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Marriage and hormone problems don’t mix that well. If there isn’t a strong faith in the marriage hormone problems can add gasoline to the mix and even light the match to cause explosive relationship issues. It is great to be married but having to walk around on egg-shells is no way to live. So let’s do more hormone investigations.

An unbeatable fact is that hormones go through changes throughout life. Also, if there is a problem it won’t improve over time like a fine wine or tequila.

We covered how nutritional deficiencies can throw off your hormone balance. The next biggest problem is MAN-made. There we go again … thinking. Yes, thinking we can out do God and the natural way, by altering nature and thinking we can make it better. We call these … drugs.

Here are 4 ways the Mad-Scientist is messing with you.

1. The Pill -
If I had to venture a guess this is a source of the majority of the problems. mostly because so, so, so many women take these. Did you know? The original researcher spent 10 years in England studying the effects of “the pill” on women and when she published her results they were surprising. She said it is too dangerous, at any dose, for women to use. Well as you may have guessed the drug companies didn’t like that, so they erased her book from every library and book store. Only rare private copies exist.

As a bonus, “the pill” also creates a significant loss of vitamins and minerals, one of which is folic acid. How ironic is that?

If that isn’t bad enough, the main way it messes with you is by the very action it is made for, to shut down ovulation. To stop pregnancy, it shuts down progesterone production. This starts a hormone imbalance. Having no progesterone to balance estrogen production is a huge cancer risk and ding, ding, ding a big shift in hormones and women feel that. Often supplements and herbs work very well if the woman is young enough. Things like Chaste tree, Ovex-P, magnesium, Cataplex E, Catalyn, and Hypothalmex all have their place in helping.

2. Clomid
Our next concoction is a doosy. I have some ethical problems with this one. This drug is for fertility. It forces the ovary to keep shooting out eggs like a roman candle. Eventually burning up the ovary and it’s hormone making ability

Now since I’ve run hormone tests on these women, I can say with confidence they have very messed up hormone profiles. Every one I’ve seen had a progesterone as flat as an EKG of a dead guy. Beeep——————-

Back to problem #1, no progesterone = heavy duty imbalance. There really isn’t much hope for herbs and supplements in this case. To get relief you’ll likely need a natural hormone replacement.

When there is a problem with getting pregnant there is obviously something wrong. Question of the day. Should we force life just because we can? Leave a comment on our site so others can participate.

3. Old age hormone drugs

This fascinates me to no end. Women have all these things working against them as they go through life and in the later years when the imbalances kick into high gear they want relief, now. The solutions are a catch-22.

The medical community has got caught with their pants down, twice. They started with ERT estrogen replacement therapy and researchers discovered that it caused cancer … whoops. Can’t have people dying of cancer, so lets add fake progesterone. Kind of like giving your kid a fake carrot for dinner and expecting him to grow up strong and get good grades. Now they called it HRT, hormone replacement therapy. Fake estrogen combined with fake progesterone.

Whoops in 2002, a huge nurses study found out that HRT cause heart attacks and strokes, dang. So they changed the names of the drugs again and women still show up, amazing.

As a side note, when millions of women temporarily stopped taking HRT in 2002, in 2003 the rates of breast cancer droppedfor the first time, hmmm. I think if presented with a choice of breast cancer or hot flashes which would you choose?

Help for this kind of lifetime of imbalances is tough. It depends a lot on the nutritional status of the person and I think seeing a natural health practioner is necessary. Supplements and herbs are very helpful, but other changes may be necessary.

4. Pesticides
My arch-nemesis. This one is a huge problems because it is so pervasive and so well accepted. We as a society are such dumb sheep. “Let’s poison our food so we can grow lots of nutrient poor food.” That sounds like a fabulous idea for a strong healthy woman. I’ll get off my soap box fora moment. “Eat organic” O.K. I’m done now.

Pesticides mimic estrogen. This is one more way to create a massive hormone imbalance. Consider this, the average American eats only processed food or if they do slip in some veggies or fruit, they are coated with chemical pesticides, that many don’t wash off.

Fix it

Your liver is the primary way your body tries to get rid of this stuff before it gives you cancer or hormones so wacky you want to get a divorce for no obvious reason, except your unhappy. Things like organic cruciferous veggies are great. People generally don’t eat kale or Brussels sprouts so you can take Standard Processes Cruciferous Complete and LivCo. If you know this sounds like you then I’d add Livaplex.

Remember it takes time to get better. Expect 3 months to a year.

We have 3 more issues next time.

Spirally weight gain
Adrenal fatigue
Thyroid insufficiency

Health comes from within,
Dr. Altman

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Lets say for a moment that 1/2 of the divorces could be prevented.  Perhaps more, maybe less, I really don’t have any hard numbers, just some hard ponderances.

My wife and I were trying to hash this out the other night, no we aren’t getting the axe.  The last two couples I know who are getting the big D had very similar stories and if they hadn’t been so close together in time frame I doubt I’d be writing this.

The wife is very unhappy, not really sure why, just unhappy, fighting depression, and confused.

Divorces happen for a boat load of reasons.  Sometimes they are some of the best decisions a woman can make.  But, these seem different.

As far as I know and can see the husbands are nice and non-abusive.  So for the sake of this story we are going to follow this line of thinking.  They don’t cuss or drink or wear barbeque stained wife-beater shirts.  They don’t gamble or smoke or go out all night with their buddies. They aren’t perfect, but really none of us are.  Being married reveals and highlights your imperfections.

After being married for 123 years, whoops I meant 13 years.I know it is work, sometimes a lot of work. I also know my wife sometimes wants to wring my neck. Like after she reads this post.

I know from talking to my wife that women have some wild hormone fluctuations.  I also know from trying to help women for the past 10 years with supplements and herbs has become very difficult.

Seriously, 10 years ago I used to advertise and lecture on balancing hormones.  I quit 5 years ago because it became exceedingly unpredictable on who could be helped.  What used to be easy and fun had become very hard to do.

From a clinical standpoint women have become more hormonally screwed up than ever before. Heaven forbid, don’t send send me nasty emails, thinking that I’m blaming women for divorces. Far from it, just stick around til the end. Don’t kill the messenger.

Here is the million dollar question…

Are some divorces related to hormone imbalances?

I’ve thought about this stuff for the past 5 years.  If you ask most 80-90 year old women if they ever had hormone problems the answer is about the same.  They had none or just a fraction of what a typical 50 or 60 year old has now.  Heck many 30 year olds have a lot of problems.  So I know I’m not too far off base when I say women have far more hormone problems now-a-days.

Women are
more stressed
have more expectations
have more demands on time
have more shoes to wear
and juggling more balls in the air than ever before

Let’s just say for a moment that a woman’s hormones are off kilter, every little irritation that would normally just bounce off becomes a major deal.

-The dishes aren’t done
-The clothes are on the floor
-The tooth paste was squeezed in the middle
-The bed isn’t made
-The toilet seat is up

Everyone has that one thing that can get to them, like that cartoon, “I have one nerve and you’re standing on it.”

So who bears the brunt of this irritaion?  The spouse.

Is it the womans fault?  No

And really it isn’t just women, it could relate to men as well, but if I used men as the example no one would read this.  So how do the hormones get so out of whack?

1. The birth control pill use
2. Fertility drugs like “Clomid”
3. Nutitional deficiencies
4. Pesticides in foods
5. Continuous weight gain
6. Fatigue
7. Thyroid insufficiency
8. Postmenopausal hormone drugs

Wow, that’s a heck ‘uv a list.  The main reason women bear the brunt of this problem is because half of the problems relate to estrogen medications or pesticides that mimic estrogen hormones.  Estrogen being the major hormone in making a woman a woman.

This post can get very, very long if I detail each of these problems, so I’m going to pick the problems that started this whole discussion with my wife.

That would be #3.  Nutitional deficiencies.

It all started because I made the comment that Royal Lee, DDS. once wrote that the first system to go off line when there are nutritional deficiencies is the hormone system.  I thought, wow, how amazing is that, especially since it was written 70+ years ago.

February 15, 1934
“If an endocrine organ fails to receive the proper nutrition, it is unable to secrete a functionally normal hormone.  If the nutrition is severe enough, the result will be atrothy… If the deficiency is less severe, over a longer period, (the result is nervous stimulation to excessive activity.”

April 16, 1934
“Oversecretion of the ovarian calcium-depressing hormone is responsible for the nervous, irritable and hysteric type of woman, because of the nervous irritability occasioned by the low serum calcium.  Vtamin therapy is particularly successful in normalizing this type, and the use of ‘Catalyn’ is indicated. Vitamins C,D and F are all factors.  This type usually has a prematurely aged appearance, and the effect of vitamin therapy is often an obvious rejuvenation.”

Could the lack of nutrition and vitamins in general make a person more irritable and unhappy, sure, is it the only reason, no … but I found the thought interesting enough to share with you.  I hate to see the break up of a marriage, especially if it is possibly related to nutrition.

If you click through to the site, you can leave a comment.  I’d like to know if you would like more explanations for the other 7 problems or if this is a topic that makes no sense.

You can always order via email docaltman (at) gmail (dot) com
or via phone 612-BE-GREAT ((612) 234-7328)

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I learned a cool secret from a local camper two years ago while I was taking a walk.  You know when sometimes you see something unusual you have to be curious. I tend to have a curious mind, so I had to stop and chat.

One of our neighbors a few campsites down from us was stirring a pot that smelled amazing.  I said “smells good”.  He replied “It’s Jambalya”.  Being the midwesterner I am, the southern recipe didn’t compute into my food database, but it smelled like it should.

My visions of a Jambalya are of a southern bayou swamp stew filled with road kill and swamp water.  I clearly have seen too many movies.  After a few brief pleasantries I had to go get my wife (the chef) to get the low down on what was in it.

So here is my contribution to helping the Gulf Shore I love.  This is his recipe for “Shrimp Jambalaya” The gulf shrimp industry is severely in trouble.  My guess is the price of shrimp will start to climb very soon, so if this sounds good try and make it soon.

The secret to making it really good is to make it in a Cast Iron Dutch Oven.  This is how he was making it and what caught my initial attention.  So I’ll list the recipe as a Dutch Oven first then an alternate if you don’t have a cast iron one.

My wife regularly uses a Cast Iron Dutch Oven and some of the best meals I’ve ever eaten have come out of it. In fact, I never had a bad meal from it. If you want to buy one here’s the deal.  Only buy a Lodge brand oven, just trust me.  You can get them at most big camping stores (ie. Gander Mountain).  We have a 12 quart one and it works well for everything.  Get the lid lifter and pot stand as well.  We hemmed and hawed and ended up buying both and they are well worth it.  All you need is a Dutch Oven Cook book for more ideas and you are on a path to some seriously good food.
Easy Dutch Oven Jambalaya

5 green onions
4 T. butter
1 c. long-grain brown rice
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes and green chilis
1 can organic/healthy request cream of chicken soup
1 can water
1 pkg. 14-16 oz. precooked frozen shrimp (without tails and deveined)
1 pkg. ring bologna (organic, or without nitrates, if possible)
cajun seasoning to taste

Start 24 coals and place 12 underneath 12-in. Lodge dutch oven.  Dice the green onions and saute in butter for 4-5 min.  Add soup, water, and rice, rearranging coals to have 8 underneath and 16 on top.  Cook for approx. 30 min., until rice is almost done.  Add more water if necessary.

Add can Ro-tel and ring bologna (cut in 1-in. slices).  Cook for approx. 10 min.  Add shrimp and cajun seasoning to taste, and cook for a few minutes until hot, then serve and enjoy.

Quick and easy jambalaya

5 green onions, diced
4 T. butter
1 c. long-grain brown rice
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes and green chilis
1 can organic/healthy request cream of chicken soup
1 can water
1 pkg. 14-16 oz. precooked frozen shrimp (without tails and deveined)
1 pkg. ring bologna (organic, or without nitrates, if possible)
cajun seasoning to taste

In large dutch oven, saute the green onions in the butter over med. heat for 4-5 min.  Add rice, soup, and water and cover.  Cook for 30 min., or until rice is cooked.  Add more water if necessary.

Add can Ro-tel and ring bologna (cut in 1-in. slices).  Cook for approx. 10 min.  Add shrimp and cajun seasoning to taste, and cook for a few minutes until hot, then serve and enjoy.

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That would be hilarious if you walked in with your “seeing eye moose”.

This is the moose’s’ 7 tips to improve joint pain.

Yes, the beloved and elusive moose.  I’ve been camping all over the United States over the past 20 years and this is the one animal I’ve never been able to see.

Moose can have 50-70lbs of antlers on their head and can swim miles and even dive under water for some juicy plants.

* Can you do that?

Even if you can’t you still have something amazing in common with the moose.  You might even be related enough to invite one over for a family meal.

* Not to eat the moose.

I was reading Discover magazine last night and found an amazing article on the relationships of moose and humans concerning osteoarthritis.

On Isle Royale, there is a large population on moose and wolves.  A nice balanced ecosystem.  Because the population of moose is so isolated they have been a great resource for researchers.  Interestingly enough they have found out that moose suffer from osteoarthritis just like your aunt Mabel.

Now, in the medical world and the world of common belief, “arthritis” seems to be caused by a lack of aspirin and old age.

Reverse and back up 70 years when research into nutrition was actual research and not for political gain or profit.  Royal Lee, DDS. the founder of Standard Process discovered that osteoarthritis was a cooked food disease.  Meaning, we as modern humans, cooked our food to death.  Thus, detroying the beneficial enzymes and vitamins needed for joint health and repair.

Maybe they should change the name of the Island to “Isle Royal Lee”.  That would be a cool twist of events.

Fast forward to this months Discover magazine.  The researchers discovered that the moose population suffers from significantly more osteoarthritis when there is less food available.  Basically, when the moose are malnourished as baby moose they have more arthritis as adults.  When times were good, they had enough to eat and those baby moose had no arthritis as adults.

The researchers were making direct comparisons to humans and our nutrition and osteoarthritis.  They are making the argument that arthritis is less of a wear and tear disease and more of a malnutirion disease.

Things to do:

#1 Eat whole foods.  Like veggies, fruit, organic meats, eggs, etc.

#2 Eat more or all organic.  There is more nutrition in there.

#3 Try and minimize your medication use.  Most meds push vitamins and minerals out of your body. See the book “The Nutritional Cost of Prescription Drugs”

#4 Make sure you get at least 6 “Catalyn” / day and your kids get at least 3/ day.  There are many vitamins and minerals that are deficient in osteoarthritis, but this is a start in the right direction (basic nutrition).

#5 Don’t cook the heck out of your food.  Try and get at least 50% of your diet as raw food.  For heaven’s sake stop using a microwave.  Nothing destroys vitamins faster than a microwave.  A good stove is all you need.

#6 If you are already getting hit with arthritis pains, consider taking Glucosamine Synergy from Standard Process.

#7 If you want more reading, the article “End Your Joint Pain may help”.

Feed your kids well now for their future health.

Health comes from within,
Dr. Altman

P.S. If you want more info about arthritis supplements, just send me a quick email docaltman[at]gmail[dot]com or call 612-BE-GREAT and leave a message and I’ll call you back as soon as I can.  You can also order Catalyn with the same numbers.

.Ahh… that lovely word “STRESS”.

We all know it.

We all feel it.

Sometimes if it goes on too long, your body starts to run out of the vitamins and minerals that help you adapt to the lovely state of stress.  If  I could insert some fine harp music too calm your brain, I would.  I’m not that internet savvy.

If you live in New York and want to road trip to California, will it take a lot of gas or very little?  I think you can guess a lot, even driving a Prius.  If you live in Nevada, not so much gas.  More work and more distance equals “stress” on your car and more fuel used.So back to your body.  

If you go, go, go…Your fuel will be gone, gone, gone.  

So then what happens?

Trouble can brew, and your body will start to adapt and use less or go without.  For instance: your adrenal glands have to  make hormones to help your body cope with stress.  If the stress is ongoing whether that be physical pain or emotional trauma it takes energy to deal with those.

For example:  The hormone cortisol is made to cope with stress, kind of like the battery in your alarm clock.  It is there if the power goes out.  ie…you run out of other energy sources.  If you have a frazzled day; the coffee spills in your lap, tire goes flat, your kids are fighting, etc. your adrenal glands will spike the cortisol to combat that stress.  Normally it just goes up then comes down.

So what’s the problem?

If your stress goes on day in and day out, the body never gets a chance to recover.  The cortisol levels drop and sag like a tired horse.  Pretty soon you simply can’t make enough energy.  Chronic fatigue and even things like the mythical fibromyalgia ensues.I hope this makes sense.  You can’t run out of raw materials and expect the body to be hunky dory.  That may be the last time you ever hear “hunky dory”.

Fast food delight…

If you happen to have some processed food, which strips out more vitamins and minerals for a long shelf life.

One of the major vitamins that is lost is vitamin C, which the adrenals use on a regular basis.

Consider this:

Vitamin C is 

    #1 in short supply already with the average American diet.

     #2 since 1950, the vitamin C content of an orange has dropped from 50mg to 5mg on average.

     #3 it is water soluble, so it is needed on a regular basis.

Because “stress” was my middle name for 7 months.  I burned through a lot of nutrients, even a few gray hairs, started to appear.  Gray hair means you are running out of energy.  So i ramped up my nutritional program and added “Drenamin” from Standard Process.

Drenamin is 48% vitamin C and the rest is other special ingredients for the deficiencies caused by stress.  This is why it is a Fundamental Supplement.

Remember if you have time for 5 minutes of deep breathing, you stress will be better.

Health comes from within,

Dr. Altman