Sexy Forever: How to Fight Fat After Forty by Suzanne Somers Page B

the thyroid. Also, certain medications damage or suppress thyroid function, including lithium (at prescription doses), birth control pills, beta-blockers, phenytoin, theophylline, antacids that contain aluminum, sulfa drugs, antihistamines, and chemotherapy drugs. Imbalances of estrogen and progesterone can suppress the thyroid, too.
    For more information on BHRT, see the brief guide at the back of the book, as well as a list of doctors at SuzanneSomers.com .
TO WOMEN WHO HAVE HAD A HYSTERECTOMY
    If you’ve had a hysterectomy, you must find a doctor who understands the importance of replacing progesterone along with estrogen. Taking estrogen without natural progesterone creates imbalances in the body that can lead to cancer and unwanted weight gain. Estrogen and progesterone should be replaced in a cyclical manner, mimicking nature. The prevailing thought of most doctors is that after a hysterectomy women no longer need progesterone because they do not have a uterus. But this ignores the biological reality that whenever we have estrogen in our bodies we must have progesterone taken cyclically to balance it or our entire endocrine system can be thrown off. Balancing your hormones correctly, even if you have had a hysterectomy, will return your metabolism to normal, and (provided you detoxify and eat properly) you can regain your perfect weight.
    When your thyroid is working as it should, you’re more able to withstand massive assaults from our environment. And it will assist in ridding your body of its toxic burden, and in turn will have a positive impact on your ability to lose weight.
    The incredible impact of replacing declining hormones is that you get to feel like you did when you were young, when weight wasn’t difficult to take off. Why was being thin so easy when you were young? You had
balanced hormones
! The difference between then and now is the imbalance.
    To rectify the matter, you need to go to a qualified doctor who specializes in bioidentical hormone replacement.
    Working with a doctor who has not specialized in bioidentical hormone replacement is like going to a plumber for a heart bypass.
    Before you go, it makes sense to have your blood tested for essential hormones ahead of time, so the doctor can accurately and immediatelyprescribe bioidentical hormone replacement that’s right for you. To conveniently have your blood tested, log on to SuzanneSomers.com and click on Life Extension. They have a nationwide network that enables people to have their blood conveniently drawn without the need for an appointment. Life Extension’s prices are far more reasonable than what commercial laboratories charge. And if you’d like to dig further into this topic, please grab a copy of
Breakthrough
or
Ageless
, as in those books I delve into the entire subject.
STAYING WELL
    I take great pains (and I have had the patience) to find and keep hormonal balance. If I can do it, so can you. The effect of balance on my life is fantastic. Every day is a good one and as a result of my choices I am healthy, I’m thin, I have energy, and I feel involved and vital. Plus as an added bonus I have the benefits of youthful hormonal protection against cancer—a win-win.
    You have a choice: you can continue to deteriorate, continue to eat an unhealthy diet, continue to surround yourself with chemicals, continue to eat chemicals, continue to take unneeded over-the-counter or prescription drugs, or you can choose health and
change your life
!
    Now that you understand how important a role hormones play in the body, you can see that as we age, having a doctor who can help us keep an eye on these systems is very important. If you don’t take hormones seriously, what do you expect will happen? Hormonal imbalance leads to weight gain and poor health. Fat is a language. Fat is your body talking, screaming, to be heard. Tell yourself the truth. Stand naked in front of the mirror. Do you like what you see? Do you want to lose weight? Do you