Cancer and Hormones

Balancing hormones with DIM?

Many cancers, diseases, and just overall discomfort are driven by imbalances in hormones. The reasons are many but exposure to estrogens in our environment is by far the greatest cause of hormone dysregulation. A nutritional supplement called DIM, or diindolylmethane, is a natural compound found in cruciferous vegetables that promotes beneficial estrogen metabolism in both women and men. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts are rich in diindolylmethane. DIM affects estrogen metabolism by promoting the excretion of xenoestrogens, which are “bad estrogens” we encounter through pesticides in our diet, food laced with hormones, and from pollution in the environment.

DIM is increasing in popularity as a natural therapy due to medical research showing its positive effects on aberrant cells and healthy estrogen metabolism. Scientists at UC Berkeley discovered that DIM is also a potent modulator of the immune system – meaning that it can help balance a Th1/Th2 dominance. DIM, combined with the medicinal mushrooms in some nutraceutical formulas we use act together to enhance and support the immune system.

Other nutrients including Quercetin, Turmeric (Curcumin), Astragalus, Scutellaria barbata, add to the effectiveness of DIM in both clearing xenoestrogens and balancing the immune system. Not all cancers are hormonally driven but use of DIM can benefit everyone since our exposure to environmental hormones is ubiquitous.

Ultimately, when dealing with hormone issues, autoimmune disease, or cancer, correcting the CAUSE is the first step. Be wise and consume only grass-fed organic meat when possible, stay away from dairy products, and stop using plastics in contact with food or drink. It may be impossible to totally eliminate xenoestrogens but we can certainly limit exposure.

Balancing Hormones with Estro Clear

This is a Norway spruce lignan extract AND Hops extract. Plant lignans are phytonutrients commonly found in small amounts in unrefined whole grains, seeds, nuts, vegetables, berries, and beverages, such as tea and coffee. The friendly bacteria in our intestines convert plant lignans into the “human” lignans called enterodiol and enterolactone. Aromatic-PN is a concentrated, naturally occurring plant lignan called 7-hydroxymatairesinol, which is derived from the Norway spruce (Picea abies). In humans, 7-hydroxymatairesinol is a direct metabolic precursor of enterolactone.

Enterolactone is a phytoestrogen that binds to estrogen receptors and has both weak estrogenic and weak antiestrogenic effects. The latter accounts for much of its cell-protective capacity. Additionally, in vitro work has demonstrated that enterolactone affects aromatase and the biosynthesis of estrogen and has strong free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties. The protective effect of lignans and enterolactone on tissues, including those of the prostate and breast, is encouraging. At the same time, the estrogenicity of HMR and enterolactone, although milder than estradiol, offers promising applications for women with menopausal concerns. For instance, in a randomized, single-blind, parallel group pilot study, 20 menopausal women taking 50 mg/d of hydroxymatairesinol for eight weeks experienced half as many hot flushes as compared to pretreatment. Furthermore, high serum enterolactone has repeatedly been associated with cardiovascular health.

Hops are the female seed cones of the hop species Humulus lupulus, a medicinal plant that offers a wide range of biologically active components that are used for a variety of purposes. More recently, prenylflavonoids obtained from the lupulin glands of hop cones have become the focus of research. The prenylflavonoid 8-PN has been identified as one of the most potent phytoestrogens because it provides greater activity than other commonly used isoflavone phytoestrogens, such as daidzein and genistein.

In vitro and in vivo studies conducted in recent years indicate a potential role for 8-PN in relieving common menopausal concerns. In pilot and prospective studies that were randomized and placebo-controlled, postmenopausal women who took 100-250 mcg/day of 8-PN experienced reductions in vasomotor symptoms and other common menopausal discomforts. Furthermore, research in ovariectomized rats indicated that 8-PN produced mild estrogenic effects in vaginal and uterine epithelial tissues. Although further studies are needed, animal and in vitro work show promising effects of 8-PN in cardiovascular, bone, prostate, and breast health. In one study, ovariectomized rats treated with 8-PN or 17 beta-estradiol displayed complete suppression of ovariectomy-induced bone and uterine changes in a qualitatively similar manner.

Not only does 8-PN offer phytoestrogenic activity, but it has also been observed to affect aromatase—a cytochrome P450 isoenzyme responsible for the conversion of circulating androgens into estrogens. Aromatase is expressed in several tissues, such as breast tissue, where estrogens exert physiological activity. New research suggests that prenylflavonoids interact with aromatase in a manner that positively affects endogenous estradiol biosynthesis and, therefore, the relative balance of other hormones, such as testosterone. Of the flavonoids studied, 8-PN has demonstrated the greatest impact on estrogen biosynthesis during in vitro experimentation. It has been postulated that providing phytoestrogens while modulating the production of potent endogenous estrogens may result in safer, more balanced estrogenic activity. Brunelli et al. investigated the influences of 8-PN on epidermal growth factor (EGF)-elicited pathways in certain breast cells and demonstrated that 8-PN interferes with EGF-induced cell proliferation in estrogen-receptor positive cells.

Using Sano-Garstril as an Aromatase Inhibitor

Soy is 'good', soy is 'bad'. Who's correct?

You see, there are two kinds of soy — the kind the Japanese eat, and the kind Americans eat. And a great chasm separates the two. Hence, the great debate about whether soy is truly a 'health food' or not.

What if everything you've heard about soy is industry hype and multi-million dollar marketing campaigns based on half-truths or lies?

The U.S. soy industry was born decades ago, back when coconut and palm oils were in nearly every kitchen. But since these two tropical oils were primarily grown outside the U.S., a plan was devised to replace them with a domestic 'healthy' oil — soybean.

The explosive growth of the soy industry was virtually guaranteed thanks to government subsidies, which kept prices artificially low, and the American Soybean Association, which united the industry into a powerful lobby. For the most part, the industry has succeeded in convincing Americans that its soybeans are indeed a health food.

But regular unfermented soy has been linked to all sorts of health issues — digestive distress, immune system breakdown, PMS, endometriosis, reproductive problems (men and women), allergies, ADD and ADHD, increased heart disease and cancer risk, malnutrition, and loss of libido.

Were it eaten as it usually is in Japan, soy could be considered a health food. In Japan, soy is nearly always consumed in fermented form, while in the U.S. it's almost always highly processed and non-fermented.

Japanese women have held the record for the world's longest life expectancy for 25 years now (as of 2010), according to Reuters News. Women in Japan have a life expectancy of 86.44 years, while Japanese men can expect to live 79.59 years.

It's been said, "It's all in the food." And it is true that the Japanese consume a diet rich in fish, soy and tea. What's more, there's less overeating because of their custom of small serving sizes.

It was originally thought that all estrogens and pseudo-estrogens─ that includes naturally-occurring estrogens, Xeno-estrogens and phytoestrogens─ vied for the same receptor sites. However, in 1995, Nobel Prize-winning researcher Prof. Jan Gustafsson discovered what he called the “estrogen receptor beta site” or ER-b. This discovery opened up a whole new level of inquiry regarding cellular immunity as well as the relationship between what is now called “estrogen receptor site a” (ER-a) and ER-b. Simply put, estrogen and Xeno-estrogen go to site ER-a exclusively while soy phytoestrogens in particular “have very low affinity for the ER-a sites and at least 20 to 30 times greater affinity for the ER-b site than the ER-a site.”

Why is this good news for you? According to Wainright, “soy phytoestrogens (from FERMENTED SOY) reduce the number of ER-a sites in a cell and increases the ER-b sites in cells.”  Less ER-a sites means less places for super-aggressive estrogens to land and less opportunity for ER-positive cancer cells to grow.

Therefore, using fermented soy chews may help slow down the growth of ER-positive cancers, help dislodge 'bad estrogen' from ER-a sites, and help induce apoptosis.