Dear Friends,  

As you probably saw on OPRAH, I love my organic garden, and each day I anticipate my walk down the hill to pick the freshest, most scrumptious vegetables of the day.

I seek out restaurants that offer at least one organic entrée.  I support my local farmers’ market and frequent those stalls that sell organic, and I also encourage the supermarkets to sell organics.
 
I often wonder when we decided it was a good idea to spray poison on our food; and today, with the cancer rate at epidemic proportions, there is definitely a link from chemicals and poisons to cancer.

So to find out that there is a bill being introduced to our House and Senate in two weeks banning organics from being grown and sold, including backyard organics so that we would not even be able to grow our own for our families, boggles the mind.  I can only assume that with the growing popularity of organics, the manufacturers of foods with poisons are lobbying like crazy in Washington, DC.

Please write or call your state representatives or senators to protest this craziness (download the action alert document below for instructions).  This is America… we should be able to EAT what we want.  Don’t you think?

Here are some more links for your information:

House Bill H.R. 875

Senate Bill S. 425

A Video On the Subject

Send me your thoughts.   

Suzanne Somers

Visit me at SuzanneSomers.com!

Food Safety Action Alert.doc (36.50 kb)

Hello Friends,

I have arrived in the world of blogging...

I am so excited to share on a regular basis what I am working on and what I want to bring to all of you.  Regardless of your knowledge on wellness, prevention, hormones, exercise, weight loss, nutrition, fashion, jewelry and more, I hope you enjoy my point of view and the exciting things I am learning every day.

While I have loved my career as an actress and entertainer, I have found equal passion for health and longevity.  Every time I encounter an obstacle in my life, I research like crazy until I find a solution – and then I share that solution with you.  I never tell people to do what I do – I only show you what has worked for me and let you decide if it might be right for you.  Seeing how my books, research and products have made a positive impact for so many people is simply thrilling for me.  Everything from hormones to the perfect sweater!    

My blog will be a welcome addition to finding another way to connect with you, my readers and friends.  Over the weeks and months ahead we will discuss the topics that cover a range of wellness and lifestyle choices which will lead to a healthy and happy life.

Enjoy the blog entries, and I look forward to hearing from you often!

Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

Visit me at suzannesomers.com!

Rodney Dangerfield, a friend of mine, had a famous line, “I don’t get any respect.”  Same goes for the thyroid.  How many times has a doctor told you “Your thyroid is a little low;” but then it gets ignored.  The thyroid deserves respect.

THE THYROID IS THE “ORCHESTRA LEADER OF THE BODY.”  It’s a major hormone, meaning it regulates the body’s metabolism.  It controls the furnace so to speak.  It is located at the base of the front of your windpipe and produces hormones.

25% of all women develop permanent hypothyroidism with the greatest incidence occurring after age 34 (not coincidently this is when perimenopause usually starts), which makes sense; when we stop ovulating regularly, there is a decrease in ovarian hormones namely progesterone and estrogen.  With this decline, the thyroid has a difficult time doing its job.  So how does it manifest?

When you don’t produce enough thyroid, it weakens the immune system which is why people with low thyroid hormone are so susceptible to colds, flu and other viruses.

Low thyroid…low heart rate

Low thyroid…high cholesterol

Low thyroid…dry skin, cramps, headaches, infertility, menstrual difficulties, constipation, cold hands and feet, enlarged abdomen, fibrocystic breast disease.

Everything from blood pressure to breathing to digestion and nerve function can be impacted by thyroid dysfunction, and the effects are profound.

Many women are diagnosed with autoimmune disease such as fibromyalgia, Lupus and MS when actually they have low thyroid. This is because muscle fibers separate due to swelling and reduced enzyme activity in the muscles.  This build-up of waste causes a jellylike substance to be deposited in the muscles, ligaments and joints causing pain, stiffness and cramping in areas that are affected, usually the neck, back, feet and hands.  The back problems we all get in perimenopause and menopause are symptoms of low thyroid, but most likely your doctor will give you a dangerous drug like prednisone to mask the pain. Natural bioidentical thyroid heals the problem.

When you suspect your thyroid is not functioning properly, you must ask your doctor to check your T4, freeT3, freeT4 and TSH.    It’s the ‘free’ part that is important.   Remember, you are in charge of your health.  You have four times more T4 than T3, but T3 is far more potent and biologically active. Most doctors don’t check for T3; they will simply check for T4 and say,  “Everything’s fine.” The body makes a lot of T4 and is supposed to convert it to T3 when needed. Some people fail to convert enough T4 to T3, which can result in the problems associated with thyroid hormone deficit---even when T4 levels are within normal range.  When T3 and T4 levels drop too low, the pituitary gland responds by making more TSH (thyroid stimulating hormones).  If your TSH is high, it means your thyroid levels are dropping. You need replacement.

Low thyroid function inhibits our ability to make estrogen, creating hormone imbalance which can result in infertility, inability to ovulate and heavy menstrual bleeding.  It can also cause severe cramping and irregular cycles.  Inadequate thyroid and you will experience a lack of sexual desire and function.  About 75% of the iodine in your diet makes its way to your thyroid gland. Iodine is critical in manufacturing both T3 and T4, so iodine deficiency can result in low thyroidism (hypothyroidism).  There are also studies linking breast cancer to iodine deficiency.

You can take supplemental iodine or get it from seafood and seaweed such as nori and kelp. If you have severe breast pain, you can have your doctor prescribe Lugol’s Iodine (liquid) and put it right on the breast.  It will immediately take the painful cysts down and alleviate the pain.  If this is so, it is an indicator that you are severely depleted of Iodine.  You don’t want that. You can test for iodine deficiency through an iodine loading test.  It is a 24 hour urine test which will detect if iodine deficiency is causing thyroid dysfunction.

The best way of assessing your thyroid status is with a comprehensive thyroid blood test profile. Regrettably, few people have the proper thyroid tests done because they rely on their doctor to prescribe the tests and then interpret the results. Conventional doctors interpret anything within the so-called “normal” reference range as being OK. The problem is that the reference ranges for thyroid are far too broad. This means you may be suffering severe symptoms related to thyroid hormone deficit, yet your blood test result may show that you are “normal.” As a general rule of thumb, you want to be in the upper end of reference range for T3 and not higher than 2.0 (mU/L) for TSH. The easiest way to obtain a comprehensive thyroid blood test panel is through the Life Extension Foundation.  Go to the Life Extension link on my web-site. Check out Life Extension Thyroid panel.  They offer a comprehensive thyroid panel that checks your TSH, T4, free T3 and free T4 and they have health advisors available by phone to help you understand the results. The cost is $75.00.   The price at doctors’ offices is usually much higher.

Sometimes the missing piece of the hormonal puzzle is thyroid.  I know it was for me.  Everything shifted into place once I was on thyroid replacement.  Understanding the importance of the thyroid and what can happen when it is too low or too high will help you avoid many unnecessary pharmaceutical drugs.

And, remember, the thyroid is a MAJOR hormone…so important that if it is too low or too high for too long a period of time you will not live very long.  It is that crucial.

I hope this helps. 

Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

Visit me at SuzanneSomers.com!

1.  Building of the endometrial lining due to static dosing of bioidentical hormones or synthetic hormones.

On bioidentical hormones static dosing is the same amount of estrogen every day, and then for two weeks of the month the same amount of progesterone every day.  For synthetic hormones (please get off of these dangerous drugs) only estrogen (fake drug estrogen) is being poured day in and day out the way it never did in nature.

Static dosing generally works for women who are still making estrogen from their ovaries, which is usually the case of  women in their 40’s, because they still produce estrogen but not enough to feel good and be symptom free.  The little amount of estrogen you are making combined with what you are adding  from taking bioidenticals creates a natural rhythm in you that corresponds with the way your body made them when you were making a full compliment of hormones.  

This worked for me for about 10 years.   Everything was great; I felt great, was sleeping, had a sex drive, my weight was good.  And then it started to fall apart.  My sleep became interrupted; I was hot flashing; my sex drive went away, and I started bleeding….here and there at first and then after about a year of bleeding daily and sometimes heavily, it became unbearable.  At the time my doctor was Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, who would increase my estrogen by little bits, but the problem kept getting worse.   I couldn’t find that ‘sweet spot’ that I had enjoyed for a decade. I kept complaining to my doctor that I wasn’t feeling great.  Then I had a pap smear and it showed hyperplasia, severe hyperplasia.  That meant having my uterus removed.   The continual build-up in the endometrial lining from the static dosing had created hyperplasia which is pre-pre-cancer.  Not cancer, but a prelude, and the thinking is to remove the evidence (uterus).

Shortly after I had my hysterectomy, I discovered ‘rhythmic cycling’ created by T.S. Wiley.  She is a very controversial person because she is not a doctor, but she is a brilliant woman who has invested all of her time, intellect and efforts in molecular biology to understand the entire hormonal system.  It is her theory that nature never poured hormones in a static dose.  We are rhythmic beings, we cycle to the moon and the tides just as early man did and we make hormones in different amounts every day of the month but it follows a ‘rhythm.’

In the beginning of the month we make our lowest amount of estrogen for the first three days, then in the next three days we make a little more until by the time we reach the 12th day, we are making our estrogen ‘peak.’  It is at this point the progesterone starts to pour; and if the estrogen reaches a ‘peak,’ the receptor sites open and receive the progesterone.  

But if you are on a static dose, there is no ‘peak;’ and if you are of an age when you are no longer making any estrogen, then the receptor sites never open so the estrogen and progesterone never meet.  Like a motor on ‘rev,’ the estrogen keeps building lining until the uterus cannot hold it any longer and it starts to leak and bleed,  eventually reaching a point when it can’t be stopped.  Had I known about rhythmic cycling, I would have started taking my hormones in a rhythm and most likely would not have had to have my uterus removed.

My sister had been experiencing the same scenario; and after I had my hysterectomy, I told her about rhythmic and she switched over.  The bleeding stopped, her periods became normal and she is quite a happy women.

2. The second reason for excessive bleeding is low thyroid. The thyroid gland has receptors for estrogen and progesterone and it depends on the cyclic ebb and flow of these hormones throughout your menstrual cycle to function optimally.  Irregular ovulation caused by low thyroid brings heavy periods and excessive bleeding throughout the month.

Check out my blog for an in-depth article about the thyroid and how to check if you feel you may be experiencing low thyroid.  Click on Life Extension on my website.  They offer a complete hormone panel blood test including thyroid. 

Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

Visit me at SuzanneSomers.com!

While I know many of you have specific medical questions, only qualified experts can advise on individual cases. Use my advice to arm yourself with knowledge to pass along to your doctors. The more informed you are, the better questions you will ask of your health care providers. This will help you determine if your doctor is right for you. If you are seeking professional help, please check the Dr. Resource Guide. If you are interested in bio-identical hormone replacement, click on the Life Extension Hormone Panel to get information on low cost blood work and a referral to a physician who can prescribe natural hormones for you.

For years women have been offered what has been known as ‘hormones’ but are really horse’s urine whereby the molecular structure has been altered to produce a synthetic harmful chemical that has now been proven to have killed many women. So it’s difficult to understand why I am on the receiving end of pharmaceutical attacks. I am simply speaking out on behalf of natural hormones that have never harmed anyone. Natural ‘bioidentical’ hormones allow women and men to feel great, sometimes better than they ever have in their lives and the health benefits are tremendous. So who is off track here?

When a menopausal woman is in hormonal decline, the “menopausal cocktail” she is offered by doctors are: pharmaceutical anti-depressants, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety pills, pain killers and more. Drugs! Expensive drugs …when replacement of real, natural hormones can take away the uncomfortable and unhealthy symptoms.

Think about this… the symptoms arose when the hormones went into decline. Doesn’t it make sense that by putting back “exact replicas,” biologically-identical natural hormones that have been lost through the aging process or through stress, the symptoms would go away? The answer is yes.

Why, then, are the attacks against me so violent and persistent when the hormones I take and write about have never been known to harm anyone even though they have been used by thousands of people? Could it be that if we all figure out how well we can feel by replacing what has been lost by aging we won’t need any of their expensive drugs? Is it all about big business bottom line? You decide.

Being unfairly portrayed as in the case of the most recent Newsweek article, it was not noted that I bombarded writer Pat Wingert (per her request) with dozens of studies showing the efficacy, safety and protective nature of these hormones; but she chose to ignore the data.

Of course, Newsweek should have put a writer on this article who did not have a conflict of interest. I should have been informed that Ms. Wingert and her boss had written a pharmaceutically biased book on hormones and menopause that was in direct conflict with my books and message. Newsweek should also inform their readers that they are heavily funded by pharmaceutical companies; it would then put the right slant on articles such as these.

My information all comes from the doctors I interview. I am, in essence, a filter for those cutting-edge western doctors who cannot be heard.

Ms. Wingert attacked compounding pharmacies and implied that compounded hormone drugs are “unregulated” and somehow unsafe. All compounding pharmacies must be licensed and are strictly regulated by State Pharmacy boards. The Newsweek article states that those prescribed compounded hormone drugs require frequent blood tests and office visits, which is correct. That is how the doctor can monitor the person’s needs. The prescribed synthetic FDA approved hormone drugs also require regular medical tests; so what’s the problem?

I believe the best way for a woman to replace hormones is by getting them at a compounding pharmacy because these bioidentical hormones can be customized perfectly to address the woman or man’s exact needs. FDA approved hormones CANNOT offer this relief. Also, in compounded pharmacies the doctor is able to prescribe Estriol as part of the estrogen component. Estriol is the important component in a woman’s body that, among other things, offers protection from cancer. There are many studies validating this, a fact that the Newsweek writer chose to ignore.

Why then did Wyeth Pharmaceuticals file a lawsuit with the FDA last year to insist that compounding pharmacies stop selling the bioidentical product Estriol? Why would they not want women to have that protection? Could it be because their pharmaceutical hormones do not contain Estriol, and that, in fact, it would then leave women on bioidenticals unprotected? You decide.

The brilliance of the pharmaceutical business template is that they fund just about every media outlet. How then can we laypeople ever get the real truth? Instead, we are convinced by ad after ad that we have “restless legs” and we need a little butterfly to sit on our shoulders to put us to sleep (Lunesta), that we have to have their cholesterol medicine which has serious negative side effects. It goes on and on.

Pharmaceuticals have their place. When you need them, they are a god -send. But the over-pharmaceutical-ization of Americans is our doom. The build-up of chemicals in our bodies is robbing the minds of our elders and sneaking up on the young unsuspecting ones. How tragic.

As a result of my natural hormone replacement, I do not need or require even one pharmaceutical drug. I am not the customer they want. I don’t make money for them. They are hoping that by constantly attacking me and sending their pharmaceutically paid doctors to discredit me, the readers of my books and those who watch me on TV will be frightened to follow my lead.

But I am simply a filter…. all my information is brought to me by western-trained doctors who have become disillusioned with the present standard of care and have no voice. The allopathic approach to health (and I use the word “health” advisedly because what we really practice as health care today is actually disease care) is not working. People are on more and more drugs and not getting better. The courageous doctors I have interviewed in my books, BREAKTHROUGH and AGELESS, are to be admired. They could make a lot more money pushing pharmaceuticals, but they care about true health by using “nature’s tools” as said by Dr. Jonathan Wright of Seattle.

Drugs should be reserved as the last resort in the practitioners back pocket. Drugs are excellent for pain, infection and mental illness and other conditions outside my scope. But at the moment drugs are over-prescribed and the build- up of chemicals is killing our brains. After a while this chemical build-up makes the patients whacky so that they can’t think, and that’s when we send them off to the nursing homes. If we don’t wake up, this is the terrible end that presently awaits all of us. And you can be sure, when the insurance dries up, the patient dies…after they have squeezed every last cent out of the family.

My position is very difficult and I am surprised to find myself in the middle of this controversy. I write books that help people. I never knew I was going to hit a nerve.

So I could go away, but I don’t think you “choose” a cause. I think it chooses you. I just wanted to feel good when I went into menopause and I didn’t want to take drugs. I was appalled at being offered antidepressants, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety drugs, joint and pain killers and on and on. When I found total and complete relief from natural non-drug hormones, when my quality of life returned by simply rubbing on this prescribed cream daily and I began to sleep 8 hours a night, my weight normalized, the depression went away, the sex drive returned, I thought wow, women and men need to know this. And that’s how it began. 

Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

Visit me at SuzanneSomers.com!

While I know many of you have specific medical questions, only qualified experts can advise on individual cases. Use my advice to arm yourself with knowledge to pass along to your doctors. The more informed you are, the better questions you will ask of your health care providers. This will help you determine if your doctor is right for you. If you are seeking professional help, please check the Dr. Resource Guide. If you are interested in bio-identical hormone replacement, click on the Life Extension Hormone Panel to get information on low cost blood work and a referral to a physician who can prescribe natural hormones for you.