This is the newest section of the site as of 4/06. Although I have been writing about estrogens and women's health for over 5 years, I have not dedicated a section to this vital topic until now. It has only been relatively recently that this element of our health has become so prominent in the media, with many misconceptions (and deceptions) running rampant in the news, tabloids, conversations, and even medical circles. Thank Goodness the truth is finally coming out.

This ball finally got rolling with the demise of HRT (hormonal replacement therapy). Other than the plan to remove trans fats from our diets (something so huge that words can't describe my joy over it), this has been one of the single most important events in women's health in the 20th or 21st century. Without reservation, I think the use of HRT in peri and post-menopausal women has been the single-most devastating thing man has done to their well-being. But it illustrates the huge flaw in most long-term symptomatic therapy- the contradiction of what the body is trying to do to maintain and repair itself.

I love to use the standard practice of utilizing fever-reducers like aspirin and acetaminophen to artificially reverse fevers to illustrate this point...so I will again. Why does the body produce a fever in the face of a viral infection? Everyone I have talked with knows the answer to this question- "To help fight the infection, right?". The simple fact is that the fever is essential in the control of viruses. So why in the world do we handcuff our body by artificially reducing the fever? Well there are a few reasons, including the fact that we don't like feeling sick, we are too busy to be ill, and we just don't fully understand the repercussions of this action. The latter is what we need to focus on, not only in the crazy practice of artificially lowering fevers but also in the overindulgence in all symptomatic medications, including nasal decongestants, antacids, and HRT.

Now I do not plan to write a dissertation on HRT right now. I simply brought it up as an introduction to the biggest, unknown-by-most source of estrogens to women and men- our food. The major sources of estrogens in our diet are our "good friends" dairy products (e.g. cow's milk, cheese), the gluten grains (wheat, barley, rye), and soy (errrrrrh!!!!!). Yes, the top three human, dog, and cat food allergens, damagers of the villi of the intestine, sources of harmful lectins, and suppliers of "excitotoxins" are also the leading sources of estrogen and it's precursors. Do you see a pattern here?

Now there has been much talk about the "benefits" of phytoestrogens, the natural estrogens found in foods (plant and animal) that mimic the action of our body's natural hormones but most articles do not make clear distinctions between the types of phytoestrogens (e.g. lignans versus isoflavones- their sources and their action/metabolism). This is crucial and I will be writing much more on this in the near future. In the meantime, I encourage the reader to seek out the truth about their use so that they can see for themselves what I believe to be true: That these estrogenic compounds (especially isoflavones) are just like other symptomatic drugs that begin by helping symptoms but end up causing more problems than good.

Here is a great Website that discusses this very thing. http://www.sensiblehealth.com/estrogen.html  . On her site, the author discusses this and other health issues from a personal perspective just as I have done. She has been through much of women are experiencing every day in this country.

And what are they suffering from? Estrogen dominance, PMS, endometriosis, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), hot flashes, and more- the usual suspects. And why again? Is it the estrogen that their own body is producing that is bringing on these medical threats? Not likely, especially once you adopt the tenet that our body does not make mistakes. It is what is being added to- and even replacing- what the woman's body is producing that is leading to estrogen dominance and related symptoms.

The main sources of these exogenous (outside) estrogens are food and the environment. For a good study of environmental estrogens, simple put "xenoestrogen" or "estrogen, environment" into your search engine and start reading. You will be amazed! In fact, I had a woman who had taken on the task of educating the public on this topic in the same way that I have the food issues- with research and lots of passion. She Emailed me one day to say that she enjoyed my site but that I was woefully deficient on the issue of estrogens, especially the environmental sources. So, I started my quest for more knowledge in this area.

Again, I will be adding more to this section as time allows. I would encourage you all (including men*) to spend some time researching this vital topic. (*No one wants to talk about the 6000+ cases of breast cancer in men annually. AND, no one seems to be addressing why the United States and United Kingdom are the main countries where their 19 year old men are going bald. Yes, male pattern baldness and erectile dysfunction fit right into this lecture). So you see, there is good reason to know this stuff, isn't there? :):):)

I hope this helps,

Dogtor J.
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