Dr. John Lee's Book

"What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause." I'm nearing the end of it and have found it very motivational and informative. I just bought natural progesterone cream this week and will start using it tomorrow.

Currently, I'm on .5 mg of Estradiol and am having SUCH horrible hot flashes. I don't want to increase my estrogen dose because I suspect that, due to my weight, I am already estrogen dominant. I'm hoping that adding the progesterone cream will help with the hot flashes.

Anyone read this book? Anyone have good experiences to share about using progesterone cream? Thanks!

Hi Fulana
I'm just working my way through it too. I thought he was very judgemental about women having a hysterectomy - he says the only reason we should have one was for cancer. Thought that was a tad harsh, to say the least. That has tended to cloud my opinion a little.

I too am on .5 oestradiol, and yesterday imported from the US some progesterone cream which isnt available here. OK, there are some creams but I got this one through the book's site. So I used it last night.

And last night had a really bad sleep, flashes, sweats, etc. The first time since I have been on HRT!

I will give it another go today, but I do find I am peeing heaps more - I have high BP and am on a diuertic, but this was amazing. The book says the cream is a proper diuretic so this should help the BP. Unfortunately I also have hypothyroidism due to hashimotos and this complicates the picture greatly.

Such a jungle it is.

I recently purchased his book along with a ton of nutraceuticals and progresterone cream. Based on his definition, I was/am estrogen dominant.

I view his and everyone's facts, claims, anecdotes on women's health issues with a questioning eye, however. The proof in in the pudding!

Unlike most of the physicians who've treated me, physicians like Lee and Northrup are sharing information, via their books, and getting me to think about my health choices. Most of *my* physicians seem interested in simply pushing pills or dicing/slicing.

I honestly feel they are doing what they can, but, at least in the US, most physicians seem to be losing the "quality patient care" battle. I doubt any of them have a perspective of my history that is longer than a few months. I haven't had a lengthy discussion with any other them. We're like ships that pass in the night.

So I look at info sources like Lee's book as an opportunity to think, ask questions, challenge assumptions about how I manage my health. If I want to believe his overall claim, that unopposed estrogens could be the source of many of my health issues and there's something that might help reverse or stop problems from getting worse, I'm willing to listen.

During the decades I've been seen by OB/GYNs, not a single one mentioned anything about hormonal balances or what imbalances *might* cause. Whether they simply didn't know or didn't agree, it's clear I cannot totally rely on the standard healthplan physician to make all my long term healthcare decisions in my best interest.

Sorry, Fulana, I snuck up on my soap box, didn't I? Silly Wacky hormones!

Where was I? ;-)

Oh, yeah. I have been using the P-cream for a very short time - about 10 days. I haven't noticed the hot flashes stopping yet, but they have changed from being regular (every 1.5-2 hrs) to being irregular. I'm hoping that's a sign the P-cream is starting to have an effect. Either that or the ginger root, soy isofavones, vit E, flaxseed oil, etc. are having their effects. ;-)

I just asked my GYN to give me a Rx for the Vivelle patch. Since I let my doc convince me to take out my ovaries along with everything else, I think I should consider a mild form of HRT.

I HAVE to do something about these blasted hot flashes! I haven't had a good night's sleep right for weeks. What puzzles my is most of the healthcare professionals I have dealth with recently don't seem to think weeks of interrupted sleep is any big deal.

Apparently with any hormonal therapy, effects may not be noticeable for months. So I'm going to try the P-cream and V-patch for 6-12 months to see if that works.

If it does, then I will give Lee's book a thumbs up!

Desiree

Thanks for replying. Yes, I had forgotten how harsh his comments were on hysterectomies. Obviously, he'd never had to spend the day in bed bleeding or stand in his shower for an hour, unable to come out because the bleeding would stop long enough for him to towel dry himself.

I just started my first dose of progesterone cream this morning. One benefit that Dr. Lee said I should be seeing is weight loss. Oh, if only!!!

I just finished reading two of his books, the one on Premenopause was great and that is what I have decided I am in! I started on some natural progesterone cream this week and hope that I feel better soon.

Dr. Lee makes a lot of sense but I do wish there was more information out there about the natural hrt. I sort of feel like a guinea pig
especially when my doctor said that I didn't need hormones, but I should try a different antidepressant. I am like you in that I hate the way the antidepressants make me feel.

Joan,

It may be my nature to question authority and/or my experience working in the healthcare information and pharmaceutical fields, and dealing personally with physicians al my life, but I tend to always question physicans' decisions when it comes to drugs.

You may or may not realize just how powerful the pharmaceutical companies are in influencing many physicians' decisions about patient care. And physicians are desperate for those quick and easy pill-popping solutions for their patients. It saves the doc time and quite often they get financial incentives.

What's scarier is it seems many physicians either want to recommend their patients take a pill or recommend "since whatever is bothering you isn't killing you and I'm not liable (keeps my malpractice premiums down), you learn to live with it."

I can understand. Docs have a lot on their plate. But I think that's partly why I question their pharmaceutical recommendations.

Customized and long term hormonal tweaking/testing per patient isn't easy nor cost effective for the physician to manage. Plus many physicians don't have sufficient objective education. They rely on those persistent pharma reps, who, in all fairness may be providing valid info, but probably not unbiased or complete info.

Like you, I think Lee makes sense, but I would love more inpdendent corroborating information. There I go again, questioning authority. ;-)

Desiree

I have read Dr. Lee's book also, along with a potpourri of other books on natural hormones. Although I also felt he was a little tough on women who had hysterectomies (read it after the surgery...too late), I think there is too much research that supports what he says to ignore it.

After my surgery, the doc put me on the Climera patch--.5(despite me telling him I really didn't want anything because of cancer history)....in the hospital, I had a hot flash, made the mistake of telling the doc and he raised the dose to 1.0 (I had a fever of 102, I suspect that was the hotflash culprit). After 4 or 5 weeks of hotflashes, insomnia, brain fog...I had them reduce the dose back down to .5. I started the natural progesterone cream the same day....have not had a hot flash since and began sleeping again.

By the end of the 4th week on that Climera dose, I was having hot flashes again and was not sleeping...again, I reduced the dose to .25, continued the progesterone cream....and my symptoms stopped.

This week, the patch wouldn't stay on for some reason and so I've been without....using the progesterone cream. I have felt better this week than I have since the surgery. I have been taking a B complex, Vit E (the d-alpha), Magnesium, VitC and a multi vitamin.

It was not easy getting the doctor to reduce my dose...on the phone they asked why I wanted it reduced...I told them because my mom had cancer...and I told them I was going to cut the patch in half anyway. I go to the doctor this afternoon for a post-op. I don't think he is going to like it, but I'm going to tell him how well the progesterone cream is doing.

I feel that all the docs want to do is to push the drugs....it is up to me to balance my hormones...if I tell him I'm having a symptom, he'll just increase the dose of estrogen.

There are other books besides Dr. Lee's that support his research. I did an internet search and found some...there are also some good books listed in the resource section on hystersisters. I also found some natural hormone support groups...can't list them on here but if you do a Google search, you should find some also.

I'm only 37, but so far I feel great with no estrogen supplements and only the natural progesterone. Don't know if this works for everyone...but it worked for me. With my family history of breast cancer, I don't really want to take any chances.

Heh heh. Like you Lisa, I caught Lee's book *after* my surgery.

Frankyl I don't know if I would have changed my mind about the hysterectomy. I've had a hostile relationship with my uterus since I was a teen. I had doubts anything was going to "tame" it. And all of my gyns (5-6 male and female docs over the past 7 years) recommended I have it done.

But I probably would have asked to keep my ovaries, had I read Lee's book prior to surgery. Ah well, those are hormones under the bridge now.

Based on Lee's suggestion, I did start using P-cream.

My doc did say to hold off on HRT until we could see how I responded to the surgery. Well, I responded, "Make these hot flashes go away! I need some sleep!"

So I've also started using the Vivelle patch. But I plan to be in a "let's see how well this product at the dose works for me" for a long time.

What I heven't gotten a definitive answer to is how long after a specific hormone therapy begins should I see results. A week, a month? I'm still looking for that info.

I am already taking thyroid suppressant drugs and learned that after a dosage adjustment, it can take a month or two to see results.

Like you, I've become a bit more proactive in my pharmaceutical options. I like to do as much research as I can and then suggest to my doc what I'd like a prescription for. If they're willing to discuss, I'm willing to listen, though.

I know many docs haven't cared for that approach, but it seems with the introdcution of the internet, many docs are getting used to a more informed/educated patient.

Thanks for the tip about natural HRT groups. I'm a google junkie, so away I go to search!

Desiree

desiree,
Had I read his book before surgery, I would have probably tried using progesterone cream and other things...of course the docs don't tell you that. But...the cysts were bad and the doc said my uterus was "mush"....I have been in pain for 20 years...except the times I was pregnant. Based on Dr. Lee's research, it would make sense that I felt better while I was pregnant because my body was producing progesterone.

I had tried numerous things, though to stop the pain...birth control pills....ugh!! pain meds...why bother? The only thing that helped was pregnancy....well....nope. I was in the ER a couple of times with cysts....every time in the middle of my cycle I was missing work....yep, it was time to do something...so, I probably would have went ahead with the surgery...I've had 3 docs recommend it but, because of my age, were hesitant.

I think you have to be careful what kind of progesterone cream you use, though....not all of it is the same and can contain different levels. Again...your google search would help you. I went by the list of recommended creams in the back of his book.

Now I know why they call it the hormone jungle!

Lisa,
That is an interesting observation that I have noticed as well. During my pregnancies and while I was nursing my babies, it seemed that I felt the best in my life. Perhaps it was the progesterone?

I really wish that I had not had a hysterectomy. My problems could have been fixed by less drastic measures, but I did not understand at the time, that the uterus could have another reason for being than just carrying babies.

Has anyone noticed how many pharmaceutical commercials there are these days? There is a huge amount of money being spent on their advertising campaigns....Hmmm? In the first place, I wonder why we need to watch commercials to find out what drugs we need to take. Isn't that what we are paying the doctors for? Aren't we paying them to use their knowledge in order to treat our symptoms? Dr. Lee makes a lot of sense when he talks about the lack of motivation the big drug companies have in reseraching natural progesterone since it can not be patented! This all raises a red flag in my mind that he really is on to something, but the money is not there to fully research natural prog. benefits since no one would make a huge profit on it. Whew...I'll get off of my soap box now.
The kind of progesterone cream I got is called KAL and I wish that I had gotten something else. It contains "sweet almond oil" along with the other ingredients and the smell makes me

I started putting it on the bottom of my feet and putting on my socks Next time I am going to make sure it is scent free! Any suggestions on a good brand to buy?