How do you make your own toothpaste!!!? I have used Vicco auyriovedic (spelled wrong) toothpaste since my mid 20's, so for nearly 30 years. I love it and refuse to use anything else. Since I couldn't get some locally last time I needed some I sent away for a 12-pack of the stuff. Can you believe there is SUGAR in the commercial toothpastes?! But I am fascinated that you can make your own toothpaste. I think I would make, hmmm, lavendar. Our organic coop delivery guy was just here and I have arranged to get milk from them as soon as their cows are freshened. Buying commercial organic, wow, it is 3 times the price for milk.

I have been off HRT (Took five weeks of weaning) now, for 3weeks. I am sleeping better, libidp better and not too many sweats.. not bad ones anyway.. feel so much better, maybe my body is getting back in balance

Use Flaxseed Oil and Evening Primrose Oil combined for hot flashes and sweats. Works like a charm.
And everyone should order their supps from www.vitacost.com. It's way cheaper than GNC with a gold card membership. By the way, I'm going to see if I can get my money back from GNC. This morning, I ordered $77 worth of supps. Flaxseed & Evening Primrose Oils, L-Carnitine & CoQ-10, more keto strips. Those supps are directly from the manufacturers. No middleman.

Don't expect miracles. I know flaxseed and evening primrose will work for some people, to some extent, but not all. Depends on your system.
I have been taking them, and EPA/DHA for years. Along with vitamins C, E, selenium 5 mg. of biotin and several others.
I also used to take soy isofalvones, until my gyn told be they are plant estrogens and can release excess estrogen into your system. Now that soy is probably some of the released estrogen I'm havaing problems with.

I have a fairly good immune system. But my hormones are screwed up, and probably have been for twenty years [hindsight] And I never took BCP!!!

If the essential oils Linda Love mentioned don't help, I would go for the progesterone cream usage that has been mentioned several times over the life of this thread.
It's really trial and error to see what will work for your body.

BTW, I can't believe all the problems ladies are having with TOM. It's gotta be the estrogen released from our fat collection.

Why is nothing ever as simple as you think it should be.

For more info on relief of symptoms, go www.drphil.com.

Thanks, I'll be increasing my zinc. The others, I pretty much already take, and have taken for years.
The BIG is the phytoestogens, if you already have too much, which most of us don't know about, it would make things worse.

Even my ex-gyn warned about soy supplements: you could add more estrogen to your system, unknowingly, and screw up your system.
A lady on another thread started drinking lots of soy milk...and her hair started to fall out.

Have you read Dr. John Lee's book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause: ?? Most of the symptoms on that perimenopause list from Dr.phil are also on Dr. Lee's list for estrogen dominance. I don't think that is a coincidence . We have a hard transition to menopause because we are estrogen dominant.

There are other conditions resulting in large weight loss of which I was not aware and had a few surprises!! First, I got heel spurs from so much tread walking and trail walking. More than I used to do. If you start an exercise program, get enough of a variety that any particular part of your body--such as feet--do not get overworked or damaged. I now have to bicycle for exercise as my feet can't handle the long walking regimes yet. No dancing and be careful with volleyball stuff. So I was doing too much on those feet that were just not used to that.

The other thing that surprised me and ended up taking up 3 months of my life was gall bladder. Gall bladder problems apparently develop particularly in women who have had a large and/or rapid weight loss! I saw it explained medically and it made sense but I couldn't paraphrase it here. Anyway, of course I only found out after it happened to me. I had the very simple and quick "no problem" laporscopic surgery which then resulted in 2 more necessary procedures (a second laporoscopic and some other thing I can't pronounce), an emergency ambulance trip and almost daily trips to the ER for a week or so (not in that order)--but eseentially, a simple "no problem" laporoscopic surgery gone complicated. It took over 3 months before I was back to normal and eating normally again. Should have been 10 days. But, beware, this happens in some.

And it makes me wonder what other implications there are to rapid weight loss which we do not foresee and end up being surprised--or which we might avoid with some foresight.

Too much vitamin E suppliment, can cause an estrogen build up as well.....Although I also heard it can give estrogen to those that need it, and normalize it in someones body that has too much estrogen....Because I read that about the estrogen, I just do a lower dose of vitamin E. Are we not all estrogen dominate about now?????? (the over 40 crowd) I use to get the progesterone cream from the states....we cant get it up here in Canada

Well, women generally have more estrogen than progesterone, but it's not the fact there is more estrogen than progesterone. It's the raio that is VERY important!!! If the ratio is off, that is estrogen dominance.

As a woman approaches menopause, estrogen falls to about 60% of what it was. If you are estrogen dominant, your progesterone falls to about ZERO. There is so much interaction between the "female" hormones and testosterone and the androgens. And progesterone keeps everything in balance. And if ther's not enough progesterone, you can have problems. Many of which we call PMS. And we then menopausal "symptoms". [Remember, ladies, menopause is NOT a disease.]That's sorta the scenario, I'm no endocrinology expert.

I've heard nothing but good things about progesterone cream. If you can't get it at all in canada, like a friend/relative mailing it to you??), can a dr. give you a scrip for Prometrium--it's a natural progesterone. http://www.solvaypharmaceuticals-us...IUM/default.asp I know it is available in Canada, at least the US can buy it from Canada.

Do you know about Dr. John Lee ane his work on progesterone therapy, http://www.johnleemd.com/ . You can get his books pretty cheap at amazon.com--worth reading.

I haven't heard about Dr.Lee...but have read and seen lots of video's from Dr. Christian Northrop (a lady)...she is right into the natural progesterone cream too. I like to do as much natural stuff as I can

Well ladies...I'm going to go to the Doc in mid August.....I'm so bummed at the rate of my weight loss This is an older Doc, and he really cares...but he is away on holiday right now....I have to have a heart to heart...I have only lost 3 pounds since March!!!!!!!! I know I take Synthroid for my thyroid...but I am suppose to be in a normal range now...I do all the right stuff....Other ladies with thyroid problems are losing....ladies older than me are losing...SO, there must be something wrong......

That sux that you have only lost 3# since March!! Makes my feable progress more encouraging to me. I heard about this and so am trying it-- do a day of high carbs and then go on induction again. So I did that yesterday. I stuck to complex carbs. So just vegies, huge salads. Also I am now watching calories too. Switched to fish and chicken with less beef now. Trying to keep calories at 16 - 1800 instead of 22 - 2400 as they were when I was eating mostly meat! Amazing but it seems the math is still a part of this--you only lose if you burn more than you eat. Since I switched to fish and chicken I dropped 2 pounds. Then I did the carb day and am on (more or less) induction still, so wish me luck that I continue to drop. I wasn't overeating but the fats really add up in calories. Does anyone have experience with this?

Did you know they have a couple of special boost diets to do, to get over any stalls...One of them is just to eat meat for a couple of days...its suppose to fast track you. I believe I read it here some where in a help section on stalls....
I bust my buns working out..I use to be a fitness instructor. I just think I must have developed some weird metabolic resistance.

Some one else says it might be because I dont have a lot of weight to lose??????

I guess it depends on your size of frame, fat percentage and all that. And if you are down to the last few pounds to lose it *does* come off very slowly and SHOULD be that slow so as to be very gradual into keeping it off permanently. I am still 34 lbs to lose which sux. I will be okay at 162 but prefer the lower 10 so I can fluctuate and still keep in the same clothing size. I'm 5'9". And 51 yrs. old.