer and should never be used to treat menopause.
- Diet, life style, and genetics determine what types of estrogen a woman makes. Women can alter their breast cancer risk with foods and certain supplements.
- Hundreds of studies have proven that estrogen prevents heart disease, bone fractures, depression, memory loss, sexual dysfunction, and even wrinkles.
- The WHI study showed that women using estrogen alone, (not with Progestins), in the first 10 years of menopause, had less hardening of the arteries in the heart.
- Studies show that increases in blood clots with the use of estrogen occur only when women take estrogen orally. Women should not eat estrogen. They should apply it to their skin with a lotion or patch.
- Most women do not need to measure their estrogen and progesterone levels before starting therapy. These hormones should be measured while on therapy to make sure these hormones are being absorbed and breaking down safely.
- We are living older than ever before and we must do everything we can to ensure that we reach these bonus years with a strong mind, bones, heart, and spirit. Smart hormone support helps to ensure this will happen.
0 Comments | Permalink | Posted in Menopause, Natural Hormones, WHI Study, Estrogen, Heart Disease, Hormones, Uncategorized
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Inflammation Causes Heart Problems Not Cholesterol: Don’t Be Duped by the Crestor Study!
Monday, November 10th, 2008
Today’s headline read “Statins cut risk of stroke, heart attack.” That’s just too simplistic and misleading. The Crestor study is important because it shows that inflammation causes heart disease- not high cholesterol! What’s really interesting in this study is that the people studied did not have high cholesterol, but they had very high levels of inflammation. The study showed that using Crestor, a Statin medication (known to have anti-inflammatory benefits), lowered heart attacks and stroke. So it was the anti-inflammatory actions that lowered heart attacks and strokes, but that does not mean that we should all be taking Crestor. There are natural ways to reduce inflammation.
Fish oil, curcumin, green tea extract, CoQ10, grapeseed, and quercetin are all natural supplements that have been clearly shown to reduce inflammation, without the potentially lethal side effects associated with long-term use of Crestor.
This Crestor study found a significant increase in diabetes in people taking Crestor. Diabetes is known to increase heart disease. Crestor has only been available for 5 years and has been under attack for increasing risks of nerve damage, liver disease, and muscle wasting associated with kidney failure and death.
It is worth noting that this study was funded by the makers of Crestor.
1 Comment | Permalink | Posted in Cardiovascular, Heart Disease
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