2 oz. Jar
Not available in Canada
Elsewhere: USD$
30.00
Our Price: USD$
26.00
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AIM Renewed Balance Product Information
A natural answer to hormone imbalance
Many health practitioners believe
that an imbalance between two
important hormones, estrogen and
progesterone, causes the symptoms of
premenstrual syndrome (PMS),
menopause, and the accelerated bone
loss after menopause. If you are suffering
from PMS or any of the symptoms
associated with menopause — hot
flashes, water retention, weight gain,
mood swings, lack of concentration,
dry and thin skin, bone mineral loss
(osteoporosis), and others — these two
hormones may not be in balance.
In the past, many health practitioners dismissed
PMS as “psychological” or “inconsequential” and recommended
nothing in particular to treat it. Menopause
symptoms were recognized, however, and health practitioners
generally recommended Estrogen Replacement
Therapy (ERT) to manipulate hormone levels and thus
relieve the discomforts of menopause. However, in the
mid-1970s, studies linked the use of synthetic estrogen
to uterine cancer. This spurred the use of Hormone
Replacement Therapy (HRT), which often combines
synthetic estrogen with synthetic versions of progesterone
(progestins, such as Provera). This therapy was
also said to reduce the risk for both heart disease and
osteoporosis.
HRT also has drawbacks, however. Using synthetic
progesterone and estrogen has resulted in many side
effects — fluid retention, nausea, insomnia, depression,
high blood pressure, and hair loss. Even more worrisome
is that studies have indicated that older women
who take synthetic hormones are at significantly
greater risk for breast cancer and that adding progestins
to estrogen does not reduce this risk.
Today, many women are becoming aware of the
drawbacks of ERT and HRT and want a natural product
that can help them balance their hormones. One
solution is natural progesterone, a substance that is
safe, effective, and easy to use.
Progesterone and natural progesterone
Progesterone is made in the ovaries. Progesterone
production begins just prior to ovulation and increases
rapidly until it reaches an average production of about
20 mg per day. If an egg is not fertilized, progesterone
production falls, triggering the menses. Progesterone is
necessary throughout gestation for the survival of a fertilized
egg, the resulting embryo, and the fetus. During
pregnancy the placenta produces 300 mg to
400 mg of progesterone per day.
Progesterone has many other functions,
among them protecting against breast fibrocysts,
helping the body use fat for energy, and
helping to normalize blood clotting and
blood sugar levels. Today, many health professionals
claim that the symptoms associated
with PMS and menopause are due not so much to
estrogen, but to a deficiency of progesterone and an
overabundance of estrogen. It is believed that progesterone
balances estrogen and that an overproduction of
estrogen can lead to health problems.
Natural progesterone is derived from wild yams.
Natural progesterone has the same molecular structure
as the progesterone produced by the body and can be
used to balance estrogen and progesterone levels.
Natural progesterone and PMS
Many people believe that progesterone is the culprit
in PMS because PMS occurs about 10 days before a
woman’s period—when progesterone levels are high.
However, according to John Lee, M.D., women with
PMS tend to have lower progesterone levels than normal
at this time in the cycle (when progesterone is supposed
to be dominant). This means estrogen is dominant
and that the two hormones are not in balance. Using
natural progesterone can help restore the balance.
Natural progesterone and menopause
The prevailing belief is that menopausal symptoms
are due to an estrogen deficiency. However, estrogen
levels drop 40 percent to 60 percent at menopause,
while progesterone levels drop to nearly zero. This
great drop in progesterone means that the two hormones are unbalanced. Using natural progesterone can
help restore the balance.
Natural progesterone, wild yam, and progestins
Many people confuse natural progesterone products,
wild yam products, and synthetic progestins.
In natural progesterone products, such as AIM
Renewed Balance®, diosgenin, a phytoestrogen (plant
estrogen) is derived from the wild yam. The diosgenin
is converted into natural progesterone in a three-step
process. This natural progesterone has the same molecular
structure as the progesterone created by the body
and can be used to supplement and balance the body’s
progesterone and estrogen levels.
A wild yam extract product also contains diosgenin
from the wild yam plant. However, it is not converted to
natural progesterone and thus does not have the same
molecular structure as the progesterone produced by the
body. Although wild yam extract products do have progesterone-
like effects, they cannot be considered natural
progesterone products. The active ingredient in a wild
yam product is diosgenin, not natural progesterone.
AIM Renewed Balance® contains natural progesterone,
not just wild yam. This may be confusing. Just
remember this: In AIM Renewed Balance the diosgenin
from wild yam is converted to natural progesterone.
In wild yam extract products, the diosgenin
from wild yam is not converted to natural progesterone.
Finally, many people consider synthetic progesterone
(known as progestins) the same thing as natural progesterone.
Synthetic progestins are often derived from
progesterone or testosterone and converted to natural
progesterone, but they are then further altered by introducing
a new atom. This inhibits progesterone metabolism
and prolongs its activity. It is no longer natural
progesterone. There is a long list of contraindications
and side effects that accompany these synthetic progestins.
As noted, these symptoms include fluid retention,
nausea, insomnia, and depression.
Estrogen dominance
Estrogen dominance is the term used by many health
practitioners when estrogen and progesterone are out of
balance; generally there is more estrogen relative to the
progesterone. It is important to remember that this does
not mean that there is too much estrogen; simply that
estrogen levels are relatively higher than progesterone
levels. According to Raymond F. Peat in Nutrition for
Women, among the side effects of estrogen dominance
are face puffiness, feet swelling at night, excessive uterine
bleeding, PMS symptoms, increased fat storage, low
blood sugar, and memory loss.
Estrogen dominance, and its side effects manifested
in PMS and menopausal symptoms, may be more
prevalent today because of the synthetic estrogen found
in foods and the many chemicals prevalent in our environment
that have estrogen-like effects.
Natural progesterone and osteoporosis
Estrogen and progesterone also contribute to osteoporosis.
Estrogen is often used to fight osteoporosis after
menopause because a lack of estrogen speeds up bone
loss. However, Dr. Lee theorizes that progesterone is
more important than estrogen in treating osteoporosis.
Dr. Lee points out that bone loss in women starts in
| Type of product | Source | Results
|
| Wild Yam Cream |
Diosgenin is extracted from wild yam
plants |
Diosgenin is extracted from wild yam
and converted to have the same
structure as the progesterone in the body |
| Natural Progesterone Cream (AIM Renewed Balance) |
Diosgenin is extracted from wild yam and converted to have the same
structure as the progesterone in the body |
Is the same as the progesterone produced by the body; it has no
known side effects |
| Progestin (synthetic progesterone) |
Starts with natural progesterone; but an
atom is added, changing the structure; it
is no longer the same as the progesterone
produced by the body |
Has some progesterone-like effects,
but also many negative side effects
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their 30s, before estrogen production has greatly
decreased. At this time, however, progesterone levels
are falling, due to periods without ovulation (unovulatory
periods). Thus, the bone loss may be due more to
a lack of progesterone than to a lack of estrogen. Dr.
Lee also points to studies that indicate that there are
receptors for progesterone in the osteoblasts, the cells
involved in new bone formation.
In a summary of his own report on osteoporosis
reversal (original report published in the June 1990
issue of the International Clinical Nutrition Review), Dr.
Lee states that, in a program including small amounts
of estrogen and a 3 percent progesterone cream, “a 5-10
percent increase in bone mineral density was found to
be routine during the first year.” In Natural
Progesterone, The Multiple Roles of a Remarkable
Hormone, Dr. Lee states that “Postmenopausal osteoporosis
is a disease of inadequate osteoblast-mediated
new bone formation secondary to progesterone deficiency.
Progesterone restores osteoblast function.”
AIM Renewed Balance is a topical cream that helps
your body stay in balance. It is available in either a
pump dispenser or in a jar. The pump contains 1,104
mg of natural progesterone (derived from wild yams),
vitamin E, aloe vera, and other healthful substances.
The jar has the same ingredients, but contains 1,120
mg of natural progesterone.
The other ingredients in AIM Renewed Balance
also have benefits. Vitamin E helps stabilize the natural
progesterone and is also believed to be its most
effective carrier. Vitamin E is instrumental in seeing
that the natural progesterone is absorbed by the body.
Aloe vera oil, avocado oil, carrot oil, and lemon oil also
help absorption, and give AIM Renewed Balance
powerful moisturizing capabilities.
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