WHY MONEY DOESN'T BUY YOU HAPPINESS BUT HORMONES DO!
This week I discovered an interesting article.   "A study led by Jordi Quoidbach of the University of Liege in Belgium, concluded that access to money undermines a person’s ability to savour the simple pleasures of life, and even looking at a photograph reminding them of wealth could reduce their satisfaction levels.  The study adds to other research in psychology looking at why, once people have enough to cover their basic needs, having more money has little effect on the enjoyment of life."
(More information: Jordi Quoidbach et al., Money Giveth, Money Taketh Away, Psychological Science, Published online before print May 18, 2010, doi:10.1177/0956797610371963).

At the same time my (menopausal!) life has been changed by a doctor called Graeme Williams. (www.graemewilliams.com) He is a doctor specialising in hormones, longevity, and cancer and diabetes prevention. Working with him and learning from him has reinforced for me just how important hormones are for our happiness.  People think money will make them happy - but as the study shows - it won't! 

 

But your hormones really CAN make you happy or miserable!  I suggest you buy the book as I can't tell you everything in this newsletter but am hoping to give you enough to know you need to read it!

For the men and young women reading this - KEEP READING!  This affects you as much as we menopausal women! This information may change your life!

His excellent book. Unlock Your Hormones, has some gob smacking (for cultures other than Aussies - that means jaw dropping!) facts in it.  You need to know these facts to live long, well and happily!

1. WHY MANY OF US GET GRUMPY AND FAT AS WE AGE:
Because most of us are oestrogen dominant and do not have enough progesterone.

Menopausal women AND women over the age of 30 these days, AND men AND young women on the pill - are usually oestrogen dominant. If you fit into one of these categories, keep reading!

Why does this matter?  
Because if you are oestrogen dominant your whole body is out of whack!  

Here are some typical symptoms of oestrogen dominance:
• weight gain - resistant to exercise and diet (excess oestrogen makes you fat!)
• breast tenderness and headaches
• anxiety, mood swings and tearfulness
• hot flushes and insomnia
• foggy thinking
• decreased libido
• fatigue and depression
• osteoporosis is more likely with less progesterone (testosterone grows bones in women and progesterone is converted into testosterone in women.  When she stops ovulating, she stops producing progesterone, so she stops making bone growing, energy producing, libido driving , fat burning testosterone!)
• endometriosis is more common
 • increases the risk of breast cancer, fibrocystic breasts

AND FOR MEN OVER 30- THE ABOVE - PLUS Research shows all men have a progressive loss of testosterone from age 30 and about 2/3 have raised oestrogen levels which makes them

• become tired, overweight and grumpy - and lose their 'mojo'!  
• causes men to grow breasts and put on abdominal fat
• contributes to heart disease and diabetes
• and prostatic overgrowth conditions (prostate problems!)
• growing intolerance (grumpy old man syndrome!) and irritability
• sleeping in front of the TV syndrome!
• frequency and urgency to urinate
• the need to urinate at night
• abdominal bloating

For men, these are the symptoms of oestrogen excess - low testosterone causes OTHER things like reduced energy and strength, softer erections, decreased enthusiasm, decreased sex drive (beware - it's the last thing to go, so don't be fooled if you are grumpy and have other symptoms BUT still a high sex drive!), loss of muscle mass, osteoporosis, depression and fatigue. And the really bad news is that once a man has a 'gut' or is overweight, the fat produces more oestrogen which produces more fat which produces more oestrogen and so on.

WOMEN ON THE PILL
"The use of oral contraceptives (the pill) has been proven to produce a significant increase in the risk of breast cancer during use."  (From Graeme's book) BECAUSE - when you take the pill you are taking artificial oestrogen! And not ovulating and therefore not producing progesterone which is the 'anti oestrogen'! 

 

When there is a balance between oestrogen and progesterone, the symptoms and dangers of oestrogen dominance disappear because you are not long oestrogen dominant!

As Dr John Lees - the doctor who first made us aware of the importance of BIO IDENTICAL progesterone says..."oestrogen tells the cells in the body to multiply, multiply. Progesterone moderates that and tells the body to stop!"

Young women on the pill have to take HUGE levels of (bioidentical) progesterone to counterbalance the amounts of artificial oestrogen they are taking. I know this will be hard for you to get your minds around BUT..there is sound science to back this information up: women on the pill "consume 16,500 times more active estradiol (artificial oestrogen) than their body would normally make in one day."  (Pugh and Moore did the research)  If you don't believe this - buy the book and research the articles yourself!  

Graeme points out that the pill gives you more of the same artificial oestrogen found in HRT - and we know HRT increases the risk of breast cancer - so you do the math.

HOW TO GET HAPPY WITH HORMONES!
The secret is progesterone (the 'anti oestrogen) and maybe some extra testosterone!  By now you will be wondering if you are going to live!  LOL.  yes BUT most of us need to balance out our hormones with BIOIDENTICAL HORMONES.

The list of side effects from FDA approved artificial progesterone is scary! (on page 80 of his book). There are alternatives!  Bio identical hormones are exactly the same molecular shape found in humans - not artificially manufactured versions. They are derived from plants like sarsaparilla, mexican yam or soy bean. The molecules of these plants can be transformed into the same active molecule as human progesterone.

I would recommend anyone reading this who sees themselves in the symptoms to do what i did!  Go to www.drgraemewilliams.com and buy his book. Find out if you can sign up for his online questionnaire - not sure about the countries he consults in. You fill it in and he calls you and then sends you the forms for blood tests (these are included in the initial fee if you live in Australia). These are SPECIAL blood tests Dr Williams has requested (you can use saliva tests in the USA) that measure FREE testosterone and other stuff!  Then he sends you the specially formulated for you cream that lasts 3 months.

One week after I started using my individually prepared cream from Dr Williams, my moods were more stable and within 3 weeks there were marked changes in my hot flashes and many of the symptoms I had been experiencing.  My husband (61) then decided he would try it and his moods changed within a couple of weeks - he felt calmer and less irritable.

I can't begin to tell you all how important this information is - and I don't want to make this newsletter any longer than it already is. Please take some action and at least read his book!

 

I really want you to be as joyful through life as you can and unless your hormones are in order, it's much more difficult!  Zooties

PS as if our bodily changes were not enough - fake oestrogens which are contributing to our oestrogen dominance are found in pesticides, fungicides, petroleum based products, outgassing from carpets, PCB's, BPA, heated plastics, some cosmetics, and foods like hormone enhanced chicken, and many farmed fish. So be careful of your diet and environment!

PPS On a completely different topic!  If you are a leader who wants a more engaged and productive team then another book you can look at is my husbands!  He wrote The People Pill after 40 years of leadership excellence! And it was awarded a Gold medal in the leadership category of the Axiom awards over Seth Godin's book Tribes and Peter Druckers posthumous book!  Needless to say I am very proud!  www.engage4results.com