Change in Natural Hormone Prescription

My doctor has changed my prescription for topical hormones based on blood test results. My estrogen was low and my progesterone was high. She said that could be contributing to the fatigue that I have been experiencing.

I get the Rx as a cream from a compounding pharmacy.

New Rx: E2= 1.25, E3= 1.5, P= 75, T= 0.1

Old Rx: E2= 0.75, E3= 1, P= 100, T= 0.1

Am I an Emotional Overeater?

I saw Dr. Daniel Amen on PBS and went to his website and found the free questionnaire. The results are based on my stating that I have frequent fatigue and feel worse in the winter.

Automated suggestions were provided for me including taking vitamin D and these:

The following behavioral changes may boost mood to help SAD or emotional overeaters:

1. Exercise to increase blood flow and multiple neurotransmitters in the brain.


2. Kill the ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) that steal your happiness.


3. Write down five things you are grateful for everyday (this has been shown to increase your level of happiness in just three weeks).


4. Volunteer to help others, which helps to get you outside of yourself and less focused on your own internal problems.


5. Surround yourself with great smells, such as lavender.


6. Try melatonin to help you sleep.


7. Work to improve your relationships.

See Type 4: SAD or Emotional Overeaters Plan – Amen Clinics

Study Links Heptachlor, PCBs and Form of Vitamin E to Diabetes

"An analysis of 266 potential environmental contributors to type 2 diabetes published May 20, 2010 in the online edition of the journal PLoS ONE, links the disease to individuals who have higher levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the pesticide heptachlor, as well a form of vitamin E found at high levels in soybean and corn oil, in their bodies compared to the general population. PCB was banned in 1979 and most uses of heptachlor were canceled between 1978 and 1989 (except for limited control of fire ants, which continues), but the compounds persist in the environment, especially near former industrial sites or contaminated soil. Environmentalists point to the fact that chemicals banned decades ago are still increasing people’s risk of disease, as a reason to take a precautionary approach when evaluating and registering chemicals.

The analysis, led by Atul Butte, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medical informatics and pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine, drew on data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to examine a wide range of environmental influences on type 2 diabetes."

Read Study Links Heptachlor, PCBs and Form of Vitamin E to Diabetes

Cancer Prevention - Exposing the Nonprofits

A recent article in the New York Times mentioned some of the shocking points you'll find on the Cancer Prevention Coalition's website. Some of the big "not-for-profit" organizations that are supposedly fighting cancer are actually in bed with the industries that contribute to the increase in cancer!

Be sure to browse the site to learn more about cancer and how the ACS has actually opposed measures to reduce the risk of cancer.

Diatomaceous Earth

I've used diatomaceous earth as a barrier against bugs, but when I found out some folks I know are taking a special grade of it as a supplement, I was surprised. The only information I can find on it is from companies that sell it (like EarthworksHealth) plus one scientific study that says it can lower high blood pressure. My holistically-inclined physician found the information and says it cannot recommend it at this time.

The active ingredient appears to be silica. A traditional supplement for silica is the herb horsetail, but silica is also found in many vegetables.

On the other hand, food grade diatomaceous earth has been used in animal feed for a long time. It sounds like it is safe to put in pet food to control parasites. Just be sure to use "food grade" instead of the kind you put on your lawn.

See Silica/Silicon on Diagnose-Me or Silicon on WebMD

Fast-Food Frustration

I don't want to be the customer from hell. I'd like to treat everyone with respect and make them feel good. But sometimes people make it hard. And my frustration over food issues makes it difficult to maintain patience.

Today we had our dog in the car because we had taken him to the vet. My husband did some shopping while I waited in the car and we both got hungry. I didn't want to leave the dog alone in the car while we ate in a restaurant so I drove to a fast-food drive-thru. My husband loves fast food. I tried to order a low-carb burger because I'm allergic to wheat. I don't tolerate dairy either. I told the unseen clerk on the other side of the intercom that I wanted a low-carb burger and asked "Do you know what that is?"

She mumbled something unintelligible. I don't like talking down to people but half the time my orders come out wrong so I try to be very clear. "I only want the burger patty and lettuce. No cheese, that's important. No bun, no sauce."

She did not read our order back to us and of course, when I opened the bag, my order was wrong. It had a bun. "Can't you just take it off?" asked my husband, although he knew the answer. With allergy, a few crumbs can cause a reaction. I took the sandwich into the restaurant so I could communicate face-to-face. After a short wait in line, I explained what I needed again. The man at the register relayed my instructions to the clerk, who appeared to have a limited command of English. In about two minutes the man gave me a cheeseburger patty with lettuce.

"This is wrong. I can't have cheese. Please get me a burger patty and lettuce ONLY." He did and I thanked him. But I'm sure he could tell I was upset. I was close to tears.

I felt sorry for myself. But we had one more stop, the hardware store. Again I sat in the car while my husband shopped. I listened to a program on public radio about a photography exhibit on hunger. Soundbites from several people were played, people who suffered from hunger. A woman talked about how hard it was to go to bed hungry. I stopped feeling so sorry for himself. At least I had found something to eat.

Agave Syrup: Not So Good for You

Why is agave syrup NOT a good idea? It's very high in fructose... but there are other problems with it. Dr. Mercola writes that agave syrup is worse than HFCS.

Well, I haven't tried this syrup and since I have a limited ability to handle sweets, I don't plan to try it. But I am concerned about insulin resistance and I was especially interested in some of the points Mercola makes in the article:

• While fructose does not increase insulin levels, what it does do is radically increase insulin resistance, which is FAR more dangerous because it’s normal for your insulin levels to rise; you just don’t want these insulin levels to remain elevated, which is what insulin resistance causes.
• Fructose is not intrinsically evil -- it is just the MASSIVE DOSES you are exposed to that makes it dangerous. Because it is so cheap and makes foods taste better, it is added to virtually every processed food. People are consuming fructose in quantities that are 400-800 percent higher than they were 100 years ago.
• Fructose is broken down in your liver just like alcohol and produces many of the side effects of chronic alcohol use, right down to the "beer belly."
• Fructose also elevates your uric acid levels, causing chronic, low-level inflammation.
• Fructose activates its own pathways in your body—those metabolic pathways become "upregulated." In other words, the more fructose you eat, the more effective your body is in absorbing it; and the more you absorb, the more damage it can do.
• You become "sensitized" to fructose as time goes by, and more sensitive to its toxic effects as well.
• Exercise can help modulate the negative effects of fructose.

See the article on Mercola.com

Ever heard of Senomyx?

I hadn't heard of Senomyx until I saw it mentioned on Natural Health News blog. Senomyx is a food additive that got approved very quickly. It can enhance flavors and even block bitter flavors. I looked up Senomyx on Wikipedia and found no comfort there. Companies can include put it in food without saying so!

"Senomyx has identified the receptors in the mouth responsible for sensing bitter taste (nature’s way of warning us against ingesting poison) and developed a chemical additive to knock out these receptors..." How's that for a bad idea?

As a person with food allergies and sensitivities, I object to any additive being allowed without being identified. If I should be have a reaction to the additive, how could I identify it and later avoid it?

Could Senomyx be one the secret "natural flavors" in Truvia? Could it be the one that has caused gastric distress in the dozens of people who have complained about Truvia here?