Lara Briden - The Period Revolutionary
Leading the change to better periods and hormones
Natural treatments for breast health including iodine and body-identical progesterone.
Vitex (also called chaste tree or chasteberry) is a herbal medicine prepared from the berries of the Mediterranean tree Vitex agnus-castus. In ancient times, it was used to suppress the libido of monks, hence the name. Fortunately, it does not have that effect on women.
Vitex is effective medicine for breast pain, irregular periods, premenstrual mood symptoms, and some types of acne.
Successful treatment of heavy periods relies on identifying an underlying cause such as hormone imbalance (low progesterone), adenomyosis, or thyroid disease.
Treatment for heavy menstruation is to treat the cause as well as use general period-lightening strategies such as natural progesterone and a dairy-free diet.
Soy contains phytoestrogens or “plant-estrogens,” which sounds bad but by out-competing estradiol, phytoestrogens can have a beneficial anti-estrogen effect in women of reproductive age.
That’s why soy and other phytoestrogens can make periods lighter and improve estrogen excess symptoms such as PMS and heavy periods.
Iodine has a long history of use for breast symptoms such as pain and cysts. Research suggests it may also help reduce the risk of breast cancer and even play a role as an adjuvant treatment.
For example, iodine deficiency has been linked to the development of breast cancer, while supplementation shows potential benefits for breast cancer.