Sensible-Alternative Naturopathic Clinic

PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome) is a common condition that affects fertility. PCOS is a syndrome, not a disease.  This means that it is reversible. Although PCOS is a very popular diagnosis this decade, it is not yet completely understood.  One thing we do know: it responds very well to natural treatment. (For an appointment with our Naturopathic Doctor, click here.)

See an updated - shorter - version of Lara's Pill article here on her new health Blog www.bluesummithealth.com.

Article Contents:

These drugs are not hormones

These bleeds are not periods

What is the evidence against the Pill?

PCOS epidemic

Alternative hormonal treatment

Alternative contraception

References

Imagine a substance has been proven to cause blood clots, liver damage and many types of cancer. The world cancer authority lists it as a Class 1 carcinogen, but the substance is willingly consumed by more and more people. The authorities do nothing to warn the public, and instead, they actively promote its consumption.

Endometriosis is a painful condition in which the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus. Before 1921, there were only 20 cases of endometriosis described in the medical literature. Today, the condition affects millions of women worldwide, and is a major cause of infertility.

(For an appointment with our Naturopathic Doctor, click here.)

What's happening to our reproductive health? Leading health experts have predicted that infertility rates will rise from a current 1 in 7 couples, to a shocking 1 in 3 couples by next decade. ⁽¹⁾

Article Contents:

- Falling sperm counts, PCOS,  Pill, Hope for drug-free IVF, Hormone disrupting chemicals, Soy,  Endometriosis, Thyroid, Smoking, Immune system affects fertility, Phytoestrogens, Question of AGE, DHEA,

- Putting it all together into a treatment plan.

Woman are scared of oestrogen, because it causes oestrogen dominance, and is a risk for cancer. But is that the whole story? Oestrogen is extremely important for mood and well-being, so we don't want to avoid it completely. In fact, it may not be as bad for you as you think.

Progesterone is the most popular and well-known bio-identical hormone. Natural progesterone is exactly identical to the progesterone made by your own body. This is very different than the "progesterone" in the Pill and conventional HRT, which are progestin drugs. Progestin drugs have many side effects, and are fundamentally a completely different thing than natural progesterone.

Natural progesterone can be used effectively to treat many hormonal problems including hot flushes, hirsutism, PMT, painful breasts, infertility, osteoporosis, and peri-menopause.

"... DHEA... appears poised to make the transition from trendy health food supplement to ...hormone worthy of study." - Dr Richard F. Spark, MD. Harvard Medical School. ⁽¹⁾

"These data support and confirm that DHEA must be considered a valid compound and drug for [hormone therapy] in postmenopausal women and not just a 'dietary supplement" - Dr Genazzani, MD, PhD. ⁽²⁾

Oestrogen is not the only hormone to change at menopause. One of the most influential hormones to decline is in fact DHEA. According to research from the Monash University, menopausal women with the lowest level of DHEA are the most likely to experience a decline in cognitive function and well-being. ⁽³⁾

Steroid Symphony

Did you know that you have symphony of steroid hormones? You have oestrogen and progesterone from your ovaries, AND you have cortisol, testosterone, and DHEA from your adrenal glands. These steroids form an interchangeable pool of hormones, which are converted one to the other as the body needs them. Consider that, and then consider the fact that there is only a limited amount of steroid hormone to go around. Now you know why stress affects our reproductive hormones SO MUCH.

Fifteen years ago, we were still being told that breast cancer was genetic. After decades of research and billions of dollars spent, researchers have finally had to admit that only 10% of breast cancer cases have any genetic factor, and less than half of cases can be linked with other risk factors such as reproductive history and diet. The research has quietly shifted direction, with new research focused on the effect of pollution. In 2003 alone, there were 26 studies linking breast cancer with dioxins and PCB's. According to many authorities now, including the American Cancer Society, the majority of breast cancer may actually be the result of exposure to environmental toxins like these.

Tired of your doctor offering you the Pill for every female problem? Fortunately, there are other options.

Herbal medicine is very effective for correcting female hormone balance.

Breast cancer deaths are on the decline, which is great news. But are mammograms to thank? Not according to a recent article in the British Medical Journal. They published a 2011 study which concluded that:

"[mammogram] screening did not play a direct part in the reductions in breast cancer mortality" ⁽¹⁾.

And according to a 2001 Lancet study:

"[mammography] screening is unjustified because there is no reliable evidence that it reduces mortality" ⁽²⁾.