Natural Hormone Replacement: The Rewards of Hormone Balance

Hormone Balance Spells Relief

Excerpts from What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About PREmenopause

It’s difficult to describe the relief that women feel when they balance their hormones and come out of the ill effects of premenopause syndrome. One of the best descriptions we’ve read comes from a woman named Linda, who has turned a longer version of the following letter into a brochure and is handing it out to any woman who will take it.

A Testimonial

Mood swings, chronic fatigue, foggy thinking, depression, leg cramps, migraine headaches, heavy painful periods, anemia, endometriosis, shooting back and extremity pain, water retention and bloating, sleep dysfunction, anxiety attacks, thinning hair, allergies, chronic sinus infections, fever blisters, acne, dry skin, infertility, hypoglycemic symptoms and fibroids are only a few of the many symptoms that dominated my life for almost two years.

Those years were so challenging physically and emotionally, I thought I’d never survive! At the age of 30, doctors were giving me every conflicting diagnosis in the world, taking my money for doing so, and yet leaving me without any help or suggestions for getting help. I saw gynecologists, endocrinologists, dermatologists, neurologists, and assorted other “-ologists.” Their comments ranged from, “The tests show that you are perfectly healthy. It must be in your head, take this Xanax,” to “Something is definitely wrong, but I don't know what it is.” Emotionally I felt like I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. I felt very alone.

Finally I drove four hours to see a specialist who put me on synthetic estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. At first, I felt so good I thought this was the miracle for which I had been praying. But within two years of starting this treatment the symptoms came back. The doctor’s answer was to continue increasing my dosage until I was at the maximum level: six implants, the patch and shots in-between. I went from seeing him every six months to every three months. The hormones were only effective for two months and the last month before I could get back for more implants I felt emotionally and physically as if I had been thrown off a ten-story building. For six years I lived my life surviving from office visit to office visit. I was having constant back pain, heavy bleeding, anemia and varying degrees of all my old symptoms, some worse than before. My pap smears began indicating pre-cancerous cells. This went on for about a year before I finally agreed to have a hysterectomy. The surgery alleviated the bleeding, anemia and back pain for obvious reasons -- my uterus was three times its normal size and density! However, all the other symptoms continued.

It was three years after my surgery before I learned about natural progesterone and began using it. After a brief period of withdrawal from synthetic hormones, the only hormone I have used during the past four years is a natural progesterone cream. I also have combined this with a balanced diet, exercise and nutritional supplements. My life has changed dramatically. Today, I feel like I did when I was in my twenties: I have energy; can think clearly; no depression; my skin is wonderful; I am losing weight; can sleep at night; no more migraines; my hair has stopped falling out; the dark facial hair is disappearing; and my allergies have disappeared. No more antihistamines! This is the answer to my prayers. My family is glad to have the “real me” back.

It’s sad to say that Linda's story is not all that unusual. It is very common to hear stories from women whose symptoms are less severe, but who are suffering from similar problems. Dr. Lee has been (wrongly) accused of talking only about natural progesterone cream as if it is the magic solution to a woman’s every problem, but this letter demonstrates why. Progesterone cream is certainly not a magic potion. But it is the best remedy we’ve found so far to counteract the effects of living in a state of xenohormone excess. We do not naturally need to supplement progesterone. Mother Nature has equipped us to live a long, healthy robust life given a wholesome environment. If we were living in a stress-free, unpolluted world; if we were eating whole, fresh organic foods; and if we got plenty of outdoor exercise, we probably wouldn’t ever need progesterone.

To read more about how to achieve Natural Hormone Balance, please read Dr. Lee's book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause.

Copyright, Warner Books 1999. This material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the authors.