FAQ'S

FAQ’s 

**DISCLAIMER - These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease or medical conditions. The products and information found on plattwellness.com are not intended to replace professional medical advice or treatment. Individual results may vary.

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FAQ’s on Progesterone Cream, Estriol and Adrenaline Dominance

PROGESTERONE 5%:

Q: Are your progesterone creams ‘natural’? I avoid products with harmful ingredients.

A: All the ingredients in our creams are natural. There are no soy derived ingredients, parabens, or phenoxyethanol. The base of our P cream is organic wild yam and is paraben free, soy free, MSM free, EDTA free and fragrance free. In addition, the natural ingredient "wild yam extract" includes "USP progesterone" to help the body to convert wild yam extract into progesterone. If a P Cream does not include USP Progesterone listed, then you should avoid this cream as it won't convert to progesterone cream as needed by the body.

Q: What are the benefits of using Bio-Identical Progesterone Cream?

A: When you realize that there are over 300 receptor sites for progesterone throughout the body, you can begin to appreciate the powerful effects people can experience when they are given this hormone. There are at least 16 Benefits using P Cream. It is a hormone that is present in both sexes. It blocks the toxic effects of three hormones in the body - estradiol, insulin, and adrenaline.

Q: What is the difference between a 5% progesterone cream and a 2% cream?

A: 5% (50 mg per pump) is the exact, effective strength required to block adrenaline and insulin and the ideal strength to provide protection from excess estrogen. Lower strength progesterone cannot provide these benefits. In fact, 2% cream or less can actually stimulate estrogen receptor sites and cause unwanted side effects.

Q. Are there any side effects?

A. On rare occasions men and women can experience some side effects, but usually go away when you titrate down and gradually dose P Cream. Click here for special considerations of using Progesterone Cream.

Q. Where are the recommended application sites?

A. For progesterone to be effective, it needs to get into the bloodstream and avoid areas with fatty tissue, such as the abdomen and inner thighs. The ideal site for this is the forearm. For those people who have tension in the neck, tinnitus, or headaches, the back of the neck is an excellent site as well. View Video here.

Menstruating women:

Q: I have been told to use progesterone cream from Day 14 of my cycle forward. Why does your Platt Protocol recommend using it daily?

A. With daily progesterone, you are supporting the adrenal production of progesterone and is quite often needed. Relief of symptoms is the goal.

If you are a menstruating woman, you should take the progesterone during the luteal phase or the last half of your cycle, which can be determined by starting 10 days after the first day of your period and stopping the progesterone when your period starts. 

You can suppress ovulation with progesterone but you have to use very high doses to do it.  Once daily is no where near.

A shortened cycle can occur when starting progesterone.  

Menstruating women who prefer to cycle in order to get pregnant are advised to use topical progesterone 5 to 7 days after the first day of your period and continue until the next period begins. Day 1 is the first day of your menstrual bleed. If your period is irregular, start using topical progesterone 7 days after you begin a period and teach your body to learn a new cycle. Stop whenever your period comes back again, and repeat, or apply as recommended by your healthcare provider.

Women with no ovulation like in the case of PCOS can pick a day and start 7 days after the first day of the period and continue until the period starts again.

Please note: Dr. Platt had the benefit of studying and researching the benefits of a high dose progesterone cream for over 20 years. Through assisting thousands of patients, he found that they had the fastest, most effective relief from troubling symptoms when using the cream daily.

Cycling progesterone can be utilized if the only concern is regulating periods or trying to conceive.

Q:  If you are in menopause or have not had a period for a year, what is your recommendation for use of bio-identical progesterone cream?

Dr. Platt does recommend using progesterone daily as mentioned above.

The Platt Protocol requires the use of daily progesterone in order to control insulin and adrenaline – hormones that are produced daily, both day and night.

Q: I understand Progesterone Cream is beneficial to women trying to conceive...what is the dosage and how long do you take it during pregnancy?

A: The number one reason that a woman has trouble conceiving is a low progesterone level. Applying a 5% progesterone cream four times a day is a recommended dose to help conceive. It would be advised to avoid the use of progesterone during the first seven days of the cycle.

As soon as pregnancy is determined, continue to use progesterone four times a day, every day, to avoid the occurrence of a miscarriage. Continue this throughout the first trimester. Those women who continue with progesterone cream throughout their entire pregnancy often wind up with babies who are very intelligent and very happy.

Q: Are there any side effects caused by using progesterone cream?

A: For the most part, progesterone cream is extremely safe. Women may notice some nipple tenderness upon initial use because there are multiple progesterone receptor sites in that area. In addition, because progesterone helps to heal uterine tissue, a woman might experience a heavier period or even spotting between periods. Both these issues are temporary phenomena and subside once the body acclimates to more balanced hormones.

Q: What is the recommended dose with progesterone for children with ADHD?

A: Progesterone cream in a 5% strength is extremely safe for children. When the fetus is in the womb, it gets exposed to incredibly high levels of progesterone which is responsible for brain growth. A 5% strength means that each pump is 50 mg, the exact strength to block adrenaline. When using the cream in a six year old, whether it be for bedwetting or ADHD, it is best to use it frequently at first. Soon after incorporating a diet of vegetables and ketones to lower adrenaline, you can reduce the dosage to twice a day. Once the meal plan is incorporated and the progesterone cream is utilized, the bedwetting or ADHD should be resolved fairly quickly.

Children who are bedwetters are almost always very creative. They will have excess adrenaline their whole life.

However, it can be managed with the meal plan and a 5% progesterone cream.

Children with ADHD can also look forward to having a lifetime of excess adrenaline. However, it is manageable. The dosage should be 2 to 4 times a day.

Q: I have been told that progesterone is a woman’s hormone. Is this true?

A: Men and women have the identical hormones – different levels, but the same hormones. Therefore, as I researched I uncovered the fact that both men and women can benefit equally from using a 5% progesterone cream. Men stop producing progesterone around the age of 50. Clinically, this often results in fat deposits around the middle and can lead to prostate cancer.

Q: Can the use of Bio-Identical Cream get rid of Hot Flashes?

A: It is not unusual for women to experience hot flashes either in the perimenopause or the postmenopausal phase. In almost all cases, it is treated with some type of estrogen, usually estradiol. However, very often this might provide a reduction in the severity of hot flashes, but may not cure the problem. The frequency and intensity of hot flashes vary among women and can last up to 10 years.The best approach to dealing with this problem is to treat the cause of the issue, which can be the release of luteinizing hormone. This can be treated with a combination of estriol, DHEA, and progesterone. If the hot flashes occur around 2:30 am then the cause is most likely excess adrenaline which is treated with progesterone. You can read more here.

Q: What is the difference between natural Progesterone and Synthetic Progesterone?

A: It is important to differentiate between natural, bio-identical progesterone and synthetic progestogens. Bio-identical progesterone is identical to the progesterone produced in the body. Progestogens are synthetic, and are the ones that are found in birth control pills, hormonal IUD's, and drugs like Provera. Progesterone receptors will not transport progestogens to the nucleus of a cell and thereby they can never duplicate the action of natural progesterone. They are also responsible for almost 100% of the listed side effects attributed to synthetic progesterone, including cancer.

Q: Does Progesterone Cream Block Estrogen?

A: The body keeps making estrogen and, as we get older, we become estrogen dominant. Progesterone is probably best known as an anti-estrogen hormone. Estrogen can in some ways be considered a toxic hormone. It is responsible for causing cramps and PMS in women, as well as fibroids, endometriosis, fibrocystic disease of the breast, and PCOS. It is also likely responsible for menstrual migraines, asthma, gallbladder disease, and cellulite. It is the cause of phlebitis and blood clots, and is associated with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (conditions rarely found in men). As a lipogenic (fat-creating) hormone, it puts on fat around the hips, buttocks, and thighs. It is largely responsible for morning sickness that often occurs during the first three months of pregnancy. In addition, estrogen is linked to six different cancers in women - the breast, uterus, ovaries, vagina, cervix, and colon. It may also be the cause of breast cancer and prostate cancer in men. Progesterone cream can help with all these conditions.

Q: Why Progesterone Cream vs. Oral Pills?

A: Many people ask whether they should use oral progesterone or cream. When you take oral progesterone, it goes straight to the liver where it is converted into allopregnanolone - a derivative of progesterone. It is recognized on a lab test as progesterone, but is not able to attach to progesterone receptor sites s effectively losing approximately 80-85% efficacy. The side effects cause drowsiness, which is why they recommend taking it at night. The cream, however, enters your bloodstream and bypasses the liver which explains why it is much more effective than oral progesterone.

Q: Do women need progesterone post hysterectomy?

A: Absolutely. Progesterone cream is the most important hormone to replace after a hysterectomy. Progesterone is breast protective and any woman choosing to use estradiol post hysterectomy will be healthier with progesterone to counterbalance the effects of estrogen. In addition, Progesterone plays a key role in brain, bone, and cardiac function.

Q. If you start experiencing hot flashes when using Progesterone, how do you prevent this?

A. If you have excess adrenaline and start using Progesterone with the proper meal plan, P Cream can actually increase adrenaline levels which can cause hot flashes. This occurs if you use progesterone cream without having the right fuel in the brain. Your hot flashes are coming on about the same time your brain runs out of fuel. When that happens, the body releases more adrenaline to increase glucose  levels for the brain.

The brain uses two different fuels. The first is glucose, and the best source of glucose comes from vegetables. The other fuel is ketones, which can be obtained directly from coconut oil and MCT oil. 

Q: Will you start losing weight using Progesterone Cream?

A: The only way that progesterone cream can cause weight gain is if you use a low dose that acts like estrogen.

In other words, use a full pump of the full size bottle, and three pumps of the mini.

5% progesterone cream is a thermogenic (fat-burning) hormone. It blocks insulin, the hormone that puts on fat around the middle, it blocks estrogen, the hormone that puts on fat around the hips, thighs, and buttocks, and it blocks adrenaline, a hormone that raises sugar levels. It also helps the thyroid to function. 

As everyone knows, concerns about weight are exceptionally common. Perhaps the most frequent unrecognized cause of weight gain can occur when people have excess adrenaline. In order to understand this last statement, it is necessary to understand why the body is producing excess adrenaline. Thousands of years ago, the only time the body released adrenaline was during periods of danger. As soon as the danger passed, the body immediately stopped producing the adrenaline. Nowadays, however, people are often producing excess adrenaline all day and all night and they are not in danger. The reason for this is that the body is using adrenaline to raise sugar levels for the brain via a process called gluconeogenesis. Many people do not realize that the brain utilizes more sugar per weight than any other tissue in the body, and that the brain cannot function without sugar. When sugar is taken away from the brain, the brain falls asleep. From a survival standpoint, the body always wants to make sure the brain can function. Because of this, any time the body detects the brain has run out of fuel it puts out adrenaline to help fuel the brain by raising sugar levels. People that toss and turn at night, or grind their teeth, or get up to urinate, are having issues caused by excess adrenaline. If these people wind up producing more sugar than they can burn up, the excess sugar winds up being stored as fat inside fat cells. In other words, they are gaining weight while they’re sleeping.

I have developed a protocol to combat excess Adrenaline along with a 30-Day Meal Plan called the Adrenaline Dominance Bundle.

Q: How can I get more information on the benefits of progesterone cream?

A: My two books outline my 30 + years of study and assisting thousands of patients to live happier, healthier lives through hormonal balance: “The Miracle of Bioidentical Hormones” and “Adrenaline Dominance - A Revolutionary Approach to Wellness”. 

Q: How does Adrenaline play a role in wellness?

A: In Dr. Platt’s “Adrenaline Dominance” book, it covers  conditions caused by excess adrenaline by addressing the reason why the body releases this powerful hormone, even when we are not in danger.

The primary function of adrenaline is to ensure that the brain has a proper amount of fuel to operate.

Adrenaline raises sugar levels via a process called gluconeogenesis, whereby it converts protein into glucose. The brain can use up fuel in as little as three hours. Understandably, adrenaline levels peak around 2:30-3:00 am, contributing to insomnia and an urge to urinate around that time. Adrenaline can create stress. This stimulates the release of another hormone called cortisol which is an anti- stress hormone.

As a result, the body is putting out two hormones that raise sugar – while people are sleeping (or trying to). When it comes to sugar, it does not matter whether you are eating it or if the body is making it, if you don’t burn it up, the sugar is stored as fat in your fat cells. This may be the number one reason why people are fighting weight.

Anytime a low level of fuel is detected, the body releases adrenaline to increase glucose to fuel the brain, which can have a significant effect on our health, and certainly, on the quality of our life.

Conditions caused by excess adrenaline may include the following: anger, road rage, restless leg syndrome, teeth grinding, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), brain fog, PTSD, autism, bed wetting, leg cramps, TMJ, headaches, ADHD, interstitial cystitis, PMDD, occipital neuritis, plus many others.

The book also provides an in-depth discussion about how to lower excess adrenaline levels. This can often be accomplished in less than 24 hours once the Protocol is started.

Q: Do you recommend a certain type of diet or exercise to enhance the effectiveness of the Adrenaline Dominance Protocol?

A: Yes! And, we now offer a 30-Day Meal Plan with delicious recipes of low glycemic meals similar to diets like the Mediterranean or Paleo plans have worked well for many of my patients, especially when fortified with leafy green vegetables. I also suggest always eating breakfast and small meals throughout the day every 3 hours, using at least 2 tablespoons of coconut oil daily, avoiding all sugar and processed foods, packaged foods, eating certified organic food, and choosing foods with the Non GMO Project Verified label on foods. Breakfast: many are benefiting from using whey protein for breakfast in a quick shake adding leafy green vegetables or vegetable powder and coconut oil.

It has been shown that regular exercise, especially short bursts of high intensity exercise, and walking daily is essential for optimal health.

Q: What is the difference between Adrenal Fatigue and Adrenaline Dominance?

A: Adrenal fatigue is a diagnosis used mostly in alternative medicine, usually among naturopathic physicians. The diagnosis is based solely on the misinterpretation of a low level of cortisol on a morning saliva test. What doctors are not aware of is that excess adrenaline, acting as a survival hormone, cuts off blood supply toareas of the body not needed for survival. This results in cold hands and feet, the constipation associated with IBS, and low cortisol levels in the saliva due to a cutoff of circulation to the salivary glands. Unfortunately, not realizing that cortisol levels are actually high, treatment often involves prescribing cortisol. Prescribing cortisol for a condition possibly already associated with a high cortisol level may have unintended consequences. Cortisol, if given inappropriately, can produce unwanted weight gain by raising sugar and insulin levels. It can also cause osteoporosis, cataracts, stomach ulcers, muscle wasting, brain damage and impair the immune system. 

Q: Can I get rid of headaches or migraines with bioidentical creams?

A: Migraines or headaches can be caused by excess adrenaline or estrogen. Either way, progesterone cream is used as a treatment to block estrogen, adrenaline and insulin. If it is caused by excess adrenaline, I propose a meal plan to fuel the brain along with a 5% progesterone cream.

People with excess adrenaline often suffer from frequent headaches. Adrenaline can give rise to muscle tension in different areas of the body. When the tension is localized to the neck—not an uncommon place to feel tension—it can cause traction headaches, also known as tension headaches. One type of traction headache, called occipital neuritis, is often mistaken for a migraine headache because the pain can be severe. However, a migraine is characterized by a pulsating type of pain, while the pain of occipital neuritis is piercing. It arises at the base of the skull on one side or the other and shoots into the back of the eye on the affected side. The diagnosis can be confirmed by pressing the thumb into the suspected area at the base of the skull, which should be very painful. Applying progesterone cream to this area usually provides relief; however, preventing muscle tension around the nerve sheath by lowering the adrenaline level is the cure. 

Q: Do bioidentical hormones make you gain or lose weight?

A: Estrogen is a lipogenic (fat-creating) hormone. It usually puts on fat around the hips, thighs, and buttocks. It can also be blamed for the addition of cellulite to the thighs and buttocks. On the other hand, progesterone cream is a thermogenic (fat-burning) hormone. To aid in this endeavor, it helps reduce adrenaline and cortisol levels, helps the thyroid produce thyroid hormone, and, most importantly, it blocks insulin which is the hormone that creates fat around the middle. This blockage of insulin also helps people to not get sleepy in the afternoon when insulin peaks between 3-4 pm, and prevents people from getting sleepy in the afternoon. Read more here.

Q. What causes endometrial hyperplasia?

A. There is only one thing that stimulates the growth of endometrial tissue and that is estrogen.

The approach to this situation is twofold. You can lower estradiol levels (the strongest estrogen) with the use of two supplements: DIM and I-3-6. In addition, you can use a 5% strength of 

progesterone cream. This will block estradiol, and at the same time will heal your uterus. A lower strength of progesterone can actually stimulate estrogen receptor sites. Try to avoid hormonal contraceptives that will prevent you from releasing your own progesterone, and do not use an oral progesterone product.

Q: What is the dosage of DHEA?

A:   DHEA will always be decreased in the menopause. A blood test (not saliva test) is the best way of knowing how much to use.

If it is below 100, it is fairly safe to start with 25 mg/ day. Over 100, start with 10 mg per day. If no test is available, you can perhaps start with 25 mg M-W-F.

ESTROGEN:

Q. Does Estrogen help with vaginal dryness?

A. Estriol 2.5 mg is the weakest and, in our opinion, the safest against the effects of possible cancer caused by estrogen dominance.

It can be utilized to help women withdraw from estradiol preparations.

It can help with hot flashes or night sweats.

Estriol can be beneficial to the skin and bones.

Estriol will eliminate vaginal dryness in 10-14 days when used intravaginally. 

For vaginal dryness:

1/4 tsp, of 2.5 mg in strength, applied with a vaginal applicator once per day, morning or evening.  One dryness is normally relieved in 10 to 14 days.  Thereafter, one pump once or twice a month for maintenance.

For Fingertip Application: 

Wash your hands with soap and water and dry thoroughly.

Pump our ¼ teas (2.5 mg) of cream (about enough to cover the tip of your index finger, from the last joint to the fingertip. 

Locate the vaginal opening. Immediately above the vaginal opening is the urethra (a small opening where urine is eliminated from your body).  

For estrogen withdrawal or relief of hot flashes/night sweats:

One pump applied to forearms every day as needed.

Q: Should you use P Cream along with Estrogen?

A: Progesterone cream should always be used when using an estrogen preparation (other than estriol) to protect against developing cancer. Those women who are receiving estradiol pellets are always put on oral progesterone, which will not protect them from cancers caused by estradiol.

Q: How do you overcome Estrogen Dominance?

A: Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone — it is responsible for the development of the female reproductive system and other characteristics that define women. Both men and women have circulating levels of estrogens within their bodies, but the level of estrogen in men is lower than in women. Here are the 3 types of estrogen: Estrone (E1), Estradiol (E2) and Estriol (E3).

Too much estrogen can wreak absolute havoc on your whole body. It can cause things such as fatigue, fibroids, endometriosis, abnormal menstruation, and most importantly breast cancer.

Be wary of estradiol. Estriol is the only estrogen that does not cause cancer and is the only estrogen effective for vaginal dryness. It will eliminate vaginal dryness in 10-14 days when used intravaginally (a 2.5mg strength).

The treatment of estrogen dominance is best achieved with a 5% progesterone cream. It is important to understand that progesterone cream used in low doses can cause symptoms of estrogen dominance because progesterone in low doses can stimulate estrogen receptor sites. That is why it is important to use a 5% progesterone cream.