Birth Control, Estrogens and Hormones

Some men do carry the biological burden, but in most cases it's the women that carry it. Since the introduction of the pill in the 60s there are been quite a few variations and changes. This article is about that.

Some of the newest on the market have also proven the most harmful. Take YAZ for instance. It has been proven to cause serious heart and health problems. In the last year the company that produced YAZ has been sued several times. It continues to affect your health long after you've stopped taking it.

It's true that women on the average live longer than men, but I'm not sure if that will continue. I'm also not sure if we have the best quality of life. Most women my age have taken birth control for most of their lives. My mother took them. I took them. My children will take them. But how much SHOULD we take them?

Birth control chemicals present SO many issues. Today I will present just a few concerns. You, my peers have been fooled by this illusion that chemicals are safe for us. At this day and age there are some who have issues with the pills, but for the general public and for our generation it is accepted. When teenage girls begin puberty, they are just put on it. For me, they reduced my cramps, so they were a God send.  They do have benefits, but they also alter our chemistry in more ways than we suspect. I mean in both our body and brain.

Birth control methods can:

Decrease the production of DHEA

Decrease the production of Estrogens

Decrease the production of Melatonin

Decrease the production of Testosterones

Decrease the production of Androgens

http://www.healthywomen.org/condition/androgen

Here is the issue. There is more than one type of estrogen. More than one type of testosterone exists. Of course we also have progesterone. All of these things have to be in balance and each one affects the other. These are all incredibly important.

In rare case, such as mine I underwent IVF. I have had over 22 weeks of intensive estrogen and progesterone treatment during the surrogacy attempts that I did in 2007-2008. This really screwed me over. I now believe the effect was catastrophic to my brain and body. I am left with an underproduction of both progesterone and estrogen. After I had that baby in 4/2008 my brain simply stopped working normally. I had no progesterone and the female brain requires it in order to function. I thought that it would return to normal, but it never did.

I had really horrible depression. I was not functioning mentally. I would lose things constantly. I left the keys in the refrigerator. I don't know how.  I was told my thinking was faulty. I was told I was depressed and crying because I was "over-tired". I contemplated suicide, but I had small children and to me that wasn't an option. I felt very alone. I thought that my unsatisfying relationship, and my stay-at-home life with my kids were to blame. I had never been depressed in my life. Honestly I did not know what to think.  I have now come to the conclusion that:

*  I needed more support than I was getting.

*  I was hormonally depressed and very seriously.   Crying in the shower at 3 am was not normal.

* I needed to have someone take me to a doctor. I was literally unable to help myself. 

No one examined my hormone levels after the surrogacy in 2008. I had a check up at my local OB, not the fertility center, but they should have tested me after pumping my system with hormones.   I was so caught up in the drama of my depression and then a separation, and then custody battles and such . . that I wasn't really thinking about myself, or what might have actually caused the overall problem. I had no idea how serious my memory loss and cognitive functioning had become, because I was the only one suffering it. None of my loved ones noticed and when they did would tell me something like: "You just have selective memory. You choose what you want to remember". To someone who has real memory problems, this was really painful for me. I had no idea how bad my brain had deteriorated. I was also proud, so I kept trying to hide my disability.

I realize now I should have told someone how bad it was. Instead I was trying to eat healthy and kind of avoid the pain of the thought that I had a medical issue. I have never been a person that forgot things before. I had never been uncoordinated before in my entire life. I had never been the person who walks along a hallway and just bumps into the wall. I was dropping things all the time. They call this "butterfingers". I obviously didn't look these things up on the internet because it was new at the time, but I was too busy raising my small toddlers to think about it anyway. My life was consumed with diapers and feedings. My self esteem had taken very big hits from having children and being so far away from the support of my family. I didn't have a lot of friends. I wasn't interacting with anyone on a daily basis. I was completely alienated. I am a giver, so I am not a person who goes to the doctor to complain.

The problem was major and it should have been addressed. I would like all of you to remember this. Share it with people. It can help other people with depression and cognitive problems.

There are multiple types of steroids, hormones and substances that your body makes. So, how do we know which to replace after life has toyed with your body? Answer: We do not know. We have to investigate. There are a lot of holistic doctors that have emerged to deal with estrogen dominance. You can also get a referral to an endocrinologist to test your hormones.

You may never be able to increase these hormones in the right ways, but you can attempt it and come as close to you can. I have and it has helped me tons!

First, please read about Melatonin. Most people do not get enough. It is incredibly beneficial for your skin and your brain. You can also read this article I have written on estrogen dominance:
http://amewagoner.blogspot.com/2015/04/promood.html 

If you have been on pills or IUDs for most of your life, you are probably low on something. The MAIN effect of having no progesterone is a foggy brain. However, you could also other problems.  You don't remember why you walked into the kitchen?  Mine was so bad that I literally couldn't remember something that happened 5 minutes ago. I functioned or appeared to function normally because I was smart enough to systematize my life. 

I would talk to myself mentally every time I did something. I would make lists everywhere. I was extremely paranoid of forgetting things. "Milk, must get milk. Milk in the bottle. Oh, babies are dirty. First diapers. Diapers and milk, diapers and milk, diapers and milk. Diapers and then milk. " I would do this mentally while the babies were crying, but I would say, "It's ok babies, just need diapers and milk." There is no way I could talk to another person if I had something to do. My significant other at the time probably thought I was crazy and ignoring him, but I honestly could not focus on his words because I was too busy saying, "diapers and milk" over and over again in my head. I lived this way for a VERY long time. I imagine that some of the functional ability I have now is from these habits that I have trained myself into. I still constantly make lists and constantly repeat things to myself on a regular basis. I went to the store yesterday and bought some things. I did NOT buy the one thing I was supposed to buy, which was a 9 volt battery. So, It is now normal for me to function this way and if I do not make a list I can not be at full efficiency. Another reason I seemed so "normal" was that I could remember a lot of old information. I could tell you that brown eyes are dominant and that blue eyes are recessive. I could even draw you a chart for Recessive/Dominant, based on the Genetics 101 class I took in 1995, but I could not remember my own cousin's name for over 5 minutes. To clarify, if I stopped saying "diapers and milk" in my head and then walked into the nursery, there was about a 75% chance that I would completely forget why I went in there.

So, in "fog brain" only your short-term memory is affected. Fog brain can also fog up things like names, words or processes. Some smells may repulse you. I couldn't stand the smell of any type of seafood. Ick! You may drop things, be klutzy . . . basically anything that you have seen happen to a pregnant woman, are symptoms that you may have. 

Let me tell you why. Estrogen levels have to be higher than progesterone, but not by too much. If they are not then the body suffers horribly from all kinds of weird symptoms. Pregnant women fluctuate between overproduction of estrogen and overproduction of progesterone. That is normal for them because they need to do that in order to make the changes in their body in order to make babies. For example the spine actually straightens! Weird. 

To get your life back you can do several things. First off, talk to your doctor about how much production of what hormones you think you produce. Use this to measure them: 

http://www.johnleemd.com/store/resource_hormonetest.html

I suggest you look more at the symptoms than at any actual test measuring hormones. Everyone's body works differently, and what your symptoms are reflects your needs. For me, I still under produce progesterone AND estrogen . . and if I don't take my progesterone religiously, I will get an estrogen migraine. If I take no pills my estrogen and progesterone fall, and then I am fog brained again (which I hate more than the migraines). My doctor helped me by putting me on a single-phasic pill that is high in progesterone, but still has some estrogen. In order for me to function I need to have a good source of estrogen and progesterone.

What was happening with a triple phasic pill was that by the time I got to pill set #2 my estrogen and progesterone had adjusted to pill set (week #1).  This was making it impossible for my body to be normal but it was also making it impossible for me to diagnose my symptoms, since they were all over the place. With this pill I have the same dose every day for three weeks. It helps my body to regulate itself for me. As I write this I correct numerous typos, spelling errors and grammar. I'm still not normal. I don't believe I ever will be until I decide to get a full hormone replacement therapy, maybe in fifteen years or so. We'll see.

You can also have estrogen dominance or overproduction in different amounts, but most pill-users are under producing. Talk to your NP or Dr. about balancing with different types of pills, like a pill that only contains progesterone and no estrogen. If you have questions feel free to ask me. I just hope I shed some light on this subject.

For more information just click on this image below. It will lead you to another blog for a holistic medical nurse. Thank you for reading.

Grammar!!

Charisma in Movies!

A friend of mine recently said that Arnold Schwarzenegger - has lost all his mojo. I guess in the last movie he made: Sabotage, he just didn't bring it home - or so I heard. However, after a quick investigation online, I see that it indeed was not the actor to blame.

Bueller, Ferris Bueller

This is much the same issue that I have with people saying that Keanu Reeves is a "bad actor".  One scene does not an actor make. I blame the director for much of the Keanu Reeves comments. While he really brings it home in some scenes, in others he just didn't seem to get into it. So, yes. The actor has to bring a performance, but you can't do one take and expect that actor to nail it every time.  We are not all Ferris Bueller, or Mary Poppins, perfect in every way.

Back to the script here for this Sabotage movie . . . Movie makers need to realize that the audience doesn't just want egos, blood and gore. When that is all you present you are left with these kinds of Rotten Tomatoes reviews:

Did he just say they dunked the camera in guts?? Seriously!! That is one of the worst things I've ever heard. I feel terrible now that Arnold was duped into making such a crappy movie.

Anyway, that bring me to the actual subject, which is CHARISMA. Does he have it? Uh, well, he doesn't have much. He's no Sean Connery or Bruce Willis. Those actors could be 90 years old and still bring it home by bringing us that charisma that we crave! In fact many women would still be into them in their older age. I mean look at Hugh Hefner. Charisma might not actually have an age . . .  Food for thought.

So, Arnold. Well, he never actually had that much charisma on screen to begin with. A lot of this is due to the heavy accent. I have to admit that Kindergarten Cop was actually pretty decent. There were some scenes where the man was believable, and in that movie he did deliver some great lines. However, I'm not sure he has the ability to deliver lines in the same way that Samuel L. Jackson can. He just can't do the same intensity without seeming disingenuous. He is just not capable of bringing that kind of Samuel L. Jackson performance. Or at least I have never seen a director get that kind of performance out of him. This is not to say that an amazing, outstanding actor would have fared any better in this movie with the gore. If the movie is bad, it just is.

Anyway, that's what makes storytelling in movies so powerful. Charisma! Passion! A good movie gives you insights into the characters. Each character lives and breathes as more than just an actor and you feel their struggles. Let me use as an example a recent movie that came out. It was called "Her". The lead role is Scarlett Johansson. In the movie you don't see her. You can't. However, it was very dramatic. It was a wonderful emotional roller coaster. It is one of the most powerful performances I have seen out of Joaquin. Of course all his stuff is amazing. He's just very talented, a virtual Ferris Bueller if you will. It was a very emotional, uplifting and yet thought provoking experience.  The mustache on Joaquin Phoenix - more unfortunate, but still accepted as you watch it. You will leave the theater with the cogs in your head turning. That is a good story line and a good director. That's how it's done!

I do admit that I am a very imaginative person, so the premises to me was believable and I did get into the movie more than I thought I would - despite the mustache. it bothers me a lot because he's such a beautiful man and it's like in the way of seeing him. Whatever. So, older people don't quite get into this movie premises as much as I would hope because of the technological way that we think nowadays. I just thought I should add that so you don't watch it with your Grandma, who might not grasp the movie's entire point.

At left:                                                                                                         At right:
OFFICIAL POSTER                                                                                REAL LIFE
Photoshopped smaller waist and rounder boobs.                                  Live action shot on set.

So to me, this movie was a HUGE deal. Huge! Why? There is no visual. So, there was no overt sex appeal. The character is attractive because she's smart, caring, fun and interesting. If you knew woman you'd know that being loved for who we truly are, and not what we look like . . is a big deal. And in Hollywood this point is so often  overlooked.
Scarlett Johansson also plays Black Widow in the new Avenger series, and while she is appreciated in some of those scenes because she has real clothes on, the movie posters make her waist look smaller and boobs rounder and larger maybe? All in all it is not a catastrophic photo-shopping job, but it is done nonetheless.


So to summarize, don't blame Arnold. The man ran into a truck filled with rotten tomatoes. Who knows why he picked that script? Maybe he needs a new agent . . . or maybe he didn't read it? Personal favor to a friend. Who knows. Maybe he'll find another role that can show off his talents. He can do better. I know. I saw Kindergarten Cop.

Mothers

So, I know it isn't Mother's Day, but the truth is every day is important to a mother and to their children. This is not just school age children. I mean all children, as in all people on the Earth who at one time had a mother.

Every day I am met with yet another human being who either had no mother growing up or had a very poor one. This is often supplemented with a neglecting and/or absent father. It could also be they did or did not have an abusive step parent.

Take for example a man I dated. He was so badly neglected by his father that his step-mother felt it was not necessary to feed his children. He was away and she thought he'd never find out. After all it costs money to feed people. So, this child snuck into the garage of their home. He knew his best resource was in there .  . . the dog food she'd left for the dog. So hungry was this child that if he begged her for food she would lock him in a closet. So, instead he opted for the dog food. It wasn't all that bad he told me. It was just not tasty at all. At least his tummy didn't hurt so bad anymore.

I don't have a lot more to say on this at the moment. I'm just completely horrified by it. Sometimes horrible things sneak into my thoughts.

Online Dating

Another crazy Ame blog. This one, online dating:

Ok. What is with the stigma of "online dating". Someone actually told me, "So and so met their boyfriend online and he's crazy, so you shouldn't meet people online." Uumm. Ok. Huh? See, the thing with online dating, at least the free sites is that YOU pick the people you date. It's not the website choosing them. They just give you a pool of people to choose from. These people put themselves out there, on the line so that YOU can pick from them, as if you were picking tomatoes in the grocery store. You can choose a big ripe juicy one or one with some scars on it and some "character". You can choose tomatoes that are small or large. It's up to you!! I'm sorry. I just don't see the down side. If you are BAD at choosing tomatoes and you do not filter them well enough and you get a rotten one because you didn't see the obvious fault in it, then I'm sorry, but that's going to happen no matter where you got the tomato. You're just bad at picking tomatoes. It doesn't really matter where you met that tomato. Was it at the Farmer's Market fruit stand or Albertsons? Food4Less? Hahaha! See, it doesn't matter where the tomato came from. You picked it.

So, if you're willing to accept a person for who they are, why does it matter if you met at the grocery store, online or at the office? Truth is you can't date anyone at your office. That's a really bad idea. People still meet at work all the time, but it's because they don't have another avenue to use for dating. So, when did "online dating" become so forbidden and tongue in cheek? Is this what you're afraid of? "Did you hear that John Smith is up on Plenty of Fish?? How pathetic. Hahaha. I can't believe he's up there. That's so desperate." Uh, no. That guy's smart. He's saving time and money by filtering through the traits of the people he dates. He's going to find good looking women that are local and meet his criteria.

Imagine for a moment a gentleman who takes women on dates. Let's say he has a blind date. So, they have dinner and a movie and he finds out all about them. He spends $24 for the movies, right? $40 on dinner if it's a nice dinner. I forgot popcorn. If she's spoiled rotten she wants popcorn, candy, and or hispanic. He wants to date someone who already has children, so that they'll understand his devotion to his children. soda. . .What does he get? He probably gets someone that . . he wouldn't date! He wants someone 30-35, who is white, asian Can you tell at a bar, or grocery store if someone has kids already? Can you tell if they are a Christian, Atheist or Catholic? Wouldn't it be easier if you knew those things already? Wouldn't it be nice to meet this person at a Starbucks first to see if you had chemistry before you decided on a short date or a longer one (where you spend tons of money)? These are all assets of the online dating website. You can meet twice as many people, but each person has been "chosen" by you.

For me the criteria is:
1. They can read and write.
2. They make me laugh (at least once).
3. They are not full of themselves.
4. They are relatively confident.

Some things you might get: 

1. How are you this evening? I like your profile. To the point and I agree with you as it works both ways! :)
(This seems like a weird comment, but he programmed me to answer him."Oh. You agree with what?" - I HAD to answer him. Women will always answer these kinds of comments. We are a curious breed. This guy is as good as on a date with me just by having made me "think"!)
2. Your cute and funny, haha! Great job with your profile...
( Positives. He seems fun. He said "haha". Negative: you're is not spelled correctly. Thus I immediately think he's not that educated. Requires more information.)
3. I am funny, I am fit, really, really ridiculously good looking, (Insert "ha ha ha here")..Raider fan,I go to all the games. Just bought a street bike a week ago. Love old cats. (Have one in my garage). Did I mention funny??..
(Very funny and obviously interesting. He is trying. This is a huge PLUS. He's also good looking, so he's got that going for him. If they try in their letter and if they SHOW interest like this you bet they will show you interest once you're dating them. This is all a plus. Always look for someone putting in effort.)
4. Ok. I mailed THIS guy. He said, "Indeed I am a bit young, but it is nice to meet you nonetheless."
(He didn't say I was too old for him. ALWAYS Assume they want a reply. Always assume they want you. Bonus points for a big word. :P)
5. Hi. I'm doing well except for the fact that I'm at work and was woken up for a call. But it's OK because I got to see your cute little message. I'm a fan of brave juice myself, in moderation of course hehe... Is hehe OK? it's a modified version of haha but I think it's more personal than lol :-) I really liked your "about me." Especially how you give instructions on how to date, hilarious. But unlike you, I'm a horrible free writer; trust me, this message is time consuming and calculated ;-) Anyways I wanted to respond, it's not often I get a message from an attractive and intelligent girl. But time for me to get some much needed sleep. Hope to hear from ya again.
(Effort! Big effort and he even points out the fact that he makes an effort. With women we want to make some effort too, but we can't be as obvious about it. We're supposed to act a bit more aloof. We answer the phone at three rings and don't text back until 2 minutes have passed. Women, well . . each have their own rules for these things.)
6. Hey baby.
(If he/she's good looking. we show interest. Often they will write a letter back once they have the green light that they are good looking to you.)

Exes

So, I recently have been contacted by several people, who suddenly for some reason have decided that I am someone that they seriously want to date - or marry. What? So, they pursue me in this long-term relationship and I am just left confused. I'm not supposed to date anyone else, just supposed to accept it.  This is the most irritating to me personally because I hate dealing with it. I don't want to reject a friend or hurt anyone. I don't like to do it. I don't want to send the guy who just had his heart broken into an unrelenting spiral.

However, I must think to myself as I write this even: Where were you for the last six, twelve, even twenty-four months ago? You never talk to me, write me, text me, even Facebook me or anything. In fact some of them have ignored me purposely when I've mailed them and then suddenly I am this person that they most want in the entire world. Really? You haven't even seen me for over a year and now that you are ready I should be ready and not only that but I should be ready for everything and it should be with you. What?

One guy took me on a date, a single date. I have not seen him for years. He takes me on one date and then he starts talking about our "relationship? Huh? Where was I when this relationship manifested? Do you think you're the only one in the world that I'm dating? You don't think I've dated anyone else since I saw you three years ago? Also, this same guy would not drop me off after the date. That was really hard, but I am nice. It took me a while, but I finally had to be firm and say, "Ok. You're going to drop me off here." Otherwise he'd have hung out at my house all night. And come on. I'm busy. I got lots of stuff to do, had to meet someone to rent my place and everything . . .

And the ex. Okay. I really used to like this guy a lot - and I mean I was really into him. I thought he was amazing back in the days. I did. However, that was short lived and for good reason. At the time I was fresh from my split. I admit I was needy. I needed validation and this guy really stepped up to that, so in that way he was helpful. However, he fought me at every turn as far as meeting me half way and/or even showing up on time. His job is a factor, but still, he could have taken me out more, and maybe done more things for me. He did some things, but didn't really make me a priority.

Anyway, back when I dated him years ago . . Right before Christmas I had to put down my kitty, Precious. I was heartbroken. I was sad. I called him for support. I had my kitty for over 14 years and this guy . . . he wouldn't give me a ride to the vet and help to support me in it. Ok. A major point in my life where I was lonely, alone and sad and he wouldn't even help me, because we were "not serious enough" yet. Really? I dumped him right there over the phone and until now I'd not heard from him.


And now? He found out I'm single again. I have had texts, pics, declarations . . . . Ugh.

"I want to see you. I miss you. Send me pics. Oh, you look great! I can't wait to see you," . . . etc. All from this person that couldn't even bother to take me to the vet when I most needed him.  I thought about it. I did. I've been thinking about it for a while, because I did really have a thing for him at one point - or maybe I didn't and I was just rebounding? I don't know that for sure, but I just can't do it. I can't even see him. I tried, but I just can not get over the pain of what he did to me so long ago. That behavior, although he regrets it, can not be overlooked. It does not reflect the kind of person that I want to be with. So deep in my heart he cut a piece out and I never really got it back. I healed, but that part of my heart is just not accessible to him now. This is exactly the reason why I am no longer in my marriage. Women need support. We need it to be obvious. We need someone who will be there, physically and emotionally. Sometimes we need someone to actually hold our hand. I don't believe this is purely a female thing. Men need this too. They are just more trained to "suck it up" than we are. That is what a relationship is for though. That's what it's supposed to be. You're supposed to be a team and help each other through life. Right?

And why would I settle for less than my ideal anyway? Why would I do that ever again? I have met some wonderful, very kind and thoughtful men, and I'm just not sure I could go back to dating someone that isn't thoughtful.  I would not settle for a neglectful person, no matter how cool they seem on paper.  So, wish me luck in all the rejections I will have to do this week. Ugh. And do not pity me. I'm single and dating, but I don't wish it on anyone. I don't.

If you find something good hold onto it, but always look for more, unless it's your ideal. Don't settle. It's really not worth it and in the end you pay so much more in heartache and time wasted. Don't settle.

Eight Year Old Dies

Are you glad to be an American? I am! Especially after reading this story today! My girls JUST turned eight years old and to me I can barely handle this news. Even if I didn't have kids I think it would bother me the same. This kind of news is so disturbing.

So, next time you think your life is hard, please reflect on poor Rawan and her very short life and the choices that were never given her.

Ame

Yemen: 8 year old girl dies from internal injuries on wedding night

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• Secular
• Child Bride
• Islam
• Yemen
• Child Abuse

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An eight year old bride in Yemen died from internal injuries on her wedding night, bleeding to death after deep vaginal tearing caused by sex with her 40 year old husband.

The girl, identified only by the name Rawan, died in Hardh in the governorate of Hajjah in northwestern Yemen, according to a report issued by UPI on Sunday, Sept. 8.

Activists in the region want to put an end to the practice of marrying young girls, and have called for police to arrest the girl's husband and family. Nevertheless, the forced marriage of child brides in Yemen remains a socially accepted custom in many rural areas.

Indeed, the practice has deep cultural and religious roots, and is widespread in Yemen. A February 2009 law set the minimum age for marriage at 17, but it was repealed after some conservative lawmakers called it un-Islamic.

In particular, a prominent Islamic cleric, Abdulmajeed al-Zindani, issued a fatwa in support of the practice, declaring supporters of a ban on child brides to beapostates, and ultimately leading a successful campaign against legislation that would prevent adult men from marrying children.

The issue of Yemen's child bride problem made headlines three years ago when an 8-year-old girl went to court, demanding a judge dissolve her marriage to a man in his 30s. The girl eventually won a divorce, and legislators began looking at ways to curb the practice. However, they have so far been unsuccessful. Currently the law states that parents should decide when a daughter marries.

Unfortunately, reports indicate more than a quarter of Yemen’s females marry before age 15.

For more political news, information and humor see Left Coast Lucy on Facebook. For more news, information and humor relevant to atheists, freethinkers, and secular humanists, see Progressive Secular Humanist Examiner on Facebook. On Twitter follow Progressive Examiner.

Cute, Crazy Pups

Oh no. Not John Mayer again. I just can't.













Aaaaa-aaaahh!! Who refilled the pool with COLD water? 






  "Did you just say I could have that?"

"I find these new hats are exceptionally comfortable. I'm sure they will be in great fashion this season. If you have the means I highly suggest picking one up."

I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it! And I know . . I know . . I know . . . I love the newpaper. Oh ya! "Hahahahahahahaha!
 I can't believe you said that!"

"Did you just say you're GLAD I had a bath? If only you knew the torment."

"Get it off! Can't you see it's attacking me?"  "Why won't you help me?"

"I finally got that bacon I've been wanting!"
"Oh ya. They won't notice if there's just ONE missing. He he." 

"Right. These are baseless accusations! I am confident that my good reputation will be restored."

"Oh no. Not this again. Why do they always insist on smelling me everywhere?"

"And then . . . . . she licked me."

  Haha! Oh. Haha!

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Ame's EcoDrink Benefits Opinion - Lose Weight, Gain Energy, Let's Talk . . .

So I was reading information on the web regarding EcoDrink and I came across a very opinionated blog page. Now, I don't have a lot of information about sucralose, so I thought that I should look it up. I wouldn't want to be uneducated. However, upon reading up I found nothing to substantiate her claims. There really is no definitive research results showing that sucralose is bad for you at all. It increases pH in the waste of test rats and that was their biggest side effect. Come on. It's all just hype.

Now I understand that aspartame has certainly hurt people, but there is no aspartame in here. That's not the same compound at all. We are talking about sucralose. It is also known as Splenda. I've read the stories by mass mails about a woman that drank diet soda (with aspartame) and thought she was dying because her body was not working right. Her sister told her to stop drinking diet soda and she was miraculously cured! Hooray!

Honestly, I don't believe that story. If you were dying would you really keep drinking "diet" drinks? Like, "I'm dying but I've got to keep my girlish figure." Wouldn't you start eating healthier, trying to keep yourself as healthy as possible? Drink tea with honey and whatnot? Anyway, I digress.

Here's my two cents on EcoDrink and her blog post:

" . . came across EcoDrink Complete Multivitamin at Costco the other day. It cost $19.99 for 30 packets — 15 berry flavor and 15 orange flavor. You mix it with water in the BPA free shaker bottle that is provided, and it gives you enough for two people (or a big dose for one person).

It's got:

• Zero Calories
• Zero Carbs
• Zero Sodium
• Zero Caffeine
• Zero Sugar

What?? Zero sugar. Why is this drink so grossly sweet that we could barely drink it. Oh, of course! It might have zero sugar, but it’s loaded with Sucralose, the artificial sweetener that is shown to overexcite and kill off our brain cells! We should know better by now to REALLY look at the labels and not leave it up to the manufacturers to have the contents CLEARLY stated."

Uh, the contents ARE clearly stated on the side of the box. All of the ingredients are in the same size print. Also, how does less than 1% of sucralose make it "loaded"?

"As an aside, the side panel has blurbs about how this product helps with heart health, a healthy immune system, healthy eyes, joints, and skin, and bone health. Then right below that in little tiny print, it says: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration“. Hmm, interesting."

First of all nutritional and vitamin products are never evaluated by the FDA. For this reason green tea can't have a label that says, "Prevents cancer", even though it does. Lycopene can't say, "This product has been shown to prevent prostate cancer", even though studies have proven that it does. Why? The FDA has too many compounds and products to evaluate already. They simply tell us what is OTC and what is prescription. They let the doctors "evaluate" what does and does not treat our ailments.

I will comment on the FDA part, but to be clear are you saying that it's not good for:
1) The immune system: Anti-oxidants like green tea, lycopene, lutein, grape skin extract, acai berry and alpha lipoic acid have all been proven to strengthen the immune system and in many cases prevent cancers. Perhaps you should read up on them.
2) Healthy eyes: Lutein has proven to improve overall eye health.
3) Joints: Hydration is important for your body's muscle and joint functions.
4) Skin: Hydration and good vitamin health have both proven to keep the skin healthy.
5) Bone health: Hydration and vitamins like calcium (in ecoDrink) are important for bone health.

The reviewer implied that EcoDrink would make you fat. Well, the only review I saw on her website regarding fat praised the product stating:

• Patty says:

  July 28, 2011 at 4:55 pm

  
  Tell you what, Kathleen, I have used the Eco-drink for almost 3 months; I have lost 30 lbs.Only 3 lbs more to go for my goal. If the drink is too sweet, dilute it more with water,or whatever you might prefer. I take 1 packet of the Eco-drink and mix it with about 24 oz water or whatever, in my blender with a banana & an orange or a peach or a pear. You need not peel, just wash the skin of the peach or pear and the blender will mix it beautifully. To that I add a couple handfuls of ice cubes. It will be frothy. It makes 2 good sized drinks which last me all day ’til my regular dinner. I eat anything I want for dinner, and if I want something before bed I have a cookie.

Ooooh. Patty forgot to mention that you can freeze ecoDrink in ice cubes and then use those to make smoothies. That's my favorite. I add strawberries and a scoop of yogurt or ice cream. It really keeps you going in the morning.

Anyway, I digress. Here are some more reviews with feedback on using the actual product.

1. • Sandy says:

     July 15, 2011 at 12:27 pm

     I have been drinking half a pack a day for week now. I noticed increased energy. I have also started eating less and DO NOT crave chocolate, which is very weird for me. Nobody told me that is one of the benefits so I am not sure if it is related or not, but this is the only thing that has changed in my routine.

My input? That energy that Sandy has is a result of several things. First of all the vitamin B12. That is the "energy B". If you consume 100% of your vitamin B12 (6 micrograms) for the day you will indeed feel better. A tiny amount of B12 will go a long way. You do not need 31,000%, as some products would have you believe. Your body can't even absorb, let alone process that much B12 and if it does you'll feel jittery. All you need is 6-10 micrograms to feel good all day.

The second thing really helping Sandy is that ecoDrink has so many electrolytes. The potassium alone is 400 mg. That is a great dose and will make a leg cramp go away three minutes after you drink it. However, those electrolytes do so many things. Hydration keeps your organs and blood pumping smoothly. That means a few things:

1) Your heart doesn't have to work so hard to pump your thick blood around. (That's more energy for you.)

2) Your organs and muscles will operate to their maximum efficiency because they are well lubricated. (It's like not doing an oil change on your car. You can't expect an engine to run forever on thickened, dirty oil. Right?)

3) Your brain is kept working correctly when your electrolytes are balanced. That's what mood-lifting water drinks have. It's just added electrolytes in your water.

Oh, and before I forget. The packaging on ecoDrink says it "reduces leg cramping" for liability reasons, but I can give you my personal opinion. A half packet of ecoDrink will take away any leg cramp in about 3 minutes. Seriously. Three minutes! This is extremely important to me. If you get charlie horses in the middle of the night you know what I'm talking about. I know because I use it for just that. It's my main reason for buying and using ecoDrink. Leg cramps no longer keep me up all night. I just have a half of a glass of ecoDrink when any cramp comes on and it is gone and I'm back asleep in no time.

1. aimee says:
   

   April 21, 2011 at 10:56 am

   I read all the huff about a tiny bit of sweetener in this vitamin drink, but do any of you eat BBQ sauce, ketchup, granola bars, bread, teriyaki sauce, spaghetti sauce……?
   I honestly found the Eco vitamins about 8 months ago at Costco and I add 1 packet to a large container of water, because is is a sweet and drink it through out the day, I am 42 and have to travel between LA and San Diego for work weekly, I was exhausted, I don’t have the energy I once did as a 20 something.I also am a very healthy eater, no meat, fried food, processed food, lots of who green foods and fish. I noticed a HUGE difference in my energy level not a little change a drastic change, I did not really notice until I ran out of the product and was too busy to get another box, but about a week into not taking one packed a day I really notice a big drop in energy. I have taken all sorts of vitamins through out my life but honestly have not felt the energy level and clarity I do with Eco vitamins. I also do not EVER drink caffeine so i know the difference between natural energy and the jitters or a sugar high. Also my 65 year old mother who refuses to swallow a vitamin and rejected every other vitamin drink i tried will drink it and felt better too!

My advice? Believe the end consumers; Those who use it and actually can review it objectively. Don't believe the hype or exclude something from your diet just because you heard something from someone who is very opinionated.

On a side note: Do you think that peanut butter really causes cancer? Of course it does if you only eat peanut butter and you are injected with it 20 times a day. (I'm not making that up. They really did that to rats.)

Some artificial sweeteners are bad. I get that, but does that mean that we shouldn't even take our vitamins and electrolytes? Is 0.07% sweetener too much for you? . . . Is it so much that you would keep a healthy item out of your diet? Are you going to eat that broccoli, spinach, those blueberries and all the other things you'd have to eat in a day to get this much nutrition? I doubt you can.

Does that mean that people who drink caffeinated soda every day are better off drinking that stuff than drinking ecoDrink? Does it mean we'll gain weight on ecoDrink? Absolutely not.

Don't give ecoDrink a bad rap because other sweeteners like aspartame have been overused and over consumed. Drinking twenty diet sodas a day is not good for anyone. Seriously.

Why are people always looking for a cure all? Everything in moderation people. Don't eat too much sugar and you won't get fat. Don't jaywalk on the freeway if you don't want to get hit by a car.