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autoimmune diseases and progesterone

by Tina Kelly
(King City, California)

Hi all,
I am hoping someone can help me. I don't want to bore anyone with my story but I am hoping that someone can perhaps give me some advice or insight. I am a 58 year old woman and I have Ankylosing Spondylitis. It is an autoimmune disease that affects the spine and joints. I have had my hips replaced and my spine is partially fused due to years of inflammation. I also suffer with gastrointestinal inflammation with accompanying diarrhea and a severe lack of appetite. I am on humira injections every two weeks and at times I have had to take them once a week. I have been on the biologics on and off for about 15 years and am scared to death of all the possible side effects. When I was 44 years old I had an ovary removed and it threw me into early menopause. My GYN explained that I probably would experience early menopause because my remaining ovary was so small that it was virtually nonexistent. So--since then I have been using (on and off) progesterone cream in small amounts and estradiol. I use about one push of ESTROGEL--sometimes 1/2 of a push from the 1st of the month until the 25th of the month. Then I am off of it for about one week. Last month after reading that progesterone can help reduce the inflammation of an autoimmune disease, I decided to give prometrium a try. I started out by taking 200 mg. at night and I took the prometrium for two weeks instead of the 50 mg. of progesterone cream. To my surprise, after about 6 days, I started to have an appetite and it was unbelievable--it lasted about 3 weeks. It was wonderful. I actually gained 10 pounds. Keeping weight on has been a struggle so it was a blessing to pack on some pounds. Unfortunately, my symptoms returned. This month on on January 11th, I started taking the 200 mg. of progesterone again and by the 17th I was able to have an appetite. I don't know if it is the progesterone helping or not. The 200 mg. also seems to help with sleep which is a blessing because I suffer with insomnia. Anyhow, I was wondering if it is okay to take the prometrium EVERY DAY without a break. I have read that the cream is better for absorption and less of a burden on the liver-- but is there a cream that will deliver 200 mg. a day without breaking the bank. I do notice that the progesterone does tend to make my stools much looser than they already are and I seem to have an emotional roller coaster ride after I stop the progesterone and am off the estradiol for 7 days. I just want to be able to have a desire to eat and not suffer so much with pain. Is it just in my head or does the progesterone help with autoimmune diseases. Has anyone else had positive results with progesterone and autoimmune diseases. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Comments for autoimmune diseases and progesterone

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Jan 21, 2016
 autoimmune diseases and progesterone
by: RJ

Hello Tina!
Open that prometrium and mix it into a good, non-chemical lotion and apply it on your skin. At 200mg you were only getting about 20mg of progesterone as the liver breaks most of it down. At 20mg a day that is going to cause lots of problems with exciting the estrogen you already have in your body. Fat cells will continue to make estrogen until the day we die. My mother has suffered with RA and Raynaud's for a long time. Progesterone has helped her tremendously. Her fingers aren't moving again, so I gave her my last bottle of Natpro and she's able to move them again. But it's not just about progesterone. Vitamin D3 fights inflammation, turmeric, boswellia and frankincense oil are also really good. My mother struggles terribly to keep her D levels up. She should take 20,000 units a day, but slacks on it, so I am there pushing her LOL. Do not take D3 without K2, magnesium and boron or calcium will go where we do not want or need it. Right now The Gut Summit is going on. An unbalanced gut will cause a ton of trouble..leaky gut will cause auto-immune diseases. Go to bodyecology.com and find the box that is advertising the Summit, then click on it and listen, it's free. Progesterone acts as a diuretic and can cause diarrhea. Once your body acclimates to the progesterone that will go away. I personally have been on 300-1,000mg a day, non-stop for almost four years of progesterone. I could not live without it. It is a slow process, Tina, but with lots of patience you will get healthy and find joy in life! Hang in there there is hope! God Bless! RJ

Wray, Mal or Joy---I like the new website design!!
Jan 21, 2016
 autoimmune diseases and progesterone
by: Wray

Hi RJ Oh I'm so happy, I'll tell Mal! He's has been hard at work doing it. The idea of course is that people can access the site from their cell phones. Not something I would do! I'm too used to using my computer, I don't like the tiny print of the phone. Many blessings! Take care Wray
Jan 21, 2016
 autoimmune diseases and progesterone
by: RJ

Good to hear from you lady! Hope you are busy in that dirt! LOL I do not like the new phones...ours is still the old fashioned flip LOL and I can just increase the size of the print on my computer with a click LOL. Take care of yourself and here's to lots of fresh veggies come this summer!!! God Bless! RJ
Jan 23, 2016
 My experience
by: Anonymous

i have person experience with Colostrum powder
A teaspoon. In A dash of warm water twice daily before meals having very positive results for autoimmune disease
Also the programme in the book "Tissue Cleansing through Bowel Management by Dr Bernard Jensen ..u can buy on Amazon. Amazing improvement after doing the programme twice
Jan 25, 2016
 thank you
by: Anonymous

Hi RJ,

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my questions. That was very kind of you. I did what you suggested and popped the prometrium pills open and mixed them with organic coconut oil and spread on my arms. I also read that they can be popped and inserted vaginally. I really do think they help with inflammation. I am a little worried about taking it non stop. I've read that it is best to stop one week a month to give your receptors a rest so I am a bit confused. Have you had any trouble taking it for three years straight. I also take a wee bit of estrogel. I have reduced it from one push of the pump to one half of a push. I also stop taking estrogel for one week of the month. So, for the last week of the month I am on nothing. During that week I feel myself getting really, really emotional and my sleep issues return and remain so until I am back on the prometrium for two weeks. You mentioned that you use Natpro and it comes in a bottle. Is it a progesterone cream or pills? I have also been taking vitamin D at 20,000 units every other night in addition to the vitamin K and magnesium. Another concern that perhaps you may have some knowledge on is that at the end of my two weeks on progesterone my breasts get really sore and tender. Do you think that will be eliminated if I stay on the progesterone all the time. I always thought that the estradiol and or estriol were good for keeping the night sweats under control, our skin soft and our vaginal tissue moist. If estrogen is eliminated, won't these problems persist? Don't know too much about this so any info would be so appreciated. Thanks so much.
Jan 25, 2016
 colostrum and autoimmune disease
by: Anonymous

hey anonymous,
would you mind sharing where you buy the colostrum. Brand, price, etc. I have a disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis with systemic inflammation induced anorexia. My body seems to go through episodes of having absolutely no hunger. I had a one month remission and was able to gain 10 pounds but am flaring once again. So miserable. Thank you for any help
Jan 26, 2016
 autoimmune diseases and progesterone
by: RJ

Hello Tina!
Look at the top of your page and you will see pulldown menus. Click on Progesterone Cream and you will find Natpro...comes in a little white tube. Watch out for that coconut oil...I use it everyday, but I am not sure if all the progesterone will get through the skin before it comes off on clothing or bedding. You may want to use it in a lotion instead of an oil. I just found some new information with regards to Boron and arthritis, I'll paste in here. As for the question on estridol and our skin, vaginal tissue, etc. I don't know. I do know for a fact that estrogen drives hot flashes and progesterone brings them down, but for the skin and vagina, I do not know. I do know that our fat cells will continue to make estrogen till we die. So, if it was estrogen that kept every supple then none of us would have dry skin issue into our older years, but we do. And what quits producing in our bodies is progesterone, not estrogen into our older years. Joy would have to answer that one for you. As for stopping it. The only time I have had to is if I have run out and then I prepare myself for a violent storm (as does my family LOL) until I get more and have been on it for about two weeks. I know all these folks out there that will say it is not meant to take non-stop. Well, yes, that may have been true back in the day when we did not have so much estrogen being thrown at us in so many forms and materials. God made our bodies to work without chemicals being introduced to them. Now throw in the chemicals we are subjected to each day and our bodies need help to offset the harm that is being caused to it each day. So, you will feel horrible when you go off it. You have built the progesterone level up and estrogen down and then you go off it a week and the reverse happens to your body and you have to start over again to build the progesterone back up. It's not estrogen making you feel good...it's progesterone. Two days ago I started a period. haven't had one in 2-3 months. But even taking progesterone non-stop for all these years the body still does what it wants even though I am trying to control it. The only symptom I had, as you just mentioned, were my nipples got very sore to the touch for about a week. I upped the dosage to eliminate the soreness which helped a bit, but the only thing that helped was the start of the cycle. But I haven't had sore breast in a very long time. It's hit and miss. What happens this month may not next or the next or for several months. I just try to keep it so I can still go out in public when I do flow and that my family smiles and says they love me instead of going outside when I come into the room LOL. It's tough Tina and of course we all are scared of cancer. So anything we do we always think...will this cause......
Here's the link. I have been researching because of my mom and her RA. Ironically, I will tell you, I made an anti-staph/fungal mixture for my dog who had a scratchy spot on him...worked miracles on him so I gave it to my husband who has like an eczema spot on his side for years. I told him put this on and lets see...after 35 years of knowing him...it's almost gone. So I said to my mom put this on the bottom part of your legs. She has edema so bad as the knees were replaced and she doesn't make T cells there any longer. Well she opted not to put it on her legs(yes, my mother is stubborn) but she did use it on an outside cat they have that had a spot on her neck. That spot cleared up but more importantly she said to me what was in that mixture you gave me because I can move my fingers for the first time in several weeks. I thought it was the magnesium until I read this article on boron. God Bless! RJ
Jan 27, 2016
 autoimmune diseases and progesterone
by: Anonymous

Dear R.J.
Thank you so much for taking time to give me so much wonderful information. I really appreciate it. Tonight I am going to start taking the prometrium using lotion instead of the coconut oil. I have been taking 100 mg. in the am with the oil and at night I make a pin prick in the prometrium capsule and insert it vaginally. I read somewhere that this is okay to do? Anyhow, still debating on whether or not to go off of the progesterone for a few days since it is the end of the month but I don't want all the estrogen symptoms to come flooding back. It is interesting that all these years I really was under the impression (according to my gyn) that I needed more estrogel instead of the P. The only reason I was told that I needed the progesterone is because I have my uterus and I would need to keep the lining thinned out. Since I am almost 59 years old, I don't think I would have a period at this stage of the game but I guess one never knows. Thanks for the info on where to find the Natpro. I did the calculations and at 200 mg. a day I would go through a tube in 10 days. So, I guess I would need about 3 tubes a month. That will cost about 72.00 a month. It sounds like a wonderful cream and I understand that everything has been done to make it affordable but I am on such a strict budget due to being disabled. I will just have to figure it all out. I am so interested in the Boron/borax. Thank you for that information. I do have osteoporosis in my forearm according to my last bone density test and of course lots of aches and pains in my spine and neck. Do you take the borax or the boron pills. It kind of sounds scary trying to figure out a amuont of the borax to take without taking too much. There is a lot of information on it so I will be doing more research. I have been taking iodine to get rid of candida and toenail fungus. I'm taking 4 drops of Lugol's Solution. One drop is sufficient but I want to see if taking 4 drops will get rid of the systemic candida. I put my husband on it because he just had a prostrate test and his PSA levels are twice what they should normally be and his prostrate didn't feel right. Iodine is suppose to be helpful in preventing and helping breast and prostrate cancer. Anyhow, there are so many natural remedies out there it makes me so stinking mad that I have been having humira injections every 10 days in order to calm my immune system down and I have been taking Biologics for over 10 years! GRRRRRR Sometimes Doctors make me so made because they seem to have their hands tied and the only thing they can advise is drugs, drugs and more harmful drugs.!!! Thank you so much for all the info. you provided. Tina
Jan 28, 2016
 autoimmune diseases and progesterone
by: RJ

Hello Tina!
Yes, the "whitecoats" can be so maddening. You are correct, one tube would last 10 days at that dosage. Remember, fat cells will continue to make estrogen until the day you die. And estrogen will cause trouble in the uterus even if no cycles are present. Think about how many women are diagnosed with breast and reproductive cancer AFTER menses. There is no longer any progesterone being made to challenge estrogen. So estrogen gets to have a party. My husband and I take 3mg of triple boron complex 5 days a week and 6mg of it two days a week. I have always done this. Yes, you can take borax but it just seems so strange to take what I make my laundry soap out of LOL. For your husband, give him zinc, beta-sisterol, flaxseed and saw palmetto. Omega 3's will help also, but they can get so pricey, so the flaxseed can substitute. If your budget was not tight I would tell you to give him 100mg of progesterone or even more with the higher PSA results. I give my husband 100mg a day of it for a cancer preventative. Progesterone is given to men who are recovering from prostate cancer. There is so much out there that can help. I hope you are able to find a combination that will work for you so you can find good health. God Bless!
Feb 04, 2016
 osteoporosis and estrogen
by: Anonymous

Hi R.J.
Thanks again for all the wonderful information you have provided me with. It is so awesome to be able to get advice that makes sense! My husband is taking progesterone cream right now for his prostrate issue at 25 mg. twice a day. I will have him up the dose. Thanks for the info on the other supplements. I hope it is ok to pick your brain with one more question? I just got back from my primary doctor and she went over my bone density test with me and as I already knew I have osteoporosis in my forearms. My T-score was -6.0 which from my understanding is severe. My primary doc wants me to stay on estrogen (estrogel) and actually increase it since my last bone density test in 2013 was worse. I guess it improved on the estrogel. In 2013 it was -7.1. SO...I am soooo confused. She also wants to give me bone building drugs and have a cat scan to make sure that the DEXA scan is accurate. I don't want to do any of those things. I want to get off of the estrogen and am taking 300 mg. prometrium but I am afraid that if I don't take the estrogen then my osteoporosis will get worse. My doc also said that progesterone will not help with mineralization. So--I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much. Tina
Feb 05, 2016
 autoimmune diseases and progesterone
by: RJ

Hello Tina!
Go to greenmedinfo.com and in their search bar type in bone density...tons of stuff with research to back it up. They did this with my mother also that is how I know about the articles. If my memory works..lol...I believe the articles say estrogen isn't the main factor here and modern medical folks have the theory wrong and they tell you exactly what all those reading mean and what to do to improve them naturally. Tina remember your fat cells will continue to make estrogen until the day you die. Then we have all the estrogen mimics each and every day...some which are completely unavoidable for us. Why more estrogen. Were you doing or taking something else when you had a good reading other than estrogen? I will admit I get very confused also about the hormones...have to re-read a lot. Women after menses have cancers, osteoarthritis, skin issues, just so many things. What we lose in menopause, when all these things start happening to us, is progesterone. Estrogens still register when we have labs performed, but progesterone is non-existent. So is it estrogen or progesterone that is needed to correct all these ills after 45 or 50 years of age. Heck, most doctors when you go in for a hormone panel don't even do progesterone....it's not important they told my daughter. No, it's not important when the medical community needs our illnesses to keep them in business. If a natural remedy is out there that can help or even cure an illness, we wouldn't need the medical community. I am currently reading JJ Virgin's The Virgin Diet...very interesting. Take out the top 7 anti-inflammatory foods and most ailments resolve themselves. I will be forcing my mother to read it after I am finished because she suffers from the pain of RA, osteo and that dern Raynaud's. It's all debilitating to her. If the cure of the all those pains is just elimination of a food we ingest...then it's not put into our shopping cart any longer. I am getting long-winded again LOL. Go to GreenMed and type in osteo too. Tons of info. draxe.com just had an article on it also but I didn't save it. So go there and type it in his search bar too. God Bless! RJ
Feb 12, 2016
 elevated vitamin D levels
by: Tina

Hi RJ,
Thank you so much for taking so much time to respond to my questions. I know it takes time from your day. I appreciate it very much. I have been reading the information that you suggested. Yes, this is all so confusing and overwhelming. I am at the point where I just don't know what to take or what to do. I just got my blood test results back and my vitamin D levels were 111. So, my primary doc told me to stop Vitamin D. Geez--thought I was doing a good thing taking 20,000 IUs every other day. Guess, I have to rethink that. I am also taking LEF.org Vitamin K which appears to be a good brand. I just started taking magnesium glycinate which I read was a very absorable magnesium. Plus I really suffer with loose bowels and this type of magnesium is suppose to be a bit more gentle on one's system. I have never really taken big amounts of calcium--maybe 600 mg. of calcium hydroxyapatite (another easily absorbable type) but perhaps I should take more. I just ordered some Strontium and a bone builder formula along with Boron. I am also going to order Borax and start using that. It appears to be more compatible for our bodies than the pill form of boron. Thanks for suggesting the boron. I had never heard of it before and am hopeful that it will help me. Anyhow, I guess I have to get on top of this osteoporosis since it is supposedly severe. Yep, my doc strongly suggested more estrogen for building bone and that progesterone would not help. These docs are something aren't they! Anyhow, I do seem to have more candida issues, worsening toenail fungus and more gurling and churning of the intestines along with much worse diarrhea with the elevated dose of 300 mg. of prometrium. Could this possible mean that my estrogen is trying to beocme dominant or maybe I need to get a different form of progesterone as I have had trouble with peanuts in the past and prometrium capsules are suspended in peanut oil. I think you can get them compounded in olive oil or I could give the Natro cream a try. So many choices to make. Has your mom ever tried bee venom therapy for her RA. I have had a lot of success with it for my Ankylosing Spondylitis. In fact, I am going to start up again because I can honestly say it always gives me so much relief. Thank you so much for all your advice and suggestions. I am so appreciative. Tina
Feb 13, 2016
 autoimmune diseases and progesterone
by: RJ

Hello Tina!
If you have ever had cancer being at a Vitamin D level of 100 is good...that is where I try to get my mother's level at, but it's virtually impossible. Life Extension is a good brand. I read a lot of there studies. If you haven't had cancer stop taking the Vitamin D for a month and retest. With your autoimmune troubles you want to keep taking it. Have you thought about adding chia seeds to your diet? I have just recently read that they are better than any fiber we can add to our diets. That may help with the diarrhea. Progesterone does cause diarrhea from a diuretic aspect. Then the other suggestion is a good probiotic. Everything, all diseases, start in the gut and if you have a lot of bad bacteria in your stomach, it will also be in your intestinal tract and it will cause diarrhea. Is it possible you have leaky gut syndrome? That will cause diarrhea as well as autoimmune diseases. I don't know if I have sent her site but Donna Gates, bodyecology.com has a lot of information about gut health. The probiotic we take is Seeking Health 12 strain Probiotia powder. We do not take the full 200 billion dosage due to cost, we stick right around 50-100 billion a day. It will cause a bit of upset once you start it but it will settle down after a few weeks. Just depends on how out of balance your system is. Are you allergic to peanuts? Peanuts can have a lot of mold toxins in them. My daughter would go into anaphylactic shock if she got near them. Maybe that is causing some of your ills. I would go with the Natpro. I initially tried others and they were so heavy on the skin and in the summer I was like a greased pig. They were super expensive too for the amount of progesterone you were getting. And Natpro is natural..no junk in it. I also have been reading The Virgin Diet, for myself, but mostly for my mother and youngest son. JJ suggests getting rid of the top seven inflammatory foods from our diets; sugar, gluten, peanuts, diary, soy, eggs...geez I cannot think of the last one lol....oh corn lol. I haven't finished it yet, but it makes sense. She has you do it for 21 days and then reintroduce a little bit and see what happens. I will research bee venom..that's interesting as I use a cream to help my back pain that contains bee pollen. But I think if I get rid of this muffin top belly I have my back won't hurt any longer lol. Anyway, I keep telling mom to stop the gluten but at 80 years old they almost are as stubborn as my 24 year old son lol. I am going to start her on the proteolytic enzymes that I give my husband. It seems to be helping him and inflammation is a problem for him and his lungs. There is so much out there to read and digest. It is so overwhelming. One will say don't drink coffee and then the other says it's proven coffee prevents breast and prostate cancer. So go figure. That's what is good about Wray's site, she gives the data to back it up. Right now I have been giving everyone beta glucan to boost our immune systems and we have had loose bowels, not diarrhea but enough to know something is up. So now I have to decide do we live with it and see if it subsides or quit taking it. Just like the progesterone, it's all trial and error. Gosh even if you take our "whitecoats" recommendation with medications, it's trial and error. So, we must not give up, keep trying and hope for resolutions to our problems. Take care of yourself and it sounds as though you are diligent in this process, so I know you are going to find a solution! God Bless! RJ
Feb 21, 2016
 thank you
by: Anonymous

Hi RJ,
Once again...thank you for all the valuable information that you have shared with me. You are very knowledgeable and it is so kind of you to share what you know in order to help others. Thank you for the information about the vitamin D. For the time being I have stopped taking vitamin D since mine was so high at 111. But, I am relieved to hear that it is not something that I should worry about. I've recently purchased the Chia seeds and am sprinkling them on everything. Also...the psyllium seems to help with diarrhea. I am currently not taking any probiotics but have used a tremendous amount in the past. Everything from pills to powder. I've also spent a lot of time making my own yogurt which is suppose to contain billions of bacteria....more than what you can get in a capsule. Don't know why I went off of it. Guess, I need to start up again. Wow, managing our health can be a full time job--never thought it would take this much work at 58!! Geez!! I just received my BORAX in the mail yesterday. Seems kind of scary to be taking borax when it says you can use it to clean with!!!! But, I've been reading so much about it and it seems like it is good for so many things. At any rate, I will give it a try. Thanks for the recommendations on the books Bodyecology and The Virgin Diet. I will look into them. I'm going to find out if I am allergic to peanuts. Don't know how to go about that. Maybe I can get some allergy testing done. The compounded olive oil progesterone caps are about 118.00 a month so the napro is cheaper. Hopefully, I will get this all sorted out one day. As you said....so much work!!! Thanks so much and God Bless!!

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