CHAPTER 8
GRRR
I wake up early in the morning to get to work on my priorities; I usually make it to the office before everyone else. I make myself a cup of good, organic coffee and sit down to read e-mails back in the studio. The first one I opened was from a man who was frustrated. His wife was exhausted, she can’t get out of bed any more, and she has been bleeding for over two months. The doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with her.
What I read every morning frustrates me. It actually makes me sad. I sit down every morning to e-mails from women from all over the world who are sick. They are sick and aren’t getting any help from the doctors charged with their care. They have been told to accept what they are experiencing as normal. This is personal for me because my wife was once one of those women. So, early in the morning reading all these e-mails, that’s when I might get upset and go on a rant to tell people there’s a different perspective! There’s a different way of thinking traditional medicine doesn’t have! Can you blame me? Women’s illness and hormone problems have skyrocketed through the years.
Doctors are not trying to not help. They are trying to do the best job they can. That doesn’t take away the fact that women are sick, and they are in pain. However, their job is to keep them alive, not help them live their best life with an optimally functioning body. The current method is so incomplete that my heart breaks when they come in. Women have been to so many doctors by the time they come in to see us. We are usually the last resort because we aren’t part of the huge medical machine. I ask for their records and the most basic things when they come in. It is always incomplete testing that doesn’t give a good picture of what is happening with them. It doesn’t matter if they’ve been to an M.D., D.O., endocrinologist, functional medicine doctor or other specialists. Their testing is incomplete, because they simply were not taught complete testing. To assess a woman properly is impossible if you are trying to do it with a limited perspective.
To assess a woman properly is impossible if you are trying to do it with a limited perspective.
Have you been at the movies watching the previews when you saw a preview to a movie that looked really good? Then you think we have to see that. You make a date to see the movie. A few months later, you go to the movie and it’s meh. You judged the movie on the preview and you only got a small picture of what that movie was about. We have all been to a movie that had a pretty good preview, but it was bad when you saw the whole thing. We understand the preview is just a small picture. Unfortunately, that’s how traditional medicine is looking at women’s hormones.
You were never taught how a woman’s hormones work and we wonder why breast cancer rates are rising. We wonder why there are so many hormonal issues. If you are like most Americans, you most likely haven’t been educated on how a woman’s body works. That’s ok, we’re fixing that right now. How many of you have heard of the hormone estrogen? You ready for this? There is no such thing as the hormone estrogen. Estrogen is a term for ten different hormones that are chemically similar. They may be chemically similar, but they have different properties. With how much high estrogen is connected to increased risk of breast cancer, it seems we should get to the bottom of this. Pink ribbons, mammograms and all the research for drugs can’t give you prevention. Understanding the multiple hormones and proper testing can set your body up for health. This group of hormones control if you get cancer, osteoporosis, and/or heart disease. Estrogens even control your moods—whether you are happy or depressed. Like I said, they play an important part of making up who a woman is!
If you understand that each estrogen has a unique role, then you understand how damaging this can be.
Women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer will be tested to see if their type of cancer is estrogen positive. If the results say their cancer type is estrogen receptive, they will be put on an aromatase inhibiting drug that blocks their production of all estrogens. It’s non-selective so that means it stops the production and conversion of all the estrogens. Not just the problematic one. If you understand that each estrogen has a unique role, then you understand how damaging this can be. One of those estrogens, 2-hydroxy Estrone, is actually cancer protective. That’s just one of them and you have ten!
All of the estrogens play an important role in your body and making a woman who she is. Estrogen is demonized just because one type of estrogen gets out of control which can create an environment that allows breast cancer to grow and spread. Demonizing estrogen can have a detrimental effect on a body that relies on multiple estrogens for health.
The other problem is, you should be thinking about how estrogen impacts your health before you have breast cancer. Why aren’t we doing more to make sure women are set up for their best hormonal health? A mammogram won’t prevent breast cancer. It helps identify breast cancer but doesn’t stop it! You need to get all of your estrogen hormones tested properly. That starts by knowing there is more than one.
Have you had all of those hormones tested? I ask this question all over the country when I speak and in my practice. Unless they are going to a Wellness Way Clinic, they have not had their hormones tested properly.
You may have had one or two hormones tested, but have you had all of them? You may have thought you have; but unless you have been to a Wellness Way you probably haven’t. Here’s what you need to get tested:
• Estrone
• Estradiol (this is the major one tested for)
• Estriol
• 16-hydroxy Estrone
• 4-hydroxy Estrone
• 2-hydroxy Estrone
• 2-methoxy Estrone
I have an idea. If the only thing that triggers the breast cancer gene is out of control estrogens, why don’t we check all of the estrogen levels when women are at a young age. That makes sense.
Estrogens dictate your life, not just your breast cancer risk. It’s better to prevent illness than to treat illness. I don’t treat breast cancer. I am not equipped to do so. If you have breast cancer, you should go to the fire department doctor. But I have a question, why would we treat breast cancer if we could protect you from getting breast cancer by supporting hormonal health?
My wife had horrible health problems and painful periods. The medical community told her she would most likely not have been able to bear children. She saw lots of doctors. When I tested these hormones in my wife, I found out one of them turned her uterus into pathological disease. When we got that hormone normal, her uterus went back to normal. We lowered her risk for breast cancer by supporting her hormones, her health problems subsided, and her periods became normal. Testing your hormones can change your health and your life. Do you think her doctors tested her hormones completely? No.
If your doctor has just tested your blood, there is no way you can get a true picture of all your hormones. There are three ways to test your hormones. To get a full understanding of your hormonal health you need to utilize more than one test.
• Blood
• Saliva
• Urine
It is virtually impossible to get a full picture of your hormonal health by testing blood alone.
Let me say this again so you can share with your gynecologist, your nurse practitioner, your doctor and anyone else who just wants to draw your blood to test your hormones: it is virtually impossible to get a full picture of your hormonal health by testing blood alone. The main hormone they can look at through blood testing is estradiol. Conveniently, this is one they can manipulate through drugs. If you haven’t had a urine test to check your hormones, you are missing important indicators. There are certain estrogens you can only see in urine. But you can’t test progesterone in a urine test, so for a full hormonal picture you will need multiple tests. I can’t say this enough; a good clinical doctor will run multiple tests to get a full picture. Now think about it—did you know about the ten estrogens? Did you get multiple types of testing?
CHRISTY’S THOUGHTS
Yes, I did all
three hormone tests within the same timeframe to get the proper “picture” of what was going on in my body. Everyone is different, and I cannot stress enough how important it is to get all your hormones tested and get the ’whole picture’! I have done it multiple times through the years, and my daughters will also get testing done as soon as they each begin menstruating. There is no going back to the ’common’ way of doing things for us…remember, I went to other doctors and did all their testing and got NO results and NO answers. As a result of testing thoroughly through The Wellness Way, both my life and my daughters’ lives have been put on a path leading to homeostasis and away from disease. Testing is key!
Using the standard approach, women are left with incomplete information and trusting people who are looking at an incomplete picture of the body. And we wonder why hormone conditions, hormonal problems, and breast cancer continue to rise. We have a hormone problem in this country that leads to high breast cancer rates. People are racing for the cure, buying the pink ribbon version of everything, attending rallies, and participating in pink 5k races–we know we have a problem, and people clearly want to help. However, imagine if this information I just shared with you was brought into the conversation. We are missing the discussions that can really lead to saving lives and improved quality of health. When you understand how estrogens work and how to properly test, we can do more for prevention. It’s part of a whole-body approach that understands whether you are setting your body up for health or illness.
When you start supporting a body for healthy hormones and healthy systems, your body starts responding with positive outcomes. There is more to it than just learning the names of the hormones though. Not only do women have more hormones, these hormones are changing on a regular basis. Let’s take a look at a chart of the typical woman’s cycle.
Looks quite a bit different from the graphic we looked at on men’s hormones, huh?
Would you agree with me that testosterone alone causes physical and mental changes? Women have a lot more hormones that change throughout the month, not just throughout the day. Their cycles are very different. Their cycle and hormones affect them differently than men, both physically and mentally. Looking at the charts of the hormones, can you understand how I question how can anybody tell us that men and women are the same? I believe the lack of understanding of hormones is causing many of our common problems today. Even during counseling, a man is often told to be more sensitive. If a man is healthy and his testosterone levels are good, this is going to be very hard for him to do. It’s denying his biology! Men are not supposed to be overly sensitive. That’s not what they are. Conversely, women are supposed to be sensitive, and their hormones make their experience different than a man’s. Their emotions do not mean they are crazy, it’s their biology!
Understanding the different hormones and how they work can not only support a woman’s health, it can improve her relationships.
CHRISTY’S THOUGHTS
One of the most beneficial pieces of advice I ever got was to not discuss difficult things or topics with Patrick during the day, but instead to wait…to ’bridle my tongue’ and talk to him at night about the issue. Ladies, we are all sensitive and emotional, but they are NOT—and that’s how God made them! It’s not wrong, so why not THINK DIFFERENTLY and change our approach to solving problems, instead of constantly trying to change our men??
Approach your man in the evening when his testosterone is lower and remember that it’s not what you say, but HOW you say it. Speak respectfully, and he will be more likely to respond back respectfully. Your tone of voice can actually say more than you are trying to say. You could be completely right, but how you say something can determine whether he receives it or not. So, don’t try to make him more ’sensitive’! He’s a man, and a healthy man has testosterone. If we could all (men and women) learn to control our reactions, I think conflict resolution would not be so dreaded or difficult.
Amanda’s Story
I had been pretty healthy in my teen years. I had no challenges with my cycles. Everything seemed just fine. The challenges started after I decided to go off my birth control—Depo-Provera injections.
I struggled with stage IV endometriosis and cysts for about 10 years. I felt like I lived a double life. With endometriosis I looked like every other happy and healthy person on the outside. However, at home I spent most of my time with a heating pad and on high doses of pain medication. I hated to tell anyone how I was feeling. I often felt like I was viewed as broken or just making up the symptoms. Endometriosis is a very lonely disease. It drained me both physically and mentally. I felt like a burden causing my family to miss out on so many opportunities. My husband was very supportive and stayed by my side through it all.
I tried every medication to the maximum limits – even to the point of signing waiver forms for these higher doses – had my uterus scraped yearly and was in a hopeless situation. During one emergency surgery, the doctor thought the challenge was my appendix and removed it. My appendix was actually fine. I felt like an experiment to the doctors I was seeing.
Everything we tried seemed to work for a month or so before the pain returned full force. The doctors had no more answers or treatments to try. We were out of options, except for a drastic hysterectomy, and even then, I couldn’t be guaranteed a pain free life. All the courses of action we had taken had damaged my body more than helped. I am still challenged with some of the side effects of the drugs I had been given.
I found myself at my chiropractor’s office, desperate for help. I was ready to try anything. When my chiropractor reached out to Dr. Patrick to consult, he looked at my tests and asked if I was a 60-year-old woman in menopause. I was a 31-year-old woman. After starting my Wellness Way journey, I was pain free after 3 months! My chiropractor was so impacted, he became a Wellness Way affiliate, so he would be able to help others.
I haven’t had any medication or surgery in over two years and I’m not looking back now. In fact, I would be afraid to go back to my previous doctor—the one who “accidently” took out my appendix. I’m afraid I would be kicked out for how strongly I feel about my health and the hope The Wellness Way has restored in my life.
It wasn’t always easy, but you must to do the right thing for your health. I have a supportive husband, but still had a lot of criticism from those who didn’t understand what I was doing and choosing. I had to choose to stay the course and do the right thing for my family, for my health.
I share my story hoping that it helps others find the help they need. I don’t want anyone to have to go through the life of pain and misery, so many health challenges can cause, especially in the way of female hormones. I feel better at 33 then I did in my 20’s. Thanks to The Wellness Way Approach I have my life back, and I know they can do that for so many more people!
CHAPTER 9
Women Are Complicated, but Worth It
This chapter is a bit longer than the one on the man zone. Women have more hormones and more zones. They are a bit more complicated than a man; that is what makes them women.
When I started researching women’s hormones, one question kept jumping out at me and caused me to focus all my research on answering it. Why do women care about everything? Why do they look at everything the way they do? Let’s take a day in the life of a woman. From the time a woman gets up in the morning, she is the primary person to get the kids ready for school. Have you ever seen a guy dress his kids? My wife always asks me, “how could you possibly let them leave the house dressed like that?” Sure, they might look funny but I think: it’s fine, they have clothes on. Done! We think differently. Moms make breakfast, pack lunches, ready the kids for school and then drop them off. Then moms pour themselves into a multitude of tasks all day, at home, the office, or both. Then after school they take care of the kids and have to make food again, help with homework and after they’ve cared for everything all day long, they are exhausted. But this intense schedule means so much to her because it’s what she d
oes. She cares. About everything!
Why do women care about everything?
Now, her man left this morning and he cared about what? Nothing! Ok, that’s not to mean he doesn’t care about anything, but remember, his testosterone keeps him laser-focused on one thing. He’s got his “one thing” on his mind and is moving through the day. One thing at a time, one task conquered after another. He’s doing great, he thinks! Triumphant, he heads home at the end of his day. What is that guy thinking when he comes home? (Insert sexy music here.)
And how does the woman respond? “Just another thing I have to do!” It’s comical looking at the two perspectives, isn’t it? Ladies, I hear you. This is the story you’ve told me for eighteen years. Guys—just understand, it’s a thing. It happens and it’s real. They are different from us. It’s okay to be a man, but you have to understand women are very different; and it’s okay to be a woman. Their hormones make them more emotional. They think differently; they care about everything. We don’t. Our testosterone keeps us less emotional and only thinking about one thing at a time. We don’t think about ten things the way they do. That whole day means a lot to them. Understand that and you’ll understand the woman.
It’s okay to be a man, but you have to understand women are very different; and it’s okay to be a woman.
I Disagree Page 8
