Ways to Avoid Manmade Estrogens


d Choose organic milk and dairy products.


d Eat organic meats and wild- caught fish.


d Avoid canned foods and plastic water and soda bottles.


d Do not use lawn or garden chemical pesticides or herbicides.


d Shed outdoor shoes before entering the house.


d Avoid furniture made from medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and synthetic carpeting; these materials outgas toxic chemicals.


d Use natural household-cleaning products, including baking soda and vinegar.


d Choose natural personal care products, including shampoos, lotions and cosmetics.


themselves as well; no longer get the amount of exercise they once did. The body is quite forgiving in their 20s, much less so in their 30s.” Part of the result is the attempt to reduce stress levels by eating high-fat and high-sugar comfort foods. Weight gain, blood sugar imbalances and sex hormone imbalances follow. “Excess blood sugar changes the way estro- gen, progesterone and testosterone are metabolized,” Northrup explains. “PMS and other problems of the reproductive years often go away when you get your blood sugar balanced, but—here’s the rub—you won’t get it rebalanced unless you are addressing the very real stress- ors in your life.”


Due to the presence of xe-


noestrogens and Americans’ general fondness for processed comfort foods, women in their childbearing years are also increasingly afflicted by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition characterized by overproduction of testosterone and other male hormones. Insulite Laboratories, in Louisville, Colorado, reports that infertility and


early onset Type 2 diabetes, another hormonal imbalance problem, are closely connected to PCOS. The first priority for every


woman at any age, counsels Northrup, is to get blood sugar (glucose) under control. “Get a glucometer. You don’t need a prescription. If your blood sugar level isn’t between 80 and 90 in the morning, you need to look at your diet and lifestyle. Getting this under control will create hormonal balance in the vast majority of women. It’s so simple.”


Perimenopause The next hormonal shift overlaps with a woman’s reproductive years. Symp- toms of perimenopause, or the start of menopause and the end of childbearing years, typically show up between the early and late 30s. These range from hot flashes, night


sweats and insomnia to weight gain, fuzzy thinking and redistribution of hair on the body. Again, the presence of xenoestrogens and stress contribute. Women of other cultures rarely experience the intensity of perimeno- pausal symptoms that Western women report. So does that make perimeno- pause a lifestyle disease, as well? Emphatically yes, says Holly Lucille, a doctor of naturopathy, registered nurse and past president of the California Naturopathic Doctors Association. “Diet and lifestyle are absolutely essential to a healthy hormonal system,” which she explains in her book, Creating and Maintaining Balance: A Woman’s Guide to Safe, Natural, Hormone Health. “The biochemistry of the body is based on


vitamins and minerals. If we compromise food and lifestyle choices, we are not getting the nutrients necessary to have a healthy endocrine system.” Weight gain is a particular con- cern during perimenopause. In their book, From Belly Fat to Belly Flat, Dr. Randolph and Genie James, co-founders of the Natural Hormone Institute, advocate a specific eating plan to override belly fat and related accu- mulating effects of excess estrogen. “In perimenopause, progesterone produc- tion usually declines rapidly, more than 120 times faster than estrogen or testosterone production. That’s what aggravates the symptoms,” Randolph notes. “Because women in perimeno- pause are usually still menstruating, they think their hormones are okay.” “The more body fat you have, the more estrogen tips the hormonal imbalance,” says Lucille. “Those fat cells hold on to toxins and place more burden on the liver, making it unable to effectively metabolize those extra


Major Female Hormones


d Estrogen is produced by the ova- ries, adrenal glands and in several other parts of the female body. It is responsible for physical maturation, including development of breasts, regulation of the menstrual cycle and preparing the uterus to receive a fertil- ized embryo.


d Progesterone prepares the uterus for pregnancy, maintains pregnancy and balances estrogen during cyclical fluctuations.


d Luteinizing hormone governs the ovaries’ production of estrogen and progesterone.


d Follicle-stimulating hormone works in synergy with the luteinizing hor- mone to control the menstrual cycle and ovarian egg production.


d Testosterone is present in women, although in far lower levels than in men. It serves as a component of healthy sexual desire and in mainte- nance of healthy bones and muscles.


natural awakenings May 2012 31


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