The Dangers of Birth Control. Period.

Good Afternoon Darlings!!
I have some sweet tea if you're interested? A wedge of lemon will go nicely I think :)
I grew up spending time in North Carolina so I've got some southern roots that pop out here an there.

Some good news on the product (Yon-Ka Paris) front at the spa.....

They currently have parabens and will be paraben free come May of this year!
I'm thrilled!!!
 These little suckers mess with your hormones and since they are designed to help the product go deeper (for maximum effect) those awful ingredients are sinking directly into our bodies cause issues we might have never thought of. Hormone disruption being a biggie!!
So to say the least I'm super excited and can't wait to try me some Yon-Ka,
esp since they're upgrading their line by doing this. Truly fantastic. :)

My topic as you can see isn't parabens though I should prob write a blog on those too, however this one is on birth control. Please excuse the pun in the title hehe ;)

As some of you know I decided to try birth control a few months before I got married.
It's what I heard you "need to do" and what most of my girl friends were/are on.
However.
I was noticing another trend too of them saying it made them feel psycho, moody, emotional, messed with their eating and weight, how they had to switch brands and find one that fit them best ect...
Heck a couple ended up in the ER their side effects got so bad.
haha Yeah, I still tried the goofy stuff.

I made an apt with my Dr and talked with her and she said there was a low hormone pill ( Lo Seasonique) I could take and the step below the was the Nuvaring. She claimed it was much safer and the risks were cut in half if I lived a healthy lifestyle (Which I do).

Off I went with a free 3 month trial....

Did I do some research?
Yes.
Did I do enough?
Nope.

My side effects were so incredibly awful I seriously thought I was going insane.

My side effects were as follows:
Severe mood swings
Personality change
Anger and frustration over retarded issues
Ooooooverly Emotional
Going from insanely hot to freezing cold
Breast tenderness to the point of refusing hugs
Lack of desire to be touched or cuddled by my (at the time) fiance
Lack of desire to eat
Always tired
Muscle pain
Anxiety
Severe cramping that increased weekly
A never ending cycle that got worse the longer I was one the pill
Constant upset tummy at night
Trouble sleeping
Acne all month long vs just the slight freak out once a month
(However minor it still drove me mad haha)
And the list goes on...

After research I've learned birth control is still in a testing phase to see how safe it is for us lady folk. (FDA approved doesn't mean anything)
After all, the pill has only been around since the 1960's and that's really not long enough to know anything long term.

But there are many who are speaking out about how BC has messed with their bodies/hormone levels...

My husband read an article that stated the pharmaceutical companies haven't filled Dr's in on the risks BC may have on a woman's body long term. (I could kick myself for not having him send me the link!)

Also the little things they slip into some types of BC....

Such as a self abort chemical if you do get pregnant.
I'm pro life and don't believe in "The morning after pill" or anything like that.
But I'm also not of the mindset "However many children God decides to give us..."
I believe in being a responsible adult woman.
As do many.

This is my developed opinion as well as many others I'm finding.
However it's not a strong enough opinion to spread widely and get the medical community thinking. I have personally noticed my body hasn't been the same since I dropped my BC.
And this is me only using it for a month and feeling the way I did /still do.

I see questions drifting out there asking,
"Am I the only one who has felt off since I dropped my BC??!!"

Lots of ladies are coming forward about their bodies still feeling off, worse or just as bad.
And here I thought I was going crazy. Nope.

I know my body very well, esp since the BC. And I can tell that something just hasn't been right.
I've also noticed it's not the same yuck I feel on occasion with regards to my TBI I had 8 years back.
No, this is veeeeery different!

My husband had come to me about it after I had a slight meltdown on him. He has put puzzle pc's together over the last 4 months. I am blessed to have married such and observant man!! He's noticed things have been better yet still off since I stopped taking the pill.

My current side effects had me going bonkers!
Come to learn BC can either mess with or damage progesterone levels.
It offered relief to say the least, because I now know what's been going on :)

HRT (Hormone replacement therapy) isn't on my options list seeing as there's a whole other side of ugliness from that alone and no thank you! I am seeking natural ways to kick my butt in gear.

So far I've found the following:
1. **Chasteberry,
An herb that stimulates the pituitary gland to send messages to the ovaries to make more progesterone. It's great for women who are trying to become pregnant, need relief from PMS symptoms or needs to have a more regular cycle.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-968-CHASTEBERRY.aspx?activeIngredientId=968&activeIngredientName=CHASTEBERRY

(Which is to be taken before a pregnancy not during as it could fuss with the hormone Prolactin.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prolactin

Are there potential symptoms?
Yes, it's an herb and sometimes things like that happens.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/444652-chasteberry-and-menstrual-cramps/


2. Avoiding certain cosmetics, soaps, nail polish ect.. with false estrogen (xenohormones) or parabens.

3. Foods such as...Turmeric, Thyme, Oregano, Whole grains, B-6 vitamin foods,
and of course a B-6 vitamin(s).

Here's and article that really helped me out!
http://www.nativeremedies.com/ailment/increase-low-progesterone-levels.html

**As always, if you have concerns or have certain illnesses or are on the pill PLEASE consult your Dr before trying anything like this!! 

I have yet to even try this herb and will be asking more questions before I go out and buy some.

I felt the need to get something out there to say you're not alone if you're feeling anything like I have and still do. Cause up until my research I was feeling very lost. 

Also, to get the danger of taking BC out there.... 

I'm now a firm believer that it's not the way to go and it's going against everything God designed a woman's body to do. We're messing with His design and at what cost? 

We don't fully know and I've talked to enough people who have horror stories that convince me all the more, this is far from safe. 

If I've offended anybody, it wasn't my intension!! 

This is a serious issue and it needs to be exposed for what it is.

Esp with ladies coming forward with concerns like mine.

I am but one small voice, but in that small voice I want to make an impact and offer hope to those who feel like they're lost, confused or simply want to know they're not alone. 

Hoping this sunny day finds you all happy and healthy.

Warmly,

Shannon <3

Tip of the session:

Come visit my Facebook page!!!

You'll see more little tips and tricks and learn when an a blog is just around the corner...

Click "Like" You won't regret it ;) 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shannon-P-Aesthetician-Professional-Makeup-Artist/135714456464011

Dementia. A different type of blog...

My Gram, Mom's mom was diagnosed with dementia.

Not recently it's been known for awhile even before the Dr said those exact words.

We saw signs and started wondering…

There are 7 stages and we are seeing a rapid downhill decline, watching everything wiz by like trees in a fast moving vehicle. It's a whirlwind of a ride so far and we're often still caught up from one blast of wind and fixing our hair before the next one comes whipping around the bend. 

There's a new thing going down I like to call her "playing blind act" 

Gram sits in the chair in the living room and closes her eyes while she moves her head back and forth following sounds and conversation. She's trying to make it look like she's asleep but we all know she's not. This is usually followed by rambling in self-conversation and none of it making sense. 

She will bring up random conversation (Like just now, I got asked why I had clean feet because I was just out in the mud. Or asked about an Asian lady who comes (??) and if she’s the cook (We don’t have a cook). Little things and questions like that. Daily.), and speak of facts that you can tell aren’t from a sound mind or that happened years ago and she thinks it happened last week. If she can in fact remember last week. Even yesterday.

She will fixate on somebody in our home, the dog or even a child/baby that doesn’t exist and worry about them… And when I say worry, I mean WORRY. Today it’s the dog.

There is an obsession with children and babies; I’ve learned that this is common for dementia patients. She will insist she hears a baby crying or a child crying and or laughing. And if we don’t get up and tend to the “baby” we are bad people. It’s getting to the point where we’re starting to say things like, “The baby’s fine just let them be.” Or “The children are prob just outside playing and they are safe.” 

It’s become useless in telling her they don’t exist.

All though when she’s harping on me about my “baby” and when am I due or when did I have said baby I will try to tell her there’s no baby and I’m not pregnant. It never works and I’m trying to figure out a creative way to deal with it. I guess being a newlywed has her confused as to why I’m not in the child having mindset yet.

She has lived off Soaps since they came on TV and now her perception of reality is messed up. The poor dear believes the TV is real and tries to pour it out onto her daily life… Mom and Dad are always “arguing” or mom’s always “crying” 

My sister is always out “partying” (And if you knew my sister you’d laugh at that.) 

and I’m always “dying” My husband is the “golden child” which she at least grasps in her short time knowing him that he’s a good man!

How do you spell relief?

All though in her seeing him being good she developed a “crush” if you will? 

Disturbing but oh so funny haha It’s never dull when you’re with my family!

Gram is an adult but you find more and more it’s like dealing with and overgrown toddler. The way she moves her food around on her plate, the reactions to being told no and not understanding what she’s saying ect…

She used to hide in her room like a hermit and we’d have to pull her by the teeth. Now she’s taking to sitting in odd places that aren’t so odd when we’ve pulled her out of her room but it’s odd when she’s always hiding and now she’s almost sulking around and or getting up to do something or follow us.

This is not for lack of stimulation once again. She has an event place that we take her to, church functions and we try to encourage her to read, play cards ect… 

But loosing interest is all part of this monstrous disorder.

Today she’s in rare form, insanely restless and following us around. It’s easy to get a little frustrated but there’s compassion inside still and you are able to go with the flow. You try to deal with directness then tenderness.

Even if it’s moment by moment…

It's heartbreaking. 

But we continue to seek God and continue to find ways to keep up with a somewhat “normal” routine. What helps is there are 5 of us to do it and we take a lot off each other.

I know this is a different blog and there will be others like this. 

After all, this portion of my blog is our heart to heart conversations isn’t it? 

Why not tackle life issues as well as skin? 

This is part of not only my world but it might be part of yours or somebody you know. Therefore you understand why and how it effects your energy levels some days, with your family, friends or even job. 

Some days you’re bushed and can’t figure out why and then you remember.

My prayers are with you if this is part of your life!

Blessings dear friends, you are in my heart, always.

Warmly,

Shannon <3