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Hormone Help Issue 23 |
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In this issue:
The Secret to Effortless Weight Loss
So many readers have contacted me since the holiday season asking for help with weight loss and appetite control. I can't tell you how often I hear from women who want to lose weight but have found it difficult over the years to do so.
If you are like me—you hit 40 and you noticed you just couldn't eat the same way you used too without gaining weight. Or maybe you have struggled with your weight all of your life. Maybe you've tried every diet on the planet, and then some. Sometimes though, simple little adjustments can make the biggest difference when it comes to losing weight. Let me explain...
We all know that you eat because you're hungry. But did you know that you overeat because it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that it is full? By the time the signal reaches your brain, you've likely consumed more calories than you needed.
The good news is PGX can help get to the root of overeating by helping to reduce your appetite because you feel full and satisfied.
You have heard me talk about PGX before in my article about male facial hair growth, PCOS and ovarian cysts. PGX is so powerful at balancing blood sugar and telling all your hormones you are full and satisfied that I think every woman should include it in her daily supplement program—even if she is not overweight. PGX®, is a unique blend of three naturally occurring water-soluble fibers. But it is so much more than that.
One serving (5 grams of PGX) is equivalent to 4 to 5 bowls of oat bran cereal.
Studies performed by the University of Toronto and the Canadian Center for Functional Medicine shows that 5 grams of PGX helps to promote satiety (the feeling of fullness), reduce cravings, and support normal blood sugar levels.
Here's how it works.
When taken consistently before meals or with a healthy snack, the natural fibers found in PGX help to reduce your appetite (and may help curb food cravings) by combining with the fluids in your stomach to make you feel full. It works naturally without making you feel jittery or nervous like other appetite suppressants often do.
PGX is so easy to use!
One of the things I love about PGX is how convenient it is. My BodySense Meal Replacement contains PGX and it is also available in granules, a new PGX daily soft gel with MCTs and capsules. Within 60-90 minutes of taking PGX, you should feel full. I make the PGX meal replacement into pudding. Just mix it as directed into a shake then pour into small pudding cups, cover and refrigerate. I eat one after dinner every night and I never feel like scouring the kitchen for food after dinner. My family loves it as a dessert it is so delicious.
Not only does PGX help you lose weight by making you feel full, it can also help prevent constipation, maintain stable glucose and insulin levels, and prolong the digestive process so that you feel satisfied longer.
Read my book The BodySense Natural Diet. This books helps you understand how our hormones are conspiring to make us overweight. Learn what insulin, estrogen and thyroid have to do with weight gain. Thousands of women have used the BodySense program with great success. I have had women lose 80 pounds and the last 10 pounds simply by adopting this program. It is so easy especially when you add PGX to your program.
What do heavy periods and bone loss have in Common? Back to Top
Vitamin K is the answer. Vitamin K is involved in blood clotting, bone strength, enhancing the immune system and it also promotes heart health.
Vitamin K2 is a newly available extract of natto that provides the highly bioavailable form of vitamin K2 as menaquinone MK-7.
Half of the vitamin K our body absorbs is from green leafy vegetables. Unfortunately, it turns out that most foods thought to be rich in vitamin K have less vitamin K than previously thought. Most multi-vitamins don't even contain vitamin K and the ones that do don't have enough.
An ancient Japanese food called natto is the best natural source of vitamin K2. The highest amounts of vitamin K are found in fermented foods such as natto. Adding fermented foods to your diet is necessary to reap the health benefits of vitamin K.
Vitamin K2 MK-7 and Bone Health
There have been several studies that confirm the effectiveness of vitamin K in bone health. Studies show that calcium in the bones and arteries is regulated by vitamin K. Vitamin K has been associated with osteoblasts. Osteoblasts are cells that build bone and produce a protein called osteocalcin. Osteocalcin is a protein like glue that incorporates calcium into the bones. Without vitamin K2, osteocalcin cannot be produced in the body. Proteins can't hold onto calcium without enough vitamin K. Without a functioning protein to control calcium, it can drift out of the bones and into arteries and other soft tissues, but vitamin K2 redirects the calcium into bones.
Vitamin K2 MK-7 and Heart Health
Studies have shown that an adequate intake of vitamin K2 helps to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. In one population-based study, it was found that those who supplemented with adequate amounts of vitamin K2 had a lower risk of aortic calcification and coronary heart disease than those who supplemented with vitamin K1. The vitamin K2 found in this formula is the most concentrated, health-promoting form of this vitamin available.
Vitamin K2 and Blood Clotting
"K" in vitamin K comes from the German word koagulation. Vitamin K2 plays an essential role in blood clotting. Deficiencies can lead to nose bleeds, easy bruising and extremely heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia). It is important to take vitamin K2 with EstroSense to help alleviate heavy periods.
Advantages of Vitamin K2 MK-7 over other forms of Vitamin K
- 10 times more absorption than other forms of Vitamin K and it is not bound to fibre (like Vitamin K1)
- Regulates calcium in blood vessels to promote bone health
- MK-7 creates probiotics in the gastrointestinal system
- Non-animal sourced and suitable for vegetarians/vegans
- Non-GMO manufacturing and ingredients
- Not derived from nicotine like other forms of Vitamin K2
Use 200mcg of MK-7 Vitamin K2 daily with meals.
Estriol for urinary incontinence Back to Top
Bioidentical oral estrogen supplements typically consist of estriol alone or estriol in combination with smaller percentages of the stronger estrogens. Examples include Tri-Est, which is most often prescribed as 80 percent estriol, 10 percent estradiol, and 10 percent estrone or Bi-Est, which is 80 percent estriol, with 20 percent estradiol. Bi-Est and Tri-Est are also available in transdermal form, which is the delivery system that we prefer in most cases. In Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2001, Dr. Maida Taylor published a review article, called Unconventional Estrogens, Estriol, Bi-Est and Tri-Est, in which she evaluated all the research at that time on bioidentical hormones. Her conclusions were that they appeared safer but should be monitored by a physician and given in appropriate dosages. No controlled trials of Bi-est and Tri-est have been performed at the time of writing this eletter and my new book Sexy Hormones. On the other hand, estriol, the major component of Bi-Est and Tri-Est, has many good studies showing its positive effects, especially for mitigating urinary incontinence and vaginal dryness and thinning.
Estriol's unique, and perhaps most important, role still being explored is to oppose the growth of cancer cells, including cancer promoted by its more potent sisters, estrone and estradiol.
We know estriol plays far more than just a defensive role. In Europe, estriol has been used for over four decades to successfully treat hot flashes, night sweats, thinning of the vaginal wall, and urinary problems. And estriol is heavily researched as a topical face cream for wrinkles in Europe. Vaginal estriol is without these risks.
Bioidentical Estriol for Hot Flashes: In one major trial, 22 practicing gynecologists from 11 large hospitals in Germany treated 911 perimenopausal women with bioidentical estriol and evaluated them regularly for 5 years. They found this form of estriol to be extremely effective for common menopausal symptoms. No significant side effects were reported, and no thickening of the endometrial lining of the uterus was noted upon annual biopsy.
Bioidentical Estriol for Urinary Incontinence: Another Swedish study of 40 postmenopausal women with urinary incontinence for up to a decade had a 75 percent improvement with vaginal bioidentical estriol treatment. Eight of the participants who had lost the ability to regulate their urination returned to normal. Think of the number of women suffering with urinary incontinence who could be helped with bioidentical vaginal estriol.
Bioidentical Estriol for Bone Density: Japanese studies using bioidentical estriol to improve bone density have shown a positive effect, which may be due to diet and/or genetics because studies with conflicting results have been published in the U.S. The more potent bioidentical estradiol reduces postmenopausal bone loss. Because Bi-Est and Tri-Est each contain a combination of estriol with estradiol, it is possible that these formulations will have positive effects on bone, but it has not been researched yet.
Bioidentical Estriol Counters Strong Estrogens: Bioidentical estriol, in normal, low doses does not cause proliferation of the endometrial lining and does not cause proliferation of breast tissue. It also blocks and counters the action of the stronger estradiol and estrone. Estriol in oral form would have to be taken in double the dose of estradiol or synthetic estrogens to cause proliferation of the lining of the uterus.
Further research shows that the best use of bioidentical estriol is in combination with natural progesterone.
Estriol is the estrogen that is most beneficial to the vagina, cervix, and vulva. In cases of vaginal dryness and atrophy, which predispose a woman to vaginitis and cystitis, topical estriol is the most effective and safest estrogen to use. Estriol is recommended for the treatment of urinary tract infections and urinary incontinence and leakage.
In an open, multi-center, controlled study, 629 women suffering from stress and urgency urinary incontinence were treated with vaginally administered estriol at a dose of 1.0 mg daily for three weeks, and 1.0 mg bi-weekly for a further three weeks. All data for 552 of the patients were available at follow-up after six weeks of treatment. Up to an 82 percent improvement in symptoms of stress urinary incontinence was noted. Voluntary urinary control and symptoms of urgency were improved in more than 80 percent of patients. Frequency was reduced in almost 50 percent. Vaginal lubrication was improved in 77 percent of patients, and painful intercourse was no longer present in 88 percent. Vaginal atrophy improved in approximately 40 percent of cases. A quality of life score revealed an overall improvement in 72 percent of women.
The recommended dosage for intra-vaginal estriol is 0.5 mg to 1 mg once daily for three weeks, with 0.5 mg to 1 mg once weekly for six months. If you use this treatment, you should be examined to determine if vaginal atrophy is improving. If it has improved, you can discontinue use of estriol or use it 0.5 mg to 1 mg once every other week for another six months.
Always take any hormones, the pill, or any other hormones including estriol with EstroSense 2 capsules daily at breakfast to ensure your hormones stay on the correct pathway in the body and to protect you from any possible negative effects. Read my newest book SEXY HORMONES coauthored with Dr. Alvin Pettle, MD for everything you need to know about hormone therapies.
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