Stopping progesterone!

So yesterday I had an ultrasound and apparently I have two ovarian cysts. My hormonal issues have been ongoing, although my skin is clear these days... but obviously I'm still struggling with other stuff despite the substantial progress I've made.

My doctor is taking me off of the progesterone because we suspect my body may be converting some of it to estrogen or something, which I DO NOT need. Will know more when I get my bloodwork back in 2 weeks.

So, I'm sticking with my diet but I'm going SUPER STRICT -- no sugary fruits, no starches, etc. I also started supplementing with iodine yesterday, which is supposed to be really helpful for thyroid and cyst stuff... which is what I'm dealing with now.

So we'll see what happens. I hope I stay clear. I'm only just starting to learn about iodine but it seems pretty amazing so far. I wonder if this cyst on my left ovary (which my doctor said he suspects may have been there for a long time -- dunno all the details yet though) may have been somehow contributing to my acne. It's weird because it's a left-sided solid cyst and I always had my worst breakouts on my left cheek. Wondering if there's a connection.

Anyway I'll let you guys know how it goes with the iodine. I'm kind of emotionally exhausted and tired of being my own guinea pig... BUT, I've come a LOOOOONNNG way, so I'm not giving up yet.

TOXIC ORTHODONTURE?

I just had a "eureka" moment, pondering HOW my body could have become so toxic that I would end up with all these hormonal problems... and suddenly I realized that I endured over five years of retainers, braces, etc. as a child -- ALL made from various types of metals, plastics, resins, epoxies, cements, etc. I remember breathing and swallowing so much weird dust and cement from all the gluing and drilling.

Did anyone else have this experience as a kid? I would bet money that the materials used are endocrine disrupting TOXINS. I googled a bit and didn't come up with too much, but it does seem a few other people are thinking along similar lines:

"The retainer - now am searching for a plastic one that is not endocrine distrupting or estrogenic. Do you know anything about acrylic and copolyester and whether they leach? Have contacted Eastman Chemical and other labs to try and find out - have not had a definite answer. I just wish I had thought of the braces two years ago, or stuck to my original gut feeling and waited!!!! Think of the thousands of hours they suck on those nickel ions!!!!"

"Regarding braces and retainer, I would simply like to stop putting foreign materials in the mouth. They aren't meant by nature to be there, and orthodonture these days is almost like plastic surgery, moving bones, muscles, ligaments, and how could it avoid affecting the glands?"

"Retainers (both the traditional wire type and the clear mouthguard type) are made with polycarbonate plastic. And having those in your mouth 8-24 hours a day has got to leach more BPA than you'd get from a watter bottle, yes? "


THOUGHTS????

Google "retainers, Bisphenol-A" and you'll see what I'm talking about!

Dry skin/peeling post-acne?

So there's one spot on my left cheek where I broke out really badly for about a year, three years ago. This is the only area on my face where I have actual scarring. Even though I'm not breaking out there anymore, it seems like the skin in this one spot just will not stop flaking/peeling. It's been doing it for about a year or two. The Clarisonic helps, as does the aspirin mask, but I can't seem to get this spot to stop this hyper-exfoliation!!

What should I do? Is there any holistic/natural way to treat this topically? Do I just have to let it play out? This is also where most of my post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is.

Thanks!!

Paleo Diet is working wonders for me

Hey guys,

I've posted a lot about my success with bioidentical hormones, specifically natural progesterone therapy. Through hormone rebalancing I was able to clear up 90% of my acne. What remained was some persistent non-inflamed small acne on my forehead (little "bumpies), and a few cysts each month.

I've been sticking to a "gluten light" diet for the past year and I feel like it has been good for my overall health. Twice, however, I've strayed and eaten a bunch of bread (once last spring, and then again over Thanksgiving), and both times I ended up with this weird itchy rash all over my torso a few days later. I decided that I needed to be more strict with my diet since it seems I have a serious gluten/grain intolerance. I also noticed, while the rash was healing, that it temporarily worsened again when I ate some gluten-free bread. This got me wondering if gluten wasn't the only problem. I became more suspicious of yeast, all grains/starches, and dairy, so I decided to cut all of those things out and embark on a paleo type diet.

That was about two weeks ago and although I know it's still early, I am shocked at how good my skin looks. My remaining persistent small acne is GONE. My face is completely clear right now. I haven't had a single new pimple since I quit eating dairy, grains, potatoes, sugar, etc.

My diet right now consists of lots of meat (both lean and fatty), tons of raw fruits and vegetables, fresh seafood, and some nuts and seeds. I cook with organic butter. I'm also taking a high-potency food-based multivitamin, and a probiotic.

MY BLOOD SUGAR IS TOTALLY EVEN. No more spikes and crashes. I can go hours and hours without eating and although I get hungry, I don't get shakey and weak and irritable. Oh yeah, and my persistent unexplained nausea (which improved when I started taking progesterone but never went away altogether) now seems to be GONE.

I feel like my body is having a very positive, immediate, and dramatic response to this new diet. Even my redness is improving -- something that has been really stubborn for me.

I will also say that this diet is delicious and that my boyfriend and I are having a blast cooking steaks, shrimp, lamb, etc, and lots of interesting salads and fruits. We're eating really decadent things like steak and eggs cooked in butter with GIANT salads and avocados and it feels AMAZING!

I never had this kind of dramatic success result from dietary changes EVER before, and this is the first time I've ever totally cut out all grains, starches, and dairy.

Just wanted to share my experience. The bioidentical hormones have been a lifesaver for me but I feel like this diet is pushing me over the edge into the "optimal health" zone for the first time in my life.

I would love to hear from those of you who are on similar diets!!

Inspiring Documentary

I watched this the other day thought it was excellent:

http://foodmatters.tv/