Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Frequently Asked Questions From My Female Patients who are on Cyclic Hormone Therapy

I wanted to reprint some of the frequently asked questions regarding Cyclic Hormone Replacement therapy from many of my patients and answered quite well by TS Wiley herself. I will add my own comments to her answers as well.
Q. Why do I have a period?
A: The obvious scientific response is to prevent endometrial cancer with the rhythmic growth and death of the lining, insuring apoptosis. However, it is important to add that there are over 3,000 gene products and more than 300 physiological processes that ride on the wave of rhythmic estrogen production in healthy young women, not the least of which is the inevitable growth of a normal uterine lining. So, yes, if your hormones are at reliable healthy levels, you must have a period if you have a uterus to be healthy and safe.
Q: Why didn't I get a period?
A: Not enough estradiol (E2), perhaps too much testosterone, DHEA, or not a sharp enough differential drop in the progesterone from day 21 to day 28.
Q: Why is my period so light, long, early, late, missed, heavy etc?

A: Not enough estradiol (E2) in general, or preferential shunting for stress to the brain that deprives the uterine lining of growth potential for 72 hours, which is what re-population requires; or, perhaps too much testosterone or DHEA.
Q: I can't handle the anxiety, hot flashes, insomnia, sore breasts, and depression in the first three months.
A: These symptoms usually occur in the beginning when the receptors are, literally, appearing on the landscape. The fluctuation of these receptors can accentuate "firing disorders" like anxiety, incontinence, hot flashes, heartburn, etc. Spread out the daily dose from twice a day into 3 or 4 times a day and allow the receptors to "catch up". Adding a transdermal estradiol patch can also help reduce these annoying symptoms. This can sometimes feel like puberty all over.
Q: I felt great at first and now after 1 yr, 2 yrs, etc, I DON'T.
A: You're older. As time passes the sand shifts under our feet when the waves of the beach retreat. Eventually we all need a higher dose as SHBG rises concomment to Insulin.
Q: Why can't I get my numbers up?
A: More estrogen may be needed or more progesterone, raising the entire curve of either is kinder to the receptor anticipation mechanisms. RBC adhesion may be a factor in the progesterone only, meaning the hormone is actually in there and can clinically be seen, but not in the blood work numbers. Insulin and SHBG are in inverse curves. The more insulin reception, the lower the serum numbers, so in thin patients the numbers may be lower. Always remember that the clinical picture takes precedent over anything a lab might turn out.
Q: Why are my animals showing sings of estrogen?
A: You touch them with hormone on your hands, they lick their fur. The dose then becomes oral, which is much stronger and, considering their body mass vs. an adult human, far more potent.
Q: Doesn't estrogen cause cancer?
A:NO,it "controls" cancer, not "causes" cancer. If high circulating levels of estrogen caused cancer young women would be dead, and pregnant women would be deader. High levels of estrogen cause G-1 arrest of the cell cycle.
Q: Why can't I just do progesterone?
A: It has no receptor to be effective, without one of it's own for apoptosis, without estrogen preceding its arrival. The progesterone that you may have taken in the past made you feel better, because progesterone can occupy the cortisol receptor.
Q: Isn't progesterone toxic?
A: No, or pregnant women would be deader than fertile young women. So unless one uses the whole syringe at each dose this is not possible. The fear-mongering rumor coming from a group of women on the internet, who truly believed that they were harmed by natural progesterone and may have, indeed felt horrible, much as women report that they do on synthetic Provera is not accurate. Those women were not on the Wiley Protocol at the time and were taking the hormones that they were taking in olive oil drops. Heavy hormones sediment in oil, so that they are over-dosed themselves on Day 14-21 by drawing an inaccurate dose from the bottom of the bottle, promoting nausea, hair loss, headaches and maybe even kidney problems. Such a situation is not possible with the Wiley Protocol, because the progesterone is thoroughly blended and suspended in cream base and tested to prove that there is 20 mg of natural progesterone in every small line on a purple plungered syringe.
Q: Why can't I take herbs, flax, soy, etc?
A: If you mean with the Wiley Protocol, because all effective natural treatments are effective by occupying, blocking and or using second messenger pathways of hormone receptors. We are trying to reinstate with the dosing of the protocol, a receptor waveform reminiscent of youth. Natural substances, just like drugs of Pharmaceutical origin, are still statically dosed, thus destroying what we are doing. Women on flax often lose or never attain their period.
Q: Can my daughter, mother, husband do this?
A: Yes, of course anyone with deranged hormonal rhythms or needing replacement can.
Q: How can everyone start at the same dose, isn't it individualized?
A: We all re-instate a normal baseline and then it becomes individualized as your doctor increases your dose in a standardized way. "It's not"one size fits all", it is "one size starts all".
Q. What to do when they don't get a period on Day 28 or 29.
A: Just call Day 29, day 1 and start over.
Call my office in Lombard (630) 627-3700 to set up an appointment or email me at jones.gretchen@gmail.com hormone replacement therapy, hormone imbalance, women to women, bodylogicmd, hormone replacement after hysterectomy, bioidentical hormones, HRT, women's health, men's health, TS Wiley, The Wiley Protocol