Estrogen Detox
I have spent the last year educating myself about hormone balance and the systems that relate to hormone balance. With my own experience going into menopause, I wanted to make sure that I was getting my body in balance in a natural way and that way I could prevent further medical issues.
I am estrogen dominant, even though my estrogen is a bit low according to my saliva test. Estrogen dominant just means that I have more estrogen than other hormones and that I'm out of balance.
My compounding pharmacist spent over an hour with me educating me and getting me started on a good bioidentical progesterone. Over time and as my treatment progressed, I started learning more. I learned about my endocrine system and thyroid too.
What I found out at the last seminar I attended on hormone health is that my liver was holding on to a lot of old estrogens.
These old estrogens were from taking birth control for 15 years, meats I was eating, the water and milk I was drinking, processed foods, pesticides and plastics. These are also known as xenoestrogens. I didn't know they were hanging out in my body. My pharmacist talked about estrogen detox.
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CharlotteSal,
Thank you for a truly fascinating post. How long did it take you to finish the estrogen detox, and can you tell any difference in the way you're feeling? And did you do your saliva test with a doctor, or with a naturopath? Am very interested in learning more. I am learning that I have probably always been estrogen-dominant, and I believe I too have probably been affected by some of the same things you were (11 years of birth control pills, a lifetime of meat until 8 years ago) and tons of processed foods over the years. A saliva test sounds like a good place to start.
A saliva test is the perfect place to start. The saliva test measures 4 hormone levels (you would need a blood test for thyroid). The saliva test gives more information than a blood test for hormone levels. A blood test will only tell you if they are withing acceptable range, the saliva test tells the doctor exactly what the levels are.
I am still taking the detox so I will let you know how it is in the end but I can certainly tell the difference already. I am still getting a bit of a headache a few hours after I take the DIM. My skin is already feeling better. It's funny the things our body holds onto.
I go to a compounding pharmacist who has done all my testing. The test gets sent out to a lab in Wisconsin and the results come to him and I get a copy as well. He has been doing bioidentical hormones for over 10 years. When he made his recommendation, he called my doctor to see if he would prescribe it and my doctor did. I also refer friends to a naturopath for testing; Dr. Marcantel is actually a Her Writer as well.
Thanks so much for your reply. It's so interesting to me that your compounding pharmacist is as important to your care as is your doctor. I think that in general today people think the pharmacist is just the person who counts out the pills and cautions you not to drink milk with certain medicines, etc. You're actually using your pharmacist's knowledge to the benefit of your health. Bravo.
Even before the days I started going to a compounding pharmacy, I would consult the pharmacist at any pharmacy on any meds. Sometimes I would ask them before I went to the doctor what they would recommend. Doctors are medical professionals but the pharmacist knows all about the drugs.
Besides, the pharmacist was always free to consult with.