Hormones are a complex topic, especially in the context of cancer, so I want to share insights based on my experience. I always prefer physiologic doses—those that match what the body naturally produces, and I believe in taking the most natural and direct approach rather than relying on indirect methods like herbs, seeds, or other compounds. There’s a lot of information out there, but these are my thoughts after 30+ years of treating cancer patients. For supplementation, Raena is my favorite option for clean, bioidentical hormones!
- Do I take estrogen for menopause?
Yes I do. I often talk about estrogen in the context of cancer, because the conversation around hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is usually oversimplified. For menopausal women, the topic is particularly confusing because estrogen therapy is heavily promoted, yet we live in a time when many women are already estrogen dominant. I believe we need a more individualized approach to HRT.
One major issue is that estrogen is often stored in tissues (like fat cells), making it undetectable in blood tests. This means that symptoms, rather than lab results alone, can be a better guide for treatment. Unfortunately, women are often prescribed estrogen without consideration of their existing estrogen load or the need to balance it with bioidentical progesterone.
I personally use an estrogen cream, which allows me to adjust the dose as needed instead of relying on patches that provide continuous exposure. I only take it when I feel I need it, don’t follow a fixed schedule, and since I have a low BMI, my tissue estrogen levels are naturally lower. If you choose to take estrogen, the most important thing is to make sure it’s balanced with sufficient bioidentical progesterone to avoid the risks of unopposed estrogen exposure.
- Do I use estrogen cream on my face?
No I do not. Using estrogen cream on the face is now a popular trend in skincare. It’s promoted as a way to improve skin elasticity and collagen production. However, this effect occurs because estrogen promotes water retention. It pulls water into the cells, stretching the skin and giving the appearance of reduced wrinkles.
I personally do not use it because the face has a high concentration of blood vessels, meaning estrogen applied to the skin can enter circulation readily leading to systemic effects rather than just localized benefits. These creams can increase the estrogenic burden on the body and disrupt hormone balance (like progesterone levels). In fact, excess estrogen is associated with skin problems like melasma, varicose veins, and acne.
If the goal is skin health, focusing on progesterone, thyroid support, and nutrition is often a better approach than applying estrogen directly to the face.
- Do I use the Budwig protocol for cancer?
No, I do not. The protocol, developed by Dr. Johanna Budwig, involves combining flaxseed oil with cottage cheese to treat cancer. I do not like flaxseed because it increases the estrogenic burden and suppresses metabolism—both of which contribute to cancer growth.
Flaxseed oil contains polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). These fats are unstable, oxidize easily, and create lipid peroxides that damage cells and increase inflammation—the opposite of what a cancer patient needs. Flax is also highly estrogenic. It contains phytoestrogens (lignans), which mimic estradiol and increase the estrogenic burden on the body. This is dangerous because excess estrogen promotes tissue growth and suppresses thyroid function.
It’s important to understand that there is no long-term data supporting this protocol, and the idea that flaxseed “blocks” estrogen receptors and lowers estrogen is fundamentally flawed. Estrogen can exert its effects independent of receptor binding, meaning that occupying the receptor with a weaker estrogen does not reduce estrogenic activity—it simply adds to the overall estrogen load in the body.
- Does flaxseed help to treat breast cancer?
No, it doesn’t. While flax’s phytoestrogens are not as immediately powerful as estrogens in medications like birth control or HRT, they can accumulate in the body over time and disrupt hormone balance. They act on estrogen receptors, interfere with the body’s natural estradiol metabolism, and increase the overall estrogenic burden, which directly contributes to cancer.
One of the biggest issues with flax is that it is often marketed as a “natural” or “balancing” estrogen source when, in reality, it adds to the estrogen load rather than truly balancing hormones. Unlike bioidentical progesterone, which directly opposes estrogen, flax does not provide true hormonal opposition—it merely competes with estradiol for receptor activity, and increases estrogenic effects.
This thermography scan from Dr. Wendy Sellens shows that flax seeds increase breast vascularity, a sign of abnormal blood vessel growth. These new vessels develop to support tissue proliferation, raising the risk of tumor formation and breast cancer. Flax is not protective, and instead, directly contributes to cancer development.
- Do I use estrogen blockers in cancer?
Yes, but it’s always a careful, individualized process. Tamoxifen is sometimes necessary in the short term to block estrogen receptor activity in hormone-sensitive cancers, but it’s not meant to be a long-term solution. It comes with risks—metabolic disruption, liver stress, and estrogenic effects in some tissues—so when it’s time to transition off, I make sure the process is as supportive as possible.
We gradually taper the dose, keeping a close eye on symptoms and making sure the body is clearing estrogen efficiently. Sometimes progesterone is a better way to block estrogen depending on the case. Unlike Tamoxifen, which just blocks estrogen receptors, progesterone actually balances estrogen, supports healthy breast tissue, and promotes mitochondrial function—all while reducing inflammation and preventing the kind of unchecked cell growth we want to avoid. Progesterone is a more long term solution, but again, sometimes estrogen blockers are necessary.
- Does yam cream increase progesterone?
No, it doesn’t. While wild yam cream is often marketed as a natural progesterone booster, the body cannot convert diosgenin (the active compound in wild yam) into progesterone on its own.
The misconception comes from the fact that diosgenin can be chemically converted into progesterone in a lab, but this process does not happen inside the human body. The enzymes required to make this conversion do not exist in human physiology, so applying yam cream does not raise progesterone levels.
In fact, yam cream can sometimes have the opposite effect—acting more like estrogen than progesterone. Diosgenin has been found to have phytoestrogenic activity, meaning it can bind to estrogen receptors and mimic weak estrogenic effects rather than providing true progesterone support. This can be problematic for individuals who are already dealing with estrogen dominance, PMS, fibroids, cancer, or hormonal imbalances.
For true progesterone support, bioidentical progesterone cream or oral progesterone is necessary. Unlike yam cream, bioidentical progesterone is chemically identical to what the body naturally produces and can directly support progesterone functions in the body.
- Does DIM help lower and detox estrogen?
No, DIM does not actually “lower” estrogen—it alters how estrogen is metabolized, which can sometimes create more problems than it solves.
DIM (diindolylmethane) is a compound derived from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower. It is often marketed as an “estrogen balancer” because it shifts estrogen metabolism toward the 2-hydroxyestrone (2-OH) pathway, which is considered a “weaker” estrogen metabolite. This can change the ratio of estrogen metabolites in the body, but it does not eliminate estrogen from circulation or reduce total estrogen levels.
Moving estrogen toward the 2-OH pathway does not mean estrogen is effectively detoxified or removed from the body. If liver function or bile flow is impaired, these metabolites may still recirculate, contributing to estrogenic burden.
While DIM reduces certain estrogen metabolites, it can also increase the conversion of estrone (E1) into estradiol (E2)—which is the most potent and biologically active form of estrogen.
Some evidence suggests that DIM can increase aromatase, the enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen. This means that it could actually raise estrogen levels over time instead of lowering them leading to a higher estrogen-to-progesterone ratio, leading to estrogen dominance.
If the goal is to truly lower estrogen levels, it’s far more effective to support:
- Liver detoxification (glucuronidation & sulfation) with adequate protein, B vitamins, and minerals like magnesium and zinc.
- Bile flow and gut health to prevent estrogen reabsorption (support with taurine, glycine, and fiber from carrots or mushrooms).
- Progesterone support, since progesterone naturally opposes estrogen and even degrades the estrogen receptor.
- Does Vitex (chasteberry) increase progesterone levels?
No, Vitex does not directly increase progesterone—and in many cases, it may actually be estrogenic.
Vitex is often marketed as a “natural progesterone booster” because it influences the pituitary gland, lowering prolactin levels. Since high prolactin can suppress ovulation, reducing prolactin might help restore ovulation and indirectly support progesterone production in some women (because progesterone increases after ovulation). However, this only works if prolactin excess is the root cause of low progesterone—which is not the case for most women struggling with hormonal imbalances.
Actually, research suggests that Vitex can bind to estrogen receptors and exert weak estrogenic activity. This means that rather than boosting progesterone, it may actually contribute to estrogenic effects in the body. Vitex (chasteberry) has high linoleic acid content, a polyunsaturated fatty acid that binds to estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ). Because of this vitex actually increases estrogen instead of progesterone.
- Do I use the DUTCH test?
I do not prefer the DUTCH test because it measures hormone metabolism, not actual hormone levels in circulation.
The DUTCH test (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) is a urine-based hormone test that analyzes hormone metabolites rather than the active, bioavailable hormones in the bloodstream. It provides insights into how hormones are processed and excreted, but it does not accurately reflect the real-time, bioavailable levels that the body is actively using.
Blood (serum) testing is more reliable because it measures hormones that are actively available in the bloodstream, rather than just their breakdown products. The DUTCH test, on the other hand, primarily reflects liver detoxification, gut metabolism, and excretion pathways, which can make it misleading when assessing hormone function. Someone may have low estrogen metabolites on a DUTCH test but high circulating estrogen in the blood, leading to incorrect conclusions about true levels.
To understand how hormones are actually functioning in the body, serum testing is the better choice.