Get Off the Hormone Replacement!
Whenever I buy soup, I don't make soup. Actually making soup is very soothing, and I love homemade soup. But if I can get great-tasting soup at the store, then I don't need to make it. But is it really the same? They never taste as good as my own, and there are often things in it that I would NEVER put in my own soup. You know how soup always tastes great the second day? Not true with soup you buy at the store. So why the soup story? Because this is exactly what happens in the human body when you take a hormone. Any hormone - thyroid, estrogen, melatonin, human growth hormone, insulin. Whenever you introduce a hormone into the human body, your natural production slows or stops. And rarely will the exogenous hormone act in the exact same way as your own hormone would. So the result is that the longer you take the hormone, the less ability your body will have to make that particular hormone.
Now, with all the information in the news over the last few years and the results of recent clinical trials, more women than ever are especially afraid of HRT. This has led to the growth of bioidentical treatments, topical creams and even inhaled hormones. But again, none of these are moving through the natural pathways that your body has, and so are still being processed and utilized differently from your own.
The important thing to consider about HRT is that menopause is a natural process. It is normal and natural for your reproductive hormone levels to drop when reproduction is no longer on the table. To keep it at a reproductive level past reproduction is not only unhealthy, it creates effects throughout the body over time that can be damaging and dangerous. If you're really looking for a natural transition from HRT, try my HRT transition plan.
In order to withdraw from Hormone Replacement Therapy, the transition should be smooth and slow, with a gradual tapering off. This is important because of the hyper stimulation of the estrogen receptors by most HRT compounds. It generally takes a while for the body to begin to function on its own, since the addition of exogenous hormones overrides the internal hormonal production that your body has. This may also mean that the if you have been on HRT for a long time, you may not be able to remove yourself from HRT, because the body is not making its' own hormones. Adding secondary support is important since aromatization of stored estrogen is dependent upon your adrenal status and proper body fat levels.
Steps to Hormone Replacement Therapy Withdrawal
Step 1: Begin taking 4 Tribulus, 6 Wild Yam Complex and adrenal support such as Drenamin or Symplex F plus any additional products you may need to mediate menopausal symptoms that had been typical for you (see my article The Essence of Women: The Change). This is your natural protocol which you will continue throughout the three months listed below.
Step 2: For the first month maintain your full dose of HRT.
Step 2: For the second month reduce the dose of HRT in half.
Step 3: For the third month reduce the dose of HRT in half again.
Step 4: At the end of the third month, discontinue HRT altogether.
Step 5: If you have menopausal symptoms, maintain your protocol for three months. If at this point you remain balanced and without symptoms, switch from your natural protocol to the following:
Catalyn or Senaplex - 1 tablet 3 times per day. Tribulus - 1 tablet 2 times per day. Symplex F - 1 tablet 3 times per day. Wild Yam Complex - 1 tablet 3 times per day. Drenamin - 1-4 tablets per day for fatigue. Calcifood - 1-2 tbsp. per day if a family history of calcium or bone problems. Cruciferous Complete - 2 capsules 3 times per day for liver symptoms. Cardio-Plus - 1-2 tablets 3 times per day for family history of heart problems. Hawthorn - 3-4 tablets per day for family history of blood pressure or circulatory problems. Nevaton - 2-4 tablets per day for mood swings and emotional issues.
It may seem like a lot, but it will be the very best support you can do for your body to begin your post-menopausal time in optimal health. In this way, you will be minimizing your risk for osteoporosis, arthritis, liver problems, and many more typical aging illnesses.