Nexus - 0304 - New Times Magazine-pages

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plastics found in babies bottles and water jugs) and PCBs. These § ness—quickly disappear with applications of natural proges- oestrogen-mimics are highly fat-soluble, not biodegradable or _terone. well-excreted, and accumulate in fat tissue of animals and There is one other very significant benefit of natural proges- humans. These chemicals have an uncanny ability to mimic nat- _terone that deserves a bit more attention. While most people are ural oestrogen. They are given the name "xeno-oestrogens” since, under the assumption that oestrogen protects against osteoporo- although they are foreign chemicals, they are taken up by the — sis—one of the biggest selling-points for which a woman is en- oestrogen receptor-sites in the body, seriously interfering with couraged to take HRT—this is definitely not the case. natural biochemical changes. The early studies on which the oestrogen-protection assumption Mounting research is now revealing an alarming situation was based had gross scientific defects. Canadian researcher worldwide created by the inundation of these hormone-mimics. — Jerilyn Prior, chief endocrinologist at the University of British In a recently released book, Our Stolen Future, authors Theo —_ Columbia in Vancouver, and her colleagues, reporting in The New Colburn of the World Wildlife Fund, Dianne Dumanoski of The England Journal of Medicine, confirmed that oestrogen's role in Boston Globe and John Peterson Meyers, a zoologist, have identi- osteoporosis is only a minor one. In their studies of female ath- fied 51 hormone-mimics, each able to unleash a torrent of effects —_letes, they found that osteoporosis occurs to the degree that they such as reduced sperm production, cell division and sculpting of | become progesterone-deficient, even though their oestrogen levels the developing brain. These mimics are not only linked to the seem to remain normal. Prior continued her research with non- recent discovery that human sperm-counts worldwide have _ athletic women. They showed the same results. While both these plunged by SO per cent between 1938 and 1990 but also to genital groups of women were menstruating, they had anovulatory cycles deformities, breast, prostate and testicular cancer, and neurologi- _and, therefore, were progesterone-deficient. cal disorders.’ Prior then went on to discover that anovulation and a short- Dr Lee has discovered a consistent theme running through _ phase cycle now occur in up to SO per cent of North American women's complaints of the dis- women's menstrual cycles during tressing and often debilitating the final reproductive years.'* symptoms of PMS, peri- : [ears ; s Unfortunately, these major find- menopause and menopause: too D r Lee has discovered a consistent ings went relatively unnoticed in much oestrogen, or, as he has | theme running through women's the medical community. termed it, "oestrogen dominance". complaints of the distressing and often’ As a result of her extensive Now, instead of oestrogen play- review of published scientific ing its essential role within the | debilitating symptoms of PMS, peri- evidence in this area, Prior con- well-balanced symphony of steroid | — : eee oo ga firmed that it is not oestrogen but hormones in a woman's body, it menopause an menopause: too progesterone which is the bone- has begun to overshadow the other [| much oestrogen, or, as he has termed trophic hormone; that is, the players, creating biochemical dis- bone builder. She was even able sonance. The last thing in the it, “oestrogen dominance". to identify progesterone re- world a woman's body needs is ceptor-sites on osteoblast cells more oestrogen—either in the (bone tissue-building cells). form of contraceptives or HRT. Nobody has ever found os- Then, when the oestrogen-dominant symptoms appear, guess __teoblast receptors for oestrogen. The bottom line is that it is in what is prescribed? More oestrogen! The delicate natural oestro- | women with progesterone deficiency that bone loss occurs." gen/progesterone balance is radically altered due to too much These results were verified by a three-year study of 63 post- _ oestrogen. Progesterone deficiency is then exacerbated even = menopausal women with osteoporosis. Women using transdermal more. progesterone cream experienced an average 7 to 8 per cent bone- Dr Lee has been able to balance the oestrogen-dominance effect mass density increase in the first year, 4 to 5 per cent the second through the use of transdermal natural progesterone cream. year, and 3 to 4 per cent in the third year! Untreated women in Natural progesterone, a cholesterol derivative, is made from wild this age category typically lose 1.5 per cent bone-mass density per Mexican yams or soybeans whose active ingredients are an exact year! These results have not been found with any other form of molecular match of the body's own progesterone. It is interesting hormone replacement therapy or dietary supplementation.” to note that in countries in Asia and South America where women Dr Lee believes that the use of natural progesterone in conjunc- eat either the wild yams or soybeans, the term "hot flush" doesn't —_ tion with dietary and lifestyle change can not only stop osteoporo- even exist in their languages. They also rarely suffer from the sis but can actually reverse it—even in women aged 70 or more. host of female problems presently plaguing Western women. At this point, it is important to make the distinction between the Supplementation with natural progesterone corrects the real _ natural progesterone that is produced by the body and the synthet- problem: progesterone deficiency. Natural progesterone is not _ic progesterone analogues classified as progestins, such as known to have any side-effects; nor have any toxic levels been = Provera, Duphaston and Primulut. As you will learn, there is a found to date. Natural progesterone increases libido, prevents _ big difference between the two in their effect in the body, cancer of the womb, protects against fibrocystic breast disease, although doctors most often use their names interchangeably. helps protect against breast cancer, maintains the uterus lining, | Since natural progesterone is not a patentable product, the phar- hydrates and oxygenates the skin, reverses facial hair growth and —_ maceutical companies have molecularly altered it to produce syn- hair thinning, acts as a natural diuretic, helps eliminate depression _ thetic progestins commonly used in contraceptives and HRT. and increase a sense of well-being, encourages fat-burning and the Synthetic progestins, because they are not exact replicas of the use of stored energy, normalises blood-clotting, and is a precursor body's natural progesterone, unfortunately create a long list of to other important stress and sex hormones. Even the two most prevalent menopausal symptoms—hot flushes and vaginal dry- Continued on pas NEXUS ¢ 19 JUNE-JULY 1996