THERE IS SOMETHING EVEN BETTER....
SOMETHING WHICH IS ACCESSIBLE TO EACH OF US NOW!

Nature alwaysprovides!

What? Okay. Let me try this again. Only God can make a tree.

Consider this for a moment please. Our medicine comes from the earth. Our bodies were designed and programmed to heal themselves, when not overly burdened with contaminants, and when given the proper tools.

What the body needs to be well is to be as free as it can possibly be of toxins and exposure to things that are detrimental to it, and to have proper nourishment, adequate sleep, fresh clean and pure water, clean air, and a number of other things that are basically free, like sunshine and laughter and love.

So even if the worst happens, which it very well might, and this proposal goes through and yet another natural door is closed to us once more...I refuse to be afraid. I think this issue is important because of choice, not because of the bioidenticalness of what is being refused.

I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Northrup, and there is incredible merit to what she is saying. But my opinion is different from hers when she says bioidentical replacement therapy is the best option there is.

In my opinion the very best option for balancing hormones is something that nature provides in a pure and natural form. There are a lot of herbs which work toward balancing hormones within the body, and also to promote the production of them by nourishing the organs involved. I believe in using herbs to support the body in producing its own hormones, unless of course that is impossible now, due to removal of organs. Then bioidentical, in my opinion, is the ABSOLUTE best!

Hmmmm...I guess they do have us there. This seems to happen so much.

Anytime a part is removed, there is something that the body can no longer do. I would MUCH prefer, if I had to find a way to work around the removal of organs and provide for the body what it can no longer provide for itself, to have something as close as I could possibly get...I would DEFINATELY want what I gave it to be bioidentical to what it would be producing itself!

BUT, for those of us who still do have our parts still intact...(They tried to take mine recently, quite insistently, too. I'm nearly healed from doing it my own way right now...with herbs and prayer. Had I done things their way, I'd be recovering from surgery at this very moment, and I don't even want to think about that. I don't do surgery so well, and so I've decided....I don't do it at all. Again, this is just for me...CHOICE is what it's all about!)

You may be thinking, "Well, sure she can do it, she's a doctor of naturopathy. I don't know about any of that." Well....

HEALING IS MEANT FOR US ALL AND GOD WOULD NEVER, NEVER, NEVER MAKE IT AS COMPLICATED AS THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE US BELIEVE!?!?!?!

Are you starting to understand what I mean?

It is my belief, through faith and through evidence...whether personal, anecdotal, history, discovered through research or something I learned in a book...that the solution to any problem, INCLUDING ILLNESS, is always available and close at hand. We just don't always know what it is.

I also believe that there are many cures to any given condition in life, depending upon where and how the problem occurs and with whom. The solution to every problem is dependent on the exact nature of the problem, with various aspects concerned. The solution can't be exactly the same for everyone, but nature always provides. The particular situation is only relevant to what the cure is, not whether or not one exists. MULTIPLE cures exist for every problem in life. That's how good God is to us.

Herbs work to balance and nourish the body. The particular herb I favor the most over all other herbs for hormonal balance is Vitex angus-castus (Verbenaceao), or Chaste tree berries, as it is commonly called.

Chaste tree berries have a distinct hormonal effect upon the body, augmenting progesterone production. Progesterone production within the body itself is the ideal situation. That's what I'm explaining here. Bioidentical is only identical, but producing the real thing is real.

There are other herbs which are also progesterogenic in nature, including dong quai, wild yam, alfalfa, black cohosh, sarsparilla, and blessed thistle. But as I said, for this purpose, agnus castus, in my opinion, is the superior choice.

Using herbs in this way will support the body in its natural attempt to do what it was meant to do. Unlike drugs, the herbs don't do it...they help the body to do it itself.

Chaste tree berry affects the pituitary glad and the hypothalamus, and the effects may take some time to take hold. Herbs do not usually produce an immediate action like drugs, but rather a gradual process of nourishing the body is what is taking place.

I like to illustrate this with the example of Popeye. Life isn't really quite like it is in cartoons, at least most of the time it is not!

My example is this: We all know spinach is good for us, right? But we cannot expect to just pour the contents of a can of spinach down us and expect muscles to pop out of our arms! Brutus looks like maybe he's been eating spinach for a very long time...That's a little more close to the truth. (I might have to wonder what's in Popeye's spinach, to make him get strong so fast!)

That's a funny example, but that will show you how it takes time. Herbs are food. Chaste tree berry is used to NOURISH the glands...It is not a hormone itself. It is an excellent herb for this purpose, and it can help regulate the menstrual cycle and alleviate problems associated with premenstrual syndrome. It can also effectively eliminate many of the symptoms of menopause, such as vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and mood swings. It's use has also been known to help women conceive in cases where infertility is due to low progesterone levels.

The preferred method of using this herb is in tincture. A tincture is a liquid herb remedy which results from extracting the plant's active constituents, making a relatively stronger concentration of herbs to that of infusions and even decoctions, plus they can be preserved for up 3-5 years when prepared in a glycerine base.

Pure Vegetable Glycerine is the extracting agent that I prefer to use. 100 Proof Vodka is another option, as is Apple Cider Vinegar. Alcohol is the universal extracting agent, but I still prefer glycerine, due to the fact that it is non-alcoholic, it tastes better, and it has fabulous healing powers in and of itself. (If using an alcohol based tincture, the alcohol content may be burned off by warming pryer to use and allowing it to evaporate.)

In using glycerine, the proportions are 1 part pure vegetable glycerine to 2 parts distilled water. Distilled water is the water of choice because it acts as an extractant, too.

The mixture of glycerine and water is what's known as the "menstruum," in naturopath talk!

Take one part of dry herb, or 2 parts of fresh herb, and mix it with 4 parts of menstruum. When putting herbs into a menstruum, make sure they are cut in very small parts prior to this, exposing more of the plants surface so that the constituents can more easily dissolve. Then place the mixture in a glass jar and put it on the windowsill where the sun's energy can do it's work. Different herbalists have different practices, but this is the way I do mine. It is the way I was taught, and it makes the most sense to me.

Then every day, for two weeks, shake the jar vigorously at least one or two times a day. At the end of two weeks, pour it into a blender and mix it some more to make it more potent. Strain it and bottle it then, and place it in a cool dark place. Refrigeration is not necessary, but it is best to keep it in there where it's nice and cool and dark. (Or at least I think it is dark. I don't really know, after I've closed the door!)

A dosage of one teaspoon of this formula two or three times should be enough to suffice. Your body will let you know how much is the right amount for you. Herbs do not tend to have side effects, but your body may feel different when taking them, and sometimes it might react in a most unpleasant way, depending on the herb and the dose. These effects are not side effects, though. They are do to different bodily responses which are signaling something to you. Remember, herbs are not drugs, they are food.

In the case of chaste tree berry, for instance, your body will let you know when you need to back off and lessen your dosage a bit by creating a sense of what's known as "formication," which is having the sensation as of insects running over or into the skin. This is not harmful, nor is the plant. It's just nature's way of sending an unmistakable signal to you.

Think of it as your assurance that you are taking the correct dose. Formication is not that common. and you shouldn't have any problems with these dosage recommendations. If you do, simply cut your dosage until this is not a problem for you.

Menopause is not meant to be hell, nor should be the remedy. The body just needs some support to get through this very normal time in the life of every woman. It is not a disease, it won't make you crazy, and it does not require drugs.

No disrespect intended to Dr. Northrup, nor to Dr. Erika Schwartz, who first alerted Dr. Northrup to this. In fact, I admire them both for the remarkable work they have done in making so many people aware of the benefits of natural health! I just prefer to get even closer to the source of where natural begins, and make my own remedies, simply, the way nature intended. It simply is not that hard!

Everyone does not hold the same opinions and values as everyone else, and so that's why it's so important to stand up for our right to free choice regarding our health care. We can make our own decisions, and our options should not be limited in such ways as banning products that are not drugs. I urge you to take action, please, and help protect everyone's choice! This is not just a women's issue, because when freedom starts eroding away, it erodes for us ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you and bless you in your quest for improved health and enhanced living through the principals of natural health! As long as there's breath in my body, I give thanks that God gave me so many choices in LIFE.

Make a Difference Today!"

Sincerly Yours in Good Health,

Vibraceous, ND

Mary Jo Eshelman, ND, CTN, CNHP