Dianekkdi

My iron level is back to a 10.0. I lost 2.9 points and am once again Anemic. Blech! I knew I was tired. I suspected this doctor's appointment would tell me I had lost ground.

After a frustrating afternoon of discussing unpleasant possibilities six weeks from now if once again the old and increasingly decrepit body can not be brought under control--I spent more time on research.

I think it's time to spend a little more attention on that information about estrogen vs. anti-estrogen foods.

Here's an interesting article: How To Balance Estrogen Levels with Food! | eHow.com:
Step1
The meat industry may be sabotaging your weight lose efforts! One by-product of excess estrogen is increased fat on your hips, belly, thighs and buttocks! Think about it, the meat industry use hormones to plump up animals for slaughter. Hormones do the same thing to your body that is why men don't usually carry weight in their buttocks and hip area. So extra estrogen in your diet will add extra pounds!
Step2
Signs that you may be estrogen-dominant:
Stubborn fat in female areas like hips and thighs
Intense PMS
Breast pain
Cravings for carbs and sweets
Water retention
Fatigue
Chronic headaches
Digestive problems such as bloating or IBS
Fuzzy thinking
Slight depression
Step3
Seafood does not have added hormones! The easiest way to stop the cycle is to stop eating meats all together, but for some of us that is a choice we do not want to make. Fortunately the food industry has recognized the consumers desire for fewer additives in our foods. Organic meat is available at most grocery stores now. The cost is more, but so is the cost of diet foods and medical help! The idea plan would be to cut your consumption of meat to twice a week and increase your consumption of seafood.
Step4
Foods that flush away estrogen deposits have indole-3 carbinol and sulforaphane, which is found in leafy and cruciferous vegetables. These vegetables improve your livers ability to metabolize estrogen in less than a week! Eat at least one cup a day of cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, or leafy green vegetables like spinach. Lightly steam the vegetables, do not overcook, as you will kill the nutrients your body needs. Be sure to drink 8 glasses of water a day to flush out the body as you detox!
Step5
There are foods that help block estrogen. The fats in avocados, nuts, olives, and seeds help your body to produce progesterone, which blocks estrogen. Women can double their weight loss by adding as little as 1 oz of nuts or seeds a day to their diet. If you don't have time or don't like nuts or seeds add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to your diet each day.
Step6
Foods to avoid when you are trying to block estrogen are bacon, soy, beer, sausage and licorice!



Tips & Warnings

• Hot spices, like curry and ginger, help to flush out estrogen too!
• You should consult a doctor for further information if you suspect you are estrogen dominant!

__________________

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Reinvestigate 9/11
Impeach......Prosecute......Imprison

"...The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed...."
--Thomas Jefferson

Dianekkdi

Here is an article telling me I have to give up most of my coffee. This shit is really beginning to piss me off:

Estrogen Dominance

Quote:

Causes of Estrogen Dominance Our body normally functions in perfect homeostasis. With the advent of society and industrial state in the past 70 years, our body has been subjected to unprecedented insults from environmental estrogen-like hormones. In less than one hundred years, we have managed to turn our diet from whole fruits and whole food to fast and processed food. In the past, cattle were raised on grass and natural organic feed and chickens were allowed to run free. This is in stark contrast to the commercialization of cattle and poultry farms of today where animals are in cages most of the time. Worse yet, feeds laced with pesticides and hormones, both of which have estrogen-like activities, are routinely given to animals, which in turn is passed to humans. Women in non-industrialized cultures whose diets are whole food based and are untainted with modern processed foods and pesticides seldom suffer a deficiency in progesterone and the signs of estrogen dominance manifested as menopausal symptoms. 12 of the most common reasons: 1. Commercially raised cattle and poultry. These animals are fed estrogen-like hormones as well as growth hormone that are passed onto humans. It takes 60 pounds of grain, feed, and hay to produce one pound of edible beef. On the other hand, it only takes one pound of feed to produce one pound of edible fish. Deep-sea fish such as halibut, sardines, cod, and mackerel are good to consume. Young ones are often less contaminated than older fish, and smaller fish are better shielded from contamination than larger fish like sharks and swordfish. Avoid all coastal fish and shellfish, which are high in contaminants. Fish are far superior to beef or chicken in terms of hormone load. It is interesting to note that one-half of all antibiotics in the United States are used in livestock - 25 million pounds a year. These antibiotics can contribute to hormone disruptor exposure. The use of antibiotics is especially prevalent in poultry farms. It only takes 6 weeks now to grow a chicken to full size (down from four months in 1940). Up to 80,000 birds may be packed into one warehouse. Feeds used contain a myriad of hormone-disrupting toxins including pesticides, antibiotics, and drugs to combat disease when so many animals are packed closely together. 2. Commercially grown fruits and vegetables containing pesticides. If you eat in any developed countries, you are taking in pesticides from fruits and vegetables, many of which are known hormone disruptors. Approximately 5 billion pounds of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other biocides are being added to the world each year. In the past 100 years, several hundred billions pounds of pesticides have been released into the environment. Pesticides that are banned in the US, such as DDT, are being used in some other countries freely. Illegal pesticides are being used on crops that we eat everyday. It is estimated that a person eats illegal pesticides 75 times a year just by following USDA's recommendation of five servings of fruits and vegetables a day if these are purchased in regular supermarkets. Vegetables grown in developing foreign countries such as South America and Africa find their way back to our dinner table in this global community. Pesticide residues have chemical structures that are similar to estrogen. These are eventually passed onto humans. Produce with the most pesticides reported in A Shopper's Guide to Pesticdes in Produce include strawberries (contain vinclozolin, a known endocrine disruptor), bell peppers, peaches, apples, apricots, and spinach. Foods with the least amount of pesticides include avocados, corn, onions, sweet potatoes, bananas, green onions, broccoli, and cauliflower. If you are eating non-organic fruits and vegetables, peel and wash them well with diluted vinegar. This will help to reduce pesticides on the surface. Needless to say, this will not help to rid of the pesticides inside. Discard the outer leaves of leafy vegetables, and trim fat from meat and skin from poultry and fish that tend to collect residues. 3. Exposure to xenoestrogen. When a female embryo develops in the womb, 500,000 to 800,000 follicles are created in the embryo, each enclosing an immature ovum. These fragile ovarian follicles are extremely sensitive to the toxicity of environmental pollutants. When the mother is exposed to toxic chemicals that resemble estrogen in its molecular structure, she may experience no apparent damage outwardly. However the baby is more vulnerable to these toxins that may damage its ovarian follicles and make them dysfunctional. This will not be apparent until the baby reaches puberty some 10 to 15 years later, when symptoms of incomplete ovulation or insufficient progesterone production can be noted. Petrochemical compounds found in general consumer products such as creams, lotions, soaps, shampoos, perfume, hair spray and room deodorizers. Such compounds often have chemical structures similar to estrogen and indeed act like estrogen. Other sources of xenoestrogen include car exhaust, petrochemically derived pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides; solvents and adhesives such as that those found in nail polish, paint removers, and glues; dry-cleaning chemicals; practically all plastics, industrial waste such as PCBs and dioxins, synthetic estrogens from urine of women taking HRT and birth control pills that is flushed down the toilet and eventually found its way into the food chain and back into the body. They are fat soluble and non-biodegradable. 4. Industrial solvents. A common source of industrial xenoestrogens often overlooked is a family of chemicals called solvents. These chemicals enter the body through the skin, and accumulated quickly in the lipid-rich tissues such as myelin (nerve sheath) and adipose (fat). Some common organic solvents include alcohol like methanol, aldehydes like acetaldehyde, glycol like ethylene glycol, and ketones like acetone. They are commonly found in cosmetics, fingernail polish and fingernail polish remover, glues, paints, varnishes, and other types of finishes, cleaning products, carpet, fiberboard, and other processed woods. Pesticides and herbicides such as lawn and garden sprays, indoor insect sprays are also sources of minute amounts of xenoestrogens. While the amount may be small in each, the additive effect from years of chronic exposure can lead to estrogen dominance. 5. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT with estrogen alone without sufficient opposing progesterone such as the drug Premarin should be banned. This increases the level of estrogen in the body. Premarin, a estrogen only drug commonly used in the past 40 years, is the mainstay of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). It is a patented, chemicalized hormonal substitute that is not the same as what you have in your body. It contains 48% estrone and only a small amount of progesterone which is insufficient to have an opposing effect. The indiscriminate and over-prescription of Premarin to many who may not need it is the problem. Symptoms include water retention, breast swelling, fibrocysts in the breast, depression, headache, gallbladder problems, and heavy period. The excessive estrogen from ERT also lead to increased chances of DNA damage, setting a stage for endometrial and breast cancer. 6. Over production of estrogen. Excessive estrogen can arise from ovarian cysts or tumors. 7. Stress. Stress causes adrenal gland exhaustion and reduced progesterone output. This tilts the estrogen to progesterone ratios in favor of estrogen. Excessive estrogen in turn causes insomnia and anxiety, which further taxes the adrenal gland. This leads to a further reduction in progesterone output and even more estrogen dominance. After a few years in this type of vicious cycle, the adrenal glands become exhausted. This dysfunction leads to blood sugar imbalance, hormonal imbalances, and chronic fatigue. 8. Obesity. Fat has an enzyme that converts adrenal steroids to estrogen. The higher the fat intake, the higher the conversion of fat to estrogen. Overeating is the norm in developed countries. A population from such countries, especially in the Western hemisphere where a large part of the dietary calorie is derived from fat, has a much higher incidence of menopausal symptoms. Studies have shown that estrogen and progesterone levels fell in women who switched from a typical high-fat, refined-carbohydrate diet to a low-fat, high-fiber and plant-based diet even though they did not adjust their total calorie intake. Plants contain over 5,000 known sterols that have progestogenic effects. People who eat more wholesome foods have a far lower incidence of menopausal symptoms because their pre- and post-menopause levels of estrogen do not drop as significantly. 9. Liver diseases. Liver diseases such as cirrhosis from excessive alcohol intake reduce the breakdown of estrogen. Taking drugs that can impair liver function may also contribute to a higher level of estrogen. 10. Deficiency of Vitamin B6 and Magnesium. Both of these are necessary for the neutralization of estrogen in the liver. Too much estrogen also tends to create deficiency of zinc, magnesium and the B vitamins. These are all important constituents of hormonal balance. 11. Increased sugar, fast food and processed food. Intake of these leads to a depletion of magnesium. 12. Increase in coffee consumption. Caffeine intake from all sources was linked with higher estrogen levels regardless of age, body mass index (BMI), caloric intake, smoking, alcohol, and cholesterol intake. Studies have shown that women who consumed at least 500 milligrams of caffeine daily, the equivalent of four or five cups of coffee, had nearly 70% more estrogen during the early follicular phase than women who consume no more than 100 mg of caffeine daily, or less than one cup of coffee. Tea is not much better as it contains about half the amount of caffeine as compared to coffee. The exception is herbal tea like chamomile which contains no caffeine. In absolute terms, those who live in the developed world are bathed in a continuous sea of estrogen and do not know it. Yes, we all have hormonal imbalances, and specifically - estrogen dominance

__________________

----------------------
Reinvestigate 9/11
Impeach......Prosecute......Imprison

"...The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed...."
--Thomas Jefferson

Dianekkdi

Continued from above source:

__________________

----------------------
Reinvestigate 9/11
Impeach......Prosecute......Imprison

"...The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed...."
--Thomas Jefferson

Dianekkdi

Not my coffee! How the heck does a person survive without coffee?

__________________

----------------------
Reinvestigate 9/11
Impeach......Prosecute......Imprison

"...The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed...."
--Thomas Jefferson

Sean

Been dealing with men-on-pause for quite some time. The early pre-crap was just as bad as this current mess and to top it off with I am married to one of the most sensitive women on this planet while be the next to last to actually have my lost, lone remaining feeling found let alone "hurt."

ciaobox2007

that doesn't make much sense, but it's still hilarious.

__________________
always look for the big, nice round ones for carving.

Refuge51

Thank you Diane for all the info,, and don't give up your coffee if you don't want to. It prevents diabetes and alzheimers.

__________________
I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.
~George McGovern~

Sean

Should read... "while I'd be the next to last to actually have my lost, lone remaining feeling found let alone "hurt."

Cookie

YES!!

__________________
Corgi butts drive me nuts.

Apachejew

"I'M NOT HAVING HOT FLASHES, I'M HAVING POWER SURGES!"

It was hell to get through, but once it was over, I felt better than I had in years.
Good luck, sweetie.

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"A society seeking more justice is a society needing less charity." -Ralph Nader