The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS,
a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA
The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS,
a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA
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An interactive resource for moms on easy steps they can take to reduce exposure to chemical toxins during pregnancy. Other excellent resources about avoiding toxins during pregnancy These are easy to read and understand and are beautifully presented. |
(The following article may not be published in a HARD COPY publication without the permission of Brent Rooney) "The Day the Earth Stood Still" NATURAL Progesterone and Women's Health (Brent Rooney)If a new supplement reduced the risk of heart attack (from excess blood clotting), breast cancer risk, and reversed (about 4% per year) osteoporosis, would it interest you? And in addition it was a natural antidepressant, helped "burn" fat, improves thyroid hormone action, and restores libido. According to Dr. John R. Lee NATURAL Progesterone does all this and more. It is extremely safe and the price (roughly $1/day) is reasonable for the benefits obtained. Please note that NATURAL Progesterone is NOT chemically the same as synthetic versions that have bad side-effects. In his very well documented book (NATURAL PROGESTERONE - The Multiple Roles of a Remarkable Hormone) Dr. Lee explores NATURAL Progesterone's history, its healing role for many ailments, how it 'compensates' for the unwanted side-effects of estrogen, and how to use it. The general reader may want to skip over chapters targeted at doctors and scientists that explore chemistry. Any more benefits? Dr. Zoltan Rona (Return to the Joy of health) says that natural progesterone is also helpful for PMS and fibromyalgia. The particular product Dr. Lee (now retired) recommended to his patients was Pro-Gest (a cream in a 2 ounce jar). Says Dr. Lee (p. 70), "I recommend using the largest possible areas of relatively thin skin, rotating among various skin sites daily for maximum absorption. Skin sites recommended are the inner aspects of the arms and thighs, the face and neck, the upper chest, and the abdomen." Although the safety of NATURAL Progesterone is high, it is best to first consult your doctor before using it; you might lend him/her a copy of Dr. Lee's book (BLL Publishing, P.O. Box #2068, Sebastopol, Calif., 95474; $12 U.S.). A 2 ounce jar of the cream should be used up in about 1 month; some producers of cream products advocate that the cream be used for 3 weeks followed by 1 week 'off'. Useful for fertility problems? Dr. Rona wrote me the following, "Progesterone must be used in very high doses to prevent pregnancy. In the usual dosages recommended for PMS, fibrocystic breast disease, endometriosis, infertility etc. (a 2 ounce jar of the cream per month) it actually enhances fertility."
But what about "The Day the Earth Stood Still"? It was a science fiction movie of the 1950s. For some of us that is the effect of the reading the FACTS of Estrogen vs. NATURAL Progesterone (chart on page 41 of Lee's book):
Estrogen effects NATURAL Progesterone effects creates proliferative endometrium maintains secretory endometrium breast stimulation protects against breast fibrocysts increased body fat helps use fat for energy salt and fluid retention natural diuretic depression and headaches natural antidepressant interferes with thyroid hormone facilitates thyroid hormone action increased blood clotting normalizes blood clotting decreases libido restores libido impairs blood sugar control normalizes blood sugar levels loss of zinc and retention of copper normalizes zinc and copper levels reduced oxygen levels in all cells restores proper cell oxygen levels increased risk of endometrial cancer prevents endometrial cancer increased risk of breast cancer helps prevent breast cancer slightly restrains osteoclast function stimulates osteoblast bone building reduces vascular tone necessary for survival of embryo precursor of corticosterone production (Right to reprint above chart granted by permission of John R. Lee, MD)Recommended Reading:
NATURAL PROGESTERONE The Multiple Roles of a Remarkable Hormone, Dr. John R. Lee
Hormone Replacement Therapy: Yes of No (Betty Kamen)
Return to the Joy of health, Dr. Zoltan Rona, Jeanne Marie Martin, (alive publishing)
References:
December 17, 1996 Brent Rooney whatsup@vcn.bc.ca
The Online Birth Center News is copyright 1997 by Donna Zelzer. The individual writers hold copyright to the individual messages. Copies may be freely distributed electronically, as long as
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