Nexus - 0305 - New Times Magazine-pages

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young woman's body they will contribute to the ‘burnout’ of her can be offset by increasing the Icvel of natural progesterone. The ovaries and undermine fertility. : problem is not always that progesterone levels are actually lower In the case of progesterone, however, we are talking about only __ than normal, but they are low in comparison to elevated oestrogen one specific hormone. Thus, progesterone is both the name of the __ levels. class and the single member of the class. In the ovaries, proges- Due to increased exposure to these oestrogenic substances in the terone is the precursor of oestrogen. Progesterone is also made in body, women become more affected by oestrogens made in the smaller amounts by the adrenal glands in both sexes and by the _ body from their mid-30s onwards. Around this time, women do testes in males. It is the precursor of testosterone and of allimpor- not ovulate with every menstrual cycle. Since progesterone is tant adrenal cortical hormones. From progesterone are derived not made from the ripened follicle (corpus luteum), if there is no ovu- only other sex hormones but also corticosteroids, which are essen- _ lation there is no corpus luteum formed and hence no progesterone tial for stress response, sugar and electrolyte balance and blood made. pressure, not to mention survival.” Stress, nutritional deficiencies and chemical pollutants all con- While oestrogen is the primary hormone during the first two _ tribute to anovulatory cycles. The frequency of these anovulatory weeks of a woman's menstrual cycle, fulfilling its role of prepar- cycles increases as menopause approaches, changing the menstru- ing the endometrium for pregnancy, progesterone is the major _al pattern to an either heavier or longer menstrual flow. female reproductive hormone during the latter two weeks of the While not commonly understood by medical science, the grow- menstrual cycle. Progesterone is necessary for the survival of the ing incidence of anovulatory cycles, even in young women, and fertilised ovum, the resulting embryo and the foetus throughout the ensuing hormone imbalance are creating huge health prob- gestation when production of the lems. Women of all ages are now progesterone is taken over by the exposed to a higher risk of the placenta. entire range of oestrogen-dominant There is a very delicate balance "Menopause per se should be conditions. between the interplay of oestrogen regarded asa normal adjustment and progesterone. If that balance is . . ° - interfered with, devastating effects | reflecting a benign change ina [J Environment occur. Unfortunately, introduced : 1 * * nwt TS Extremely disturbing events are synthetic hormones as well as envi- woman's biological life away being reported globally about the ronmental pollutants are presently from child-bearing and onward alarming changes happening in the wreaking havoc with our hormones. © ; : environment. "Oestrogen dominance” is a term toa period of new personal Not long ago in Lake Apopka in that was first used by Dr John Lee. c at Florida, wildlife biologists discov- A retired medical practitioner from power and fulfilment. ered that strange biological effects California, Dr Lee has spent the bet- were happening in the alligators liv- ter part of the last two decades ing there. In 1980, a toxic spill exploring the basis for the proliferation occurred which dumped huge of such female problems as PMS, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, amounts of a pesticide similar to DDT into the lake. That event fibroids, breast cancer, infertility, osteoporosis and menopausal was almost forgotten until five years later when it was discovered problems. From his clinical experience in the field of female that 90 per cent of the alligators had disappeared. Most of those health, as well as from his published research, Dr Lee believes that that remained were incapable of reproducing or had no urge to many women are suffering from the effects of too much oestro- mate. The males were born with penises that were not only 75 per gen. He finds that stress, nutritional deficiencies, oestrogenic sub- _ cent shorter than average but were also deformed. Further testing stances from our environment, and taking synthetic oestrogens, indicated that their testosterone levels were so low that they hor- combined with an ensuing deficiency of progesterone, are the like- | monally resembled females. Moreover, the females had abnormal ly contributing factors to the creation of oestrogen dominance. ovaries and follicles, described as “burned out".* The following is a list of symptoms that can be caused or made Recent reports show that strange fish caught in Port Phillip Bay worse by oestrogen dominance: acceleration of the ageing in Victoria, Australia, were hermaphrodites. Similarly, a major process, allergies, breast tenderness, decreased sex-drive, depres- British study revealed that male fish downstream from sewage sion, fatigue, hair thinning, excessive facial hair, fibrocystic treatment plants changed sex as a result of oestrogen chemicals breasts, foggy thinking, headaches, hypoglycaemia, increased which had not been removed from treated effluent.’ blood-clotting, increased risk of stroke, infertility, irritability, Dr Ana Soto, an endocrinologist at Tufts University in the memory loss, miscarriage, osteoporosis, pre-menopausal bone- United States, had been experimenting with cancer cells taken loss, PMS, thyroid dysfunction mimicking hypothyroidism, uter- from the breast and then cultured. She found they would only ine cancer, uterine fibroids, water retention, bloating, fat gain grow if they were fed oestrogens. One day, the test simply (especially around the abdomen, hips and thighs), gall bladder dis- | stopped working. The cancer cells continued to grow for four ease and auto-immune disorders such as lupus and thyroiditis.’ months, even when no oestrogens were fed to them. Dr Soto then In addition to the synthetic oestrogens, women are also pre- _ realised that the manufacturer of the flasks she had been using had scribed synthetic progestins. They have been added to the oestro- _ started to use a different plastic—one that, when it becomes warm, gen formula to offset the hazards of oestrogen drugs. Nancy releases minute quantities of the oestrogen-like compound, Beckham in her book, Menopause—A Positive Approach Using _ nonylphenol! Her tissues samples were being contaminated by the Natural Therapies, was able to identify more than 100 adverse —_ xeno-oestrogens from the plastic flasks!* effects for the most commonly prescribed oestrogen and progestin The widespread use of herbicides, pesticides and plastics have medications. created a problem that has never before existed on this planet. We According to Dr Lee, many of these common health problems are polluting our environment and ourselves in a sea of oestrogen- Oestrogen Dominance in the 22 ¢ NEXUS AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1996