"Not Just Surviving. Thriving." T-shirts are available at Seasons Wellness Clinic in Ruston.

Seasons Wellness Clinic was thrilled to support the fight to end breast cancer by participating in the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure 5K on September 25th, 2010. Seasons organized a team of twenty-five participants made up of patients, friends, survivors and staff members. Each member of the Seasons Race for the Cure team wore a “Not Just Surviving. Thriving.” t-shirt to represent Seasons approach to wellness, celebrate survivorship, and honor those who have lost their battle with breast cancer.

At Race for the Cure, Seasons was awarded ‘Highest Fundraising Healthcare Team’ by raising $2,150 and the ‘Largest Healthcare Team’ with 25 participants (both categories were awarded for teams outside of Ouachita Parish).

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to help raise funds and awareness for the fight against this life threatening disease, Seasons is donating to Susan G. Komen. You can help us raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure in the following ways:

• For every October Beauty Bonus purchased, Seasons will donate $10 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
• For each “Not just surviving. Thriving.” t-shirt purchased, the total amount of the proceeds will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “Not just surviving. Thriving.” t-shirts can be purchsed at  Seasons Ruston location.
• For each gift card purchased during the month of October, 10% of the total amount will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
• Donations can be made at Seasons Wellness Open House on October 21st.

The lobby of Seasons Wellness Clinic in Ruston, La.

Seasons Wellness Open House will be October 21st from from 5-8 p.m. Guests can take a tour of Seasons’ new location at beautiful Northpointe Office Park in Ruston, learn about the many new services they now offer, and help raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Come and meet Seasons’ friendly and highly-trained aestheticians Lisa Best and Joy Smith, massage therapists Bethany Cox and Aaron Jennings, RNs Susan McWhorter, Jennifer Johnson, and Amanda Williams, registered dietitian Valerie Costanza, nurse practitioner Anna Stephens, as well as board-certified and fellowship trained Metabolic Specialist Dr. Nathan Goodyear. In addition to the entire Seasons staff, representatives from respected companies such as Guinot, Xymogen, Allergan, Sprayology, and more will attend.

Help make a difference in the lives of our patients, our mothers, our sisters, our friends, and others who have been affected by breast cancer.

Dr. Nathan Goodyear

I have four kids that range in age from four to eleven. One of my favorite things to do is read them a great story. So today, let’s talk about some very important stories and the moral each one presents.

The story about breast cancer potential has more characters than just estrogen and progesterone as we discussed in my last post. There are other hormones that are integral characters in that story also. As you will learn in this post, the moral to the breast cancer story is balance — balance between all the hormones in your body.

The Story On Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) — Say That One Three Times Fast!

DHEA, a testosterone precursor, is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands and plays a part in breast protection. DHEA plays an important role in supporting the immune system. DHEA stimulates the production of good T-helper lymphocytes-1 and their associated good cytokines: interferon, Interleukin-2 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-beta. This is in contrast to the bad T-helper lymphocytes-2 and their bad cytokines. DHEA levels typically decline as we age. The decrease in DHEA levels are inversely correlated with increasing age-related disease. The strength of this correlation is yet to be determined, but the decline in immune system due to low DHEA is clear. So where does that leave DHEA? Individuals with low DHEA levels have more disease, and in this case, more breast cancer. The moral of this story? Low DHEA = a compromised immune system = breast cancer vulnerability.

The Story On Melatonin — The Sandman Hormone.

Melatonin is the hormone that regulates your sleep cycle. It is produced from the pineal gland in the brain. Low melatonin levels have been linked to breast cancer through the additional benefits of melatonin. Melatonin boosts the immune system, decreases estrogen and progesterone production, and acts as an anti-oxidant. Bench studies (non-human studies) have shown significant increase risks of breast cancer with low melatonin levels. Can you guess what happens as we age? Yes, you guessed it. Our melatonin levels fall. Ever talk to a post-menopausal woman? Most women of that age have sleep-related complaints. The moral of this story? Low melatonin = a compromised immune system = breast cancer vulnerability.

The Story on Thyroid — The Energy Hormone.

How about the thyroid hormone?  The breast cancer link reaches to all hormones and everything seems to involve the thyroid these days! T4 (or better known as synthroid, levoxy, levothryoixine) is one of the most prescribed medicines today. But T4 is a very weak thyroid hormone. In fact, the body is looking for T3, a result of T4 to T3 conversion. The problem is that many individuals don’t convert T4 to T3 well. (Very often I see patients who have been on synthroid for years without symptomatic improvement even though their “levels” are said to be “good”.  I digress. That’s a subject for another post. Let’s get back to the breast cancer link.) Low T4 and T3 levels result in low sex hormone binding globulin levels (SHBG). SHBG is how some hormones are transported. When SHBG levels drop, the free availability of the hormone it transports goes up. In this case, the levels of free estradiol go up. Remember the negative breast implications of estrogen dominance from last weeks post (link)? The moral of this story? Low thyroid = low SHBG = high estradiol = estrogen dominance = breast cancer vulnerability.

The Story On Insulin — The Sugar Storer

Finally, Insulin. Insulin’s primary role is in the storage of glucose. However, due to the large percentage of simple or refined sugars in our diet, insulin resistance has become a major epidemic, and, yes, insulin resistance increases the risk of breast cancer. How, you ask? High simple sugars leads to insulin resistance and PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). As a result, estrogen dominance and excess testosterone are produced which leads to weight gain. Remember that fat cells produce even more estrogen and estrogen stimulates breast cell growth (link). Young women will start their cycles at an earlier age and thus will increase their lifetime exposure to estrogen without appropriate progesterone balance. And to make matters worse, traditional therapy with birth control pills for these young women increases the breast cancer risk even further. The moral of this story? Insulin resistance = estrogen dominance = breast cancer vulnerability.

Change The Ending Of The Story.

Just because any of these hormone deficiencies might produce in you symptoms which you recognize in this post doesn’t mean that you are going to have breast cancer. However, the sooner you seek hormone balance, the quicker you are going to lower your breast cancer vulnerability/potential. As you can see, the hormonal symphony is what is important. Balance! When your hormones are balanced, the result is a symphony, and in turn, your body is in tune and makes beautiful music. But when your hormones are not balanced, then…well, you know the ending of that story.

Dr. Nathan Goodyear

I love the change of seasons. I particularly love fall in the South. The oppressive heat of summer gives way to crisp, cool mornings, green leaves give way to brilliant colors, and college football returns.  But, October is even more special than that. October brings attention to one of the greatest fears of women — breast cancer.  October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

There is much to be excited about in the arena of breast cancer treatment. Earlier detection, minimally invasive surgery, and high survival rates head the list. Credit needs to be given to the great work of many organizations like the Susan G. Komen Foundation and many researchers and physicians around the world.

But, breast cancer has not given up.

Let’s look specifically at the most current statistics of breast cancer. The lifetime probability of women developing breast cancer (2003-2005) is 1 in 8.  That amounts to about 185,000 women annually. Breast cancer accounts for 27% of all cancers in women. Breast cancer accounts for 15% of all cancer deaths in women and is the second leading cause of death due to cancer in women — only surpassed by lung cancer.  

The statistics are not all bad. Breast cancer has decreased by 27% from 1990 to 2005. Five-year breast cancer survival rates are improving — 91% for Caucasian women and 78% for African-American women.

Weight contributes to breast cancer risk. Since 1960, the percentage of obesity has risen from 16% to 36% (2006). That means that 1/3 of the female population is obese. What a disturbing trend! And even worse, the trend of breast cancer has paralleled the obesity trend in women.

Here are the current Screening Guidelines:

• Yearly mammograms starting at age 40
• Clinical breast exam every 3 years for women in their 20’s and 30’s; annually after 40
• Self breast exams should begin in early 20’s

The focus in breast cancer today is on early detection and treatment.  At Seasons, we want to focus on prevention. Why ever let the cancer develop in the first place. Follow us over the next couple of weeks as we focus on how.

Dr. Nathan Goodyear

The body never stops producing estrogens. The body, in fact, produces 3 types of estrogens: estradiol, estrone, and estriol. These are the natural estrogens native to the body and the foundation of bioidentical hormone replacement of estrogen.

A woman’s body produces estrogens in various places. Most people knows that ovaries produce estrogens. But did you know that the adrenal glands and fat cells produce estrogens, too? Think about that for a minute. This explains why women of all ages continue produce estrogen. Our adrenal glands don’t disappear at menopause. And fat cells certainly don’t. So how do we know if a woman needs estrogen?

Let’s look more closely at the 3 main estrogens produced in the body.

• estradiol
• estrone
• estriol

Estriol is a good place to start. Estriol is the weakest of all Estrogens. A woman’s placenta produces very large amounts of estriol during pregnancy. However, estriol is not confined to pregnancy. The liver produces small amounts, too. Estriol primarily affects a woman’s hair, nails, skin, and her vaginal lining. Studies also suggest estriol has potential in breast cancer prevention because estriol binds to specific receptors (beta-receptors) in the breast that inhibit breast cell growth. All other estrogens would be expected to increase breast cell growth (which can lead to cancer) through activity with alpha-receptors.

Estrone is the second most potent estrogen. Estrone is predominately produced in fat cells after menopause. Overweight women have high circulating estrone levels. Unfortunately, 63% of American women are overweight or obese, so many women have high estrone levels. Estrone levels rise even more after menopause, and estrone has been implicated in breast tumors in animal studies. (Scientists say this because estrone has a 5:1 affinity for alpha breast receptors, but that’s pretty technical.) Just remember that alpha-receptors increase breast cell growth. You could say estrone encourages breast cell growth, and that can lead to uncontrolled breast cell growth. We call that breast cancer.

Estradiol is the most potent estrogen. Estradiol is produced predominately from the ovaries. This means a woman will have less estriadiol after menopause because her ovaries are producing less. Estradiol is the main stimulus for growth of the lining of the uterus in the first 2 weeks of the monthly cycle, and it helps in triggering ovulation. Like estrone, estradiol has been implicated in breast tumors. It has a 3:1 affinity for alpha-receptors in the breasts, which promote breast cell growth and can lead to cancer.

That’s a lot of information for one blog post, I know. But remember the overall point. Bioidentical hormone therapy is much more than the use of bioidentical estrogen. It is about which estrogens your body needs to maximize efficacy, reduce side effects, and prevent disease.

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• Marcia Stefanick: Continue Hormone Replacement Therapy? (health.usnews.com)
• Should I take hormones or not? (cnn.com)

Dr. Nathan Goodyear

A young lady came into my office the other day to discuss hormones. She was a breast cancer survivor. Her concern, and rightly so, was her risk of getting breast cancer again. Since she lived in the south (our main office is in Ruston, Louisiana), she had experienced the women’s ritely passage of menopause: “the hysterectomy ceremony.”

Her question to me was: can she take hormones? Years ago, her cancer doctor had placed her on premarin, telling her that it was safe. She also was told that because she had a hysterectomy, progesterone was not necessary. Her gynecologist, in contrast, told her she couldn’t take premarin. Different doctors, different opinions.

Image via Wikipedia

I’m not trying to offer a third opinion here. I just want to stay focused on the evidence. That is what evidence-based medicine is all about. Unfortunately, market forces are clouding evidence-based medicine today.

In earlier posts, I’ve talked about progesterone, synthetic progestins and their polar opposite effects on a woman’s breasts. Progesterone lowers risks. Progestin increases risks. I want to get a little more specific today with some information from an outstanding review of the evidence. In Dr. Kent Holtorf January 2009 article, the Bioidentical Hormone Debate, he exhaustively reviewed 196 research articles. (If you aren’t up to reading the full article, you can read an abstract of the review.)

Here is my summary of the risks associated with synthetic progestins:

• increased breast cell growth
• increased conversion of weaker estrogens into more potent estrogens
• promoted the formation of toxic estrogen metabolites (16-hydroxyestrone)
• stimulated the conversion of inactive estrogen to active estrogen (estrone sulfate to estrone)
• had anti-apoptotic effects. (Apoptosis is programmed cell death: which is a way to control cancer growth. Anti-apoptosis means your body lacks this method of controlling cancer growth.).

Contrast this with the benefits of the natural bioidentical hormone progesterone.

• reduced breast cell growth by 400%
• downregulated estrogen receptors in the breast
• induced cancer cell apoptosis (programmed cell death that helps control cancer growth)
• reduced breast cell division and growth
• and in some studies, progesterone actually arrested human breast cancer cells.

After looking at nearly 200 independent studies, Dr. Kent Holtorf concluded that “Both physiological and clinical data have indicated that progesterone is associated with a diminished risk for breast cancer, compared with the increased risk associated with synthetic progestins.” Studies have shown that synthetic progestins increase the risk of breast cancer:

1. by approximately by 25% for each 5 years of use
2. by triple the risk (67%) of breast cancer when added to estrogen therapy
3. double the risk to 4% per year when compared to estrogen therapy alone.

This is in stark contrast to bio-identical progesterone, which reduces the risk of breast cancer by 10%.

“As far as the east is from the west”—that is how different the effects of progesterone and synthetic progestins are on the breast. Holtorf concludes his article in Postgraduate Medicine with statements like this: “With respect to the risk for breast cancer, heart disease, heart attack, and stroke, substantial scientific and medical evidence demonstrates that bioidentical hormones are safer.”

In my next post, I’ll look at synthetic premarin versus bioidentical hormone estrogen.

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Bioidentical Hormone Debate (www.postgradmed.com)
• Abstract: Are Bioidentical Hormones (Estradiol, Estriol, and Progesterone) Safer or More Efficacious than Commonly Used Synthetic Versions in Hormone Replacement Therapy? (holtorfmed.com)
• Study: Hormone therapy caused breast cancer for thousands (cnn.com)