Tag Archive for: progesterone

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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.

 

Natural Solutions to Adrenal Fatigue

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I knew nothing about it much less natural solutions to adrenal fatigue. In 2013, a client came to me sharing that she had been diagnosed with adrenal fatigue.  I had worked with clients that had various health challenges but this was a new one. She was already eating clean and working with an Integrative MD so this was going to be a challenge. The only unique factor was her stress level was extremely high as she was experiencing extreme burnout in her career.

To be honest, her symptoms were puzzling.  I kept trying to figure out exactly what it was she was feeling but I just couldn’t connect to her symptoms. Usually, my clean eating, resting, and supporting the digestive process was the answer but in this case, it wasn’t enough. I left it to “I can’t help everyone”.

Then approximately a year later I started to experience signs of extreme fatigue and emotional sensitivity. I remember the thought of performing simple household chores like changing the linens on our bed was equivalent to running a 5K. Some days I couldn’t even perform these simple tasks. When and if I did, I had to lie down and rest.

Ironically, about that same time, I decided to add saliva hormone and neurotransmitter testing to my menu of services. So the first thing I do with a new service is to put myself through the test and this was no exception. I received the results that I was in Phase 3 Adrenal Fatigue and was devastated. It was at that point I started reading and researching everything I could find on Adrenal Fatigue. I also connected to a private Facebook group of fellow Adrenal Fatiguers. I did learn quite a bit from the group but the negativity was so overwhelming that I decided to stop following. The majority of the group seem to be strong Type A, overachievers, and/or controllers which makes sense why many end up here!

So what is Adrenal Fatigue? It is not a proven medical condition but a “syndrome” where fatigue and other symptoms are caused by a poorly working adrenal gland in people who are under chronic mental, emotional, or physical stress.  The medical community does recognize “adrenal insufficiency” which states that only drugs can be used to treat it and that supplements could be harmful. So I asked myself, are my adrenals in need of more toxins to “treat” it or should I use whole food and clean sources of supplementation to balance my body? For those who know me, you can guess the answer.

The research scared me. Stats like it takes up to five years to recover or some cases lead to adrenal cancer as well as Addison’s disease. JFK had Addison’s which one symptom is a golden bronze skin pigment. Now I understood why people were asking me if I had been to Florida recently or why my skin was so bronze in the middle of winter!  Again, all the pieces were coming together along with test results which was a wake-up call for me.

So how did I end up here? Two reasons, one was opening a brick and mortar (physical location) business which we were renovating as well. The second was that my son was struggling with serious health and financial issues. In my quest to take care of him and my business/clients, I failed to take care of myself and ended up in severe adrenal fatigue (Phase 3).

I remember sitting at the table crying and saying, “I don’t think I can do this anymore.” “This” meaning taking care of everyone else and everything. My dream of opening a wellness center and serving others started to feel like a nightmare. My temper was short and breakdowns were not uncommon but all behind the scenes.  Instead of taking a “why did this happen to me” approach, I saw it as a way to serve others with the same challenges.  God again blessed me with another health challenge so I can share and serve others.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that it isn’t going to take me 5 years to recover because I had access to the best holistic health experts in the world and access to the best supplements and herbs.

So what was my life-changing adrenal fatigue protocol? Only products that were clean, non-GMO, and gluten-free sources of plant-based herbs, enzymes, and food.


My mornings started with Sole water which is a solution of Himalayan salt and water.

I’d start my morning with a green smoothie using a plant-based protein powder with various greens such as kale, spinach, dandelion, etc. plus two tablespoons of flax, hemp, or chia seeds. For extra nutrients, I added plant powders.

The following supplements are from Pure Encapsulations. I use this brand because they are genuinely pure, using non-GMO, no additives or preservatives, and gluten-free ingredients:

  • B Complex Plus – 2 times/day with food,
  • ADR Formula- 2 in am 1 hour before food,
  • Dopa Plus – 1 in a.m. 1 hour before food,
  • Ashwagandha – 3 times/day with food and
  • Liquid Vitamin D *4-5000 (4-5 drops) based on my test results

From Loomis Institute, I used:

  • Loomis Digestive Enzymes, 2 before each meal (VSCLR was specific to my needs, please utilize our Gut health or 24 Hour Urinalysis testing to determine yours)
  • Loomis Organic Iron blend and Female Herbal blend after each meal
    • Loomis products are healthcare professional grade. Please contact us if you’d like to order.
  • Organic Excellence Progesterone Cream – 1 pump or 20 mg 30 minutes before bedtime.

Again, these are products that worked for me based on the current condition of my body and health. There is not a one size fits all approach to any health challenge. It is recommended that you utilize a Holistic Health Coach and nutritional testing to determine the state of your health. Contact me if I can help as we can ship test kits anywhere and help you across the miles.

If you would like to learn more, request our free guide called Top 3 Tips to Overcome Adrenal Stress to begin your path to balance your body and regain your energy. Or if you are looking for the best diet, foods, and supplements for adrenal fatigue, check out our Best Foods & Supplements for Adrenal Fatigue Guide.

And if you have experienced Adrenal Fatigue, I’d love to hear from you. And if you aren’t sure where to start, schedule a free call with me.