By Erika Schwartz, M.D.

Why didn’t anyone tell me about natural, bioidentical progesterone when I was young and in the throes of hormonal imbalances caused by PMS?

Unfortunately, even today millions of women within the teen through menopause age groups suffering with mild to severe symptoms of PMS are offered antidepressants, birth control pills or are just being told to grin and bear it. Conventional medicine has failed to address this incapacitating and all pervasive problem. A woman cannot lead a happy life if she suffers with PMS every month.

PMS is a problem that conventional medicine still chooses to ignore with the possible exception of the diagnosis of endometriosis.

PMS includes but is not limited to the two weeks before the period starts. As we get older the problem often expands to encompass the whole month. The most common description I hear from women in their mid-forties is “I live in a perpetual state of PMS” and “I only feel better when I get my period.”  Many women I see have learned to manage their lives around the time of the month when the scourge of PMS hits. I see young women who stop caring for their children, miss work and get into horrible fights with husbands, lovers and friends. Suspiciously, these dramatic situations seem to occur more frequently when the woman is suffering with PMS.

Another statement I hear that makes me shudder is “I’ve learned not to trust my judgment during PMS.”   These are women in their 20s and 30s, with children and careers speaking and they are severely handicapped by PMS.

The symptoms of PMS include

• bloating
• weight gain up to 10 pounds in 24 hours
• mood swings
• depression
• irritability
• sleep problems
• loss of sex drive or heightened sexuality
• food cravings
• cloudy thinking
• migraines
• muscle pains
• itching
• visual disturbances
• anxiety and panic attacks
• joint pains
• extreme fatigue
• complete personality changes
When I started to write about hormonal imbalances and made the connection between symptoms of hormonal imbalance and the lack of progesterone, estrogen and thyroid hormones at all ages, not just at menopause, I was overwhelmed by the response I received from women in all walks of life.

These women had given up, they were desperate and their physicians had told them that there was no hormone basis for their symptoms.  They were told they were basically crazy and the level of validation and care they received from their doctors was minimal to non-existent.

Yet the problems exist and they need to be addressed. Discarding and discounting the women is no longer an option. The time has come to do something about it. Life is too short to pull the blanket over your head during PMS or second guess every decision you are making.

No, you are not crazy; you are suffering with a concrete change in your hormonal balance that affects everything you do. Correcting the change is possible, even easier to achieve than you think.

PMS is easy to understand if we think of the hormonal changes the woman’s body undergoes every month. As we ovulate, in the middle of the cycle, exactly 15 days before our next period, the levels of estrogen and progesterone we make peak. If we do not get pregnant, the estrogen and progesterone are no longer needed so they start to drop. As they drop, we start to develop PMS.

The best times of the month for a woman are the times when we are having our period and the times right after when we are building our hormone levels. When the levels start to drop we are no longer on the top of our game.

So, how can we minimize or even eliminate the symptoms that are ruining our perfectly okay lives for the rest of the month.

The answer is- natural, bioidentical progesterone. The hormone that is leaving us PMSsy is easily supplemented by adding it to our regimen during the two weeks before the period.

I personally work with cream from progesterone. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, I prescribe between 50- 200 mg a day in those difficult times. The lower doses go for younger women, the higher often for women in their 30s and 40s.
For women nearing menopause or further along in age, I have found that if progesterone alone does not suffice, we add estradiol to help even things out.

In addition to the bioidentical hormones, diet and supplements as well as exercise are a must to keep the PMS at bay. A hormone friendly diet is key and you can find it’s ingredients in my book The 30 Day Natural Hormone Plan. Exercise will help keep the good hormones in balance and even if you feel like it’s the last thing you want to do, believe me it’ll help you once you do even a little bit. Sleep is another key ingredient so make sure you get that shuteye instead of partying till dawn. It will pay off in your life and stave off the PMS blues.

By Shane “The People’s Chemist” Ellison, M.S.
All rights reserved (c) 2008 http://www.thepeopleschemist.com

There’s been a deep lying suspicion that a deliberate push to get each and every American hooked on drugs, while at the same time bankrupting them, exists among Big Pharma, the U.S. government and the popular media. But now, a new study confirms this suspicion as fact. It’s the JUPITER study.

JUPITER stands for Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin. It’s not a clinical trial. It’s a rouse to promote drugs as vitamins. Dr. Timothy J. Gardner, president of the American Heart Association, was so excited by it that he insisted, “this one [JUPITER] is pretty clearly a winner for statin therapy.”

The New York Times gave us the infomercial, scripted response of, “Taking the statin Crestor, also known as rosuvastatin, slashed the risk of heart attack by more than half according to the JUPITER results.” But if you believe this, then you’re already on too many drugs.

Big Pharma money can be intoxicating. Like a frat boy with beer goggles, few health professionals or popular media outlets could see the ugly truth. Four important points of the JUPITER rouse were missed, which serve as four reasons to avoid Crestor.

The media failed to mention that Crestor makers - AstraZeneca - funded the study. When a company pays for a study, they pay for the interpretation of results, which always involves statistical trickery. Most of us learned this with the heart attack inducing, pain killer Vioxx. Touted as the safest NSAID of all time, it proved to be the deadliest once unleashed with the rubber stamp approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - it snuffed out an estimated 40,000 lives, fast. Its’ wake of destruction still resonates within Americans, but apparently not with the media.

The media failed to mention the statistical trickery at work. Cardiovascular events were reduced by an absolute, paltry 0.9% with Crestor use. Using a few tricks of the statistics trade, this bland number was converted into the more lucrative, “relative risk reduction” of 53%. This trickery happens so fast, it’s like watching magician David Blaine pull his heart out of his chest. You don’t know if it’s real or just a cheap magic trick. Dr. Mark Hlatky of Stanford shows that it’s just a trick.

Commenting on the trickery, he told the New England Journal of Medicine that, “absolute differences in risk are more clinically important than relative reductions in risk in deciding whether to recommend drug therapy, since the absolute benefits of treatment must be large enough to justify the associated risks and costs.” But, using statistical sleight of hand helps AstraZeneca make some serious cash.

The media failed to mention that it would cost bookoo bucks to follow JUPITER’s recommended Crestor protocol. The drug giant stands to pocket an estimated $500,000 per patient, courtesy of their insurance company, if the drug is used as recommended by the study - over a patient’s lifetime.

And finally, the media failed to mention that Crestor users risk the particularly, nasty side effect of liver failure, rhabdomyolysis, diabetes and more. If you really needed another one, that’s the fourth reason to say no to Crestor: It’s a seriously expensive way to get sick.

Falsely promoting ineffective and dangerous drugs, while pillaging bank accounts, is illegal. Street thugs go to jail every day for it. If the JUPITER rouse is to be condoned by the federal government and supported by the media, then there is no need for the FDA since Big Pharma can violate the laws with predatory prescription hype disguised as science. Say no to Crestor and all the other cholesterol-lowering drugs. Otherwise, face the outcomes of government mandated drug addiction.

Author Note

Ellison’s entire career has been dedicated to the study of molecules; how they give life and how they take from it. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology. He is a bestselling author, holds a master’s degree in organic chemistry and has first-hand experience in drug design. Use his knowledge and insight to look and feel your best in 90 days with his AM-PM Fat Loss Discovery: http://www.thepeopleschemist.com/obesity_cure.php

By Shane “The People’s Chemist” Ellison
http://www.thepeopleschemist.com/

I love to spend money. Whether it’s buying books for my child’s education, a lift ticket for a day of snowboarding, or Date Night with my Wife (see cool photos at MySpace), I always get great satisfaction spending money on products, services, and activities that I perceive as having great value.

But more than spending, I enjoy investing. Wise investing serves as a security blanket - in an insecure world - for family and future. It allowed me to escape an arduous nine-to-five career with one of the world’s largest drug providers. And making wise investments in my health - in the foods I eat and the activities I engage in - has been one of the most important things I’ve ever done.

The fact is, your health is an investment. Possibly the most important investment you will ever make. If you invest in it now, you can see big returns in the future. If you don’t invest in your health, it could cost you big time down the line.

According to a recent report by CNN Money, “The retirement health tab can run between $64,000 and $122,000 for a 65-year-old man whose former employer pays his insurance premiums, and between $86,000 and $140,000 for a woman of the same age. For retirees who don’t have access to an employer-offered plan, the costs - mostly for prescription drugs - run even higher.”

In addition to these exorbitant drug expenses, most Americans have one foot in the grave. Obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer are at an all time high. And it’s expected to get worse! The Journal of the American Medical Association predicted that one in three born in the year 2000 will succumb to type II diabetes, which is simply a “gateway” disease to all the pandemic killers. This rampant sickness is being met with an arsenal of cholesterol-lowering drugs, blood pressure meds, anti-depressants, and hypoglycemics. None have been proven to increase lifespan - just toxic and ineffective. Yet, they are continually pushed upon us for one reason: Financial gain.

Health doesn’t have to be so damn expensive or risky. Science proves this. Mother Nature provides four cardiovascular cures that cost next to nothing. Combined, they can help us overcome a weakening heart and even type II diabetes.

Low-Cost Cardiovascular Cure #1: Psyllium Husk. Psyllium husk is a soluble fiber, meaning it is an indigestible, complex carbohydrate. Once consumed, it undergoes fermentation in the large intestine, yielding a broad range of heart-healthy benefits, most notably the control of appetite, blood sugar and insulin.

A pooled analysis of 10 prospective cohort studies of dietary fiber intake in the US and Europe found that each 10 grams/day increase in total dietary fiber intake was associated with a 14 percent decrease in the risk of coronary events, such as myocardial infarction (MI), and a 24 percent decrease in deaths from coronary heart disease.

Psyllium husk is one of my favorite supplements due to its ability to help control blood glucose. Excess glucose in the blood stream can cause heart disease for its ability to become “oxidized.” This oxidation leads to a change in the molecular structure of glucose - causing what is known as advanced glycation end products or AGE-products. Like a knife carving clay, AGE products scar arterial walls. The scarring results in plague buildup and excess blood clotting. This mechanism is why diabetics have a 4.5 times increase of suffering from heart attack and stroke relative to non-diabetics.

Go to your local health food store and purchase psyllium husk. This will cost you no more than a few bucks. In the bulk isle, psyllium can be purchased for about $3 per month.

Low-Cost Cardiovascular Cure #2: B Vitamins. These vitamins are required for proper functioning of the brain, nervous system, and the formation of blood. They are also involved in the metabolism of every cell of the human body, especially for proper DNA synthesis and regulation, but also for fatty acid synthesis and energy production. Harvard researchers writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that women could cut their risk of heart disease by half with daily consumption of B vitamins.

B vitamins are responsible for igniting a chemical cascade within the body known as methylation. This process rids the arteries of the damaging molecule known as homocysteine.  The lower your levels of homocysteine, the less risk you have of suffering from cardiovascular disease.

Start supplementing with B vitamins today. A daily B vitamin supplement should cost no more than $10 per month.

Low-Cost Cardiovascular Cure #3: Flavonoids. These are plant derived pigments. Over 4,000 have been studied for their cardiovascular and anti-cancer benefits. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported a 20 percent decrease in heart disease mortality risk among those who consumed at least 7.5 mg daily.

Flavonoids preserve the cardiovascular system and heart by three major actions: improving blood flow in order to enhance oxygen and nutrient delivery throughout the 100,000 miles of adult veins, arteries and capillaries, preventing the formation of artery-scarring, oxidized LDL, and relaxing the coronary arteries to prevent high blood pressure.

Make sure your shopping cart is loaded with food that are packed with flavonoids. The best sources of flavonoids are broccoli, hawthorn, grapeseed extract, black tea, citrus fruits, and organic dark chocolate.

Using these three cardiovascular cures to preserve health rather than drugs is a wise investment. It could potentially save you $64,000 in drug costs. What could you do with an extra $64,000 and good health? For me, it is more education, snowboarding, and of course Date Nights in exotic places around the world.

Author Note

Ellison’s entire career has been dedicated to the study of molecules; how they give life and how they take from it. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology. He is a bestselling author, holds a master’s degree in organic chemistry and has first-hand experience in drug design. Use his knowledge and insight to look and feel your best in 90 days with his AM-PM Fat Loss Discovery: http://www.thepeopleschemist.com/obesity_cure.php

Dr. Steven F. Hotze is featured in Suzanne Somers’ new book:  Breakthrough - Eight Steps to Wellness!  Listen to Dr. Hotze interview Suzanne Somers this Thursday, October 9th, from 12 to 1 pm CST on 700 AM in Houston, 1160 AM in Dallas, or live online at www.ksevradio.com!

Four Aggressive Approaches to Warding Off Cancer

By Shane “The People’s Chemist” Ellison

Everyone has cancer.  Johns Hopkins recently reminded us of this fact while studying how most of us beat the deadly outcome:  the immune system.  When it identifies a cancerous cell, it attacks and eliminates it from the body.  But every now and then, this system gets hoodwinked by rogue cancer cells.

Rogue cancer cells have the ability to become invisible and therefore overcome our immune system defenses.  This superpower helps it invade other regions of the body.  Internally, we become a playground for cancerous infection and disease.  Slow death ensues.  Fortunately, anyone can overcome it. 

To beat rogue cancer cells, you need to eliminate their ability to become invisible.  What keeps cancer cells out of sight from your immune system? Trophoblast cells. You can expose cancer for what it is - deadly - by boosting your pancreatic enzymes.  Pancreatic enzymes eliminate trophoblast cells and thus reveal any underlying cancer cells to your “immunity radar” for eventual eradication.

Several natural medicines have been identified that attack trophoblast cells.  The most effective are flavonoids found in broccoli; whey isolate; B-17 from the apricot seed; and curcumin (which is available at Wal-Mart). 

Considering their aggressive attack on invisible cancer cells, boosting pancreatic enzymes should be a daily habit among anyone who wants to ward off the everyday occurrence of cancer.

About the Author

Shane Ellison holds a masters degree in organic chemistry and is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his studies in biochemistry and physiology. Creator of the Hormone Intelligence Therapy (HIT) program he exposes how men and women can reverse diabetes, lose fat and build sexy, lean muscle, at any age. Get access to Shane’s free articles at: http://www.thepeopleschemist.com/articles & discover how to cheat metabolism, lose weight and master your best physique in 90 days naturally.

By Shane “The People’s Chemist” Ellison
Copyright 2008 © www.thepeopleschemist.com

I’m no health saint.  Every now and then I do something really dumb.  It’s rare, but I’ve been known to drink too much wine or beer and even indulge in the occasional cigar.  All of these are toxic and as a rogue chemist turned consumer health advocate, I’m not proud of it.  But it’s my choice.  And that’s the point.  Exposing yourself to toxins should be a choice.  But modern day society rarely allows this.  Many people are unknowingly poisoning themselves with man-made industrial toxins.  The gender bender known as triclosan serves as a poignant example – and it makes my toxic indulgences seem as harmless as apple juice.

Triclosan is used in a nauseating array of household products such as toothpastes, soaps and lotions.  Synthesized over 30 years ago, it was once thought to be a safe and effective antibiotic.  But a recent UC Davis study shows otherwise.
Scientists discovered that triclosan accumulates in the body – even when applied topically – to eventually disrupt hormone activity.  Once absorbed, the synthetic toxin throws our thyroid and sex hormones out of whack, potentially leading to obesity, infertility, cancer and age acceleration. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently discovered that a ghastly 75% of random people tested were positive for triclosan!

There appears to be laws that protect us from such toxic exposure.  Appearances can be deceiving.  In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act.  It requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine safe levels of toxins in drinking water and over the counter products like toothpastes and soaps.  These levels are called Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLG).  These are merely goals, not laws.  That’s why the gender bending triclosan was recently approved by the EPA for use in over 140 household products.  There is simply no law that requires its removal, despite the real and present danger. 

The best way to avoid triclosan and many other toxins is to choose organic. Natural soaps and the antibiotic zinc oxide work as good as triclosan at beating infection.  Most importantly, neither of them will poison you.  And whether you’re poisoning yourself voluntarily or unknowingly, the best way to protect the body from toxins is by boosting glutathione within the cells – this biological cleaning agent escorts foreign molecules out of the body and into the toilet.  This is best achieved by consuming cruciferous vegetables, whey isolate and alpha-lipoic acid.

About the Author
Ellison’s entire career has been dedicated to the study of molecules; how they give life and how they take from it. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology. He is a bestselling author, holds a master’s degree in organic chemistry and has first-hand experience in drug design.  Discover how to Live Young, cheat metabolism, beat diabetes, and master your best physique in 90 days at http://www.thepeopleschemist.com/articles.php

By Shane “The People’s Chemist” Ellison
www.thepeopleschemist.com © 2008

My wife and I are unconventional parents. We didn’t vaccinate our children. They don’t go to public school. We don’t let them drink their weight in soda. And we make them eat their sunscreen. Before you report me to Child Protective Services, let me assure you that I’m not talking about the conventional, synthetic sun block that is loaded with poisons. I’m talking about edible sun block in the form of carotenoids.

Carotenoids are members of a family of nutrients that protect plants and animals from excess sunshine. Just like melanin, they are colorful molecules that reflect UV rays. About 700 different types of carotenoids have been identified. Each of the pigments functions as Mother Nature’s sunblock. When humans ingest carotenoids, they are deposited into the skin to prevent sunburn and (ultimately) oxidative stress, which can lead to cancer.

Leading sources of carotenoids are eggs, spirulina, chlorella, dark-green leafy vegetables (kale, collards, and spinach), and yellow-orange fruits and vegetables (apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, and squash). The recommended daily intake of carotenoids is 100 to 200 grams per day of these foods.

The most potent carotenoid is a red pigment found in algae, salmon, trout, shrimp, and lobsters. It is known as astaxanthin. The algae are normally green. But when subjected to sunshine, they produce the red pigment naturally. Once ingested, astaxanthin is 1,000 times more effective at protecting skin from UV damage than other carotenoids.

Edible sunblock is your first line of defense against sunburn, cancer, and prematurely aging skin. So make sure you pack plenty of carotenoids in your kids’ lunchboxes this summer.

About the Author
Shane Ellison is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology.  Abandoning his career as a pharmaceutical chemist, he is the creator of the Hormone Intelligence Therapy (HIT) program for reversing diabetes, losing fat and feeling great in 90 days. Get access to Shane’s free articles at: http://www.thepeopleschemist.com/articles.php and discover how to cheat metabolism, lose weight and master your best physique in 90 days without taking harmful drugs or supplements.