Miriam Brazel

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Hormone Imbalance:

The Mysterious Illness

Research Report

by Miriam Brazel

Dedication 3

Introduction 5

September, 1998 7

Causes of Galactorrhea (chart) 9

Progesterone Deficiency Research 10

Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance 24 [06.htm]

Hormone Pathways 27

Benefits of Natural Progesterone 28

Side Effects of Synthetic Progestins 29

Hormone Imbalance and Yeast Infections 30

Misdiagnosis 33

Sexual Dysfunction 34

Estrogen Dominance 37

Estrogen & Progesterone Levels Chart 40

Men and Hormone Imbalance 41

Update: May 1998 42

Manic Depression (bipolar), Low Thyroid, Yeast Overgrowth 44

Symptoms of Low Thyroid 48

More About Manic-Depression 50

Tidbits 51

Beginning to See the Light! 55

Update: November 1999 56

The Limbic System 59

Bibliography 60

This booklet is reprinted in full on this website with permission of Miriam Brazel.
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This book is intended for education and information only, and not as medical advice. Please find a health care professional who meets your particular needs.

Copyright 1997
revised 1998
revised 1999
revised 2000
revised 2002

This work is dedicated to my husband, Jim, for all his patience, help, and encouragement while this booklet was being birthed.

To my children: Joyce and Don Gene and Detta Bob and Linda Ruth and Paul

To sister Dorothy: Without her faith, encouragement, and help I never would have attempted such an under-taking.

To Mildred Hawkins, precious teacher, who made me believe I could do it.

To all the dear ones who shared their stories with me and gave me to know that this work was needed.

May God Bless Each One

To the memory of my great Aunt Clara, whose story Mother told over and over again, to help me to better understand women.

To the memory of godly parents, Herbert and Alma Roberts, who taught me to always search for truth.

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INTRODUCTION

In late 1996, I set out to find all I could about a disease called galactorrhea. Galactorrhea is a condition where a woman who is not pregnant or producing milk after childbirth, produces milk. It can also happen to a man. I had been told that it was a rare, mysterious illness caused by a pituitary tumor. If not treated with a drug called Parlodel, it could cause sudden blindness, as well as infertility and many other serious ailments. Parlodel is a powerful drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease. It works on the central nervous system, and can cause dizziness, headache, fatigue, mania, delusions, insomnia, depression, seizures, strokes, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, anorexia, sexual dysfunction, diarrhea, constipation, and many other less serious problems. Much to my surprise, I found galactorrhea to be not a disease in its-self, but a symptom of something else wrong. A pituitary tumor was one possible cause of the symptom, but there are numerous other conditions that can cause galactorrhea. To use Parlodel to treat this ailment, without first determining if it was in fact caused by a pituitary tumor, was actually putting the woman’s life at risk.

As I began to search for possible causes of galactorrhea, I discovered that it, as well as many other illnesses, including some of the most deadly cancers, are caused by what is called hormone imbalance, estrogen dominance or progesterone deficiency . This condition has many causes, and is now being recognized by medical professionals as one cause of many of our most puzzling medical problems today.

I was given a book by Dr. John Lee, titled WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT MENOPAUSE. In reading it I found that many of the medical problems my family, and some of my friends, had experienced over the years, came under this problem called hormone imbalance. I obtained my own medical records, to see just where my own illnesses fit into timing with drugs I was taking that related to hormones. I looked up the side effects of each drug. This answered some very puzzling questions I had about not only my own feelings and behavior at times, but also about the behavior of others I know.

Obviously, the effects of unbalancing our hormones has been known for many years! Research dates back to the 1930’s. Dr. Lee says that he and the other medical students of his time were not taught anything about real progesterone or it’s role in human health. Even his niece who has graduated from medical school recently, has been taught nothing about it.

Why?

I began to purchase and study every book I could find that dealt with the subject of hormones. I went to the library, and checked information. I talked to both men and women. I found this to be a very popular subject. Nearly every family is dealing with at least one illness related to hormone production. This booklet is the result of what I have learned.

Some of this work is simply a book review, as I found the information so valuable that I believe everyone needs to read it. Some is from the latest seminars given by the researchers. I have included the story of a woman who has been treated for many years with a natural hormone for her hormone imbalance. I have also disguised and included the stories of people I have known. I believe you will find the contents interesting and informative.

The information in this booklet is meant only for the purpose of educating men and women about hormone related illnesses. Each person should seek out a health care professional who will listen to them and treat them accordingly.

Miriam Brazel

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SEPTEMBER, 1998

This summer my granddaughter and I spent three weeks in Israel studying the history and geography of that land through a class at Jerusalem University College. As part of the class we spent some time at the Holocaust Museum. All of that day was moving, but one display caught my attention in a special way. The words that I can’t forget are these. Hitler did extensive experiments in sterilization of women. Just what experiments did he conduct? What was this research? Is this where tubal ligations and hysterectomies were perfected? Is this where birth control pills were born? These seemingly miraculous solutions to family planning were adopted for use without the benefit of research into the long term effect they could have on a woman’s physical and mental health.

Tubal ligations interrupt the path and the blood supply from the ovaries, where hormones are produced, lowering the supply of both estrogen and progesterone to the rest of the body. Birth control pills inhibit ovulation, stopping the production of progesterone in the ovaries altogether. A hysterectomy in a premenopausal woman causes premature menopause with hot flashes, vaginal dryness, bone loss, and many other symptoms. Doctors often treat these women with a synthetic estrogen, ignoring the need for progesterone, and they become estrogen dominant. Their hormones become unbalanced.

Only a few weeks after coming home from this trip, I came across a book written by Raymond Peat, Ph.D., the biochemist who first piqued John Lee’s interest in checking the validity of synthetic hormone replacement for women. The book is FROM PMS TO MENOPAUSE . On page 6, I was surprised to find this answer in response to a question about the emotional symptoms of those afflicted with excess estrogen. “the Nazis put estrogen in the food at concentration camps, to make the prisoners helpless and unable to organize resistance.” Of all the things I have found these last months in the books I have read, this one sentence answers a question that has puzzled me for years. Why do some women get themselves into situations, (sometimes of their own making), and then cannot get out of the predicament? They cannot get themselves out of the trap they are in. I am finding this true again and again for women who have had tubal ligations, are on birth control pills, or are taking a synthetic estrogen. They seem to need help in decision making. They allow a friend, or an employer, or the media, or a boy-friend, or some other person to influence them to do things, that those who know them well, know are completely out of character. They literally become slaves to those who have taken control over them. It is a very frightening thing to watch. Is this because of too much estrogen in their system?

Ray Peat takes on the drug companies, and explains how they, through politics and big money, have been able to suppress knowledge of research, both recent and some dating back to the 1940’s, concerning the dangers of excess estrogen. He explains how to reverse this hormone’s toxicity when it gets too high. He even calls Provera, (medroxyprogesterone) a poison, and suggests that those who are responsible for the deliberate suppression of information about natural progesterone should be identified as criminals.

This scientist explains how estrogen influences the brain in the same way that cocaine does. It seems to be addictive, like cocaine, and has more side effects than cocaine. Excess estrogen kills brain cells, kills nerve cells, causes strokes, heart attacks, pituitary tumors, cancer, arthritis, epileptic seizures, stress, memory loss, premature aging, immune system dysfunction, degenerative brain diseases, multiple sclerosis, and migraines. Excess estrogen kills the fetus in the womb. It causes retardation of the fetal brain. An excess of this hormone during pregnancy working on the fetal brain can cause masculinization of a female fetus and feminization of a male fetus. (On the other hand, Dr. Katharina Dalton, long ago proved that added progesterone during pregnancy increases the IQ of the child). Dr. Dalton is the English woman doctor who identified, researched, and has treated postpartum depression and PMS in England for fifty years. She has written books and traveled worldwide lecturing about hormone imbalance.

Ray Peat has paid attention to Dr. Dalton’s successful treatment of hormone imbalance. He shares the results of his research, and that of others, with us. His book is inexpensive, easy to read and easy to understand.

FROM PMS TO MENOPAUSE by Ray Peat -- a must read book!!!

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PROGESTERONE DEFICIENCY RESEARCH

There is an epidemic sweeping our country that threatens to make the thalidomide tragedy of a generation ago look small by comparison. Recent studies referred to by Dr. Paul Donohue, Stephanie Bender, and others reveal that most of the women of child bearing age in America today are affected to some degree with hormone imbalance. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there is a simple, inexpensive treatment for this illness that has been used in England for over forty years.

Jane, an attractive woman in her early forties, had always seemed spoiled and eccentric. Her husband was kept busy trying to keep up with her expensive lifestyle. She was unable to carry a pregnancy. When she was forty-five she found a lump in her left breast. Surgery was performed, but soon there were lumps in the right breast and other lumps on other parts of her body. Her husband quit his job to care for her at home until she finally died of breast cancer.

Ann had a husband and a three year old child. She worked full time. To the neighbors they looked like a happy young family. One summer morning, Ann announced to her stunned husband that she was leaving him. The following weekend she moved in with a former boyfriend.

Karen was forty-five. She had been married for about a year to her second husband. Karen had undergone a hysterectomy several years ago, was given a prescription for synthetic hormones, but did not always remember to take them. One evening she prepared her husband’s favorite dinner, cleaned up the kitchen and then while her husband worked on his hobby in another room, she took a gun and shot herself in the head.

Evelyn had three small children. She couldn’t get over her post-partum depression after the birth of her third child. Her doctor had given her a strong anti-depressant drug, but even that didn’t help her to feel better. One afternoon she swallowed all the pills in the bottle in a desperate attempt to feel better. She phoned her husband and told him what she had done. Before he could get her to a hospital, Evelyn died.

Bonnie, in her mid-forties, was pretty, friendly and talented. She had two grown children from her first marriage and a six year old son from her second marriage. Bonnie had a tubal ligation after the birth of their son. Since the surgery, she had experienced many symptoms of P.M.S., and began using an over-the-counter medication for her problem. Her husband had no idea she was unhappy until one morning Bonnie “unloaded” all her anger and frustrations about their marriage on him. Two days later she moved out of their home and began an affair with a man in the neighborhood whose wife had recently left him.

What do each of these women have in common?

These women and thousands of others in our country today suffer from hormone imbalance. When birth control pills were introduced in the 1960’s, women flocked to their doctors for this simple, nearly foolproof way of limiting the number of children they would bear. No one knew at this time what the long term effects of tampering with women’s bodies in this way would be. Little did they realize that they were putting themselves at risk for cancer later in life. Hormone imbalance leads to cancers of the breast, uterus, and ovaries.

Tubal ligations and hysterectomies also became popular for those women choosing to never become pregnant again. Many who had hysterectomies were given synthetic hormones to replace the hormones their bodies would no longer be able to produce. Those having tubal ligations were not offered any help as doctors did not realize that this surgery, considered simple, would interfere with hormone balance thereafter.

Birth control pills suppress ovulation. When there is no ovulation, the ovary cannot produce progesterone. Tubal ligations cut off the blood supply from the ovary to other parts of the body so that there is not sufficient estrogen or progesterone to maintain good health. A woman may feel quite well soon after a hysterectomy, but in two to three years, as her ovaries realize that her uterus is missing, they will cease to function as they should, and there will be health problems. When a woman uses any synthetic hormone, be it an estrogen or one of the progestins, (even if it is called progesterone), she is upsetting the balance of her hormones, and causing herself future health problems. A synthetic hormone cannot fit into the hormone receptor where it must go in order to enter a cell and do it’s job.

Through-out history there have always been those women who have suffered the symptoms of hormone imbalance, but never in the numbers we are seeing today.

Queen Victoria suffered mood swings and episodes of rage in which Prince Albert and others in her court were victims of her irrational behavior. Scarlet O’Hara of “Gone With The Wind” typifies a woman who displays the nymphomanic behavior of some women with this hormonal illness. Mary Lamb, sister of English essayist Charles Lamb, killed their mother during one of her violent premenstrual attacks. Charles cared for his sister, and with her permission, locked her in a room during the time each month when she became violent.

There are as many as 150 different symptoms associated with this malady. These symptoms virtually reach from head to foot because of the many hormone receptors throughout the body and the many areas of health that they control.

One hormone, progesterone, is the precursor to other hormones. If there is not enough progesterone produced each month, all the other hormone levels will become either too high or too low. The whole system will become unbalanced causing problems of all sorts throughout the body.

It is believed that most women experience some degree of hormone imbalance at some time during their child bearing years. Many women have three or more symptoms that appear regularly a few days or a few weeks each month, then disappear for a week or two with the onset of her menstrual period. This is commonly referred to as PMS.

In 1948 an English doctor, Katharina Dalton, began diagnosing and treating women suffering from hormone-related diseases. Over a period of forty-five years she continued to research and treat over 50,000 women using diet, lifestyle changes and natural progesterone. Doctor Dalton’s success in using natural progesterone to correct the mental and physical problems associated with hormone imbalance are well documented, both in her books, and in medical journals. Her findings are not popular with the drug companies, because natural progesterone cannot be patented. There is no profit for them.

In 1978, a California doctor, John Lee, who had graduated from Harvard with honors in 1951, and from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1955, listened to a talk by a biochemist from Eugene, Oregon, Dr. Ray Peat. At this seminar Dr. Peat challenged and inspired Dr. Lee to do study and research concerning the use of hormone replacement therapy, and specifically, the benefits of NATURAL PROGESTERONE. In 1979 Dr. Lee began having some of his patients who had hormone related diseases purchase and use a cream that contained natural progesterone. He followed their health, and found that there were many more benefits to the use of this cream than he could have imagined. Dr. Lee continued this research for 15 years, and has written two books on the subject, one for medical professionals and one geared to lay people. Dr. Lee is now retired, and travels world-wide lecturing to physicians and lay people. His books and papers on the subject, along with Doctor Dalton’s books, are a real encouragement to women suffering from this many-faceted illness. In spite of the research of these two pioneers, and the success these doctors and others have had, most doctors today are suspicious and some are outright hostile with the idea of using a natural compound instead of a drug to treat illness.

Scientists discovered and made available in the mid 1930’s a progesterone that exactly matched that made by a human body. It was formulated from plants. Because it was a natural compound occurring in nature, it could not be patented ‐ so the drug companies were not interested in it. They did however take the natural substance, (in this case soy beans or wild yam) make progesterone, then change the chemical configuration so they could patent it. From this process they invented medroxyprogesterone, Provera, Amen, Curretab, Depo-Provera, Cycrin and other progestins. However, these drugs suppress ovulation, thus making hormone imbalance worse. They are not real progesterone! The problem is, most doctors don’t know the difference!!! These things have not been taught in medical schools since the development of synthetic drugs. Drug companies dominate the education our doctors receive.

Any woman who has a cluster of symptoms that occur at the same time each month, with a symptom-free time in-between needs to identify if hormone imbalance is her problem. By using a calendar, she can chart her symptoms. When a normally happy woman becomes depressed, critical, irritable, defensive, forgetful, angry, or suddenly goes into a rage or gets a migraine headache, hormone imbalance should be suspected.

Most people have no idea that depression, irritability, anger and other things we think of as emotionally caused, can actually be the result of a physical problem. The reason our emotions are affected is because there are hormone receptors in the area of the brain called the limbic brain. This area is the center that controls anger, rage, and fright—the fight or flight mechanism. Interestingly, the largest concentration of progesterone receptors in the body is here in the limbic brain. It shouldn’t be too surprising then that a low supply of progesterone would have an effect on the emotions controlled by the limbic brain.

In order to achieve good health, our hormones need to operate in a very delicate balance. Many things can cause an upset in the production of hormones. These include hysterectomies, tubal ligations, birth control pills, pituitary tumors, miscarriages, abortions, and even childbirth, especially if there are complications. At puberty and again at menopause, hormone production becomes erratic and symptoms may appear. A pregnant woman’s exposure to chemicals, such as insecticides and herbicides, can effect hormone production in the child she is carrying. Many women who have only a slight imbalance of their hormones get by with having a cold or sore throat, a weight gain, a headache, or just being extra tired or irritable a few days or perhaps a week before their menstrual period starts. Others have much more serious problems.

With severe hormonal imbalance, one of the more devastating effects is that a woman no longer feels able to cope with her role of mother or homemaker. Her emotional maturity deteriorates to that of a young girl, and we find a person with a woman’s body, but the emotional maturity of a ten or twelve year old child. She may abandon her husband and children to “go play” or to “find herself”. Women in their thirties or forties behave like teenage girls because that is where their hormone levels are. They become irresponsible. They run away when life gets tough. They need to be in control of every situation. They resent authority.

When a woman’s hormones are severely out of balance, her reaction to excitement or stress may be bizarre or inappropriate. This can cause frustration and embarrassment for those around her. Accidents involving women and their children usually occur during the days just prior to her menstrual period. Crimes committed by women, and child abuse, also happen at this time. Suicide becomes a very real threat.

In anger, a woman may lose control. In her rage she may shout accusations and profanity at her husband and children, hurting them deeply. In a few days she is herself again, and ready to go on with life. Her family, however, is still suffering from the sting of her angry rampage. By the time they recover from their hurt, she is premenstrual again. Life becomes a vicious cycle of anger and hurt, and families suffer.

It is useless to try to talk to a woman about the problem when she is in this premenstrual mode. She will turn things around and end the conversation by making YOU feel guilty for upsetting her. Then she will leave. The next time you see her, she will act as though nothing ever happened. This behavior is very confusing to family and others around her. The fight or flight, anger and rage mechanism of the limbic brain is in full operation.

Often the problem is so severe that the woman cannot be held responsible for her behavior. She truly believes that all her unhappiness is caused by someone else. It is useless to try to reason with her, as she is unreasonable and illogical. She may have delusions. She jumps to wrong conclusions. No matter what her husband and loved ones do or say at this time, -- it is wrong.

The symptom of nymphomania presents an especially frightening problem because of the abnormally strong and prolonged need for sexual intercourse. The hormone level seems to “get stuck” at the level where women are most in need of physical contact. She may become entangled in a casual affair. Her flirtatious behavior may lead her into situations where she will be in danger of being raped or contracting HIV or another sexually transmitted disease.

Although it is difficult to understand, a woman has no more control over the symptoms that seem like bad behavior than she has over breast cancer or an epileptic seizure. We need to understand that these behaviors are SYMPTOMS of an illness caused by a brain starving for progesterone.

Occasionally a woman’s hormone levels will drop to a level similar to those of a man. They may remain there because she is not ovulating. It is no wonder, then, that she doesn’t FEEL like a woman, and doesn’t BEHAVE like a woman. It is difficult for a person to want to be a wife and mother when her brain, because of a shortage of normal female hormones, is not cooperating.

It is difficult for someone who has not experienced this illness to understand the sensation of seeing and feeling things that they KNOW are not real, but at the same time ARE real for them.

It is practically impossible for a man to really understand what a woman experiences as her hormones fluctuate from day to day. Although men have some of the same hormones that women do, their hormone levels remain constant every day throughout the month. It is the LEVEL of certain hormones and this fluctuation throughout the month that makes men and women different.

If a woman’s doctor is not alert to the possibility of hormone imbalance being the cause of her irrational behavior, she may be diagnosed as being manic-depressive, schizophrenic, or having emotional problems. Thousands of dollars have been spent on counselling, when the problem was actually a physical one. In the past, women have undergone hospitalization in mental institutions, given shock treatments, and undergone lobotomies for symptoms we now recognize as being hormone problems.

If a woman has been given one of the synthetic progestins, such as medroxyprogesterone, Provera, Cycrin, Curretab, Depo-provera, etc. by her doctor, her symptoms may become worse. These drugs will enter the hormone receptors, but because they are not the real hormone, they cannot do the job the real hormone accomplishes. By clogging the receptor, any natural hormone the body is producing cannot be absorbed into the cells to do it’s job.

Another complicating factor is the presence of adrenaline in the system. When a woman goes too long without food, the blood sugar level drops. At a certain level, adrenaline then kicks in to boost energy. However, progesterone cannot enter its receptors in the presence of adrenaline, so this triggers irritability, migraine headaches, panic attacks, epilepsy, anger, rage, and sometimes fainting. Fear, hurt, or frustration can also trigger a surge of adrenaline that will in turn cause anger and a fight or flight response.

It is simple enough to prevent this side effect. A small portion of food should be eaten every three hours throughout the day. This is to keep the blood sugar level high enough to avoid an adrenaline surge that would cause or exacerbate these symptoms.

In women of child-bearing age, the ovaries are the main producer of estrogen and progesterone. Since progesterone is produced only as a result of ovulation, women who have a menstrual cycle, but do not ovulate, are often not aware that their emotional and physical problems probably stem from hormone imbalance. Unless they ovulate and their body produces sufficient progesterone, they will become estrogen dominant even though their estrogen level may be lower than it should be. It is the BALANCE that is important. Doctors often check estrogen levels without checking the level of progesterone. Without sufficient progesterone the symptoms of hormone imbalance will begin to show up.

When a woman is using estrogen, thyroid, or cortisone medication, adding natural progesterone may cause her to need less of these medications, since progesterone causes the body to produce these hormones naturally. It has been found that Prednisone enters progesterone receptors, blocking the body from using any available progesterone.

Because progesterone is the precursor of other essential hormones in our bodies, a lack of it will cause low estrogen, testosterone, cortisone, and thyroid. Progesterone affects intelligence, bone metabolism, blood circulation, skin, hair, temperature, aging, mood, maturity, behavior, libido, and of course reproduction. (A fertilized egg cannot grow in the uterus unless progesterone has done it’s work of preparing the lining for implantation.)

Estrogen actually refers to three different hormones produced in the body. These are estradiol, estrone, and estriol. The first two increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer when they are too high. Estriol, the one that prevents vaginal dryness, protects a woman from breast cancer. It is estrogen that works in a girl’s body at puberty to change her into a woman. Estrogen causes the body to be that of a woman, and progesterone causes her to feel and behave like a woman.

Cortisone fights infection and pain. It also reduces stress and is anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic. Our bodies cannot produce adequate cortisone without a sufficient supply of progesterone.

Low body temperature, cold hands and feet, dry, brittle hair, fatigue, and many other things are indications of low thyroid. This hormone, too, cannot be produced in our body without adequate progesterone. A sluggish thyroid is an indication of low progesterone, yet few doctors seem to make the connection.

Estrogen alone is toxic. It must be balanced with progesterone.

Progesterone is essential for the production of the myelin sheath that covers our nerves, and protects them. Without it nerve damage occurs. Excess copper in relation to zinc causes malfunction in the brain that causes anger. Progesterone corrects this imbalance.

Libido is a function of the brain. Testosterone is essential in a small amount in women for normal libido and for healthy muscles. When progesterone levels are low there is a failure in normal sex drive. Adding progesterone, from which testosterone is made, restores this function.

Experiments have been conducted that prove the worth of natural progesterone in healing brain injuries and trauma. Why then is this simple, safe, relatively inexpensive medication not being used?

In our bodies progesterone is only made from cholesterol. Is it possible that our recent fad of restricting our intake of cholesterol could be a cause of low progesterone production? Progesterone was discovered in the 1930s, and has been available since that time. From what can be discerned, nothing has been taught in medical schools about its use for over a generation. In fact, however, nothing has been taught about the role of progesterone in our bodies since the use of patentable drugs became popular for any and all ailments afflicting the human race.

As we familiarize ourselves with the problems caused by hormone imbalance in our body, it is easy to see that many of the ailments are also common to men. Although, in the past, progesterone has been thought of as a female hormone, it is now known that this hormone is equally important to both men and women. It is estrogen that initiates female characteristics. Testosterone causes male characteristics. Without sufficient progesterone, neither a proper amount estrogen nor testosterone can be made in a body.

Doctors often treat ailments that are really symptoms of hormone imbalance with drugs that cause schizophrenic like behavior. Amphetamines are prescribed for weight control. Parlodel is used for elevated prolactin and galactorrhea. lbuprofen is used for aches and pains. Antihistamines and thyroid medications are freely prescribed. These and many other drugs cause changes in the brain that can cause behavior resembling mental illness. Although they sometimes cause paranoia, anxiety, delusions, and hallucinations, these drugs are consumed as casually as a slice of bread.

The limbic brain, home of the largest concentration of progesterone receptors in our body, is the controller of our emotions and our emotions control much of our behavior. We need to guard against the use of drugs, both prescription and over the counter, that affect our limbic brain if we want to be in control of our bodies and our minds.

When a woman’s body is functioning normally, she will produce 2 or 3 mg. of progesterone per day during the first two weeks of her cycle. At ovulation, about day 14, there is a rise during the following ten days to about 30 mg. per day. After a peak on day 25, there is a rapid decline that triggers the onset of menstruation, about day 28. During pregnancy she produces 300 to 400 mg. per day during the third trimester. This generous amount of progesterone adequately prepares her body for the stress and trauma of labor and child-birth.

The following story of a young woman fortunate enough to find a doctor knowledgeable of hormone problems, should serve to illustrate the significance of progesterone in understanding illnesses caused by a deficiency of this important hormone.

I decided to write down my story of relief from hormone imbalance after sharing it with several people and being urged to put it down. It is rather personal, but I’ll do my best to be open and honest in the hopes that maybe it can be helpful to somebody else.

I’m not really sure when I became aware that I probably fell into the category of women with “Premenstrual Syndrome,’ but it was sometime after my second pregnancy. The closer I came to the time for my period, the tighter I became “wound.” As I became more aware of the pattern to my symptoms--and that they virtually disappeared as soon as my period started - I began searching for answers and for help. (I must admit right off that I was very embarrassed by the term “PMS” and to this day refuse to use it. It is so often joked about, and what I was experiencing was no joking matter.)

It was a great relief though, to see my symptoms written about in articles and even in some books I found. My symptoms would begin about midway through the month of my cycle, and they would escalate the closer I came to having my period. One book suggested making up symbols for the things that I experienced, and marking them down in code on a calendar. I also included ways of showing their intensity. This really helped me to get a picture of what was happening to me.

One of my symptoms was “making mountains out of molehills”. Small slights or difficulties loomed larger and larger as the cycle progressed. I would find myself dwelling on them, almost obsessed with them--and then they would seem so unimportant that I would hardly remember them when the cycle was over. I found myself picking arguments over things that really didn’t matter later. But it was as if I couldn’t help myself I would get very emotional and cry--and even that didn’t make me feel better as it might with an ordinary upset. It really made me angry if my husband said, “Is it close to your period?” when this happened! I would actually declare it wasn’t and that this had nothing to do with it - when I really knew it did. But again, I could not control my reactions. Anger was a big one, too. Small things would make me inordinately angry. The anger I felt just didn’t match the thing that stimulated it. It was way over-balanced. I also felt people didn’t really like me or that they were criticizing what I did. It was awful! Of course I felt tired and bloated and I felt as if I would scream if someone so much as touched my skin. I also had extreme breast tenderness and actual pain if I got bumped in the breast.

It was a great relief to discover that my symptoms were not uncommon and that they disappeared at the end of every cycle. Thank heavens they only lasted two weeks! But I had no control over them. Through my reading I discovered that there was help and I set out to find a doctor who knew about those things. A friend who worked at a women’s bookstore got a list of doctors who dealt with women’s hormones, and I asked for the name of the one the women liked the best. Before my appointment I was asked to fill out a thick questionnaire and keep three months of records like I had already been doing. I also had blood tests to examine my progesterone and estrogen levels as these were matched to the times of my menstrual cycle. All these things revealed I had an extremely severe case of hormone imbalance--a normal person would be producing forty times as much progesterone as I was at the end of my cycle. It was not just somebody’s idea--it was shown clearly in blood tests and my anecdotal records revealed how it was manifested in me.

My doctor started me on natural progesterone suppositories and explained that since the absorption rate varies with individuals, I would have to keep careful records to discover what was the right amount for me. He assured me I would know, and I would be the best judge. He was right. He also explained the difference between natural hormones and synthetic ones. He said the synthetic hormones can actually cause the condition to become worse, since it tricks the body into thinking it is getting progesterone, so it doesn’t produce as much on its own. The body cannot, however, use the synthetic progesterone the same way as it uses the natural hormone.

I found immediate relief I found that six 100 mg. suppositories per day were necessary. I found, however, that I still had severe symptoms the last two or three days before my period which the suppositories were not taking care of. My doctor prescribed injections of 2 cc of progesterone suspended in oil, and I learned how to give them to myself twice a day. It made all the difference in the world I could not believe it! I was absolutely symptom free -- but I had to take care to keep the progesterone coming into my body, or my symptoms would come right back. (My doctor assured me I was one of the worst cases he had seen, but also confirmed years later that I was one of the most successful he had treated because I followed the directions so well!!) Hey, why would one NOT follow the directions when it made such a difference in your life?

I checked with my doctor and it has been fifteen years since I got this help. Since that time they have come out with natural progesterone pills, so suppositories aren’t necessary. As years went on, I got more balanced and did not need the injections any more. After my hysterectomy he advised me that I should take estrogen as well, and would need to work out the balance with my progesterone which has not been at all difficult. I actually now take 100 mg capsules of natural progesterone suspended in oil four times a day. I am so used to doing this that it isn’t a pain to do at all. I can tell if I miss a pill. My first clue is tiredness - I feel myself “sinking”, and also breast tenderness. The doctor who has treated me for breast lumps over the years says he is certain the natural progesterone has helped my fibrocystic breast disease tremendously.

Last summer after I talked about my hormone imbalance (I will NOT call it PMS) to several of my nieces, I began searching for a book that told all the things my doctor had taught me, plus what I had learned on my own. I did find a pretty good one but the title just isn’t right for it. I have also found literature from the Women International Pharmacy as well as other sources that is somewhat helpful. Anyway, I decided to write this up and share it. If it can help anybody, then I know it is worth it. It is amazing how many women I have talked with have many of the same symptoms I had. I am also convinced that the women in my family are prone to this hormone imbalance. I know that is a judgment call, but it is based on our conversations over the years. The important thing is for women to know there are answers. One important factor is the natural progesterone. So many women today are put on Premarin or other synthetic combinations of hormones, and their symptoms are not helped, at least not to the degree needed. At any rate, I feel like shouting this from the housetops--but then I would probably be locked up in the loony bin, and they would keep my progesterone capsules from me, and I would be in real trouble!

Most doctors familiar with prescribing the patentable synthetic progestin drugs, medroxyprogesterone, Provera, Amen, etc. will shy away from using such high doses as this woman received of natural progesterone. What they do not know is that the synthetic progestin is ten to one hundred times more potent than natural progesterone. A woman could take 100 mg. of natural progesterone for each 1 mg. of the synthetic drug. Even more beneficial is the knowledge that natural progesterone has no dangerous side effects, but protects against CANCER and bone loss, while the synthetic progestins have numerous dangerous side-effects.

It would seem that all women’s complaints could be solved with adequate progesterone. Of course this is not going to be universally true. However, when we consider the number and the placement of progesterone receptors throughout a woman’s body, it is clear that this hormone is essential for mental and emotional health as well as physical health. Research over the past fifty years has proven this to be true. Our polluted environment , the hormones we consume as we eat meat and fowl, which has been fed hormones to accelerate their growth, and the constant presence of insecticides and herbicides all contribute to our hormone imbalance.

Although the time lapse between puberty and a first pregnancy seems to be a factor in endometriosis, natural progesterone is being used to successfully treat this painful problem.

Tampering, with our bodies by tubal ligations and hysterectomies, the use of birth control pills and other drugs, affect our body’s ability to function properly. Dr. Katharina Dalton, in her book PMS Illustrated , says that sterilization by tubal ligation increases the severity of PMS by causing the progesterone level in the blood to be lowered. She also states that hysterectomies do not help the mood swings of PMS. If we want our body and our mind to serve us well throughout our lifetime, we need to care for them properly. This care includes refusing some solutions a doctor may offer us, and asking for natural compounds our bodies can use.

Recent research, referred to by Dr. John Lee in his tape Natural Progesterone & Women’s Health , has proven that natural progesterone protects women from breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and cancer of the uterus. At a time when there is much talk about early detection and treatment of breast cancer---- why is CAUSE and PREVENTION being ignored?

Dr. Lee and others who have been active in research believe that transdermal (through the skin ) application of progesterone is the most effective. There are creams available that contain enough progesterone to supply a woman with her daily need by simply using as a hand cream or a face cream before going to bed. Dr. Lee recommends Pro-Gest. This is the product he has used with his patients for many years with excellent results. Some doctors believe that natural progesterone is still only available by injection or suppository form. Pills and capsules are now being tested, but when a product is subjected to the digestive system, much of the dose is taken out by the liver. There is new research going on daily in this field.

A few examples can illustrate the benefits of using natural progesterone.

Tina had severe depression, was overweight and the victim of an eating disorder. She also had allergies and migraine headaches. In recent months she had become increasingly irritable and did not like what she was doing to her family. When a friend introduced her to natural progesterone cream, she experienced immediate relief from her symptoms. She now says she feels like a new woman.

Lisa was what one would call “high-strung”. She is a wife and mother and has a stressful job. As she approached middle-age her PMS became increasingly disruptive. There were times she completely “lost it”. Her angry outbursts had alienated her teenage children, and her husband had become more and more withdrawn. A friend gave her a book explaining that PMS could be helped by using natural progesterone. She gratefully accepted the help. After years of emotional misery, Lisa has had a year of being able to “be herself” all month long.

Bess chose a birth control injection after the birth of her third child. This DEPO-PROVERA contains progestins that inhibit ovulation and has side effects that are sometimes serious. Bess soon found herself disliking her new baby son and didn’t want her husband to touch her. She felt irritable and angry. Fortunately, she suspected the injection as the culprit. She did not receive another injection and soon returned to being a loving wife and mother.

Once a woman has lost her libido (sex drive), in addition to balancing her hormones, Dr. Dalton believes that her husband must begin again with the whole wooing and courting process. A woman needs to know that she is loved at all times “all day long” not just when her husband is wanting a physical relationship with her. She needs to be cuddled, kissed, spoiled, and hear how much she is loved, just as she was during their dating time. The same things that caused her to fall in love in the first place can help her healing in this area. A wise husband will take this bit of advice very seriously.

How can we help and get help for someone we believe is suffering from the mental symptoms of progesterone deficiency, when they themselves are denying that there is anything wrong with them, and are sure that all their unhappiness is caused by others? They believe people dislike them. They may be planning a divorce, or to run away, or to change jobs, or to make some other change in their life to get away from their misery. We can LOVE them. Do not become angry. Do not argue. Do not react to their anger or their illogical and absurd behavior or accusations. Do not go back and try to talk to them about things they have said or done that were bizarre or inappropriate. This only causes them embarrassment, guilt, and added anxiety. Pay no attention to any of these things. Just love them and gently guide them to use a progesterone cream or to get medical help from a doctor who is educated about this illness. Each of us is responsible to avail ourselves of the education offered to us on any subject concerning our bodies. We cannot expect a doctor to know everything.

Remember that a woman of child bearing age, unless she is ovulating, is not producing sufficient progesterone to keep her from becoming estrogen dominant. Remember that birth control pills prevent ovulation. Remember that medroxyprogesterone, Provera, Cycrin, and all the synthetic progestins clog the progesterone receptors causing progesterone deficiency. Remember that a tubal ligation lowers the amount of progesterone reaching the blood stream. Of all the hormones, only estrogen can be produced in the body without the presence of progesterone. ) Remember that adding estrogen to a woman’s body without balancing it with real natural progesterone will cause symptoms of estrogen dominance and put one at a much higher risk where CANCER is concerned. Remember that NATURAL PROGESTERONE - PREVENTS CANCER!!! Remember, if the prescription your doctor gives you is for anything other than natural progesterone, it may make your symptoms worse. Side effects of synthetic progestins can be life threatening. Natural progesterone, used in the dose the body would normally produce, has no side effects. Progesterone’s effect on emotional well-being is nearly immediate, while the physical benefits seem to take several months .

Finally, remember, it seems that this information has not been taught in medical schools for over a generation. Each of us is responsible for every drug we take, every surgery we allow, and for any thing we put into our body. We must take responsibility ourselves!

According to Dr. Lee, some women experience an increase in symptoms of estrogen dominance when they first begin using a natural progesterone cream. This is because the body has tuned down the estrogen receptors in trying to protect its-self from estrogen dominance. Progesterone temporarily increases the sensitivity of the receptors. So, for a short time, a woman may experience symptoms such as head aches, swollen breasts, bloating, or even anxiety. After a period of time, perhaps several months, the body will adjust, and symptoms of hormone imbalance will subside. Remember, this condition is temporary! Your body is adjusting. Your hormones did not get out of balance in a day, (except in the case of tubal ligation), and it will take a period of time to get them back in balance.

INFORMATIONICOUNSELING, and PRESENTATIONS Full Circle Women’s Health 1800 30th St., Suite 308 Boulder, Colorado 80301

Phone: 800-418-4040

PHARMACOLOGICAL ADVICE Madison Pharmacy Associates Women’s Health America 429 Gammon Place Madison, Wisconsin 53719

Phone: 800-558-7046

Women’s International Pharmacy 5708 Monona Dr. Madison, WI 53716

Phone: 1-800-279-5708

NATURAL PROGESTERONE Most HEALTH FOOD stores now carry several brands of natural progesterone cream. Be sure the label says progesterone, and not just wild yam cream. The product should have at least 900 mg. of progesterone per 2 oz. tube. Anything less is a waste of money. Creams are also available by mail.

Every woman should read:
ONCE A MONTH by Katharina Dalton, M. D.
WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT MENOPAUSE by John R. Lee, M. D. & Virginia Hopkins

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/06.htm

SYMPTOMS OF HORMONE IMBALANCE

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/07.htm

HORMONE PATHWAYS

The body must have adequate cholesterol to manufacture the following hormones. An interruption of either CHOLESTEROL, PREGNENELONE, or PROGESTERONE will result in a deficiency of all the rest of the hormones. Like links in a chain, they are all connected.

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/08.htm

BENEFITS OF NATURAL PROGESTERONE

Protects against BREAST CANCER
Protects against OVERIAN CANCER
Protects against ENDOMETRIAL CANCER
Corrects LINING OF THE UTERUS
Protects against FIBROSYSTIC BREASTS
NATURAL DIRUETIC
NATURAL ANTIDEPRESSANT
Converts FAT for ENERGY
Corrects THYROID FUNCTION
Normalizes BLOOD CLOTTING
Restores SEX DRIVE
Normalizes BLOOD SUGAR
Normalizes ZINC & COPPER levels
Normalizes BODY TEMPERATURE
Normalizes CORTISONE production
Precursor to other HORMONES
Builds bones (REVERSES OSTEOPOROSIS)
Helps the brain to HEAL FROM INJURIES
Restores NORMAL THINKING PATTERNS
Restores VAGINAL LUBRICATION

Natural progesterone has no side effects when used in NORMAL PHYSIOLOGIC DOSES . Follow the directions of your doctor, or those in Dr. John R. Lee’s book, WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT MENOPAUSE. If you are on an estrogen supplement, remember that progesterone causes your body to make estrogen, so you will need less estrogen supplement. Dr. Lee suggests cutting the dose in half to begin with, and then reducing it slowly over a period of six months.

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/09.htm

SIDE EFFECTS OF SYNTHETIC PROGESTINS
medroxyprogesterone, Provera, Cycrin, ect.
ACTION: SUPPRESSES OVULATION /p>

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/10.htm

HORMONE IMBALANCE AND YEAST INFECTIONS

Before this work had been printed a week, a book by William Crook, M. D., THE YEAST CONNECTION AND THE WOMAN, came to my attention. This same day, a woman who had been helped with her hormone imbalance symptoms by using natural progesterone cream, told me she seemed to be having a relapse of her acne. I began reading Dr. Crook’s book, and was fascinated, by what I read.

I learned first of all that many of the symptoms of hormone imbalance are the very same symptoms that have been identified as caused by yeast organisms, - specifically candida albicans. There has been research into this ailment in recent years, but as with hormone imbalance, many in the medical profession are uninterested in checking out causes for common illnesses. They choose to treat symptoms, instead.

Yeast infections get a foothold in the body when antibiotics are used which kill not only bad bacteria, but also kill the “friendly” bacteria in our system which keep yeasts at a manageable level for our immune system. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are the biggest culprits. These include tetracycline, ampicillin, amoxicillin, septra, and other medications commonly used for ear infections, sore throats, bladder infections, or acne.

Of particular interest to me was the section that taught that if yeast is the problem, using progesterone, even natural progesterone, can cause hormone imbalance symptoms to become worse! This, I believe, is very important information to add to any study of the use of natural progesterone. The reason for the worsening of symptoms is because progesterone has an influence on yeast growth. All this has something to do with hormone and acidity levels at the time of month when a woman is fertile.

Since yeast overgrowth is a problem in men, children, and babies, as well as in women, --- a closer look at this problem needs to be taken. While the use of broad spectrum antibiotics is definitely a factor in yeast overgrowth, the use of foods containing sugar and yeast also play a part in this illness.

There is help for anyone of any age who is suffering from an illness stemming from yeast overgrowth. This help is the use of a diet free from sugar and foods containing yeast, and the use of antifungal drugs. Nystatin and Diflucan are the most commonly used medications today. Diflucan is very expensive, but is also the most effective, so it is usually reserved for the more difficult cases. If one must use antibiotics for a bacterial infection,-- acidophilus, yogurt, or something else must be taken to restore the “friendly” bacteria in the intestinal tract, and stop the overgrowth of yeast in the body.

When this yeast-fungus passes through the wall of the intestine into the bloodstream, and is carried throughout the body, many systems become involved, including the brain. Irritability, anger, forgetfulness, depression, lack of interest in sex, and many other problems controlled by the brain begin to show up. Yeast overgrowth also damages the immune system, paving the way for many illnesses!!

When intercourse is painful, there is an inability to achieve orgasm, or a lack of interest in sex, yeast overgrowth should be suspected. When either a husband or wife is treated for yeast overgrowth, the other mate should be treated also, as yeast infections are passed back and forth between sexual partners. Often the husband has no visible symptoms.

Bladder infections, yeast infections, and irregular menstrual cycles can be avoided by a couple choosing the Biblical direction to abstain from sexual intercourse for seven days beginning with the onset of the wife’s menstrual period. If her flow continues beyond the seven days, abstinence should continue for another seven days. This gives her body a chance to cleanse itself and to heal and to rest.

Older women who have not used antibiotics for infections except occasionally, are not bothered with vaginal yeast infections nearly as often as the younger generation who have been given antibiotics for illnesses from babyhood on. When a woman gets a yeast infection, usually only the local area is treated. Many doctors don’t seem to realize that the infection is probably caused by an overgrowth of yeast throughout the system.

When a body’s immune system has been weakened by an overgrowth of yeast-fungus, it cannot adequately cope with either bacterial infections, viral infections, more fungus, or stress of any kind. Exposure to mold or a food containing yeast or a fungus food such as mushrooms may cause a violent reaction in the body. The brain may be the first thing to react. It may shut down breathing, or cause impaired thinking. Hyperactivity is often the first thing noticed in children who are experiencing allergy problems. A stuffy or runny nose may be the body saying it has an overload of things. It cannot handle any more.

When a baby has recurring diaper rash or ear infections, suspect yeast. A baby can contract a yeast infection as it passes through the birth canal of an infected mother.

When a child is diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, always check the possibility of yeast before using a drug, such as Ritalin, with it’s many side effects.

Considering all the many illnesses, some very serious, caused by yeast and fungus overgrowth in the human body, it seems that this illness should be given more attention by the medical profession. Perhaps I should say that we, the patient, should be more alert, and give more attention to the symptoms of yeast overgrowth.

Health Food stores carry educational materials and books on this subject. They also carry yeast controlling products, and other products that rebuild the immune system.

Read the book THE YEAST CONNECTION AND THE WOMAN written by William G. Crook, M.D. to better understand this yeast overgrowth problem.

Doctor Crook’s book THE YEAST CONNECTION has been available since 1983. Much research has been done since that time, and much has been learned.

ILLNESSES CAUSED OR MADE WORSE BY YEAST OVERGROWTH

immune system dysfunction adrenal dysfunction HORMONE IMBALANCE digestive tract problems thrush diarrhea and constipation colitis abdominal pain heartburn canker sores bloating, belching, flatulence bad breath dry mouth and throat throat infections food allergies sugar cravings crohn’s disease psoriasis rashes hives exema acne asthma allergic to smoke sensitivity to odors sensitivity to chemicals sinus infections ear infections itching or pain in ears headaches night cough nasal congestion or itching muscle pain or weakness joint pain insomnia low body temperature athletes foot tightness in chest shortness of breath attention deficit disorder adult attention deficit disorder hyperactive persistent drowsiness eye and visual problems mood swings lack of coordination loss of balance nymphomania endometriosis vaginal yeast infections vulvodynia (burning vulva) sexual dysfunction infertility inability to reach orgasm painful intercourse disinterest in sex vulvovaginitis menstrual cramps galactorrhea impotence jock itch balanoprosthitis prostatitis urinary frequency kidney and bladder infections cystitis hemorrhoids depression poor concentration forgetfulness anger, irritability manic depression meningitis chronic fatigue syndrome fibromyalgia autism multiple sclerosis lupus diabetes alcoholism hypothyroidism rheumatoid arthritis vitamin and mineral deficiency PMS numbness or tingling in hands or feel swelling in hands, feet, or face

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/11.htm

MISDIAGNOSIS

Because the brain is the seat of our thinking and emotions, as well as regulating every system of the body, any time our brain does not receive adequate nutrients, or if there becomes a chemical imbalance, or a drug we are taking enters some of the cells in our brain, it cannot function as it normally would. We mistake our out of whack thinking and emotions as being a spiritual or emotional problem when in reality the problem is a physical ailment.

It has been popular these last few years to attribute many of our problems to emotional illnesses caused by others. Thus, we can blame our parents, our siblings, our enviromnent, our spouse, our church upbringing (or lack thereof), or any number of things for behavior that is in reality caused by a physical problem within the brain.

The same is true when we know we should not say or even think the things that are going through our brain. We believe we have a spiritual problem, a sin problem if you please, when our poor brain (part of our physical body) is either starving, or is overloaded, or has been bombarded by a drug or some other foreign substance that it cannot cope with. In no way do I mean to discount the possibility of sin. That point needs to be checked out by looking into God’s Word. We cannot diagnose sin by checking with a doctor or a friend. God diagnoses sin. He gives it’s symptoms and consequences. He also gives us the remedy.

Unless we ourselves or our doctor or counselor looks at the whole picture, and not at just a little segment of it, there cannot be a correct diagnosis, and thus there will never be a correct treatment. How terribly sad !! !!! This is as deplorable as the custom of bleeding or the lack of sanitation in hospitals that was practiced only a little over a hundred years ago!!

IT’S TIME WE BEGIN TO TREAT OUR BRAIN AS A PART OF OUR BODY!! In fact isn’t it time we begin to treat our body as a whole, instead of just a bunch of disconnected parts? The old song says “the neck bone ‘s connected to the back bone.” When one part is hurting, everything gets out of whack.

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/12.htm

SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION

When I first began this research, as I read many books, I kept running into the words sexual dysfunction. It was not clear to me justwhat was meant by these words, so I wrote to one of the drug companies, and asked just what they meant when they stated on the label of a certain drug that one of the side effects was that it caused sexual dysfunction. Their reply made me know that they didn’t know any more about what it meant than I did.

It was fairly simple to figure out sexual dysfunction in a man. We have heard about that problem for years. There is much written, and there is everything from medications, to devices, to counseling, to help a man who finds himself with sexual dysfunction. I even found that vasectomies lead to sexual dysfunction. Often, about ten years after the surgery, a man will begin to experience problems which he attributes to age, but research has found to be a direct result of his now long forgotten surgery.

As I began compiling the lists I have included in this booklet, it became clear that there were many reasons for sexual dysfunction in women other than the obvious physical ones. Disinterest in sex and an inability to achieve orgasm were on some of the lists, but it wasn’t until women began to talk to me that I discovered what I consider the symptom that is perhaps the worst of all. Women tell me that their husband’s caresses seem like pawing. Lovemaking, for them is no longer a pleasant experience, but an unwanted chore. This is when they begin avoiding intimacy with their husbands, and marital problems begin.

The women who were having this problem also have physical problems. They have infertility. Some only have two or three menstrual periods a year. They are often plagued with yeast infections, and the list of symptoms goes on. They have doctored for years, and gotten no help. Many have had hysterectomies, but many have not, so the problem cannot be attributed to that surgery.

When there is pain, frustration, or guilt associated with lovemaking, it is easy to understand why a husband’s advances would be unwelcome, but this is not the case in all of these women’s lives. The story of Bess, who was given a shot of DEPO-PROVERA for birth control, and then didn’t want her husband to touch her, gives a clue that hormone imbalance causes a brain problem that can make good things feel bad. Not once did her doctor tell the woman that her medication would cause sexual dysfunction! She and her husband were left to wonder just what was wrong with her. One of my questions is, “Is this problem one that will eventually go away when she stops taking the drug, or like the loss of short term memory, caused by the use of marijuana, is the damage permanent?”

In the book WORST PILLS BEST PILLS II, there are 125 drugs listed as causing sexual dysfunction. These drugs cause sexual dysfunction in men as well as in women. Many of these are commonly used, such as Tagamet, Pepsid, Zantac, Lanoxin, Procardia, Enderal, Lopressor, Tenormin, Prozac, Valium, Dilantin, Zoloft, Mellarill, Naprosyn, DepoTestosterone, Parlodel (bromocriptine), and Indocin.

Most of the heart and blood pressure medications, and those given women after childbirth, if they are not going to nurse their baby, cause sexual dysfunction. A drug listed in the medical drug books as progesterone, given to women by injection, for amenorrhea (absence of menstrual periods), and for infertility ,is not really progesterone, but is actually one of the synthetic progestins. These injections are painful, and cause much brain dysfunction, and also sexual dysfunction!!!!

Many of the women I have talked to are divorced from their first husband, the father of their children, if they have any children. The divorce happened when they were in their late twenties or early thirties. They are now in their second or third marriage, and the same is true for their husband. However, many of these women have had trouble with their periods ever since they began menstruating. Some have no children and many have only one child, and never could or would become pregnant again.

I can’t help but wonder just how many of these divorces are the result of what is so casually listed in the medical literature as sexual dysfunction. This sexual dysfunction goes right along with the anger, rage, immature behavior, and all the other symptoms of hormone imbalance that I have found in my search.

Women said they could not talk about these problems to anyone. They thought they were the only one who felt this way. They believed they were crazy, and did not want others to see it. Some believe they are lesbians, and those who have gone to counseling have been told so. Almost everyone expressed a feeling of a need to run away. Most had considered suicide at some time. The interesting thing is that when one woman is honest enough to share her experience about what she has felt or is feeling, a flood of women come forth to share and ask for help. I am absolutely amazed!

The scope of this problem is much broader than what I ever dreamed when I began this work. The silent suffering of women, and their families, because of this problem is unthinkable. The silence must be broken! We older women need to be honest with the young women. They need to know that many of us have been there. Some of us have experienced some of the same embarrassing things they are going through. We do understand, and we are willing to help if we can.

In the early years of this century symptoms of menopause began in a woman’s late forties of early fifties. Now, with the use of so many drugs and other things that affect the hormonal system, these symptoms are often present when a woman is in her twenties. Her whole life is a struggle with her unbalanced system. She may be beautiful, talented, intelligent, and great fun to be with. Although her body is that of a mature woman, her emotional ability to be a helpmate to her husband, and to be a good mother, is sorely lacking.

I believe education, along with openness and honesty, is the only hope of relieving the pain and misery this ailment causes. I believe hormone imbalance is one of the causes of divorce, as well as suicide, child abuse, spouse abuse, unfaithfulness, and much more untold misery. Adequate progesterone is absolutely essential for good mental health. May the research continue, the culprits be found, and the epidemic cease!

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/13.htm

ESTROGEN DOMINANCE /b>(INADEQUATE PROGESTERONE)

The following are conditions that are caused by HORMONE IMBALANCE ESTROGEN DOMINANCE PROGESTERONE DEFICIENCY, or whatever you want to call it.

Promotes BREAST CANCER

Increases risk of ENDOMETRIAL CANCER

Causes OVARIAN CANCER

May Cause: FIBROCYSTIC BREASTS

BREAST LUMPS

GALACTORRHEA

ABNORMAL VAGINAL BLEEDING

UTERINE FIBROIDS

SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION

DYSFUNCTION OF LIMBIC BRAIN (RESPONSES):
ANXIETY
IRRITABILITY
FEAR
ANGER
FIGHT OR FLIGHT

ALLERGIES AND ASTHMA

BLOOD CLOTS, STROKES, HEART ATTACK

FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, & MEMORY PROBLEMS

MISCARRIAGE

WEIGHT GAIN:
ABDOMEN
HIPS
THIGHS

VAGINAL INFECTIONS:
YEAST
OTHER

ACNE

MALE HAIR GROWTH

WATER RETENTION

LOW BLOOD SUGAR

BROWN COLOR ON CHEEKS AND FOREHEAD

LIVER DAMAGE

THYROID DYSFUNCTION

FAILURE OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

NAUSEA, VOMITING, ABDOMINAL CRAMPS

PAINFUL PERIODS

MIGRAINE HEADACHES, DEPRESSION, & FORGETFULNESS

RASH, BRUISING & ABSESSES

PAIN IN CHEST, GROIN, LEG, & CALF

LOSS OF COORDINATION & SLURRED SPEECH

VISION CHANGES & BULGING EYES

CAUSES OF ESTROGEN DOMINANCE
FAILURE TO OVULATE
BIRTH CONTROL PILLS
HYSTERECTOMY
TUBALLIGATION
PREMARIN
PRO VERA
MEDROXYPROGESTERONE
CYCRIN
DEPO-PRO VERA
AMEN
CURRETAB
PROGESTERONE (not natural)
GESTEROL 50
PROGESTILIN
AYGESTIN

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/14.htm

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/15.htm

MEN AND HORMONE IMBALANCE

In the twenty years between 1973 and 1993 the incidence of prostate disease doubled in America. Although these were the most current statistics I could find, I have no doubt that little has changed in these past few years.

Because prostate surgery usually ends a man’s sex life, doctors are looking for treatments other than surgery for prostate cancer.

It has become obvious that vasectomies contribute to the incidence of prostate problems. Doctors have observed that 10 or 15 years after a vasectomy, testosterone levels decline to a level that begins to cause trouble in the prostate gland. Just as with tubal ligations, a natural channel and blood flow has been interrupted.

Because of the increased incidence of impotency in men who have had a vasectomy, doctors are beginning to look at other signs of aging in these men. Men with low testosterone levels have a higher rate of heart disease, blood clotting problems, and blood sugar problems.

It has been found that as testosterone levels fall, estradiol levels rise. Men become impotent, sweat a lot, and have intolerance to heat. They have increased pain, stiffness, and lose the strength they once had. They get drooping muscles, allergies, and begin to have signs of osteoporosis. They become easily irritated, and have episodes of anger and rage. These are some of the same problems observed in women with estrogen dominance.

Research is finding that natural progesterone can correct these problems in men as well as in women, Progesterone is not a female hormone as previously thought. Progesterone is generic. There are no side effects with it’s use. Without it a man’s body cannot make testosterone or any of the other hormones essential to good health. (See HORMONE PATHWAYS page 17). As in women, progesterone is not a quick fix, but is something that boosts the body to heal and restore its-self. It takes a little time to correct a problem that took years to cause, but one’s good health is worth the effort and patience.

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/16.htm

UPDATE MAY 1998

When I began to write about the research being done concerning hormones, I thought I would write a booklet sharing the things I had learned, and that would be it. Since then I have added and added to my original manuscript. Just in the past few months I have read threenew books that have come out concerning this problem. I now realize that as long as there is research going on I will want to share it with those who have found my writing helpful in understanding hormones and how they affect our health.

I don’t know how I will share in the future, but this time I am going to simply add this page, and add these excellent books to my list of recommended reading.

Dr. Jonathan Wright and John Morgenthaler have written a book titled NATURAL HORMONE REPLACEMENT. This is one of the most exciting books I have read. This is a small paperback book. It is inexpensive, and easy to read. These authors tackle the issue of replacing human hormones with hormones made from horse urine. (Premarin). They explain in understandable language why this is being done, and just how dangerous Premarin really is. They also refer to a research done by Johns Hopkins University Medical School, using 1,000 women treated for infertility, and then following them for more than twenty years. The women who were deficient in progesterone were more than five times more likely to develop premenopausal breast cancer than those who had normal levels of progesterone. Also, the progesterone-deficient women were ten times more likely to die from cancers of all kinds. These are things we need to know!

NATURAL WOMAN, NATURAL MENOPAUSE , written by Marcus Laux, N.D. and Christine Conrad, is also a very informative and exciting book. These authors explain how progesterone and the estrogen, estriol, give protection from cancer, while the other estrogens contained in Premarin and other drugs cause cancer. These authors give good advice for diet, exercise, and medications. They also list resources including how to obtain a doctor referral list.

Ann Louise Gittleman, M.S., C.N.S. has just written BEFORE THE CHANGE, Taking Charge of Your PERIMENOPAUSE . How I wish I had known, when I was young, the things this lady has written about!! But of course, that was long before any of these things were understood. Perimenopause---this is the ten or more years before the ten or so years we refer to as going through menopause. No one I have ever heard of has explained this time in a woman’s life so completely and understandably as does this author. Ms. Gittleman writes from a background in nutrition, and has gone on to study and explain many of the aspects of hormonal problems I have not yet seen addressed.

Each doctor who has studied, treated, researched, and written about hormones,--from Dr. Katharina Dalton, shortly after WW2, till the latest books by Dr. Jonathan Wright, Dr. John Lee, Biochemist Ray Peat, and others, has come at this problem from a different direction, yet they all agree. This tells me we should be paying attention to what they are saying!!!

I do not understand how any intelligent person can accept a cancer causing drug for an illness, when a natural hormone, chemically exact to that in the human body is available. A hormone that protects against cancer, and is essential to every cell in our body. It also puzzles me why doctors don’t test levels of all hormones before prescribing a medication, when balance is so very important.

It seems that little has changed in the medical field in the last 150 years. Many doctors refuse to accept the facts proven by research. Just as when Dr. lgnaz Semmelveis tried to get the other doctors to wash their hands before examining women in the maternity ward, when they had just been doing autopsies on the women who had died the previous 24 hours, doctors today refuse to pay attention!!

We, the consumer, must become educated, so we cannot be fooled. Books are wonderful tools!!!

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/17.htm

MANIC DEPRESSION(BIPOLAR) LOW THYROID /YEAST OVERGROWTH

The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, predicted that some day a biologic therapy would prove more effective than psychotherapy in treating what was considered to be an emotional illness. Today his prediction has certainly come true. Bipolar Disorder or Manic Depression is being traced to yeast overgrowth and low thyroid, and is being treated by correcting these two problems. Emotional problems are being found to be caused by hormone imbalance that effects the brain as well as the body.

Authors, Edward Pinckney, M.D., and Cathey Pinckney observed that unless the problem of low thyroid is corrected, psychiatric techniques will not help a patient. The same has been found to be true when systemic yeast or yeast overgrowth is present in a person who has symptoms of an emotional problem. A deficiency of certain vitamins or minerals can also cause devastating mental and emotional symptoms. Each of these things needs to be carefully dealt with if a patient is to be healed. Why do I add these problems to a study on hormone imbalance? Because the symptoms are so nearly the same, yet the cure for each of these illnesses is different.

The January/February 1999 issue of the SATURDAY EVENING POST has an article on the genetics of Bipolar disorder . Dr. John Nurnberger of Indiana University School of Medicine is asking help from readers in tracing the hereditary nature of bipolar illness. In the article he lists the symptoms of both the manic and depression parts of this problem. I will repeat his list here for those who are interested.

SYMPTOMS OF SEVERE MANIA

*Spending money beyond financial capability
* Grandiose thoughts
* Seductive sexual behavior
* Etxreme hostility, possibly leading to violent behavior
* Delusions of grandeur
* Loss ofjudgment
* Inabiljty to concentrate
*  Arrogance 
*  Demanding behavior 
*  Making abusive or obscene statements 
*  Combativeness 
*  Nonsensical speech 
*  Shouting and throwing things 
*  Paranoid thoughts 
* Constant talkativeness and movement 

SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

*Sadness
* Guilt
* Hostility
* Remorse
* Anger
* Crying
* Mood swings
* poor self image
* Loss of sexual interest
* Indecisiveness
* Constipation
* Eating disorders
* weight loss
* Sleeping problems
* Mental problems
* Feeljngs of hopelessness, helplessness, and worthlessness
* Hallucinations
* Delusions
* Withdrawal from life
* Agitated movements
* Slowed movements
* Fatigue and weakness
* Impotence
* Unexplained pain in various areas

Dr. William Crook, in his book THE YEAST CONNECTION AND THE WOMAN indicates that evidence proves that yeast overgrowth is one cause of depression or manic depression, multiple sclerosis, lupus, psoriasis, chrome fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia syndrome, cystitis, endometriosis, PMS, food allergies, acne, and many autoimmune diseases. These illnesses have been successfully treated with Nystatin and Diflucan. Most of these illnesses can be traced to repeated or prolonged use of antibiotic drugs at some time in the patient’s life. The possibility of systemic yeast is just one of the prices we have to pay for the good that these antibiotics do for us. It is sad that it has taken so long for the medical system to figure out that there is a need to replace good bacteria in our body after we have killed them all off with a round of antibiotics.

From what I can ascertain from my research and from the experience of those I talk to, even the long time use of medication for yeast does not completely eradicate the yeast. When the treatment is stopped, an illness or infection or anything that stresses the body can bring on a new outbreak of yeast overgrowth, with all its unpleasant symptoms, once it has become systemic in the body.

Both Dr. Crook and Dr. Katharina Dalton warn that if there is yeast overgrowth or fungus present in the body, it must be eradicated before PROGESTERONE is used. I know of several instances when women have used progesterone cream and their symptoms of manic depression became much worse. In each case there was yeast or fungus overgrowth and a history of antibiotic use.

Dr. Stephen Langer and James Scheer, in their book, SOLVED: THE RIDDLE OF ILLNESS , share with us the experiences of many experts in treating hypothyroidism, low thyroid. We are well aware that many people in our country today are being treated for low thyroid, but what about the thousands of others who have not received a correct diagnosis? These are functioning at half throttle or less, or worse still, they may be on a drug for depression or anxiety or any of the many other symptoms of low thyroid which are so easily confused with other ailments.

Most of us know that low energy, cold hands and feet, and obesity can be symptoms of low thyroid, but are we aware of the many other symptoms, some psychological, that go along with an illness of the thyroid gland? Do you know that muscle cramps, especially leg cramps at night can be caused by low thyroid, or that low thyroid causes elevated prolactin, which in turn causes low progesterone and excess estrogen which encourages yeast overgrowth? Many symptoms of low thyroid are the same as those seen in yeast overgrowth and hormone imbalance. There is a connection. In the case of low progesterone and hypothyroidism, there seems to be a feedback mechanism. Each one is caused by the other, and each one causes the other. It’s sort of like a teeter totter.

A thyroid disturbance can be the cause of manic-depression. When there has been thyroid surgery, one should take their thyroid medication faithfully. Never stop thyroid medication except under a doctor’s careful direction. Adjusting or quitting this medication suddenly can throw one into mania.

Low thyroid has been found to be best diagnosed by using a Basal thermometer under the arm immediately upon awaking in the morning. If the temperature is below 97.8 for several mornings in a row, low thyroid is one of the problems that should be treated. Estrogen and progesterone levels can be checked by a saliva test. Candida or yeast levels are checked by a blood test.

For me the saddest part of all this is the unnecessary unhappiness these illnesses cause, and the destruction of families. A man who has been brought up in a home with an angry, depressed, irritable mother cannot be well adjusted and ready for marriage. Since we tend to fall in love with a person who is like our primary caregiver, a young man will surely marry a woman who is like his mother. When this wife begins to display behavior similar to the negative traits of his mother, he begins to react in the same way his father did. This may set the stage for a divorce or a life of unhappiness. When this is caused by illness, resulting from hormone imbalance, low thyroid, or systemic yeast, it is completely unnecessary. 

Sometimes it is the father whose hormones or thyroid are not working properly, or because of a childhood illness was treated with antibiotics, and now suffers from yeast overgrowth and manic depression. In this case, the wife and children suffer as a result of the man’s bad behavior, over which he really has no control.

Anyone can be the victim of a doctor prescribing a drug that has bad side effects. Some drugs cause manic behavior. Some cause severe depression. Some cause obesity, and no matter how hard the victim tries, he or she cannot become free of the excess weight.

Dr. Katharina Dalton talks about premenstrual nymphomania, and calls it uncontrollable. She also says it is more prevalent in women who have not had any children. A symptom of manic depression is seductive sexual behavior. Since one cause of manic depression is yeast overgrowth, and yeast overgrowth causes hormone imbalance, is there a connection here? Do we label a young woman as promiscuous when, in fact, she may be suffering from an illness? I don’t expect many to agree with me, but I believe it is something to think about.

In his latest book, WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT PREMENOPAUSE , Dr. John Lee has joined with an expert in women’s health, Dr. Jesse Hanley, and Virginia Hopkins, to bring us a book that addresses nearly every health problem a woman faces. Like his previous books, this one is excellent. Although it is written specifically for women from age thirty to fifty, it would make a wonderful high school graduation gift for any young woman. I believe every young woman in her twenties should have this information, and every young husband also needs to read this book so he is prepared to live with this amazing creature he has promised to love and cherish till the day he or she dies!!!

I wonder how often domestic violence or road rage are the result of the emotional symptoms of low thyroid or yeast or excess estrogen? What about school shootings? Is anyone checking these children for yeast overgrowth or low thyroid? Are the pesticides and estrogen in our food and water and the xenobiotics in our environment responsible for some of the abnormal sexual activity in young children? Is anyone checking these things?

I hope this booklet has been both helpful and thought provoking. I hope it will help someone to think for herself or himself and to ask questions instead of blindly accepting every prescription handed out by the doctor. I hope it will cause you to think, research, and get a second opinion before submitting to a surgery. I hope it will cause you to have more patience when a little one has a temper tantrum or an adult you love bursts into an angry tirade and spouts hurtful, untrue things. The things I have learned have certainly changed my thinking about conventional medicine and about prescription drugs. I hope it will do the same for you!

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/18.htm

SYMPTOMS OF LOW THYROID

Diarrhea
Constipation
Low energy
Dryskin
Dry hair
Thin hair
Pelvic pain
Elevated prolactin
Insomnia
Diabetes
Low libido
Fainting
Heart attack
Fatigue
Temper tantrums
Headaches
Low body temperature
Obesity
Crying
Sluggish liver (yellowish skin)
Arthritis
Cancer
Heart disease
Circulatory problems
Sexual problems
Cold hands and feet
Sinus infections
Low blood pressure
Infections
Urinary infections
Vaginal infections
Drowsiness
Poor digestion
Low energy
Low endurance
Brittle nails
Lifeless hair
Slow healing wounds
Severe muscle cramps
Low back pain
Bruise easily
Heavy menstruation
Painful menstruation
Anemia
Weak heart function
Weakness
Lethargy
Slow speech
Swelling: hands, face, eyelids
Diminished sweating
Thick tongue
Course hair
Difficult breathing
Swollen feet
Hoarseness
Loss of appetite
Nervousness
Heart Palpitation
Slow movement
Skin problems
Pale skin
Impotence
Memory loss
Jrritability
Delusions
Introversion
Phobias
Lying
Retarded ability to think
Failing memory
Contrariness
Chip on shoulder
Suspiciousness
Osteoporosis
Depression
Feeling inferior
Mental fog
Hair trigger temper
Emotional instability
Galactorrhea
Confusion
Inability to concentrate
Overreactions
Senility
Unfounded feelings of guilt
Anxiety
Divorce
Emotional illness
Stiffness

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/19.htm

MORE ABOUT MANIC-DEPRESSION

Dr. Katharina Dalton, in her book PMS ILLUSTRATED, emphasizes the timing of symptoms when diagnosing PMS. When the symptoms don’t cycle monthly, but last over a period of months or years, manic depression would probably be a more accurate diagnosis. Medications often trigger a severe bout of mania. A shot of cortisone or anesthetic for a surgery can bring on months of mania. Any of the synthetic progestins or pain medication may start the cycle, which begins with mania, followed by a time of depression, and finally a time of normal behavior. All drugs should be avoided as much as possible when a person is susceptible to periods of manic depression.

A manic phase can be triggered by an illness, surgery, excitement, stress or medication. Some people with this illness are mildly manic most of the time. For these, the shift to severe mania may not be as noticeable, so they go undiagnosed for many years. Others with the illness are depressed most of the time. They and their families believe “that’s just the way they are”, and they, too, go through life without getting much needed help.

There is terrible suffering in families when a member has untreated manic-depression. The anger, rage, saying and doing things to hurt others, obsessive, and self-destructive behavior effect everyone in the family. The flirtations and seductive sexual behavior and the spending money beyond reason, along with the arrogance and demanding behavior will cause a mate to leave.

These patients vividly remember every hurt that has been dealt them in their lifetime. A good memory can be an asset, but for these it is a liability. If only they could forgive offenses, and begin to focus on good things. They seem to love to pick fights. They have unreasonable fears which are often transferred to their children. Insomnia usually accompanies the manic mode, and crying may be a part of either mania or depression.

Real NATURAL PROGESTERONE CREAM, not a drug, used in the dosage the body would normally make, is giving very good results to those who are trying it instead of lithium for their manic-depression. Remember, real natural progesterone has no side effects! If you are given a product that lists adverse effects, it is NOT real progesterone.

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/20.htm

TIDBITS REVIEW AND SOME EXTRAS

From Dr. Katharina Dalton: speaking of PMS

From Dr. John Lee:

Extras:

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/21.htm

BEGINNING TO SEE THE LIGHT!

For three years I have researched, studied, and written about the things that are being learned about hormone imbalance . Many times I have thought I was through with this project, only to happen on to a new insight that seemed too important to leave out of this book.

The successful use of natural progesterone in treating manic-depression was especially exciting to me. It confirmed my own belief that the same part of the brain is affected in manic-depression and PMS.

Recently, my only source of new research has been Dr. John Lee’s Newsletters. I began to re-read the books I have already read. This time something jumped out at me from a book I had read early on in this study. In this book, by Stephanie Bender and Kathleen Kelleher, published in 1996, I found the last piece to the puzzle that led me on this search. These authors tell - us that there is much confusion between PMS and Psychiatric Disorders. They state that the medical handbook of mental illness, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , says that psychological symptoms of PMS match all the criteria for manic-depressive emotional disorders (with the exception of hallucinations). (Dr.Dalton, the doctor who has probably treated more PMS than any other doctor in the world, says PMS sufferers can have hallucinations). This medical handbook is now being revised to take into account the fact that PMS is a physical problem, even though many of it’s symptoms are the same as those seen in emotional illnesses.

As for the answer to my mystery, What was the cause of the case of Galactorrhea that started me on this journey in the first place? This time the cause was low thyroid. I chose to listen to Dr Broda O. Barnes, who had a degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry, and a Ph.D. in Physiology, taught Physiology at the University of Chicago and became Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Illinois. This Doctor teaches that thyroid imbalance affects every cell, tissue and organ of our body, and that this dysfunction often goes undiagnosed. I believe his 50 years of researching and teaching qualifies him as an expert in thyroid disorders .

DON’T FORGET!!!!!

If a person has been deficient in progesterone for a long time, or is severely estrogen dominant, or has yeast overgrowth, or fungus infection, or candida, they may experience both emotional and physical symptoms of excess estrogen when they first begin to use progesterone cream. This is because the estrogen receptors, which have closed down to help save the body from estrogen dominance, again open up in response to the new found progesterone. The doctors suggest that if this happens, stop using the cream until symptoms subside. Then use a small amount, 1/8 or 1/16 tsp. once and then twice a day, while the body adjusts to a balanced hormone life. Increase dosage slowly. Don’t give up!!!

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/22.htm

UPDATE: NOVEMBER 1999

The research goes on, and I feel I must share what’s happening as I become aware. The following is from Doctor Lee’s latest reports.

We have all probably encountered a person who has been diagnosed as having a chemical imbalance in the brain. This is the cause of behavior that is seen as not being normal for that person. Doctor Lee explains what this chemical imbalance is, and what causes it. The imbalance its-self is an overabundance of copper and not enough zinc in the brain. This problem is encountered when estrogen levels are too high and progesterone levels are low. A protein in the bloodstream, called ceruloplasmin, allows copper to enter the bloodstream, but blocks zinc from entering. Neurotransmitters in the brain that convey emotions , depend on both copper and zinc for proper transmission. This chemical imbalance causes a mild irritation to become a murderous rage. Diet will not correct this imbalance. Adding progesterone, to correct the imbalance between estrogen and progesterone, corrects the problem. The excess estrogen can be caused by things other than actual estrogen being taken into the body. Things such as paint fumes, plastics, weed sprays, insect spray, drugs, or even new carpeting can cause estrogenic reactions in our bodies, setting the stage for a chemical imbalance .

Doctor Lee again stresses the fact that our brain cells need twenty times more progesterone than does any other part of our body. Brain power increases with adequate progesterone. Progesterone prevents over-reaction and scattered thoughts. In the nineteen forties progesterone was used to treat children with epilepsy. Epilepsy is a condition of over excitability of brain cells.

Mucus membranes throughout the body all have progesterone receptors. This is why those with low progesterone levels are plagued with digestive problems, hay-fever, sinus infections, colds, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, and many other illnesses that concern mucus membranes.

It was reported in the Journal of Pharmacology in 1981 that arthritis sufferers whose joints were injected with progesterone did better than those injected with cortisone or gold.

Today, in America, by the time a woman is age 35, her progesterone level has dropped by 50%. This was not so for her mother or grandmother. Our lifestyle and environment have caused this hormonal imbalance.

Low progesterone is a cause of osteoporosis. Cortisone, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland, and turned into cortisol before it can be used in the body, occupies the same receptor site as progesterone, but has the opposite message. It suppresses many things, including hydrochloric acid. Without adequate hydrochloric acid, our bodies cannot absorb calcium. This results in bone loss (osteoporosis). Excess cortisol, caused by stress, also competes with progesterone at the receptor site. This, too, is a cause of osteoporosis, diseases, and premature aging. Prednisone and dexamethasone are synthetic versions of cortisol. Their use needs to be monitored carefully. Too much protein in the diet or too much acid will also cause bones to lose calcium.

An inadequate supply of progesterone in the system of either men or women can trigger the onset of an auto-immune disease such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, Addison’s disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, pernicious anemia, and dermatomyositis. Often the use of real progesterone for a period of about two years will cure these diseases.

Eating too much sugar and refined carbohydrates always leads to an excess of estrogen in the body.

Miriam Brazel - Willim's Notes

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# # #

Phytoestrogens, (the estrogen compounds found in plants), help protect us TI. from estrogen dominance. Good sources of these phytoestrogens are beans, nuts, garlic, and some herbs.

We, as adults, should not drink milk. Milk is a rich source of estrogen. Humans are the only mammals on earth who continue to drink milk after they become adults.

We now have many iatrogenic (doctor caused) illnesses. These illnesses are killing women as well as babies. Tubal ligations, birth control pills, HRT (with provera), ERT, and many other drugs are proving to be deadly to humans.

There is no study proving that estrogen or provera protects the heart. Women do not, as a rule, have cholesterol clogging their arteries. Their heart attacks occur when the heart goes into a spasm. Women 65 to 80 years old make all the estrogen they need. Women on HRT however, have 35% more strokes. Estrogen causes strokes.

Doctor Lee began using natural progesterone on his patients with breast cancer in 1978. To his knowledge, as of now, 1999, none of those women ever died from breast cancer. A study done on women who had surgery during the time their progesterone levels were high proved they had better recoveries, and the survival rate was double eighteen years later. Studies are proving that unopposed estrogen is the cause of both breast and prostate cancer.

Tamoxifen (a designer estrogen) causes cancer of the uterus. It also causes strokes, blood clots, and liver problems.

Removing a cancerous tumor is not treating the disease. The tumor is not the disease. It is the symptom !

When men reach the age of 45 to 65 their progesterone level falls, causing a lowering of their testosterone level. Estrogen becomes dominant, resulting in prostate cancer.

Low magnesium is a factor in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Injections of magnesium are beneficial. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is cured by progesterone. Magnesium is also helpful for those who are under stress and for those who crave chocolate.

Women should never take DHEA. The end result of DHEA is either testosterone or more estrogen!

Saliva testing is the only accurate way of measuring active progesterone in the body. It is valuable in determining if ovulation has occurred.

The part of the brain called the Limbic brain monitors hormones, telling an organ to produce more or to slow down production of a particular hormone. If the limbic brain malfunctions for any reason, many body functions will become incapable of performing their duties.

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/23.htm

THE LIMBIC SYSTEM

The Limbic System is a distinct part of the brain.  It consists of clusters of nerve cells that are a part of the autonomic nervous system.  This autonomic nervous system automatically regulates many body functions.  It controls heartrate, breathing, sweating, hormone productions, and many more things.  Sights and smells, things we hear and touch, are all filtered through this Limbic Brain. This system then regulates our body to act appropriately to the stimulus received by our senses. This is the part of the brain that controls hormone production, emotional responses, and many other things that we never think about We have no control over this part of our brain. We can not control our feelings; but we can sometimes control how we react to these feelings. This Limbic Brain controls our digestive system, our emotions (including the fight or flight response) and our sexual behavior.

When anything upsets the function of this part of our brain, such as an injury, an illness, or drugs, this system may malfunction. Abnormal emotional responses, such as inappropriate laughter or sadness, unwarranted rage, fear or anxiety, depression, or excessive sexual interest are all indications of a problem in the Limbic Brain. Dr. John Lee has found that this limbic brain needs and uses 20 times more progesterone than is used in any other part of the body. Progesterone is made in our body from pregnenelone, which in turn is made from cholesterol, which is manufactured from the food we eat. This would seem to indicate that a poor diet or even cholesterol lowering drugs could have an effect on the proper functioning of the autonomic nervous system. Any drug, be it a prescription drug, an over the counter drug, or a street drug that effects. the central nervous system will have an effect on the Limbic Brain.

http://www.ylcf.org/goodhealth/hormone-imbalance/24.htm

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barnes, Broda - Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness - Harper and Row, New York, 1976

Bender, Stephanie & Kelleher, Kathleen - PMS - New Harbinger Publications, Oakland,CA 1996

Colborn, Theo & Dumanoski, Dianne & Myers, John Peterson - Our Stolen Future - Penguin Books USA Inc. 375 Hudson St., New York, N.Y. 10014, USA

Crook, William G.-The Yeast Connection and the Woman-Professional Books, Inc. Jackson, Tennessee 1995

Dalton, Katharina - Depression After Childbirth - Oxford University Press, New York,1980

Dalton, Katharina - Once A Month - Hunter Howe, Inc., Alameda, CA, 1978

Dalton, Katharina - Premenstrual Syndrome illustrated - Peter Andrew Publishing, England, 1990

Donohue, Paul O. - To Your Good Health-North America Syndicate Inc.- New York, N.Y.

Donsbeck, Kurt - PMS. Menopause & Hysterectomy - Rockland Corp 1993

Duke, Patty, and Hochman, Gloria - A Brilliant Madness - Bantam Books, New York, 1992

Ford, Gillian - Suffering In Silence - Women’s Health Connections, Madison, WI

*Gittleman, Ann Louise-Before The Change-HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022, 1998

*Goldbeck, Nikki - How To Cope With Menstrual Problems - Keats Publishing Inc., New Canaan, CT, 1983

Harrison, Michelle - Self Help For Premenstrual Syndrome - Matrix Press, Cambridge, MA, 1982

Jamison, Kay Redfield - An Unquiet Mind - Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1995

Jamison, Kay Redfield - Touched with Fire - Simon & Schuster, 1230 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY. 1993

Kamen, Betty - Hormone Replacement Therapy-Yes or No? - Nutrition Encounter, Novato, CA 1993

Langer, Stephen MD & Scheer, James - Solved: The Riddle of Ilness - Keats Publishing, Inc. New Cannan, Connecticut

Laux, Marcus N.D. and Conrad, Christine-Natural Woman Natural Menopause HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 10 East 53 Street, New York, NY 10022, 1997

Lee, John - Natural Progesterone: The Multiple Roles Of A Remarkable Hormone - BLL Publishing, Sebastopol, CA 1995

Lee, John & Hopkins, Virginia - What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause - Warner Books, Inc., NY 1996

Lee, John -tape- Natural Progesterone & Women’s Health - ASTRAEA, INC. Women’s Heallth Research

Martin, Raquel - The Estrogen Alternative - Healing Arts Press, Rochester, VT, 1998

Martorano, Joseph, & Morgan, Maureen,& Fryer, William, - Unmasking PMS - Berkley Books 1994

Novotny, Pamela Patrick - Relief From PMS - Dell Publishing 1992

*Peat, Raymond, PhD - From PMS To Menopause - PO Box 5764 Eugene, OR 97405

Puglio, Patricia - Hypothyroidism - Women’s Health Connection,, Madison, WI

Seaman, Barbara - The Doctors' Case Against the Pill - Hunter House, Alameda, CA 1969, 1995

Torrey, E Fuller, - Surviving Schizophrenia - Harper Collins Publishers Inc., New York, NY

Wolfe, Sidney M., M.D. & Hope, Rose-Ellen, R.Ph, Worst Pills Best Pills 11 Public Citizen Health Research Group, 2000 P St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

*Wright, Jonathan V. M.D. & Morgenthaler, John-Natural Hormone Replacement- Smart Publications, PO Box 4667, Petaluma, California, 94955, 1997

*Recommended reading