Read I'm Too Young for This!: The Natural Hormone Solution to Enjoy Perimenopause Online
Authors: Suzanne Somers
Tags: #Health & Fitness, #Healthy Living, #Alternative Therapies, #Sexuality
I'm Too Young for This!: The Natural Hormone Solution to Enjoy Perimenopause (27 page)
Those with kidney impairment should use caution when taking high doses of magnesium or potassium as your kidneys may not be able to handle them. Congestive heart failure patients may also have problems excreting large doses of magnesium and potassium through their kidneys. Those who suffer irritable bowel syndrome of the diarrhea-predominate type should avoid these formulas as it will likely worsen their problem.
It is important to drink lots of water after taking these powdered nutrient mixes as they will draw water from surrounding tissues into the colon to facilitate passage of feces. By increasing the volume of water in the intestine, stools are softened, intestinal muscle contraction is stimulated, and bowel evacuation is prompted.
Until an individual dose is ascertained by trial and error, these nutrient powders may create temporary diarrhea. Those with chronic constipation can learn how to dose their powdered nutrients to achieve optimal individual relief.
To improve intestinal health:
• Make sure to have your blood tested for thyroid hormone. If thyroid is low, ask your doctor to prescribe the proper dose of Armour or Cytomel to restore your thyroid status.
• On a daily basis, take 30 to 80 billion culture count probiotic, twice daily, to restore bacterial balance and pH of the colon. The colon contains a robust population of beneficial bacteria that help digest remaining nutrients. Beneficial bacteria include
Lactobacillus acidophilus
and
Bifidobacterium bifidum
(
B. bifidum
). Maintaining a healthy population of these beneficial bacteria is essential for proper digestion. Several recent studies demonstrate significant improvements in measures of gastrointestinal well-being, decreases in digestive symptoms such as gas and bloating, and increases in health-related quality of life during bifidobacteria supplementation.• Consider fiber in capsule form or eat three cups of fibrous vegetables. Not all constipated people benefit from fiber, especially those suffering from
insufficient peristalsis
. These individuals usually need a colon cleanse three times a week to fully evacuate their bowels.• Take digestive enzymes, one or two capsules with each meal, to help digest food and absorb nutrients.
• To stimulate peristalsis, take several teaspoons of effervescent magnesium ascorbate crystals with several glasses of water on an empty stomach; you’re likely to see immediate results within an hour or two. Consuming this nutritional colon cleanse three times weekly provides significant constipation relief for many people.
Endometriosis is another very painful affliction that plagues many perimenopausal women. The symptoms are cramping and abdominal pain resulting from the cells of endometrial (uterine) tissue that somehow migrate outside the uterus. They can be scattered anywhere throughout the pelvic area, attaching to the ovaries, the bladder wall, as well as the intestinal walls and membranes in the abdomen. The endometrial tissue responds to the monthly surges of estrogen by becoming blood filled, and at menstruation when the uterine endometrium is shed, the endometrial cells also “shed” blood. But this blood has nowhere to go. The blood in the tissues creates local inflammation, which is very painful in the pelvic and abdominal tissues. Endometriosis is aggravated by estrogen dominance and birth control pills.
Endometriosis disappears during pregnancy only to flare up again after delivery, so this suggests that the sex hormones are
involved and that the high progesterone levels of pregnancy may be the important factor.
DR. John Lee, the first doctor to treat perimenopausal women with progesterone, is known to have successfully treated endometriosis in women by using high doses of progesterone cream to create a pseudopregnancy state from day 5 to day 28 of the cycle. This will most likely cause the pain to subside, but it can take three to four months.
Natural progesterone is structurally identical to progesterone produced in the body and has been shown to reduce inflammation in endometriosis and limit the growth of uterine tissue.
Several other natural interventions may provide relief from symptoms of endometriosis.
• DHA and EPA are omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil that help fight inflammation, which is a factor in endometriosis.
• Silymarin, an active component of milk thistle, has been shown to inhibit an inflammatory molecule that is commonly elevated in women with endometriosis. Additionally, components in milk thistle have demonstrated potent antioxidant and free-radical-scavenging activity.
• GLA is a beneficial omega-6 fatty acid found in borage seed oil that can reduce inflammation in the body by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory molecules commonly associated with endometriosis.
• Modulating the metabolism of estrogen is a strategy that may be helpful with endometriosis. I3C (indole-3-carbinol), found in cruciferous vegetables, may help increase the amount of weaker estrogens and decrease the amount of
stronger estrogens that are associated with cancer. Additionally, DIM, a metabolite of I3C, has been shown to have cancer-fighting effects.• Calcium D-glucarate has been shown to inhibit an enzyme that is produced by bacteria in the gut that impairs the body’s ability to adequately eliminate estrogen processed by the liver. Maintaining a higher ratio of weak estrogens to strong estrogens is important in promoting hormonal balance in endometriosis.
| Dosage Suggestions for Endometriosis | ||
| NUTRIENT OR INTERVENTION | TYPICAL DAILY DOSE | SUGGESTED PRODUCTS |
| Natural progesterone cream | Based on blood test results, symptoms, and physician prescribing directions. | Available over the counter or by prescription |
| Fish oil | 1,400 mg EPA and 1,000 mg DHA | Super Omega-3 EPA/DHA with Sesame Lignans and Olive Fruit Extract |
| Milk thistle extract | 1,500 mg standardized to 80% silymarin and 30% silibinins | Certified European Milk Thistle |
| Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) | 300–600 mg | Mega GLA with Sesame Lignans |
| Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) | 80–160 mg | Triple Action Cruciferous Vegetable |
| 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM) | 14–28 mg | Extract |
| Calcium D-glucarate | 200 mg | Calcium D-Glucarate |
One sign of low iodine is fibrocystic breasts. Dr. Jonathan Wright claims that “if you take the right amount of iodine your fibrocystic disease will go away no matter how bad it is, and it works every time. (Very few things in medicine or anywhere else work every time, but this one does.) You don’t need to take estriol, either, if you take enough iodine your body will make enough estriol for you.” (To refresh, estriol is the safer component of a woman’s estrogens.) Iodine deficiency interferes with optimum breast health, and intake of levels far higher than the recommended dietary allowance of 150 mcg may be required to achieve benefits.
You can test for iodine deficiency by dabbing a bit of iodine on your stomach. If it disappears in less than twenty-four hours you are iodine deficient. The faster it disappears the greater your deficiency.
In addition, women with fibrocystic breast disease may have abnormal ratios of omega-3 fatty acids. Improving the ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s can help reduce the inflammation associated with fibrocystic breasts.
• Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is a beneficial plant-derived omega-6 fatty acid that can play an important role in modulating inflammation throughout the body, especially when it is incorporated in the cells of the immune system. Additionally, GLA can supply the body with vital biochemical precursors with powerful anti-inflammatory effects.
• Research has shown that vitamin E can correct abnormal estrogen-progesterone ratios in some patients with abnormal cellular changes in their breasts.
• According to some alternative-care practitioners, a malfunctioning thyroid gland may worsen fibrocystic breast disease. An early study of 19 women with breast pain and nodularity caused by fibrocystic breast disease reported that almost half (47 percent) of the women had total relief after daily treatment with 0.1 mg of levothyroxine (Synthroid). Also, a study on thyroid hormones and fibrocystic breast disease showed that thyroid hormone levels were significantly lower in women with fibrocystic breast disease than in controls and it was concluded that there seemed to be a connection between disease occurrence and thyroid function. Taking daily iodine sourced from kelp and dulse can help support a healthy thyroid.
• Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) is a naturally occurring dietary compound found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage. I3C’s ability to break down estrogen into harmless forms rather than those linked to breast cancer, fight free radicals, and interfere with tumor cell reproduction makes it a useful therapy for fibrocystic breasts.
| Dosage Suggestions for Fibrocystic Breasts | ||
| NUTRIENT OR INTERVENTION | TYPICAL DAILY DOSE | SUGGESTED PRODUCTS |
| Iodine | 1,000–6,000 mcg | Sea-Iodine |
| Fish oil | 1,400 mg EPA and1,000 mg DHA | Super Omega-3 EPA/DHA with Sesame Lignans and Olive Fruit Extract |
| Gamma tocopherol vitamin E (natural tocopherols mixed with sesame lignans) | 359 mg | Gamma E Tocopherol with Sesame Lignans |
| Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) | 300–1,200 mg | Mega GLA with Sesame Lignans |
| Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) | 80–160 mg | Triple Action Cruciferous Vegetable Extract |
| High-potency, comprehensive multivitamin | One tablet twice daily | Two-Per-Day Tablets or Capsules |
Headaches have never been one of my overwhelming hormonal symptoms. I’ve had them of course but was never plagued and debilitated like so many women. I find my female friends with the worst GI problems—bloating and cramps—have the most headaches. This is not scientific, just something I’ve noticed. So getting your gut healthy could be an answer for you. If you find that you are suffering from more frequent headaches now, like so many women do at this time, here are some natural ways to treat them.
• People who suffer from frequent headaches often have low levels of magnesium. Supplementing with magnesium may help headaches. If you experience diarrhea, take less.
• Dr. Prudence Hall, my gynecologist, suggests that a woman with migraines rub estrogen cream right on the temples to get it close to the brain. Many women have written me telling me this was the answer; that within a short period of time, the headache dissipated and they could get back to their lives. What I like about this approach is that no ‘over-the-counter’ drugs were needed. Chronic use of
over-the-counter (OTC) drugs like acetaminophen and ibuprofen have lethal side effects. Do not use them to chronically treat headaches.• Coffee and ice packs are also helpful as both caffeine and ice cause blood vessels to constrict.
• Butterbur root extracts have properties that can reduce inflammation and dilate the blood vessels which can be very helpful for headaches.
• Coenzyme Q
10
(CoQ
10
) is an important antioxidant that is quickly depleted in the brain due to its high energy demands. Supplementing with it daily has been shown to be helpful in preventing and reducing the frequency of headaches.• Melatonin is a natural compound produced by the pineal gland that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle (i.e., circadian rhythms), and has been clinically shown to possess analgesic properties. Since melatonin is often found in lower-than-normal levels among those who suffer frequent headaches (especially during an attack), it is thought that it may play an important role in headache cessation. Some researchers hypothesize that headaches are triggered by an irregularity in pineal gland function. When this imbalance is corrected through melatonin supplementation, some patients experience an improvement in symptoms.
• The amino acid L-tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin. Several lines of evidence indicate that low serotonin signaling within the brain may precipitate headaches. Therefore, supporting serotonin synthesis by providing precursors like L-tryptophan may help avoid physiological conditions that promote headaches.
| Dosage Suggestions for Chronic Headache | ||
| NUTRIENT OR INTERVENTION | TYPICAL DAILY DOSE | SUGGESTED PRODUCTS |
| Magnesium | 140 mg as magnesium L-threonate; 320 mg daily as magnesium citrate (the magnesium citrate may be repeated later in the day) | Neuro-Mag Magnesium L-Threonate; Magnesium Citrate |
| Natural progesterone cream | Based on blood test results, symptoms, and physician prescribing | Available by prescription or over the counter |
| Butterbur root | Standardized extract of 150 mg | Butterbur Extract with Standardized Rosmarinic Acid |
| Coenzyme Q 10 (CoQ 10 ), as ubiquinol | 100–300 mg | Super Ubiquinol CoQ 10 with Enhanced Mitochondrial Support |
| Melatonin | 0.3–5 mg before bed (sometimes up to 10 mg) | Melatonin |
| L-tryptophan | 500–2,000 mg | Optimized Tryptophan |