posted
HI All, Has anyone taken this suppliment with any success? Is it a hormone like they claim or a steroid?Thanks for any input. kt
Posts: 740 | From BC Canada | Registered: Mar 2003
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klutzo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5701
posted
DHEA is the mother of all steroid hormones, if that does not confuse you more! Get a baseline blood or saliva test before taking it, and again at six months to monitor your level. You don't want it if you don't need it, precisely because it is a steroid, and you only want to supplement enough to replace what you should have to begin with. However, it is often low in Lymies, since it is a hormone, and hormones are controlled by the HPA axis, which is usually supressed in Lyme. A holistic doc is best, since they know this stuff. If female, keep your dose at 5 mgs. daily....Enzymatic Thearpy is one of only a few companies that makes doses that low. Those high doses in the health food stores are for males. If you are female, you don't want to end up with a beard, lol! I have taken it for a year now with great success in dealing with my ability to cope with stress. My adrenals were fried, and my DHEA level was almost non-existant. My blood level went from 166 to 657 in only two months on 5 mgs. daily. You want to aim for at least 200, even if you are much older (levels drop naturally as we age) unless you are under age 30. If you are that young, please do not even think of taking it without medical supervision. Low DHEA indicates rapid aging and high risk of diseases of aging. It has improved my energy and mood. I was in stage 3 of Lyme before being correctly dx'd, so I had plenty of neuroborreliosis and definite mood problems, including Lyme rages. In fact it was the rages that finally got me dx'd with Lyme. I still have them, but they are far less often, less severe, and I can control myself now when having one. Klutzo
Posts: 1269 | From Clearwater, Florida, USA | Registered: May 2004
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posted
Thank Klutzo, I have menopause sx on top of the lyme/babs sx so hopefully this will help both? My adrenals are and have been shot for a very long time..thanks so much for your post.kt
Posts: 740 | From BC Canada | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
VERY IMPORTANT! DHEA has a synergistic relationship with magensium production/assimilation/retention.
"According to Dr. Norman Shealy, every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency and low levels of the hormone DHEA. DHEA is the health and youth hormone. If DHEA is low, magnesium is low. They go together. Even a 10% increase in magnesium and DHEA levels is associated with a 48% decrease in death from cardiovascular disease and a 36% decrease in mortality: from all causes. The human being has the only body that has a significant level of DHEA.
It is striking that low levels of both DHEA and magnesium characterize most illnesses. A connection between these essential chemicals appears to be basic the understanding of health, wellness and the restoring and maintaining of youth. Low levels of DHEA are found in women up to nine years BEFORE development of breast cancer. And men may have low DHEA levels for four or more years prior to development of prostate cancer. There is a long list of DHEA/magnesium deficiency symptoms. They are anxiety, hyperactivity, confusion, depression, diarrhea or constipation, faintness, fatigue, hyperventilation, lack of coordination, insomnia, intestinal problems, muscle cramps, muscle tightness, pain, poor memory, seizures, tinnitus and vertigo; and these are just the symptoms!
In no illness is DHEA /magnesium deficiency prevalent than myocardial infarction (acute heart attack). On average, patients given magnesium intravenously have a 50% greater survival rate. It has also been shown that mothers who are given magnesium IV's just before giving birth are much less likely to have children who develop cerebral palsy.
When DHEA is raised, testosterone levels are raised. This raises libido in men and women.
DHEA is a major reflector of overall health and stress reserves. Raising DHEA results in a remarkable increase in perceived physical and psychological well being for both men and women. There is increased energy, deeper sleep, improved mood, more relaxed feelings and an improved ability to deal with stressful situations."
Posts: 294 | From nevada | Registered: Sep 2005
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I have supplemented DHEA now for a year or so. Do get a saliva test (my MD says is far superior to blood test) for hormones. Keep the dosage low and you can actually get the libido going again and have some decent energy. The Lyme has thrown me into early menopause so I'm doing lyme, coinfections, and menopause all at once! DHEA has definitely helped.
Posts: 460 | From Illinois | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
Make sure that you get the "7 Keto DHEA" This is the best and doesn't have increased cancer risks from using it. I have taken 25 mgs every morning for the last 5 yrs.
-------------------- You're only a failure when you stop trying. Posts: 945 | From U.S | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Wow! I took the drops (10mg) yesterday and the last 3 days upped the magnesium. I think I noticed better coordination today! Did 20 situps last night (1st time in 2 yrs) and was able to stand on my toes and contract the calves 6 reps hanging on to the doorway. My right leg was always spasming and stuck in the extended position. Tonight I can retract it! I don't know if this is a placebo effect but I'll take it!Thanks so much for the info, I was a little leary about the DHEA. kt
Posts: 740 | From BC Canada | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
micul,the bottle I have is a liquid concentrate and just says DHEA. It's manufactured in Tampa, Florida. Does some of this promote cancer?!
Posts: 740 | From BC Canada | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
DHEA is infamous for causing hair loss in men. It increases testosterone in the blood stream which is what it is supposed to do. I took it for about 9 months and it worked great but had that unfortunate side effect. For women I guess this wouldn't be an issue.
-------------------- Jack Posts: 385 | From South New Jersey, USA | Registered: Jul 2001
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I was told by a pharmacist that 7 Kteto DHEA was safer to take than the regular. There really isn't enough data on it though to draw any conclusions one way or the other. Some research says that it will reduce the risk of cancer. There is also some concern that too much of it could increase the possibility of cancer in the reproductory organs of men and women. You are probably fine with taking only 10 mg a day. But remember that DHEA will not help your adrenals if they are exhausted. Cortef is needed for that. The two of them go hand in hand.
posted
Thanks again. Micul,I am taking suppliments to support the adrenals (as I think this is my main problem)So much to keep up with. I'm taking mag/w B's, cordycepts,garlic, vit C,pantothenic acid, rhodiola... that's what I can think of off hand LoL will try to find the proper DHEA..
Posts: 740 | From BC Canada | Registered: Mar 2003
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klutzo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5701
posted
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the reson to take 7-Keto DHEA was to avoid increasing your sex hormones, which it does not do like regular DHEA. So, if you are dealing with menopause, you might want the regular stuff. I think 7-keto is much more expensive as well. The cancer risk is with too much or too little DHEA, another reason to be monitored. Klutzo
Posts: 1269 | From Clearwater, Florida, USA | Registered: May 2004
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posted
The following are taken from an article on DHEA:
DHEA SUPPLEMENTION: POSSIBLE CONCERNS
The biggest concern over DHEA supplementation repeatedly raised in the DHEA scientific literature is the issue of androgen/estrogen production from DHEA. Various tissues can locally convert DHEA to either androgens (testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione) or estrogens (estrone, estradiol). Many DHEA studies report significant androgen increases in women, even at the relatively low dose of 50 mg. (1, 8, 18, 19, 21) Increased androgen levels in women may relate not only to the mild effects of excess facial hair and acne, but to the more serious issues of abdominal obesity, hyper-glycemia and insulin resistance. (26) And one report found a decreased testosterone level in men, combined with an increase in estradiol, hardly ideal for a man's health. (21) Fortunately, a natural metabolite of DHEA, normally found in the human body, and which cannot be bio-transformed into androgens or estrogens, (28) is now available. And preliminary evidence indicates this "new" DHEA metabolite may be even more potent than DHEA.
7-KETO - DHEA TO THE RESCUE!
7-keto DHEA (also called "7-oxo DHEA,)" is almost identical in structure to DHEA. Human skin (and other tissues) contain enzymes that convert DHEA to 7-keto DHEA in a two-stage process. (27) (Interestingly, many animal experiments with DHEA get best results if the DHEA is given subcutaneously, hinting at skin DHEA bio-processing.) Research into 7-keto DHEA has been conducted primarily by Dr. Henry Lardy and associates at the University of Wisconsin. (28, 29, 30) Based on his research, Lardy has been granted various patents on the use of 7- keto DHEA, including immune enhancement/modulation, Alzheimer's treatment and weight loss.
"7-keto DHEA has been evaluated in both preclinical studies and human clinical trials for safety. These studies show no mutagenic activity and no adverse effects for 7-keto DHEA up to doses of 2000 mg /kg in rats and 500 mg /kg in primates. It should be noted that 500 mg /kg is 3.5 grams in a normal 70 kg human." (30) Zenk notes that a clinical trial conducted to measure the effects of 7- keto DHEA on several endocrine and safety parameters in healthy adult men found 7- keto DHEA to be safe and well-tolerated at doses up to 200 mg/day of a 28-day period. (30) Zenk also reports that laboratory safety tests also showed 7- keto DHEA does not affect haematology, serum chemistry, or urine chemistry differently than healthy subjects taking placebo. (30)
7-KETO DHEA: A PERSONAL COMMENT
I have been interested in DHEA since 1984. However, my personal experience with DHEA was disappointing. I found DHEA to induce a severe depression after only 1 - 3 doses. I retried DHEA about a dozen times between 1984 to 1996, always getting the same rapid-onset depression. I talked to a doctor colleague, who reported that she had the same response to DHEA, and that some 5-10% of her patients who tried DHEA also experienced a relatively rapid onset of depression (1 - 10 days). I began taking 7-keto DHEA in the fall of 1998, hoping for a different response. Much to my surprise, I found 7-keto DHEA experientially very different from DHEA. I have been taking 7-keto DHEA for about 18 months now, gradually reducing my dose from 25 mg/day to 10-15 mg/day. I have found 7-keto DHEA to be an energy enhancer, anti-cortisol stress reducer, and general revitalizing agent. I have gradually dropped 20 pounds of weight, have experienced a significant thinning of my face away from the classic cortisol "moon face" I was developing in recent years. I consider 7-keto DHEA one of my core anti-aging supplements. I have also used 7-keto DHEA to quickly revive 2 cats traumatized from combined surgical/anaesthesia/vaccine stress. My wife finds 7-keto DHEA to be the single most energizing supplement she's ever taken
-------------------- You're only a failure when you stop trying. Posts: 945 | From U.S | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Thanks all, I am in BC and find most sites for the 7 keto DHEA quite expensive. Is there a more reasonable source?kt
Posts: 740 | From BC Canada | Registered: Mar 2003
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