Thursday, May 12, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Menopause
"There are many experimental and clinical studies that say that milk thistle is an effective therapy for a variety of liver diseases, including fatty liver, acute and chronic hepatitis, advanced cirrhosis and damage from drugs and exposure to toxic chemicals.
In 1981, a German researcher, Dr G. Vogel of the University of Munich conducted a study of 49 patients throughout Europe, who had been poisoned by a deadly mushroom, amanita mushroom, also called the death cap. All of them were given injections of milk thistle’s active chemicals daily in addition to their regular treatments. And the results ranged from amazing to spectacular. Ordinarily the death rate from these mushrooms would be 30-40%, but the milk thistle reduced the death rate to zero!
During the menopause, the liver is overtaxed. It tries to cope with surges of hormones and trying to adapt to the transition that the body is going through. This is the reason why so many women become oversensitive to chemicals and food. So it is important to reduce the toxic overload by trying to eat sensibly. You should include lots of veggies and organic in your diet. But it’s also a great idea to supplement with milk thistle to help the liver even more."
"Red Clover Tea is amazing and there are a number of studies to support red clover blossom as an effective estrogen replacement."
Links:
Herbal Tea for Women
Milk Thisle
In 1981, a German researcher, Dr G. Vogel of the University of Munich conducted a study of 49 patients throughout Europe, who had been poisoned by a deadly mushroom, amanita mushroom, also called the death cap. All of them were given injections of milk thistle’s active chemicals daily in addition to their regular treatments. And the results ranged from amazing to spectacular. Ordinarily the death rate from these mushrooms would be 30-40%, but the milk thistle reduced the death rate to zero!
During the menopause, the liver is overtaxed. It tries to cope with surges of hormones and trying to adapt to the transition that the body is going through. This is the reason why so many women become oversensitive to chemicals and food. So it is important to reduce the toxic overload by trying to eat sensibly. You should include lots of veggies and organic in your diet. But it’s also a great idea to supplement with milk thistle to help the liver even more."
"Red Clover Tea is amazing and there are a number of studies to support red clover blossom as an effective estrogen replacement."
Links:
Herbal Tea for Women
Milk Thisle
Friday, April 22, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
5 Foods that Contain Estrogen
This list of 5 foods that contain estrogen can be used as a guide to help you get started on a more balanced eating regimen. Consuming foods containing natural estrogen is said to help regulate a woman's body as she passes through menopause.
Plant estrogen, also called phyto-estrogen, is said to mimic human estrogen when consumed. Replacing estrogen naturally by consuming estrogen-rich foods is thought to be a safe way to help prevent breast cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and high blood pressure. Hot flashes, night sweats, headaches and trouble sleeping are some other complications related to the lack of estrogen during menopause that can also be relieved by consuming phyto-estrogens.
1. Legumes. Legumes, such as soybeans, are often considered to be one of the best estrogen-rich food sources. Tofu and soy milk stand out as examples. However, other legumes, such as chickpeas and kidney beans are also rich in phyto-estrogen.
2. Whole grain cereals. Cereals containing whole grain, especially those with barley or flax-seed, contain the phyto-estrogen classified as lignans.
3. Fruits and vegetables. Fruits, such as pomegranate, pears, cherries, red raspberries, tomatoes and plums, are all estrogen-rich foods. Vegetables, such as celery, carrots, cauliflower, beets, cucumber and squash, also contain estrogen.
4. Herbs. Herbs, such as licorice, fennel, thyme and garlic, can add both flavor and estrogen to your diet.
5. Drinks. Coffee and red clover tea can be consumed as drinks, or added to food recipes to increase the phyto-estrogen levels of a meal.
Anyone with a family history of breast cancer, or who has had breast cancer, should consult a physician before consuming estrogen-rich foods to reduce the risk of complications.
Links:
5 Foods
Plant estrogen, also called phyto-estrogen, is said to mimic human estrogen when consumed. Replacing estrogen naturally by consuming estrogen-rich foods is thought to be a safe way to help prevent breast cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and high blood pressure. Hot flashes, night sweats, headaches and trouble sleeping are some other complications related to the lack of estrogen during menopause that can also be relieved by consuming phyto-estrogens.
1. Legumes. Legumes, such as soybeans, are often considered to be one of the best estrogen-rich food sources. Tofu and soy milk stand out as examples. However, other legumes, such as chickpeas and kidney beans are also rich in phyto-estrogen.
2. Whole grain cereals. Cereals containing whole grain, especially those with barley or flax-seed, contain the phyto-estrogen classified as lignans.
3. Fruits and vegetables. Fruits, such as pomegranate, pears, cherries, red raspberries, tomatoes and plums, are all estrogen-rich foods. Vegetables, such as celery, carrots, cauliflower, beets, cucumber and squash, also contain estrogen.
4. Herbs. Herbs, such as licorice, fennel, thyme and garlic, can add both flavor and estrogen to your diet.
5. Drinks. Coffee and red clover tea can be consumed as drinks, or added to food recipes to increase the phyto-estrogen levels of a meal.
Anyone with a family history of breast cancer, or who has had breast cancer, should consult a physician before consuming estrogen-rich foods to reduce the risk of complications.
Links:
5 Foods
Food and drink to lower estrogen levels?
Page last modified on: October 1, 2008
Question from jiri: My wife has a recurrent breast cancer which is related to a high level of estrogen in her body. What kind of food and drinks can lower the level of estrogen in a woman's body?
Answers —David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: One of the things we do know that will increase risk for breast cancer is obesity, and we know especially if there's more fat that collects around the abdominal area, that can promote more circulating estrogens. There is an issue with weight management, because there's a concern with a diagnosis of breast cancer and being overweight at that diagnosis, having a poorer prognosis associated with that. Gaining weight during remission is also a concern.
Penny Block, M.A.: Even during treatment, when people can’t spend a lot of energy trying to lose weight, it might be poorer prognostically to gain weight. This is always a whole dietary plan, and we try to individualize for each patient.
David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: We know that whole grains, for example, have fibrous compounds that can block harmful estrogens and there is some good research showing the cultures that consume more whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and legumes have lower rates of breast cancer not only because of the estrogen binding properties, but because of the general health benefits.
Penny Block, M.A.: Crucifers, for example - broccoli and cauliflower, and the lowly cabbage, because people don't always think of what a gem of a food it is. So even coleslaw is good, because cabbage contains a compound that shifts the estrogen to a safer form of it. It's a property in cabbage that is very healthy. Sometimes we're looking for more exotic foods, but even cabbage, which is available in every supermarket, has tremendous benefits.
David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: Out of all the vegetables—not that we're picking one over another, because vegetables in general are good for the diet—a doctor did some research into a phytochemical in cruciferous vegetables showing it blocked breast cancer growth. So besides the possible estrogen-blocking properties, there is a chance it affects programmed cell death.
Penny Block, M.A.: Dave is mentioning an important point, that there is something potentially more beneficial about the whole food rather than just the isolated compounds in that food. Another University of Illinois researcher talked about the beneficial effect of eating broccoli three times a week in terms of reducing risk value of cancer.
Judith Sachs, moderator: Broccoli three times a week sounds difficult. Can you give us some tips on preparing it?
David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: Broccoli ice cream…
Penny Block, M.A.: I think we can get into such seriousness about all this, but having fun with food (and I'm glad you're asking what to do with broccoli!) but what to do with good food is important. If food is just a nasty prescription we swallow three times a day, it's no good. And there is evidence that if we have pleasure in eating, we absorb the nutrients more effectively.
David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: Now for the broccoli tips! Again, we often come into this situation talking about an optimal diet, but how do you make it doable? Think of vegetables beyond a couple of cooked stalks of broccoli on a plate. It can be in a soup, a juice, frozen, fresh—there's a variety of ways to include it. And with broccoli or other vegetables that may be a challenge, that's been a dilemma we've addressed for years. We finally decided to produce an organic green vegetable drink that can be easily incorporated into a beverage, a juice, pesto, etc.
Penny Block, M.A.: Getting back to what to do if you want to use broccoli? But quickly steam it so it's still a vibrant green, so it's still crisp. The green may actually be more vibrant at this point than when it's raw. Serve it with a dip, or slightly sauté it with a good quality extra virgin olive oil and garlic. You could certainly incorporate some of it in a pasta sauce. A creamed broccoli soup. It's easy to make creamed broccoli or mushroom soup, using oats cooked in water. If you puree it, it's quite creamy. So cook your broccoli with garlic, onions, oregano, etc. then put it in this creamy oatmeal liquid that's been seasoned to taste, and puree to make a nice creamy soup which is often more pleasing to the digestion.
David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: Not to gloss over the importance of whole grains, but again, following Penny's great suggestion to add oats, there is also some bang for the buck in fighting cancer. Oats are rich in a substance found to enhance natural killer cell activity. It's like the game Pac Man, where these little guys go out and gobble up cancer cells. You want those cells in your body to have highest activity, and oats may enhance that.
Penny Block, M.A.: There are some vegetables, particularly hearty green vegetables like kale, collards, etc. but even carrots, cooking them seems to break down the tough cellulose wall which makes it more difficult to absorb the nutrients if they're not cooked. This doesn't mean you can't eat raw vegetables, only that there is a benefit in cooking them. There are some people in my family that don't want crunchy cooked vegetables; they want them cooked more so they're softer. So cooking them until they're crunchy is not the only way to cook them.
Judith Sachs, moderator: When the transcript for this chat is posted, we'll include some of the recipes from Penny's cookbook.
David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: And we have new recipes we post to our website, www.blockmd.com. We just did a presentation on TV where we talked about foods for fighting breast cancer specifically. Some of the recipes we features showed creative ways to eat dark greens. We actually had a roasted vegetable spinach wrap sandwich. Admittedly, the amount of spinach in the wrap was at low levels, but some is better than none!
One last comment about raw vegetables, because I know we're talking about reducing risk of breast cancer. But if you're undergoing treatment for breast cancer, especially treatments that can lower your white blood cell count, there can be increased risk of bacterial infection (food poisoning, if you will) when you have low white blood cell counts. So that's why we strongly encourage you to cook vegetables to kill bacteria that are on vegetables.
Penny Block, M.A.: It doesn't mean you have to eliminate raw vegetables, because a cool fresh salad in summer is so refreshing. But maybe for a day or two, people need to be more cautious. One of the things that Dave and his team of dieticians do is to counsel our patients so they know what is appropriate for them at any given time. We use tests to determine their biochemical statuses. But when the while blood cell count is low, use a little caution for a day or so.
On Wednesday, July 20, 2005, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Buying Healthy Food and Drink. Penny B. Block, M.A., David W. Grotto, R.D., L.D., and moderator Judith Sachs answered your questions about finding, buying, and preparing the healthiest food and drink for people with breast cancer and their families.
Question from jiri: My wife has a recurrent breast cancer which is related to a high level of estrogen in her body. What kind of food and drinks can lower the level of estrogen in a woman's body?
Answers —David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: One of the things we do know that will increase risk for breast cancer is obesity, and we know especially if there's more fat that collects around the abdominal area, that can promote more circulating estrogens. There is an issue with weight management, because there's a concern with a diagnosis of breast cancer and being overweight at that diagnosis, having a poorer prognosis associated with that. Gaining weight during remission is also a concern.
Penny Block, M.A.: Even during treatment, when people can’t spend a lot of energy trying to lose weight, it might be poorer prognostically to gain weight. This is always a whole dietary plan, and we try to individualize for each patient.
David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: We know that whole grains, for example, have fibrous compounds that can block harmful estrogens and there is some good research showing the cultures that consume more whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and legumes have lower rates of breast cancer not only because of the estrogen binding properties, but because of the general health benefits.
Penny Block, M.A.: Crucifers, for example - broccoli and cauliflower, and the lowly cabbage, because people don't always think of what a gem of a food it is. So even coleslaw is good, because cabbage contains a compound that shifts the estrogen to a safer form of it. It's a property in cabbage that is very healthy. Sometimes we're looking for more exotic foods, but even cabbage, which is available in every supermarket, has tremendous benefits.
David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: Out of all the vegetables—not that we're picking one over another, because vegetables in general are good for the diet—a doctor did some research into a phytochemical in cruciferous vegetables showing it blocked breast cancer growth. So besides the possible estrogen-blocking properties, there is a chance it affects programmed cell death.
Penny Block, M.A.: Dave is mentioning an important point, that there is something potentially more beneficial about the whole food rather than just the isolated compounds in that food. Another University of Illinois researcher talked about the beneficial effect of eating broccoli three times a week in terms of reducing risk value of cancer.
Judith Sachs, moderator: Broccoli three times a week sounds difficult. Can you give us some tips on preparing it?
David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: Broccoli ice cream…
Penny Block, M.A.: I think we can get into such seriousness about all this, but having fun with food (and I'm glad you're asking what to do with broccoli!) but what to do with good food is important. If food is just a nasty prescription we swallow three times a day, it's no good. And there is evidence that if we have pleasure in eating, we absorb the nutrients more effectively.
David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: Now for the broccoli tips! Again, we often come into this situation talking about an optimal diet, but how do you make it doable? Think of vegetables beyond a couple of cooked stalks of broccoli on a plate. It can be in a soup, a juice, frozen, fresh—there's a variety of ways to include it. And with broccoli or other vegetables that may be a challenge, that's been a dilemma we've addressed for years. We finally decided to produce an organic green vegetable drink that can be easily incorporated into a beverage, a juice, pesto, etc.
Penny Block, M.A.: Getting back to what to do if you want to use broccoli? But quickly steam it so it's still a vibrant green, so it's still crisp. The green may actually be more vibrant at this point than when it's raw. Serve it with a dip, or slightly sauté it with a good quality extra virgin olive oil and garlic. You could certainly incorporate some of it in a pasta sauce. A creamed broccoli soup. It's easy to make creamed broccoli or mushroom soup, using oats cooked in water. If you puree it, it's quite creamy. So cook your broccoli with garlic, onions, oregano, etc. then put it in this creamy oatmeal liquid that's been seasoned to taste, and puree to make a nice creamy soup which is often more pleasing to the digestion.
David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: Not to gloss over the importance of whole grains, but again, following Penny's great suggestion to add oats, there is also some bang for the buck in fighting cancer. Oats are rich in a substance found to enhance natural killer cell activity. It's like the game Pac Man, where these little guys go out and gobble up cancer cells. You want those cells in your body to have highest activity, and oats may enhance that.
Penny Block, M.A.: There are some vegetables, particularly hearty green vegetables like kale, collards, etc. but even carrots, cooking them seems to break down the tough cellulose wall which makes it more difficult to absorb the nutrients if they're not cooked. This doesn't mean you can't eat raw vegetables, only that there is a benefit in cooking them. There are some people in my family that don't want crunchy cooked vegetables; they want them cooked more so they're softer. So cooking them until they're crunchy is not the only way to cook them.
Judith Sachs, moderator: When the transcript for this chat is posted, we'll include some of the recipes from Penny's cookbook.
David Grotto, R.D., L.D.: And we have new recipes we post to our website, www.blockmd.com. We just did a presentation on TV where we talked about foods for fighting breast cancer specifically. Some of the recipes we features showed creative ways to eat dark greens. We actually had a roasted vegetable spinach wrap sandwich. Admittedly, the amount of spinach in the wrap was at low levels, but some is better than none!
One last comment about raw vegetables, because I know we're talking about reducing risk of breast cancer. But if you're undergoing treatment for breast cancer, especially treatments that can lower your white blood cell count, there can be increased risk of bacterial infection (food poisoning, if you will) when you have low white blood cell counts. So that's why we strongly encourage you to cook vegetables to kill bacteria that are on vegetables.
Penny Block, M.A.: It doesn't mean you have to eliminate raw vegetables, because a cool fresh salad in summer is so refreshing. But maybe for a day or two, people need to be more cautious. One of the things that Dave and his team of dieticians do is to counsel our patients so they know what is appropriate for them at any given time. We use tests to determine their biochemical statuses. But when the while blood cell count is low, use a little caution for a day or so.
On Wednesday, July 20, 2005, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Buying Healthy Food and Drink. Penny B. Block, M.A., David W. Grotto, R.D., L.D., and moderator Judith Sachs answered your questions about finding, buying, and preparing the healthiest food and drink for people with breast cancer and their families.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Random Finds
A Health Canada study of canned pop has found the vast majority of the drinks contain the chemical bisphenol A, a substance that imitates the female hormone estrogen.
The highest levels of the chemical, known as BPA, were found in caffeine-loaded energy drinks, but the residue was also detected in ginger ale, diet cola, root beer and citrus-flavoured soda. Pop cans are lined on the inside with BPA in order to prevent the drink from coming into contact with the metal in the can.
Probably Mothers Milk
Estrogens (U.S., otherwise oestrogens or œstrogens) are a group of steroid compounds, named for their importance in the estrous cycle, and functioning as the primary female sex hormone,
Well it appears Energy Drinks are testing positive for the chemical, Bisphenol A, which mimics the hormone estrogen. This chemical is often used to line the inside of cans and new testing performed in Canada showed alarming levels of this chemical in the drinks themselves.
This chemical is known to cause birth defects, but it is unclear if it really causes damage in adults. However, it’s something to be aware of and guys if you have any of the above symptoms you may want to have your hormone levels checked!
Estrogen Drink Recipe
- Banana
- Eggs
- Red Wine
- Strawberry Syrup
- Yogurt
Flaxseed
The National Institutes of Health report that flaxseed may act like estrogen, a hormone in the body. The Institute states that there is concern that flaxseed, an estrogen-acting food, may worsen or aggravate hormone-related conditions such as uterine fibroids. However, it also reports that some animal research shows flaxseed might have a protective effect against hormone-related conditions. More studies are needed. The National Institutes of Health advises that you do not include excessive amounts of flaxseed in your diet if you suffer from hormone-related conditions.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/324438-foods-drinks-to-avoid-for-women-suffering-with-fibroids/#ixzz1Jl5b5lrU
Health in Motion
LiveStrong
Food & Estrogen
Foods that contain natural estrogen
Alfalfa
Animal flesh
Anise seed
Apples
Baker's yeast
Barley
Beets
Carrots
Cherries
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
Clover
Cowpeas (black- eyed peas)
Cucumbers
Dairy Foods
Dates
Eggs
Eggplant
Fennel
Flaxseeds
Garlic
Hops
Licorice
Oats
Olive oil
Olives
Papaya
Parsley
Peas
Peppers
Plums
Pomegranates
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Red beans
Red clover
Rhubarb
Rice (relatively high)
Sage
Sesame seeds
Soybean sprouts
Soybeans
Split peas
Sunflower seeds
Tomatoes
Wheat
Yams
Estrogen Inhibiting Foods
If you are suffering from breast cancer, PMS, fibroids, ovarian cysts, and other situations that estrogen might exacerbate, the following estrogen inhibiting foods might be of interest to you.
Berries
Broccoli
Buckwheat
Cabbage
Citrus Foods
Corn
Figs
Fruits (except apples, cherries, dates, pomegranates)
Grapes
Green beans
Melons
Millet
Onions
Pears
Pineapples
Squashes
Tapioca
White rice
White flour
Links:
HRT & Menopause
Alfalfa
Animal flesh
Anise seed
Apples
Baker's yeast
Barley
Beets
Carrots
Cherries
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
Clover
Cowpeas (black- eyed peas)
Cucumbers
Dairy Foods
Dates
Eggs
Eggplant
Fennel
Flaxseeds
Garlic
Hops
Licorice
Oats
Olive oil
Olives
Papaya
Parsley
Peas
Peppers
Plums
Pomegranates
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Red beans
Red clover
Rhubarb
Rice (relatively high)
Sage
Sesame seeds
Soybean sprouts
Soybeans
Split peas
Sunflower seeds
Tomatoes
Wheat
Yams
Estrogen Inhibiting Foods
If you are suffering from breast cancer, PMS, fibroids, ovarian cysts, and other situations that estrogen might exacerbate, the following estrogen inhibiting foods might be of interest to you.
Berries
Broccoli
Buckwheat
Cabbage
Citrus Foods
Corn
Figs
Fruits (except apples, cherries, dates, pomegranates)
Grapes
Green beans
Melons
Millet
Onions
Pears
Pineapples
Squashes
Tapioca
White rice
White flour
Links:
HRT & Menopause
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