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Debra's avatar

Dr John Lees book on menopause is amazing, well worth reading. Great information and such a lovely lady.

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Lori Hle's avatar

Thank you !

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Laura's avatar

Wow....so glad you arranged this information. Back in 2010 I was scheduled to have a hysterectomy due to fibroids at the age of 44 and be put on HRT. Consultant wanted a renal team to assist her because I have an ectopic floating kidney in my pelvis. In the back of my mind I didn't think my operation was necessary for fibroids. I requested a 2nd opinion appointment. While I waited I done some research. I read the book by Dr John Lee and started using Natpro...an organic natural progesterone cream. 2nd opinion ....3 months later had an ultrasound and zero fibroids. Cured myself and haven't seen a doctor since. Lost all trust in NHS. Consultant claimed it was necessary because my haemoglobin level was 7.2. I also refused a blood transfusion at the time I was diagnosed as being anaemic and opted for iron tablets. I'm going to watch this a few times.

I am shocked about lavender. So grateful for the information.

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Lori Hle's avatar

Excellent podcast Doc! Great guest! This info is gold! Looking forward to her next one💕

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nosey parker's avatar

Criminy. I've been looking for this information for two decades. And aware of environmental issues since the 1980's but finding real info has been impossible. Looking forward to the Soy Boy podcast. It's so important.

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nosey parker's avatar

Thanks. I'm also waiting for Sellens book to arrive. Our mail service is dreadful. Pro-Gest arrives today!

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sue's avatar

Lovely, CLEAR, life changing truth from a woman who so so knows - dynamite. Wendy's training, discipline and sheer commitment make her a perfect educator for the conned. Thanks yet again Ahmad.

Ps. I was twitching to send this podcast to my ('far more intelligent') older sister who had/has BC; considering dual mastectomy following the 1st. Then I remembered: I recently sent her 'Oestrogen: The killer in our midst' 3rd Ed., by Chris Woollams (a UK advocate). Her response was patronizing, quite vicious (now I know why: +++oestrogen).

Perhaps you might interview Mr Woollams M.A. (Oxon)???

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Dr. Wendy's avatar

That’s very kind of you to say. The battle against medical fallacies and misinformation is not an easy one. Especially without an assistant. Encouraging others to share my research is another task. I had to move my work here to avoid the censorship and shadow bans. People would report me for discussing bioidenticals and physiology! TikTok banned me for this., but new platform, new milestones.

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Jo Goddard's avatar

Look forward to the soy boys one! Thank you 🙏🏻

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Jo Goddard's avatar

Loved this podcast. Well done! Absolutely fascinating! Think all of the Thai lady boys! How much soy they eat in Asian countries.

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Sharon Purcell's avatar

If this was my first experience with you, it would be my last. I am definitely biased as I think HRT is the best thing since sliced bread but so much of what she said is different to other experts I’ve been listening to since I realised how important oestrogen is. It didn’t help that she was all over the place and went off on tangents on so many of your questions. Avrum Bluming - a breast cancer specialist- wrote a book advocating oestrogen as he says it IS found in every cell - bones, brain, cardiovascular system. Women rarely have cardiovascular issues until menopause but without HRT they soon catch up to men. Not all women on HRT will get breast cancer while those avoiding it aren’t guaranteed they won’t get it. A good friend avoided it due to the scare mongering and ended up getting cancer and had a double mastectomy and now regrets the years she suffered badly from the various symptoms. Professor Michael Baum - another breast cancer specialist who helped set up the UK mammogram screening service (but regrets it now due to the waste of resources with no decrease in mortality rates) says he can cure breast cancer but not menopause. Why do issues that creep in - like insomnia, itchy skin, genito-urinary issues, vertigo, tinnitus, anxiety amongst others disappear when oestrogen is re-introduced if oestrogen dominance causes the issues rather than a deficiency? As for stating that the WHI trial found that oestrogen use causes heart issues, strokes and cancer, according to Professor Robert Langer - one of the scientists involved- that’s not what was found: a press release was released with barely any notice that stated those were the findings but it didn’t reflect the reality which found untold health benefits. It smacks of nefarious interference and his chat with Dr Louise Newson is worth listening to. Oestrogen is demonised in a way that insulin, thyroxine and other hormone treatments are not and it makes no sense to me. If I understood more of what she always talking about with the thermography I’d comment but I’ll follow Professor Baum’s advice and steer clear of any imaging in favour of looking for changes. I will listen to the soy boy episode as there does seem to be a real problem there.

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Dr. Wendy's avatar

I report the evidence based upon 50 years of breast thermography research which proves excess “exogenous” estrogen exposure stimulates estrogen receptors and feeds estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Phytoestrogens are bioidentical. 80% of breast cancers are fed by excess “exogenous” estrogen exposure. If you were a breast cancer patient who is ER+ would you not want to understand what the root cause of it is?

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Debbie's avatar

I love the fact that the Doc brings on people I didn’t agree with and may also believe they are right but I know in my soul she is mistaken.

I agree with in Sharon. I was my late 20s when this happened to me, premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)- menopause. The pituitary gland is also involved in production of sex hormones and if damaged can cause hormone issues by a dreadful assault particularly in the process of childbirth. That is what I believe happened to me.

I was misdiagnosed for years & had a traditional diet without ultra processed food, had a milkman so drank from glass, and have never been someone to eat much that wasn’t around in my ancestors time so I couldn’t blame diet. I’d never had a weight problem & all of a sudden I couldn’t control it.

Once I was diagnosed I was told the reason I’d gained the weight and why it was all round my middle was because when the body needs oestrogen it can make a weak form which is dangerous but because POI can limit the years on this planet I should have died around 2023/24. It gave me osteoporosis & also a loss of words, such as ‘tree’ although I could describe it in great detail the word was lost to me; quite distressing.

I forgot to change my patch the other day & for a moment I didn’t know how to use the speed limiter on my car. I pulled over, had a good cry then found somewhere to get a new one applied. It doesn’t take me a year for it to leave my body, it takes hours. I burn through it fast.

I never took the ‘pill’ so hadn’t messed my hormones up as some might suggest. I went into hospital & came out infertile with a tiny baby who I couldn’t feed (no prolactin) & the lovely health visitor tried to suggest I was a bad mother instead of finding out what was wrong.

The midwife spotted the issue & I was prescribed something for feeding but it failed & yet it took my husband to leave me so I could move to a new doctor to get me a diagnosis of what was wrong, several years later. He was amazing & saved my life.

I have studied menopause and POI myself for almost 3 decades because doctors are appalling at this subject. I do have friends who have zero issues & yet they’re the smokers and drinkers who love a takeaway and are fine. I have others who are suffering through & are sometimes difficult to be around because they take it out on others, usually the poor girl in the cafe trying to sort their order out.

The WHI study has been debunked & having experienced the option being offered instead at that time - SSRIs which apparently were going to help my non existent hot flushes (never had one) I think I can conclude what the study was about. It also used Premarin which was from horses urine which was effective for women suffering plus a very toxic progestin. The women in the study were post menopausal (older) and many were shift workers. It was a study on heart disease and HRT so there was no control in place for the observation regarding breast cancer.

I was very sceptical at the time as to the new amazing SSRIs which were not patent free which replaced the patent free body identical HRT. They took me off it due to the time I’d been on it (since I make none naturally that was dangerous I feel) and I gained 3 stone as the body decided to make the other nasty oestrogen and osteoporosis as the icing on the cake.

One year back on HRT I lost weight but not all of it like I did the first time & I reversed the bone loss which was a relief. A hip fracture may have ended my life prematurely & I did fall over this year so I was thankful for my prescription.

The progestins are terrible & the WHI study data did prove that it was not oestrogen that was the problem and in fact women who had no womb and had oestrogen only HRT had a benefit in prevention but only slight I recall. Those on combined HRT did have a slight increase but again the combination being used were old fashioned HRT that is no longer prescribed in the main.

A great podcast even though I won’t be following this lovely lady’s advice. Thanks to the Doc for bringing different opinions to us - this is healthy for us to consider all options.

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Sharon Purcell's avatar

Thanks for your input and support Debbie. It’s such a contentious issue and well meaning people can cause a lot of harm. It really is a minefield and ultimately women have to make their own minds up. I’m sorry to hear if your issues- my experience was much less traumatic but I became one of those snappy horrible women in my early 50s and nearly lost my relationship because I was such a b!tch.

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Crosscat's avatar

Disclaimer: I used to be a GP but gave up twenty years ago when I had my 3 kids. I had always planned to take body-identical HRT at menopause based on the work of Dr Dale Bredesen who is the only doctor to publish his research or reversing early dementia - I have a strong family history. I started Oestrogel (topical oestradiol gel) and Utrogestan (oral micronised progesterone which can also be delivered vaginally) aged 49 for symptom relief, but when I realised what it could do I wish I’d started it at 47. Now at 55 I’m a private patient of Dr Louise Newson’s clinic in order to get testosterone gel which I can’t get on the NHS thanks to the postcode lottery. I have watched a lot of Dr Newson’s videos.

As I understand it pretty much every cell in our body has receptors for oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone, so these hormones are required by our bodies for a multitude of functions. ( Maybe the research she quotes of someone looking for them and not finding them was from decades ago?). I also believe we do manufacture these hormones ourselves, from our adrenals and possibly other places in small amounts, before puberty, indeed I remember reading that little boys got a surge of testosterone around age 4 which coincided with my son suddenly changing into a creature that thought it was funny to run into walls! Fat certainly does aromatise testosterone to oestrogen.

Oestrogen (singular) isn’t a thing! Oestrogens (plural) are. I believe our bodies make mainly oestradiol, which is what my body identical HRT is exactly in chemical formula ( even if it is derived from yams), but we also make oestriol and estrone, I think. I know one of these two, if not metabolised away correctly, then it can contribute towards cancer growth. Cruciferous vegetables are supposed to help metabolise it down the non toxic pathway - can’t remember the details but search for a video by Dr Ann Hathaway where she explains this in detail.

It would therefore not be surprising that breast cancers are often found to be oestrogen receptor positive (as so many cells are ) and these cancers are usually considered the friendlier types, being closer in makeup to our normal cells and less aberrant as ones without ERs would be.

Synthetic oestrogens are associated with lots of adverse effects, so I agree old style HRT and oral contraceptives are a cause for concern. I also agree that food/supplement type oestrogens are a problem.

I do not think there is anything wrong with taking body identical oestradiol.

There is much concern that progesterone is not absorbed at all well when given topically and so I do not think that is a viable form for uterine protection.

HRT, even the old style types, has proven to be preventative, and also useful as a treatment for, osteoporosis. Cardiovascular health is better in women who take HRT at the time of menopause ( it was not useful when started 10 years after the event). Dementia is less common in women given HRT from the time of menopause. Oestradiol also helps maintain insulin sensitivity- see Prof Ben Bikman.

I listen to a wide range of podcasts and sources of information on a variety of topics, and suggest that maybe this guest does not. The WHI study was another ‘covid’ style event whereby they said you couldn’t have the thing that worked. For more information read the book Oestrogen Matters by Avrum Bluming and Carol Tavris - or instead listen to the podcast Peter Attia did with them several years ago. I’m not in agreement with Peter Attia on a lot of things, but I listen to know what’s being said and cross reference my opinions based on other sources as well.

It is rather irksome to have someone who ‘sailed through menopause and didn’t even notice it’ lecture me on the topic , when I have researched it thoroughly before deciding to take body identical HRT. There needs to be clarification around the use of the words plant oestrogens, xenooestrogens, synthetic oestrogens. I believe chemically identical oestradiol is perfectly safe, and actually beneficial to women. Those with a uterus and not having a synthetic progesterone coil (mirena) will need oral or vaginal micronised progesterone, but I think it has benefits to bone and brain as well. Testosterone gel should be available to all women.

We know it’s a covid style topic from the fact there was a recent attack in the mainstream press on Dr Louise Newson - she often says that if women were prescribed cheap body identical HRT then they wouldn't need the expensive and addictive SSRIs, statins, bisphosphonates etc. Do you get it?

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Sharon Purcell's avatar

Well said. HRT has definitely been demonised- probably by big pharma (for the reason you mentioned) as the press release that did so much damage wasn’t approved by the scientists- because they don’t want happy, healthy women. I wasn’t prescribed it until I was 56 and immediately felt 10 years younger and like you wish I’d started it earlier - 49 in my case when I stopped sleeping through the night. I’ve never had a hot flush but had so many other symptoms that in my ignorance I didn’t realise were menopause related. I’m halfway through a 32 week wait for my appointment with the (Welsh) health board menopause specialist as I’d like to add testosterone to my regime for its many benefits. This podcast by Dr Newson is worth sharing far and wide - it appears it’s worse for overall health NOT to use it:

https://www.balance-menopause.com/menopause-library/challenging-nices-draft-menopause-guidance/

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Kevin Trye's avatar

Although she is somewhat overpowering and bossy, I had to stay to the end. Every so often she would say something, and I'd think, OMG, that exactly explains a particular issue that my wife, daughter-in-law, or 18-year-old granddaughter has!

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Tereza Coraggio's avatar

Absolutely loved this! Before I talk about Wendy, your mushroom journey was profound and broke my heart. I wanted to cry for that little boy on the floor. I've said this before about Russell Brand that I can only be grateful for what you had to go through, if it was the only way you could become who you are today--the loving father, the unflinching questioner, the intrepid learner.

Wendy is so strong and so smart. As a mother of three daughters, two of whom are in San Diego, I'm taking notes. I particularly loved her lack of judgment for why women make certain choices, and her willingness to meet them where they are. I'm too lazy to take supplements on the daily (okay, lazy means too busy dancing, cooking, writing, hanging up laundry in the sun). But now I'm ready to toss them in the trash.

I've told you, Ahmad, about Tonika of Visceral Adventures, my fellow Apocaloptimist. She tested free of breast cancer one year to the day of her diagnosis, doing fasting, Gerson's, and a lumpectomy at the end. Her thinking was the same as Wendy, that it got her back to the starting point. And she is one of the most vibrant, alive and joyful people I know. I will definitely be pointing her to this.

My ex used to joke that I didn't have hormones and was more even-keel than anyone he knew. The last time I cried was when raccoons tore open the chicken netting just before the new pullets were ready to give to a neighbor. I can't imagine any of my daughters yelling--it's not in their nature, not in their nurture. The drama and mood swings of their friends is foreign to them, and I think there's an expectation set that gives women permission to be mean and throw tantrums.

Okay, cooking buddy, this is what I made while listening to this podcast: ribeye steak with broccolini, leeks and mashed potatoes, with charmoula made from pounding toasted cumin, garlic, paprika, pistachios, cilantro, and parsley then mixing liberally with olive oil. Yum!

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Maria's avatar

It is an eye opening. Thank you, thank you very much for this podcast. I need to start speaking with my sisters and friends. I will also get rid of the primrose oil supplements immediately. Thank you 🙏

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Helen Harper's avatar

Sorry I'm a bit late to this chat but only just became a subscriber. I'm 41 been to see GP as suffering with symptoms of peri menopause such as dry eyes, dry mouth, my main problem was dryness and itching in intimate area. Blood test showed low estrogen but not confirmation of menopause as other readings normal. Obviously I've listened to the podcast but without using the estrogen cream pessary how else can I deal with the dryness and itching. Sorry it's a blunt question lol

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Sue's avatar

When is part two????

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Eliza's avatar

Really appreciate you bringing an opposing opinion on this important topic. I won’t lie, I’m now a little confused as to what I’ll do when I get to that stage of life, having previously listened to a lot of Dr Louise Newson. But welcome all schools of thought!

Will the second episode be coming soon? On Soy Boys?

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Roy Wenham's avatar

I have only just started listening to this, but I am always instantly sceptical when the guest starts off by telling the audience that they are "unpopular" and then claims to be able to read the minds of people who apparently don't like her along with lots of other subjective speculation about the thoughts of other people. Why just not focus on explaining what she has learned and explaining why it is objectevely true? Who knows maybe people don't warm to this lady because she starts her podcasts and talks by verbally attacking lots of people who hold a different opinion.

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