Mar 6, 2019
My guest this week is Dr. Jolene
Brighten, a functional naturopathic medical doctor and nutritional
biochemist with a focus in women's endocrine health.
She is recognized as a leading
expert in Post-Birth Control Syndrome and the long-term side
effects associated with hormonal contraceptives. Dr. Brighten is
the author of ‘Beyond the Pill: A 30-Day Program to Balance
Your Hormones, Reclaim Your Body, and Reverse the Dangerous Side
Effects of the Birth Control Pill’. She is a speaker, women’s health advocate
and a medical advisor for one of the first data-driven apps to
offer women personalized birth control recommendations.
In this episode, Dr. Brighten
and I discuss the physical and mental health risks of hormonal
birth control and the importance of true informed consent before
taking it. Side effects can vary from anxiety and depression to
increased risk for stroke, heart attack, thyroid, and adrenal
disorders. Dr. Brighten provides us with a careful approach to the
pill and how to monitor and maintain one's health while on the
pill. Teenage girls specifically are 80% percent more likely to
develop depression when taking the combination pill of estrogen and
progestin. Those who are on “the pill” have a double risk of
suicide after one year of taking it. Learn more about Dr.
Brighten here.
The Benefits of Having a
Menstrual Cycle
- The
menstrual cycle the 5th vital sign which helps to determine your
specific and unique bodily function
- A
menstrual cycle can help determine numerous health issues such as
hypothyroidism, poor liver detoxification, iron-deficiency anemia
or the making of the wrong type of metabolites.
- Symptoms from your menstrual cycle are your
bodies way of communicating to you
-
- This
is an opportunity to discover the root cause of many different
physical or mental health issues that may be occurring
Why Young Girls Are Being
Prescribed Hormonal Birth Control - “The Pill”
- For
symptom management alone before ever giving their body the time to
adapt to the new routine in their body
-
- Types
of symptoms include: irregular periods, menstrual pain, acne,
migraines, mood issues like anxiety and depression
- 60%
of women go on the pill for symptom management which can result in
major side effects and risks
-
- The
pill puts you at higher risk for strokes, heart attacks, clots,
autoimmune disorders, thyroid and adrenal disorders
Mental Health Risks While Taking
The Pill
- Women
taking birth control are 23% more likely to also be prescribed an
antidepressant
- Women
prescribed progestin are 34% more likely to be prescribed an
antidepressant
-
- Progestin is a synthetic hormone, progesterone
is a natural hormone
- Teenage girls specifically are 80% percent more
likely to develop depression when taking the combination pill of
estrogen and progestin
- Teens
who are taking progestin exclusively, commonly called the mini
pill, have two-fold increased risk of
depression
- Young
women have 3 times the risk of committing suicide
while on the pill
- Teens
have a double risk of suicide after one year of taking the
pill
-
- The
pill is easier to get now more than ever
- BE
AWARE of your daughters’ signs and symptoms;
-
- Lack
of motivation, withdrawals from social activity, raging
emotions
- These
are can be normal symptoms of a teen but mixed with the pill they
are at a much higher risk of harming themselves
What to Do Before Starting The
Pill
- Before starting the pill, try to spend at least
one or more full menstrual cycles documenting your symptoms for
each day both physically and emotionally in order to understand
your baseline
-
- If
you can also attain lab testing (thyroid panel, CBC, homocysteine
test) before starting that will also allow you to have record of
that baseline to refer to should other health issues
arise
- Look
into your family health history
-
- If
your family has a history of inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn’s
disease use caution
- A
Harvard study found that 5 years on the pill with a family history
of Crohn’s meant a 300% risk of developing it
How to Maintain Your Health
While Taking The Pill
- Eat a
diet filled with whole food
-
- Be
sure to take a prenatal or multivitamin to help with nutrient
depletion
- Consider taking a probiotics
- Effects of the pill can strongly affect your
microbiome
-
- Taking the pill has been shown to have similar
effects of an antibiotic
Where to learn more about Dr.
Brighten...
Connect with Dr. Nicole Beurkens
on...
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