Estro Mend - 120 V-Caps - Douglas Labs

ESTRO MEND from Douglas Laboratories

Risk Information: Do not use if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have diarrhoea, haemorrhagic diseases, hypermenorrhoea, a seizure disorder, or an allergy to members of the Apiacease/Umbelliferae family. Do not use if you currently have or previously had breast cancer or you have a predisposition to cancer as indicated by an abnormal mammogram or biopsy or a family member with breast cancer. Ensure you are up-to-date on appointed clinical tests such as mammographs, endometrial ultrasounds or biopsies before using this product. Consult a healthcare practitioner prior to use if you have a liver disorder, depression or related diseases, a family history of cancer or are taking blood thinners, birth control pills, or hormone replacement therapy. Consult a healthcare practitioner if you develop symptoms of liver trouble or if symptoms persist or worsen. Discontinue use and consult your healthcare practitioner if menstruation is delayed or absent, you experience increased menstrual bleeding time, or if you experience breast pain, discomfort, soreness, tenderness, or abnormal uterine bleeding including spotting or recurrence of menstruation in postmenopausal women. Consumption with alcohol, other medications or natural health products with sedative properties is not recommended. Some people may experience drowsiness and digestive problems. Exercise caution if operating heavy machinery, driving a motor vehicle or involved in activities requiring mental alertness. Avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight, ultraviolet light (UV) or UV therapy.

Estrogen
By: Naturopathic Doctor (N.D.)

“Estrogen has over 400 functions in the body, with potential for profound effect, good or bad, on both our physical and emotional wellbeing.”...

Estrogens are a group of hormones that are produced in the ovaries in females, and in small amounts in the male testicles. Estrogen is also produced in very small amounts by the adrenal gland. Throughout a women’s life span the production and balance of female hormones changes significantly.

These changes can be normal or pathological, depending on the woman’s age and resulting symptoms, thus affecting her overall health and vitality. Both high and low levels of estrogen (otherwise known as an imbalance) are associated with health problems.

Estrone, Estradiol and Estriol
There are a few different forms of estrogen, which is important for one to understand when talking about ‘healthy’ estrogen levels. One form, estrone, is produced in the fat cells of both men and women. Estrone is strong in terms of its stimulation of the body and must be kept in check by having adequate levels of the other estrogens, estradiol and estriol. High estrone increases the risk of heart disease, cancer polycystic ovaries and PMS. Estrone becomes more abundant in women who are obese. Estradiol is the most abundant estrogen in women of reproductive age. The benefits of estradiol are many, including a decrease in osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and general cognitive decline. It also has the overall benefit of slowing the aging process. Estradiol promotes healthy genital tissue and soft (wrinkle-free) skin. It decreases the risk for diabetes, macular degeneration, and prevents tooth loss with aging by promoting a healthy oral mucosa. High levels of estradiol cause the same problems as high levels of estrone. Estriol becomes important in postmenopausal women but it only stimulates the body a little as compared to estrone and estradiol. Optimal levels of estriol protect women from complaints of aging like heart disease, loss of hair, skin wrinkling, cancer and bone loss.

Xenoestrogens
Uh oh, forgot to mention xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens are synthetic or natural chemical compounds that imitate estrogen in living organisms. BPA is one widely known compound with these effects. Natural xenoestrogens include phytoestrogens (more on these later). High exposure to xenoestrogens have been linked to precocious (or early) puberty, infertility and other disorders of the reproductive system. Yes. There are a number of theories about how and when to get the most accurate picture of hormone levels. Blood levels are accurate, but very specific, meaning that they will tell you your levels are on the day and time that you have the testing done. In cases of infertility, many doctors choose to check specific hormones on specific days in the cycle, to find out if levels are peaking and declining as they should be (in this case to support pregnancy). Your MD or ND can order these tests.

The Benefits of Estrogen
Poor estrogen, you’re not all that bad. In fact, estrogen protects a woman’s body in many ways. The benefits of estradiol are many. A few of the most important are decrease in osteoporosis, colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and general cognitive decline, and overall benefit in slowing or preventing the aging process. Estradiol promotes healthy genital tissue and soft skin with decreased wrinkling. It decreases the risk for diabetes, macular degeneration, and prevents tooth loss with aging by promoting a healthy oral mucosa.

“Healthy” Estrogen Levels
In a healthy middle age woman (before entering peri/pre menopause), estradiol should increase throughout the first half of the cycle, peaking just prior to ovulation. A drastic drop in estradiol is actually what signals ovulation. Throughout the last half of the cycle, estradiol rises and falls again, but only to about half of what it does in the first part of the cycle. Once again hitting a low at the end of the cycle, menses begins.

“High” Estrogen
As with every ‘healthy’ state in the body, hormone health is really all about BALANCE. In this sense, high estrogen can really mean one of two things: estrogen is high, OR progesterone is low, and therefore estrogen is unopposed, or high relative to progesterone levels. This is referred to as relative estrogen dominance. Both of these patterns can result in the same conditions/symptom picture, as seen in PMS (breast tenderness, mood swings, headaches, cramping, acne, water retention), fibrocystic breasts, estrogen dependent breast cancers, thyroid dysfunction, irregular cycles, etc.

“Low” Estrogen
Abnormally low levels of estrogen can be responsible for early menopause, or delayed menstruation and more…

…It Could Go Either Way

Menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, and loss of libido, vaginal dryness, etc.) could be related to declining estrogen levels, or to relative estrogen dominance, as progesterone declines both earlier and at a much faster rate than estrogen.

HRT: What You Need To Know
In 2002, A Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study was cut short when preliminary results showed that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), as a combination of estrogen and progestin, had a higher rate of breast cancer, heart disease and stroke than women taking placebo. This study changed the way that HRT was recommended. Now, HRT is generally used with more caution, and generally recommended as a short-term treatment only. What women should know is that there is one huge exception to the HRT-with-caution-rule, and that is in the case of hysterectomy. In women who have had a hysterectomy, there is convincing research showing that (estrogen only) HRT may be responsible for significant protection against heart disease, blood clot, stroke or early death. Estrogens are available only by prescription in Canada. They can be taken orally, by injection, or applied topically as a cream.

Natural HRT: A Healthy Alternative?
To enhance the body’s production of estrogen without taking estrogen itself, there are several “natural” options. By supporting the function of the ovaries the body can optimize its estrogen levels, relative to a woman’s age. Supporting adrenal function is another way of supporting estrogen, as this is the only alternate sight of estrogen production in women, once ovarian function begins to decline.

Fats and Protein
Essential fatty acid and protein intake is important. Essential fatty acids are used to make steroid molecules, the precursors to hormones like estrogens. Primrose and borage oil are two sources of essential fatty acids that have a particular affinity for balancing female hormones. Protein is what the body uses to build connective tissue, bone and fetal tissue under the direction of hormones, like estrogen.

Vitamins/Minerals
Vitamins and minerals that support sexual gland function include vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B complex, vitamin B6, zinc, beta-carotene, calcium, magnesium, selenium and zinc.

Plant Medicines
Herbs can support estrogen production by containing plant estrogens (phytoestrogens); compounds that look similar to human estrogen and can interact with estrogen receptors in the human body. The important thing to remember is that these plant estrogens only stimulate the receptors a fraction of the amount that the hormone estrogen would. Therefore they can be used to treat conditions of high estrogen activity, by blocking the activity of the hormone estrogen. It can also treat conditions of low estrogen activity by binding to vacant receptor sites and causing a low level of hormonal stimulation. Some examples of plants that contain phytoestrogens are dong quai, ginkgo, panax ginseng, licorice (glycyrrhiza glabra), red clover and soy. Read more about soy.