Let’s go back…WAY back.
You walked into a doctors office begging for help.
“Doc, it's my hormones…I know it…HELP…give me something FAST”
Your period showed up, it hurt like hell, you had to call in sick to school for the first 2 days of your cycle, you had horrible acne, cried to Taylor Swift songs, and felt uber depressed because <<INSERT LAME BOYS NAME HERE>> called you FAT.
Okay maybe that was me. Did anyone else live this nightmare at 15?
My doctor ‘rescued me’ by prescribing me birth control pills to help regulate the frequency and severity of my periods.
RESCUED ME?
I went nuts on those pills. I gained weight, felt like crap, was tired all the time, and had more gas than a Shell station.
HINDSIGHT SOLUTION: Balancing Hormones Naturally! (More on this later)
This is CRUCIAL to understand because your doctor will most likely suggest either hormone replacement therapy (FAKE hormones that inspire BIG TIME digestive problems such as IBS, which can lead to auto immune disease) OR the pill, simply because there isn’t much else he has on offer.
Summary: The pill doesn’t offer any kind of a long term solution, but rather a HUGE band aid.
Neither does Premarin, a prescription given to women of menopausal age, who struggle with vaginal dryness and hot flashes and who are DESPERATE just to feel better. Ladies, read these symptoms. Is it REALLY worth it considering on of the TOP REASONS for cancer in women today is synthetic hormones, namely estrogen (which accelerates the growth of cancer cells multiple times)? The HUGE culprit to the ‘why' behind these symptoms is, but of course…ESTROGEN DOMINANCE? Hmmmm, interesting…we're given horse urine as a prescription and we wonder why our bodies freak out? Did you know there are PLANTS that are more natural for the human body to digest that can help with the same thing? Probably not, because those aren't high priced, high marketed prescriptions. SOURCE
…Reports are still emerging that link the conjugated equine estrogens (CEEs) found in the Premarin family of drugs to increased risks of cardiac failure, strokes, cancers, pulmonary embolisms and dementia among other life-threatening diseases. This raises serious and disturbing questions regarding the current state of medication safety overall, not just for these HRT drugs.
So, why do the ‘trials' so falsely undermine the accuracy and totality of the REAL dangers of ED with the implementation of these hormone drugs? FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL. There is a deep conflict of interest in pharmaceutical companies sponsoring trials on their own drugs. Industry sponsors 90% of published clinical trials. A worrying statistic given that, as Goldacre shows, industry-sponsored trials are four times as likely to produce positive results than independently run experiments. . . . About 85% of clinical trials are now funded by the drug industry. They own that data. The docs don’t understand that they are getting a selected, filtered version of what the information is. SOURCE
ARE YOU ESTROGEN DOMINANT?
Though we think of declining estrogen as the hallmark of MENOPAUSE, it's actually common for women to experience surges of abnormally high estrogen levels during the menopausal and premenopausal periods, as well as earlier in life. I’m seeing many women in their 20’s and 30’s showing early signs of pre menopause = NOT COOL!
The first time I saw my saliva hormone panel with my stress, sex and sleep hormone results I was mortified. I was estrogen dominance and my other labs indicated copper toxicity and candida overgrowth. As you may have read in my CANDIDA ARTICLE, or COPPER TOXICITY vlog, the PERFECT storm of a nightmare for women is this:
Candida + Estrogen Dominance + Copper Toxicity = Hormonal Hurricane
They all hang out. When one is present in the body, there is likely to be the other 2 that come along with it. And this is EXACTLY what I had and what I see in approximately 80% of women I test, treat and transform!
NEWFLASH: This kind of pattern will NOT be detected on a BLOOD PANEL doctors use today to check your hormones. Saliva tests, UNBOUND hormones, ie those that are available to the body to use. Blood checks all – bioavailable and unbioavailable…so is not useful for properly assessing ‘Estrogen Dominance' conditions. Additionally, if you asked your doctor to run a saliva panel instead, they will look at you sideways. This is the difference between conventional (traditional, insurance covered) vs functional (what I do, diagnostic, naturopathic) medicine. A HUGE DISTINCTION WE WOMEN NEED TO COMPREHEND TODAY, when choosing which avenue we use to treat our bodies.
Estrogen Dominance affects more Americans than ever in our history and it’s evident when I test the majority of my clients. And for those I hear casually opening up about their health complaints, it’s a daily thing for me to hear the following:
- Painful, heavy, clotty and/or long periods (this used to be me)
- Facial hair – especially above the lip
- Pre-menstrual tension including emotional upset, frustration, anger, headaches, breast distention, nose bleeds, sinus issues, bowel irregularities that occur from ovulation (up to 2 weeks prior to the period arriving)
- Mood swings – anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue
- PCOS
- Endometriosis
- Ovarian cysts
- Acne
- Weight gain OR inability to lose weight
- Menopause (Yes, estrogen drops around 50, but is it too high compared to progesterone – these 2 must coexist in the perfect balance):
- Migraines
- Breast Cancer
- Hypothyroid
- Hair loss
Estrogen dominance causes the liver to produce high levels of a protein called “thyroid binding globulin”, which, as its name suggests, 
binds the thyroid hormone and decreases the amount of thyroid hormone that can be assimilated into and utilized by the cells.
What does this lead to? Low thyroid function and all of the negative side effects that come along with it…such as HAIR LOSS!
WHAT CAUSES ESTROGEN DOMINANCE?
We are literally bombarded with estrogen today. If I had a ‘black light’ that would expose the invisible estrogen mimicking chemicals today, it would be like walking through a white out storm. You couldn’t see the forest from the trees…YES…it’s THAT bad. In fact, I believe them to be the KEY contributor today to hormone imbalance and hence symptoms and disease.
These factors are called XENO-ESTROGENS, foreign estrogens that mimic the functions of our natural estrogens. When they enter our body, they attach themselves to our cells' receptor sites, taking over our naturally produced estrogens' functions to control growth and development, negatively affecting our breasts, skin, ability to conceive and have healthy period cycles.
Over time, high exposure to these ‘fake estrogens', can promote unnatural growth in tissues such as fibroids, cysts, tumors and weight gain. It also wreaks havoc on the endocrine system, leaving women with a myriad of hormonal health imbalances, one of the most common conditions I see today in my practice. PMS, heavy bleeding, cancer, PCOS, infertility, acne, mood swings, chronic fatigue, weight gain, and more are all too ‘misunderstood' by the medical community with unknown causes. The research begs to differ.
Innocently, we're putting hundreds of different products, full of xenoestrogens, on to our bodies, which:
When xenoestrogens are applied to our skin, they are TEN TIMES more potent than those ingested orally because they travel directly to the tissues instead of passing through the liver.
Susan B Komen and large drug manufacturers tout their mission to: Walk for the Cure. The problem is, mainstream medicine profits off of us being sick. If cancer wasn’t a problem for half of us (among this generation, 50% + of us will get cancer), our nation would likely go bankrupt because the system is so dependent on medical disease profits. So instead I say, let’s Get to the root of the Cause and resolve it. Let’s WARRIOR FOR THE CAUSE! Ie – fake estrogens, toxins, chemicals, emotional stress is the ROOT of our suffering.
Check out TOP 10 ways we’re exposed to synthetic estrogen and xeno-estrogens (chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body):
- WATER – Drinking & showering
- Plastics, even BPA free kind
- Pesticides in Commercial produce
- Dioxin – bleach used to make tampons white!
- Parabens – check your make up and personal care products.
- Pthalates – in fragrance and ‘home’ smell good items.
- Soy products
- Commercially raised meat and dairy
- Copper – Copper IUD’s
- Birth Control and Hormone Replacement
And this is a short list. The extended list including solutions is in the Love my Hormones Guide you can pick up free HERE. The double edged sword of it is, that as we’re exposed to these xeno-estrogens, they are stored in our digestive organs, and then spill over into fat cells, causing us to gain weight and be resistant to weight loss. And since the greater number of fat cells we have, the greater estrogen is released into the body (fat cells release estrogen), we have a viscous cycle of disease, regardless of your efforts in the gym. As you can see, this is why I am NOT a fan of much that is conventional today, including working out harder. Our liver and endocrine system is already working hard enough, so it’s time to give it a rest. And for many women, that includes birth control and HRT. It is literally wreaking havoc on our bodies, but no doctor will tell you that because their bonus pay outs depend on your use of it.
Birth Control and artificial hormones we’re given to make us ‘feel better’ are short lived in two senses of the term. The relief is short lived and so too are we.
The #1 cause of breast and ovarian cancer today is Estrogen Dominance from the myriad of synthetic chemicals we’re exposed to today.
THE ESTROGEN / GALL BLADDER CONNECTION
If the liver is overwhelmed with too many other tasks (grossly common today), it can’t properly and completely detox metabolites of estrogen, so they back up into the Gall Bladder and congest the bile ducts. The WORST case scenario is that you’ll be told your GB needs to be removed. In the meantime, your GB may be trying to talk to you. Many things result such as estrogen dominance, skin problems, acne, gall bladder infection, migraines, hot flashes, inability to break down fats, nausea upon consumption of fats, hormone imbalance, pain under right shoulder blade, inflammation under right rib cage…if it’s so bad doctors are recommending surgery, I highly urge you to do your homework first. I’ve heard nightmare stories and HEY, God gave you a GB for a reason.
Contrary to what the doctors tell you, your health WILL be impacted without it. Not to mention, it’s one of the most common emergency surgeries performed at ER’s today…without the ancillary advice to supplement with Bile Salts or other digestive aids to assist in emulsifying fats, which is the newly acquired impairment. Being that the majority of women today are on some kind of synthetic hormone and birth control, is it a surprise that the majority of GB removals are WOMEN? Not to mention, breast cancer. The excess estrogens back up into the next set of tissues neighboring the GB and other detoxification organs that are backed up…which is called the LOVELY lymph system. Look at this image and tell me where the MOST common cancer cases are.
- BREASTS
- BRAIN
- THYROID
- LUNG
- STOMACH
- OVARIAN
- TESTICULAR
- COLON
“What the body cannot excrete, it stores, and GROWS into disease…and SHOWS on our waistlines, our skin, and around that time of the month.”
POWER FOODS for your Fat Breaker-downer, the Gall Bladder = Beets, apples, carrots, celery, cucumber, lemon, ACV
I know by now you may be either thinking:
- “This girl is CRAZY!”. She’s telling me basically everything I’m doing is making me fat, fatigued and frustrated caused by things not talked about in mainstream media. Where is she getting her info? (see sources at the end of the article). OR
- “I'm ANGRY“….yet motivated to do something about it. You wish you knew this years ago, so go ahead and share this article with your girlfriends because they probably do too and deserve to know the truth.
SO…How can we Fix ESTROGEN DOMINANCE?
Here’s MY FAV 5 THINGS to balance Estrogen Detox & Achieve Hormonal Balance
#1 – DIM is a phytonutrient (plant nutrient) found in cruciferous vegetables. These include cabbage, broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga, and turnip. These plants have been cultivated for thousands of years and were initially used for their medicinal benefits. However, in order to get the daily therapeutically recommended dose of it, you would need to eat 2 pounds of these veggies, which presents 2 other problems – a) who has time to eat that many? And b) eating that much is likely to cause an entirely different and unfavorable problem…GAS and bloating. I recommend supplementing with DIM daily as insurance, but not to replace the importance of getting these veggies in at every meal.
#2 – CDG, aka – calcium-d-glucarate – FOODS high in CDG are things like apples, citrus fruits and let’s make it easy on us: cruciferous veggies, and just like DIM support estrogen metabolism. In one study, calcium-d-glucarate was able to reduce the number of estrogen receptors by 48 percent. It’s also been shown to lower serum estrogen levels by 23 percent. New research is showing that CDG could be just as effective as Tamoxifen in treating estrogen dominance, by promoting detox of excess estrogen. A review in 2003 claimed CDG could be as effective in preventing cancer as Tamoxifen, which is one of the most common treatments for high estrogen levels, yet comes with a risk of numerous side effects including stroke, blood clots (a classic Chinese Medicine indicator of stagnant blood flow or Liver Chi = trapped toxins and hormone metabolites) uterine cancer, and cataracts. Sounds starkly familiar to the prescription side effects of Birth Control doesn’t it?
#3 – ESSENTIAL OILS – Clary Sage is my all time favorite essential oil, and contains natural phyto-estrogens, which regulates estrogen levels. Here’s a list of why I LOVE it and use it successfully in my practice to heal women’s hormone imbalances:
- relieves menstrual discomfort
- supports hormonal balance
- relieves occasional sleeplessness
- increases circulation
- reduces cholesterol
- works as stress reliever
- promotes skin health
- aids in digestion, reducing belly bloat
I also love Lavender, Bergamot Peel, Roman Chamomile, Cedarwood, Ylang Ylang, Geranium, and Fennel.Healthy Fats – (animal) organic, grass-fed beef, organic poultry, wild-caught Salmon. (plant) avocados, coconut oil and olive oil. Raw nuts and seeds such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin, chia and hemp seeds are rich in anti-estrogenic plant sterols. Sesame seeds and flax seeds contain estrogen binging lignans. Aim for two to three tablespoons a day. I like both flaxseed oil and ground up flaxseeds, also sesame seeds sprinkled in salad or ground up in a paste called tahini.
#4 – POWER HERBS = Onions, garlic and scallions are rich in sulfur containing amino acids and the powerful anti-oxidant quercetin that both help the liver detoxify at a higher level and reduce the production of estrogen. Herbs such as oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage and turmeric are loaded with volatile oils that promote liver detoxification.
Turmeric, the main spice in curry, is arguably the most powerful herb on the planet at fighting and potentially reversing disease. It has so many healing properties that currently there have been 6,235 peer-reviewed articles published proving the benefits of turmeric and one of its renowned healing compounds curcumin, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory for the body, assisting the liver to eliminate and detoxify cancer-causing estrogens and xenoestrogens. Cayenne pepper is another spice rich in an anti-inflammatory compound known as capsaicin. Turmeric has a potent ability to destroy estrogen receptor positive cancer cells which are the most commonly found cells in breast, uterine, ovarian and prostate cancer.
#5 – LEMON & other citrus fruits – Using organic acids is an advanced strategy for liver and gut health that enhances the bodies ability to remove these unwanted estrogenic molecules. Squeeze fresh lemon, which is rich in citric acid, in water and on salads, veggies, meats and other dishes. Apple Cider Vinegar contains acetic acid, fermented raw dairy from grass-fed cows contains lactic acid. There are other products that contain fermented superherbs in an organic acid base that are extraordinarily powerful for enhancing detoxification processes and neutralizing bad estrogen metabolites.
3 WAYS YOU CAN START THESE STEPS RIGHT NOW!
#1 DIET – stabilize blood sugar (Module 1 of The Warrior Cleanse). It starts with ONE THING….this shake:
KALE SHAKE – SEXY SUPERFOOD SHAKE/Love my Hormones shake. Sign up for my FREE Starter Kit HERE and get this recipe sent to you inbox.
#2 SUPPLEMENTATION – I’m a HUGE fan of this Love my Hormones Kit. You’ll see why when you READ MORE about it. It’s my #1 selling kit!
#3 AVOID ESTROGEN LIKE TOXINS – we teach you how in The Warrior Cleanse by way of what to eat, what 7 foods to AVOID at all costs, and how to prevent future backups by supporting the liver. Like lamb and tuna fish, no wait…like chocolate and strawberries, the Warrior Cleanse lifestyle pairs nicely with the Hormone Code Challenge I created with my team, the Unicorn Wellness Warriors to free you from hormone hell so you can finally be WELL!
HOW DO I KNOW THESE WORK?
I worked with Lunden, fitness Star and the face of Runtastic Fitness Youtube Channel for a few months to help her detox from birth control, hormone hell and cystic acne. Here is her story:
So now you have a choice?
Do nothing, and continue down the path of Estrogen, hormone imbalancing destruction OR start with one or all of these three steps so you can reclaim your health, hormone balance and hot body!
I believe in you!
And your:
- THYROID
- ADRENALS
- OVARIES
Your TAO of hormone harmony is ahead of you with these tips.
I can’t wait to hear which 
ones you tried, what worked and how many other unicorn warrior sisters you share this with.
Please share your comments below as well as on your social media pages to ensure greater hormone balance!
I mean hey…the more women who GET this, the more energy and health we all have and the greater we can lift ourselves, our sisters, our loved ones and our planet!
To your hormones!
Unicorn Di
RESOURCES & FURTHER LEARNING:
- I was a guest on PhatManRadio, the Episode name: Sleep, Sex and Serotonin discussing this topic that you can LISTEN TO HERE.
- I was a guest on Live to 110, the Episode name: #174 Best Supplements For PMS With Diane Kazer which you can LISTEN TO HERE.
- If you'd like to book an appointment with me, SCHEDULE HERE.
