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Just Say "No" to Birth Control
Pills
By Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D.
Some 30 years ago, birth control pills were the be-all
and end-all of the sexual revolution. Freed from the
worries of pregnancy, women explored their sexuality,
perhaps for the first time in history. Only a few years
passed before the "magic" pill began to lose
its luster. Discoveries that high-estrogen birth control
pills contributed to breast cancer, embolisms and stroke
made women begin to think twice.
Today, newer lower dosage birth control pills maintain
high popularity, despite their continued serious health
risks for women.
Let me give you my opinion in a straightforward manner:
I don't advocate the use of birth control pills. Yes,
they are effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies,
but the risks far outweigh those benefits.
If you are currently using birth control pills of any
kind, I cannot urge you strongly enough to stop taking
them as soon as possible.
Presently, 16 million American women are using birth
control pills, fueling a $2.8 billion industry. Many
of us became familiar with the Pill in adolescence either
because of a desire for sexual intimacy or due to painful
or irregular periods. Both reasons are fundamentally
flawed. There are numerous safe and effective ways to
prevent pregnancy.
Cramping, painful and irregular periods are often due
to a deficiency of progesterone and an excess of estrogen.
So estrogen-alone birth control pills -- as are the
most commonly prescribed pills on the market now --
often compound the problem.
That's why some women have intolerable estrogen-induced
side effects when they are on birth control pills like:
Weight gain
Mood swings
Breast tenderness
What's Wrong With the Pill?
In simple terms, what's wrong with the pill (by the
way birth control shots and patches are essentially
the same thing) is it promotes continuous high levels
of estrogen in a woman's body.
Science tells us this is dangerous.
A woman's natural cycle is composed of rising and falling
levels of estrogen and progesterone. Birth control pills
work by keeping estrogen at a sufficiently high level
that they fool the body into thinking it is pregnant,
therefore another pregnancy cannot occur.
They work by one or a combination of methods:
Some pills prevent ovulation.
Others prevent implantation of a fertilized egg in the
endometrium or lining of the uterus.
Still others thicken the mucus around the cervix, making
it difficult for sperm to penetrate.
There is even a new brand of birth control pill on the
market that boasts woman can safely have a period only
four times a year or they can avoid having periods altogether
for years at a time without a break from the estrogen
blast.
We certainly don't know everything about estrogen or
estrogen dominance, as it is called when estrogen levels
remain high without being balanced by progesterone,
but among the effects we do know are:
Increased risk of breast cancer
Increased risk of blood clotting,
heart attack and stroke
Migraines
Gall bladder disease
Increased blood pressure
Weight gain
Mood changes
Nausea Irregular bleeding or spotting
Benign liver tumors
Breast tenderness
In addition, the use of antibiotics has been shown
to decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills.
What is not usually mentioned, or even known, is the
metabolism of birth control pills by the liver requires
extra amounts of the B-complex vitamins, vitamin C,
magnesium and zinc. That means if you're taking birth
control pills for years at a time, as are most American
women, you're creating nutrient deficiencies. Weight
gain, fluid retention, mood changes, depression and
even heart disease can all arise from nutrient imbalance.
For example, we now know high levels of an amino acid
called homocysteine cause heart disease. And high homocysteine
occurs when there is a deficiency of B vitamins and
magnesium.
In addition to all this misery, the continuous use
of birth control pills like the new no-period pill has
not been sufficiently studied. Women who use these methods
-- that may be you -- are the "test subjects,"
if you will, for an ongoing experiment. We have no idea
what the long-term effects of daily hormones will do
to fertility or other aspects of our health.
The Pill and Yeast Overgrowth
The insidious yeast, candida albicans, generally makes
its home in the human digestive tract. But, in a modern
society where common lifestyle choices for women include
birth control pills, antibiotics, a highly refined bread
and sugar diet, coupled with high stress levels, candida
overgrowth can have wide-ranging effects.
When the right set of risk factors occur, toxins from
yeast overgrowth and their byproducts can adversely
affect the entire body, causing problems far beyond
the common vaginal infection.
Symptoms ranging from migraines to infertility, endometriosis,
psoriasis, PMS, depression, fibromyalgia, digestive
disorders and many other seemingly unrelated health
problems have been attributed to yeast overgrowth. And
evidence-based results show that treating the yeast
overgrowth often alleviates these symptoms.
These symptoms can be so widespread that it is difficult
for patients and most doctors to comprehend that this
is a complex of indicators that could be related to
one underlying cause.
The use of birth control pills is a major risk factor
for developing yeast overgrowth because it promotes
estrogen dominance. Because birth control pills give
a woman's hormonal system a continual stream of estrogen,
an imbalance is created, Science has shown us that there
is a close link between estrogen dominance and yeast
overgrowth. Visiting The Yeast Connection Web site can
help you learn about yeast and decide if you might have
an overgrowth and give you tools to treat this condition.
What are the Alternatives?
I'm very aware that women (and their partners) want
to avoid unplanned pregnancies. I concede that birth
control pills have provided an easy -- but not safe
-- way to accomplish this goal. There are numerous safe
and effective ways to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Here are a few options to consider:
Male condoms: Most of us are familiar with male condoms,
which, at a 98 percent effectiveness rate when used
correctly, are nearly as effective as birth control
pills. However, be sure to purchase lubricated condoms
or use water-based lubricants like K-Y jelly or spermicidal
creams to increase your protection. Many couples are
unaware that lubricants like petroleum jelly actually
cause the latex in the condoms to break down and increase
the risk of pregnancy. An added bonus of condoms: They
help protect against sexually transmitted diseases.
Female condoms: Most of us are unfamiliar with female
condoms, but these thin, soft polyurethane pouches fitted
inside the vagina before sex are 95 percent effective.
Again, the rate of effectiveness is increased if a spermicidal
jelly is used. The female condom has an inner ring that
goes into the upper part of the vagina and an outer
one, which should be visible outside the vagina. Female
condoms are less likely to tear than male condoms.
Diaphragm: Diaphragms, which must be fitted by a doctor,
are thin soft rubber mounted on a ring. When inserted
into the upper part of the vagina to cover the cervix,
they act as a barrier to sperm. If used correctly with
spermicidal jellies, they are 92 to 98 percent effective
in preventing pregnancy.
Cervical cap: This effective (91 percent), but underutilized,
form of birth control has been available in the U.S.
for decades. The heavy rubber cap fits tightly against
the cervix and can be left in place for 48 hours. Like
the diaphragm, a doctor must fit the cap. Proper fitting
enhances the effectiveness above 91 percent.
Spermicides: Creams, jellies and suppositories contain
chemicals that kill sperm. While they can increase the
effectiveness of other forms of contraception, I don't
recommend using them alone.
Finally, I highly recommend the Creighton Model Fertility
Care System (CrM). It uses the science-based modality
of NaPro Technology (NaPro), a women's health science
that evolved from interpreting the biomarkers of the
menstrual and fertility cycle, mainly, all the stages
of cervical mucus and the length and intensity of the
menstrual flow. (I'll write about this method in the
future.)
Working with a trained doctor, a woman has many options
with this technology:
Identify times of fertility to either get pregnant
or avoid pregnancy
Identify chronic discharges
Evaluate hormones and apply appropriate
hormonal treatment (with bio-identical hormones)
Identify functional ovarian cysts and treat them non-surgically
by using the appropriate bio-Identical hormone
Evaluate the effects of stress
Treat premenstrual syndrome
Evaluate, treat and/or prevent reproductive abnormalities
such as infertility, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy,
stillbirth, prematurity
Identify and treat perimenopause
Evaluate and treat heavy uterine bleeding
Help avoid hysterectomy by applying the appropriate
hormonal treatment
You can learn more about NaPro Technology at their
Web site.
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., is health advisor to Woman's
Health Connection at The Yeast Connection and is featured
on the Web site's "Ask A Pro" page. Her latest
books are The Miracle of Magnesium and Natural Prescriptions
for Common Ailments.
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