Hormone Replacement Therapy E4 Women

[TheBrain]

Julie,

Thanks for posting a link to the abstract for Dr. Brinton's paper. I, too, would like to see the full text.

Maybe TMI, but my last period was April 30, and before that I went 9 weeks without a period and then had some normal cycles. I am clearly perimenopausal with any period I have possibly being my last one. I believe I am suffering the effects of energy hypometabolism, and I am in that window of opportunity to help prevent neurological disease. I don't want to miss that window.

I am waiting to receive my MEND Therapy protocol, and I'm hoping hormone replacement with estrogen (and possibly other hormones) will be recommended. If not, I will pursue this option with my functional medicine PA and attempt to have it added to my protocol. I understand there can be some back-and-forth between my PA and Muses Labs and Dr. Bredesen.

On top of that, a new endocrinologist I recently saw just reduced my thyroid medication, and I am now convinced (thanks to the Hashimoto's 411 folks) that he's moving me in the opposite direction of where I need to go. Conventional doctors medicate people on natural dessicated thyroid (like armour thyroid) as if they were taking T4-only synthetic medications like synthroid. And that can result in grossly undermedicated patients. I think that's where I am now, but hopefully not for long.

Even for my thyroid meds, I am waiting to see what the MEND Therapy protocol recommends. I might not be able to wait on the thyroid front. My eyelashes are falling out! And I suspect that many of my other symptoms are the result of being undermedicated.

[Julie G]

Alysson, bless you for your patience. I would most definitely advise you to follow your own advice to LAC1965 and begin any and all strategies that you think may be helpful for the preservation of your overall cognition and health- NOW. We have no idea how long it is going to take for Muses Labs to begin working directly with customers.

Just so I understand, you've completed all of your Lifestyle Reviews, cognitive testing, and had your blood work done? Now, you are just waiting for your protocol to be delivered? What does Muses Labs say in terms of a timeframe? If you've had blood work done, I would think there would be some urgency... Have you contacted Vik directly? Would you like me to help? Feel free to PM me. (((Alysson)))

[Stavia]

Here's a new paper by Dr. Roberta Brinton exploring how reduced estrogen deteriorates cerebral hypometabolism in perimenopause. As E4 carriers start in a disadvantaged place, this looks very significant for us. I'd love to see full-text.

Perimenopause as a neurological transition state
http://www.nature.com/nrendo/journal/v1 ... 15.82.html

The estrogen receptor network becomes uncoupled from the bioenergetic system during the perimenopausal transition and, as a corollary, a hypometabolic state associated with neurological dysfunction can develop. For some women, this hypometabolic state might increase the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases later in life. The perimenopausal transition might also represent a window of opportunity to prevent age-related neurological diseases.

Your wish is my command, my sweet lady

brinton.pdf

Moderator note - I deleted the attached paper (doi:10.3233/JAD-2010-091531) because our copyright infringement policy prohibits it. Members in jurisdictions for which access to Sci-Hub is legal may want to search for the paper there.

[TheBrain]

From Julie:

Alysson, bless you for your patience. I would most definitely advise you to follow your own advice to LAC1965 and begin any and all strategies that you think may be helpful for the preservation of your overall cognition and health- NOW. We have no idea how long it is going to take for Muses Labs to begin working directly with customers.

Just so I understand, you've completed all of your Lifestyle Reviews, cognitive testing, and had your blood work done? Now, you are just waiting for your protocol to be delivered? What does Muses Labs say in terms of a timeframe? If you've had blood work done, I would think there would be some urgency... Have you directed Vik directly? Would you like me to help? Feel free to PM me. (((Alysson)))

Julie, thanks for the hug and your offer to help.

Yes, Muses Labs has everything they need from me (blood test results, Lifestyle Reviews, 23andme raw data file, SAGE cognitive test), except I'm expected to do an online cognitive assessment before I start the protocol. I'm waiting for instructions on that. But I'm essentially just waiting for my protocol to be delivered.

My coach told me last week that they started encoding my protocol on the 17th, so I'm hoping it won't be too long. But she said that after my protocol is encoded, it goes to Dr. Bredesen for review. If he wants changes made, then it goes back to Muses Labs. So it's an iterative process. But once that process is complete, my protocol goes to my functional medicine PA. If she suggests changes (and apparently, one's doctor "rules"), then that means another cycle through Muses Labs and Dr. Bredesen. So my coach couldn't really give me a timeline. But she assured me that in the near future, it should be a seamless process.

I did give my coach the "scoop" on what's going on with my thyroid, and she said she would take that information and give it to the person doing the encoding (Dr. Walker).

So I can wait a couple of weeks (I think), if that's all it would take to get my protocol. Of course, then I'd need to order my supplements, get any meds, etc. So I could really be a month out. But my PA said she could see me within a week upon receiving my protocol. She knows I'm anxious to get started.

So I'm playing it day by day. My sense is that Muses Labs is doing the best they can, so I haven't contacted Vik and don't feel a need to. I know that I can see my PA if I decide I can't wait for the protocol re: my thyroid.

Stavia, thanks for the full text of that article. Much appreciated.

[Julie G]

Stavia- THANK YOU, my friend. I look forward to reading later.

Alysson, I appreciate the update. It sounds like everyone IS working diligently to get you started ASAP. You will be among the first of the pioneers to use Dr. Bredesen's protocol via Muses Labs I just wanted to make sure that you weren't in an en unexplained holding pattern- especially after doing blood work. Please keep us updated on your progress. We are all cheering you on!!!

[Julie G]

W.O.W…just wow. This is enormous validation of what I experienced at menopause. I was having 15 hot flashes an hour and was completely unable to function.

Increasing evidence also indicates an association of the hot flush with altered glucose metabolism. Preclinical studies of bioenergetics using animal models of the female brain during perimenopause indicate that the rise in skin temperature is co­incident with the onset of reproductive variability and senescence. Levels of glucose metabolism in the brain also decline. Furthermore, glucose tolerance is compromised in the periphery (which is indicative of insulin resistance) and increased use of ketone bodies and fatty acid metabolism occurs. Consistent with these preclinical findings, analysis in humans using 18F­FDG­PET indicate a decline in brain glucose metabolism in the brain occurs during late perimenopause and continues into post-menopause. In the SWAN study, hot flushes or night sweats were strongly associated with dysregulation in glucose metab­olism, which was indicated by considerably increased levels of fasting blood glucose and raised HOMA scores. The relationship between estrogen receptors and insulin receptors in the brain is well established and provides additional evidence for the contribution of decline in estrogen levels to dysregulated glucose metabolism.

IMO, this paper is hugely important for our population as we already exhibit decreased cerebral glucose metabolism. Hot flashes (and peripheral hypoglycemia) are more than annoyances; they are grave signs of a lack of neuronal fuel. I have no doubt that the combination of HRT, creating ketones, and addressing my (newly acquired) IR literally saved my cognition… and my life.

I feel really, really grateful. I know some E4 women have other protective genes, but for those of us who don’t; the perimenopausal transition should be treated with great caution. We have the tools to prevent these women from converting to Alzheimer's disease. This.is.huge.

[circular]

I'm so looking forward to reading this and can just about feel the weight of its implications looking at it lying on my desk! I sense a milestone there.

Juliegee your story is becoming more central for me in my process over time and I'm guessing many others. It's one thing to hear about theories, and quite another to hear and be reminded of such a vivid example of their implementation. I don't know whether you get the feedback you should for sharing your story. N=1 can be a rather unhelpful concept when working scientifically with the big picture, but when it comes to real life management strategies for individuals in a complicated, uncertain world, it sometimes speaks louder than theories waiting for years' more data accumulation. The loudest message is when they come together. Thanks for staying on it and repeating your story where it dovetails! You are the canary that flew the coal mine!

[LillyBritches]

Ladies, I just posted a new topic on this, cuz I saw the article on Yahoo just now, and I was, all, "EUREKA!!!" We menopausal 4 women be havin' the brain diabetes cuz, estrogen!!!"

I should have searched "brinton" here first. lol Lilly "Perpetual Derp" Britches.

This feels HUGE for us, 4-girlfriends. Really big. All seems to be converging, huh?

[LillyBritches]

Stavy, baby! THANK YOU!

So. Who wants to email Brinton re us? I'm all emailed out for now. xoxoxo

[LillyBritches]

Wait - so I didn't really experience that many hot flashes other than a few around ages 51-52 (it's supposed to be "flushes," no? so why does everyone call it "flashes"?)...and the ones that I did have were alleviated by taking Remifemin (quality brand of black cohosh - black cohosh contains estrogen-esque chemicals). In fact, I didn't really have any perimenopausal symptoms at all other than that time when I had just turned 55 (mebbe February?) and had a whopper of a hot flash, and the very next day I had a raging UTI. Literally that quickly.

I always thought that was MY tipping point; ya know, the day the estrogen died. However, I didn't begin bioidentical HRT until that September.

I recall that two or three women with whom I worked at the time were always flashing/flushing, complaining of intense headaches, having wild mood swings, and generally keeping the office AC temperature at 65 and freezing my butt off. I had to bring a space heater for my office from home. No one understood why I wasn't going through the same crap.

Dear God, please don't let my procrastination screw me once again.