<![CDATA[Naturone - Articles]]>Sat, 21 Apr 2012 08:59:09 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[CHEMICALS KILLING OUR CHILDREN]]>Fri, 13 May 2011 06:06:05 -0800http://www.naturone.com/2/post/2011/05/chemicals-killing-our-children.html
PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO

http://www.ewg.org/kid-safe-chemicals-act-blog/kid-safe-chemicals-act-10-americans-video/
]]><![CDATA[ASPARTAME A REAL POISON ?]]>Wed, 03 Nov 2010 03:02:01 -0800http://www.naturone.com/2/post/2010/11/aspartame-a-real-poison.htmlThere is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus, and most people do not understand what toxin is causing this condition to be rampant in the first world.

The simple answer is that the TOXIN is "ASPARTAME" found artificial sweeteners such as  'NutraSweet', 'Equal', and 'Spoonful’ and many others.
When the temperature of Aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME coverts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants). The methanol toxicity mimics multiple sclerosis; thus people were being diagnosed with having multiple sclerosis in error. The multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, where methanol toxicity is. The methanol in the aspartame converts to formaldehyde in the retina of the eye. Formaldehyde is grouped in the same class of dmgs as cyanide and arsenic-DEADLY POISONS!!! Unfortunately, it just takes longer to quietly kill, but it is killing people and causing all kinds of neurological problems.

In the case of systemic lupus, we are finding it has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. Also, with methanol toxicity, the victims usually drink three to four 12 oz. Cans of them per day, some even more. In the cases of systemic lupus, which is triggered by ASPARTAME, the victim usually does not know that the aspartame is the culprit. The victim continues its use aggravating the lupus to such a degree, that sometimes it becomes life threatening. When people go off the aspartame, those with systemic lupus usually become asymptomatic. In the case of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, (when in reality,

the disease is methanol toxicity),most of the symptoms disappear. Vision returns and even their hearing returns. This also applies to some cases of tinnitus.

Other conditions that may be directly caused by Aspartame range from Fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss.


There are over 5,000 products containing this chemical, and the PATENT HAS EXPIRED!!!!!
Aspartame changes the brain's chemistry. It is the reason for severe seizures. This drug changes the dopamine level in the brain. Imagine what this drug does to patients suffering from Parkinson's Disease.
This drug also causes Birth Defects.

Children exposed to massive amounts of aspartame are suffering seizures. The majority of side effects from this product are all neurological, because the aspartame destroys the nervous system. A neurosurgeon said, "when they remove brain tumors, they have found high levels of aspartame in them".

Worst of all, you have been hoodwinked into believing this is a DIET product ???
The Congressional record said, "It makes you crave carbohydrates and will make you FAT".

Dr. Roberts stated that when he got patients off aspartame, their average weight loss was 19 pounds per person. The formaldehyde stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs.

Aspartame is especially deadly for diabetics. All physicians know what wood alcohol will do to a diabetic. We find that physicians believe that they have patients with retinopathy, when in fact, it is caused by the aspartame. The aspartame keeps the blood sugar level out of control, causing many patients to go into a coma..

Memory loss is due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are neurotoxic without the other amino acids found in protein. Thus it goes past the blood brain barrier and deteriorates the neurons of the brain. Dr. Russell Blaylock, neurosurgeon, said, "The ingredients stimulates the neurons of the brain to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees.


Dr. Blaylock has written a book entitled "EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT KILLS" (Health Press 1-800-643-2665). Dr. H.J. Roberts, diabetic specialist and world expert on aspartame poisoning, has also written a book entitled "DEFENSE AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE" (1-800-814-9800).
Dr. Roberts tells how aspartame poisoning is escalating Alzheimer's Disease, and indeed it is. Women are being admitted at 30 years of age with Alzheimer's Disease.
Dr. Roberts says "consuming aspartame at the time of conception can cause birth defects". The phenylalanine concentrates in the placenta, causing mental retardation, according to Dr. Louis Elsas, Pediatrician Professor - Genetics, at Emory University in his testimony before Congress.
 



MONSANTO, the creator of aspartame, knows how deadly their product is. They fund the American Diabetes Association, American Dietetic Association, Congress, and the Conference of the AmericanCollege of Physicians. The New York Times, on November 15, 1996, ran an
article on how the American Dietetic Association takes money from the food industry to endorse their products. Therefore, they can not  criticize any additives or tell about their link to MONSANTO.

 

Sugar alternatives that are safe are :-

Stevia, a sweet food, NOT AN ADDITIVE, which helps in the metabolism of sugar.  It is ideal for diabetics, and has now been approved as a dietary supplement by the F.D.A. For years, the F.D.A. has outlawed this !

Xylatol, a 5 carbon sugar has the consistency of sugar and tastes almost the same.  This is a HEALTH food, as it is a glycol-nutrient.

 

If it says "SUGAR FREE" on the label-DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!


Senator Howard Hetzenbaum wrote a bill that would have warned all infants, pregnant mothers and children of the dangers of aspartame. The bill would have also instituted independent studies on the problems existing in the population (seizures, changes in brain chemistry, changes in neurological and behavioral symptoms). It was killed by the powerful drug and chemical lobbies, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting public.

]]><![CDATA[Low-Salicylate diet]]>Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:18:01 -0800http://www.naturone.com/2/post/2010/10/low-salicylate-diet.htmlHere is a diet low in Salicylate foods
Low-Salicylate foods 
Fruits
Bananas, mangoes, paw-paws, peeled pears, pomegranates
Vegetables
All beans (except broad and green beans) beansprouts, brussels, cabbage, celery, leeks, lentils, lettuce, peas, peeled potatoes, swedes, fermented soy products.
Beverages
Gin and vodka
Cereals
Wheat, oats barley, rye, rice (all have no or minimal salicylate content).
Nuts and Seeds
Are all allowed except – almonds, brazils, coconut, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, sesame seeds, walnuts and water chestnuts.
Meats
All meats, fish, shellfish, diary produce and eggs

High-Salicylate foods
Fruits
Apples, apricots, avocadoes, all berry fruit, melons, cherries, currants, grapes, raisins, dates, figs, guavas, grapefruit, lemons, lychees, mandarins, nectarines, peaches, plums, prunes, oranges, passion fruit, pears with skins, persimmons, pineapples, rhubarb.
Vegetables
Alfalfa, asparagus, aubergines, broad and green beans, beetroot, broccoli, carrots, chicory, courgettes, cucumber, endive, marrow, mushrooms, okra, olives, onions, parsnips, peppers, chillis, potatoes in their skins, radishes, spinach, sweetcorn, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, watercress.
Condiments
Aniseed, cayenne, celery seed, cinnamon, cumin, curry, dill, fenugreek, five-spice, garam masala, mace, mustard, oregano, paprika, rosemary, sage, tarragon, turmeric, thyme.
Beverages
Coca-cola, coffee, tea, peppermint tea, most fruit juices and alcoholic drinks.
Cereal
Sweetcorn
Nuts and Seeds
Almonds, brazils, coconut, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, sesame seeds, walnuts and water chestnuts.
Miscellaneous
Honey, liquorice, peppermint sweets and yeast containing produce all contain appreciable amounts of salicylates. Many processed, tinned or packaged foods can be high in salicylates, due to the spices or foods used in their composition.
 
 
Conditions that can respond to a Low-Salicylate diet include
1.    Urticaria
2.    Asthma
3.    Hyperactivity in children
4.    Ulcerative colitis
]]><![CDATA[LIVER CLEANSING DIET]]>Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:06:27 -0800http://www.naturone.com/2/post/2010/10/liver-cleansing-diet.htmlHere is a liver cleansing diet.
DO NOT EAT

  • Meat, eggs. fish, milk, cheese, butter or yoghurt
  • Fats, oils or margarine
  • Tea, coffee, alcohol or cigarettes
  • Salt pepper or spices
  • Potatoes, tomatoes, aubergine, peppers
  • Sugar, honey or sweeteners
  • Wheat products: bread, pizza, pasta, cakes, biscuits, pies, pastries, some puddings go easy on citrus until you are sure they’re OK
  • Peanuts
DO EAT

  • OTHER grains: rice, barley, millet etc
  • Any fruit, vegetables, beans
  • Tropical fruits get 5* (bananas, guavas, mango, pineapple etc)
  • Avocados, broccoli, green vegetables get 5*
  • Sweet potato, parsnips, artichokes
  • Sprouts, esp alfalfa sprouts
  • Herbs (leaves) onions and garlic
  • nuts and edible seeds but not peanuts
  • Ryvitas, oatcakes  in moderation, and rice cakes
  • soya products but NOT soy sauce
  • TWO LITRES OF WATER A DAY

 

IN ADDITION-  these additions only if the homoeopath has recommended them
Walk a mile, (1.6km)  a day
Get up a sweat every day
Have two saunas a week if you don’t have high blood pressure
Lie down and rest for ten minutes each afternoon and meditate
 

EXPECTED RESULTS

The most common result is that after feeling deprived for a couple of days you get a "hangover" - a nasty frontal headache which lasts 2-3 days, and for which you can take Nux Vomica 6x which helps a bit.  Other symptoms can be aches, flu like symptoms, loose bowels or bladder, etc. Symptoms usually pass after four days, and afterwards you should feel MUCH better, brighter, cleaner, energetic and very virtuous.

 If you don't feel this improvement after seven days, you should stop it.  Otherwise, continue to the end and expect to feel good for a while afterwards.

COMING OFF THE DIET

After the two weeks has elapsed, you can continue the diet if you enjoyed it.  Most people want to eat more normally again and you should go back to a wide diet over a week or so, though dairy foods andwheat should be eliminated from your diet forever.  If any of them bring back uncomfortable symptoms, that's an indication that the food in question doesn't agree with you,  so tell your homoeopath about it at the next appointment.

 
COOKBOOK FOR LIVER CLEANSING DIET.

Breakfast menus.
1. Fruity porridge

Cook oatmeal as normal but with the addition of dates, sultanas, sliced bananas or apples and pears; alternatively you can stir in some 'apple and pear spread' to add flavour. Eat with soya milk but no sugar.

2. Rice pudding made with soya milk and fruit as above, and baked in the oven for one to two hours.  This can be prepared beforehand and eaten cold.

3. Fresh fruit salad.  This is more interesting in the summer but still edible in colder weather with the addition of some soaked, dried fruits.

4. Dried fruit salad.  A mixture of prunes, apricots, pears and apple rings soaked overnight can be made more interesting by the addition of almond flakes, chopped mixed nuts or desiccated coconut,  and then eaten with soya milk if desired.

5. Stewed apples and pears with currants or sultanas, eaten with soya milk if desired.

6. Rice cakes or ryvitas or oatcakes spread with marmite, sugar free jam or vegetarian pate and cucumber or alfalfa sprouts. Vegetarian pates contain a proportion of fats and so shouldn't be allowed in the diet,  but as savoury breakfast foods are in short supply this is allowed as a snack.

7.Nutri-grains with soya milk.  There are some other cereals on the market that may be acceptable but check for added sugar and salt.

8. Granola with soya milk.

9. Rice based muesli with soya milk or fruit juice

10. If not forbidden them, eggs/bacon/beans/mushrooms


Drinks: The best thing to drink is water - if you have potable water where you live or else bottled, fizzy or still. You should drink at least two litres of water each day. Fruit juices without additives are also fine. Warm drinks: water, barley cup, caro, bambu, dandelion coffee and rooibosh tea are all OK and drunk with soya milk; and of course any herb teas are fine.

LUNCH AND DINNER

-         Salads with anything: you can be imaginative with beany or aubergine pate, or roasted nuts; remember only a touch of mayonnaise or oily dressings. Many people find balsamic vinegar is fine by itself.

-         Stir fry: rice cooked then fries lightly with any vegetables and fish/meat/prawns with soy sauce, ginger and herbs for seasoning

-         Piece of fish with a pile of steamed vegetables and a little mayonnaise/tartar sauce

-         Chicken as above, with some rice if wanted

-         Chicken/ tuna/ prawn salad with a little mayonnaise or french dressing

-         Meat and five vegetables (but no potato: rice if wanted), risotto: rice cooked gently in chicken or vegetable stock with mushrooms, green beans, peas, any vegetables added that you like

-         Hearty vegetable soups with parsnip instead of potato, and plenty of ginger and garlic: I make a nice mushroom and chestnut puree soup/ celery and caraway seed soup/ chicken and pea soup

-         Pease pudding with bacon (if allowed bacon)  - old fashioned and tasty

-         Rice and corn pasta in any pasta dish

-         Premade nut loaf type things – have some wheat but fine occasionally

-         Rice with quick stir fried vegetables (mangetout, broccoli, carrot, beans, with smoked tofu which tastes a little bit like bacon

-         Spinach steamed then lightly cooked in coconut milk and ginger actually very nice! Eat with beany stews.

-         Beany stews are easy. Soak any beans overnight. Fry onions, add beans then add stock, apple juice, herbs  and carrots and parsnips, leave to cook 1-2 hours.

-         If allowed eggs: omelettes with nice things inside them; I make pancakes with cornflour and soya milk: tasty with summer fruits in (frozen from all supermarkets)

-     Waitrose in Monmouth do a variety of spiced rice, which are good with salads

]]><![CDATA[PANCREATIC CLEANSING DIET]]>Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:29:59 -0800http://www.naturone.com/2/post/2010/10/pancreatic-cleansing-diet.html
PANCREATIC CLEANSING DIET - two weeks initially

 DO NOT EAT
- any sugar: in tea/coffee, jams, cakes and sweets, check all ready made meals
- any fruit: treats occasionally: strawberries or raspberries 2 oz or less with cream
- any grains: wheat, rice, rye, barley, oats and maize.  This means NO bread, pizza, pasta, pies, cakes, biscuits and puddings generally.
- any root vegetables: potatoes, parsnips, carrots, beetroot etc.
- any sweets or chocolate

WHAT’S LEFT?

- all protein: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese
- all other vegetables: salads,  cabbage, kale, sprouts, broccoli, spinach, peas and beans, asparagus, globe artichokes, leeks and onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes – all nuts and seeds including coconut, chestnuts, pine nuts
- all beans and pulses – but in moderate quantities
- ORGANIC butter, cream and yoghurt, homemade mayonnaise, French dressing, VIRGIN PRESSED olive oil IN ABUNDANCE

   for the first few days this is where you will get your energy from

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER: herbal teas are allowed in any amount.

EATING SUGGESTIONS:

Breakfast: easiest is eggs/bacon/beans/mushrooms with NO toast

                 Boiled eggs/ omelette with cheeses
                 Half avocado with nuts & mayo
 
Lunch: soup made with milk or cream and no starch: mushroom, tomato, leek

              Cabbage (good for weight loss): chicken stock makes a good base
              Salad with ham, chicken, tuna, prawns or cheese

 Dinner:   Fish steak with vegetables sautéed in butter
               Coq au vin with steamed vegetables
               Dhal with yoghurt, stewed chick peas, spinach in coconut curry sauce
               Lamb and mushroom casserole with red cabbage and walnuts 
               Stuffed marrow with mince and mushroom with stewed tomatoes/leeks
               Chicken, ham and vegetables in cheese sauce

 

This can be an absolutely delicious diet if you decide to enjoy it.  Eat plenty of vegetables and drink lots of water so you don’t get bunged up, and expect to eat less than you’re used to as it’s quite dense without all the starch.

After 14 days the diet stops, before if you feel  awful after the first five days.

If you complete the full 2 weeks, think how you feel  and if the new diet agrees with you then consider eating say only breakfast with starch in future for most days, except when you are partying.

        

]]><![CDATA[Indoor Air Pollution Disrupts Hormones]]>Mon, 11 Oct 2010 08:42:32 -0800http://www.naturone.com/2/post/2010/10/indoor-air-pollution-disrupts-hormones.htmlWe're inhaling gender-bending chemicals in our homes.

Chemicals that mimic the female hormone estrogen and block male hormones were found indoors in high concentrations in two communities in northern California, one urban and one rural, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. Researchers from the Silent Spring Institute teamed up with university scientists to measure indoor and outdoor air quality in the industrial city of Richmond, as well as the rural community of Bolinas. The data showed that indoor air pollution was similarly high in both communities, but that many of the outdoor pollutants found in Richmond were also found inside.
This research has implications both for the rising rate of early puberty in girls, and the rise of low sperm counts, testicular cancer and reproductive abnormalities in boys and men.

Gender-bending chemicals, known in scientific circles as endocrine disruptors, are found in scented products such as air fresheners, laundry detergents and perfumes, as well as in body lotions and cosmetics, pesticides, food packaging, furniture, carpet, fuels, adhesives and soft plastics such as shower curtains. In other words they are everywhere.

Hundreds of research papers published in the late 1980s and early 1990s showed definitively that many of the petrochemicals used to make plastics and pesticides affect reproduction and gender in insects, fish and birds, primarily turning males into females, and reducing the ability of males to breed. Research from Norway has shown that sperms counts in men are half of what they were 50 years ago, and research from the U.S. shows that the rate of testicular cancer has tripled in the same time period. Scientist Theo Colburn detailed the effects of endocrine disruptors in her classic book, Our Stolen Future.

Although governments in both the U.S. and Europe have been slow to respond to endocrine-disruptor pollution, in January of this year the FDA finally admitted that it is "concerned" about bisphenol-A (BPA), and in California it has been banned from baby bottles.

The Silent Spring Institute researchers measured indoor air for 104 gender-bending chemicals, most of them in the following categories:

Phthalates, found in fragrances and soft plastics were found in 100% of the homes. This is likely due to their presence in the fragrances (aka fakegrances) found in everything from laundry and dishwasher detergents to perfumes, personal care products, cosmetics, dry cleaning, and (so-called) air fresheners.

Alkylphenols, found in detergents and as "inert" ingredients in pesticides were found in 95% of homes.

Parabens, found in personal care products such as hand sanitizers, body lotions and cosmetics as well as in pharmaceutical products and processed foods, were found in the air of 33% of the Richmond homes. (Parabens are waxy, and are more likely to be found in dust and in the tissues of the body than in the air.)

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) is found in flame retardants used in furniture, and although the authors did not specify levels, it is widely found in both dust and air in homes. Along with being a gender bender, PBDE also disrupts thyroid function, particularly in the fetus. Indoor PBDE pollution appears to be most specific to California, which, in a perfect example of good intentions gone bad, created strict regulations requiring flame retardants in furniture and bedding.

PCBs, although banned for decades, were found in about half the homes. They were used in industrial insulators and lubricants, and as well as being endocrine disruptors, cause cancer and nervous system disorders.

Pesticides ñ 23 pesticides were found, and 2-Phenylphenol was found in 100% of the homes. The chemical 2-Phenylphenol is used as an agricultural fungicide, in fruit wax, hand sanitizers and other disinfectants, and is also embedded in many fibers and resins.

Phenols are found in pesticides, dyes, sunscreens, plastics, and have hundreds of industrial uses. The ubiquitous bisphenol-A (BPA), a particularly potent gender bender, was found in over 90% of urine samples taken during 2003-2004 research by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of exposure to BPA in the U.S. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently reported that even cash register receipts are coated with BPA!

The phenol 4-t-Butylphenol, used widely in adhesives, fuels and in manufacturing, was found in 100% of homes.

While nobody on earth can completely escape petrochemical pollution, it can be minimized by using as many organic products as possible, from food and clothing to personal care products, furniture and carpeting. We humans are most susceptible to endocrine disruptors when weíre in the womb, which makes it especially important for women who may become or are pregnant to be aware of exposure to gender benders.

Resources
The website Baby Hopes is a good source of natural pregnancy and baby products.

Hereís where you can find articles on living a toxin-free lifestyle.

The nonprofit Environmental Working Group website is a great source of information on endocrine disruptors.

References
Rudel RA, Dodson RE, Perovich LJ et al, ìSemivolatile Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds in Paired Indoor and Outdoor Air in Two Northern California Communities,î Environ. Sci. Technol. August 3, 2010.

Our Stolen Future ñ www.ourstolenfuture.org
Article - Emerging science on the impacts of endocrine disruption on reproduction and fertility
http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/reproduction/repro.htm

Environmental Working Group ñ www.ewg.org
Home is where the hazard is: Indoor toxins may be worse for you than outdoor smog
http://www.ewg.org/node/16209

National Resources Defense Council
Endocrine disruptors
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/qendoc.asp

]]><![CDATA[Bisphosphonates: Bone Strengtheners or Bone Hardeners?]]>Thu, 07 Oct 2010 01:03:49 -0800http://www.naturone.com/2/post/2010/10/bisphosphonates-bone-strengtheners-or-bone-hardeners.htmlby Lane Lenard PhD on 13/02/10 at 1:39 pm
Bisphosphonates are now the most widely marketed and prescribed patented, FDA-approved anti-osteoporosis drugs. Bisphosphonates mimic, to some extent, the effects of estrogen on bone in that they work by inhibiting bone resorption [the process by which old bone is removed to make room for new bone]. However, like estrogen, these drugs have no ability to build new bone.
Currently FDA-approved bisphosphonates, including Fosamax (alendronate), Actonel (risedronate), Didronel (etidronate), Boniva (ibandronate), and Reclast (Zometa) (zoledronate), are designed to strengthen bone by inhibiting normal osteoclastic bone resorbing activity, which slows the loss of bone mineral density (BMD), allowing the trabecular architecture to stabilize. Notice that this has nothing to do with stabilizing the balance between estrogen and progesterone, restoring calcium levels, or any other natural process.
Like many other patented drugs, bisphosphonates are synthetic analogs of an important natural bone-building chemical, pyrophosphate, which normally helps bind calcium to bone tissue through a process known as mineralization. Unlike pyrophosphate, however,bisphosphonates actually block normal mineralization as well as osteoclastic bone resorption.
Large, placebo-controlled trials generally show that these drugs can indeed increase BMD and reduce the risk of vertebral, hip, and other nonvertebral fractures in women with osteoporosis—at least in the short run. That’s the good news. Merck, the company that markets the leading bisphosphonate, Fosamax (now also sold generically as alendronate), seized upon results like these to turn its drug into a blockbuster worth as much as $3.6 billion per year. Use of Fosamax and other bisphosphonates has been growing at an especially rapid rate since 2002, when the publication of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) results scared women away from “estrogen” replacement, which until then had been the leading conventional method for preventing osteoporosis.
Unfortunately, all may not be so rosy after all. Trials lasting up to 10 years are beginning to raise doubts about the long-term safety and efficacy of bisphosphonates. The main problem is that bisphosphonates not only directly—and unnaturally—inhibit osteoclasticbone resorption, they also indirectly inhibit the other side of the bone-building coin,osteoblastic bone formation.
How Bisphosphonates Work
In normal bone remodeling, osteoclasts first resorb bone tissue, forming little pits in the bone structure. In short order, osteoblasts come along—like microscopic road repair crews—to fill in those pits with healthy new bone. Under normal circumstances, osteoblasts remain inactive until the osteoclasts first do their thing. If osteoclastic activity is suppressed enough, though, as it is by bisphosphonates, osteoblasts have no cavities to fill, and so formation of new bone ceases. Although estrogens also inhibit osteoclastic activity, they do so in a natural way that does not suppress osteoblastic bone building, which can still be stimulated by agents like progesterone, testosterone or strontium.
Thus, the physical cost of bisphosphonate-induced bone stabilization is to freeze normal bone remodeling—a highly unnatural state of affairs.
The Long Term Consequences of Suppressing Normal Bone Remodeling
What does this mean for bone health in the long term? This is a crucial question, because there’s no such thing as short-term treatment with these drugs. A woman who starts taking bisphosphonates at age 55 could easily still be taking them 25 or 30 years later, if she stays healthy and can tolerate them. The longest trial so far reported—10 years with Fosamax—apparently evidenced no increase in fracture rate in the later years. However, the design of this Merck-sponsored study has been criticized.
Another much smaller clinical trial – conducted independently of direct drug company influence—presented a very different story. The researchers followed 9 women with osteopenia or osteoporosis, who had been taking Fosamax for 3 to 8 years (some had also been taking Premarin) and had developed nonspinal fractures (to the lower back, ribs, hip bones, and femur) while performing normal daily activities such as walking, standing, or turning around. The locations of these fractures were unusual for women with osteoporosis, and none of the fractures was related to a fall or other trauma. The fractures occurred earlier in the women taking both Fosamax and Premarin, suggesting an additive effect on bone resorption.
Since the women continued taking Fosamax while their fractures were healing, the researchers took the opportunity to study the drug’s effects on the healing process. What they found was not encouraging. In most of the women, fracture healing slowed down considerably, taking months or even years longer than it should have. One woman’s broken hip (femoral shaft fracture) took more than two years to heal, despite the fact that her doctors had treated the fracture aggressively, employing metal screws and rods as well as a bone graft. In most of the women, once the drug treatment was discontinued, the fractures healed satisfactorily.
The researchers also performed bone biopsies at a site away from the fractures, which was intended to give them an idea of the health of the women’s bones in general. They found a strikingly severe depression of bone formation—nearly 100-fold lower in some of the patients than has been found in healthy postmenopausal women. They concluded that the deterioration in bone health was almost certainly due to Fosamax treatment, and that it was probably exacerbated by the coadministration of Fosamax with estrogen, since both suppress bone turnover.
One Woman’s Experience with Fosamax
In one case reported in the medical literature, Jennifer P. Schneider, MD, PhD, a physician from Tucson, Arizona, described her personal experience with Fosamax. At age 59, Dr. Schneider, who had gone into menopause prematurely in her early 40s, was riding in a New York City subway when the car jolted. Although the femur is normally one of the strongest bones in the body, she reported in the journal Geriatrics that when the car lurched, she “shifted all her weight to one leg, felt the bone snap, and fell to the floor of the train.” The photograph shows an X-ray of Dr. Schneider’s shattered femur.
At the time of her fateful subway ride, Dr. Schneider had been experiencing pain in her right thigh for about 3 months, and a bone scan the week before had shown a stress fracture of her right femur. She had also been taking Fosamax for about seven years, in addition to calcium and conventional HRT (Premarin + Provera).
After the fracture, her doctors persuaded her to continue taking Fosamax, dismissing her concerns about its potential for suppressing bone turnover—that is, healing—as only “a theoretical possibility.” Yet despite aggressive treatment over more than nine months, including electrical bone stimulation and two surgeries to implant increasingly larger metal rods, her fracture refused to heal. Finally, she halted the drug on her own, and within six months the pieces of her broken thighbone finally began to unite.
Dr. Schneider remained off Fosamax for two years, during which time she was able to regain her normal level of activity. However, since her bone scans were showing that her BMD was beginning to decline somewhat, her doctors advised her to start taking Fosamax again. Reluctantly, she agreed. About a year later, though, upon getting out of bed one morning, she felt a pain in her right foot with each step. Fearing the possibility of another nontraumatic stress fracture, she again stopped taking the Fosamax, but a bone scan 2 months later revealed that she had indeed suffered a stress fracture in her foot (the second metatarsal bone).
For the second time in 4 years, Dr. Schneider had fractured a bone due to no particular trauma. This time, instead of Fosamax, she started taking calcium supplements, oral estradiol and oral micronized progesterone [natural progesterone in pill form]. Wearing sturdy shoes to support her foot, she started walking a mile every day, and after several months, her fractured foot finally healed. Remaining on this regimen ever since, she has not suffered any new fractures.
Dr. Schneider is not alone in her fracture experience. After she published her own “case” history in 2006, she was sent numerous unpublished reports of others who had had similar fractures. Continuing to research the issue, she recently reviewed the current knowledge about this phenomenon. Meanwhile, two other papers—one from doctors in Singapore and the other from the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York—have independently documented a total of 87 men and women, who had had “low-energy,” “low-impact,” “fragility,” or “atypical” fractures associated with use of Fosamax or other bisphosphonates. It appears that these unusual fractures have several things in common:
Most patients had been taking Fosamax for 4 to 7 years prior to the event.
The fracture was often preceded by localized pain in the thigh for 1 week to 2 years.
Some patients had sustained fractures in their opposite femur 2 to 4 years earlier.
The fractures were associated with “low-energy” events, like tripping, and patients often could feel the bone snap prior to the fall.
Patients with bisphosphonate-related femoral shaft fractures often show a specific and unusual fracture pattern that is visible on X-rays. In one survey of  men and women admitted to a trauma center, 70 such fractures were identified over a 5‑year period. The unusual X-ray pattern was seen in only 1 patient who was not being treated with Fosamax. In other words, the unusual fracture pattern was specific to 98% of Fosamax patients.15
Perhaps the oddest aspect of these Fosamax-related fractures is that they tend to occur in the upper femur. Remember, this bone is composed primarily of hard, thick cortical bone, and it is usually the strongest bone in the body. In most healthy people, femoral fractures like these occur only after major, high-energy trauma, like a fall from a high place or an automobile accident. This is in sharp contrast to typical osteoporosis-related fractures, which occur in relatively soft, weakened cancellous bone (for example, trochanter of the hip, wrist, ribs) following (or sometimes preceding) relatively mild trauma, like tripping and falling. As Dr. Schneider points out in her recent review, the femur is “unlikely to fracture in low-energy trauma unless extreme osteoporosis is present.14 The reports of multiple cases of low-impact femoral fractures in patients taking alendronate [Fosamax] for several years, a previously rare event, have therefore called for further study of the possible connection between alendronate and such fractures.”13\
How Bisphosphonates Might Promote New Fractures
Given the way that bone remodeling normally takes place, it’s easy to see why bisphosphonates might inhibit fracture healing (even though many doctors have been reluctant to admit it), but how they could actually promote new fractures while they’re supposed to be preventing them seems less obvious. Current thinking on this paradox goes as follows:
The typical stresses of every day life tend to cause bones to develop microcracks. Under normal conditions in otherwise healthy people, these microcracks trigger osteoclasts and osteoblasts to spring into action to repair the damage, unnoticeably and with no ill effects. However, if bone remodeling (turnover) is strongly inhibited, as it unquestionably is by bisphosphonates, the osteoclasts and osteoblasts cannot do their jobs, and so, the microcrack damage—like a well-traveled but poorly maintained road pounded by heavy traffic over many years—develops ever-widening cracks and potholes. This hypothesis has recently been supported by Czech researchers, who found that, in women with low BMD, Fosamax treatment—which keeps the body’s “road repair crews” off the job—led to an increase in the accumulation of microcracks.
Let’s be clear about something: despite the fact that Fosamax increases BMD, it may still make bones more likely to fracture in the long term. In lab animals, Fosamax-induced oversuppression of bone remodeling increased the appearance of microcracks by 2- to 7‑fold. Accumulation of these microcracks, without subsequent repair—due to the actions of bisphosphonates—appears to increase the risk of fractures while delaying or inhibiting healing.
In summary, even though bone strength appears toincrease due to Fosamax treatment, in fact, use of this patented medicine has been associated with a 20% reduction in bone toughness (that is, its ability to endure bending pressure without breaking). Dr. Susan M. Ott of the University of Washington, Seattle, compares bisphosphonate-treated bone to an old tree. Under the stress of a strong wind, younger trees are flexible enough to bend easily without breaking. However, older, denser trees, faced with a serious windstorm, are less able to bend and might just snap in two. “Many people believe that these drugs are ‘bone builders,’” she wrote in a letter to a medical journal, “but the evidence shows they are actually bone hardeners.” (Italics added.)
In an editorial in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Dr. Ott suggested that bone tissue in Fosamax-treated women resembles a form of “adynamic bone disease” sometimes seen in people whose kidneys are failing. She notes that, once ensconced in bone tissue, bisphosphonates virtually never leave, and in fact, they accumulate with use. “These drugs are not metabolized, but are either excreted renally [in urine] or deposited within bones. … There is no known method of removing the medication from the bones,” she wrote.
Dr. Ott urges caution in the long-term use of bisphosphonates, pointing out that research supports their beneficial effects—but only for the first 5 years. “I believe the current evidence suggests that bisphosphonates should be stopped after 5 years.” She added, “The bisphosphonates in doses used today suppress bone formation to a greater extent than the other anti-resorbing medications, so it is possible that microdamage accumulation would develop after 15 or 20 years—just about the time between menopause and the usual onset of osteoporotic fractures.”
More Bisphosphonate Bad News:It’s Not Just in Your Bones
GI Toxicity (or How to Lie with Valid Clinical Trials)
As if these problems weren’t bad enough, bisphosphonates are also potentially destructive to the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and possibly jawbone. As noted in the official FDA-approved Fosamax label, “Fosamax, like other bisphosphonates, may cause local irritation of the upper gastrointestinal mucosa. Esophageal adverse experiences, such as esophagitis, esophageal ulcers, and esophageal erosions, occasionally with bleeding and rarely followed by esophageal stricture or perforation, have been reported in patients receiving treatment with Fosamax. In some cases, these have been severe and required hospitalization.” Recent reports have even linked its use to cancer of the esophagus.
It’s hard to know just how common these kinds of GI complications are. In Merck’s original clinical trials, for example, there was little difference in the frequency of GI side effects between the Fosamax and placebo groups. However, in the real world of physicians and patients, GI side effects of Fosamax and other bisphosphonates are a serious problem.22
Is Merck fudging the data about GI complications? Not really. What we have here is a perfect example of how a large-scale, well-controlled, FDA-approved, drug-company-sponsored clinical trial can do everything right and still distort reality by making a drug look safer than it really is. Here’s how it works:
Serious as the bisphosphonate-related GI side effects are, it’s pretty simple to prevent them by closely following the recommended procedures for taking the drug, all of which are basically designed to get the pill out of your mouth, through your esophagus, and into and out of your stomach as quickly as possible, with as little contact as possible with the delicate linings of these organs. To accomplish this and also to maximize absorption, Merck recommends the following:
Take Fosamax first thing in the morning, right after getting out of bed and at least 30 minutes before ingesting any other food, beverage, or medication.
Take Fosamax with a full glass (6-8 oz) of ordinary water, but not mineral water.
After swallowing the Fosamax pill, drink another 2 oz (¼ cup) of water.
Do not lie down for at least 30 minutes and not until after eating your first food of the day—at least 30 minutes later.
Taking Fosamax with too little water can expose the esophageal or gastric (stomach) lining to the dangerously irritating drug, which can cause anything from heartburn to perforated ulcers to cancer. Lying down with the drug still in your stomach risks reflux of the acidic, drug-loaded gastric contents back into the esophagus, where they can do serious harm. Moreover, taking Fosamax while food or other meds are still in your stomach significantly reduces the drug’s absorption, thus inhibiting its effectiveness. Even the minerals in mineral water can impede Fosamax absorption.
So, after taking Fosamax in the morning, there’s no going back to bed for at least 30 minutes (What do you do during this time? Watch TV? Take the dog for a walk? Read a book?); nor are you supposed take it before bedtime at night. You can’t even take the drug and then have your morning cup of coffee or tea. You must take it on an empty stomach, so you need to wait at least half an hour before consuming anything else. Any deviations from these very stringent procedures can reduce the drug’s “therapeutic” effects and/or increase the chances it will cause serious injury to the lining of your upper GI tract.
Clearly, then, taking Fosamax and other bisphosphonates is a far cry from popping an ordinary pill in the morning. These drugs demand a commitment to religiously following the recommended procedures or you face potentially dire consequences. For older people, who typically take lots of other meds at different times each day and who may get easily confused about which is which, Fosamax may be a prescription for disaster. To get around these problems, companies have been designing new bisphosphonate drugs that can be taken once a week (e.g., Fosamax), once a month (e.g., Boniva), or even once a year (Reclast – by IV infusion).
Now, back to the clinical trials. We know that the people who run clinical trials for pharmaceutical companies go out of their way to make sure their participants follow the recommended drug-taking rules to a T. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Merck didn’t see very many serious side effects during its clinical trials, compared with placebo, thus allowing it to claim—statistically speaking—that the drug was safe.
Not so, though, for people who get their prescriptions from the average harried, conventional HMO GP, who may not have the time, understanding, or motivation to carefully instruct his/her patients and to follow up on their drug-taking in a timely manner. More likely, it’s, “Take these pills and come back in 3 to 6 months. Oh, and be sure to read this booklet about the right and wrong ways to take the pills. What did you say your name was?”
Under such real-world circumstances, bisphosphonate-related GI pathology turns out to be a common and potentially very serious problem. In fact, the FDA has recently reported receiving more than 40 case reports of esophageal cancer related to Fosamax use, of which 14 resulted in a patient’s death. Another 31 cases of esophageal cancer (and 6 deaths) linked to use of Fosamax and other bisphosphonates have been reported in Europe and Japan. The median time from initial drug exposure to cancer diagnosis was just 2.1 years in the US and 1.3 years in Europe and Japan.
Beware “Jaw Death”
Recently, a new, very disturbing, rare bisphosphonate side effect—osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), also known as jaw death—has emerged. In ONJ, the bone tissue in the jaw fails to heal after minor trauma, such as a tooth extraction, which leaves the bone exposed and vulnerable to a particularly difficult-to-treat bacterial infection and fracture. Long-term antibiotic therapy and surgery to remove dying bone tissue may be required. Occasionally, a large portion of the jaw may have to be removed.
Ordinarily, ONJ is uncommon and is primarily associated with cancer chemotherapy, radiation of the head or neck, steroid therapy (e.g., cortisone), poor dental health, gum disease, dental surgery, alcohol abuse, and other conditions. Accustomed to 1 or 2 cases a year, doctors at one hospital were alarmed to notice that, over a 3‑year period, ONJ had been diagnosed in 63 of their patients. The one thing all these patients had in common was bisphosphonate treatment. While 56 of them (89%) had been receiving IV bisphosphonates (pamidronate or zoledronate) as cancer chemotherapy for at least a year, 7 of the patients (11%) had been taking only oral bisphosphonates (alendronate or zoledronic acid) at standard doses for osteoporosis.
While there have been numerous subsequent anecdotal reports of bisphosphonate-related ONJ, Merck, along with the American Dental Association, continue to insist that oralFosamax (as well as other bisphosphonates) poses minimal risk of ONJ. However, a recent systematic study from researchers at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry suggests otherwise. They evaluated the electronic medical records of patients attending the USC dental school clinic to find out which ones had ever used Fosamax and which of those later developed ONJ. Of the 208 patients (all women, aged 63 to 80) with a history of once-a-week Fosamax use, 9 were being treated for ONJ – about 4%. (Four cases were associated with tooth extractions, and five with ulceration related to poorly fitting dentures.) This was a far higher incidence than had been suggested by most “authorities.” By contrast, of the 4,384 USC patients who had undergone dental extraction but had never used Fosamax, not a single one developed ONJ.
“We’ve been told that the risk with oral bisphosphonates is negligible, but 4% is not negligible,” insisted Dr. Parish Sedghizadeh, who led the USC research team. He points out that most doctors who prescribe bisphosphonates do not tell their patients about the drugs’ potential risks, even with short-term use.
The problem is that, as Dr. Ott suggested above, the drug remains locked into bone tissue for a long time (it may take 10 years for levels to drop by half even once you stop taking it). Thus, continuous use allows the drug to build up to levels previously thought to be achievable only by high-dose intravenous administration to cancer patients. The USC results showed that ONJ could develop after taking oral Fosamax for as little as 1 year.
Several lawsuits have been filed against Merck alleging that Fosamax causes ONJ and that Merck has known about the risk but has been keeping it under wraps. “We’re not quite sure what we’re dealing with over the long haul,” Dr. Susan Ott told the Los Angeles Times. “Side effects like this should make ordinary, healthy women think twice.”
Increased Heart Risks, Too
The latest bad news about bisphosphonates concerns their adverse effects on heart function. New research shows that women who have ever used Fosamax or Reclast (also called Zometa) double their risk of developing serious atrial fibrillation (AF), a form of heart arrhythmia. Common symptoms include light-headedness, palpitations, chest pain, and shortness of breath; or there may be no symptoms at all. Untreated AF can lead to fluid collecting in the lungs (pulmonary edema), congestive heart failure, and formation of blood clots that may travel to the brain and cause a stroke. An analysis of three studies covering more than 16,000 women, most of whom were taking the drugs for osteoporosis, found that 2.5% to 3% experienced atrial fibrillation; 1% to 2% experienced serious AF, leading to hospitalization or death.
This article was reprinted with permission of the Townsend Letter, the Examiner of Alternative Medicine. It was also extracted, in part, from the book Stay Young and Sexy with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement by Jonathan Wright MD and Lane Lenard PhD (Smart Publications, 2010).
Notes
1. Hosking D, Chilvers CE, Christiansen C, et al. Prevention of bone loss with alendronate in postmenopausal women under 60 years of age. Early Postmenopausal Intervention Cohort Study Group. N Engl J Med. 1998;338:485–492.
2. Rosen CJ. Clinical practice. Postmenopausal osteoporosis. N Engl J Med.2005;353:595–603.
3. Chemical analogs are molecular look-alikes, but with subtle differences, like the substitution of a carbon atom for an oxygen atom. Bisphosphonates are analogs of the natural substance pyrophosphate in the same way that Provera is an analog ofprogesterone.
4. Smith A. Merck sales dip; Vioxx blamed [Web page]. CNNMoney.comhttp://money.cnn.com/2005/04/21/news/fortune500/merck/index.htm. 2005. Accessed April 24, 2006.
5. Meunier PJ, Roux C, Seeman E, et al. The effects of strontium ranelate on the risk of vertebral fracture in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. N Engl J Med.2004;350:459–468.
6. Reginster JY, Deroisy R, Dougados M, Jupsin I, Colette J, Roux C. Prevention of early postmenopausal bone loss by strontium ranelate: the randomized, two-year, double-masked, dose-ranging, placebo-controlled PREVOS trial. Osteoporos Int. 2002;13:925–931.
7. Bone HG, Hosking D, Devogelaer JP, et al. Ten years’ experience with alendronate for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. N Engl J Med. 2004;350:1189-1199.
8. Roux C, Fechtenbaum J, Kolta S, Isaia G, Andia JB, Devogelaer JP. Strontium ranelate reduces the risk of vertebral fracture in young postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2008;67:1736–1738.
9. The researchers had grants from the US Public Health Service and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
10. Odvina CV, Zerwekh JE, Rao DS, Maalouf N, Gottschalk FA, Pak CY. Severely suppressed bone turnover: a potential complication of alendronate therapy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005;90:1294–1301.
11. Schneider J. Should bisphosphonates be continued indefinitely? An unusual fracture in a healthy woman on long-term alendronate. Geriatrics. 2006;61:31–33.
12. She later switched to a patented combination of oral estradiol plus a progestin (norethindrone acetate), brand name Activella.
13. Schneider J. Bisphosphonates and low-impact femoral fractures: Current evidence on alendronate-fracture risk. Geriatrics. 2009;64:18–23.
14. Goh SK, Yang KY, Koh JS, et al. Subtrochanteric insufficiency fractures in patients on alendronate therapy: a caution. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2007;89:349–353.
15. Neviaser AS, Lane JM, Lenart BA, Edobor-Osula F, Lorich DG. Low-energy femoral shaft fractures associated with alendronate use. J Orthop Trauma. 2008;22:346–350.
16. Stepan JJ, Burr DB, Pavo I, et al. Low bone mineral density is associated with bone microdamage accumulation in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Bone.2007;41:378–385.
17. Ott SM. Long-term safety of bisphosphonates. J Clin Endocrinol Metab.2005;90:1897–1899.
18. Brody J. Plotting to save the structure of those aging bones. The New York Times. July 5, 2005.
19. Ott S. New treatments for brittle bones. Ann Intern Med. 2004;141:406–407.
20. Fosamax (alendronate sodium). Prescribing Information [Web page]. Merck & Co. Inc. http://www.fosamax.com/alendronate_sodium/fosamax/consumer/product_information/pi/index.jsp?WT.svl=1. Accessed April 26, 2006.
21. Wysowski DK. Reports of esophageal cancer with oral bisphosphonate use. N Engl J Med. 2009;360:89–90.
22. Greenspan SL, Harris ST, Bone H, et al. Bisphosphonates: safety and efficacy in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. Am Fam Physician. 2000;61:3731–2736.
23. Chustecka Z. Esophageal cancer in patients taking oral bisphosphonates [Web page].Medscape Medical News. 2008. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/586127.24.
24. Basu N, Reid DM. Bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw. Menopause Int. 2007;13:56–59.
25. Ruggiero SL, Mehrotra B, Rosenberg TJ, Engroff SL. Osteonecrosis of the jaws associated with the use of bisphosphonates: a review of 63 cases. J Oral Maxillofac Surg.2004;62:527–534.
26. Edwards BJ, Hellstein JW, Jacobsen PL, Kaltman S, Mariotti A, Migliorati CA. Updated recommendations for managing the care of patients receiving oral bisphosphonate therapy: an advisory statement from the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs. J Am Dent Assoc. 2008;139:1674–1677.
27. Sedghizadeh PP, Stanley K, Caligiuri M, Hofkes S, Lowry B, Shuler CF. Oral bisphosphonate use and the prevalence of osteonecrosis of the jaw: an institutional inquiry. J Am Dent Assoc. 2009;140:61–66.
28. Paddock C. Osteoporosis drug linked to bone death in jaw [Web page]. Medical News Today. January 5, 2009. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/134381.php.
29. Marsa L. Bone drugs’ reverse danger. Los Angeles Times. April 3, 2006. Available at: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-fosamax3apr03,0,3944007,full.story?coll=la-headlines-business. Accessed April 27, 2006.
30. Heckbert SR, Li G, Cummings SR, Smith NL, Psaty BM. Use of alendronate and risk of incident atrial fibrillation in women. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:826–831.
31. Miranda J. Osteoporosis drugs increase risk of heart problems. Presented at: CHEST 2008: the 74th annual assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians; October 25–30, 2008; Philadelphia, PA.
]]><![CDATA[POST NATAL DEPRESSION]]>Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:51:13 -0800http://www.naturone.com/2/post/2010/10/post-natal-depression.htmlBy SALLY LONGDEN
 
During pregnancy the progesterone levels reach heights never experienced before, in fact they rise up to 400mg per day. This is because the placenta takes over the production of progesterone from the Corpus Luteum at about 4-8 weeks. Progesterone is the hormone that is responsible for maintaining healthy pregnancies and preventing miscarriages. You would usually not need to supplement with progesterone after about 10 weeks as the natural production of progesterone is high.
Progesterone is also the hormone responsible for enabling woman to go through the birth process without too much trauma. Progesterone, the hormone that got its name from being the pregnancy hormone “pro-gestation” has been studied extensively for its amazing effects in the body. It is Nature’s analgesic (pain-killer), Natures anti-inflammatory and Natures tranquilizer and relaxant. Levels of progesterone reach their peak just before birth, and it is thanks to this hormone that the female can actually go through the difficult and painful birth process.
After birth the placenta is shed and progesterone levels drop suddenly from very high to very low. This is what causes the “baby blues”. This depression is only experienced in humans and not other species, because we are the only species that does not eat the placenta, which would naturally increase the levels of progesterone!!. Normally the hormone levels balance out fairly quickly and the mild depression lifts. If, however, the progesterone levels remain low, the depression deepens and carries on. This is known as Post Natal Depression. This condition does not respond well to traditional anti-depressants, but responds very well to progesterone, as it is the deficiency of this hormone that has caused the depression in the first place.
It is recommend women should put the progesterone on immediately the baby is born and continue for a few weeks and then slowly wean themselves off. However, if depression again arises, they should stay on Naturone until their hormonal levels return to normal. This may only be once their cycle starts again.
Post Natal Depression (PND) can be a serious condition and may even develop into a psychosis.
It is so easily prevented however, with this wonderful therapy.
Unfortunately women with PND are often advised to stop breastfeeding. The reasoning behind this is so that the hormonal balance and the menstrual cycle returns to normal more quickly.
This, in severe cases of PND often does not sort out the problem. A far healthier and more satisfying approach would be natural progesterone therapy. As far as breastfeeding is concerned, progesterone is obviously not harmful to the baby and can safely be taken by breastfeeding mothers as a supplement if needed. In nature there are numerous cases where mothers have continued breastfeeding their baby whilst being pregnant with the next child (extremely high levels of progesterone at this stage will be coming through the breast milk).
Dr Katherina Dalton had written many books on the subject of PND and progesterone therapy.

]]><![CDATA[PROSTATE DISEASE AND HORMONES]]>Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:46:07 -0800http://www.naturone.com/2/post/2010/10/prostate-disease-and-hormones.htmlThe solutions are straightforward when you understand the problem. If you know a man over the age of 50 who's not sleeping well, chances are good it's because he's got prostate problems that require visits to the bathroom a couple of times a night. It's estimated that benign prostate disease affects over 40 percent of American men by age 50 and over 70 percent by age 60. The most common symptom is trouble with urination. Such men may have urinary frequency (hence getting up at night), their urine flow may be decreased in force or rate, they may have urinary urgency, and they may feel that they haven't emptied the bladder (a sign of urinary retention), especially after drinking coffee.
 Urinary retention also makes them more susceptible to urinary tract infections. When such men consult with their doctor, he will usually examine the prostate gland through the rectum (a digital exam) and diagnose the problem as BPH, an acronym meaning benign prostate hypertrophy (enlarged cells in the prostate gland) or hyperplasia (enlarged by an increase in the number of cells in the gland). The two meanings of BPH are used interchangeably. BPH, like most conditions, varies in how it manifests itself. In some men, the obstruction of urine flow is due to prostate tissue overgrowth and the gland will be definitely enlarged. In others, however, the obstruction is due to smooth muscle contraction of the urinary sphincters in the prostate gland, causing the same urinary problems without much prostate enlargement. In some men, the problem is mixed
.
Conventional Medicines for the Prostate
 The doctor may prescribe the drug terazosin (Hytrin) to relax urinary sphincter muscles, or the drug finasteride (Proscar) which inhibits the
enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT, a compound believed to stimulate prostate cell
growth, or hyperplasia). Or, he may recommend transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), the surgical coring-out of the urine passageway through the prostate, quite often resulting in undesirable dribbling problems.
The success rate of the two drugs listed above is not uniform or consistent.
Both drugs were tested in an interesting study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in 1996. It was found that finasteride (the hyperplasia inhibitor) helped men with considerable prostate gland enlargement, but not those with more normal-sized prostate glands. Interestingly, saw palmetto berry and nettle root similarly inhibit 5-alpha reductase, and are just as effective as finasteride. Though often beneficial in BPH, neither saw palmetto berry nor finasteride prevent prostate cancer.
Terazosin (the smooth-muscle relaxer) helped men with less gland enlargement, but not men with larger prostate glands. None of these
treatments recognise the true importance of sex hormones that underlie the cause of BPH.
 
The Role of Sex Hormones
 
Conventional medicine is beginning to recognise the true role of sex hormones in prostate disease. For example, like a woman, a man's body fat
will convert male hormones into oestrogen. Some physicians advocate using aromatase-inhibiting drugs (such as Arimidex) that inhibit the conversion of adrenal generated androstenedione (a male hormone) into oestrone (an oestrogen) in body fat. Oestrone is then available to be converted to oestradiol. The rationale for this treatment is the understanding that oestrogen is a growth-stimulating hormone in prostate tissue. This leads us to the hypothesis that the balance of oestradiol to progesterone and/or to testosterone is an important factor in prostate disease.
As men age, prostate levels of oestradiol gradually rise, and levels of progesterone and testosterone decline. The decline in testosterone and
progesterone levels is greater than the rise of oestradiol. The ratio of testosterone to oestradiol (T/B2), for instance, is dramatically lower in
men over 60 than it is at age 40. Studies in the U.S., Germany and Japan have reached similar conclusions: not only is the T/E2 ratio lower in men after age 40, but also those men with the lowest T/E2 ratio are the ones most likely to develop BPH. Conventional medicine, stuck in the outdated and unfounded paradigm that claims testosterone is dangerous, opts to attack and destroy oestrogen production rather than supplement testosterone in their effort to raise the T/E2 ratio and protect men against prostate disease. Why not raise the low testosterone levels by supplementing physiological doses of testosterone to restore the ratio of T/B2 to that of younger men?
There is no evidence that the high levels of testosterone in young men puts them at any risk of BPH. Or of prostate cancer, for that matter.
 
Progesterone's Role
 Progesterone plays several roles in the protection against prostate disease. Progesterone, like finasteride and saw palmetto berry, inhibits 5-alpha reductase, thus inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to DHT. In this manner, progesterone helps raise testosterone levels, and helps lower the level of the more growth stimulating DHT. Progesterone, like testosterone, is an anabolic hormone, meaning that it helps burn fat for energy. Thus, it helps keep men from becoming obese. With less body fat, there is less endogenous (within the body) oestrone production. Further, both progesterone and testosterone stimulate gene p55, the product of which protects us from the oncogene (cancer-causing) Bc1-2, and stimulates healthy apoptosis (normal cell death). Oestradiol, on the other hand, stimulates Bc1-2 production, which increases the risk of cancer. These are all good reasons to restore the same progesterone and testosterone levels that younger men have.
 
Restoring Hormone Balance
Restoring proper hormone levels is not difficult. The best place to begin is with a saliva hormone test, so that you have clinical evidence of a hormone imbalance. Saliva hormone testing reflects the total blood levels of non-protein-bound ("free") sex hormones. The free hormone is bioavailable and filters into saliva, whereas the protein-bound (non-bioavailable) hormones do not. Conventional blood serum tests of oestradiol, for example, are essentially irrelevant since they do not distinguish between free and protein-bound oestradiol. I usually recommend ZRT Lab in Oregon; you can order a kit through their Web site www.salivatest. com, or you can call them at (503) 466-2445. You do not need a doctor's prescription to get a saliva hormone test, although I do recommend that you work with a qualified health professional to help interpret the results.
The ratio of saliva progesterone to oestradiol in healthy young men is usually greater than 200:1. Similarly, the ratio of saliva testosterone to
oestradiol is also about 200 to 300:1. These ratios can be used as a guideline for the transdermal supplementation of progesterone and
testosterone in older men with E2 dominance and low P/E2 and T/E2 ratios.
>From experience, we have found that just 6 to 8 mg per day of progesterone (in a cream) will raise low saliva progesterone levels to normal healthy levels. In a two-ounce jar or tube of cream containing 960 mg of progesterone, this would be a bit less than 1/8 tsp of cream daily, and it would last for about 140 days, or about four and a half months.
Testosterone, being a stronger hormone, usually requires just l to 2 mg per day by transdermal cream to raise low levels to healthy normal levels.
Creams with the proper testosterone content are not readily available, so a patient with BPH should ask his doctor to write a prescription for the cream, then take it to a compounding pharmacist. It is essential that the pharmacist use real testosterone, and not one of the synthetic versions such as methyl testosterone.
I have seen remarkable benefits and no side effects in men who use hormones this way. The low doses used attest to the excellent absorption of these hormones when applied transdermally. As an interesting aside, in a recent study of women with low free testosterone levels (in women after removal of their ovaries), the researchers found that the optimal dose of transdermal testosterone for them was just 0.25 mg per day.
 
Defence Against Prostate Cancer
Research has shown that BPH is not a risk factor for prostate cancer.
Nevertheless, defence against prostate cancer follows the same precepts. Men with aggressive prostate cancer have higher numbers of progesterone receptors (PRs), relative to men with less aggressive cancer. This does not mean that progesterone increases the aggressiveness of prostate cancer. Progesterone receptors are made only by oestrogen. An increase of PRs in prostate tissue is a sign of oestradiol dominance (relative progesterone deficiency). In other studies it is found that prostate cancer incidence is greater in men with lower T/E2 ratios (lower testosterone and higher E2 levels) than in men with higher T/E2 ratios.
Conventional medicine's fear of testosterone is unfounded. In clinics that routinely treat men with even higher doses of testosterone, the incidence of prostate cancer is usually less than in men without supplemental testosterone. While it is true that, in 1941, Dr. Huggins claimed to have demonstrated that castration (removal of testes) in men with prostate cancer delayed death (a bit) from their cancer, it does not mean that testosterone reduction was the cause of this observed benefit. Dr. Huggins forgot that the testes also supply oestrogen. It is far more likely that the oestrogen reduction was the source of the benefit. Since that time, it is now clear
that total androgen blockade does not enhance longevity compared to men without total androgen blockade. It is time to recognise that progesterone and testosterone are important hormones in men, ant that normal physiological levels of these hormones do not increase the risk of prostate cancer but, on the other hand, may help prevent prostate cancer.
Some research indicates that BPH and prostate cancer correlate with higher levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). As a result, some have hypothesised that SHBG may play a role in the cause of BPH and of prostate cancer. SHBG is the binding hormone for oestradiol. Excessive levels of oestradiol activate the liver to make more SHBG. Thus, it is likely that the elevated SHBG is merely a marker for excessive oestradiol. Observations are one thing, but the conclusions that one draws from them are quite something else. Conclusions often follow underlying assumptions that may be erroneous, and are subject to observer bias.
Xenoestrogen (petrochemical toxins often used as pesticides, etc.) exposure during embryo life may damage gonadal and prostate tissue, making these tissues more susceptible to carcinogens later in life.
Although one can't change these circumstances, one can take preventive steps to reduce oestrogen levels and maintain hormone balance. Our new book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer, goes into some detail about how to avoid xenoestrogens.
 
Some Non-Drug Treatments for BPH
 Certain botanicals have been found to be of benefit in treating prostate disease though their mechanisms of action are still unclear. These
botanicals, and a few others like them, deserve further research. Many products for the prostate found at health food stores contain various
combinations of these ingredients.
 
ı Saw Palmetto berry extract, according to Jonathan Wright, M.D., not only inhibits 5 alpha-reductase but also blocks DHT binding to prostatic androgen receptors, reduces prostatic oedema (swelling), inhibits oestradiol and antagonises alpha-adrenergic receptors.
conversion of androgens to oestrogen).
 
ı Antioxidants, such as vitamin E, lycopene (found in cooked tomatoes), and vitamin C.
 
ı Polyphenole (e.g., catechins, found in green tea.)
 
ı Ellagic acid (found in nuts and raspberries) may trigger beneficial
apoptosis.
 
ı Zinc (low zinc levels correlate with increased prostate disease). Be sure to get extra copper if you're taking zinc for longer than a few weeks.
 
ı NATURAL Progesterone Therapy to bring about correct hormonal balance is essential

]]><![CDATA[MAINTAINING A HEALTHY PREGNANCY]]>Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:37:48 -0800http://www.naturone.com/2/post/2010/10/maintaining-a-healthy-pregnancy.htmlBy SALLY LONGDEN
If you supplement with a natural progesterone cream, it dramatically improves your chances of falling pregnant and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.
If you suffer from PMS, this is an indication that your body does not produce enough progesterone during your monthly cycle, so if you are trying to fall pregnant it is really important for you NOT to stop the progesterone until a period starts which is the indication that you are not pregnant. If you suspect that you are pregnant DO NOT STOP the Naturone. A fertilised egg cannot survive and your body cannot sustain the new life without large quantities of progesterone.

There is no reason to stop natural progesterone when you become pregnant as during this time progesterone is vital, as without it no baby could survive and be born. Supplementing with Naturone will insure against miscarriages. As soon as the
egg is fertilized it starts to secrete the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin which stimulates the corpus luteum to secrete lots of progesterone. This continues until the placenta forms and takes over producing large amounts of progesterone to support the baby. Sometimes, however the corpus luteum does not produce enough progesterone which can lead to severe morning sickness as well as Luteal Phase Abortions. Luteal phase abortions are now the most common miscarriages experienced in society today. 
If you have a history or a family history of miscarriages then continue supplementing with Naturone until your own body produces sufficient to support the developing embryo. There is absolutely NO harm to continue with 1 ml Naturone twice daily
throughout your pregnancy if you feel it necessary. If you have no history of miscarriages, you can usually gradually stop the Naturone from about 12 weeks of pregnancy. This is because, by then, the placenta has now taken over the role of producing progesterone in vast quantities. It is thanks to this hormone, whose levels continue to increase throughout pregnancy, that women can actually go through the birth process. It is nature’s analgesic, natures anti-inflammatory and nature’s tranquilizer
And thanks to these properties, women can give birth with relative ease and do not die of shock !

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