Author: Layne Lowery

Chances are good that you have never heard of estrogen dominance, but it’s a major health hazard for women over 40. In the correct balance, estrogen provides anti-inflammatory properties and protects our health in many ways. However, an imbalance in which there is an excess of estrogen and xenoestrogens (chemicals in the environment that mimic the effects of estrogen) leads to estrogen dominance.

But this condition is not just reserved for women… Yes, men over the age of 40 can also experience estrogen dominance when their hormones are off balance, too.

However, most cases end up misdiagnosed or mistreated by the medical community due to the varying symptoms. An overabundance of estrogen is responsible for a variety of health problems in men and women such as…

• Weight gain―especially around the belly―without eating more
• Hot flashes and uncomfortable menopausal symptoms
• Unwanted facial hair
• Vaginal dryness and painful intercourse
• Bloating and water retention
• Memory loss and “senior moments”
• Depression and anxiety
• Migraines or headaches associated with the menstrual cycle
• Irregular or skipped menstrual cycles
• Trouble sleeping
• Low sex drive
• Erectile dysfunction (ED)
• Enlarged prostate and other prostate problems
• Frequent need to urinate
• Dry skin and wrinkles
• Brittle bones
• Breast tenderness

John R. Lee, M.D., believed that if estrogen levels are allowed to rise unchecked in women it could lead to endometriosis, heavy bleeding, fibroid tumors, heart disease and stroke, uterine cancer and decreased cognitive ability. In men, estrogen dominance can also lead to ED. And, according to Nick Delgado, Ph.D., a leading expert on anti-aging, a number of men with ED are “at greater risk for heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, or hypertension.”

To help prevent estrogen dominance, Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, indicates that the two primary female sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, must be in balance: estrogen stimulating tissue growth and progesterone signaling the body to absorb and remove it.

What throws off this delicate balance? Aging can play a part in the imbalance because, unfortunately, as you get older, your hormone levels change and your body creates more estrogen than you need.

An overabundance of estrogen can also be brought on by environmental, dietary and lifestyle factors. Pollutants from toxins in our environment (xenoestrogens) have been proven to wreak havoc with estrogen levels. Pick states that many of these xenoestrogens are “proven carcinogens” and their main source in the environment is likely found in pesticides “stored in the fat cells of fish, poultry and other food sources.”

Another major source of xenoestrogens is in the growth hormones injected in poultry and livestock. Birth control pills, some canned foods, plastic containers (water bottles or food containers, especially those microwaved with plastic wrap) will further expose you.

But the biggest factor in the production of estrogen, according to Pick, is lifestyle―refined sugar and flour, simple carbohydrates, and too little exercise affects hormone production. And let’s not forget about the stress factor! “Stress,” she states, “plays a major role in estrogen overproduction.”

The bottom line is whether you call it estrogen dominance… or “male menopause”… or andropause… too much estrogen is a real health hazard. And as indicated in a report by Lisa Marshall, large numbers of baby boomers are being hit with symptoms of male menopause. Therefore, Dr. John Morley, lead researcher of estrogen dominance in men and head of the geriatrics division at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, predicts that, “We are going to see an explosion of interest in it.”

The question of estrogen dominance and what causes it is as complicated as each individual is unique. Therefore, you should discuss your individual complications with a physician who is open to natural alternative hormone therapy.

—Layne Lowery

Since the beginning of time people have searched for the secret to extending their lifespan. Whether exploring the location of the fabled Fountain of Youth so they can live longer, or seeking out the latest medical surgery so they can appear younger than their actual age… the quest still continues for longevity and vitality, often with dangerous consequences.

Now recent scientific studies have discovered a simple compound that can help enhance, improve and even lengthen your life—without any negative side effects. Imagine living five… 10… or 15 years longer than the average-age man or woman. It’s not fantasy or science fiction… it’s now medically proven by specialists from the Mayo Clinic and Harvard University that a miracle nutrient called resveratrol found in red wine could be the elixir to extend your life. Resveratrol can also be found in grapes, peanuts, seeds, various Chinese and Japanese herbs, raspberries, blueberries and cranberries.

It all started with a series of molecular breakthroughs discovered by researchers from the University of California’s Irvine and San Francisco campuses and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the late 1980s. The researchers found that in laboratory testing, mice presented a specific set of genes that protected cells from free radical damage and self-destruction after the cell reproductive phase. A single gene was found to literally alter the rate of aging. This gene became known as the “survival gene.”

Some 20 years later, testing at Harvard University conducted by Joseph Baur, Ph.D., and David Sinclair, Ph.D., found that the compound resveratrol contained powerful antioxidants to help protect and activate the survival gene without starving the gene of calories.

By supplementing with resveratrol you can help shut down sick cells and prevent them from multiplying… repair cells faster and keep healthy cells living longer and stronger… increase your lifespan by decades… and virtually wipe out old-age health concerns including blood sugar imbalances, abnormal cell growth, memory loss and cholesterol problems.

Joseph Maroon, M.D., in his book The Longevity Factor: How Resveratrol and Red Wine Activate Genes For a Longer and Healthier Life, states that the life expectancy in the U.S. is roughly 77 years of age. In the 1780s, most people could expect to live to around 35 years old before dying of pneumonia, tuberculosis, chronic diarrhea or enteris—now referred to as the digestive disorder Crohn’s disease. Maroon goes on to explain that during the last 200 years we as a culture have experienced great strides in medicine, nutrition, accident prevention and infection control. However, there are a great many more chemicals, toxins and pesticides in our environment, as well.

These foreign invaders can be responsible for the death of our body’s trillions of disease-fighting cells. Free radical damage and self-destruction mean the death of the cell, and ultimately the end of human life. But Cynthia Kenyon, director of the Hillblom Center for the Biology of Aging at the University of California in San Francisco, stated to Maroon, “If you understand the mechanisms of keeping things repaired, you could keep things going on indefinitely.”

This is why the nutrient resveratrol is so vital to the extension of your life expectancy. Resveratrol can neutralize free radicals to protect your cells, therefore extending cell life—and your life! And resveratrol, as mentioned earlier, can activate the survival gene. The gene can then increase the strength of your cells—especially your brain cells—so you can extend your life expectancy and sharpen your mind because you won’t have lost those essential cells.  

For those of you worried about your outward appearance of aging, resveratrol can also help your skin look and feel younger. By increasing your cells’ ability to repair themselves, your skin will appear more vibrant.

Resveratrol blocks free radical damage to all your cells, as Sinclair and Baur discovered, and that includes your skin cells. Environmental factors such as chemicals, toxins, pollution and tobacco smoke are just a few elements your skin can be exposed to every day. This is why daily supplementation of resveratrol is essential—your cells are constantly bombarded by damaging free radicals and continue to die off on a daily basis. But with the miracle antioxidant protection from resveratrol, your skin may begin to lose the appearance of discoloration, fine lines and wrinkles caused by cell damage and destruction.

The amazing and astounding benefits of the red wine compound resveratrol can have a significant and far-reaching effect on the health of your entire body. Resveratrol has been shown to not only protect and repair your body’s cells, but actually enable them to repair themselves while ensuring the sick and dying cells don’t multiply. This could lead to a longer, healthier lifespan for you and your family. If you want to look and feel younger, and continue to celebrate birthday after birthday well beyond your 90s, then put the healing power of resveratrol to work for you.

—Layne Lowery