Benefits of Progesterone
Being a health conscious kind of person, I am always looking at healthy ways of living and being, which includes not only what I eat, but also what I supplement my diet with, put onto my skin and the way I live generally. With all the synthetic stuff they are adding to our environment, one needs to be aware of what is happening. At the beginning of the year, I was introduced to a product called Naturone progesterone cream and I heard all sorts of wonderful things about it. I knew that progesterone was a hormone used in the female reproductive system, but didn't know much more than that really. This was until I decided to research all about progesterone and its phenomenal benefits in the body. I feel this is valuable information as this very important hormone could help you in many different ways.
It is one of the steroid hormones and it is a precursor to so many other hormones needed in the body on a daily basis. It has many functions and I feel we do not give it enough justice, as reading up on it, I realised that its benefits are numerous, making this hormone an essential component in the body.
So, what can this fabulous hormone do? Progesterone is vital in balancing the endocrine or hormonal system in women. It is involved in reproduction and as long as a woman is ovulating, there should be progesterone produced in the corpus luteum of the ovaries of menstruating women. It is also synthesized by the placenta, is found and produced to a certain extent in the adrenal glands and is stored in fat tissue. Progesterone levels rise and fall during the monthly cycle. Progesterone is produced just before ovulation and increases rapidly after ovulation, during the latter two weeks of the menstrual cycle. Progesterone prepares the uterus for egg implantation and it is therefore essential for the survival of the embryo and foetus throughout pregnancy. When a woman does not ovulate, her ovaries do not produce progesterone. This can happen for many reasons, including when a woman reaches menopause. When progesterone levels drop in the body, this upsets the natural balance of hormones and leads to oestrogen dominance, which results in a variety of symptoms. What is becoming more and more common is that many women, even though they are ovulating, are not making enough progesterone in the body and this can be caused by stress. What happens is that when a person is stressed out, progesterone is converted into the stress hormone adrenalin, nor adrenalin and cortisol. After a large meal progesterone levels drop; the drugs progestin and progestegens lower progesterone levels in the body; low blood sugar also brings about a decrease in progesterone, and long periods of darkness can also decrease the amount of progesterone in the body. Many man-made synthetic chemicals and environmental pollutants are causing hormonal imbalances. These are referred to as "xeno-oestrogens" or petrochemicals as they are also called and they mimic oestrogen causing an imbalance between our own oestrogen and progesterone levels in the body. Fifty one chemicals have now been identified as hormone disrupters and the most common xeno-oestrogens in our environment include vaseline based skin creams, many common detergents, wax floor polish and paints. Synthetic hormones and oestrogenic compounds which are found in meat and chicken (used to fatten up cattle and promote growth in chickens) are also part of these xeno-oestrogens. Others include highly poisonous pesticides such as DDT, DDE which are still used in many areas in Africa; plastics such as clingwrap, polystyrene, water jugs and many others found in supermarkets; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) which are used in the manufacture of electronic devices, and synthetic man-made oestrogen drugs, such as the contraceptive pill and HRT.
Whilst finding out more information on progesterone, I came across an interesting article taken from a transcript of a seminar by Dr John Lee, MD. Before I get to that, Dr John Lee was an international authority and pioneer of natural progesterone cream and natural hormone balance. He was a family doctor in Northern California and in the early 1970's started seeing a lot of menopausal women with health complaints who were not able to take oestrogen because of complications. He decided to look into this and after attending a lecture by Raymond Peat, Ph.D who believed that oestrogen was the wrong hormone to give menopausal women, he began doing some research of his own, starting by giving his menopausal clients progesterone cream to use and recording their results. They reported huge relief from the menopausal symptoms. He began to research progesterone more in-depth and came across amazing information on the benefits of progesterone.
The article is headed up, "What Doctors are not Taught" and what he found is that natural progesterone reverses the effects of osteoporosis. He asked his female patients who were suffering from osteoporosis to use the natural progesterone cream and he followed their bone density tests to see what would happen. It turned out that in three years time, the women gained 15 percent more bone and this was not just a delay of the osteoporosis. New bone cells were being made. The osteoporosis was being reversed. This is mind-blowing stuff! However, this is not all. He discovered, as so many had, that progesterone helps the thyroid hormone to work properly; it helps to keep the nerves healthy; it helps to burn fat for energy. What he discovered is that the brain cells also need progesterone and that back in the 40's it was recommended for epilepsy. It also shows in rheumatology journals that progesterone could be injected into the joints of people who have rheumatoid arthritis and it is just as good as cortisone, but with no side effects. (Today, you just need to rub natural progesterone cream onto the skin to benefit from it.) These things and more have been researched and studied by many people and there are tons of references as to how progesterone can help.
Research from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and other institutions provides evidence that the sex steroid hormone progesterone directly affects the blood vessels, thereby regulating the blood pressure. Results showed that progesterone (1) dilated, or opened up, blood vessels, (2) prevented the rise in blood pressure caused by adrenalin-like hormones and other stimuli, and (3) blocked the uptake of calcium channels in smooth muscle cells in much the same way as the blood-pressure-lowering drugs known as calcium channel blockers.
The thyroid regulates the metabolic rate. Low thyroid levels can lead to low energy levels, cold intolerance and weight gain. An excess of the thyroid hormone can lead to higher energy levels, feeling too warm and weight loss. Oestrogen, progesterone and the thyroid hormones are interrelated. Oestrogen, for example, causes food calories to be stored as fat while thyroid hormones cause fat to be turned into useable energy. Progesterone increases the sensitivity of oestrogen receptors for oestrogen and at the proper levels, inhibits oestrogen's negative side effects. The lack of progesterone therefore leads to oestrogen dominance. Dr Lee has successfully treated patients diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (excessive production of the thyroid gland, which can lead to osteoporosis) using natural progesterone. Women with the thyroid dysfunction, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune inflammatory disease where the body is making up antibodies to destroy the cells in the thyroid, has also been helped with natural progesterone therapy. Dr Lee has seen a gradual decrease of the severity of the disease, but has also seen complete resolution of the thyroiditis problem whilst on natural progesterone.
So, in a nutshell, the following are the symptoms of oestrogen dominance, in other words progesterone deficiency:
- Increase in allergies
- Breast tenderness, mastitis and fibrocystic breasts
- Breast cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer and prostate cancer
- Cervical dysphasia
- Auto-immune disease
- Early onset of annovulatory cycles
- Polycystic ovaries
- Uterine fibroids
- Infertility due to luteal phase failure
- Sperm counts are down over 50%
- Depression, anxiety and panic attacks
- Mood swings, agitation, irritability
- PMS, Chronic fatigue
- Craving for sweets
- Hypoglycaemia
- Skin problems, teenage acne
- Memory loss and foggy thinking, loss of concentration
- Decreased libido
- Early onset of menstruation, irregular periods
- Premenopausal bone loss
- Osteoporosis
- Thyroid problems, sluggish metabolism
- Weight gain and water retention
- High blood pressure
- Increased risk of blood clots and strokes
- Migraine headaches
- Gall bladder disease
- Zinc/copper imbalance
- Magnesium deficiency
If you are suffering from any of the above symptoms, it is quite likely that you are progesterone deficient and that you would most definitely benefit from natural progesterone therapy. But one thing I must stress here is that there is a difference between natural progesterone and the synthetic drugs progestins and progestagens. Progesterone made in the body has a certain molecular structure and this can be broken down naturally into the other hormones we need. Natural progesterone made in a lab needs to have the same molecular structure as the progesterone made in the body in order for it to be effective. Apparently, after doing some reading, it seems that progestins, progestagens and provera are made from the same substances that natural progesterone are made from, however, their molecular structure has been changed in the laboratory so that it is not identical to anything found in nature.
This means that they work in the body in totally different ways from progesterone. The only comparison between them and progesterone is their ability to maintain the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, but other than that they are highly toxic. Some of the side effects are: fluid retention, epilepsy, migraine, asthma, cardiac and renal dysfunction, nausea and so many more.
In women the balance between progesterone and oestrogen is vital and progesterone is not only important for us, women. It is vital for men as well. Men need progesterone to make their testosterone and for the adrenal glands to make cortisone. (Cortisone is an important anti-inflammatory in the body.) Progesterone can help men with prostate problems; it helps to increase sperm count levels; helps men's complexions and their energy levels. According to Dr Lee, he had men contacting him telling him that from rubbing on progesterone cream for their wives, they were seeing that their prostatism symptoms such as urinary urgency and frequency had decreased a lot. Many men who had prostate cancer reported that their Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels had decreased and that they have had no further worsening of their prostate lesions since using the cream themselves.
The product which I have been introduced to is manufactured by a lady called Sally Longden who has spent considerable time with Dr John Lee. This product is worth considering should you be affected by any of the oestrogen dominant symptoms and you can rest assured that this product is identical to the natural progesterone made in the body, made with quality ingredients in order to ensure the highest standard. I have spoken to many people who are on Naturone progesterone cream and the benefits are amazing. I am a distributor of Naturone progesterone cream so should you wish to place an order or find out more information, please contact me on 083 321 4222 or 011 326 0925. If you are not in Gauteng, orders can be posted to you, so there is no need to miss out on this fabulous opportunity to restore your health.
Please research this yourself. There is a lot of information on the net. You could also check out Dr John Lee's site at [ www.johnleemd.com ] and [ www.naturone.com ]
Take care
Sam
Contact Samantha on 083 321 4222 / 011 326 0925
Email sams@mighty.co.za
Website on [ www.samshealthspot.co.za ]