Estroblock helped me clear my acne better than ANYTHING I’ve ever tried, including internal antibiotics the dermatologist prescribed, Retin-A and other conventional treatments.
Like with all things that WORK and are clearly amazing, I kept taking it happily. Until a year passed. And then two.
And there I was, still taking Estroblock, which as you may know, is kiiinda spendy. It’s like $40 for 60 (triple strength) capsules, so $20 a month.
Also, it was beginning to feel like a ball and chain in the same way my Retin-A used to when I was excessively frightened of a pimple explosion if I missed a single application of Retin-A, which I applied religiously.
And I use that word on purpose, because I worshipped the stuff.
Estroblock started feeling kind of like that. Like, if I missed a dose of Estroblock, I had some legit panic. Like, I had to drag it with me everywhere – camping, traveling, and so on.
At the time, I was also taking Vitex, and the same thing was happening there – I had been taking it for a while, and had no real plans about transitioning off.
I sort of assumed that if I stopped taking it, my body would revert to its painful and diseased ways (I had been taking it primarily to help with my periods).
I felt good about my skin, but also felt a little like a fraud – like it was these supplements that were keeping me in a good place and not simply my healthy body, diet and lifestyle.
Around that time, I was in a very intense phase researching acne and holistic healing, ordering books and trawling the internet for all the info I could find. I came across Lara Briden, and started consuming all her work.
I learned that she recommended coming off of Vitex a fairly short while after being on it. A year was definitely towards the upper range of her recommended course.
So I stopped taking Vitex. Then I wondered, what would happen if I simply quit taking Estroblock?
I mean, the theory behind Estroblock is that it helps the liver metabolize estrogen. And I’m sure, when I started taking it, I had an excess of toxic estrogen built up, but surely after 2 years of one triple strength pill every day, my estrogen was in really good shape?
And, during those years I had learned a lot about ways to keep bad estrogens at bay and help the body keep estrogen balanced.
So I wanted to share those tips with you. Here is what to do to ensure your body keeps up the good work with estrogen once you’ve stopped taking your DIM supplement:
Keep Up the Good Work that DIM Has Done
- Making sure your liver is healthy is key. Eat a diet low in toxins and high in purifying foods. You can also take a liver supplement (unless you want to be supplement free. There is liver supplement info below).
- Other ways to help your liver are to eat small meals, finish eating 3 hours before you sleep, and consider fasting every so often to give your liver and digestion a break and a chance to heal.
- Eat organic. Pesticides are huge endocrine disruptors. It’s worth the additional cost and effort.
- Make sure your internal flora are strong and healthy. The bacteria inside our gut actually play a role in helping metabolize excess estrogen and other toxins. I don’t trust most probiotics, but fermented foods are a great way to get your insides full of good bacteria. And they are easier than you think to make yourself.
- Make sure you transition not just your skincare, but all of your body, hair, kitchen and laundry products to sulfate, pthalate and paraben free. Sulfates and parabens get absorbed by the body and act like estrogens.
- Other things that are toxic include carpet cleaners, dryer sheets, and air fresheners. If you suspect something, chances are your instincts are correct – ditch it.
- Stop drinking alcohol completely. If you are drinking, your liver is busy detoxing the alcohol, and CAN NOT detox the estrogen, which will get recirculated into the body. Cut down on or eliminate caffeine as well.
- Cut down on meat. If you are buying meat, make SURE it is hormone and antibiotic free. Shaun Stevenson has this great saying – “It’s not: ‘You are what you eat.’ It’s: ‘You are what you eat ATE.'” If your meat has hormones and antibiotics in it, then you are eating those things.
BUT – just because your meat doesn’t have artificial hormones in it, doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. It still has the animal’s natural hormones in it. I know that all-natural, grass-fed meat is expensive, but let that be a reminder to you to only eat meat occasionally.
“Meat-less Mondays” has become a thing for many people, but I think it should be “Meaty Mondays” where you ONLY eat meat one day out of the week.
- Stop drinking out of plastic water bottles. Get a carbon filter that fits on your faucet instead. Getting pure water is important, since water can be contaminated with endocrine distruptors, but buying bottled water is definitely not the way to go, since the plastic itself (contains BPA) is a contaminant.
Another item we come into contact with all the time that contains BPA is thermal paper (like the receipts you get at the store!)
- Detox through diet and lifestyle. I mentioned fasting above. If you intermittently fast (8 hours of food, 16 hours of fasting = one 24 hour cycle. Most people eat an early dinner and skip breakfast to achieve this), it’s not as extreme as fasting for an entire day or a couple of days. But it still helps toxins get released.
- Sweating (via sauna or exercise) is also really important. It also gets toxins to move out of your system. Massage is another option.
- Finally, sleep. Sleep is when your body goes into active detox mode.
- Make sure you’re getting enough activated B vitamins, since these are crucial to supporting your liver’s detox efforts. I take the Thorne Stress B-Complex.
- Eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Three top inflammatory foods are dairy, sugar and wheat. If your body is chronically inflamed, it impairs estrogen detoxification and progesterone production. OK carbs to eat include rice and potatoes.
- Lots of veggies is truly key. Go easy on fruits.
- Consider liver and anti-inflammation supplements. I know the whole point is kind of to ditch the supplements, but I figured I would include this just for you to get the complete picture.
I personally have not replaced Estroblock with any supplements except for the B complex I mentioned above. But if you want, you can also take supplements to help with inflammation like the following:
- Turmeric (choose a turmeric supplement that has been formulated for maximized absorption)
- Milk thistle (which boosts your body’s production of its detoxification molecule glutathione)
- Reishi (a liver supporting mushroom that also helps with stress. I drink Reishi tonic instead of coffee!)
- N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). (NAC also helps to boost glutathione production and detox the body.)
When all else fails, consider cycling the Estroblock (Taking some time off of it, then going back on. Like one week on, one week off), or reducing your dose or frequency.
Personally, I’ve done everything on this list and have successfully managed to ditch Estroblock for nearly 4 months now without my skin suffering.
Will I never experience estrogen dominance again? Maybe. I have plans to drink over the holidays! :/
But if I do go back on Estroblock, I will definitely have a better plan of how long I need to be on it, and how to come off of it. I no longer see it as my only lifeline to clear skin!
Celestyna
Celestyna brings her unique expertise in astrophysics, fashion design, and yoga therapy to create Moss Skincare, a luxury natural skincare collection created for rebel skin.
Through moss (which stands for modern organic sacred skincare) Celestyna’s mission is to revolutionize the way adult acne is healed.
The post How to Get Off Estroblock & Stay Clear appeared first on The Love Vitamin.
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