Estrogen Dominance – Is It Real?
Limiting our exposure to xenoestrogens is also very important. Thoroughly wash or peel all produce to remove at least some of the pesticides. Eating only lean, organic meat and dairy products is wise. Heat food in metal or porcelain containers, not plastic, and definitely not in the microwave with plastic wrap! Drinking out of glass containers instead of plastic, previously used water bottles, or Styrofoam cups is also a good choice.
A diet rich in phytonutrients is also thought to be protective. Phytoestrogens, for example, are natural, plant-based substances found in soybeans, licorice, yams, alfalfa and lots of other foods that are thought to bind to estrogen cell receptors and protect them from accepting the more damaging xenoestrogens. Because they work as molecular messengers, abundant botanical and other micronutrients such as essential fatty acids can help increase your body’s ability to listen and dance to the hormonal music.
In addition to eating a plant-rich diet, I recommend taking a high-quality daily nutritional supplement as a very important step towards restoring hormonal balance naturally. Women to Women offers an excellent multivitamin.
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Phytotherapy —gentle approach to a complex issue
If you truly are progesterone deficient, then additional progesterone may be a good solution for you, particularly when used as part of a comprehensive plan that includes healthy lifestyle and dietary support. We’ve seen women respond extremely well to over-the-counter progesterone cream formulations for just weeks or months; others need higher prescription-strength doses over longer time periods. (A comprehensive blood panel will help show whether or not you have a serious hormone deficiency that warrants prescription strength hormone replacement).
If you are like most of the women I see, your hormonal picture is much more complex than a simple estrogen or progesterone deficiency. If you are experiencing moderate to severe, persistent symptoms of hormonal imbalance, or weaning yourself off HRT, you can probably benefit from an approach that incorporates phytotherapy aimed at normalizing the healthy dynamic interplay between all three of your key sex hormones: progesterone, estrogen and testosterone. Herbal therapies like black cohosh, Ashwagandha, chasteberry and others are a gentle, natural way to restore your hormone functions as your body requires. Ancient cultures used these botanical remedies to support, enhance or substitute hormones in an adaptogenic manner, as the body required.
So, if you’ve tried some over-the-counter progesterone products and been disappointed, you may benefit from a more comprehensive approach that combines nutritional and lifestyle modifications with a gentle, but well-balanced botanical formulation. For more information, read our article, “Phytotherapy – The Key To Hormonal Balance?“.
What you can do
Like Dr. Lee, we think progesterone supplementation can be an important step towards rejuvenating hormonal balance, but we don’t recommend taking a one-hormone approach. And if your symptoms are ongoing, we encourage you to have your hormone levels monitored on a regular basis. Our belief is that the gentlest interventions in the hormonal choreography are the ones that restore balance best.
Remember, progesterone can’t restore hormonal balance alone!
I hope it’s helpful for you to read up on how our bodies really seek hormonal balance, and what each of us can do to find a solution that works for us. Viewing our symptoms as simply a sign of estrogen dominance is as misleading as attributing them to estrogen deficiency alone. And a combination approach works better than any kind of magic pill. Improving our nutrition, adding a robust nutritional supplement, reducing stress, minimizing xenoestrogens, and tapping the adaptogenic power of herbal medicine are all key measures. Together they will help support the demands on our bodies and restore the vitality and good health that come from natural hormonal balance.
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