Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen Dominance can mimic many other syndromes. Fibromyalgia, Lupus (SLE), early menopause, PCOS, Metabolic Syndrome, depression, anxiety, perimenopause and more are often the diagnosis, instead of the underlying cause which is Estrogen Dominance. A natural cure for many of these syndromes can be elusive until a good diagnosis is made.
A holistic doctor can often help. Using the latest techniques with blood and saliva tests, up-to-the-minute research and an open mind, a good practitioner will look to the cause, not the symptoms, to help you heal.
Dr. Ray Peat, a pioneer in the field of natural hormone therapy, coined the term "Estrogen Dominance" to describe what happens when the normal ratio or balance of estrogen to progesterone is changed by excess estrogen or inadequate progesterone.
Estrogen can be potentially dangerous when not counter-balanced by adequate progesterone in the body naturally, or supplemented with bio-identical progesterone.
Syndromes such as Lupus (SLE), Fibromyalgia, and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (ovarian cysts) can actually be symptoms of the greater picture of estrogen dominance.
While hot flashes and night sweats are classically a sign of decreased estrogen levels in the body, the answer may not be as simple as taking synthetic or even natural bio-identical estrogen.
It is possible that your estrogen levels are low, but rarely does a case exist where the levels of progesterone are not also just as low or lower. How does this happen?
Women are easily susceptible to becoming Estrogen Dominant in our culture today. There are various ways this has come about in the western world:
- Our animals are fed estrogenic growth hormones to cause rapid growth so they can be marketed sooner, and then we eat those hormones.
- When we eat sugar and chemicals, especially high fructose corn syrup, from processed foods, it creates xeno-estrogens in our bodies. Think of these molecules as a fake estrogen that confuses the body and clogs up the receptor sites.
- This stimulates a vicious cycle in which fat cells are enlarged due to these fake estrogens, and then fat cells themselves make more real estrogen in the body.
Young girls, and even young boys, are developing breasts at an alarmingly young age, and adolescent girls are starting their menses as early as age 7 or 8!
Estrogen Dominance is happening to men as well as women. It leads to weight and fat gain, especially the breasts, waist and mid-section of the body.
High cholesterol, joint pain, mood swings, PMS, irregular bleeding, cramps, endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, sweet cravings and more all are often a result of too much estrogen and/or not enough progesterone.
Please review the lists of symptoms for hormonal imbalance; most of those nagging problems are a result of too much estrogen, as well as overly saturated estrogen binding sites from the xeno-estrogens.
Fortunately, there are good, effective products on the market today to slowly correct this issue. Please refer to my Product Reviews to find out what might help you feel better and get healthier.
"I list the singlemost important product available on the market today that I believe every woman over 20 years old should be taking daily."
You also need to consider a growing epidemic in the United States and now other first world countries called Metabolic Syndrome. It can be difficult to distinguish this syndrome from Estrogen Dominance, and in fact, it is not unusual to have both situations at once.
The most Significant Findings in Women's Health in 50 Years
By now, I'm sure you've heard the stunning news that made a big hit in the media a few years ago about "The End of the Age of Estrogen" (Newsweek's lead article, July 22, 2002). After women have been told for decades that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) would preserve their youth, protect their bones and prevent heart attacks, the conclusive evidence is now in:
"synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is dangerous!"
It is now proven that HRT can elevate your risk for cancer and an early death. Please click here for detailed information on the study.
For many women without other options, synthetic estrogen was a blessing. Eliminating the hassle of hot flashes and improving sleep patterns were vital to her sense of health and well-being. However, it has risks associated with it that simply don't exist with bio-identical hormones.
For example, women taking synthetic estrogen have a 50% greater risk of developing asthma than those who never used hormones.
Changing to a natural hormone regime can help lower your chances of developing asthma, some types of cancer, blood clots, TMJ (jaw problems) and overall joint and back pain.
Do you have many of the symptoms listed in the Hormone Imbalance page in this website?
If so, you are a prime candidate for natural products to help bring your system back to health and wellness.
"In my Product Reviews, I give you my opinions about the highest quality Natural Progesterone on the market today and why it is the best one to choose, as well as where to purchase it. I also will offer my feelings about the best delivery system that most doctors don't even know about, and it isn't from a cream or drop!"
Have you used HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)?
You should never take estrogen alone; even if it is bio-identical. Estrogen in any form (Estradiol, Estriol, Estrone or any synthetic hormone therapy) should always be accompanied by some form of natural progesterone and possibly other balancing herbs.
(Taking estrogen in any form without also taking progesterone in a cyclical manner accompanying it is referred to as taking "unopposed estrogen").
For menopausal women who have used prescription drug HRT for years, simply switching to a nontoxic natural progesterone cream will often not meet their needs.
Complaints of severe hot flashes, getting up often at night to urinate, insomnia, partial loss of bladder control, moderate to severe mood swings, headaches, and more are all too common when stopping your HRT, even with the use of natural progesterone.
What happens after synthetic hormone withdrawal is that excess dangerous fake estrogens must be detoxified and removed from your body, in addition to supplementation with bio-identical progesterone. There are healthy ways to accomplish this that can be measured with appropriate lab tests.
My product reviews list the best available supplement I have found on the market specifically designed for Estrogen Dominance. Make sure you read "The singlemost important supplement I believe every adult female in the United States should be taking!"
(Source: Nutrition News and Views, Sept/Oct 1998, Vol. 2, No. 4)