What is Estrogen Dominance?
According to Dr. John Lee, the main causes of Estrogen Dominance are:
- Nutritional imbalances
- Effects of stress on the body
- Use of birth control pills
- Environmental toxins & synthetic chemicals, such as pesticides and plastics.
The hormones of a women’s menstrual cycle begin to shift out of balance during the peri-menopausal years and become more erratic the following years. For men this accurse as they get older and have low testosterone levels and get Estrogen Dominance.
These environmental toxins and chemicals affect the hormone balance of all living creatures including humans. They are called Xenohormones. Most of them have an estrogenic affect, which can cause hormonal imbalance. An excess or deficiency of estrogen has a strong effect on a woman or man's body. Too much causes bloating, mood swings and insomnia. Too little causes lethargy, fatigue, depression and low libido.
Characteristics of Estrogen Dominance:
- Acne
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Cramping
- Hair Loss
- Irritability
- Low Libido
- Weight Gain
- Lethargy
- Panic Attacks
- Mood Swings
- Thyroid Imbalance
- Cold Hands and Feet
Progesterone Use Can Help:
- Utilize fat for energy
- Stimulate bone mineral density
- Normalize blood sugar levels
- Assist thyroid hormone action
- Act as a natural anti-depressant
- Help with concentration
- Restore normal sleep pattern
What is Xenoestrogens?
Xenoestrogens are a type of Xenohormones that imitates estrogen. They are widely used industrial compounds such as PCB, BPA, and Phthalates, that have estrogenic effects on a living organism even though they differ chemically from the naturally occurring estrogenic substances internally produced by the endocrine system of the organism. The word xenoestrogens is derived from the Greek words xeno, meaning foreign, οἶστρος (estrus, meaning sexual desire) and γόνο (gene, meaning "to generate") and literally means "foreign estrogen". Xenoestrogens are also called "environmental hormones" or "EDC" (Endocrine Disrupting Compounds). Most scientists that study xenoestrogens, including The Endocrine Society, regard them as serious environmental hazards that have hormone disruptive effects on both wildlife and humans.
Xenoestrogens are found in:
- Paints
- Plastics
- Textiles
- Pesticides
- Paper Products
- Plastic Wraps
Avoid:
- Commercially-raised, non-organic meats such as beef, chicken, and pork.
- Commercial dairy products including milk, butter, cheese, and ice cream – Use only organic products that do not contain bovine growth hormone.
- Unfiltered water- Use reverse-osmosis filtered water.
- Laundry detergent – Use white vinegar, baking soda, or tri-sodium phosphate (TSP)
- Dryer sheets and fabric softeners – Use white vinegar is a marvelous natural fabric softener, no smell after it dries.
- Avoid reheating foods in plastic or Styrofoam containers.
- Avoid drinking out of plastic cups and containers.
- Air fresheners that contain phthalates.
How To Protect Yourself At Home
Step One: Purchase foods not packaged in plastic wrap whenever possible.
Step Two: Remove plastic wraps as soon as you get home, because the longer it is in contact with food, the more xenoestrogens may leach into the food. Store food in cellophane, foil or glass when possible.
Step Three: Do not microwave food in plastic containers. Use a glass dish instead.
Step Four: Invest in a water filter. In some areas, Xenoestrogens are prevalent in drinking water due to massive amounts of detergents used by industry that make their way to ground water.
Doing a liver cleanse with a product that has milk thistle helps detoxify xenoestrogens out of the body. Use Transport-tox ™.
Fat Gain
Convert food calories into fat instead of energy
Alter thyroid function, changing metabolism
Interfere with insulin function to convert calories into energy
Xenoestrogens are toxins stored in fat cells that can keep you fat
Women who consume more calories than needed, increase their estrogen production. The more fat a woman has, the more estrogen she is producing.
The weight gain caused by both water retention and fat deposition on hips and thighs may be reduced in many women by using natural progesterone crème. After using progesterone, the body utilizes fat for energy.
Many women have reported “losing their spare tire” with consistent natural progesterone use.
How And Where Is Progesterone Made?
For women when the menstrual cycles are regular and functioning at optimum levels, your ovaries release an egg into your fallopian tube every 18-28 days. This is called ovulation. The egg has responded to hormonal signals from the brain.
Next, the tissue surrounding the egg enlarges and matures into a follicle. As the follicle enlarges, it begins to make estrogen. Estrogen is the dominant hormone for the first week or so after menstruation. Upon ovulation, the follicle bursts, releasing the egg into the fallopian tube. The now empty follicle becomes the “corpus luteum”, a small yellow body on the surface of the ovary. The corpus luteum is now the site of abundant progesterone production which dominates the second half of the menstrual cycle. The increase of progesterone at the time of ovulation causes rise of body temperature of about one degree Fahrenheit, which is often used to predict ovulation. If pregnancy does not occur within 10-12 days following ovulation, estrogen and progesterone levels fall abruptly which triggers menstruation. If pregnancy occurs, progesterone production increases and the shedding of the lining of your uterus is prevented. In anovulatory cycles (no ovulation), no progesterone is made and estrogen dominant prevail. Due to stress, environmental influences, diet and past use of birth control pills, great numbers of women are not ovulation therefore not producing progesterone.
Osteoporosis
A metabolic disorder characterized by bone resorption exceeding bone deposition. The result is weakened bones that are easily fractured. Osteoporosis is most common in women and bone loss can begin prior to menopause.
According to Health and Science Research Institute, U.S.A, women using transdermal progesterone crème can experience an average 7-8% bone mass density increase the first year, 4-5% the second year and 3-4% the third year.
Natural Progesterone May Be For You.
How Excess Estrogen Impacts Male Health
Men need both estrogen and testosterone. Progesterone is made in men by the adrenal glands and testes. Progesterone is vital to good health in both women and men. It is the primary precursor of our adrenal cortical hormones and testosterone. The male hormone, testosterone, is an antagonist to estradiol and is made from progesterone. Men normally continue to produce relatively normal level of testosterone for their age and well into the seventies.
When not balanced and the estrogen levels are not in sync it may lead to health problems. A man may have estrogen dominance. Testosterone levels are high in young men, but they decrease as they age and is normal. Many outside factors can often cause estrogen levels to rise at the same time testosterone can decrease.
The most common culprits in estrogen dominance are substances known as xenoestrogens. These are estrogen-like substances found in our environment, as discussed above.
Some problems in men due to estrogen dominance are decreased fertility due to low sperm count, and other sexual problems like erectile dysfunction. In some men, estrogen dominance may cause the development of breast tissue, baldness, weight gain and other cancers. To avoid these outcomes, you must reduce your exposure to xenoestrogens as you age.
If you are a man approaching middle age, there is no need to fear estrogen dominance. You can strive to live a healthy live and try to avoid the xenoestrogens as you age as described above.
Testosterone supplementation is the obvious treatment for men with testosterone deficiency relative to their estradiol levels. If the estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone balance that prevails in younger men. Why not restore the hormone levels in older men to that same healthy balance?
