Hormone imbalance is an epidemic among western women, causing many ailments from severe PMS to breast cancer.

Estrogen dominance is thought to be the culprit of hormone imbalance.
Symptoms of hormone imbalance include:
PMS Hot flushes
Difficulty with concentration
Hair loss
Vaginal dryness
Loss of sex drive
Certain auto immune disorders
Migraine headaches
Mood swings
Depression
Osteoporosis
Fatigue
Fluid retention
Irregular menstrual cycles
Heavy bleeding during menses
Thinning hair
Fibrocystic breasts
Symptoms of slow thyroid
Sleep disturbances
Uterine fibroids
Unexplained weight gain
Dry, thin, wrinkly skin

A recent journal article published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) July 2002, entitled The Women’s Health Initiative Study, found that traditional HRT (hormone replacement therapy) increased the incidence of breast cancer, stroke, heart attacks, blood clots and pulmonary embolus EVEN within the first year of therapy!!! The results were so overwhelming, that the FDA ruled it was unethical to continue the study because it was putting women at too much risk from serious side effects...

Here’s how we were designed:
Estrogen is the dominant hormone during the first half of a woman’s monthly cycle. It is a growth hormone and is responsible for proliferation (growth) of cells in the lining of the uterus so that a fertilized egg can implant.

Progesterone is the hormone we should find in the second half of the cycle. It is released into the body when a woman ovulates. It is responsible for sustaining the newly fertilized egg that has implanted in the uterine lining.
 
Progesterone also functions to:
Restore sex drive and support fertility
Act as a natural diuretic
Stimulate new bone formation
Act as a natural antidepressant
Normalize blood sugar levels
Restore normal vascular tone
Protect against fibrocystic breasts
Normalize blood sugar level
Protect against endometrial, ovarian, prostate and breast cancer
Reduce incidence of autoimmune disorders
Facilitate thyroid hormone action
Help use fat for energy

A 1996 Johns Hopkins study concluded that; women low in natural progesterone have an 80% higher risk of developing breast cancer and that the risk of developing other malignant cancers increases ten fold.

How do our hormones become unbalanced?
Hormones and our health become unbalanced due to stress, hormone replacement, diet, and the environment.
   1. Stress: Studies show that by the age of 34, about 50% of the women in America have no progesterone. American women are always on the go, go, go. This causes increased stress which depletes our bodies of its own progesterone. When our bodies are stressed, we make cortisol, a hormone that uses progesterone as a building block. In addition, when a woman’s body is stressed she may not ovulate, and therefore not produce progesterone, furthering the downward cycle.
   2. RX’s: We consume a tremendous amount of prescription hormones in birth
control pills, hormone replacement therapies (HRT), etc. (Please note that
Progestin – used in HRT is not the same as natural progesterone.) These
prescriptions further add to the imbalance by adding more estrogen to the
problem.
   3. Diet: One of the most appalling contributions to the imbalance is found in what we eat. Beef, chicken and pork all contain estrogen. They are fed estrogen as a growth hormone to get them to the market more quickly. Sugar, refined starches, and petrochemical infused foods all add to the problem. (When plastics are heated in the microwave, they emit certain toxic, carcinogenic (cancer causing) chemicals.)
   4. Environment: Petroleum based products like mineral oil (baby oil); most soaps, skin care and hair care; plastics, pesticides, detergents, etc. are found to be sources of xenoestrogens (or “false estrogens”) – which bind up our estrogen receptors and cause hormone imbalance in the body. (Any product placed on the skin that contains mineral oil actually dehydrates the basal cell layer of skin contributing to premature aging, not to mention that it is a gasoline byproduct and carcinogenic.)

What can we do to protect ourselves?
For starters we can balance the estrogen dominance by supplementing with natural progesterone cream from Arbonne. When looking for a natural progesterone cream it is important to look for USP grade progesterone, at 20 mg. per dose. Look for a product that is in an airtight, metered dose pump container such as Arbonne's Balancing Cream. (Products in jars are oxidized when exposed to air; they are usually hand mixed which can separate, as opposed to machine mixed, and are usually formulated in a mineral oil base.)

Arbonne’s Natural Balancing cream is formulated in a botanical (plant) base, not mineral oil which interferes with absorption.
When possible, buy organic meats and produce. Many health food stores, co-ops, and local grocery stores carry organic. Never use plastics in the microwave.
Do not use products on your skin that contain any mineral oil or petroleum based products.

What else can be done?
Supplement your diet with quality vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They MUST meet the US Pharmacopeia (USP) standard of 30 minutes disintegration time or they will pass through the digestive tract unused. Arbonne’s nutritional products meet those standards.

The Cancer Prevention Coalition released a statement on June 17, 2002 stating that mainstream cosmetics and personal hygiene products pose the highest cancer risk, due to exposures, to the general public – higher than smoking.

Use personal products for your body that are pure, safe and beneficial:
Arbonne’s products contain:
NO mineral oil
NO SD40 Alcohol
NO animal products or by-products
NO chemical fragrances or dyes
And are:
PH correct
Botanically based
Hypoallergenic
Arbonne’s skin care, hair care, make-up, and nutritional and specialty products are of premium quality and can be trusted to be pure, safe, and beneficial. Not only are they good for you, they make you look and feel wonderful!

For testimonials and general information log on to www.arbonneinternational.co.uk
For research information on natural progesterone log on to JohnLeeMD.com.
For product information and ordering contact:
Sally Castro at The Best of Guidlford

Highly recommended books:
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Pre-Menopause by Dr. John Lee
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Menopause by Dr. John Lee
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Breast Cancer by Dr. John Lee
Hormone Balance: A Matter of Life and Health by Kristine B. Klitzke, R.N., B. S. N.
Dr. Deanna Osborn is a family practice physician. The information contained in this article can be supported by medical research.