Estrogen Dominant? There is help!
Here are the symptoms of estrogen dominance. Take a look:
Weight gain
Mood swings
Insomnia, restless sleep
Headache, including migraines
Fatigue
Heavy periods
Memory loss
Fibrocystic breast disease
Irritability
Uterine fibroids
Acne
Loss of sexual desire
Menstrual cramps
Infertility
Irregular menstrual flow
Autoimmune disorders
Depression
Urinary frequency
Anxiety / Panic attacks
Dry eyes
Osteoporosis, osteopenia
Increased body fat
Cold hands and feet
Decreased mental sharpness
Breast tenderness
Polycystic ovaries
Hair loss
Inability to concentrate
Thyroid imbalance / hypothyroid blood clots
Increased breast cancer risk
Bloating / fluid retention
These symptoms may sound common to some of you, but they are not normal. If you have any of these symptoms, it is essential to get your hormones back in balance as soon as you can.
Estrogen is the common factor among perimenopause, PMS, enlarged prostate, and early heart attacks. Luckily, new studies have shown that certain phytonutrients found in cruciferous vegetables offer a natural approach to resolving estrogen imbalance. Taking dietary supplements that contain these phytonutrients, called di-indoly methane (DIM), helps promote healthy estrogen metabolism.
What is DIM, and how can it help hormones?
DIM is a phytonutrient found in cabbage, broccoli, bok choy, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, and turnip. When consumed in food or absorbable supplements, DIM’s metabolic pathway overlaps precisely with the pathway needed for healthy estrogen metabolism. Simply put, DIM supplements help restore healthy estrogen balance.
What is estrogen dominance?
Middle-aged women (and men) often experience changes in hormone production that result in an excess of estrogen. There are three basic forms of this imbalance.
1. Perimenopause — In the few years before menopause, known as perimenopause, many women experience faltering estrogen metabolism. This is characterized by abnormally high levels of estrogen and low levels of progesterone.
2. Middle-aged men — Rising estrogen levels are often a problem for men over 45. In overweight men especially, testosterone is increasingly converted into estrogen and can accumulate in the prostate gland.
3. Acquired estrogen imbalance — Acquired estrogen imbalance affects both men and women by stimulating the growth of too much “bad” estrogen and too little “good” estrogen.
What benefits can DIM offer?
Supplementing with DIM helps to shift the production of estrogen away from the “bad” kind and towards the “good” kind. This improves estrogen metabolism and helps resolve all three forms of estrogen dominance.
Why not just eat more cruciferous vegetables?
Although higher intake of cruciferous vegetables is associated with lower rates of prostate cancer, you would have to consume at least two pounds per day of raw or lightly cooked cruciferous vegetables to achieve the same results as two capsules of DIM would. Supplementing with DIM is equivalent to eating 3 pounds of broccoli, cauliflower or brussel spouts per day and can effectively & positively shift the balance of hormones.
What are the effects of DIM on premenstrual syndrome?
PMS symptoms, which include irritability, aggression, tension, depression, mood swings, water retention, and breast pain, have been shown to improve wit DIM supplementation. This may be due to the fact that DIM helps correct the estrogen imbalance that can occur during the 2 weeks leading up to the menstrual cycle. Pregnenolone levels are also elevated during PMS, which can cause anxiety, but DIM supplementation keeps levels balanced and promotes healthy metabolism.
How can proper estrogen metabolism promoted by DIM benefit men?
Many men also experience estrogen dominance as a result of midlife changes such as weight gain around the middle, hair loss, and prostate enlargement. Thus, DIM plays a role in helping to intervene with excess estrogen and offset these conditions.
Can DIM help improve the safety of synthetic hormone replacement therapy?
I do not think synthetic hormones are safe. In my view, the negative side effects are unacceptable. These include an increased risk of breast cancer, uterine cancer, and life-threatening blood clots. However, if you are taking HRT (synthetic), studies have shown that supplementing with DIM will increase the level of protective estrogen and may reduce the risk of cancer and the risk of blood clot formation.
So, in a nutshell…here is what DIM can do:
Regulates & promotes healthy estrogen metabolism and balance
Stimulates detoxification enzyme systems
DIM appears to have anti-proliferative effects in prostate cancer cells
May reduce production of 2 proteins needed for breast and ovarian cancer to spread
May promote a beneficial shift in the balance of the sex hormones, estrogen & testosterone
Can promote fat loss by reducing levels of unhealthy estrogens that can cause excess weight to be deposited around the abdomen, thighs & hips of both men and women.
Taking DIM can help with these disorders:
Fibrocystic breasts
Fibromyalgia
Endometriosis
Uterine fibroid tumors
Ovarian cysts
Irregular periods
Chronic, recurring breast pain
PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)
The product I really like to supply you with DIM is called IndoleGard or you can look for a product that supplies 300 mg of DIM per day. It is also known as Indole-3-carbinol.
Find IndoleGard here
What is the best way to take DIM?
Take 300 mg per day. DIM can be on the pricey side, but a 3 month course of DIM can be all you need to restore proper estrogen levels.
“Optimal estrogen balance is key to cancer prevention, losing weight and feeling
great in both men and women. A 3 month course of IndoleGard can be all you
need.” –Barbara Hoffman
For more information on bio-identical estrogen, call us! For phtyo-estrogen products, visit www.bhnformulas.com