HealthBeat News

Category: Hormones

  • Reader Questions Soy Benefits: “One Man’s Meat is Another Man’s Poison”

    Michael writes to comment:

    All of my other “Natural Health” information areas (including the book , “The Whole Soy Story”) are stressing the detriments of soy, so I am surprised to see such a positive review (of course, with some caveats). This statement from “The Dangers of Soy” actually contradicts what you have stated: Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.”
    What’s up??? I usually trust what you have to say, but I have a hard time believing that soy is good for us!!!

    Dr. Myatt replies:

    Hi Michael:

    Your question brings up several good points that I’d like to address. The first one is taken directly from my “Read This First” letter found on the footer of every page of my website. I’m betting about 3 people have read this in the 14 years I’ve been in business, but here’s the “short course”:

    “Also keep in mind that although my advice and statements are supported by scientific research, experts do not always agree on the meaning and interpretation of research data. Another physician might look at the same information and draw a different conclusion. This is why it makes good sense to get a second (and even a third and fourth!) medical opinion…”
    Read the full letter here.

    Second, I believe the “black and white” argument about soy is completely misguided. Some folks totally vilify soy (as in the book you quote), while others make it sound so great that you’d think it should be added to the public drinking water supply!

    My opinion? Soy is neither a terrible substance nor a “miracle food” that everyone should take. As with many foods, it has “pros” and “cons.”

    Soy has estrogenic effects. That is, soy acts as a weak estrogen. Is this bad? Ask a post-menopausal female suffering from hot flashes if using a weak (and therefore presumably safer) form of estrogen is bad and she’ll probably look at you like you just got off a spaceship from Mars. Estrogenic effects have a role to play in medical practice, especially when they are safer alternatives to more potent estrogens. A number of studies have shown that soy helps prevent and may even be effective for treatment of hormone-related cancers. Please visit our webpage on soy for a complete list of references — 45 in total.

    Soy has also been shown to help lower cardiovascular disease risk (a claim allowed by the FDA), lower cholesterol levels, improve bone mineral density, and improve insulin sensitivity. Again, all of this is fully referenced on the above-mentioned page.

    Now, is estrogen good for babies? Hello? I think not. And for men? Sometimes in prostate cancer it is useful, but overall, increasing estrogen effects is not generally desirable in men.

    Further, as I have previously mentioned, unrefined soy (such as soy protein powder and soybeans) acts as a goitrogen and can lower thyroid function. Soy is also allergenic to many people, especially in this form. Fermented soy products such as tofu, miso, and tempeh are better tolerated.

    As for soy lowering fertility, this has not been a problem in Asian countries with the highest intakes of soy! Again, if someone is eating enough soy to lower thyroid hormone production, this can cause infertility. (low thyroid is associated with infertility). This is easy to monitor with a simple blood test.

    My summary: “Soy: not all good, not all bad.” It depends on the person and their unique cirumstance. Please be sure to take a peek at our website page on soy for a boat-load of references that reveal some of the “positives” of soy and it’s derivatives.

    P.S. You’ve got a book that vilifies soy? (There are a number of them).
    But here are some titles that sing soy’s praises:
    Soy One Choice For Menopausal Health, Ari Babaknia, M.D.
    Soy The Right Protein For Improving Your Health, Ari Babaknia, M.D.
    The Soy Zone, Dr. Barry Sears (author of The Zone Diet)
    Soy for Health: The Definitive Medical Guide, Stephen Holt, M.D.
    Earl Mindell’s Soy Miracle, Earl Mindell, pH.D

  • FDA Bans Natural Human Hormone!

    Women’s International Pharmacy is a compounding pharmacy that Dr. Myatt trusts to make up custom compounded formulations for her patients.

    The folks at Women’s International recently contacted us with the following information and “Call To Action” – we feel that this is very important information for everyone who uses natural products, not just for people using Bio-Identical hormones (both men and women!)

    CALL TO ACTION

    THE FDA AND WYETH WANT TO TAKE AWAY YOUR BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES (BHRT)!

    Contact Your U.S. Senators and Congressperson Today!

    TO SUBMIT AN EMAIL FORM TO YOUR U.S. CONGRESSIONAL OFFICIALS, CLICK HERE:  SUBMIT MY COMMENTS

    WHAT IS THE ISSUE?

    Wyeth, the maker of Premarin® and Prempro®, wants the FDA to prevent the compounding of bio-identical hormones prescribed for you by your doctor.  If Wyeth had its way, it would take away your freedom of choice in medication.  With that said, the FDA recently took action to impose harmful restrictions on the compounding and dispensing of bio-identical hormone replacement therapies (BHRT), which includes bio-identical hormone prescriptions that contain estriol.  Click here for more details: Home Coalition article.

    WHAT IS HAPPENING?

    U.S. Representatives Mike Ross (Arkansas) and Jo Ann Emerson (Missouri) presented a Sense of the Congress Resolution (H.Con.Res.342), challenging the FDA’s new policy. The resolution is being co-sponsored by U.S. Representatives Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin), Michael Burgess (Texas), John Carter (Texas), Sam Farr (California) and Gabrielle Giffords (Arizona); deeming FDA’s policy as inappropriate and is requesting reversal of this policy.

    WHAT CAN YOU DO RIGHT NOW?

    Submit your comments to protect your choices in healthcare by writing to your U.S. Senators and Congressperson now!  Time is of the essence! Congress could act very soon!  It is extremely important that you submit your comments to your U.S. Senators and Congressperson today!  Please note that your comments are most effective by submitting an email form, sharing your personal experiences with BHRT (estriol) and/or other compounded medications stating the positive impact it has had on your quality of life.

    Please be sure to visit The Wellness Club website for a very thorough discussion of menopause and sex hormones as well as information on hormone testing.

  • What About Soy Milk For Babies?

    It is great to know that people are reading our posts, and we get some interesting questions and comments as a result.

    Gary commented on our soy article to ask: “What about soy milk for babys” ?

     To which we respond:

    Yikes! Soy milk for babies? I don’t think so!

    Neither Dr. Myatt nor I would advocate feeding soy milk to a baby as a substitute for mothers milk for several reasons, all of which were mentioned in the article.

    First, soy is estrogenic. Babies are generally pretty perfectly hormonally balanced little creatures and they are also fragile little creatures; very sensitive to hormonal imbalances in their critical growing time. Would we really want to give a baby something that could alter those delicately balanced hormones?

    Next, soy can be goitrogenic, meaning it can suppress the function of the thyroid gland. As you might imagine, this is definitely not a good thing for adults, and it could be disastrous for a baby – thyroid suppression in a baby is called “Cretinism”!

    Finally, soy is a challenging protein to digest at the very best of times – many adults, with their better-developed digestive systems have trouble digesting it properly and experience gas and diarrhea – in a baby this would be described as “Colic” but it is actually much more serious than that as it can result in malabsorption and serious allergy and even auto-immune problems.

    There is ample evidence in medical literature that the very best nutrition for a baby comes from mothers milk – the kind that comes from mothers breast. Improved brain and intellectual development, and improved immune system function are well-documented in babies fed breast milk over those fed dairy or soy or synthetic products.

    So, what about babies who cannot tolerate dairy (cows milk) based formulas? Certainly there are babies who are “allergic” to cows milk – I remember seeing those poor little souls when I worked as a floor nurse in a pediatric ward. They would come in sick, fussing, gassy, cramping, and miserable with mom complaining that “none of the baby formulas I’ve tried seem to make him happy…” (even though she had not tried the “original formula” – the milk from her own breast!) The poor little tyke would be “diagnosed” as having “a milk allergy” and then put on a soy substitute. Often things would improve briefly, as the tiny gut was no longer being assaulted by proteins that it was not really designed to have to deal with, but then things would go downhill again, as that tiny digestive system rebelled against yet another foreign protein.

    I can hear the question now: “What about goat milk or sheep’s milk?” Well, many babies who are sensitive to the proteins in cows milk are cross-sensitive to the proteins in goat and sheep’s milk. Further, cows milk, goat milk, and sheep’s milk are likely to contain hormones and antibiotics, and most certainly will have been pasteurized which is very destructive to the proteins and natural enzymes of the milk.

    How many kids out there have been unfairly labeled as being “allergic to everything” or “just a sickly kid” or “a failure to thrive” when they could have been healthy, robust little bundles of joy if they had been breast fed?

    Nothing beats Mothers Milk for a baby!

  • Bisphenol A Back In The News – More Big Industry / FDA Hall Of Shame!

    We’ve answered questions about the safety of plastics and in particular about Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical compound found in may forms of plastics. Our answer has always been, don’t use plastics to contain food or drink any more than is absolutely necessary, and most especially, NEVER heat food or drink in plastics – the risks are just too great.

    Now the word is out – major newspapers across the nation are reporting it, there is no-where for the plastics industry to hide or for the FDA to escape to: this report, though it is written in the most careful, gentle, non-alarmist language possible, shows that even large government research organizations are concerned about the effects of Bisphenol A.

    The National Toxicology Program, a part of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, which in turn is part of the U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services (are you confused yet?) has released a report titled “DRAFT NTP BRIEF ON BISPHENOL A”   in which the research team ever-so gently concludes: “The NTP concurs with the conclusion of the CERHR Expert Panel on Bisphenol A that there is some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures. The NTP also has some concern for bisphenol A exposure in these populations based on effects in the prostate gland, mammary gland, and an earlier age for puberty in females.”

    In other words, the stuff is poisonous.

    Will we see the FDA move to protect Americans from this toxic onslaught? Not likely – though Reuters news reports that some Democratic congressmen have asked the FDA to reconsider it’s position that Bisphenol A is safe for consumption by infants and children. Unfortunately, the plastics industry is a large and powerful influence in Washington, with close ties to the Pharmaceutical industry. There are immense profits at stake – far too valuable to let any concern for the safety of mere human infants and children interfere! Perhaps Canada does not have as highly developed a plastics industry – for the Canadian national newspaper The Globe And Mail is reporting that the Canadian Health Ministry is very close to declaring Bisphenol A a “dangerous substance” – a declaration which would be a first for any governmental regulatory agency anywhere, and which would strike a heavy blow to the plastics industry.

    This is another breaking news story that we will be watching carefully here at The Wellness Club…

  • Soy: Risks and Benefits

    Like most things in nature, the humble soy bean (Glycine max) can be healthful in moderation, harmful in excess. Because soy and soy products (tofu, miso, soy flour) are currently gaining a lot of media attention and popularity, it is important to understand the risks and benefits of this food and supplement.Soy contains substances called protease inhibitors. In small to moderate amounts, these substances help prevent cancer and are also useful in controlling cancer. Soy has estrogenic effects, though much weaker than the human estrogen equivalent. For this reason, soy can increase the estrogen effect in someone who is deficient, or decrease the estrogen effect in one who has an excess. (Because it competes for the same receptors as the stronger mammalian estrogens, giving then less available places to bind). Soy may also improve cholesterol levels when eaten with some regularity. Believe me, you’ll be reading and hearing a lot more about this food in the months ahead, but please exercise moderation. Much of what you hear is “hype,” some is valuable medical advice.

    Soy is a “goitrogen,” capable of inhibiting thyroid function when consumed in large amounts. In fact, I have seen some particularly sensitive people experience thyroid suppression when eating soy even in modest doses.

    Further, soy is a type of protein that many people do not digest and tolerate well. It is especially likely to aggravate irritable bowel symptoms, causing gas and diarrhea, in those who are sensitive to it.

    SO, who should eat soy? It appears to be a healthy and even helpful food for many people, 3 to 4 servings per week is my recommendation. If you experience bowel discomfort from eating soy, then this food is not for you. If you elect to eat larger amounts per week than this, consider having your thyroid function tested when you first add more soy to your diet, then again in 3 months to see if it has adversely affected your thyroid hormones levels.

    For those who wish to obtain the benefits of soy (such as women desiring alternative to convention hormone replacement, or those with hormone-related cancers under their holistic physician’s guidance), soy supplements can be taken. These contain the isolated active ingredients of soy, primarily genistein and diadzein, without the gut-disturbing proteins that bother many.

    I consider soy a useful protein source with positive health benefits when consumed in moderation. Just don’t fall for the plethora of media and soy-growers of America “over-hype” and fall prey to excess. “All things in moderation, including moderation”!

    Learn more about soy