I'm not very happy with that title, especially since this post is a spin-off of one that I wrote on soy in the Veg forum.
But this isn't just about soy, it's about soy and a low-fat, low-meat diet combined with other health issues, which can create havoc with our reproductive organs.
It's about how having thyroid issues make it nearly impossible for our bodies to convert beta-carotene to vitamin A, which further exacerbates the original reproductive problems.
This is the type of diet that was promoted back in the 90s by books like Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom in order to "cure" problems like endometriosis. In fact, this type of diet is still recommended for it.
I had always had bad cramps and PMS, and thought this diet would help those problems. Instead they got worse, as you can see from my previous posts outlining my experience.
Although I railed against the book for years, I got it out of my system for a while, until I found another website by someone who had had similar experiences, down to finding the WAPF information on diet and specifically, vitamin A's importance. It was uncanny that we had so many things in common. I now wonder if I have an undiagnosed thyroid problem. *shiver*
I tried to email the owner of the site, but the message came back as undeliverable. I'm afraid that since she hasn't updated it in years, she may take it off the Internet. If anyone can think of creative ways I could reach her, feel free to PM me or respond to this thread.
I think it's an important message that needs to be heard by more people, especially since thyroid issues are a huge problem in this country (if you don't believe me, take a peek at the StopTheThyroidMadness.com site).
Without further ado, here is the link to the article, "My ordeal as a patient of Dr. Christiane Northrup MD" by Mary Cupp, a former patient of Dr. Northrup's.
"The following year I read an interview in "East/West Journal" in which Dr. Northrup spoke of treating endometriosis, fibroid tumors, and heavy periods etc. (all conditions that I was suffering from) with diet and vitamins. In the article she recommended a lowfat, vegetarian diet. I had been lacto-ovo vegetarian for years, yet she recommended avoiding dairy products.
When I heard that Dr. Northrup had opened a holistic clinic called "Women to Women" I decided to try it. [...] She recommended a strict vegetarian diet, eliminating all (she underlined “all”on the prescription pad) dairy foods and eggs, and substituting soy milk for dairy milk in recipes. I commenced the diet. I remember thinking to myself, "Well, you can't hurt anyone with a good diet." Little did I know. "
So this woman set out to avoid surgery and other medical procedures by using more holistic methods like diet. She ends up with having a hysterectomy!
I was just trying to find ways of reducing menstrual cramps, and ended up having surgery to remove an ovarian cyst and a uterine fibroid.
So Mary goes on to do some of her own research, and comes across information about studies using high doses of vitamin A for excessive bleeding. Yet Dr. Northrup had never mentioned it.
Mary starts taking high doses, and finds that it helps a lot of problems.
She finds out that people who are diabetic or have thyroid problems basically can't convert beta-carotene to vitamin A. Yet the former is recommended by "experts."
She is stunned that Dr. Northrup's father, a dentist, is also a follower of Weston Price!
But this isn't just about soy, it's about soy and a low-fat, low-meat diet combined with other health issues, which can create havoc with our reproductive organs.
It's about how having thyroid issues make it nearly impossible for our bodies to convert beta-carotene to vitamin A, which further exacerbates the original reproductive problems.
This is the type of diet that was promoted back in the 90s by books like Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom in order to "cure" problems like endometriosis. In fact, this type of diet is still recommended for it.
I had always had bad cramps and PMS, and thought this diet would help those problems. Instead they got worse, as you can see from my previous posts outlining my experience.
Although I railed against the book for years, I got it out of my system for a while, until I found another website by someone who had had similar experiences, down to finding the WAPF information on diet and specifically, vitamin A's importance. It was uncanny that we had so many things in common. I now wonder if I have an undiagnosed thyroid problem. *shiver*
I tried to email the owner of the site, but the message came back as undeliverable. I'm afraid that since she hasn't updated it in years, she may take it off the Internet. If anyone can think of creative ways I could reach her, feel free to PM me or respond to this thread.
I think it's an important message that needs to be heard by more people, especially since thyroid issues are a huge problem in this country (if you don't believe me, take a peek at the StopTheThyroidMadness.com site).
Without further ado, here is the link to the article, "My ordeal as a patient of Dr. Christiane Northrup MD" by Mary Cupp, a former patient of Dr. Northrup's.
"The following year I read an interview in "East/West Journal" in which Dr. Northrup spoke of treating endometriosis, fibroid tumors, and heavy periods etc. (all conditions that I was suffering from) with diet and vitamins. In the article she recommended a lowfat, vegetarian diet. I had been lacto-ovo vegetarian for years, yet she recommended avoiding dairy products.
When I heard that Dr. Northrup had opened a holistic clinic called "Women to Women" I decided to try it. [...] She recommended a strict vegetarian diet, eliminating all (she underlined “all”on the prescription pad) dairy foods and eggs, and substituting soy milk for dairy milk in recipes. I commenced the diet. I remember thinking to myself, "Well, you can't hurt anyone with a good diet." Little did I know. "
So this woman set out to avoid surgery and other medical procedures by using more holistic methods like diet. She ends up with having a hysterectomy!
I was just trying to find ways of reducing menstrual cramps, and ended up having surgery to remove an ovarian cyst and a uterine fibroid.
So Mary goes on to do some of her own research, and comes across information about studies using high doses of vitamin A for excessive bleeding. Yet Dr. Northrup had never mentioned it.
Mary starts taking high doses, and finds that it helps a lot of problems.
She finds out that people who are diabetic or have thyroid problems basically can't convert beta-carotene to vitamin A. Yet the former is recommended by "experts."
She is stunned that Dr. Northrup's father, a dentist, is also a follower of Weston Price!
