^AIMRenewed Balance^TM- A natural progesterone body cream.

  RENEWED BALANCE A Remarkable Natural Progesterone Cream

Estrogen Dominance: Many health practitioners today agree that a very high percentage of women in industrialized nations (like the US) are estrogen dominant - a phrase coined to demonstrate hormonal imbalance, with excess estrogen in relation to progesterone levels. There are many causes leading to estrogen dominance including HRT, birth control, hormones in our foods, and exposure to xeno (or false) estrogens in our environment created by chemicals, pollutants, and pesticides. Many of the negative side effects of estrogen dominance include aging, weight gain, bloating, depression, PMS, migraine headaches, foggy thinking, infertility, miscarriages, moodiness, insomnia, memory loss, osteoporosis, cysts, fibrocystic breasts, water retention, fatigue, thyroid dysfunction, strokes, low libido, uterine cancer, etc. Testimonies from thousands of women have shown that natural progesterone has been used with good success to control or eliminate many of these symptoms.

AIM Companies: For more than 21 years and in eight countries, AIM has been a leader in providing only the finest quality whole food and nutritional products meeting stringent quality standards. A jar of AIM'S Renewed Balance is 1.6oz and contains 1,134 mg of USP certified natural progesterone cream (567 mg per ounce). 1/8 tsp of AIM'S Renewed Balance contains approximately 20 mg of natural progesterone.

Why USP-certified: The United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) is recognized for setting quality standards for medicines, supplements, and health care products. There are many "natural hormone" products being marketed today. Unless the product is USP-certified there is NO guarantee that it actually contains a significant amount of the ingredients listed on the label. When purchasing an over-the-counter cream, remember that so-called wild yam creams are not the same as bio-identical hormone creams synthesized from wild yam. Many products contain diosgenin, the substance from which natural progesterone is made; however, the body can't make progesterone from diosgenin, so these creams won't work. The bottom line is this: make sure that the "natural hormone" product actually contains a measured amount of USP-certified progesterone.

SUGGESTED USAGE: AIM suggests that the amount of natural progesterone used should be between 20 and 24 mg daily. Many practitioners recommend dividing the amount and using the cream twice daily; once in the morning and again in the evening, to deliver the progesterone to your bloodstream at a steadier rate. Dr John R. Lee in his book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause says: "Depending upon the amount of progesterone in your cream, you'll want to use anywhere from 1/8 to ½ tsp per day. Normal production of progesterone during the middle of a normal menstrual cycle is 20 to 24 milligrams a day for 12 to 14 days. Thus, normal progesterone production during a menstrual month is 250 milligrams or so" (p 573).

Pre-menopausal women: According to Dr. Lee, "Pre-menopausal women can use natural progesterone cream approximately two weeks per month. Since normal progesterone production can reach 20 milligrams per day between 15 to 26 of the cycle (day one being the onset of bleeding)." He usually beings by "recommending the cream be used between day 12 and day 26 to approximate normal levels (of progesterone production). Some women whose cycles are naturally longer will use it from day 10 to day 28" (p 274). Some practitioners recommend starting with a slightly lower amount at the beginning (perhaps using only the evening amount for the first two or three days), then increasing to the regular usage for the balance of time. This more closely simulates the body's natural level of progesterone production. Menopausal women not receiving medically prescribed supplementation: For these women, there is wide latitude in using natural progesterone cream. Dr. Lee suggests that "women may choose a dosage schedule based on the calendar month. The cream may be applied over a 14 to 21 day time period and then discontinued until the next month" (p 275). Many practitioners recommend that users select a minimum five-day period each month when they do not use the cream. As an example, pick any five days (like the 1st through the 5th) of each month. This will help establish a regular pattern of use, since there is no monthly menstrual cycle as a reminder.

Menopausal women taking a cycle estrogen supplement: "Since progesterone replacement in women deficient in progesterone may initially (and temporarily) increase the sensitivity of estrogen receptors," Dr. Lee recommends "reducing the dosage by one-half immediately. If you do not, you are likely to experience symptoms of estrogen dominance during the first one to two months of progesterone use" (p 275). Menopausal women taking an estrogen and progestin combination: Dr. Lee states that "progestin (a synthetic progesterone product) should be stopped immediately when progesterone cream is added. For example, if you are taking Premarin or Provera, the most common combination, you should stop taking the Provera." He has found "no ill effects in stopping Provera abruptly" (p 277).

Osteoporosis: "There is a misperception that osteoporosis beings at menopause," according to Dr. John R. Lee. "In reality, bone mass begins declining in most women in their mid-thirties, accelerates for 3-5 years around the time of menopause and then continues to decline at the rate of about 1-1.5% per year." Tests on thousands of women have shown natural progesterone to be effective not only in slowing the loss of bone density, but in actually increasing bone density (at all ages) when used consistently over a period of time.

Vaginal dryness: Many women experiencing varying degrees of vaginal dryness have received immediate relief by applying natural progesterone cream directly to the vagina and perineal area. Use as often as necessary.

Why your doctor may not have mentioned natural progesterone: Most doctors don't have the time to keep you on the latest drug research, so they rely on pharmaceutical company ads or their representatives for their information. The pharmaceutical companies have no interest in selling natural progesterone because they cant paten it (therefore they cant make any money), so they have no interest in sponsoring research of passing on information about it. This also affects the training medical schools and hospitals.

Monitoring amount used: Dr. Lee says, "The best way to tell if enough (Natural Progesterone Cream) is being used is whether your symptoms are relieved. For example, when estrogen dominance exists throughout the menstrual month, water retention and weight gain occur in the week before menstruation. After sufficient progesterone is supplemented, this cyclic weight gain no longer occurs. If you are menopausal and experiencing hot flashes or vaginal dryness, you will certainly know if those symptoms improve" (p 273). All practitioners seem to agree that a women herself is the best monitor of what is happening in her own body. She should try to learn as much as possible about her own personal responses to changes.

Side Effects: Dr. Lee states: "Natural progesterone used in physiologic doses (no greater than what the body normally should be making) has no known side effects" (P 80). Uzzi Reiss, MD/OBGyn, his book Natural Hormone Balance, states that signs of any excessive use usually occur within a half hour of taking progesterone. They symptoms may be slight drowsiness or dizziness, which tend not to last more than two hours. If such reactions occur, simply reduce the amount of progesterone ( p 116).

Why a Cream: Christine Conrad in her book, A Woman's Guide to Natural Hormones explains: "Many doctors recommend creams as a first choice because they deliver the natural hormone directly to your bloodstream. They are absorbed through the skin, so they bypass first-pass elimination by your liver. The liver breaks down hormones and works to eliminate them from your system. Usually less than 10 percent of the original dosage is left after a hormone has passed through the liver. When liver damage is associated with standard HRT, it is the result of the liver having to process and eliminates so many extra hormones" (p 96).

How to apply natural progesterone cream: Apply the cream to parts of your body where the capillaries are near the surface of the skin and the product can be easily absorbed: inner wrists, inner arms, face, neck, upper chest, stomach, breasts, palms of the hangs, and soles of the feel (if not callused). It is recommended that you rotate sites daily to avoid saturating one area and lowering cell receptivity.

EASE OF USE AND COST EFFECTIVENESS: Natural progesterone delivered as a transdermal cream is "close to 100-percent biologically available," according to Dr. Lee. Thus half of a 1.6 ounce pump would probably be more than sufficient to maintain adequate progesterone needs in a post-menopausal woman for one month of more. For a pre-menopausal woman, using the progesterone cream for only two weeks out of the month, a 1.6 ounce container would last even longer.

AIM'S Renewed Balance USP-certified natural progesterone cream is very easy to use. At a retail cost of only $12.50 per ounce, it's very cost effective as well. For AIM members, the cost is even less. For more information, please contact:

For information on natural progesterone, go to http://www.johnleemd.com.

Publications by John Lee, M.D.:

Lee, John, M.D. Natural Progesterone, The Multiple Roles of a Remarkable Hormone. Sebastopal, CA: BLL Publishing. 1993.

Lee, John, M.D. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Menopause. New York, NY: Warner Books. 1996. (Tel: 1-800-759-0190).