I was chatting with a friend who has been post-menopausal for about a year and suffers from low estrogen symptoms. When I mentioned that she might want to talk with her doctor about hormone replacement therapy, she fired back with “Estrogen causes cancer.” I want to debunk that myth, because I know she isn’t the only woman who feels this way about estrogen.
Estrogen is GOOD in the RIGHT amounts, and when it is BALANCED with progesterone. There are different types of estrogen…..three that we know A LOT about and many more that we are still learning about.
In order for estrogen to have an effect in the body, it has to nestle into what we call an estrogen receptor. In fact, all hormones work this way. They must nestle into a receptor ~ Nestling is “how” the message gets communicated to the cell instructing it on what to do. There are many different types of estrogen receptors in the body, but two that we will focus on: ALPHA receptors and BETA receptors.
When estrogen nestles into the ALPHA receptor, it PROMOTES cell growth. ALPHA effects include brain health & memory, strong vocal cords (without it we get that “old lady” voice”), lung health, heart health, eye health, and gut health.
When estrogen nestles into the BETA receptor, it BLOCKS excessive cell growth. BETA effects keep estrogen in balance, protects against cancer, and protects our gut.
We need BOTH types of estrogenic action in the body to ensure a nice balance between a STIMULATING action and a CALMING/PROTECTING action. We also need to make sure that we have enough PROGESTERONE to balance out estrogen, so we NEVER want to take estrogen replacement therapy without taking progesterone. It’s always about balance when it comes to hormones.
When it comes to estrogen & cancer it’s important to remember that cancer is the result of unrepaired DNA damage that disrupts normal cell behavior & control mechanisms. Those built-in safety systems that should be protecting the bod against cancer cell growth no longer work properly. ESTROGEN shouldn’t be feared ~ when balanced in proper amounts, it’s a fabulous hormone that confers incredible benefits to the body.
