I'm Too Young for This!: The Natural Hormone Solution to Enjoy Perimenopause (21 page)

BOOK: I'm Too Young for This!: The Natural Hormone Solution to Enjoy Perimenopause

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He gave up gluten and everything normalized. He is no longer exhausted in the middle of the afternoon, he lost three inches off his waist, and his love handles disappeared. His food intake dropped in half (he did not realize he was eating double the amount of food he needed because the gluten problem did not permit the proper absorption of nutrients). Once he stopped gluten, his life and outlook changed. His hormone levels normalized with replacement, because now he could absorb them and
his receptor sites received the messages to provide him hormonal balance.

If you suspect you are allergic to food or foods, or intolerant to specific foods, there are tests you can take to determine your intolerances. This important step could be the tipping point for you in getting to your ideal hormonal balance point if hormone replacement doesn’t seem to be working for you.

A simple blood test is available. (Go to
SuzanneSomers.com
and click on Life Extension, or look at the Resources in the back of this book. Life Extension offers this test at a reasonable price and will interpret the results for you.)

Again, circling back, if you are using BHRT and not feeling great yet, food allergies just might be the obstacles that keep you from finding bliss. They are often the missing link to achieving balance.

It’s difficult to balance hormones when you are breathing, eating, or drinking foods, poisons, and substances that are toxic to your body. That’s up next: the toxins that can be keeping you “off.”

IS YOUR MATTRESS MAKING YOU FAT—AND SICK?

Most of us are now aware that we are exposed to toxins in our food, water, and air; however, we may not fully understand how many hidden ones we are surrounded by that we’re not accounting for.

In her book
Silent Spring
, Rachel Carson writes, “For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death.” That book was first written in 1962; imagine how many more dangerous toxins we are being exposed to today.

I asked Brenda Watson, author of
The Detox Strategy
, where else we are unknowingly taking in toxins. Her answer, which I shared with my readers in an earlier book, still bears repeating. It will shock you:

Let’s begin with your bed. There are several ingredients that your body absorbs while you sleep, including toluene, a chemical linked to birth defects. It’s emitted from the polyurethane foam that makes your bed so comfy. Then there’s perfluorooctanoic acid, a chemical that makes fabrics stain resistant, but which is a hormone disrupter linked to ADHD in children. Next are the fire-retardant chemicals, some linked to learning disabilities and thyroid dysfunction, and some like antimony, linked to heart and lung problems. As of July 1, 2007, it was mandated by law that all mattresses manufactured or imported into the United States must be treated with these fire-retardant chemicals.

How about your carpet? Most likely it is synthetic and full of these same stain- and fire-resistant chemicals. When you brush your teeth, you know that warning label that says to keep your toothpaste out of reach of children under the age of six? Well, this label exists because your toothpaste exposes you to sodium fluoride, which is linked to enzyme disruption and thyroid problems. Also in your toothpaste may be sodium lauryl sulfate, which is linked to organ and reproductive (hormones) toxicity and triclosan, an antibacterial agent that’s registered as a pesticide with the EPA and is linked to organ toxicity and possibly cancer. Most mouthwash contains formaldehyde and ammonia, several flavoring and coloring chemicals, as well as some chemicals that have leached from the plastic in the bottle.

Depending on the type of shampoo and soaps you are using, you expose yourself to coloring agents, dyes, artificial preservatives, and propylene glycol, a suspected carcinogen. Most antiperspirants contain aluminum zirconium, which is toxic to the
nervous and reproductive systems; plus a chemical called BHT, believed to be a hormone disruptor and neurotoxin.

If you dry-clean your clothes, you are exposed to a plethora of chemicals, including perchloroethylene (PCE), a chemical believed to be capable of causing cancer, especially in the liver and kidneys. It is also shown to affect developing fetuses. Even if you don’t get your clothes dry-cleaned, what about synthetic fibers in your clothing (think polyester), which may be giving off small molecules of plasticizer fumes?

It goes on and on. It’s in your makeup, cosmetics, hair products, all of which are equally toxic. I don’t write this to scare you. But to educate you as to why it’s important to try to clean up your external environment while you seek hormonal balance during perimenopause.

You are dealing with two issues at perimenopause and both need to be considered seriously: declining hormones and the effects in your body from the changing toxic planet.

STRESS IS TOXIC, TOO

You’ll need to consider another issue, as it relates to that balance you are wanting: stress. It too is toxic, and it blunts hormone production. Don’t forget to address it in your life and make lifestyle changes to lessen its hold. (Reread
chapter 6
, if you need some tips on doing so.)

Toxins in your food, on your food, toxins and hormones in the water, hormones and antibiotics in your meat, overuse of prescription drugs, toxic household cleaners, and even mold in your home—all can be can be reasons that your hormones are depleted prematurely. The brain is comprised of 65 percent fat. Mold and toxins love to hide in fat. This is dangerous for your
brain. The brain also requires estrogen for neural replication, so if your brain gets toxic from the household cleaners or mold in your house, you can see how these dots connect and mess with your hormones. Detoxifying your house and your body will go a long way to ensuring good health—your body will thank you for it.

STILL GAINING WEIGHT? SOMETHING NEW TO CONSIDER

The thyroid is specifically affected by toxins because many environmental chemicals have structures very similar to certain hormones and therefore are toxic to the thyroid. These chemicals can fit into the cellular receptors for these thyroid hormones with serious consequences, interfering with the usage and metabolism of the thyroid. When thyroid function is affected by these chemicals, it can’t do its job of helping to normalize your metabolism. Without a functioning metabolism, you can’t control weight gain.

Dr. Davis Lamson, of the Tahoma Clinic, has shown that toxic metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and many others can block the positive effects of thyroid hormone. (A chelation test will measure metal toxicity to determine if this is your issue.)

Fluoride, heavy metals, chemicals like perchlorates (found in drinking water), and x-rays can negatively affect the thyroid. Also certain medications damage or suppress thyroid function, including lithium, birth control pills, beta-blockers, phenytoin, antacids that contain aluminum, sulfa drugs, antihistamines, and chemotherapy drugs. Many of these same chemicals also mimic estrogen, testosterone, and other hormones like insulin.

This chemical assault now confuses the endocrine system, which is your hormone-making system. Remember if one hormone is off, all the hormones are off. Think back to the teeter-totter,
except instead of the predictable low minors and high majors, with a chemical assault it’s all wacky; chemical sensitivities might make the minors go high, and the majors low. Now your balance is off; either way, you will not feel well, your moods will be affected as will your weight and your libido, causing your entire body system to not feel “right.” In addition, you’ll be displaying symptoms such as sleeplessness, anger, body itches, stomach bloating, extreme fatigue, uncontrollable body temperatures (either too hot or too cold), memory lapses, and no sexual desire. A qualified doctor (visit
ForeverHealth.com
to find one in your area) specializing in natural BHRT and/or environmental medicine will understand how to detox these harmful chemicals out of you so you can achieve perfect balance again. By making the effort, you will be the winner.

For those who choose not to accept that the environment and stress are culprits blocking their opportunity for true health, their bodies will most likely continue to deplete hormonally at earlier and earlier ages. The hidden factors may be the reasons why it is harder for your body to accept hormone replacement and sadly, depletion sucks the life out of you. Don’t let this happen. Our body talks to us all the time. Remember to pay attention to its language. For instance:

• If your eyes are puffy, you need to check your thyroid.
• If your shoulders feel tight and constricted constantly, you should test for human growth hormone. HGH positively affects lean muscle mass, keeping you fit and limber.
• If your skin is wrinkling prematurely or your muscles are lax, your estrogen levels may need adjusting. You may also have a deficiency in DHEA and HGH.
• If you are experiencing memory loss, you could be pregnenolone deficient.
• Estrogen depletion will also give you “foggy brain.”
• Imbalanced thyroid, either high (hyperthyroid) or low (hypothyroid), will affect your ability to think straight.
• Adrenal fatigue also affects thinking and can cause a brain drain.

You can see that looking at one aspect, one absolute, like focusing on just one hormone, might not lead you to the culprit. It could be one or many causes that are wreaking the havoc.

There are many other signs and signals as identified throughout this book that our bodies give to each of us. Learning this language, what each sign and signal means, how each works, and what to do about it, is the purpose of this book. Use your newly acquired knowledge of perimenopause to your advantage and “hear” it.

STAY THE COURSE

Continue to work with your doctor. Talk to him or her. Dig deeper. Your doctor can analyze your hormonal ratios to help you achieve optimum health. Amazingly, with today’s new medical approaches, we can now test an individual’s genetics and possibly circumvent issues long before a problem surfaces. “Genetically predisposed” does not have to be your fate. The new doctors can pinpoint your allergies, intolerances, and genetic factors to vastly improve your health and metabolism, plus they can test to see if mercury, lead, cadmium, heavy metals, or other new environmental substances are responsible for your diminishing health. This kind of detective work just might uncover causes for the conditions you are experiencing, for example, where did your autoimmune disease come from and why?

The new environmental doctors can test for molds and bacteria that slip into our bodies and wreak havoc. Your doctor can
then determine how these issues can be rectified in order to restore you to optimum health and hormonal balance. The detective work continues: something as basic as your homocysteine level and finding it elevated could indicate future heart disease or determine that you are not detoxifying properly. Uncovering this could be another part of the puzzle as to what is making your hormones imbalanced. There are so many factors today and to properly serve patients it requires new thinking on the part of our doctors. Don’t settle for less.

Our food has changed, our air and water are now mostly polluted, and the planet in general is not the same as it was fifty years ago. To find hormonal balance and quality of life will require diligence. But you can do it! Make changes in your diet, your environment, rethink your lifestyle, get proper sleep, manage your stress, and make sure you get sufficient exercise. These things seem simple but they are the game-changers separating those who can withstand the overwhelming assault and sail through perimenopause, from those who can’t.

The new approach to health and our transitions is exciting detective work. We can now dig deeper than ever before to unravel the mysteries of body balance. It is equal parts back to basics and advanced science. But merging these two schools of thought is creating better quality of life for all of us. I emphasize repeatedly in this book to work with a doctor or doctors who understand the new way to stay healthy. If your doctor hasn’t kept up, then find one who has.

This cutting-edge approach to true health is the most exciting change in health care to come along in our lifetimes.

DON’T GIVE UP!

Throughout the years I’ve heard women complain that they have tried hormone replacement but it didn’t work for them. If this is you, dig deeper. Don’t lose out on this progress in women’s health. Get to the bottom of your hormonal puzzle. Don’t give up until you feel
perfect
. You can and will!

Hormonal balance and all the joy that comes with it is yours with BHRT replacement, as long as you take all options into consideration. Your commitment to great health will pay off immeasurably for you
and
for your family. These are exciting times for women, much different from the women who came before us. You can get your life back with this new knowledge and embrace perimenopause knowing that you will emerge triumphantly as the vibrant, sexy, healthy, exciting, and happy woman you deserve to be!

CHAPTER 10