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The Balancing Act (Hormones)
by Lorin Shields-Michel – Doctor’s Prescription
for Healthy Living Article
“It’s just hormones.” That’s the catchall phrase used to
excuse everything from monthly bloating to mood swings, PMS to minor memory
loss. Turns out, it is the hormones, or rather the imbalance of them, as
they rage throughout a woman’s body at any given time of the month.
Hormones, especially estrogen and progesterone, naturally fluctuate, with
most women producing a higher amount of estrogen in the week prior to her
period, and a higher amount of progesterone immediately after. But hormones
can get out of whack due to a variety of factors, including perimenopause,
menopause and even an overabundance of estrogen and estrogen-like compounds
found in foods and in the synthetic chemicals used at work and at home.
Because of this extra estrogen, the absorption of progesterone can be
blocked, leading to estrogen dominance. When this happens you start to
experience a wide range of symptoms that include cramps, migraines,
bloating, breast tenderness, weight gain, fatigue, mood swings, loss of sex
drive, foggy thinking and even become at risk for some hormone-dependent
cancers like breast cancer. “Just hormones” is in fact just plain truth.
Luckily there are natural remedies to help your body
balance out your estrogen. Plant-based lignans, like those found in Brevail,
are a terrific place to start.
A Lignan By Any Other Name
Lignans are a type of natural plant chemical, or
phytochemical, which act as plant hormones. They are prevalent in a wide
variety of foods, including legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables,
and flaxseed. When digested, these lignans are converted into potent,
hormone-like substances, or phytoestrogenic compounds.
Research suggests that lignans, because they are
phytoestrogens, may protect against hormone-related cancers like breast
cancer. There is also some speculation that lignans may help to reduce the
symptoms of menopause. And lignans are also being studied for potential
health benefits for the heart and colon and may even help in hair loss.
There is also ample evidence to suggest that lignans can help bring hormones
into balance.
Interestingly, American women tend to ingest less than one
milligram of lignans per day when they rely strictly on their diet.
Conversely, Japanese women, who still consume more vegetables and grains
than their American counterparts, actually ingest as much as 80 milligrams
of lignans per day and suffer much less from premenstrual and menopausal
symptoms.
Brevail is the world’s first isolated, concentrated,
purified, standardized and guaranteed-for-potency flax-lignan extract. Many
women, like model Mary Bryant who has battled breast cancer, take it for
proactive breast health.
Bryant says, “Every woman should take Brevail, period.
Ideal for overall breast health, it represents the best way I know of being
proactive to stay healthy rather than reactive once you’re sick.”
But just as many women take it to help reduce
irritability, cramping, bloating, breast tenderness and more. In other
words, PMS.
With so much good news about lignans and their influence
on hormones, it’s no wonder that many women doctors and women’s health
advocates are speaking out.
The Doctor’s Are ‘In’ on Brevail
“With Brevail, I’ve found that many women can safely
incorporate this supplement into their diet and positively affect their
hormonal balance,” says Mary Barnhart, M.D. “Achieving hormonal harmony may
seem like an unattainable goal, especially if you suffer from extreme
premenstrual syndrome or are fighting off the power surges of menopause, but
the flax base of Brevail can often provide relief.”
Each woman’s hormonal profile is as unique as a fingerprint, according to
Hyla Cass, M.D. She also believes that women suffering from PMS or
menopause, from ages ranging from 13 to 63, can easily regain their hormonal
health.
“Introduce a flaxseed supplement into your diet. Flaxseed
produces one of the highest concentrations of lignans. Lignans contain
phytoestrogens (or “plant estrogens”) that mimic estrogen in the body and
have demonstrated the ability to address symptoms of PMS and perimenopause.
Lignans are also good for stabilizing the rise and fall of hormone levels
during your monthly menstrual cycle, helping to improve mood, reduce
irritability, breast tenderness and even insomnia. In fact, flaxseed can
even be recommended as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy.”
Dr. Janet Green, an internist, certified homeopath and
board-certified thermographer, agrees and recommends Brevail: “First on the
list of my Breast Health Protocol is Brevail, an estrogen blocker.”
Christiane Northrup is an OB/GYN physician and author of a number of books
on improving women’s health by focusing on emotional wisdoms. She has this
to say about hormones: “Women have been led to believe that they will get
hormone-related problems from their mothers. If Mom had severe menstrual
cramps, PMS or breast pain, then it follows that they will, too. But the
good news is that women are only at increased risk for hormone problems to
the degree that they continue on the same health path as their mothers. As
with so many issues we face in life, much can be directly attributed to
diet. Too many refined carbohydrates can change the way that estrogen
metabolizes.”
All of these doctors recommend exercise, eating more
fruits and vegetables, and drinking less alcohol, as well as lignan
supplements. In addition to helping balance your hormones, lignans, like
those in Brevail, can also help with a variety of other health-related
issues.
“There is nothing more important than good health,” says Christine Horner,
M.D. “Add lignans or Brevail to the simple, yet powerful, daily habits that
you can do to protect your health. Like brushing your teeth, eating a diet
filled with fresh, organic fruits, vegetables and whole grains, getting
plenty of rest and exercising, consuming plenty of lignans should be a part
of your daily routine.”
Lignans for the Health of It
Lignans may also help to reduce the risk of cancers like
colon (as well as breast), support heart health, decrease your risk of
stroke or developing dementia, improve your complexion and skin tone, and
even strengthen hair and nails. With all of that, plus their ability to
balance hormones, there’s every reason to get in the mood for Brevail.
Hormones in Balance: What You Can Do
- Exercise: Regular exercise decreases the body’s
production of estrogen.
- Diet: The National Cancer Institute recommends a
minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables each day because of the
phytonutrients present.
- Dietary fat: Bad fats can harbor and produce a
toxic form of estrogen. However, healthy fats, such as the omega-3 fatty
acids found in flax oil, may be beneficial to promoting hormonal balance.
- Limit alcohol: Daily consumption of alcohol
increases the estrogenic effect in the body.
- Clean air, food, and water: Beware of
estrogen-imposters known as xenoestrogens (in some herbicides and
pesticides) that mimic the unhealthful properties of estrogen. Promoting a
healthy environment may help to ensure a healthier future in many aspects
of our lives.
- Lignans: Women with diets high in certain plant
phytochemicals, such as lignans, tend to exhibit a lower incidence of
breast disease.
- Brevail: Brevail
makes it easy for women to raise their physiologic concentration of
lignans with a single daily nutritional supplement.
Resources
Brevail is
distributed by Christine’s Cleanse Corner, Inc
Click here for Brevail product or ordering
information. Or visit us on the web at
www.TransformYourHealth.com
or call us toll-free at 877-673-0224.
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