Rosacea and Hormone Balance

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

Wow, it's been a while since anyone posted to the site. Perhaps

OneLove is on a much-deserved vacation! In any case, I have a

" whopper " of a discovery to share about my rosacea.

 

As some of you know, this allergy season in Portland has kicked my

heiney all over the map, and my rosacea, which is inexorably linked to

my allergies, has been horrific for the past 7 months, with a brief

respite following my Ayurvedic cleanse. Still, when I went back to

" normal " eating (which in my case is an incredibly healthy diet free

of any toxins like sugar, caffeine, refined carbs), the redness and

inflammation came back full force. The pollen count remained high

this whole time.

 

I went to a new naturopath last month, who ordered two tests: a

complete food allergy panel, along with an adrenal stress test. She

said that anything skin-related almost always points to hormonal

imbalance and the body's inability to deal with stress. Sure enough,

the test came back, and it showed significant adrenal fatigue, a

result of prolonged stress on the system. My cortisol and DHEA levels

were very low. These are both hormones that help your body fend off

stress and environmental onslaught. Indeed, when they are suppressed,

you have no natural defense, so the immune system goes haywire,

attacking everything viciously and creating all manner of nasty

inflammation. She also pointed out that, once the adrenals become

exhausted, you are faced with a vicious cycle, since the daily stress

on your body creates even more depletion. This rang so true to me, as

I've really noticed in myself a lack of tolerance to everything in the

past couple of years, a hypersensitivity to all things outside myself:

heat, cold, crowds, loud noises, animals, pollens, foods (my food

allergies have increased dramatically), any kind of toxin like sugar

or alcohol, which I used to be able to dabble in. Furthermore, I've

felt emotionally low and semi-depressed, an unusual state for me. My

menses have gotten extremely painful. This is a symptom of adrenal

exhaustion as well. Foremost, I felt like anxiety and stress would

creep up on me and inform every daily situation, whether I actually

felt stressed or not. I felt like nothing was protecting me from the

" flight or fight " syndrome. And, as we all know, the emotional stress

of having a red, inflamed face didn't help at all. It created an evil

cycle.

 

My naturopath prescribed a 12-week protocol of natural hormone

supplementation. I am taking Pregnenolone and DHEA, which are natural

hormones that occur in the beginning of the adrenal " chain, " and lead

to the natural production of cortisol, progesterone, testosterone and

estrogen. Basically, this protocol helps the body " kick-start " a

balanced adrenal function, and it does it subtly and naturally, as

opposed to the evil synthetic steroid prednisone (which, incidentally,

was developed based on pregnenolone research).

 

It is now 4 days into my protocol, and I feel like I have a new lease

on life. My optimism has been restored; my rosacea has calmed right

down (I look more normal than I have in months); my digestion is good;

my energy has returned; I don't feel ultra-sensitive to the summer

heat; I feel calmer in stressful situations. Wow, huh? These are

some MAJOR improvements. Perhaps there is some psychosomatic effect

happening here, but I feel better than I have in years. I did yoga

yesterday, and felt positively transcendent in a way that I haven't

for a long time.

 

Just wanted to share my experience with you all, since I truly feel I

have " cracked the code. " I don't want to diminish the role of

internal cleansing, as I feel this is of huge importance for any human

being, particularly those in a healing crisis. I believe that my

system's " cleanliness " has allowed the good hormones to help me in an

optimal way, and I know my overall health will benefit from the

cleansing in the long term. I'm gonna continue with the cleansing

protocol. I also want to acknowledge that everybody's health journey

is different, and that my " missing link " may be quite different from

others'. Still, it's a joy to share my experience of healing with you

all.

 

Thanks for listening,

 

Jen

[Guest guest]

Hi Jen,

 

Thank you very much for your interesting post. I have no doubt my

adrenals are suffering. I didn't know what to do to supplement them.

I must look into Pregnenolone and DHEA. Are these available off the

shelf in shops?

 

Like you, I think my system previously was too congested to benefit

from herbs and homeopathics, especially the latter. A homeopath did

warn me about my adrenals, and I took the prescribed remedies, but I

absolutely need a more " earthy " help -- like the kick start you

describe.

 

Hmmm, I don't know where OneLove is, either. Since there weren't any

messages I thought the group was suspended for a while due to

OneLove's vacation or work schedule.

 

Have you done a liver flush, Jen? (You noted the Ayurvedic cleanse)

This takes you a long way in rooting out rosacea.

 

Thanks for sharing your information and experience!

 

Have a great day.

 

PC

[Guest guest]

Hi Jen and Everyone

 

Yes, the message flow has been slow lately. I am still

here.

 

Wow Jen, it looks like you have discovered new

important information. How would you suggest others

try this?

 

Also, I assume you previously had a consultation with

a practitioner of Chinese medicine. I am curious what

the diagnosis was?

 

Thank you

 

OneLove

 

 

jenbernard2004 <jen wrote:

 

> Dear Friends,

>

> Wow, it's been a while since anyone posted to the

> site. Perhaps

> OneLove is on a much-deserved vacation! In any

> case, I have a

> " whopper " of a discovery to share about my rosacea.

>

> As some of you know, this allergy season in Portland

> has kicked my

> heiney all over the map, and my rosacea, which is

> inexorably linked to

> my allergies, has been horrific for the past 7

> months, with a brief

> respite following my Ayurvedic cleanse. Still, when

> I went back to

> " normal " eating (which in my case is an incredibly

> healthy diet free

> of any toxins like sugar, caffeine, refined carbs),

> the redness and

> inflammation came back full force. The pollen count

> remained high

> this whole time.

>

> I went to a new naturopath last month, who ordered

> two tests: a

> complete food allergy panel, along with an adrenal

> stress test. She

> said that anything skin-related almost always points

> to hormonal

> imbalance and the body's inability to deal with

> stress. Sure enough,

> the test came back, and it showed significant

> adrenal fatigue, a

> result of prolonged stress on the system. My

> cortisol and DHEA levels

> were very low. These are both hormones that help

> your body fend off

> stress and environmental onslaught. Indeed, when

> they are suppressed,

> you have no natural defense, so the immune system

> goes haywire,

> attacking everything viciously and creating all

> manner of nasty

> inflammation. She also pointed out that, once the

> adrenals become

> exhausted, you are faced with a vicious cycle, since

> the daily stress

> on your body creates even more depletion. This rang

> so true to me, as

> I've really noticed in myself a lack of tolerance to

> everything in the

> past couple of years, a hypersensitivity to all

> things outside myself:

> heat, cold, crowds, loud noises, animals, pollens,

> foods (my food

> allergies have increased dramatically), any kind of

> toxin like sugar

> or alcohol, which I used to be able to dabble in.

> Furthermore, I've

> felt emotionally low and semi-depressed, an unusual

> state for me. My

> menses have gotten extremely painful. This is a

> symptom of adrenal

> exhaustion as well. Foremost, I felt like anxiety

> and stress would

> creep up on me and inform every daily situation,

> whether I actually

> felt stressed or not. I felt like nothing was

> protecting me from the

> " flight or fight " syndrome. And, as we all know,

> the emotional stress

> of having a red, inflamed face didn't help at all.

> It created an evil

> cycle.

>

> My naturopath prescribed a 12-week protocol of

> natural hormone

> supplementation. I am taking Pregnenolone and DHEA,

> which are natural

> hormones that occur in the beginning of the adrenal

> " chain, " and lead

> to the natural production of cortisol, progesterone,

> testosterone and

> estrogen. Basically, this protocol helps the body

> " kick-start " a

> balanced adrenal function, and it does it subtly and

> naturally, as

> opposed to the evil synthetic steroid prednisone

> (which, incidentally,

> was developed based on pregnenolone research).

>

> It is now 4 days into my protocol, and I feel like I

> have a new lease

> on life. My optimism has been restored; my rosacea

> has calmed right

> down (I look more normal than I have in months); my

> digestion is good;

> my energy has returned; I don't feel ultra-sensitive

> to the summer

> heat; I feel calmer in stressful situations. Wow,

> huh? These are

> some MAJOR improvements. Perhaps there is some

> psychosomatic effect

> happening here, but I feel better than I have in

> years. I did yoga

> yesterday, and felt positively transcendent in a way

> that I haven't

> for a long time.

>

> Just wanted to share my experience with you all,

> since I truly feel I

> have " cracked the code. " I don't want to diminish

> the role of

> internal cleansing, as I feel this is of huge

> importance for any human

> being, particularly those in a healing crisis. I

> believe that my

> system's " cleanliness " has allowed the good hormones

> to help me in an

> optimal way, and I know my overall health will

> benefit from the

> cleansing in the long term. I'm gonna continue with

> the cleansing

> protocol. I also want to acknowledge that

> everybody's health journey

> is different, and that my " missing link " may be

> quite different from

> others'. Still, it's a joy to share my experience

> of healing with you

> all.

>

> Thanks for listening,

>

> Jen

[Guest guest]

Hello again OneLove, PC and All,

 

Thanks for the responses to my post about hormonal imbalance. I feel

it's very important to emphasize that an adrenal stress test is

important to take before you start messing with hormone

supplementation, because hormone balance is such an individualized

thing. This was a saliva test that my naturopath ordered, wherein you

take four saliva samples at specific times throughout the day. These

samples are then submitted to a lab, and the amounts of cortisol,

DHEA, progesterone, insulin, and SIgA (an immune modulator). My test

also tested for Celiac disease, an intolerance to gluten grains, to

which I was negative.

 

My naturopath has me on a protocol of Pregnenolone and DHEA that

varies from week to week, and lasts 12 weeks total. The first week was

Pregnenolone solo, and I add DHEA starting today. Then the DHEA

levels amp up gradually while the pregnenolone wanes. Eventually, you

taper off the pregnenolone entirely.

 

OneLove, you were wondering about whether I received a diagnosis from

a Chinese doctor. Yes, I got lots of acupuncture throughout this

whole hellish allergy season. Because it was a clinic, and I had

students working on me, they never fully explained their full

diagnosis, but there was a definite mention of damp heat and excess

external wind heat with heat rising to the face. I am always very

itchy (have been my whole life), so that's where the wind diagnosis

came in. My herbal formulas were VERY bitter, if that tells you

anything. I have taken a break from acupuncture for a while to focus

on massage and yoga classes. You can go broke trying to get healthy.

Right now I feel that stress management is more important (I am a

very busy musician in the summer), so I'm putting my energy and

resources into that.

 

P.C., you inquired as to whether I'd done liver cleanses. Yes, I have

done 4 of them, all of which produced stones. Thus far, my stone

count is upwards of 1500! In addition to these 4 liver cleanses and

one Ayurvedic cleanse, I have really clarified my diet in general,

trying to avoid all refined carbs and toxic stuff of any kind. My

digestion, which has been been spotty my whole life, has improved

incredibly. I haven't had diarrhea in months, and this was a normal

thing for me. I wholeheartedly believe that the cleansing has cleared

the congestion out of my system to the point where I can " receive "

the therapies that I'm taking.

 

One last thing.....the hardest part of this healing journey for me has

been accepting the role of emotions in the whole picture. I am

personally prone to stress and anxiety, and fear that things won't

work the way they're supposed to. I get amped-up over dumb things. I

seem to have been born with this particular set of " mind patterns. " I

always blame it on my Capricorn moon (for those who follow astrology),

but whatever the source, it has helped me a lot to honestly address

these patterns of mind/emotion, and to attempt reprogramming whenever

I can. Our world is a haven for stressful situations. We can't

change the world, but we can change our reactions to the stressful

things that befall us. I've been working hard at reorienting my

reactions to life's stressful situations, and I think the effort is

helping me. Yoga and (interestingly) vigorous exercise really work

well for me at dispelling the stress that literally gets lodged in my

body tissues There's nothing like a good healing crisis to make you

take a look at yourself!

 

Hope this information is helpful. Thanks for listening,

 

Jen

, OneLove <alchematron> wrote:

> Hi Jen and Everyone

>

> Yes, the message flow has been slow lately. I am still

> here.

>

> Wow Jen, it looks like you have discovered new

> important information. How would you suggest others

> try this?

>

> Also, I assume you previously had a consultation with

> a practitioner of Chinese medicine. I am curious what

> the diagnosis was?

>

> Thank you

>

> OneLove

>

>

> jenbernard2004 <jen@l...> wrote:

>

> > Dear Friends,

> >

> > Wow, it's been a while since anyone posted to the

> > site. Perhaps

> > OneLove is on a much-deserved vacation! In any

> > case, I have a

> > " whopper " of a discovery to share about my rosacea.

> >

> > As some of you know, this allergy season in Portland

> > has kicked my

> > heiney all over the map, and my rosacea, which is

> > inexorably linked to

> > my allergies, has been horrific for the past 7

> > months, with a brief

> > respite following my Ayurvedic cleanse. Still, when

> > I went back to

> > " normal " eating (which in my case is an incredibly

> > healthy diet free

> > of any toxins like sugar, caffeine, refined carbs),

> > the redness and

> > inflammation came back full force. The pollen count

> > remained high

> > this whole time.

> >

> > I went to a new naturopath last month, who ordered

> > two tests: a

> > complete food allergy panel, along with an adrenal

> > stress test. She

> > said that anything skin-related almost always points

> > to hormonal

> > imbalance and the body's inability to deal with

> > stress. Sure enough,

> > the test came back, and it showed significant

> > adrenal fatigue, a

> > result of prolonged stress on the system. My

> > cortisol and DHEA levels

> > were very low. These are both hormones that help

> > your body fend off

> > stress and environmental onslaught. Indeed, when

> > they are suppressed,

> > you have no natural defense, so the immune system

> > goes haywire,

> > attacking everything viciously and creating all

> > manner of nasty

> > inflammation. She also pointed out that, once the

> > adrenals become

> > exhausted, you are faced with a vicious cycle, since

> > the daily stress

> > on your body creates even more depletion. This rang

> > so true to me, as

> > I've really noticed in myself a lack of tolerance to

> > everything in the

> > past couple of years, a hypersensitivity to all

> > things outside myself:

> > heat, cold, crowds, loud noises, animals, pollens,

> > foods (my food

> > allergies have increased dramatically), any kind of

> > toxin like sugar

> > or alcohol, which I used to be able to dabble in.

> > Furthermore, I've

> > felt emotionally low and semi-depressed, an unusual

> > state for me. My

> > menses have gotten extremely painful. This is a

> > symptom of adrenal

> > exhaustion as well. Foremost, I felt like anxiety

> > and stress would

> > creep up on me and inform every daily situation,

> > whether I actually

> > felt stressed or not. I felt like nothing was

> > protecting me from the

> > " flight or fight " syndrome. And, as we all know,

> > the emotional stress

> > of having a red, inflamed face didn't help at all.

> > It created an evil

> > cycle.

> >

> > My naturopath prescribed a 12-week protocol of

> > natural hormone

> > supplementation. I am taking Pregnenolone and DHEA,

> > which are natural

> > hormones that occur in the beginning of the adrenal

> > " chain, " and lead

> > to the natural production of cortisol, progesterone,

> > testosterone and

> > estrogen. Basically, this protocol helps the body

> > " kick-start " a

> > balanced adrenal function, and it does it subtly and

> > naturally, as

> > opposed to the evil synthetic steroid prednisone

> > (which, incidentally,

> > was developed based on pregnenolone research).

> >

> > It is now 4 days into my protocol, and I feel like I

> > have a new lease

> > on life. My optimism has been restored; my rosacea

> > has calmed right

> > down (I look more normal than I have in months); my

> > digestion is good;

> > my energy has returned; I don't feel ultra-sensitive

> > to the summer

> > heat; I feel calmer in stressful situations. Wow,

> > huh? These are

> > some MAJOR improvements. Perhaps there is some

> > psychosomatic effect

> > happening here, but I feel better than I have in

> > years. I did yoga

> > yesterday, and felt positively transcendent in a way

> > that I haven't

> > for a long time.

> >

> > Just wanted to share my experience with you all,

> > since I truly feel I

> > have " cracked the code. " I don't want to diminish

> > the role of

> > internal cleansing, as I feel this is of huge

> > importance for any human

> > being, particularly those in a healing crisis. I

> > believe that my

> > system's " cleanliness " has allowed the good hormones

> > to help me in an

> > optimal way, and I know my overall health will

> > benefit from the

> > cleansing in the long term. I'm gonna continue with

> > the cleansing

> > protocol. I also want to acknowledge that

> > everybody's health journey

> > is different, and that my " missing link " may be

> > quite different from

> > others'. Still, it's a joy to share my experience

> > of healing with you

> > all.

> >

> > Thanks for listening,

> >

> > Jen

[Guest guest]

Hi Jen and All

 

Sorry I have been slow in replies. I have a new job

and commute that has left me with little free time. I

wanted to say thank you for your insightful

commentary. The information makes sense.

 

All the best

 

OneLove

 

 

 

jenbernard2004 <jen wrote:

 

> Hello again OneLove, PC and All,

>

> Thanks for the responses to my post about hormonal

> imbalance. I feel

> it's very important to emphasize that an adrenal

> stress test is

> important to take before you start messing with

> hormone

> supplementation, because hormone balance is such an

> individualized

> thing. This was a saliva test that my naturopath

> ordered, wherein you

> take four saliva samples at specific times

> throughout the day. These

> samples are then submitted to a lab, and the amounts

> of cortisol,

> DHEA, progesterone, insulin, and SIgA (an immune

> modulator). My test

> also tested for Celiac disease, an intolerance to

> gluten grains, to

> which I was negative.

>

> My naturopath has me on a protocol of Pregnenolone

> and DHEA that

> varies from week to week, and lasts 12 weeks total.

> The first week was

> Pregnenolone solo, and I add DHEA starting today.

> Then the DHEA

> levels amp up gradually while the pregnenolone

> wanes. Eventually, you

> taper off the pregnenolone entirely.

>

> OneLove, you were wondering about whether I received

> a diagnosis from

> a Chinese doctor. Yes, I got lots of acupuncture

> throughout this

> whole hellish allergy season. Because it was a

> clinic, and I had

> students working on me, they never fully explained

> their full

> diagnosis, but there was a definite mention of damp

> heat and excess

> external wind heat with heat rising to the face. I

> am always very

> itchy (have been my whole life), so that's where the

> wind diagnosis

> came in. My herbal formulas were VERY bitter, if

> that tells you

> anything. I have taken a break from acupuncture for

> a while to focus

> on massage and yoga classes. You can go broke

> trying to get healthy.

> Right now I feel that stress management is more

> important (I am a

> very busy musician in the summer), so I'm putting my

> energy and

> resources into that.

>

> P.C., you inquired as to whether I'd done liver

> cleanses. Yes, I have

> done 4 of them, all of which produced stones. Thus

> far, my stone

> count is upwards of 1500! In addition to these 4

> liver cleanses and

> one Ayurvedic cleanse, I have really clarified my

> diet in general,

> trying to avoid all refined carbs and toxic stuff of

> any kind. My

> digestion, which has been been spotty my whole life,

> has improved

> incredibly. I haven't had diarrhea in months, and

> this was a normal

> thing for me. I wholeheartedly believe that the

> cleansing has cleared

> the congestion out of my system to the point where

> I can " receive "

> the therapies that I'm taking.

>

> One last thing.....the hardest part of this healing

> journey for me has

> been accepting the role of emotions in the whole

> picture. I am

> personally prone to stress and anxiety, and fear

> that things won't

> work the way they're supposed to. I get amped-up

> over dumb things. I

> seem to have been born with this particular set of

> " mind patterns. " I

> always blame it on my Capricorn moon (for those who

> follow astrology),

> but whatever the source, it has helped me a lot to

> honestly address

> these patterns of mind/emotion, and to attempt

> reprogramming whenever

> I can. Our world is a haven for stressful

> situations. We can't

> change the world, but we can change our reactions to

> the stressful

> things that befall us. I've been working hard at

> reorienting my

> reactions to life's stressful situations, and I

> think the effort is

> helping me. Yoga and (interestingly) vigorous

> exercise really work

> well for me at dispelling the stress that literally

> gets lodged in my

> body tissues There's nothing like a good healing

> crisis to make you

> take a look at yourself!

>

> Hope this information is helpful. Thanks for

> listening,

>

> Jen