Response to Negative Media Portrayal of Restoring Testosterone Levels

Life Extension® immediately recognized errors in this anti-testosterone study that render its findings meaningless.

This study was designed by physicians who apparently don't know how to safely restore testosterone levels in aging men.

The media's portrayal of this flawed study will discourage aging men from properly restoring their testosterone levels. To help spare the lives of testosterone deficient men, we have prepared an extensive rebuttal to this erroneous report.

For those who choose not to read our extensive rebuttal, I've prepared the following brief summary:

1) In order to protect against heart disease, total testosterone blood levels need to be raised higher than 500–550 ng/dL. Life Extension believes that optimal youthful total testosterone is in the 700–900 ng/dL range.

The men enrolled in this flawed study only boosted their mean total testosterone levels to 332 ng/dL. Previous studies show this low testosterone level (332 ng/dL) is associated with an increased heart attack risk compared with levels above 500–550 ng/dL.
2) The men in this study were not properly individually dosed and monitored, which explains why the testosterone treatment they received failed to restore their blood testosterone levels to anywhere near cardio-protective ranges.

3) Estradiol (an estrogen) blood levels were not reported in this study used to discredit testosterone drugs. A subset of aging men, often with increased visceral body fat (body fat around the internal organs of the abdominal cavity), have a tendency to convert testosterone into excess estrogen. This excess estrogen may alter the balance of anticoagulant and procoagulant (clotting) factors in the blood, and potentially enhance the risk of heart attack and stroke. Any man treated with testosterone drugs should also have his estradiol blood level tested to ensure that the testosterone is not excessively converting to estrogen. If estradiol increases excessively, then low-dose aromatase-inhibiting drugs (such as 1 mg/week of anastrozole [Arimidex®]) can be prescribed to reduce the conversion of testosterone to estrogen.

A subgroup of overweight men with excess visceral body fat treated with testosterone in this study would be expected to excessively convert (aromatize) their testosterone into estrogen, which may help explain why more men in the testosterone group suffered a greater percentage of heart attacks.

Research published in 2013 shows profound cardiovascular benefits in response to higher testosterone levels (in men). The media conveniently ignored these positive reports and narrowly focused on the egregiously flawed study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Based on many published studies, Life Extension has recommended for decades that aging men restore testosterone to a youthful range. We've always warned that for some men restoring one's testosterone to more youthful levels could create excessive levels of estrogen, which is readily detectable by blood testing and reversible using aromatase-inhibiting therapies.

What's most frightening is that most mainstream doctors today are blindly prescribing testosterone drugs and omitting any kind of estrogen testing. This creates a very dangerous environment for men who excessively convert their testosterone into excess estrogen!

To read Life Extension's full rebuttal to this flawed study used by the media to discredit testosterone therapy, just click here.
For longer life,
William Faloon

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

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

71 year old Man with Hx of Prostate Cancer I'm Currently Replacing His Testosterone

My dear patient who I see regularly for chronic medical conditions including diabetes and blood pressure monitoring presented with an elevated PSA (prostate-specific antigen) of 5.9 in February 2012. Family history of prostate cancer is negative. Voids 5-6 times a day and was getting up every hour a night to urinate for a couple of years prior. Variable stream. I referred him to a urologist for further evaluation. He was advised to do an in office trans-rectal ultrasound and biopsy of the prostate which he completed 3/14/2012. The biopsy showed extensive prostate cancer Gleason 3+3, clinical stage T2b with perineural invasion which did correspond to an abnormal digital rectal exam. His bone scan and CT scan was not suspicious for metastatic disease. Treatment options included active surveillance, however in light of his age his options may be more limited if he decided on more aggressive treatment in the future. Radical prostatectomy, cryosurgery, brachytherapy and or external radiation therapy or Calypso system hormonal therapy. My patient chose Brachytherapy which is a type of radiotherapy, or radiation treatment, offered to certain cancer patients. There are two types of brachytherapy – high dose-rate (HDR) and low dose-rate (LDR). LDR brachytherapy is the type that is most commonly used to treat prostate cancer; it may sometimes be referred to as ‘seed implantation’ or it may also be called ‘pinhole surgery’. In LDR brachytherapy, tiny radioactive particles the size of a grain of rice (see Figure 1) are implanted directly into the site of the tumour. These particles are known as ‘seeds’, and they can be inserted linked together as strands, or individually. Because the seeds are inserted or implanted directly into, or very close to, the tumour, they deliver high doses of radiation to the tumour without affecting the normal healthy tissues around it. This means that the procedure is less damaging than conventional radiation therapy, where the radioactive beam is delivered from outside the body and must pass through other tissues before reaching the tumour. He was told that he would need to reduce his testosterone levels before the implant to zero. The side effects were discussed with him and included, hot flashes, painful gynecomastia, erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, metabolic syndrome, anemia, bone loss, fatigue, depression, and weight gain to name a few. He was given Prosteon Oral tablets and told to take 2 tablets twice a day to replace calcium and vitamin D3 due to the side effects of the medication to reduce his testosterone to zero with a medication called Lupron. Now lets discuss his labs. In February 2011 his PSA was 3.7 and Testosterone 197 and his Vitamin D3 zero! His PSA in February 2012 was 5.9 and his testosterone was 213 In November 2012 (post hormone ablation procedure) his PSA was 0.3 and his Testosterone Zero and Vitamin D3 21.2. His symptoms were horrible in November 2012. At his office visit he told me he was experiencing horrible fatigue, depression, not sleeping, crying easily. He was scheduled to have the pellets inserted end of November 2012. He returned to see me in February 2013 and was regretting getting the surgery done because now he was experiencing urination about 10 times every night and he was not sleeping well, very fatigued, no appetite, getting hot flashes, dribbling and leaking and had to apply pressure to his bladder to urinate and was wearing diaper pants for leakage during the day. He was also having joint pain. He was taking antidepression medications, anti anxiety medications, diabetes and blood pressure medications and had just gotten a lupron injection by the urologist. We discussed his symptoms in great detail and that they were because of the Lupron injection and the zero testosterone level. I suggested a transdermal testosterone cream as well as Vitamin D3. He was willing to try it. He said to me that if he had a choice to live like this the rest of his life, he'd rather not. I understand!! Now this 71 year old man completely understood how menopausal women feel. It's horrible. Let's fast forward now to April 9, 2013, His PSA is 0.3, Testosterone is 1135, and Vitamin D3 is 58.1 He is feeling great. Sleeping again. No joint aches. No depression. Has his energy again. Has a scheduled trip with friends and family and feels amazing. He has had follow up exams with the urologist and his urologist is aware of the treatment plan my patient has chosen and is okay with it. I just saw him today and he is doing wonderful. He leaves Sunday for his trip and I know he will have an amazing time. 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

HCG Testimonial

Dr. Jones, I am very close to completing Phase II of the HCG protocol and I have had some very good success, both in losing weight but also in feeling 1000% more energetic. I know that you prescribed 47 days worth of HCG for me, but I am a bit confused as to how I am supposed to approach Phase III. All of the documentation that I am reading has the HCG injections ending after 25 days and then the maintenance phase begins. So...my question is: Do I remain on 500 calories per day for the full 47 days of my HCG supply or do I begin maintenance on the 26th day and continue injecting the HCG? As of today (my 22nd day on Phase I), I have lost 23.5 lbs. I have been keeping a daily food, weight, calorie intake and exercise diary as well as a chart on daily body weight vs daily calories. I was going to send it all to you on Saturday if, in fact, I am through with Phase I. Please let me know how to proceed. I really have not had any problem with the 500 calorie diet or the foods that can be eaten. I have come up with some very creative and delicious recipes using steam, poaching and grilling chicken, shrimp and tilapia. Actually, I have only hit 500 calories twice so far. All other days are between 470 and 498 calories. I hit a plateau on days 16, 17 and 18 so I did the "prescribed" 6 apple day and lost 2 lbs. Thanks...Terry 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

Hormone Replacement Therapy HRT Does NOT Cause Breast Cancer, New Study

Hormone Replacement Therapy HRT Does NOT Cause Breast Cancer, New Study by Jeffrey Dach MD This month, a shocking new study concluded Hormone Replacement (HRT) is safe and DOES NOT cause breast cancer. This new Lancet Oncology reports on long term follow up for the Women's Heath Initiative Study which was originally published in JAMA in 2004. (1-4) The Original 2004 WHI Report - 6.8 years of Follow Up The original WHI study (second arm) enrolled about 10,000 women after hysterectomy. Half were given placebo, and the other half were given a horse estrogen called Premarin (see above left image courtesy of wikmedia commons). Premarin is also called CEE for Conjugated Equine Estrogen. This is estrogen from pregnant horses. 23% Less Breast Cancer The original report in JAMA 2004 included 6.8 years of follow up showing 23% Less Invasive Breast Cancer in the Premarin Hormone (CEE) group than in the placebo group . There were 94 breast cancer cases in the hormone (CEE) group and 124 cases of breast cancer in the placebo group. This comparison narrowly missed statistical significance. In addition, there was 9% less heart disease, and 39% less hip fracture in the hormone treated group. The Premarin pill caused increased clotting (hypercoagulable state) resulting in increased stroke and pulmonary embolus in the Premarin Pill users, which caused early termination of the study. This is one reason why topical estrogen is preferable to pill form estrogen. Topical delivery of estradiol (bioidentical estrogen) does not cause increased coagulability, does not increase risk for CVA or stroke, is safer and the preferred delivery route. 11.8 years of Follow Up on the WHI Women- Still 23% Reduction The original WHI group of women were followed for an additional 6 years, for a total of 11.8 years of follow up, and this data was reported in Lancet Oncology by Garnet L Anderson PhD, and Rowan T Chlebowski (3,4). Here is what they found. After 11.8 years of follow up, the Premarin (horse estrogen) had 151 cases of invasive breast cancer and the placebo group had 199 cases. This represents a 23% reduction in breast cancer in the hormone treated group. This was statistically significant. (P=.02) 63% Reduction in Mortality From Breast Cancer In addition, in the hormone treated group, there was a 63% per cent reduction in death from breast cancer. 16 women died from invasive breast cancer in the placebo group, compared to only 6 in the hormone treated group. Editorial by Howell and Cuzick In an editorial in the same issue of Lancet Oncology, the Drs Anthony Howell and Jack Cuzick review the findings and conclude that the benefits of estrogen HRT include: 1) reduced risk of coronary artery disease and reduced risk of heart attacks 2) Reduced Risk of All Cause Mortality with improved survival numbers in the hormone treated group. 3) They advise women to avoid PremPro (the combined HRT pill ) which adds in a synthetic progestin, as the synthetic progestin IS associated with increased breast cancer. Here is the quote: "Young women (50—59 years) taking oestrogen were significantly less likely to have coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and death from all causes, not only with respect to older women but also placebo controls of the same age. Observational and WHI studies agree on the increased risk of breast cancer with combined hormone replacement therapy (including a progestin). " "The WHI investigators should be congratulated for providing insight into the value of conjugated equine oestrogens and young women can be reassured of the low risks and potentially striking benefits," Chemical structure of Premarin (left) compared to Human Bioidentical Estrogen (rught)courtesy of wikimedia commons: Above Left Image: Equilin -Premarin (Horse) Above Right Image:Human Estradiol The NIH Should Study Human Bioidentical Estradiol and Progesterone The WHI study showing the Estrogen reduces risk of breast cancer, reduces heart disease, reduces risk of hip fracture, and other and health benefits was done with Premarin, a horse estrogen. You might ask the obvious question, "Why Did The Study Not Use Estradiol", which is a human hormone (a bioidentical hormone)? Why use estrogen from a horse when human estradiol in available? The answer is obvious. The NIH is a branch of the government and the government is controlled by the Pharmaceutical industry which makes Premarin. We need the NIH to do studies for the benefit of the people, not the drug industry. We need to repeat the WHI study using estradiol and progesterone, and never again victimize women with the carcinogenic PremPro pill ( Premarin and Provera) which was shown to cause breast cancer and heart disease. Bioidentical Hormones Are Safe and Do Not increase Risk of Breast Cancer In retrospect, the Lancet Oncology findings have been known for decades. Bioidentical Hormone users are healthier and live longer than non-hormone users. Bioidentical Hormones do not cause increased breast cancer risk, and are associated with all the health benefits shown in the Women's Health Initiative (second arm) for women using estrogen alone. Premarin is not human, but it is natural. A much more better HRT program is the combination of human bioidentical estrogen available as a patch or transdermal cream, with the addition of Progesterone a human bioidentical hormone. 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

Birth Control and Pregnancy

Long-acting Reversible Birth Control Methods More Effective Than Pills, Patch, and Ring Print This Post Print This Post A study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine[1] to evaluate birth control methods has found dramatic differences in their effectiveness. Women who used birth control pills, the patch, or vaginal ring were 20 times more likely to have an unintended pregnancy than those who used longer-acting forms such as an intrauterine device (IUD) or implant. Birth control pills are the most commonly used reversible contraceptive in the United States, but their effectiveness hinges on women remembering to take a pill every day and having easy access to refills. The hormonal IUD (Mirena) is approved for five years, and the copper IUD (Paragard) can be used for as long as 10 years. Hormonal implants are inserted under the skin of the upper arm and are effective for three years. Many women, however, cannot afford or decline to pay the up-front costs of these methods, which can be more than $500. The study involved over 7,500 women enrolled in the Contraceptive CHOICE project. Participants were between the ages of 14 and 45 and at high risk of unintended pregnancy. The women were either not currently using contraception or wanted to switch birth control methods, and none wished to become pregnant within the next 12 months. The women were counseled about the contraceptive methods, including their effectiveness, side effects, risks, and benefits, and all methods were provided free of charge. Participants chose among the following birth-control methods: IUD or implant (n=5781), birth control pills, patch, or ring (n=1527), and contraceptive injection (n=176). Overall, there were 334 unintended pregnancies. Of these, 156 were due to contraceptive failure. Overall, 133 (4.55%) women using pills, the patch, or ring had contraceptive failure, compared with 21 (0.27%) women using IUDs and implants. In age-adjusted analyses, pregnancy risk was significantly higher among women using birth control pills, the patch, or the ring than among those using IUDs or implants (hazard ratio, 21.8). Participants younger than 21 years who used short-acting contraceptives had nearly twice the pregnancy risk as older participants using the same methods, while risk did not differ between age groups for long-acting contraceptives. Although IUDs are very effective and have been proven safe in women and adolescents, they are chosen by only 5.5% of U.S. women who use contraception.[2] According to the authors, this study may represent a shift in how patients should be counseled about birth control, which could greatly affect unintended pregnancy rates—and can have negative effects on women’s health and education and the health of newborns. The authors also note that when IUDs and implants were provided at no cost, about 75% of the women chose these methods for birth control. Unintended pregnancy is a major problem in the United States. About 3 million pregnancies per year—50% of all pregnancies—are unplanned.[3] The rate of unintended pregnancy in the United States is much higher than in other developed nations, and past studies have shown that about half of these pregnancies result from contraceptive failure. My only comment on the above study is if you are going to chose an IUD, non hormonal option is a better option, however, you will need to ask for the Paragard or most doctors will automatically give you the Mirena which has medroxyprogesterone in it and is not healthy for you. 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

We Lose Any Grip on Feeling "Normal" Without Hormones

Without hormones or imbalanced hormones, we lose any grip on feeling "normal." Without hormones, life quality is greatly diminished. Without hormones, a woman is at her weakest physically. Without hormones, disease is allowed to proliferate because the brain perceives that the body is no longer reproductive; therefore, nature wants to "eliminate" you to make way for those who are healthy and reproductive..

. Loss of hormones is not to be taken lightly. Having no hormones is like having bad premenstrual syndrome (PMS) every day of your life. You are not in control of your emotions, nor are you in control of the cruel physical manifestations of the loss of hormones. Couple this with the stress of having and fighting cancer, and (to me) it doesn't make sense to be without hormones..

. You see, we may have changed with the passing of time, but the biology inside us has not. Nature has a job to do, and the brain was hard-wired at the beginning of time and doesn't know anything else. A healthy woman is hormonally balanced. We can't "out think" nature. This never works, no matter how hard we try to come up with something better..

. Women remain confused about hormones and in some cases terrified of hormone replacement; one day, headlines in the newspapers praise hormone replacement therapy (HRT); the next day, the headlines are screaming that HRT will kill us..

. The truth is, despite the widespread use of synthetic hormone brands such as Premarin and Provera, these drugs have always been associated with cancer. The first cancer linked with synthetic hormone replacement was cancer of the uterus lining (endometrium)..

. The most recent resurfacing of the negatives associated with synthetic hormones and cancer came from a government-sponsored study titled the Women's Health Initiative. This study was supposed to last 8.5 years, but it was stopped after only 5.2 years because the risks of using Premarin and Provera outweighed the benefits. Breast cancer was just one of the increased risks discovered. Additionally, the study concluded that synthetic hormone replacement therapy protects neither your bones nor your heart. Ironically, bone and heart protection were two of the primary benefits once used by doctors as selling points to get women to fill their prescriptions for these drugs..

. The Women's Health Initiative Study hoped to show decreases in:.

. breast cancer.

. stroke.

. pulmonary embolism.

. colorectal cancer.

. endometrial cancer.

. hip fracture.

. death due to any cause.

. The actual outcome results were shocking:.

. 29 percent increase in coronary heart disease.

. 41 percent increase in strokes.

. 22 percent increase in cardiovascular disease.

. 2,100 percent (yes, this is correct) increase in pulmonary embolism—lung blood clots.

. 26 percent increase in breast cancer.

. So much for synthetic hormones! These statistics alone should convince you right away of the negative effects of these so-called synthetic hormones..

. Those of us who were on the original birth control pills for any length of time were actually on synthetic hormones- strong synthetic hormones. Any wonder why women of our generation are under siege from an epidemic of breast and ovarian cancers?.

. Read on and see if you relate to my scenario: As I said, for 22 years, I was on synthetic birth control pills, the original ones that were very strong. I even manipulated my periods with them, if I didn't want to have a period on a particular weekend. I just didn't realize what was in those birth control pills, nor did I understand the dangers of messing with nature..

. I did not realize that having only a two-day bleed meant that I was not ovulating fully. At the time, I thought it was great to have such a light period. I did not realize that the importance of ovulation in the human female body is to let the brain know that I was well, healthy, and reproductive. As far as my brain was concerned, I was not reproductive because I was not fully ovulating. An ovulating woman is a reproductive woman..

. To believe that the body is not fully ovulating is a dangerous assumption for the brain to make. If the brain perceives us as unable to reproduce, its job, biologically speaking, is to try to eliminate us to make room for the reproductive ones. This is the nature in us. This is the template that was programmed in us from ancient times. Thus, this hormonal imbalance that I unknowingly put myself in was creating a backdrop for cancer. Why? Because we all have cancer in us, but as long as we are hormonally balanced, the brain perceives us as young, strong, and healthy. If we become imbalanced, this signals to the brain that the reproductive system is no longer in working order, and it is in this scenario that the cancer has a chance to come into being..

. You see, cancer proliferates in an environment of hormonal imbalance. This is why I believe that Western medicine's standard of care, well-meaning as it is, is treating us incorrectly. Western medicine is looking at everything except the obvious. Western medicine is trying to poison the cancer out of us, further wreaking havoc with our hormonal systems..

. Then, to prevent recurrence, we are given hormone ablation drugs such as tamoxifen or Femara, which interfere with the body's ability to read the hormones in some parts of the body. Plus, for many women these drugs cause horrible side effects. To me, it doesn't make sense to take any drug that prevents new hormones from being made in our bodies or to kill off any of the little bit of hormones we might have left. Why has Western medicine been trying to out think nature? We are given fake hormones that don't replicate exactly what our bodies make naturally, and doctors are expecting them to work in the same way or better. It hasn't worked. Look around. Are the women you know doing well from midlife on? Most everyone has complaints, from mild to severe. No wonder women are in such bad shape..

. Once you understand the importance of your brain perceiving the body as reproductive—our "brain template"—it will be easier for you to make decisions for yourself..

. Read more: Excerpt from Ageless The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones by Suzanne Somer

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. Call my office in Lombard (630) 627-3700 to set up an appointment or email me at jones.gretchen@gmail.com

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. 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

What are Hormones, How do Hormones Communicate?.

Hormones carry messages from glands to cells to maintain chemical levels in the bloodstream that achieve homeostasis. "Hormone" comes from a word that means, "to spur on." This reflects how the presence of hormones acts as a catalyst for other chemical changes at the cellular level necessary for growth, development, and energy..

As members of the endocrine system, glands manufacture hormones. Hormones circulate freely in the bloodstream, waiting to be recognized by a target cell, their intended destination. The target cell has a receptor that can only be activated by a specific type of hormone. Once activated, the cell knows to start a certain function within its walls. Genes might get activated, or energy production resumed. As special categories, autocrine hormones act on the cells of the secreting gland, while paracrine hormones act on nearby, but unrelated, cells. Email me for more info at jones.gretchen@gmail.com..

There are two types of hormones known as steroids and peptides. In general, steroids are sex hormones related to sexual maturation and fertility. Steroids are made from cholesterol either by the placenta when we're in the womb, or by our adrenal gland or gonads (testes or ovaries) after birth. Cortisol, an example of a steroid hormone, breaks down damaged tissue so it can be replaced. Steroids determine physical development from puberty on to old age, as well as fertility cycles. If we are not synthesizing the correct steroidal hormones, we can replenish what is missing with cyclic hormone therapy with estrogen and progesterone..

Peptides regulate other functions such as sleep and sugar concentration. They are made from long strings of amino acids, so sometimes they are referred to as "protein" hormones. Growth hormone, for example, helps us burn fat and build up muscles. Another peptide hormone, insulin, starts the process to convert sugar into cellular energy..

Hormones so perfectly and efficiently manage homeostasis due to negative feedback cycles. Our goal is to keep the concentration of a certain chemical, such as testosterone, at a constant level for a certain period of time, the way that a thermostat works. Using negative feedback, a change in conditions causes a response that returns the conditions to their original state. When a room's temperature drops, the thermostat responds by turning the heat on. The room returns to the ideal temperature, and the heater turns off, keeping the condition constant. Our pituitary hormones FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone) regulate estrogen levels and the release of the egg from the ovaries and then progesterone can be released from the corpus luteum. In males, LH has a different role, producing testosterone from males Leydig cells in the testes..

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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

Brain Function and Estrogen

A study conducted at the University of Southern California demonstrated that estrogen promotes the growth of those essential neurons in the brain's hippocampus that are critical to memory function. Scientists there created a hippocampal campus in a petri dish, inducing these cells from the memory center to set up housekeeping in the USC lab. They then squirted conjugated equine estrogens (CEEs or Premarin) on the nerve cell colonies and watched the results under a videomicroscope.

The cells literally bristled with excitement. The addition of estrogen juice significantly increased the number of dendrites or outgrowths of the cell membranes which are known to be cellular markers of memory formation. Dendrites hook-up with other neurons to form new connections, a process that promotes brain 'plasticity' or the ability to learn new material and make new associations. In other words, the same cellular events that occur in the hippocampus of the brain during memory formation happened in these brain cell cultures when estrogen was added.

When I see patients going through the menopausal transition, I not only inquire about hot flashes, night sweats, and the quality of their sleep, I also ask "How's your mood?" and "How's your memory?". The lack of estrogen affects women differently, some struggling far more than others in a brain function sense. I think the problems with verbal memory and executive functioning (starting a multi-step task and completing it successfully) along with the increase in anxiety and depression that can accompany falling estrogen levels are too often not addressed in women of age.

RePost:Hypoestrogen, What is that

Women of all ages can have hypoestrogen. Hypoestrogen is when levels of cycling estrogen falls below the normal range of 150 pg/ml to 550 pg/ml. The symptoms are felt by women in many ways. And every woman knows when “the change” happens. Some women even know when slight changes begin to occur. Even the women who are lucky enough to never experience a hot flash often have probably experienced one of the following other hypoestrogen symptoms: heart palpitations, insomnia, mood swings, joint aches, headaches, fatigue, low libido, vaginal dryness, bloating, skin dryness, brain fog….just to name a few.

When just a few symptoms began to occur with me at age 42, I was NOT thinking it was from hypoestrogen. I knew that to be “menopause” and I was still cycling every 28 days having a 3-4 day period and just had two babies 15 months apart. When my doctor told me I should start on beta blockers to control my anxiety feelings and onset of heart palpitations, I decided to dig really deep and figure out what was causing the changes in my body to occur. I knew these changes came out of no where started to occur shortly after my last pregnancy at age 41. At that time my estrogen level was 48 pg/ml. I didn’t know much about fractionating the estradiol out of the estrogen total at that time. I didn’t know what the significance was about timing the cycling and checking blood. I didn’t know that fluctuations in estrogen can be pretty significant just days apart in a cycle. I also didn’t realize that if estrogen wasn’t peaking and I wasn’t ovulating I was not getting any progesterone and therefore had cycles with unopposed estrogen.

I’ve been treating women who have hypoestrogen levels and have seen the dramatic changes that occur when estrogen and progesterone are replaced in a cyclic dosing schedule and reach their individual therapeutic range in the blood serum. Like I said earlier, estrogen peaks around 350-550 pg/ml and is around 100-150 pg/ml on baseline days. Progesterone peaks around 10-15 ng/ml and is around 2-5 ng/ml on baseline days. Hormones that are too low cause symptoms that women feel and experience. They are real symptoms.

How long would you replace your thyroid if you were hypothyroid? I believe you would say forever. Well, I say that is how long we should replace our estrogen and progesterone if we have hypoestrogen. The results are amazing. It’s easier to replace hormones when receptors are still present and active. But, it is never too late. I have patients who are doing amazingly well that are in their late 70’s. I also have patients as young as 19 whose symptoms are resolved dramatically using bioidentical hormones in cyclic dosing and the results cannot even compare to that of traditional care, which is oral birth control pills (synthetic estrogen and synthetic progestins) given in static doses using low amounts of hormones. I know many women who cannot stand how they feel on the pill. Maybe some women don’t even realize that it is the pill causing some of the symptoms they experience.

Women can change the standard of care. My goal is to educate women and then we have a choice what we want to do with that information. We cycle. Let’s keep on cycling.

Hypoestrogen, What is that 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

So Many Changes Since Starting Hormones Almost a Decade Ago

I haven’t written in a while any new posts on hormone therapy. I have now been doing cyclic hormone therapy personally since the end of 2007 and I wanted to document all that has change since then.

Before starting therapy, I was not able to sleep unless I took high doses of Ambien or Xanax and even with those medications, I never felt rested in the morning. Instead, I still felt groggy and drugged. I have not used a sleeping medication for three years (after 9 months of weaning off Ambien and Xanax by the way, not easy stuff to get off of) and I sleep so soundly that some days I sleep through my alarm clock. That NEVER happened since I was a kid. In my late 30’s and early 40’s sleep was not my friend. Since starting hormones, I can sleep again.

No more heart palpitations. No more joint aches. My skin looks amazingly clear and fresh. I bring that up, because before hormone therapy I was constantly going to the dermatologist for plumper injections and products to help with my complexion because my skin looked so dead.

My skin is firm and moist. I am able to lose weight when I diet and eat right. Prior, I could eat like a bird and I still had the roll around my hips. That roll doesn’t exist and my abdomen is flat.

Hormones replaced how your body uses these hormones is essential. Don’t let standard of care medicine scare you about your own hormones. Disease state and decline in health start to occur when we begin to lose our hormones. You have options and a choice. Hormones do not CAUSE cancer, Hormones CONTROL cells. Repair of cells can only occur if your body has the right ingredients to repair those cells.

The people I love dearly are on hormone therapy so that we can be healthy together as we age. We all realize we are not going to live forever, however, the quality of your life should matter to you as you age.

I encourage you to get your hormone levels checked and monitor them. I recommend checking a Fractionated Estrogen level (estradiol and estrone ultrasensitive) on a Day 12 of your menstrual cycle, if you are still having periods. I also check FSH on that day. Normal levels should be around 350-500 pg/ml on average of ESTRADIOL, and less for ESTRONE. Normal for FSH on that day is 4-6 miu/ml.

I started hormone therapy when my estradiol was 48 pg/ml and my FSH was 4.8. Today my estradiol is between 500-800 pg/ml on day 12 and my FSH is around 6.

Call my office 847-325-5110 to schedule an appointment or email me at crtconnect@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

FEARS INSTILLED BY STANDARD OF CARE DOCTORS

I see many patients who have been told by their OB/GYNE doctors or their primary care doctors that hormones cause cancer and are bad for them. I will quote one of these doctors comments to a patient of mine and then comment:

"You are increasing your risk of breast cancer by taking hormones. You take away the hormones, the cancer goes down" My patient tried to argue and say, yes, but that information was from the WHI study and was synthetic hormones, used in such a way that did not mimick a natural hormone cycle. Her response was, "They are all pharmaceuticals and when you take away the hormones, the cancer goes down. If the evidence is there, you have to listen."

My patient then asked about thermal imaging instead of mammograms and was told that it is not "standard of care" to do thermal imaging.

So ladies, and gentlemen, let me please first by saying that your own body producing hormones is NOT THE CAUSE OF CANCER! I would be more afraid of that diet coke you are drinking then replacing your hormones with bioidentical (non main stream pharma drugs) in a cyclic dosing manner to REPLACE WHAT YOUR BODY IS LACKING.

Hormones are your bodies way of communicating and repairing cells. Our hormones are the chemical messengers in our body. I personally treat women who have hormone abnormalities ALL THE TIME. I just started another breast cancer patient on hormone therapy and she isn't scared because she knows your own cycle of hormones isn't and wasn't the cause of her breast cancer and doesn't increase your risk of getting it more. How can you believe a study that was done with synthetic drugs not even hormone like in the blood. I measure these hormones in women all the time. I can tell you that Prempro does NOT mimick a normal cycle and is no better than birth control pills.

When women restore their hormones it is self evident that they become healthier. Their skin improves. Their sleep is restored. Headaches and heart palpitations disappear. Insulin resistance improves and weight loss is possible. Breast tissue is renewed and less lumpy, blood supply is returned to the vaginal wall and libido improves. Hair grows again!

If another standard of care doctor tells my postmenopausal women that she is tired because it is her thyroid (when her thyroid levels are all perfect) I want to scream NOOOOOO! It isn't her thyroid! Check her estrogen levels. Restore it to what is physiological normal for young cycling women, and see what happens!

Women, stop believing the fear instilled by the Standard of Care with regards to breast cancer. Stop the madness of over radiating breast tissue. Start researching the data out there with regards to breast cancer and get the real story. Women are going on birth control pills for 20 years in some cases. We are exposed to serious chemicals in our food supply. We are ingesting fake sweetners, deficient in Vitamin D, not exercising, overweight, not getting enough sleep, drinking too much alcohol, and taking way too many pharmaceutical drugs. What if these are the cause of the increase of cancer in our society? Nobody wants to take that kind of responsibility for their health. We would rather blame a hormone.

You have a choice. You can continue to go through life down that path, or you can choose to feel great again. I choose, sleep, energy, great skin, great marriage and sex life, great mood, ideal body weight, no anxiety, no depression,no heart palpitations, no headaches, no food cravings that are out of control....and when any of those areas are out of whack, I know what I did to contribute to that and suffer the consequences of my actions. My hormones range 150-800 and I cycle every month.

If you want to talk, please call me anytime and I'd love to talk with you. I can be reached at 630-220-4122 or feel free to email me at jones.gretchen@gmail.com.


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

Oral versus transdermal hormones, what's the difference?

Hormones that we share with plants work best when absorbed through the skin. The hormones estradiol and natural progesterone can be suspended in creams or an alcohol gel. When taken by mouth hormones have very different effects. Prometrium, the most widely marketed natural progesterone pill is made from raw material progesterone in a peanut oil base, in doses of 100 and 200 mg. it has the potential, just as transdermal or our own natural progesterone, to be a neurosteroid and act like a neurotransmitter when it crosses the blood-brain barrier. Natural progesterone, from your ovaries or transdermally applied, hits GABA receptors all over to calm the brain. Prometrium taken orally must go through the liver instead of directly into the bloodstream. Prometrium, after being metabolized in the liver, becomes a molecule with some drug like, intoxicating side effects on GABA. Anything ingested orally must face the first-pass liver detox. That fact alone means that any drug or hormone that comes in a pill must be overdosed to have any effect at all. By the time a pill makes it through your system, you've only absorbed about 10 percent, so you have ingested 90 percent more of any drug taken by mouth than you needed to than if you had just taken it transdermally. Molecules passing through your skin are rated at 60 to 70 percent absorption and potency. On the skin of your arm, what you don't absorb ends up on your sleeve; once you've swallowed it, who knows where the excess might land or what it might turn into. But the best reason to use hormones through the skin is timing. Hormones have a "beat" like music, or your heart. Think of your heart beating, boom, boom, boom, or your pulse. That's pulsitility. Now hear it go faster and louder, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. That's amplitude. In the same way your heart races if you're scared or stressed, your hormones can "race" depending on the needs of your system and the environmental cues to which it's responding.


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

Birth Control That Uses Combined Hormones Raises Heart Risk

WEDNESDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Sweeping new research comparing various forms of hormonal contraception -- including birth control pills, vaginal rings and skin patches -- suggests that the risk for heart attacks and strokes is twice as high among users of combined estrogen-progestin versions.

These include brands such as Yasmin and Yaz pills, the NuvaRing vaginal ring and Ortho Evra patches. The overall odds of suffering such debilitating effects, however, are still quite low. However, natural transdermal hormones do not have these same debilitating effects because #1 they aren't taken orally, and #2 because they are given in non synthetic forms of the actual hormone structure of estrogen and progesterone (not progestins).

Analyzing 15 years of observational data from more than 1.6 million women aged 15 to 49, Danish scientists found that those taking low-dose estrogen birth control pills combined with various progestins suffered heart attacks and strokes between 1.5 and 2 times more often than women not using hormonal contraception. The risks were between 2.5 and 3 times higher among users of vaginal rings and transdermal patches compared to non-users.

"The first point to take home is that [clotting] complications increase dramatically with increasing age," said lead author Dr. Ojvind Lidegaard, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Rigshospitalet, a state-run hospital in Copenhagen. "A doubled risk for thrombotic stroke is not very serious when you are 20 years old, because your risk at baseline is very low. On the other hand, when you are 35 years old or older, the risk is no longer that low, and you should be more careful with choosing those products with the lowest risk of thrombotic complications."

The study is scheduled to be published June 14 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The link between combined estrogen-progestin oral contraceptives and blood clots occurring in either veins or arteries has been studied continually since the formulations were marketed in the 1960s, with the man made synthetic estrogen doses lowered in many products in response to research showing increased vascular risks.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in April that birth control pills containing drospirenone -- a man-made version of the hormone progesterone included in products such as Bayer's Yaz or Yasmin -- would require updated labels since these contraceptives may be linked to a higher risk of blood clots. That change pinpointed risks associated with blood clots in veins, however, while the new Danish study focuses on clot risks in arteries.

"Pills are still very beneficial. I wouldn't want a study like this ... to tell us these are dangerous drugs," said Dr. Kathleen Hoeger, chief of the division of reproductive endocrinology and director of the Strong Fertility Center at the University of Rochester, in New York. "The drugs have risks, and those risks are really well-defined. This data gives doctors a lot of confidence to be able to offer advice."

The study encompasses data from the entire population of Danish women of childbearing age, and was 10 times as large as a similar study in the United States that also assessed the comparative risks of arterial clots among hormonal contraceptive users, said Hoeger, who served on the FDA advisory panel that reviewed Yaz and Yasmin.

Significantly higher rates of heart attack and stroke, which result from clots in arteries, were recorded among women with diabetes and high blood pressure and among those over age 35. The relative odds of suffering a heart attack doubled among those aged 40 to 44 compared to those aged 35 to 39, and increased by an additional one-third thereafter.

Dr. Diana Petitti, a professor of biomedical informatics at Arizona State University in Tempe, said she was struck by the finding that different formulations of progestin didn't dramatically affect the safety profiles of the various hormonal contraceptives studied.

"From the standpoint of arterial vascular disease, the combined [formulations] are essentially equivalent," said Petitti, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study. "Decision-making should focus more on effectiveness and adherence and not on miniscule differences in the potential for vascular disease. All of the current products on the market are safe enough."

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about oral contraceptives.

SOURCES: Ojvind Lidegaard, DMedSc., clinical professor, obstetrics and gynecology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Kathleen Hoeger, M.D., chief, division of reproductive endocrinology, and director, Strong Fertility Center, University of Rochester, N.Y.; Diana Petitti, M.D., M.P.H., professor, biomedical informatics, Arizona State University, Tempe; June 14, 2012, New England Journal of Medicine



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

CASE HISTORY OF ASPARTAME CONSUMPTION

Aspartame Consumption: Used for about five years;

Health symptoms started after consuming aspartame: Yes;

Diet Products Used: Diet cokes and diet everything;

Do you use Equal: No;

Do your children use aspartame: No;

Are you aware of products not labeled sugar-free: No;

May we include your case history on website: Yes;

Do you want your information anonymous: Yes;

Referred by: Yahoo!

Comments: About 10 years ago I began having muscle spasms and horrible memory lapses. I went to a neurologist and was given the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. I had been ingesting everything diet for about 5 years trying to take off about 15 pounds. The results - I had terrible memory loss and gained 10 pounds.

I had a friend send me an article that she had come across entitled "ASPARTAME POISONING" MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ARE BEING MISDIAGNOSED WITH MS, AND OTHER ILLNESSES WHEN IT IS ACTUALLY ASPARTAME POISONING. Needless to say, it got my attention

I read the article and decided to just stop all of anything that was diet or had aspartame in it. To be honest, I did not think it would make any difference, but let me tell you, my initial MRI showed 19 lesions on my brain. After being off the aspartame products for 6 months, the MRI showed only 2 lesions, and the last one I had, like a year later, showed no more lesions. That was great.

I no longer had to deal with the muscle spasms, confusion, and weight gain. To this day, if I happen to ingest something that has aspartame in it and I don't realize it, I find out soon because I begin to have the memory loss and the spasms all over again. So, I just pour water down me and stay away from anything that I am not sure is aspartame-free. Then everything goes back to normal again.

This is not some made up story - it is very real. I sure wish this stuff would be taken off the market - not just for my sake, but for the sake of other innocent victims.

I just had lunch with a friend whose husband is a diabetic, and about everything he eats has some sort of sugar substitute in it, like the aspartame. She just told me that he has been having a whole lot of problems with memory loss lately. She thought it was due to his age, but I told her about my situation and told her to see if he could stop ingesting anything that has sugar subs in it to see if his memory improves.

It is really scary to me to think about how many people are on medications for diseases that they really don't have. Yet they continue to feed themselves this poison and wonder why they are not getting better???

I am well now, and I'll never touch that stuff again


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