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Imagine a natural ebb and flow of hormones, gently washing back and forth, keeping your body in balance. Not too much estrogen or progesterone, but just enough to keep each other – and you – on an even keel.
Now imagine a sudden flood of estrogen – or a drop in progesterone. In either instance, the balance is gone and estrogen dominates. Many of my patients feel like they are constantly treading water, barely able to keep their heads above the waterline and totally overwhelmed.
It’s no wonder since they are dealing with the stress of daily life compounded by the physical symptoms that often arise during perimenopause and menopause, including PMS, weight gain, decreased libido, hot flashes, mood swings and insomnia or fatigue. For many, estrogen dominance is to blame, but it responds very well to a lifestyle plan that includes fitness, nutrition and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT).”
Estrogen dominance, caused by either an overabundance of estrogen, a deficiency of progesterone or a combination of the two, is one of the more common hormone imbalances in women from ages 30 to 50. The goal is to strike a balance between the two hormones to maintain a healthy mind and body throughout perimenopause, menopause and possibly beyond. There are many outside sources of estrogen in our environment that can cause an increase in estrogen levels. Xenoestrogens, a.k.a. foreign estrogens, can be found in an alarming number of foods and products that we come into contact with every day. The effects of xenoestrogens are wide ranging and include early onset puberty for both boys and girls and estrogen dominance for women and some men.
To lower your risk of estrogen dominance or to improve the results of BHRT or other estrogen dominance treatments, avoid the following:
• Air fresheners
• All artificial scents
• Birth control pills and spermicide
• Canned foods
• Car exhaust and indoor toxins
• Commercially raised meat and milk
containing hormones
• Cosmetics and Personal care products
that contain paraben or phenoxyethanol
• Detergents and dryer sheets
• Industrial wastes
• Paints, lacquers and solvents
• Pesticides and herbicides
• Plastic bottles, food wraps and storage
containers
• Styrofoam cups
Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance:
(List adapted from energeticnutrition.com)
Mild
• Premenstrual breast tenderness
• Premenstrual fluid retention,
weight gain
• Premenstrual headaches
• Premenstrual mood swings
• Menstrual cramps
Moderate
• Adrenal fatigue
• Decreased libido
• Depression
• Dry eyes
• Fatigue
• Hair loss
• Headaches and/or migraines
• Heavy periods with clotting
• Insomnia and restless sleep
• Irregular menstruation
• Joint and muscle pain
• Severe menstrual cramps
• Thyroid disorder
• Weight gain
Severe
• Accelerated aging
• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Auto-immune disorders
• Breast tumors
• Endometriosis
• Fibrocystic breasts
• Fibromyalgia
• Infertility
• Miscarriage
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Thickened uterine lining
• Uterine fibroid tumors
www.bodylogicmd.com/EmpowHer
Add a Comment3 Comments
This I find improbable, if not impossible or very unlikely in reality:
To lower your risk of estrogen dominance or to improve the results of BHRT or other estrogen dominance treatments, avoid the following:
• Air fresheners - how likely is this
• All artificial scents - might be doable
• Birth control pills and spermicide - and the alternative is...?
• Canned foods - not likely
• Car exhaust and indoor toxins - right, especially unlikely for those of us who drive
• Commercially raised meat and milk containing hormones- how many of us live on a farm, and organic is expensive for many folks
• Cosmetics and Personal care products that contain paraben or phenoxyethanol - what woman is going to avoid these
• Detergents and dryer sheets - what about eco-friendly?
• Industrial wastes - we're surrounded
• Paints, lacquers and solvents - let's avoid our painted houses?
• Pesticides and herbicides - this is doable, if eco-friendly and natural methods used
• Plastic bottles, food wraps and storage containers- plastic water bottles, sure; how many of us don't use plastic containers?
• Styrofoam cups - this is definitely doable - unless you're at a public event
I think more useful information would be realistic substitutes for all of your suggestions, rather than a blanket statement to avoid these products.
Thank you, all the same, for the information. On the flip side, is there testosterone dominance?
May 15, 2009 - 6:10pmThis Comment
Hi. I have a response to the list of products.
May 19, 2009 - 7:53pm• Air fresheners - Don't buy air fresheners, get an air cleaner for the house or natural air fresheners
• All artificial scents - Don't use perfume or buy fake scented products
• Birth control pills and spermicide - the alternative is condoms. The birth control pill is POISON, don't take it! ditchthepill.org Use condoms to prevent getting the HPV virus. The vaccine doesn't kill all strains.
• Canned foods - Don't buy canned food.
• Car exhaust and indoor toxins - Hard to avoid car exhaust
• Commercially raised meat and milk containing hormones- Buy meat that has no hormones, expensive yes, just eat less of it.
• Cosmetics and Personal care products that contain paraben or phenoxyethanol - Use Burt's Bees from Target, or products from Trader Joes or Whole Foods
• Detergents and dryer sheets - Again Trader Joes or Whole Foods
• Industrial wastes - Not much we can do
• Paints, lacquers and solvents - She probably meant breathing in the fumes while painting etc.
• Pesticides and herbicides - this is doable, if eco-friendly and natural methods used
• Plastic bottles, food wraps and storage containers- Buy the Pyrex with the lids, only the lids are plastic, they're great!
• Styrofoam cups - this is definitely doable - unless you're at a public event
This Comment
Wow! I never connected how severe my estrogen dominance must be to have a fibroid tumor. I like how you categorized these symptoms.
May 15, 2009 - 4:38pmThis Comment