The questions we keep being asked are:

*Where do we find information about our toxic environment and what can we do about it?

*Are natural (bioidentical) hormones safe, and will I have the negative symptoms that I had with conventional hormones, i.e. Premarin, Provera or Methyltestosterone?

*Why do you like saliva hormone testing rather than testing for hormones using blood samples?

This newsletter will briefly answer these questions, but more importantly, will point you to resources where you can learn so much more.

The question about our environment is a good one. The literature is showing that we live in a "toxic fishbowl" in that we receive toxins into our body as we breathe, drink and eat. Many of the academic authors suggest that there is no escape from pesticides, DDT, toxic metals like mercury, lead cadmium and arsenic. I believe, however, that we can reduce our toxic load by well-done intravenous and/or highly specific oral chelation.

Bioidentical hormones are exactly the same chemical formulation as your own hormones. They may be made from plant or synthetic sources and are bioidentical to your own hormones. There is a carcinogenic estrogen 4-OH-estrone that is a natural hormone and if high levels of it develop, then it may well be one of the causes of ovarian, uterine or prostate cancer. We have ways of testing for 4-OH estrone, and in preventing its excessive amounts.

I read the literature confirming the validity of saliva hormones as the active free unbound hormones in the early 1990's. I used them in conjunction with blood studies for several years and then stopped many of the blood studies. The reason-the symptoms and improvement in them was much more closely correlated to the saliva hormones test results.

Our resources page contains listings of books and suggested Web sites that, in some cases, have extensive information.

I'm going to suggest that you visit www.mercola.com as a good holistic informational Web site and subscribe to his twice a week newsletter.

Ted L. Edwards, Jr.-M.D.