Betty Kamen Speaks Out

Betty Kamen is an award-winning photojournalist with graduate degrees in psychology
and nutrition education. Betty has written many books, the latest of which is Hormone
Replacement Therapy: Yes or No - How to Make an Informed Decision.

The Progesterone - Wild Yam Potency Controversy

Chances are that you, like most of our population today, have unbalanced hormone ratios.
That's the down side. But this snowballing problem, coupled with the lack of help from our
traditional medical community, has spurred interest in natural remedies. And that may be
the upside! You are too familiar with the diseases and symptoms in question, already in
epidemic proportions. They include breast and ovarian cancer, endometriosis, PMS,
menopausal challenges, osteoporosis, and loss of libido. Nor are the men exempt: serious
prostate difficulties (including cancer) are widespread.

Estrogen excess appears to be a major cause of the problem. Harmful estrogen mimics
(xenoestrogens) are the by-products of late twentieth century lifestyle. These foreign
substances, which fool our bodies and disrupt our endocrine systems, are emitted from
herbicides, pesticides, animal foods, plastics, and a long list of additional surprising
sources -including the lining of canned peas! Xenoestrogens are believed to be paramount
in causing hormone imbalances and reducing the amount of progesterone required for
normal steroid function.

At the top of the hormone - helping natural elixir list are products referred to as "wild yam
creams".  Most of the wild yam preparations contain the extract of a tuber, the Mexican
wild yam, known to have progesterone - like activity, plus progesterone itself, synthesized
from this extract. The supplemental progesterone is made from the extract by laboratory
manipulation - culminating in a precise match for human progesterone. Since it is
molecularly identical, it functions as the natural hormone, and can even be labeled
progesterone - indicating that it is, in fact, the real thing - as opposed to progestin, which is
synthetic and does not have the exact molecular configuration.

Confusion prevails concerning potencies of these formulas. The following information
should help.

At least one company has carried the formula a step further and has added herbs known
for centuries to help both men and women feel better. The herbs appear to enhance
progesterone activity in a good way.

The amount of progesterone necessary in the human body is actually very low. If you are
using one of the high-dose preparations (some have as much as 900 or more milligrams of
progesterone in a two-ounce jar), it is advisable to be under a doctor's care. You need to
be monitored periodically to be sure that you are not getting too much of a good thing! In
the case of hormones, more is not always better. Recent laboratory results indicate that
long-term use of high doses of progesterone can accumulate in your tissues.

Betty Kamen Speaks Out / 2

The lower-dose preparation - containing ten milligrams per two-ounce jar - is safer, yet is
proving to be just as effective for relieving hot flashes, PMS, cramps, hormone-related
migraines, vaginal dryness in women; loss of libido in both men and women; and prostate
problems in men. Again - we don't need a lot of hormone to be serviceable, especially when
the product is enhanced with the adaptogenic health giving herbs.

During this past year, I have lectured to audiences in about 30 different cities around the
country. I've heard nothing but glowing reports - from grass roots America and the
practitioners - the results of the use of progesterone cream containing smaller amounts of
progesterone with the synergistic herbs.

When your hormone ratios are out of balance (and they ARE out of balance if you suffer
from the problems noted above), It should go without saying that other metabolic functions
are off the beam, too. Like man, no gland or organ "is an island, entire of itself ." The fact,
however, seems to be ignored by too many practitioners. Products that contain the
adaptogenic herbs address all of you - your total metabolic system. This is the essence of
wholistic medicine. A few examples of the herbs used by formulators to enhance the
effectiveness of the cream are: Siberian ginseng (for both men and women); black cohosh,
Burdock root (for women); saw palmetto, avina sativa, damiana (for men). Using
tried-and-true herbs help cover the gamut of our across-the-board nutrient needs.

Blood and saliva tests have been surfacing, also creating confusion and questions from our
members. Some are reporting that their test results indicate low estrogen, in spite of having
symptoms of estrogen excess. Others say the use of progesterone cream eliminated the
problems, yet test results show progesterone deficiency.

The fact is that most test results are not sophisticated enough to measure very small
amounts of either estrogen, progesterone, or even testosterone. But slim amounts of any of
these hormones - too small to be measured with current tools - can and do have major,
positive effects! Don't be duped by what we refer to as "Science by Press Release."

Keep in mind that there may be only one hormone molecule for ever 50 billion molecules
in your blood plasma. Consider your intervention with hormones, natural or synthetic, very
carefully.