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I sent the following editorial to MORE magazine in August. Unfortunately, the MORE editorial team did not choose to print it. Nevertheless, because I continue to be most concerned regarding how many women continue to be led astray by medical misinformation, I wanted to share it with you now.
To the Editors of MORE:
As a Board certified practicing gynecologist who has helped thousands of women finally lose (and keep off) stubborn hormone-related weight gain, I read the article Beating Hormonal Weight Gain in your July/August issue with mounting despair. Contrary to Dr. Brizendine who asserts that it is a decline in estrogen levels that triggers the raging hunger that inevitably leads to weight gain, my clinical experience of treating literally tens of thousands of women and men suffering from hormonal imbalances for close to a decade does not substantiate her premise. Instead, I contend that for most women over thirty it is a decline in the production of the hormone progesterone that leads to a condition of estrogen dominancethat is the true silent culprit packing on those extra pounds around the middle, hips and thighs. Let me explain.
As a woman enters her early to mid-thirties, the balance of hormones within her body begins to shift, beginning with a decline in progesterone. In fact, progesterone production declines 120 times more rapidly than does estrogen. It is this downward shift in progesterone production that causes the body to become estrogen dominant.
When estrogen levels are not balanced by progesterone levels and the body is estrogen dominant, the “extra” or unopposed estrogen hormones can interfere with thyroid activity. Because estrogen and thyroid hormones have opposing actions at the thyroid receptor level, unopposed estrogen will prevent the thyroid hormone from completing its mission. The result: symptoms of hypothyroidism that are present even when blood tests indicate that the levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) are within normal range. Foremost among the many undesirable effects of this condition are symptoms of weight gain and fatigue.
How do I treat my patients who are estrogen dominant to finally lose and keep off those extra pounds? I re-establish their body’s optimal hormone balance through a medically-proven program of bio-identical (natural) progesterone replacement, a diet of foods and supplements that help reduce the body’s extra estrogen load and lifestyle recommendations to reduce or eliminate the negative impact that every day stress can have on hormone production. Does it work? Abosolutely. I see the evidence everyday when my patients are able to return to and maintain their desired weight and finally recover their waistlines.
C.W. Randolph, Jr., M.D., R.Ph.
Note: we welcome your comments and questions.
* Please Note: Because legally we are unable to provide prescriptions for telephone consultation patients unless they have been previously seen in my office, should you require a prescription for a more comprehensive panel of bio-identical hormone replacement, my nurse practitioner will advise you how to locate a physician and compounding pharmacy in your area.
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