Women and thyroid/hormone problems

[Alana]

Hey all!

These last days I decided that I am tired of feeling tired and yucky all the time, so I dived into the Diet and health section on the forum and made it my first priority to see into every aspect of my health, before I start ascribing any of the unpleasant symptoms to the EE program. My inquisitive journey brought up the aspect of hormonal health. And I decided to share parts of what I found with you, in case they will be of help to you, now or later. It’s nothing new really, just a compilation of info. Plus i have some questions.

I should mention that I know from test results that I have a low functioning thyroid. I am adamant about not taking any medication for it, but my endocrinologist told me to have the test done again in six months and if it did not show stability or improvement, he would put me on meds. Well, I did not go back nor took the test. I came here ;)

In the forum I found the threads about progesterone

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=12458.0

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=7462.msg53066#msg53066

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=12247.0

and I think I truly need that natural progesterone cream! Not only it will help my thyroid's performance, but also my last PMS was extremely severe, and the first day of my period I had such pain to the point that I cried while driving from work home, and once there, curled up in bed and could not move. I took two Panadol pills (paracedamol) but it did not stop the pain, though it alleviated it a bit. I never take pills and the last time I took paracedamol was in 2006 and it put me to sleep immediately. So it was unusual that it did not work for me.

On that subject, i came upon some interesting sites on PMS symptoms, his one in particular i found to be very informative:

Four Keys to Kick PMS

and also the one from the authors of Hormone Well and Hormone Hell, mentioned elsewhere:

Hormone well

I ordered both the book and the cream from this site, but few days later they refunded me and said they don’t ship to my country. So my first question is, where do people in Europe get their natural progesterone cream from?

I also found this cool Women health issues website, which has several topics on thyroid function, adrenal fatigue symptom and tips on how to go about dealing with any of the problems with alternative treatments:

Women to Women

Given all I learned from the readings about thyroid problems being the result of environmental estrogens/toxins, it becomes apparent that detoxifying through a wholesome diet, supplementation and using infrared saunas is the way to start off. Then there’s the relationship between toxicity and adrenal fatigue syndrome, which is closely linked to candida excess in the body, so overall, the health regime that is outlined in these forum pages is the most comprehensive to deal with these most important issues

And to tell you the truth, I’ve been following everything, doing the sauna 2-3 times a week since last February, the anticandida diet, the shakes/supplements, detox diet for a year now, and for 3 weeks last September I did the ultra simple diet along with the 3x a day nystatin regime. I know it’s brief, but that was about as much nystatin I brought with me from a recent trip to Canada :/ I wrongly remembered that nystatin is to be taken for two weeks instead of two months

The thing is however, that only now I realize that whatever wellness regime I have followed this far, I did not go into it with all my heart. It took getting really tired of feeling horrible everyday and lots of reading here and everywhere to make me realize that our bodies are indeed a solid structure made up of interconnecting networks, and how the function or dysfunction of one part affects all the others, and how this in turn affects the extending, not-so solid looking parts of the body, the emotions and the thought processes. I mean, I could intellectually grasp it all when reading, understanding their significance, but now I Feel it also!

Anyways, back to women and thyroid. The Women to Women website has a questionnaire designed to assess our hormonal health:

Hormone Assessment

and I took, and they e-mailed me the results:

Your health assessment

* Your symtoms rank in the severe category and you are concerned for your bone health
* The demands you place on your body are severe
* By comparison, the support that you give yourself is moderate

What your assessment means

· Severe symptoms with bone concerns mean that you suffer from entrenched hormonal imbalance which may be challenging your bone health. Most often these issues occur for women in perimenopause or transitioning through menopause. During this time of hormonal fluctuation, it is vital to protect your bones - up to 20% of bone mass can be lost during the years surrounding menopause. In addition your symptoms will continue, or even worsen, unless you take action to improve your hormonal health. Fortunately, there is a lot you can do to restore hormonal balance, build healthier bones and alleviate your symptoms naturally and without drugs. (To learn how, see your personalized recommendations below).

· Severe demands mean that your body is experiencing an even greater burden than most women's. This burden can easily overwhelm your body's ability to balance its hormones. Some of these demands are not within your control, but it's important to minimize those that are. In addition, you need to give yourself extra support to counter your severe demands. Remember, the greater the demands on you, the greater your need for support!

· Moderately good support means that you are giving yourself some support, but not the level of support you need for healthy hormonal balance. The good news is there are simple, natural things you can do to provide the extra support you need. Many women are surprised to learn that taking medical-grade nutritional supplements coupled with incremental changes in diet, stress management and fitness habits can go a long way in providing the support you are missing.

How we determine your score

Based on the answers you gave us, we use a series of algorithms to place you in categories based on symptoms, demands, and supports. The algorithms were created after reviewing, comparing, and grouping thousands of health screeners at our clinic with the outcomes our patients actually experienced. By using this information, we are able to make an individual program recommendation to you that follows the same guidelines that work so well for women at the clinic.

Our assessment of your profile

Most likely you've been feeling "not yourself" for awhile. The good news is you can turn it around, naturally and without drugs. We recommend you do a few simple things to correct your hormonal imbalance and protect your bones. To start, you should be taking a medical-grade multivitamin designed for women that includes an essential fatty acid supplement. In addition, you might consider a bone building supplement that delivers the right dosage and forms of the key bone building nutrients. You may also benefit from phytotherapy, the therapeutic use of plants and herbs, to naturally coax your body into hormonal balance.

We also recommend some basic dietary changes such as minimizing simple carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods, and increasing your consumption of vegetables, fruit, and healthy sources of fats and protein. In addition, try to find an exercise program you enjoy and consider learning some basic stress reduction techniques. The women that we see in the clinic see steady improvements in their bone health and the way that they feel when they follow these suggestions. These simple steps can make a world of difference in improving your physical and emotional well-being now - and keep you from having more serious problems in the future.

If these changes seem like a lot, remember that we're here to help! It's okay if you don't make every change at once. Try to focus on a few that seem most accessible to you, and as you start to feel a difference you will have the motivation to continue making improvements. We're confident that with a little guidance and determination you can feel better than you thought possible.

Then they go on about contacting them so they can create a personalized program for you. Looking at their assessment of what i need to do to bring me hormonal harmony :) what i am not doing right now are:

1. taking a "medical-grade multivitamin designed for women that includes an essential fatty acid supplement"
2. taking a "bone building supplement that delivers the right dosage and forms of the key bone building nutrients"
3. having an exercise regime

The last one, i could deal with, probably start swimming again, but i would like any advice you might have on the supplementation suggestions, because i already take some supplements: lipoic acid, magnesium, fish oils, spirulina or chlorella, vit C, 5-htp i do the shakes with the berries, flax seeds and flaxseed oil. And i take Himalayan salts when i do the infrared sauna. I don't know what's good bone-wise, other than calcium.

I have to admit here that i am feeling a bit disappointed with myself for not taking better care of me - real, heartfelt care. It's the hardest thing for me to do, and i am the only one who can do it for me - only now i see the real irony of this.

I heard often in the past that women are more affected by thyroid and bone related problems, but I just never thought I’d be one, mostly because i was flying high on the invincibility stick that accompanies young age. Well, I am not that young anymore, and feeling invincible health wise prevented me from taking the necessary steps all these years to strengthen my body and bones, by exercising more. I am very thin framed to begin with, i should have seen it coming or listened to my pediatrician who told me when i was a teenager that i should look well after my bones .

But better late than never, no?

 

[Adaryn]

Hi Smaragde,

I ordered both the book and the cream from this site, but few days later they refunded me and said they don’t ship to my country. So my first question is, where do people in Europe get their natural progesterone cream from?

Indeed it seems quite difficult to get progesterone cream from Europe or to find a US site shipping to Europe. Looking for natural progesterone cream myself, Psyche gave me a link:
http://www.johnleemd.com/store/resource_progesterone.html

where there's a whole list of good natural progesterone creams. Most of them don't ship to Europe, BUT this one does:
http://www.progesterone.com/products.html
I ordered their organic prog. cream a few days ago, and they confirmed the shipping.
I also ordered these supplements from SuperSmart:
http://www.super-smart.eu/en--Natural-Estrogen--Hormonal-modulators-precursors--0100
You might want to check them out too. (Supersmart also sells progesterone cream, but Psyche advises to buy brands which are renowned and the quality of which is certified.) These supplements contain herbs which can help with PMS:
http://www.mum.org/pcos.htm

Agnus Castus (also referred to as vitex or chasteberry): This seems to be the herb most commonly used by women with PCOS. Vitex has a direct effect on the pituitary gland; the gland involved in regulating hormone production. [...] It seems to restore progesterone to a normal level , which is helpful for those with low progesterone levels. Low progesterone levels can cause miscarriage so vitex can help to prevent this. It is also used for irregular menstruation, amenorrhea and PMS.

Donq Quai: [...]it can be used for long periods of time because it is a tonic herb. It nourishes the liver and endocrine system and is useful for irregular menstruation, PMS, period pain and menopausal symptoms. It is a phytoestrogenic herb.

Black Cohosh: Black cohosh is a uterine tonic herb and exhibits an oestrogenic effect. It is widely used in menopausal formulas but is valuable for treating amenorrhea, irregular menstruation and PMS. This herb can also lower blood pressure.

Saw Palmetto: Saw palmetto is traditionally used to treat male prostate enlargement. However, since it is an anti-androgen many women with PCOS use it to treat hirsutism and acne. It has a side effect of increasing breast size in some and consequently is used in breast enhancing herbal formulas to increase cup size. However, it does not always have this effect.

Evening Primrose: a widely popular supplement taken by many women for PMS, fibrocystic breast disease and to improve skin quality. It can also help with irregular cycles. It is rich in G.L.A and linolenic acid; essential fatty acids which the body requires to regulate hormones. Evening Primrose oil also helps with heart disease, cholesterol and blood pressure.

I also found Yogi tea for women - several formulas are available:
http://www.yogamatters.com/product/735/tewombal/-womens-balance-yogi-tea.html

 

[Gaby]

Hello,

Another important and basic supplementation is digestive enzymes. When you have enzymes with foods, it helps with digestion and when you have it in between meals it helps to heal your body. See for example Hiromi Shinya, M.D., The Enzyme Factor and Everything You Need to Know About Enzymes by Tom Bohager.

And another resource that compiles protocols and valuable information about thyroid, digestive, adrenal, candida, neurochemistry, etc problems, is: Beating and Treating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. One can get an e-book here: http://store.drmurphreestore.com/patrandbefia.html

I used the progesterone cream with positive results. Some people say that natural progesterone is the answer, I do tend to agree having looked to the whole xeno-estrogens that we get from our toxic environment. Other people are more into the estrogen natural therapy. Either or, the key is to have a balance and it is true that we are invaded by xeno estrogens in plastics and pesticides. Although in some cases there might be a need of "natural estrogen" other than the natural progesterone, like in policystic ovary syndrome and other conditions.

Generally speaking, it seems that the best thing is to have a 3 months trial of progesterone cream and then you can re-start again depending on symptoms. In my case, my periods lately started to be very irregular again even though I re-started the progesterone cream, but I'm still experimenting and getting my health back to track, I'm lacking severely on enzymes :( But I wanted to try "Donq Quai" to see how it goes.

If I remember correctly, the guy from the Hormone Well Institute (who wrote "From Belly Fat to Belly Flat") recommends also the same progesterone creams that Dr. John Lee recommends, or at least he quotes him. They're into the same research.

 

[vinny]

Hey all!

These last days I decided that I am tired of feeling tired and yucky all the time, so I dived into the Diet and health section on the forum and made it my first priority to see into every aspect of my health, before I start ascribing any of the unpleasant symptoms to the EE program.

[...]

I have to admit here that i am feeling a bit disappointed with myself for not taking better care of me - real, heartfelt care. It's the hardest thing for me to do, and i am the only one who can do it for me - only now i see the real irony of this.

hey Smaragde,

I've got not medical advice to offer, but just wanted to give you a bit of encouragement and a thumbs up for taking the initiative. I was wondering why you'd gone a little quiet. It is so true that you are the only one who can do it, and it really is important to pay attention to getting the physical machine in good working order, as it effects everything else so much. It's good to hear you're taking steps. keep it up!

 

[Kel]

Just curious: why are you adamant about not taking supplemental thyroid? And yet you are willing to take supplemental progesterone, and other supplements?

I wish my thyroid would work right. I actually went off it (naturtal thyroid) for about 6 months last year hoping that it would start to function on it's own. During this time I was eating so well and I had already detoxed. But I ended up being miserable: freezing cold and dysthymia, mostly, but my menstral cycles were really bad too. So I gave up, and I take Armour Thyroid when I can get it. When I can't, I take Naturethroid.

I also do progesterone cream for a few days a month to help me through my cycle. It helps a lot.

I've also heard that I can make my near-sightedness go away if I find the right doc and spend about a year or two with daily lessons. But my glasses and contacts work pretty good and I just really don't want to spend the energy, time and money.

 

[Meg]

Hi Smaragde,

The alpha lipoic acid you are taking with the detox shake might be contributing to your low thyroid. I was taking 2 300mg caps daily with the shake and it had a huge affect on on my thyroid. I take 100mg now and my thyroid problems resolved. Best of luck on your journey! :)

From the ALA thread:

Possible Interactions:

If you are currently being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use alpha-lipoic acid without first talking to your health-care provider.

Insulin and drugs that lower blood sugar -- Apha-lipoic acid can combine with these drugs to further reduce blood sugar levels, resulting in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Tell your doctor before taking alpha-lipoic acid and monitor your blood sugar levels closely; your doctor may need to adjust your medication doses.

Thyroid-regulating medications, Levothyroxine -- Alpha-lipoic acid may lower levels of thyroid hormone. Blood hormone levels and thyroid function tests should be monitored closely in people taking thyroid hormones who are also taking alpha-lipoic acid.

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=12791.0

 

[Alana]

Thanks a bunch, Luthien, those are excellent sources!

Europe, BUT this one does:
http://www.progesterone.com/products.html
I ordered their organic prog. cream a few days ago, and they confirmed the shipping.

I ordered 2 myself, will wait and see if they ship in Cyprus, and whether it makes any difference after i start using it.

I also ordered these supplements from SuperSmart:
http://www.super-smart.eu/en--Natural-Estrogen--Hormonal-modulators-precursors--0100
You might want to check them out too. (Supersmart also sells progesterone cream, but Psyche advises to buy brands which are renowned and the quality of which is certified.) These supplements contain herbs which can help with PMS:

These look very interesting, and in the descriptions i can see they can help with symptoms i experience: acne, irregularities (not extreme though), pain, and one ovarian cyst according to last year’s ultrasound :( . Before trying these supplements though, i want to use the cream alone for a while, and then add them in, to see how each works for me. I will also wait to meet my gynaecologist for my pap-test (it's up soon) and ask her to do some hormone tests too, to see what's going on hormone-wise in my body. I have to do that prescribed thyroid test as well

Another important and basic supplementation is digestive enzymes. When you have enzymes with foods, it helps with digestion and when you have it in between meals it helps to heal your body. See for example Hiromi Shinya, M.D., The Enzyme Factor and Everything You Need to Know About Enzymes by Tom Bohager.

And another resource that compiles protocols and valuable information about thyroid, digestive, adrenal, candida, neurochemistry, etc problems, is: Beating and Treating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. One can get an e-book here: http://store.drmurphreestore.com/patrandbefia.html

I will look into it and get me some digestive enzymes too, thank you. I was about to get them once, but then decided that i am still young to need digestive enzymes and removed them from my basket back on their shelf

I wish that you soon resolve your health issues too, Psyche :)

Nomad, your supportive comments are very much appreciated! :D

why are you adamant about not taking supplemental thyroid? And yet you are willing to take supplemental progesterone, and other supplements?

Hi Kel. My endocrinologist told me that he would put me on a drug that I don’t recall its name exactly now, but it sounded like thyroxine or something similar. He also said that I’d need to take it for life, which did not appeal to me, I don’t want to feel dependent on a medication for life. I’d rather approach the problem from a holistic perspective and experiment with the progesterone and oestrogen supplements first, getting on an excersice regime, eat well, and whatever else is needed that will contribute to my overall well-being. I was never a medication person anyways, always go by grandma’s recipes and alternative medicine for treating any ailments.

The alpha lipoic acid you are taking with the detox shake might be contributing to your low thyroid. I was taking 2 300mg caps daily with the shake and it had a huge affect on on my thyroid. I take 100mg now and my thyroid problems resolved.

I actually missed this info, and thank you for bringing it up Megapode, because the last month I thought that I was too low on lipoic acid (was taking 1 pill of 120 mg) and started taking 2, which might have contributed to my feeling like a hormone mess!

Best of luck on your journey!

We can't get to Being before we achieve well-being, so best of luck to us all on our health journeys!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

I have been experiencing amazing results with a certain brand of progesterone cream, but horrible results with another and want to share my discoveries on here.

Earlier this year I tried this cream and had horrible results: _http://www.amazon.com/Progesterone-Herbs-Bioidentical-Paraben-Free-Creme/dp/B0016G7VY0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1312582024&sr=8-7

According to the bottle, the ingredients are: Purified water, Vegetable oil blend, Progesterone USP, Sepigel 305 (polyacrylamide, C13-14 isoparaffin, Laureth-7), Aloe Vera, Potassium Sorbate, Vitamin C & E, Sorbic Acid, Grain Alcohol, Vegetable Glycerin, Herb complex of Chaste Tree Berry, Squaw Vine, Cramp Bark, Blue Vervain, Red Raspberry leaf, Mugwort, Dandelion leaf & root, Usnea Lichen, Prickly Ash Bark, Rose Hips, Syrup of sweet grapes, Seaweed blend.

It made me feel really emotional and edgy, like I was PMSing all the time. I also got night sweats, but I don't know if it was related, hmm...

Then just over a month ago my doctor recommended Kokoro Balance Cream and I've gotten fantastic results: _http://www.amazon.com/Kokoro-Balance-Creme-atural-Progesterone/dp/B000Z8ZJMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312582045&sr=8-1

According to the jar, the ingredients are: Deionized Water, Wild Yam Extract, Glycerin (vegetable derived), Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides (coconut derived), Squalane (olive oil derived), Cetyl alcohol (vegetable derived), Progesterone USP 1.85% (1,020 mg - wild yam derived), Cetearyl Alcohol (vegetable derived), Dexpanthenol (vitamin B-5), Allantonin (sugar beet derived), Xanthan Gum (seaweed), Retinyl Palmitate (vitamin A), Hydroxyethylcellulose (plant fivers), Phenoxyethanol (natural preservative).

The jar also is labeled, "cruelty free and vegan."

This is also the cream that my doctor uses. When I ran out of it I tried to reorder it in time, but Amazon canceled my order and I didn't notice the cancellation email. I kept waiting for the order and when I ran out of the cream I decided it might be okay if I just used the old cream until the Kokoro Balance cream arrived. Well that sure was a bad idea, because its been hard to sleep and I've been very emotional, as if I was PMSing. Well, I just purchased the Balance Cream in the store today and spent the extra money, because night sweats are horrible and leave me drained in more ways than one...

Also, the clerk in the store told me this Balance cream is her "anti-crazy cream" and I never knew such a wonderful product existed!! The clerk also said that she used it on her two daughters when they were going through puberty instead of putting them on birth control. Interesting... In addition to this, the first time I was in the store another woman told me it was the best cream they offered there. Just wanted to share, FWIW.

 

[jen1221]

Scarlet,

Where can I find this "balance cream"? I'm 30 years old and have been suffering terrible mood swings lately to the point where I'm getting on my own nerves. Maybe this cream would help with that?

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Scarlet,

Where can I find this "balance cream"? I'm 30 years old and have been suffering terrible mood swings lately to the point where I'm getting on my own nerves. Maybe this cream would help with that?

Hi jen1221, I have definitely been at that point. Sometimes I would act impulsively and then question my behavior just seconds later. It definitely made me feel I was losing my mind...

I buy this Kokoro Balance cream from Amazon, because it's cheaper than in the store I went to (_http://www.amazon.com/Kokoro-Balance-Creme-atural-Progesterone/dp/B000Z8ZJMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312582045&sr=8-1 ). I also have been making sure to keep an extra jar on hand just to ensure I am not without it again and it is the only product I am fearful of putting away in my medicine cabinet, because I don't want to forget to put it on.

I would like to note in this thread that my years of daily crying spells have virtually vanished. I am no longer viewing the world through a magnifying glass and constantly obsessing about my purpose in life and why the world is such a mess. This allows me to focus more on healing myself and hopefully others too. Also, I no longer wake up in the middle of the night every single night of my life anymore and actually I hardly do, which is so amazing! I used to wake up completely drenched in sweat and sometimes the tickling feeling of sweat dripping down my back would wake me up.

It's also interesting to note that my hips and breasts have enlarged since I started using this cream. My breasts grew a whole cup size and are the size they were years ago when I weighed about twenty pounds more. I remember in recent years telling one of my friends that I thought my body looked like a boys body. I thought maybe it was because I had lost about twenty pounds from exercising and eating "right," and had become muscular, but now I see that my body was low on progesterone.

If you try the cream I recommend using a jar and a little measuring spoon to make sure you're applying an accurate amount. I also recommend switching around where you apply it on your body (ie. inner arms, inner legs, neck, chest, hands, face, but not on areas where there is a lot of fat, like the breasts). These are things my doctor told me, anyway, FWIW. Also, my doctor told me to use it daily, but I know it's different for each woman. I use 1/4tsp 2x a day and recently moved to just a little over that, because I had still been waking up hot sometimes. However, my breasts have become tender and I am going to go back down and hope these hot nights still just stay away...

But, please don't just use this cream without researching progesterone yourself and hopefully getting advice from a doctor if you can. I really messed up my body in the spring when I tried out the first brand of cream I mentioned earlier in this thread. Also, Laura made the great suggestion to me months ago to read Sex, Lies and Menopause and I also plan to read Natural Hormone Balance for Women once I can get over this sudden obsession I have with learning about psychopathy.

Well, good luck and I hope this helps!

 

[jen1221]

I'm glad to hear that it's working for you! Thanks for the suggestions. I actually ordered the book Sex Lies and Menopause this week. I'm wondering why one progesterone works and the other can throw you out of sorts even more?. This happened to me years ago. I went to a doctor who had suggested trying a natural progesterone cream. The one I tried was from Nature's Sunshine. I started to have panic attacks while using it and haven't tried anymore since then. I'm really hoping my experience this time around is much better!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

I'm glad to hear that it's working for you! Thanks for the suggestions. I actually ordered the book Sex Lies and Menopause this week. I'm wondering why one progesterone works and the other can throw you out of sorts even more?. This happened to me years ago. I went to a doctor who had suggested trying a natural progesterone cream. The one I tried was from Nature's Sunshine. I started to have panic attacks while using it and haven't tried anymore since then. I'm really hoping my experience this time around is much better!

Wow, jen1221, I thought maybe it was just me having different reactions to different creams, but clearly it's not! It's as if they both had completely opposite effects on my system, yet they are both called "progesterone" cream! This is why I went to the trouble of listing every single ingredient of both labels in this thread. I don't know which ingredients have done what, but I do know that I trust this Kokoro brand, because of my continued success with this cream. I hope that it is able to help you the way its helped me and I would be curious to know your experiences if you try it. :)

 

[Gwenllian]

But, please don't just use this cream without researching progesterone yourself and hopefully getting advice from a doctor if you can. I really messed up my body in the spring when I tried out the first brand of cream I mentioned earlier in this thread.

Hi, just wanted to add another perspective that I found in PBPM.
Nora Gedgaudas says on page 136:

Hormones are not supplements ... They are extremely intricate and complex ways to manage your entire physiology. If you want to improve the functioning of your adrenals, thyroid, or sex hormones, talk to leptin. Restoring healthy endocrine balance, at any age, assuming your endocrine organs are intact and have not been destroyed, attacked by autoimmune processes, or removed.

Leptin is a

a major hormone that ultimately influences all other hormones and controls virtually all the functions of the hypothalamus, in the brain. They found it in the last place they would have expected to: in our fat cells.

(page 133)

The only thing that can possibly restore healthy leptin functioning is a diet that is very low in sugar and starch ... and is sufficient in healthy natural fats.

(page 137)

Hope this helps.

 

[Alana]

Thank you for quoting Gedgaudas Mariama, I think her point is very important. Though I used progesterone cream for a while (about 5 months) it was a combination of things that actually helped me with my thyroid/hormonal issues. I wrote about it at the EE forum, but here it is also, as na update to the first post :) :

I'd like to report that i went back home for the holidays last December, and decided to pay a visit to my dentist for teeth cleaning. My dentist was quite surprised when i told her that the last dentist i saw was her, because she checked her data and that was over 2 and a half years ago But it took her about 15 minutes to do the general cleaning, and said that for people who come to her every 6 or even 3 months, their teeth require an hour of cleaning. She was very glad to find my teeth in such good condition and inquired about my diet. I told her that i am off gluten, dairy, sugar and alcohol for a couple of years now, and she laughed and said that with my diet i don't need her anymore :D Well, i could see that my teeth looked good, but i was thrilled to get her expert opinion on the good health of my gums and teeth, based on the diet i've been following, let alone that it will also save me lots of money from having to fix my teeth in the future :D

Then my biggest surprise came a few weeks ago, when i received the results of some blood tests i did just to check if there was anything out of balance - i've been feeling very tired for a while and was sweating in my sleep. I did the general blood-work and asked them to check my thyroid hormones as well, because a few years back my endocrinologist wanted to put me on some medication for life due to hypothyroidism. I told him that i will research the matter myself and that i wasn't ready to go on that medication. Well, my results this time showed no imbalance in the thyroid hormones at all. It all looked perfect!

I am not sure what helped the most, but i suspect it was the combination of everything i committed myself to for a couple of years now:

-the above mentioned diet (gluten is actually the culprit of many autoimmune diseases as is hypothyroidism in most of the cases. This is an excellent article on the subject http://thehealthyskeptic.org/the-gluten-thyroid-connection)

-a general detox regime, including detoxification supplements and infrared saunas

-general practice of the EE program (stress tends to decrease the function of the thyroid, especially when said stress keeps our adrenal glands in constant high gear mode http://thehealthyskeptic.org/5-ways-that-stress-causes-hypothyroid-symptoms)

And i am very grateful for EE and all the research that the members of the EE team dedicate themselves to, so we can all have the healthiest bodies, minds and psyches possible Not only i now have the information, but i have my personal experience with the information and my story as example to share with anyone with thyroid problems.

 

[Gwenllian]

Thank you for quoting Gedgaudas Mariama, I think her point is very important. Though I used progesterone cream for a while (about 5 months) it was a combination of things that actually helped me with my thyroid/hormonal issues. I wrote about it at the EE forum, but here it is also, as na update to the first post :) :

Then my biggest surprise came a few weeks ago, when i received the results of some blood tests i did just to check if there was anything out of balance - i've been feeling very tired for a while and was sweating in my sleep. I did the general blood-work and asked them to check my thyroid hormones as well, because a few years back my endocrinologist wanted to put me on some medication for life due to hypothyroidism. I told him that i will research the matter myself and that i wasn't ready to go on that medication. Well, my results this time showed no imbalance in the thyroid hormones at all. It all looked perfect!

I am not sure what helped the most, but i suspect it was the combination of everything i committed myself to for a couple of years now:

-the above mentioned diet (gluten is actually the culprit of many autoimmune diseases as is hypothyroidism in most of the cases. This is an excellent article on the subject http://thehealthyskeptic.org/the-gluten-thyroid-connection)

-a general detox regime, including detoxification supplements and infrared saunas

-general practice of the EE program (stress tends to decrease the function of the thyroid, especially when said stress keeps our adrenal glands in constant high gear mode http://thehealthyskeptic.org/5-ways-that-stress-causes-hypothyroid-symptoms)

And i am very grateful for EE and all the research that the members of the EE team dedicate themselves to, so we can all have the healthiest bodies, minds and psyches possible Not only i now have the information, but i have my personal experience with the information and my story as example to share with anyone with thyroid problems.

This is so encouraging, Alana, thanks for this. And how wonderful to hear that you have resolved your health issues.

I had my thyroid hormones checked twice, nothing out of the ordinary. But I now think that I was suffering from adrenal fatigue. My hair has been falling out badly for a number of years now. That is one of the symptoms that seem to persist.
A homoeopathic helped me with my PMS and I also benefited greatly from acupuncture, but my hair kept falling out. So I think that the only option left for me is to change my diet. I think that gluten is the culprit as you said.
I will report back, if anything significant changes. And I expect there will be. :D