Plant Estrogen - Is it safe? Is it healthy? How much is too much?
Hi, I'm Dana LaVoie, LAc, Acupuncturist & Herbalist specializing in women’s health for over 14 years. And in this video I'm going to show you what you need to do to use estrogen rich foods and keep estrogen levels healthy in your body. Once we hit menopause estrogen levels can start to drop and take our bone health, orgasms, even mood with it. And the key isn't just estrogen rich foods... the key to protecting your health without giving up estrogen is keeping your body good at balancing and detoxing estrogen! Just click to watch the video above to learn all about it.
Here's what you'll see in the video...
00:45 Why you need estrogen
01:16 The 3 things everyone can do to get a healthy estrogen balance in their body AND prevent problems with estrogen
01:56 This is one reason why problems with estrogen can happen
02:52 How & why to do #1
04:18 How to avoid the 4 biggest sources of estrogen disruptors
05:44 How to do #2:
06:30 One of my favorite herbs for gently cleansing the liver
07:01 How to do #3
07:17 How to use phytoestrogens safely
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Rather read than watch? Here's the transcript of the Video estrogen - rich foods done right
Hi it’s Dana here - and in this video im going to show you the first steps to balancing estrogen in your body safely - this can reduce menopausal symptoms and reduce the risk of estrogen related problems - all at the same time! so stay tuned..
Hi, I’m Dana LAvoie, a masters-level acupuncturist, herbalist, & women’s health coach specializing in women's health for over 14 years… and i hear from my clients all the time - that balancing hormones is just so confusing!! which why im here with you right now - to simplify it
estrogen is especially confusing - because - you need it - but it can also be dangerous to have too much of it…
you need estrogen to keep your orgasms and your bones strong, to keep hot flashes at bay -to stabilize mood and to feel generally womanly, moist, & well lubricated - in your joints & everywhere else..
but estrogen also got a bad rep for putting you at risk for estrogenic cancers & estrogen dominance.. ! - so whats a woman to do??
well - this can be a complicated topic - and if you need a lot of help in this area - i recommend consulting with an expert so you can get all the details - but -
there ARE 3 simple things that everyone can do to start getting a healthy estrogen balance in your body - and to prevent problems with estrogen - and here they are.
NUMBER 1 - and these are in order of importance - so #1 is a biggie - is that you want to avoid xenoestrogens & estrogen disruptors
NUMBER 2 - is that you want to help your body TO BE really good at detoxing or getting rid of extra estrogen when needed - so that if you do get a little too much estrogen in there - well you body is designed to notice that and just naturally get rid of that extra - the problems happen when this estrogen detox isn't working - so that every time you get a little extra - it stays - and the next time you get a little extra - it stays - the the level just goes up and up.
these two things alone are totally safe and really protective - and great for everyone to do.
and #3 - is safely adding in foods that contain natural plant estrogens -called phytoestrogens. - and this is really only for women who are experiencing low estrogen levels - and - but we’ll talk in a minute about who this would be right for and how to do it safely.
so
1 - avoid xenoestrogens & estrogen disruptors
2 - keep your body good at detoxing extra estrogen
3 - if needed - get safe plant estrogens in your diet -
now im going to show you exactly how to do each of these.
So - here we go
So - #1 - avoid xenoestrogens & estrogen disruptors - - and if you want to talk problems and cancers caused by estrogen - - look no further.
- first of all - what the heck are they - well xenoestrogns are endocrine disruptors! they’re synthetic - artificial - estrogen-like molecules - that are made in factories… and used as chemicals in various industries.
and when you swallow them, breathe them in, or put them on your skin - they get into your body - and can interfere with your natural hormones - causing ALL KIND SO OF SERIOUS PROBLEMS -
- SO WHAT kind of problems can they cause?? a big one is hormone imbalance and what this means IS… your estrogen levels you p and down naturally - like during your cycle or with what you eat -
and remember when i said earlier - when you get a little extra estrogen in your body - your body is supposed to recognize it and get rid of it - well this is how your body balances your hormone levels naturally -
: - but - endocrine disruptors like xenoestrogens - the mess with this system and prevent the body from keeping hormones in balance.
- and in addition to interfering with hormones in this way - they are knows to cause - - cancerous tumors, - birth defects, - immune problems, developmental problems, and neurological problems.. so they are really truly bad for you.
So the #1 thing you want to do to keep your estrogen levels healthy - is avoid getting these xenoestrogen - estrogen disruptors into your body -
- so - how do you avoid them?? again - this is a big topic - but here’s the down and dirty short and effective answer so that you can get started avoiding most of them right away. - the first big source of the xenoestrogens we get into our bodies is pesticides — so to avoid them - eat organic eating organic is a little expensive.. and little inconvenient, but this is one of the big reasons to go organic. you see many pesticides are xenoestrogens.
- the second big source of the xenoestrogens we get into our bodies is BPA BPA is a particularly bad xenoestrogen - found in the plastic used to make food and drink containers and packaging
the third big source of the xenoestrogens we get into our bodies is self care & cleaning products - so use nontoxic makeup,, makeup skin care, oral care, hair care & body care, perfume & fragrance, soap, and household cleaning products and laundry products
and the fourth big source of xenoestrogens is - conventional meat & dairy - but grass fed organic meat & dairy are fine - so enjoy those -
remember when I said there were 3 simple things everyone can do to keep a healthy estrogen balance in their body? well that was #1 avoid xenoestrogens and estrogen disruptors.
- #2 is keep your body good at detoxing extra estrogen here’s how
- it’s normal for your estrogen levels to go up sometimes - what’s important is that you body recognizes this and gets rid of the extra - it’s like bagging up your trash, putting it out by the curb, and having it taken away before it starts to pile up!
so - there are two ways you can make sure those bags are getting packed up and taken away efficiently - #1 is to keep your bowels working & moving well. you can do this with fiber from eating lots of fruit & vegetables. and from drinking plenty of water. and for a bonus - include some probiotics for even better gut health.
#2 is - use safe, gentle methods to detoxify your liver. one of my favorites is the herb Schizandrea - and there’s a link in the notes below this video that you can use to learn more about shizandra or get the best quality schizandra. I take schizandra pretty much every day.
OK so you remember i said there were 3 ways to see a health estrogen balance?? #1 was avoid xenoestrogens and #2 was keep your body good at getting rid of extra estrogen
- well #3 is include natural plant estrogens - called phytoestrogens - in your diet. not everyone needs to do this.. but it can be great for women in their 40s, 50s, or older who are showing signs of low estrogen
here’s how phytoestrogens can help: they make your body act & feel like it has more estrogen. and this is great because it can take care of signs of low estrogen which helps get rid of hot flashes, keep your bones & orgasms strong keep your joints and everything else well lubricated stabilize your mood, keep your skin wrinkle free.
here’s how to use phytoestrogens safely use them only when your estrogen levels are low. and follow these guidelines check with your healthcare practitioner to make sure you don't have any conditions make phytoestrogens contraindicated) use the safest phytoestrogens like flax seeds & sesame seeds. if you use soy (one of the most powerful phytoestrogens) use only organic, non gMO soy and use only fermented soy like natto, miso & tempeh.
As an aside.. it looks to me like the newest research is showing that phytoestrogens are safe for pretty much everyone - and that it’s safer than taking other forms of estrogen - but not all doctors agree with this - so especially if you have a history of an estrogenic cancer or estrogen dominance.. find a really good practitioner to work with and figure out with them what is best for you.
OK!! so here’s what you learned about balancing estrogen levels in YOUR body avoid xenoestrogens & estrogen disruptors keep your body good at getting rid of extra estrogen and if its right for you - include foods high in plant estrogens in your diet!
so that’s the scoop on estrogen - be sure and let me know in the comments if you have questions - and
And if you’re looking for relief from menopausal or peri-menopausal symptoms right now… and you want to use some of the simplest, best, natural methods - you can get started RIGHT NOW - by downloading my Menopause Toolkit for FREE - its packed with 10 pages of the best natural techniques for balancing hormones and getting real relief from menopausal - and peri-menopausal symptoms. it has great tips including what you really need to know about vitamin D the MOST important vitamin for hormonal balance and much more - just click the link to download your free copy!! that link is at the top of your screen in a little circle with an i in it you can click that circle - or you can find the link in the notes below this video.
thanks so much for watching -and please be sure to hit the like button on this video - and subscribe to my channel for more great info on women’s health. This is Dana LaVoie - and I’ll see you next time.
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