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Estrogen Detox

 
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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. While I have heard of a lot of detoxes and have been looking more into why I might need a detox and what kind, estrogen detoxes never cropped up. So of course I asked about this detox.

I found out about DIM-3. I know my compounding pharmacist has a high standard for his ingredients and his capsules are vegtable, which make it easier on the liver. This detox is 500 mg of Curcumin (a tumeric extract), 150 mg of DIM (diinodylmethane) and 5 mg of piper nigrum extract (the trademark name is Bioperine- it's from the Sabinsa Corp). It is a stable supplement that flushes out the old estrogens in the liver.

The recommended amount was one capsule in the morning and one capsule in the evening. I took the recommended amount. I started on a Monday evening then continued on Tuesday morning then Tuesday evening. By Tuesday evening I started getting a headache but attributed that to having spent the day out and about in the Arizona heat. Wednesday morning I woke up with a massive headache, so I called my chiropractor and went in for an adjustment. I thought the cause of my headache might have been because it's been a while since I got my adjustment. After that, she recommended I get some electrolytes, so I grabbed a water from a local store that has electrolytes in it.

Still, I had the massive headache. I had just read a section of a book by Dr. John Lee that talked about estrogen headaches, and as my aching brain tried to find an answer, I thought about that book. Then it hit me, when I first started taking birth control is when I first started getting migraines. When I got off birth control, the amount of migraines reduced significantly. I finally resorted to taking an aspirin so I could think.

I called my pharmacy and asked if it's possible that my flushing these estrogens out could cause this massive headache. He said that it is quite possible and has reduced the amount to just one a day.

This was a huge indicator that my body was toxic. If these estrogens hanging out in my body could cause a headache like that, what else were they doing? Were they responsible for some of the other aches I had? Who knows. The headache really brought to light just how much estrogen was in my body. Of course, my body is still naturally producing estrogen, but I needed to flush out these old estrogens.

It's a good idea to talk to your naturopath if you are concerned about these estrogens hanging out in your liver. The other factor in all this is to make sure you are regular. I made sure to get a lot of fruit, grains and other natural fiber sources so I would be regular because with any detox, if there isn't a regular movement, the toxins will just be re-absorbed into your body.

Hormones are so delicate to balance. It's important to manage them because our ecosystem is laden with estrogen. Our modern world has polluted us with more than dangerous chemicals. It's critical that we check our hormones and make sure they are balanced. They affect everything else in our bodies, and this includes men as well.

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Anonymous

Thank you so much for this article. I started takeing Oestroflush on Friday. I started on the lowest dosage. 1 a day. Today, Monday, I have the worst headace! and body aces! I feel like I'm comeing down with the flu.
But now I realise that it's the estrogen detox. In a way I'm glad I did not start on two tablets a day. And it shows me how toxic my body is.

September 17, 2018 - 2:53am

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.

July 14, 2009 - 11:57am

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.

July 14, 2009 - 8:31am

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.

July 13, 2009 - 9:59am

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.

July 13, 2009 - 9:47am
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

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