TAMPA BAY NEW TIMESan alternative, holistic magazine exploring Body, Mind and Spirit. |
March/April 2001Articles on the theme "Controlling the Mind"Good Servant, Bad Master Choosing Love The Greatest Discovery Past Life Alert Calming the Unruly Mind Moving Into Mindfulness Thoughtful Use of Reason Your Mind... A Control Issue Battle For The Mind Human Vs. Divine Mind A Wild Horse Other Feature ArticlesNatural Health Q & A What is... Natural Progesterone? PeopleTalk
Minerals from Mother Earth
NEW SECTION!COMMON-SENSE SOLUTIONS
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What is ... Natural Progesterone?Vanessa Lee HurstFirst identified in 1929 and proven to be necessary for pregnancy - thus given the name progesterone (i.e. "progestation"). Then, Russell E. Marker converted disogenin from wild yam into natural progesterone, meaning a found-in-nature compound. Then disogenin-derived progesterone was used to make various synthetic forms - these being more profitable for the pharmaceutical companies because they can be patented. Most recently, disogenin is extracted from soybeans. However, synthetics do not provide full spectrum bioactivity or safety. Some have significant and some very dangerous side effects. All you have to do is read the label. Natural progesterone is becoming the Hormone Replacement Therapy of choice by the better-educated consumer. Progesterone is created in the body with acetate being converted to cholesterol, then pregnenolone and finally in the ovaries, adrenals or testes to progesterone. In nature, progesterone can be derived from several plants such as wild yam (not the yam that we eat here in the US), soy, sarsaparilla, fennel, black and blue cohosh, and dong quai. Progesterone is involved in many body functions. It is a precursor for cortisone, testosterone, estrogen, DHEA and aldosteron. It helps regulate other hormones, helps normalize blood sugar, enforces thyroid function and is a natural diuretic. Depending on the day of a woman's cycle, levels of progesterone vary between 2mg to 30mg per day. Around the twelfth day after mensus, progesterone levels can be as high as 30mg per day and some may notice a rise in body temperature and libido. There is an important interplay between estrogen and progesterone. So, why is so much importance placed on estrogen? Dr. John R. Lee says, "There seem to be no good reason to have chosen estrogen over progesterone as the hormone for replacement. The decline of progesterone correlates better than estrogen with the onset of osteoporosis." Optimum levels of progesterone occur in our late teens. Many women's systems begin to malfunction (fail to ovulate) in their thirties. Often this involves a deficiency of progesterone. Hormone imbalance or deficiency plays a role in many conditions such as endometriosis, osteoporosis, urinary tract infection, hypothyroidism, migraines, uterine fibroids, and many more. And woman may start showing premenopausal symptoms: weight gain, water retention, mood swings and hot flashes. After menopause a woman has less progesterone than an adult male does. Another concern is osteoporosis. Jerilynn Proir MD, of the Endocrinology and Metabolism Division of the University of British Columbia, noted in her research that athletes who had low progesterone and high estrogen showed signs of osteoporosis. Why? The New England Journal of Medicine published a letter giving evidence that progesterone acts as a bone trophic (stimulator) hormone with its receptors present on osteoblasts (bone building cells). In other words, progesterone is crucial in building bone tissue. Progesterone has also been used to treat ovarian cysts, pelvic inflammatory disease, PMS, temporomandibular joint syndrome, vaginitis, to help increase libido and DHEA levels. New uses are developing each day. Even cancer. Dr. John R. Lee in, Natural Progesterone, the Multiple Roles of a Remarkable Hormone, 1993, reports that natural progesterone will not only prevent cancers of the breast and uterus but may also prevent reoccurrence of mastasases of the cancers. Men too can benefit. Many experience increased mood, libido and show increased DHEA levels. For men there has been little research. However, Dr. John R. Lee reported in his Medical Letter, Jan. 1999, that progesterone blocks the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone and thus helps prevent prostate enlargement. Natural progesterone is available in creams, oils, sublingual drops and capsules. Products listing the precursors like wild yam, may not be in a medium that allows for bioactivity, nor has it been shown that the body can actually extract the precursor and convert it. Look for "progesterone USP" listed in the ingredients. Oils may be sticky. Sublingual drops seem to be short-lived in the body. Capsules go through the digestive system and liver with 85% or more destroyed or excreted. Creams have good absorption. Jar or pump? Jars can exposes the progesterone to oxidation (deterioration), so the pump may retains the original potency longer. Creams provided transdermal (through skin) absorption. Progesterone promotes sleep, so it's best applied before bedtime. It is best applied to areas with thin skin: breasts, abdomen, palm of hands and feet, inside thigh, back of knee, forearm, lower back and buttocks. Rotation is best to maximize absorption and bone mass retention. Men should apply it to the scrotum. Dosages vary. You will have to experiment. It is considered one of the safest hormonal supplements, with no known side effects in small physiological doses (20-40mg per day). Nor will it suppress or turn off the body's own production of that hormone. Use has not shown any increased levels of cortisone, testosterone or estrogen. General application guidelines for progesterone cream are based on approximating the body's natural production levels. Woman having mensus use 15-20mg per day from day 12 to day 26, or day 10 to day 28 for those with a longer cycle. Menopausal women use 15-20mg per day for 23-25 days and take 5-7days off. Women on synthetic progestins can use the cream as a replacement. Women on synthetic estrogen start off using half the dose, 7-10mg per day to help avoid estrogen dominant symptoms: hot flashes, water retention, headaches, etc. Progesterone causes initial estrogen sensitivity. Two to three months may be needed for symptoms to go away. Even women not on estrogen may experience symptoms. Estrogen can be taken with progesterone. To stop estrogen, do it slowly by decreasing the dosage over a several month period. Your progesterone levels can be evaluated with a saliva test. Overall, natural progesterone holds many benefits for women and men,
many of which are just coming to light and many that are yet to be found.
Hopefully more educated consumers with more options can bring about more
healthful changes. Vanessa Lee Hurst can be reached at Natures Health Foods
in Brandon. (813) 681-2444. www.natureshealthfoods.com. Copyright (c) 2001 Altnewtimes, Inc. All
rights reserved. |