We now come to the most damning effect on the central nervous system
wreaked by this chemical soup around us.

Hormones – these delicate and vital messengers – become so disturbed
and damaged that they throw everyone off balance, from the middle
aged - men as well as women - to teenagers – yes and even down to
the smallest babies.

What deeply concerns this author is that we are ruining the health of
future generations and the damage may spread even further in
unrealized ways by causing massive and permanent infertility unless
we make sweeping and fundamental changes in our environment and
agricultural farming methods.

Precocious puberty shows in the appearance of physical and hormonal
signs of pubertal development at a far earlier age than is considered
normal. It came as a surprise to this author based on his experience
with Indian patients, that in U.S. for many years now puberty has
been considered precocious in girls younger than 8 years and boys
younger than 9 years old. In India these landmarks would be 12 and 14
years only 50 years ago.

The reasons for these abnormalities are given on this link for your
interest:

http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic1882.htm

On this site we see that it is reported by an MD that nearly 33%
girls in U.S. suffer from sexual preciocity, as a result of which,
stress, behavioural problems and shorter than normal stature, are
only some of the effects that may be expected. Naturally, hormone
imbalances affect the younger children more as their nervous systems
are not yet fully developed.

Environmental factors such as endocrine disruptors, DDT metabolites,
polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and Phthalates are considered the
cause of these problems as expressed on this University of Michigan
website:

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/puberty.htm

Phthalates are also believed to cause pre-term deliveries, sperm
damage and low sperm counts, which can be checked by visiting various
references on the links given on the above site. It may be of use to
note that those transparent or attractively colored PET bottles which
we all use to store mineral waters, to feed milk to our babies and
store all types of liquids or shampoos etc. allows leeching of
Phthalate into the liquids contained.

This is yet another way that the slow poisoning of the population is
occurring, on a daily basis.

The hormone oestrogen aids in the development of secondary sexual
characteristics, the growth of the breasts, widening of the pelvis,
fat pads on the hips and the appearance of axillary and pubic hair.
In the average time span of a woman's fertility, being 30-35 years of
monthly reminders, ovulation occurs on the 14th day before the
appearance of the next menstrual cycle. As her age advances, the
quality of the egg declines and the oestrogen levels, which are very
helpful in preventing fat deposits in the arteries, get cut off,
which then makes women susceptible to coronary heart disease and
breast cancer. Even a mild oestrogen imbalance can cause breathing
difficulties and shortness of breath in middle aged and older women.
Therefore of equal importance is the problem of hormone disturbance
in middle aged women even those within child bearing age as they
mould the whole society with their own deficits being perpetuated in
their offspring.

When the lady of the house is happy and healthy the whole family
remains so, but when she suffers from a hormone imbalance, the life
of children as well as husband becomes difficult. The love adhesive
which binds the whole family into a single unit starts cracking and
de-bonding. Most women can see when the first indication of some of
their health problems are due to hormonal imbalance by visiting this
site:
http://www.johnleemd.net/forms/hb_test.html

Signs of aging can also be diagnosed by Vaidyas, one of the most
obvious being the graying or drying of the hair. The silky smoothness
of the hair will also lessen.

The commonly accepted reasons for the occurrence of breast and
ovarian cancers are considered to be oestrogen dominance, caused by
declining levels of progesterone as women age, and/or with removal of
the ovaries in hysterectomy, or from xenohormones in the form of
pollutants and pesticides or from oral contraceptives or synthetic
hormone replacement therapy. Most women have to put up with obesity
as a result of hormone disturbance either due to these above reasons
or to post pregnancy hormone disturbance. The contribution of C-
section to obesity has been already discussed in many posts on
ayurvedaonline. Another most common ovarian dysfunction and endocrine
disorder which affects approximately 15-20 per cent of women in the
reproductive age and is a major cause of infertility is the an-
ovulatory cycles. The affected women will often have signs and
symptoms of elevated androgen levels, menstrual irregularity as well
as weight gain, a slight amount of abnormal hair growth on the face
or the body and no periods at all (amenorrhea) if the imbalance is
extreme. The initial onset of this disorder appears in the peri-
pubertal years and is progressive. Experienced Vaidyas can catch this
condition as soon as it appears. In this case of hormonal imbalance,
maturing eggs fail to be expelled from the ovary, creating an ovary
filled with immature follicles. The cysts then contribute to further
hormonal imbalance causing even more cysts and enlarged ovaries. Then
it is termed polycystic ovary disease (PCOD), characterized by
anovulation (no formation of egg) irrespective of periods (which may
be regular, irregular or absent altogether) and hyper-androgenism
(elevated serum testosterone and androgen levels). Such women who
conceive have a higher rate of early foetal loss as the hormonal
environment may interfere with egg development within the follicle
and disrupt embryo implantation within the uterus.

Their chances to conceive are also fewer, compared to normal women
who ovulate every month. Women with normal hormonal function get 12
chances a year to conceive but women with PCOD may only get 3-4
chances a year to conceive due to delayed periods. This condition is
also related to insulin resistance with elevated fasting blood
insulin levels. The high levels of androgenic hormones interfere with
the pituitary ovarian communication, leading to increased LH levels,
anovulation, amenorrhea and infertility. Irregular ovulation usually
means that pregnancy is more difficult to achieve. Naturally, if
ovulation is not taking place, it is not possible to conceive. The
corresponding condition for men is erectile dysfunction and lack of
libido as a result of reducing testosterone levels and/or increase of
estrogen levels leading to fat accumulation in the female pattern.
Figuratively speaking in every man there is a woman hiding and in
every woman, a man is hiding,. Male menopause is the increase of
oestrogen and reduction of testosterone, arranged by God so that
fathers love their children and do not look at their daughters in
ways that are unacceptable to society. With male menopause a man may
survive the shock of loosing his wife if his daughter is still there,
otherwise a widower cannot survive this loss as well as a widow.
Young diabetic women treated with insulin are at special risk of PCOD
condition. The amount of insulin injected by insulin-dependent or
insulin-requiring diabetics is far in excess of what the body
produces naturally. As mentioned in the introductory post in this
series, diabetes is the same auto-immune disease as cellular
malfunction. Obesity is the most common symptom of these women and
they are also insulin-resistant. When a woman is insulin-resistant,
her fat cell does not respond normally to the insulin in the blood
stream. Weight gain in itself can result from high serum insulin
levels. In addition, skin tags, or tiny excess flaps of skin in the
armpits or neck area are seen in addition to male fat storage
patterns - abdominal storage rather than standard female pattern on
thighs, hips and waist and mid-cycle pain - indicating painful
ovulation - due to the enlargement and blockage of the surface of the
ovaries. Female pattern obesity is also an indicator of hormone
imbalance. Experienced vaidyas can make out which hormones are
disturbed by appearance and a few nadi vigyan points and treat them
accordingly.

In hormone imbalance, in addition to causing menstrual irregularities
the constant oestrogen production stimulates the growth of the
uterine lining which usually induces very heavy uterine bleeding. The
bleeding episodes may occur after long gaps of time and heavy
bleeding running beyond 5 days may be the result. Clots, darker
colour and a foul odour are also sometimes present. Each of these
symptoms indicates a different condition to a Vaidya. Frequent
urinary tract infections causing itching and abnormal discharges are
also symptoms suffered by a few women.

In the past, no medication or special precautions were needed and
women used to age gracefully contributing to the welfare of society.
However, in our present conditions, women are suffering so much that
some medication and lifestyle changes which include yoga and
meditation have become a must. Leaving discussions on yoga and
meditation for our later posts, let us discuss here hormone
modulation using herbs alone. We need hormone modulators instead of
hormone manipulators. Both men and women are suffering from serious
hormonal imbalances because of all this toxicity in the environment,
in our foods and beverages, as well as the drugs such as the b/c
pill and hormone replacement therapies.

If we look at medical science and allopathic Westernized medicine,
the limit of their treatment is hormone manipulation with Premarin,
Prevarin or synthetic testosterone for men. These synthetic
treatments throw out of balance the homeostasis of the other hormones
that work in synergy with each individual hormone. We cannot
manipulate one hormone without throwing the others off balance
because they all work in synergy. If we manipulate oestrogen we are
going to throw luteinizing hormone, or follicle stimulating hormone,
or growth hormone or DHEA, all off balance and no one can gauge
exactly which hormones are going to be thrown out of balance. Such
manipulation essentially disturbs smooth dhatu building process and
meda (fat) does not get converted to higher dhatus. The higher dhatus
contribute to building of sperms and ovums, and sex fluids. The
results of HRT are already discussed on messages # 5508 and # 5925
pointing out the various cancer risks and incontinence problems.
Message # 6045 and # 6124 describe various mainstream HRT
formulations and bio-identical hormone proposals.

We need plant derived substances that are non-toxic and coming from
nature that modulate these hormones like tuning a piano or a radio. A
plant-derived compound used in the west and Australiya could be
damiana. We have black cohosh, blue cohosh, dong quai, dioscorea
extract from the Mexican yam, plant sterols, natural progesterone
cream and many other compounds. Phytosterol regulates the body and
provides all the necessary nutritional precursors. Dioscorea extracts
and amino acids support natural hormone production of body and work
in harmony with the immune system - efficient burning of fat - mental
alertness - recovery from stress - sex hormone balance - and helps
in the conversion of calories to energy. By 35, hormone production is
slowing down in everyone. Phytosterol is not a hormone but a
precursor. The main ingredient in Phytosterol is a plant-sterol
derived from a couple of species of Dioscorea (Mexican Yam). In the
final analysis the body will only ever make the hormones it needs.

Just as Mexican yam extract is used in west, ayurvedic equivalents in
India are Shatawari extracts or powder along with other herbs such as
Licorice, Aswgandha, Vidarikand, Gokharu and Aamalaki which were
described by this author in post #6124. More importantly, a mixture
of plant and animal derived hormones are also used in India to a
limited extent. In recent years, Panch Gayya medicines have given
us "Nari Sanjivani", a distillate of cow urine together with
Shatawari decoction. This medicine, when taken along with date crush
offers a complete hormone balancing solution restoring normality by
reducing menses and its frequency as required. When combined with
other medicines such as Phal Ghrut, this approach resolves vaginal
dryness, reduced libido, frequent urinary tract infections and skin
problems such as acne and candidiasis. Those who have an aversion to
cow urine can take other ayurvedic formulations discussed in message
# 6124. But most the important hormone balancers are made in cow
ghee, so dependence on cow is always present. Hormone balancing
ayurvedic medicines should be taken under the guidance of a Vaidya,
so that you do not tilt the balance to other extreme.

Why would acharyas have taken the cow for proposing these medicines?
Holiness is the answer. The cow is Satvic by nature, never going mad
or becoming irritated. Mad cow disease developed only because she was
fed non vegetarian food. Similarly, in humans, women are more
affected by poisons than men. Consider the effect of alcohol or
smoking to evaluate the truth of this statement. In addition to this,
the author has prescribed certain oil massages or fomentations for
the area below the navel to take care of Vatic disorders of the
ovaries. But what is needed and what should be done depends on each
individual case, one remedy does not suit everyone.

Women will generally only take treatment for cosmetic ailments like
obesity, unwanted hair growth or acne. They will not mind the
underlying delayed and heavy periods which should be treated first,
they may not even realize that there is a connection between them.
Who would put two and two together and realise that these are related
signs? Average Indian women would not know this! Or realise that one
being treated would affect the other problem. General
practitioners, even if they know the connection, do not have
anything to treat them with. Another observation to be noted is that
the excess estrogen mimicking chemicals are stored in adipose cells
causing cobblestone or orange peel appearance (cellulite) of the skin
in extreme cases. Most problems in women are not oestrogen related
problems but progesterone related problems. The very thing that they
increase in medicine (oestrogen) is causing cancer. Progesterone gets
produced in more quantity by alkaline food, satvic food and
glycosugars which are all good contributors. That is the reason this
author prescribes dates and almonds along with other medications,
when treating infertility.

Just as before important tasks are undertaken, the blessings of God,
or our elders, are requested, requiring us to touch their feet after
bathing and putting on clean clothes, so before considering any
hormone modulation approach for fertility problems, this author
suggests that men and women should first undergo cellular
detoxification.

The whole body should be detoxified in a step-by-step and systematic
approach.

The first step is to cleanse the liver, kidneys, lymphatics, colon,
and the cells. This way eventually the cells will breathe again and
receive the intelligent nutrients that they need. The role of liver
in fertility is already hinted in past posts.

The next step is the building phase which includes building up the
hormones, building up the immunity, eliminating nutritional
deficiencies and repairing this deficit with a more appropriate diet
and then increasing the blood flow to the injured or diseased areas.

Detoxification of the liver will make it burn rather than generate
more fat. Regular exercise thereafter will help weight loss and will
also help the body in reducing it's blood glucose levels. Activities
such as walking, jogging or swimming are highly recommended. Those
who can tolerate steam saunas will benefit from the estrogen
mimicking chemicals being eliminated from the fat cells. Then with
the reduction of weight and the reduction in insulin resistance,
regular ovulatory periods will usually resume. Of course, some women
are cursed even after this extensive treatment and will still not
become pregnant, but that karma will become evident from their
inability to believe that all such holistic efforts contribute to the
creation of a good soul.

Eventually the cellular engines become bathed once more in oxygen,
photon light, water, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids or
whatever may be missing. Only then will the cellular engines
synthesize as they were designed to.

A relatively similar approach works well for the teenager's hormone
imbalance and obesity problems. Other than obesity, hypertension,
constant fatigue, irritability and heavy irregular cycles, there are
indications that hormone imbalance is progressing even in children.
Teenage boys suffering from auto-immune problems with loss of immune
function suffer frequent coughs/colds/fevers but Panch Gavya therapy
will provide the best solution with the hormone levels being
naturally balanced using cow urine based medicines.

The remainder of this series will be continued to discuss cellular
energy fields for health.

Editing help from Jane MacRoss is gratefully acknowledged.

Dr Bhate