Friday 30 May 2014

How to turn off the hormonal system and prevent hormonal depression.

There are many things a women can do to help herself once you have established that your depression and anxiety is hormonal in origin. Some people use anti-depressants and some people prefer to use a more natural or holistic approach. However my depression was so chronic, long term and debilitating, I was suicidal which is why I decided to turn off my whole hormonal system in the hope that it would give me a cure that I so desperately needed.

Once I had decided to have a hysterectomy, my consultant wanted me to try an implant by the name of Zoladex which is inserted under the skin of the navel. I was far more worried by this than having a hysterectomy as I knew that it was a synthetic hormone which is used in Zoladex preparation, and in the past had suffered terribly from any synthetic intervention. However, my worries were simply unfounded and immediately I felt a great and welcome respite from the hormonal spikes and lows which had left me with the hormone sensitivity and subsequent mental illness.

Here's what happened. Once the nurse had inserted the implant I was able to carry out my day quite normally although as I lay on the bed, my legs were visibly shaking as I was so worried about it  making me worse. Within a couple of hours I was walking around the local supermarket which was something which would always leave me feeling extremely anxious and stressed. I know that sounds ridiculous, but my depression was so entrenched that a simple trip out would always require meticulous planning and would often leave me tearful, irritable and completely overwhelmed. However this particular day, I was able to cope so much easier and I was noticeably serene without the usual 'mental chatter' that had surrounded me for so long.

At first, I wondered if I was experiencing a placebo effect or even if it was psycho-symptomatic but by the time I was home I knew that indeed something miraculous was happening. I felt, quite literally all the depression, anxiety, anger and sheer frustration leave my mind in an almost physical way, and it felt as though my whole body gave a huge sigh of relief. This I can tell you was something that had been some 25 years in the waiting, so you can only imagine how that left me feeling. I knew then that my initial worries about having the injection were simply unfounded and indeed, I wished I had done it sooner.

For anyone thinking of having their hormonal system switched off in this same way, I know how hard that decision is and I also know that some have an adverse reaction. However, I still believe that its worth a shot and anything that can help in the battle with this all consuming illness is surely worth it. It will also help you decide whether you should have a hysterectomy and is the perfect experiment enabling one to see just how you will feel once you've decided to have surgery. I hope this blog is helpful, please leave a comment.
Have a great weekend

Suzi x

Saturday 10 May 2014

Natural Hormones can help with depression and anxiety.

Natural Hormones can help enormously when one is suffering with depression and anxiety, particularly if the depression is hormonal in origin and is cyclical. Once a women has ovulated, there are immense changes in her hormonal profile and for reasons not yet understood, in some women these changes can have a critical effect which then makes the sufferer feel anxious, depressed and extremely irritable. The symptoms are so similar to Bipolar, there is often a misdiagnoses and the hormonal element to this illness overlooked, which in my opinion is a great shame.

The two hormones which are known to profoundly effect our state of mind are progesterone and oestrogen, although there are others which also come into play. As some women are sensitive to their own hormones it is the spiking, or even the dips which causes the women to have the sudden mood changes which we are all familiar with. We can now give and use natural or Bio-identical Hormones which are made from soya and yam and they fit our bodies exactly the same as our own original hormones. if we give them in a controlled dose, we are then avoiding the so called spiking which causes us to experience a great hormonal wobble.

In my case I use natural progesterone and natural oestrogen (in the form of a patch) and this has had a massive effect on my whole life, indeed transforming it to such an extent that I am now symptom free. You can use this powerful and natural therapy whether you have a womb or not, and they are known to have a protective effect on our bones, heart and our libido as well as a stabilizing effect on our mind.
To find out more anyone suffering with PMDD, PND or PMS should ask for a referral to a gynaecologist. For further reading my first choice would be 'It must be my Hormones ' by Doctor Marion Gluck who explains the difference between them and the more synthetic HRT which so many women are reluctant to take. Synthetic hormones are those that are in the Contraceptive pill, depro-vera contraceptive injection, the contraceptive implant  and too many others to mention and in my opinion should be avoided like the plague if you have depression or any mood disorder. Next week I will be explain how you can turn off your entire hormonal system if you are severely affected by this awful condition.
 Have  lovely weekend, Suzi