Hormone Heresy
Estrogen's Deadly Truth, Part 1
by Sherrill Sellman
From Nexus Magazine, Volume 3, #4 (June - July 1996)
This article, with both Parts 1 and 2, is reprinted
here with permission from Sherrill Sellman. Visit her website
at www.ssellman.com and read
her book: "Hormone Heresy:What Women MUST Know
About Their Hormones"
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 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 an estrogen-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 also. 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 ProgestinsT
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 percent 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.
(13)
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 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
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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Progesterone creates and promotes an enhanced sense of
emotional well being and psychological self-sufficiency.
8. 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:
- 1. Archer, John, Bad Medicine, Simon & Schuster, Australia,
1995, p. 191.
- 2. Op. cit., p. 217.
- 3. Op. cit., p. 192.
- 4. Op. cit., p. 211.
- 5. Coney, Sandra, The Menopause Industry, Spinifex Press
Pty Ltd.,
Australia, 1991, pp. 164-165.
- 6. The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 June 1995.
- 7. Coney, Sandra, op. cit., p. 584.
- 8. Archer, John, op. cit., p. 210.
- 9. Archer, John, op. cit., p. 211.
- 10. (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.
- 11. Lee, John R., M.D., NATURAL PROGESTERONE: THE MULTIPLE
ROLE OF A REMARKABLE HORMONE, BLL Publishing, California,
USA, 1993, p. 29.
- 12. Ibid.
- 13. Newsweek, 18 March 1996.
- 14. Kenton, Leslie, PASSAGE TO POWER, Random House, UK,
1995, pp. 19-20.
- 15. Ibid.
- 16. Lee, John R., M.D., "Osteoporosis Reversal: The Role
of Progesterone", International Clinical Nutrition Review
(1990), 10:384-391.
- 17. Lee, John R., M.D., Slowing the Aging Process with
Natural Progesterone, BLL Publishing, California, USA, 1994,
p. 12.
©
Sherill Sellman
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