It's interesting that the subject of high estrogen levels and progesterone cream would come up. For years, I suffered from very severe PMS. Not the kind you joke about, but the kind where I suffered 10 days out of each month with extreme irritability, depression, very sore breasts and anxiety. For years I complained to all of the various gynecologists I had and they would either say nothing or offer me Prozac.

Last March, I went to the Pfeiffer Treatment Center right outside Chicago. They specialize in nutritional biochemical imbalances, e.g. mercury, copper toxicity, etc. and treat people with things like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADD, etc. They are world renowned and people go there from 70 different countries. Anyway, they found me to have elevated copper (along with my very elevated mercury). They explained to me that a big indicator of this is PMS because PMS is caused by elevated estrogen and progesterone that is too low. They said that when your estrogen is very high, you retain copper. So then I came back to Boston and they told me to go and get my estrogen levels tested. I went to my gynecologist and TOLD HER what I wanted done. She called me back 5 days later and said "Oh, I got your results and your estrogen levels are off the charts". I said, let me guess, my progesterone is very low, right? She said yes. The next comment out of her mouth was "I can give you some prozac for the PMS. I was going to tell her off, but decided to save my breath since I am too fatigued due to mercury illness.

Then I went to a homeopathic doctor who immediately knew that PMS was caused by high estrogen and she had the natural progesterone cream right in her office to give me. I've been using it now for almost 3 months and no more PMS. What the heck is wrong with these doctors? How come not one gynecologist ever thought to run my hormone levels in all the years I was complaining of PMS? Do they even know that PMS is caused by estrogen that's too high? Not to mention, high estrogen can cause heart attack and stroke, among other things. The point is that there is something seriously wrong with medicine today. What business does a gynecologist have prescribing Prozac anyway? Prozac made me manic. Prozac can make people crazy. Prozac can make people homicidal and suicidal.

Another example: I went to my PC physician and complained of symptoms of extreme fatigue, irritability, depression and anxiety, along with weight gain. Granted, I know this is all due to the mercury. However, he immediately wanted to give me an antidepressant. So I said to him "Did you know that all the symptoms I've just told you are the exact symptoms as Cushing's Disease (a very serious adrenal disorder). He just looked at me. I told him I wanted to see an endocrinologist. I'm not saying I had Cushing's but anyone with those symptoms could have Cushing's, which you can die from, but instead you'll be given an antidepressant. IT ALL SICKENS ME!!

We'd be better off with the way that doctors practiced medicine 50 years ago than the way they practice it today.

Sandra

I've changed doctors 4 times in the hope of getting my amenorrhea looked into, but never got any luck. They'd send me for blood tests and once a scan, but when everything seemed "normal" even though my estrogen was over 400 (which I think is high, but I'm no expert) they said there's nothing wrong with me and how wonderful I should feel I don't get periods.

This was the response from a couple of doctors. I went away in tears, have cried a lot. How heartless? I was in my early to mid 20's, I wanted to have periods, I wanted to have the option of a baby, I wanted to feel like a woman. They just didn't care.

I have no faith in doctors anymore. They don't know anything, in my opinion.

This is a history of my visits to the doctor - as much as I can remember, a lot of those years are a blur

Age 14 - inexplicable pins and needs in my arm constantly for 2 weeks. Verdict - I'd pulled my arm in school sports somehow. My phys. ed teacher thought this was a very strange diagnosis. I was late (14) starting my periods. No one asked or questioned.

Age 16 - after several years of bad headaches and migraines I went to the doctor about it. Verdict, give myself a head massage and take paracetamol. My chemistry teacher who I talked to about it said it wasn't right and I should be concerned.

Age 17 - Rhinits. Can't remember the verdict except it was something like it's okay so long as it's clear fluid, not yellow.
Age 19 - Really suffering from female problems and thrush. I was given medication.

Age 21 - periods getting irregular and very painful. Told nothing wrong with me.

Age 22 - fatigue all the time, very thin, headache, just a feeling of weakness. After a couple of blood tests declared fit as a fiddle and should eat banana and regular snacks (which I did, no doubt causing more exposure to mercury the more regularly I ate).

Age 25 - muscle pains. Told to take drugs.

Age 26 - rhinitis again. Told I'm allergic to something and I should try figure it out.

In the meantime I'm going back about my fertility problems that were getting worse. Declared normal.

Age 28 - getting problems with dizziness, spinning, noise in ears. Told I have labyrinthitis and given more drugs. I said I was having bad reaction to fruit, they said not possible.

I never told the doctors about my anxiety and OCD because I knew they would put me on drugs. So I suffered and did the best I could. Then when I finally did tell them about my panic attacks, sure enough, they offered to give me drugs and a therapist.

It's terrible we can't trust our doctors. I would almost always go to the doctor wanting a diagnosis and advice and come away with drug prescription. I very rarely took what they prescribed, partly due to phobias, partly because I didn't trust it.

Hi Demi and Sandra,
It is amazing how we all have so similar stories.
I think doctors' diagnosis come out of fear from ignorance, or out of their own limitation in many cases. There is a lot of research out there, at least now with the interenent, but if it is not taught at university then it is nor reliable for them. Well, one thing university has taught me is to think by myself, to learn how to educate myself.

I also believe that in countries with social security systems it is very difficult to ask more from a doctor, since they have to see more than 10 patients in an hour. But in countries where they charge $150 a visit and they make so much money it is their responsability to research and move on with the new research being done.

Hang on there ladies, we are educating ourselves! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

self-research seems to be the only way these days. There was a news item on tv a couple of years ago where the government or medical community (can't remember) were concerned about the information people can find on the internet.

I bet, because they are afraid what we'll find out. It wouldn't surprise me if more countries go the China route and start policing websites.

I had a wisdom tooth extracted earlier this year and they were going to knock me out for it. I wanted to know all the risks. The nurse said she couldn't give the literature, but suggested I look up on the internet. It's so wrong how they don't tell people stuff.

My doctor said she was going to look into it, but I don't think she really is - just wants to tow the party line.

I've noticed that a lot of us here had these fillings put in from childhood. Maybe the mercury does more damage when the body is still growing.

I went to town today and looked around and there were so many people looking like zombies or with a walking stick. I think they have all been poisoned.

It is so sad that doctors are not taught and don't care to learn the truth these days. They are only taught to recognize symptoms and match them up with the appropriate drug. That is why we are given antidepressants when we go in with mercury toxicity-they don't have a drug for that!

A sad story: my friend who is only in her late 30's was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Her dr. did tell her that it was a "hormonal kind" (too much estrogen), but proceeded to tell her treatment options which were no options at all-chemo and radiation. No information about how to lower her estrogen exposure, balance her estrogen/progesterone, or to prevent the cancer from returning once they are through trying to bring her as close to death as possible without actually killing her. She had been given much information from friends and her sister of alternative treatments and how to avoid estrogens and such and talked as though she would go that route until seeing the oncologist whom I am sure scared her into thinking that if she didn't do what he said she would surely die. The sad truth is that they are just leaving her in a weaker state than before and she will "hormonally" be right back where she started.

Educating yourself is the only way.

I think self-education is necessary too. The dentist that I saw a couple of weeks ago almost demanded that I trust him just because he had initials after his name. But trust isn't automatic, it has to be earned. There was nothinhg he said to me, or in his manner, that made me trust him. He knew less than me on mercury poisoning, and I don't know much.

Talking of women problems, I saw my doctor today about my test results. She said my hormone levels are all normal. I said I'm not happy with all this because there has got to be a reason I don't get periods (only had 1 in the past 21 months) and I'm not getting any answers. The tests indicated that I am ovulating, but not getting a period. I'm religious so I can't used some forms of artificial contraception like the pill, so she said she could refer me to a gynaecologist if I want so I agreed to that. Because I'm not trying to get pregnant, she said they are unlikely to do much, but might give me peace of mind or advice on contraception.

I am feeling pretty depressed about it. I don't know if it's too much to hope for that the mercury might be causing it. I'm feeling rather down in general, to be honest.