Did you know that 20% of Americans have copper deficiency? . If you have osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis or just feel sluggish, it could mean that you need more of the micronutrient, copper, in your diet!
Did you know that an estimated 150 million women worldwide take birth control pills?
Such widespread use of birth control pills worries me because many women are not aware of the serious health implications of these drugs. I also believe that birth control pills are often prescribed to address symptoms (like cramping, spotting, irregular periods and acne) instead of the underlying causes of the symptoms.
Many women do not consider the very real (and sometimes very dangerous) side effects of these synthetic hormones, but you owe it to your body, and to your future children, to find out more.
Birth Control: Synthetic Hormones
First, let’s understand how birth control pills work in your body.
Typically, your body ovulates once a month, ripening a new egg that will then journey down a fallopian tube. Eventually it reaches the uterus, where it would implant, if fertilized.
If not fertilized by a sperm, then the lining of the uterus that had built up in preparation for the fertilized egg is unnecessary. Both egg and uterine lining leave your body, cleansing your system and preparing for a new month.
When you take birth control pills, you impose synthetic hormones on your natural cycle.
Many birth control pills contain high levels of estrogen that effectively convince your pituitary gland that you are pregnant (this explains some of the side effects of the drugs) and that you don’t need to ovulate. Because your body thinks you are pregnant, the uterine lining thickens. Once you start the placebo pills, however, your estrogen level drops suddenly, and your body menstruates “normally.”
This abnormal cycle is what millions of women experience every month, and yet few doctors discuss the consequences of taking these prescriptions for year after year.
Real Risks
Here is an overview of the reported risks and side effects of birth control pills.
Some physical and emotional changes take place that are permanent while you stay on the pill. Many of these changes occur as your body’s response to synthetic estrogen.
- Larger breasts
- Weight gain or loss
- Reduced or increased acne
- Slight nausea
- Emotional sensitivity right before your period
- Mood swings throughout your cycle
- Irregular bleeding or spotting
- Breast tenderness
- Decreased libido
The above side effects might be enough to deter some women from taking birth control, but many women are just not aware of them, while others justify the side effects because the pill is so convenient.
But imagine taking your birth control pill, feeling depressed and then taking an antidepressant to handle your mood swings and hypersensitivity. Adding an antidepressant could then contribute to even lower libido, which would surely be noticed by you and your partner.
My point is that birth control pills are a prescription drug with very real ramifications on your overall health.
And even scarier than the “mild” side effects are the serious health risks that accompany birth control pills. These include: ,
- Increased risk of cervical and breast cancers
- Increased risk of heart attack and stroke
- Migraines
- Higher blood pressure
- Gall bladder disease
- Infertility
- Benign liver tumors
- Decreased bone density
- Yeast overgrowth and infection
- Increased risk of blood clotting
Cancer, heart disease, stroke, infertility. Surely these side effects make birth control pills a less than desirable option for contraception. And now that heart disease has become the leading cause of death among women, one has to wonder if there is a connection between the widespread and long-term use of oral contraceptives, which debuted in 1960... just as the first of the baby boomers were entering their teens.
Yeast overgrowth and yeast infections (candida), too, are particularly dangerous to your overall health.
Birth control pills actually destroy the beneficial bacteria in your intestines, making you more susceptible to yeast overgrowth, lower immunity and infection.
The Body Ecology System for Health and Healing is unique because of our understanding and focus on the inner ecosystem. With a healthy inner ecosystem, good bacteria and yeast (microflora) thrive in your intestines, helping you to digest food, protect you from illness and disease, and absorb and manufacture vital nutrients.
You can encourage the health of your inner ecosystem by implementing Body Ecology’s Seven Universal Healing Principles, living a low stress lifestyle and avoiding recreational and medicinal drugs and empty, toxic foods that upset the balance of beneficial microflora in your body.
After years and years of taking birth control pills and creating an imbalanced inner ecosystem (with an overgrowth of bad bacteria and yeast), it is no wonder that women are at greater risk for infections as well as chronic diseases like cancer.
The Birth Control Solution
Sometimes birth control methods are very necessary for preventing unwanted pregnancies, but I urge you to learn more about other natural options that do not damage your health.
Condoms (both male and female), the diaphragm and cervical cap are all reasonable options for birth control. However, we highly recommend that you become familiar with the work of Katie Singer and her book, The Garden of Fertility. Ms Singer writes about Fertility Awareness, a natural method for birth control that enhances your chances of conceiving, and gauging gynecological health.Here you will find the secret fortuning in with Nature instead of going against Her.
If you are taking birth control pills for a reason other than contraception, please reconsider.
Whether you are trying to clear up your skin or ease disruptive and painful PMS, keep in mind that birth control pills are merely addressing the symptomsand are notsolving the problem. Your body is actually trying to tell you something. Acne may indicate that your colon, lymph and liver need cleansing because they are toxic, that your hormones are out of balance, that your life is too stressful, that your thyroid and adrenals are fatigued. Acne is also a common symptom of a yeast infection or candidiasis.
Birth control pills may improve your symptoms for a short time, but your body and its overall health is at risk when you consider the long run.
The Body Ecology Way of Life offers many healthy tools that can help address symptoms like PMS and acne that have American women downing those birth control pills. We can even help you rebalance your body if you have already been taking them.
Fermented Dong Quai is made from a Chinese herb that is known for balancing hormones, easing hot flashes and diminishing menstrual pain. Because it is fermented, it also populates your gut with powerful probiotics that protect you from infection, improve the appearance of your skin, and help your body absorb nutrients. Try Fermented Dong Quai today to ease your PMS!
Fermented Dong Quai is an exclusive blood building tonic that also features key strains of beneficial bacteria and yeast to populate your intestines and boost your immunity.
Dong quai is an herb used for centuries in ancient Chinese remedies to address the special needs of women. Dong quai can help with infertility, hot flashes and menstrual pain. It also promotes the proper balance of hormones and a regular menstrual cycle.
While dong quai is prized for women’s health, it has been used historically for men and women to cleanse the blood, fight signs of infection and encourage digestion.
Since fermented foods and drinks have so many benefits for healing infections and boosting immunity, we realized that fermenting dong quai could be a major step forward in natural health and hormone balance for women.
Natural Solutions for You and the World
Fermented Dong Quai is just one way that you can positively impact your health and regulate your hormones. But as you make wiser choices for your own wellness, you also affect the world around you.
Researchers have discovered that much of our water supply is contaminated by synthetic hormones attributed to birth control pills. They have found that the high levels of estrogen in lakes and rivers damages the fish and other wildlife, sometimes causing them to be sterile and severely decreasing their populations.
As you can see, unnatural choices have unnatural consequences, both for you and the environment.
Your choice of contraception is most certainly a personal one. And in a world full of modern medical technology, we have been taught that taking a pill is the answer to any health problem. However, the human body is still connected to Mother Earth in a way that science does not fully recognize.
As women, we may often feel our connection to Mother Earth because of our menstrual cycles.
In fact, Dr. Michael Smolensky’s research on circadian rhythms (biological cycle lasting 24-hours) and the sleep/wake pattern found that:
"Our words, 'menstruation,' 'moon,' and 'month,' all come from the Greek word for 'measure of time.' A woman's menstrual cycle runs its course in about twenty-eight days, one lunar cycle. Periods usually start spontaneously in the week of the full moon in women not using birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy, particularly those with ample exposure to natural daylight and dark cues.
--Dr. Michael Smolensky, author of The Body Clock Guide to Better Health
Dr. Smolensky’s research showed that the more we use bright lights at night, the less regular our periods.
So our bodies were created to follow the natural flow of light and darkness. Modern life, however, often brings late nights in bright lights or in front of computers that disrupt the body’s natural light cues, throwing us off. You might find that dimming the lights in your home right after dinner (a tip I give to help heal adrenal fatigue and help you sleep) also helps regulate your periods!
So as you are making wiser choices about what method of birth control is right for you, consider your long term health and the health of our planet. Becoming healthy in mind, body and spirit often means getting back to basics and closer to Mother Nature.
This can be a challenging process when modern technology is everywhere, but your good health and longevity just may be worth taking a different path!
Sources:
- Birth Control Statistics.http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/wha/wha_contrace_crs.htm
- Our Bodies, Ourselves. http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book/excerpt.asp?id=24
- Allen, Kim, “The Pill,” IO.comhttp://www.io.com/~wwwomen/contraception/pill.html
- “New study widens pill risk for cancers,” Reuters, 10 Aug 2005. http://en.epochtimes.com/news/5-8-10/31022.html
- Women, Heart Disease, and Stroke.AmericanHeart.org.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4786 - Borenstein, Seth, “Estrogen can bend gender of male fish living in water contaminated by birth-control pill residue,” Knight Ridder Newspapers, 27 Jun 2003. http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/press/2003/2003-0627-KR-estrogenizedfish.htm
I would like to know how to come off the pill. I have been wanting to do it for months now but no idea how to go about it.
I am 39 and have been on the pill for 18 years non stop apart from 2 pregnancies.
I cant talk to my Dr about it as she is not very understanding of doing anything the natural way.
Do you just stop taking them? Is there a certain time in the month to stop taking them? I have no idea.
Ive been wanting help with this for ages so hope I can get an answer here.
Thanks
Posted on May 13 at 2:30 am
Sorry but I don{t care. I would rather die slowly and painfully of these health risks than have blood come out of my vagina. It{s not natural and it{s scary.
Posted on Apr 29 at 8:24 am
I have been on birth control since I was 15. I was put on it for the huge painful pimples I would get, but I wouldn't call it acne. Being that young and having a boyfriend, I was stoked to have a form of birth control that wasn't a condom. Now I am 30 and have decided that in a couple of days I will take my last pill. It's a scary decision because every time I think I want to stop taking the pill, the nurses at Planned Parenthood always tell me dangers of going off it such as an increased risk of Ovarian Cancer. I am not trying to get pregnant but being a smoker (currently trying to quit) for a longer time than I have smoked puts me at huge risk for severe life threatening problems. I am going to quit both and use the advice from this page to rebuild my system. I have been trying to tell my younger sister about the dangers of the pill but she finds it impossible to go off because she too gets Hemmorhagic Ovarian Cysts when she hasn't been taking the pill. If anyone has more info on therapy for the cysts please tell me.
Also, I have heard of multiple women my ago having strokes recently from the pill. I do not want to be one of them.
Posted on Feb 28 at 9:53 pm
I am 14 years old and my dad wants me to start using birth control. At first i liked the idea but now that ive seen all this information im not sure about it... I only want the pill to keep me from getting pregnant just in case something unexpected happens... im not sure what to get and im going to get it in 2 days... I was wodering if u had any suggestions for me ... thank you for all tthe information and making me aware of all the things that can go wrong with birth control and in whta ways i could harm myself... i have definatley changed my perspective and have taken this information into deep consideration
Posted on Nov 26 at 10:57 am
Jules,
I too started taking the pill at about the same age due to heavy, painful and irregular periods. The side effects of taking the pill for so many years have damaged my body and caused some rather serious, long term effects. I am not a doctor. I am a regular woman however have some background in health and nutrition. Through diligence in research, studying, asking health professionals questions and being fortunate enough to have friends in the health profession, I was able to over come issues caused by the pill. I would be glad to discuss your issues and challenges with you. We need to find the root cause of your health issues (skin, hormone or whatever) and give your body the tools it needs to heal itself through lifestyle, diet and proper supplementation. I have been able to not only make people aware of these side effects but help them to get well. Feel free to contact me through this email: dreamcoat@unfranchise.com.
Posted on Nov 16 at 11:15 am
Thank you for this information! I am writing my research paper, and my topic is: The birth control pill is more dangerous than the medical community has led us to believe and should be removed [or restricted] from general consumption. Please contact me, because i believe you could help me! Thank you!
Posted on Nov 1 at 7:50 am
could you please send more information for me on natural remedy of birth control.
Posted on Oct 30 at 8:41 am
Birth control pills are pretty much the only available solution for endometriosis apart from surgery, which is not always successful. What would you recommend for this condition?
Posted on Sep 25 at 12:49 am
I am using birth control pills for almost 3 years, While reading this article, i was so worried. I take pills because of hormonal imbalance only. I am 24 years old, still single and of course I want to have baby someday. Now that I knew it's harmful side effects, I will stop taking BC pill. but want to have my regular menstruation? how it will work if i will not use the pill again? and now that i will stop using the pill, is there any side effects for me if i will stop taking it since i am taking the pill for almost 3 years? im just so worried about it.. thanks..
Posted on Aug 5 at 4:23 pm
It's true because after giving birth to my baby boy, i went on Birth Control Pills for 5 years. it's now 3yrs I have failed to Conceive # 2, I have done all the infertility tests and all of them come back normal. what i know it's the Birth Control Pills which made me Infertile. so Young girls stop using Birth control Pills for the good of your Health.
i am aged 30yrs.
Posted on Jul 2 at 3:37 am
Hey, to "Not Stupid"... My friend had a stroke at 20 years old thanks to her birth control pills. She was planning on going on into professional snowboarding, but now she has to rebuild everything. She is now able to speak again and took her first steps in two years last week. So, yeah, I'll take the "BS treatment".
Posted on Jun 9 at 9:06 am
I wish people took more time to get the facts....I've read research studies on how the pill depletes testosterone in women. You DO need testosterone girls its very important for your muscles and not to mention...your libido. I'm 18 and i was on the pill for 3 months. No side effects except the fact that my always healthy libido had diminished and I felt a sense of fullness all the time. I hated it. Back to condoms and a healthy libido I've never been happier. I don't care if my boyfriend doesn't love them. More studies need to be done! and women need to research before they say "hey i won't get pregnant? let me pop this magic pill!" It's not magic, it's artificial toxins to your system.
Posted on Jun 3 at 12:11 pm
thank you for this article. it was the first informative one i found before diving into more research to back up my decision to not take the pill. as an 18 year old, it seems like such a rarity to not be on the pill but as someone who is more lenient to natural medicines, foods etc i have never wanted to put anything in my body that is not supposed to or needs to be there. if people want to take the pill, sure that is fine. everyone makes the decision for their own body. i just wish people would put in some research before putting things into their body simply because it is the norm in society.
also, to kendra, you don't need to 'buy' milk when you have a baby. your body does that for you :)
Posted on May 28 at 10:02 pm
Honestly, I've been using birth control for 7 months now. Yes there are many side effects but women have been taking them for years and years. How often do they die from it or even close? it definietly depends on the brand. also the type of method used. women should have a right to what they do to their own body. if I want to pop a pill every night, I could and I will continue to do so. Im perfectly fine. No mild side effects. I want to have sex without getting pregnant. Condoms break. I'll keep paying for my birth control rather than paying for diapers, milk, etc. when I didn't plan on doing so. People should just worry about themselves.
Posted on May 21 at 7:36 am
This was a very informative & interesting article. However, as advocates for living in harmony with our bodies' natural functioning, I'm surprised that you didn't mention the family planning method which is called "Natural Family Planning", or "NFP". It is not the old "Rhythm" method & it has a high degree of success when used properly. There are several different methods, but the " Creighton Method", for one, has (in normal use) a 97% success rate & 99.5% when practiced perfectly! "NFP" involves determining one's ovulation by tracking the condition of the woman's cervical mucus & abstaining from sex on the few days a month when a woman can actually conceive. Farmers have guaged their animals' readiness for breeding using this method for centuries! Since the man must participate, "NFP" also increases communication between the spouses & mutual responsibility. Since couples relying on "NFP" have a shockingly low rate of divorce-(2%), what could be healthier for the individual as well as society than that?
Posted on Apr 2 at 4:56 pm
I've been taking the pill for about 8 years, since I was 13. I decided to go off it last year, and now my face has broken out terribly. I saw an accupuncturist and took herbs, tried all kinds of products. And because I can't take the emotional stress any longer I went back on the Pill.
It's been 2 months, and now i'm reconsidering my decision. I'm just heartbroken that i'm stuck in this predicament. I don't know what to do. I don't want to harm my body, but i'm just so depressed. Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience.
Posted on Mar 7 at 7:09 pm
Taylor - what kind of comment that? First of all, try teaching abstinance to the youth of today, if people want to have sex theyre never going to refain. Also what about people who are married? I'm married and I'm not going to absain from sex with my husband just because we're not ready for a baby yet!
However I do agree with staying clear of the pill, use condoms people - so much healthier! :) Thanks for this article it was indeed very helpful!
Posted on Feb 29 at 1:48 pm
You people believe everything you read and will waste money on some bs treatment. When your daughter gets pregnant you will know why the doctors laughed at you
Posted on Feb 2 at 9:37 pm
Why do girls get birth control. If they didnt want to get pregent dont have sex!
Posted on Jan 19 at 8:54 am
It is a shame how people can be so ignorant.. laughing at you while they are the ones who are foolish. I was considering taking birth control, however beforehand I decided to look into it because my boyfriend suggested that I don't take it due to the harmful side-effects that it may cause me now and in the future. This information was definitly enough for me to back away. I hope that your daughter get's better and that the Don Quai works for you both.
God Bless
Posted on Nov 14 at 8:29 pm
Thank you so much for this article. I have many other reasons besides the ones you have listed to be against birth control for any reason. I had secondary infertility due to Birth Control use. My daughter just got out of the hospital today, she is 14 with a Hemmorhagic Ovarian Cyst. They recommended "hormone" therapy, a way of avoiding saying birth control pills and I immediately let them know that that was not an option as I am completely against the use of BC pills. They rolled their eyes at me and made fun of me for it. I was mad but they are just ignorant. I think I will try Don Quai for her and for me as well for my cysts that I just monitor everyother month and see if it makes a difference. I will let you know if it does.
Posted on Oct 15 at 2:27 pm