posted
Our world is stuffed full of fake estrogens. In foods, cleaning products + on = on. Big word is xenoestrogens / xenohormones.
So there is constant exposure to this, which affects many females and males too.
Estrogen is produced to make eggs mature and "pop out" so pregnancy can occur. It makes tissue grow so too much estrogen (compared to progesterone) makes too much tissue grow which leads to heavier periods.
Progesterone is made to make a fertilized egg survive and thrive.
So first part of a cycle estrogen should help an egg mature and be released. After that occurs estrogen is really not needed so levels should go down.
Second half of cycle when the egg may have a chance of getting fertilized prog (let's shorten that one and also shorten estrogen to est) - the prog comes up, stays up for a while.
If pregnancy does occur prog stays up.
So an ongoing dance among est + prog occurs. Est dominance means too much est produced compared to amount of prog produced.
Regular blood testing is poor - it is like looking at an elegant ballroom dance by taking one photo of a 20 minute performance. Don't you need to see the whole dance to judge it ?
With at home saliva testing - take a sample every few days for the month then sent to lab - a much bigger, clearer picture can be seen.
Prog creams can make you feel better but there are some major problems with them. After going thru skin they are absorbed by the fat under the skin (subcutaneous fat) + then are released in "bursts".
This means prog is not steadily released, which it really should be. And as a MAJOR FACTOR the blood testing shows incredibly high prog levels. It CANNOT be accurately measured as it "washes out" everything else.
If you take prog orally your stomach tries to digest it and rips most of it apart = useless. It is not supposed to go thru your stomach !
Have seen + used (well, not for me !) sublingual pellets that you put under your tounge so they get absorbed directly into ones blood.
Continue in next post...
My mind is a bit scattered - something to do with borrelia begoofy or something...
But back to blood - testing hormones thru blood is not too accurate as hormones in blood are "bound." This means they are there but are not readily available.
Hormones in saliva are not bound thus are readily available. When the bear comes around the corner in the woods do you want those adrenal get up 'n go hormones to be immediately accessible or not ?
And as a complicating factor, the other hormones in the body talk to each other AND can affect each other.
There is something called the HPA (say hippa) axis that includes the Hypothalamus, Pituitary and Adrenal glands (+ thyroid).
These are intimately involved with est + prog as the hypothalamus is at "the top of the heap" then the pituitary is next. The adrenals (on top of the kidneys) take over production of est + prog during + after menopause.
If any of these are stressed, injured, malnourished due to poor nutrition then problems can certainly occur.
Guess what hormones are basically made from ? those oh so supposedly evil F-A-T-S ! ! ! So IMO + IME the idiotic low / no fat obsession really contributes to hormonal "problems".
And in reviewing notes from a seminar put on by a doc that has studied + does Dr. K's work a lot he states that about 80% of female hormonal imbalances can be successfully dealt with by helping the HPA axis heal + do their jobs correctly.
No work on the ovaries, just straightening out the "chain of command". Actually helping organs heal, so you do not have to continually inhale something for your hormones.
LOL as always on the "bioidenticals" ! When you make your hormones, are they alive ? Yup.
So how oh how can hormones made by chemists actually be alive ? But it is the "cool" term now, so everybody (well almost everybody, not me) will want them.
If you mix in a test tube all the chemicals that are normally in a dog will the dog jump out of the test tube and bark ? ----------------------------------------------- Whatever you do, be a seeker. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
And felt a good joke to help people smile was a good idea.
My take on hormones is based on about 15 years of studying them and working with patients on them. Studied a lot with an endocrine specialist from St. Louis and from someone that studied a lot with Dr. K in WA.
Feel I am wasting some time here, though. In one thread When I said I would call another doc many here got offended.
Unbelievable ! One doc call another ? Apparently we are not allowed to disagree ?
posted
Thank you for posting this.
Posts: 7 | From California | Registered: Oct 2009
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massman
Unregistered
posted
I apparently assumed that no comments = no interest.
Was surprised because in the US about 70% of cycling women do have problems while in Europe (I have been taught) about 70% do not have hormone problems.
Was not looking for a pat on the back, just some type of acknowledgement that it had been read.
And more importantly was easy to understand.
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posted
I do not have the cognitive ability to read massman's post and comprehend it, but in answer to your ?, yes progesterone is suppossed to help you sleep.
I believe that bio-identicals are the only way to go, and having been using them for several years. They are on the top of the list of what helped me the most.
Posts: 847 | From upstateNY | Registered: Dec 2007
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massman
Unregistered
posted
Kathryn endometriosis is due to too much estrogen.
Sounds like your adrenals maybe are stressed - and won't let you sleep.
You stated: "I've tried all natural supplements and they don't touch the insomnia,".
So you have tried them from www.inno-vita.com and / or www.systemicformulas.com ? They are designed to help specific glands be active when they should be active and rest and heal when they should do that.
Who advised you on what to use ?
Keltyl - what parts were difficult to understand ? All ? Certain parts ? Would like to know that so I can improve it.
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I am very interested in this subject as I am having some female issues right now and I think it is hormone related.
I am going to get into my story, so if you don't want to hear gross female stuff, please stop reading now. I had my PICC line for Lyme removed on 7/31 and just a few days later (I don't know if it is a coincidence or not), I began to have some vaginal issues. I thought it was a yeast infection and called my ob-gyn. She prescribed 1 tablet of Diflucan and told me to buy some monistat. I did and it didn't work. I began to get some lower left abdominal pain/aches and a terrible burning/raw sensation in my vagina. She cultured my urine and found a trace of enterococcus bacteria. She treated me with 3 different antiobiotics which did not help with any of the vaginal stuff. It did however, help the bacteria in my bladder.
A week or so later, I went in for an ultrasound and they said everything looked fine. I sought out another doctor, a urogynecologist at Yale who examined me. She said the area was very raw, (I could have told her that), and that she thought I had herpes! I told her to wait one second and that I have been married for 21 years and we are both faithful, this is crazy. She cultured and did bloodwork which was all negative. She gave me a prescription for Valtrex which did nothing. I called my original doc who said she saw nothing but irritation the week before. She said she would see me again in 2 weeks as she just had knee surgery.
Fast forward 3 more weeks and I am still in terrible pain, no conclusive answers and she finally examined me again. This time she said the tissue area was red and thinning. She gave me Estrace cream and would see me in 3 weeks. I used the Estrace 1 time and went nuts. It hurt like hell and I couldn't even sleep. She ran bloodwork to which she screwed up and marked off the wrong test, so my estradiol was never done. She did however check my free testosterone which was 1.96% and she said that was normal. If you round that up to 2.00%, that is the highest level of normal, doesn't that mean anything? Also, she ran DHEA S which came out kind of high at 199 out of a possible max of 220. My FSH was a 6 and my TSH was a 1.89. I need to go tomorrow morning and have the correct estradiol/estrogen test done.
I am so sorry for the long post, but if you have any insight, I would greatly appreciate it. Lastly, she is referring me to a vulvudynia specialist that I cannot see until 12/21. After reading about that, I don't really feel that is my problem. I also just went for another opinion from my old doctor who is out of my area, but delivered my oldest son. He said the tissue was actually split because it is so raw. He gave me premarin cream and prenatal vitamins to boost my immune system I guess. He told me that area is hard to heal as it doesn't get allot of air. He also gave me Nystatin cream in case it could be yeast. All of my previous cultures for bacteria and yeast have twice been negative. I am also relatively dry with little discharge, even during ovulation.
This seems as if this could definetly be a hormone issue, do you have any thoughts/ideas on this? Thanks for listening!
Posts: 157 | From connecticut | Registered: Feb 2007
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sammy
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 13952
posted
Thank you massman
You gave an excellent explanation to a complex problem that probably most of us are or will deal with at some point.
So, what kind of diet do you recommend to help support and heal the HPA axis?
I would much rather improve my diet to help support healthy organ function and maintain hormonal balance naturally.
Thanks again for taking the time to explain and discuss this issue with us.
Posts: 5237 | From here | Registered: Nov 2007
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massman
Unregistered
posted
Not gross at all. Took OB/GYN and birthing classes at chiropractic college. How young are you ?
As you said, the tissue has gotten very raw and is obviously staying that way. First thing to do is cool it off and calm it down.
Any health food stores in your area ? Using aloe vera concentrate on the inflamed area should help and if it has no additives there should be no side effects.
I prefer it concentrated but it would be best if you find some ASAP.
You could apply it on an ongoing basis.
So find some tomorrow and start it (if you want to)
I am surprised that no yeast is showing, especially after the antibiotics. How long was the line in ?
Are you taking probiotics ?
On the hormone levels, you make some good points. That type of testing is like a snapshot, meaning that is how they are RIGHT NOW.
Point is they could be leaving or coming into "normal range" and we cannot determine that. And with the age question, are you still cycling and / or any changes with that ?
posted
Thanks for the response Massman. I am just feeling at wit's end with this.
Ok, I am 42 years old and I had my PICC for roughly 4 1/2 months. Prior to that, I was on orals for about 9 to 10 months. My cycles have never been perfect and always off a day or two every since I began menstruating. I did notice that my periods have been lighter this past year. I didn't really give it much thought because I was dealing with all of the Lyme stuff. These past few periods have been very light and not my typical period. I have been stressed over this issue, so I don't know if that might be a factor as well.
My ob-gyn said the FSH level was good and that I was not perimenopausal as of yet. Actually, my old ob-gyn, the one I just saw again, told me years ago, I had PCOS. I used to get terrible cramping in my sides, especially during ovulation. I haven't had that for years, at least not since the birth of my youngest child. When I had the ultrasound weeks ago, the technician said everything looked "beautiful" to be exact. Who knows?
What is really beginning to scare me is that I am having some dull achy pain that radiates from my lower abdomen towards the area of where I am feeling the rawness. It's very weird and scary. I wonder if I could have some sort of cyst that was missed during the ultrasound.
Lastly, I am not currently taking probiotics, but I eat Greek yogurt faithfully. I have it for breakfast at least 3 or 4 times a week.
Thanks again for your help.
Posts: 157 | From connecticut | Registered: Feb 2007
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