Tag Archive for: hormones

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How to Manage Menopause

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How to Manage Menopause — First, what is Menopause? Menopause is a natural process as a woman ages. It is when she has not had a period for 12 consecutive months. Perimenopause is defined as the year prior to menopause.

Some women proceed through menopause without effort and others may experience the uncomfortable side effects of it. Because I balanced my hormones premenopausal, menopause was a nonevent for me.  Therefore, I urge younger women to start now to protect their bodies from toxins in personal care and replaced processed with whole foods.

What are the symptoms of menopause?

  • Hot flashes/night sweats
  • Sleeplessness
  • Unwanted hair growth
  • Weight gain
  • Cravings
  • Thinning skin
  • Depression/anxiety
  • Forgetfulness
  • Foggy thinking
  • Bone loss
  • Libido changes
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Hair loss

Impact on the Body

Menopause happens gradually and may take up to 10 years to occur. The time leading up to menopause is called peri-menopause and occurs between 45-55 years. Peri-menopause is when progesterone levels decline significantly.  Estrogen levels can change as well but are typically not as great as progesterone.  The imbalance of estrogen to progesterone levels can lead to increased estrogen in relation to progesterone which is called estrogen dominance.

Estrogen dominance beings during peri-menopause and may contribute to hot flashes, mood swings, memory loss, and others.  Long-term estrogen dominance can be a risk factor for diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis, dementia, and cardiovascular disease.

Menopause can also alter levels of testosterone and DHEA resulting in symptoms such as belly fat, scalp hair loss, low libido burnout, or rapid aging.

Cortisol levels should be monitored during this time to ensure they remain balanced. Imbalanced cortisol can escalate menopausal symptoms.

How Menopause Impacts our Bones

During menopause, bones may be broken down faster than they can be rebuilt.  Our bone is made up of minerals and collagen. So adding high-quality nonGMO liquid collagen can be highly beneficial during this time. The best source is Liquid BioCell collagen with 13 phytonutrient-rich superfoods and resveratrol to improve joints, skin, and the aging process.

Best Testing for Menopause

Take charge of your health and request salivary hormone testing. A test kit can be shipped direct to your home and you will have online access to the results plus support and interpretation by a wellness professional.  Our Menopause Test measures cortisol, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA. Contact us today at info@brenewed.com or text or call us at 812-461-8922.

You can be on your way to experience:

  • Improved sleep
  • Improved mood and cognition
  • Maintain your weight
  • Improve libido
  • Curb your cravings

Most importantly, you can start to regain the vitality of your youth!

 

 

 

Benefits of Progesterone

Benefits of Natural Progesterone

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Benefits of Natural Progesterone 

I suffered until my 30’s with horrific mood swings, anxiety, hot flashes, insomnia, heavy flow, bloating, and weight gain. These issues can cripple women at a time in our life when we should be our most productive and confident. I would miss work for 1-2 days a month because I couldn’t leave the house. My flow was so intense, my cramps were unbearable and it would flare my IBS! Not only did I not leave my home, some days, I barely left the bathroom. It was miserable.

You may have researched and discovered an overwhelming number of products available to you, as well as an abundance of “social advice.” Making the best choices for your body is something that should never be done without professional help to understand what your body is really in need of. Organic progesterone cream is a natural way to better balance the hormones in your body.

Progesterone is a hormone that has multiple roles in your body. It affects every tissue in the body. These include the uterus, cervix, and vagina, the endocrine (hormonal) system, brain cells, fat metabolism, thyroid hormone function, water balance, bone cells, and energy production, to name a few. Though referred to as a sex hormone, progesterone conveys no specific secondary sex characteristics and as such cannot be called a male or female hormone.

Why does Progesterone Cream Work so Efficiently?

Progesterone cream is a highly fat-soluble compound exceedingly well absorbed when applied onto the skin. According to hormone researcher David Zava, Ph.D., progesterone is by far the most lipophilic, or fat-loving, of the steroid hormones. It circulates in the blood, carried by fat-soluble substances such as red blood cell membranes. It readily filters through the saliva glands into saliva where it can be measured accurately. Only 20 to 30 percent of progesterone in the body is protein-bound and is found in the watery blood plasma where it can be measured by serum or plasma blood tests. However, only 1 to 9 percent of this progesterone is available to the body for use. That is why saliva testing is a far more accurate and relevant test than blood tests in measuring bio-available progesterone. This saliva testing is something we would highly recommend and utilize in our practice to accurately identify how much progesterone cream you would use.

Why is Natural Progesterone Necessary after Menopause?

The fall of progesterone levels at menopause is proportionately much greater than the fall of estrogen levels. While estrogen falls only 40 to 60 percent from baseline on average, progesterone can decline to nearly zero. Furthermore, irregular periods in premenopausal women can cause low progesterone levels on and off throughout the premenopausal years. Even a woman with low estrogen levels can have estrogen dominance symptoms if she does not have any progesterone. We can also have excess estrogens because of what we are exposed to through pesticides, plastics, industrial waste products, car exhaust, meat, soaps, and much of the carpeting, furniture, and paneling that we live with indoors every day. All these factors increase the risk of having imbalanced hormones.

Benefits of Using Natural Progesterone

Here is a list of areas of your health supported by using natural progesterone:

  • Helps protect against fibrocystic breast disease
  • Helps use fat for energy
  • Natural diuretic
  • Natural anti-depressant & calms anxiety
  • Prevents cyclical migraines
  • Promotes normal sleep patterns
  • Facilitates thyroid hormone function
  • Helps normalize blood sugar levels
  • Helps restore normal libido
  • Normalizes zinc and copper levels
  • Restores proper cell oxygen levels

Over the years I have learned how important it is to use premium products that are in as pure and organic forms as possible to receive the most benefit. One of my favorite brands is Organic Choice Progesterone cream. Organic Choice is made with and without phytoestrogens. Register for my free dispensary of 20,000 products and I’ll provide a discount for you as well.

How to Use Progesterone Cream

Applying this cream once or twice a day can be a simple solution to helping your hormones rebalance. We recommend using it about 30 minutes before bedtime as it provides a relaxing effect that may help you fall asleep. The amount will vary based on your hormone levels but most women can safely start with 20mg. For menopausal women, use it for 25 days each month and take a 5-day break. For pre-menopausal women, use on days 12-26 of your cycle.

By choosing Organic Choice Natural Progesterone cream, you are deciding to help your body in the best way possible to help you with the many issues women face.

Please contact us if you would like more information on hormone testing options to know if your body would benefit from a natural progesterone cream.

 

Personal Care Products that could be Harming Your Family

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As I was cleaning out cabinets, I decided to glance over the ingredient list of some hair care products that I used to use. To be honest, it scared me. I used to put these on my body and didn’t think about the impact to my skin, lungs or other vital organs!

Think about the personal care products that you and your family use on a daily basis…lotions, shampoo, conditioner, soap, sanitizer, nail polish, baby soaps, make up, perfumes/colognes, deodorant, toothpaste, laundry detergent.  EWG.org (Environmental Working Group) concluded in a study that on average people use 9 personal care products daily and applied an average of 126 unique ingredients on their skin daily. That’s a lot of chemicals!

Do you feel safe knowing that the government does not require long term safety studies or pre-market testing for most ingredients in personal care products? According to the FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors, “a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from the FDA.” The cosmetic industry is authorized to police it’s own ingredient safety and many of these ingredients have the potential to harm humans and animals. The FDA panel has only banned 11 ingredients while the European Union has taken action on hundreds of toxic chemicals in cosmetics.

Your skin is your largest organ and is porous, so whatever you put on it will be absorbed within moments of application. And what about your lungs? You are inhaling the chemicals as well, even if you aren’t applying them to your skin.  If the products you use contain harmful ingredients such as harsh, toxic chemicals, colors, and fragrances, those ingredients make their way into your body, your blood and lymphatic system. The majority of mainstream personal care products contain carcinogenic chemicals, allergens, endocrine disruptors or xenoestrogens, irritants and can cause harm to your reproductive system. It is easy to see why it is so important to be diligent to watch what is in the products that you are using.

So what ingredients should you avoid? There are countless toxic ingredients in the products that we use on a daily basis and so it is important to do your research and always look at the ingredient list in everything that you buy. A few ingredients to avoid are fragrance, perfume, substances that generate formaldehyde (nearly 1 in 5 cosmetic products contains a substance that generates cancer causing formaldehyde–see list below), mineral oil and petroleum, parabens, ethanolmines (DEA, MEA, TEA), benzones, triclosan, heavy metals such as cadmium, aluminum, mercury, lead, and arsenic, phthalates, and styrene. This list unfortunately is not all-inclusive. Plus these chemicals are xenoestrogens which can disrupt our hormone balance and health.

You can easily switch over to safe products by accessing easy to use Apps and websites like ThinkDirty, EWG’s Skin Deep, and the Good Guide which will rate your personal care products for safety and toxicity. Always read the ingredient label and do not be fooled by labels such as natural and even partial organic products can contain harmful ingredients. I especially avoid parfum or fragrances as I will have an immediate reaction to these. Use products with the MADE SAFE® seal. Also, support hair and nail salons that offer safer and more natural products. I ask lots of questions before making an appointment and conduct my own research on their product lines. Knowing which companies test on animals is a top priority as well. Check out the company’s testing practices on sites such a PETA.org to find which do and do not test.

Avoid these ingredients/chemicals as they contains a formaldehyde-releasing chemical:

  • DMDM hydantoin
  • Imidazolidinyl urea
  • Diazolidinyl urea
  • Quaternium-15
  • Bronopol (2–bromo–2–nitropropane–1,3-diol )
  • 5-Bromo-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane
  • Hydroxymethylglycinate

For your safety, schedule time to review and clean out the harmful products that you are using and replace them with safe nontoxic options! I’d love to chat more about healthier options, set up your call here!

Are you Toxic?

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Are you toxic? A better question would be, “is your body toxic”.  Living in the world today, everyone has some level of toxicity. I strive to detox my body at least three times per year. Or some do when the seasons change so it’s easier to remember. I don’t recommend a single organ cleanse but all major organs including the brain. These comprehensive detoxes are most effective. I have clients start with a simple 14 day protocol and once they get the hang of it and realize how easy it is, I encourage them to continue for a full month.

What are the different types of toxins?

Heavy metals are what most people test and include lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium and aluminum are the most common. There are also the xenoestrogens too which include: dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites, bisphenols, alkylphenols, dichlorophenols, methoxychlor, chlordecone, polychlorinated benzol derivatives (PCBs), and dioxins. Xenoestrogens are toxic estrogens and hormone disruptors to our delicate balance of hormones.

You can learn more about toxicity and take the quick quiz. Once you complete the quiz, add up your points. At the end check out your score to see if your body is toxic.

1. How many servings of fruits or vegetables do you consume?

  • 1 per day = 1
  • 3 per day = -1
  • 5+ per day = -2

2. How often do you consume whole grains (such as brown or wild rice, millet, quinoa or barley) and/or natural fiber?

  • almost never = 3
  • once a week= 2, 3 times a week = 1
  • at least once a day= -2

3. How many glasses of water do you consume daily? (does not include coffee, black tea, soda or alcohol)

  • none = 3
  • one per day = 2
  • one per day = 1
  • eight per day = 0

4. Do you take a quality natural whole food supplement?

  • Never = 2
  • once a week = 1
  • few times a week = 0
  • daily = -1

5. How often do you exercise (30 or more minutes of continuous activity including walking or hikes)?

  • almost never = 2
  • once a week = 1
  • 3x per week = -1
  • 5+ times per week = -2

6. Do you sleep well without medication and wake up feeling rested?

  • almost never = 3
  • sometimes = 2
  • usually = -1
  • always = -2

7. Have you ever been exposed to heavy metals via mercury (or other metal) dental fillings?

  • 3 + fillings = 3
  • 2 fillings = 2
  • 1 filling = 1
  • never = 0

 

OK, tally up your score. Scoring:

-10 to 0:

Congrats! You are living on the low toxic path. Be sure you continue to stay on track.

1 +:

Changes are required to achieve optimal health and maximize energy levels. Following the same habits and tendencies may cause toxic levels to rise and heighten the risk of serious health problem.

If you are interested in learning what you can do to help detoxify your body, schedule a free wellness strategy.