I Disagree

by Patrick Flynn

  One of the best things guys can do is to continue to date their wives.

  Now I hear, “Doc, we do all of these things and my wife still doesn’t respond.”

  #5 TEST THE GIRL

  Today, women deal with more hormonal problems than ever in history and they are as sick as can be. It’s why we have more fertility problems and more cancers. This concept we started nineteen years ago has become a national brand for this reason. It’s a different thought process that’s easy to apply with a doctor that does things from this perspective. When we apply this different process to patients, we get different results—results completely different from what the traditional medicine approach can achieve. Right now, based on medical statistics, heart disease rates are going up and cancer rates are going up. If you don’t change your thinking, you’re going to end up as one of those statistics. My wife could have been one of those statistics. This is very real. Remember, don’t accept common for normal.

  If you don’t change your thinking, you’re going to end up as one of those statistics.

  Joy’s Story

  I had been a healthy young woman until I went off the Depo-Provera injections I was using as birth control. The years leading up to our Wellness Way journey had been filled with tons of attempts to finding natural remedies to balance my hormones and tons of frustration and disappointment with each one. I was almost 30-years-old. My husband and I had been married for 10 years. By this time, we had a miscarriage and lost twins. I was heartbroken and losing hope of having children.

  To top things off, I had just had my adrenal function tested and was told I’d be on medication for the rest of my life.

  From the moment we walked into The Wellness Way and our first appointment with Dr. Patrick, things were different. He was so upbeat and positive, even after we shared the adrenal test results with him. This was the first time I’d ever seen a doctor upbeat or positive after looking at my situation. To be honest, this was what gave me hope to continue on. In fact, during our first appointment he said, “Give me six months, and you’ll be pregnant!” How could I not have hope?

  Well, sure enough, we had our first baby girl in 2009! We were so excited when we conceived our first miracle. You can only imagine our surprise and amazement when three months later we conceived our second baby girl! Fifteen months after our second daughter was born, we conceived our son.

  Not only was Dr. Patrick invaluable in helping us start our family, but with two babies so close together, and a third shortly after you can only imagine all the hormone fluctuations. He was an amazing help through the breastfeeding, post-partum care and nearly back to back pregnancies. And those adrenals? No problem.

  One thing I can say about Dr. Patrick, when he gets your hormones where they need to be, they work just fine!

  CHAPTER 10

  No Control with Birth Control

  This happens every day, imagine the day in the life of an average couple. Jill looks up briefly as her husband, Bob, gets home and returns to scrubbing the counter. As he walks in Bob senses something isn’t right. He asks, “Jill, is something wrong?” She looks up exasperated. He doesn’t know what to do, so he moves to hug her. As soon as he touches her, Jill gets so frustrated she wants to scream, but she doesn’t know why, so instead she starts to cry. She shakes uncontrollably as she cries and pushes him away. Neither of them connects it right away to the birth control pill Jill recently started taking. It sounds dramatic, but I have heard stories like this many times before.

  Many women don’t connect their hormone problems and other ailments to this common endocrine disruptor. Nearly 80% of women between the ages of fifteen and forty-four have used the birth control pill at some point in their lives. Very few of those women have taken out their magnifying glass to look at the insert that comes with that monthly prescription of birth control pills. If they did, they would see a long list of side effects.

  Some of the Potential Risks, Side Effects and Adverse Reactions Listed in the Insert:

  • Risk of developing blood clots

  • Heart attacks and strokes

  • Gall bladder disease

  • Liver tumors

  • Cancer of the reproductive organs and breasts

  • Irregular vaginal bleeding

  • Changes in vision

  • Melasma

  • Change in appetite

  • Nausea

  • Headache

  • Nervousness

  • Mental Depression

  • Dizziness

  • Loss of scalp hair

  • Rash

  • Vaginal infections

  • Allergic reactions

  • Gastrointestinal Symptoms

  • Weight gain

  • Vaginal candidiasis

  • Pre-menstrual syndrome

  • Acne

  • Changes in libido

  If you can’t tell from the list-don’t mess with the female body, the balance is so delicate. The minute you disrupt one hormone in a female’s body, it sets off a cascade of many bad side effects.

  Birth control itself is an endocrine disruptor. It disrupts your hormones which will disrupt all of the systems like the gears in the Swiss watch. When you start taking birth control pills you are giving your body synthetic hormones, so your body stops making them itself. This means your hormones are controlled synthetically, and the body’s production of hormones goes to menopausal levels. This doesn’t help your body function. It keeps your body from normal function. This sets your body up for problems now and even more problems down the road. It sets you up to be very sick.

  When you start taking birth control pills you are giving your body synthetic hormones, so your body stops making them itself.

  Birth control hormones disrupt your whole system. They alter your whole endocrine system and your endocrine system determines your life. When you were a young lady and started your cycle, your genes did not change, your habits did not change—your hormones changed. It changed your whole body, including your thinking, and now you’re going to take a disruptor. Knowing what you now know about female hormones, do you really think it’s going to be okay?

  It’s not. We have come as a country to think hormonal birth control is harmless. Sometimes we are even told it’s beneficial! I’m telling you now, it’s neither harmless nor beneficial. I wish they were. These prescriptions cause a host of complications like infertility, cancer, hormone imbalance, and low libido. The convenience they offer is surely not worth the damage. No, it’s not a popular stance to take, but it’s an important one. The conditions that are the terrible consequences of these drugs are on the rise, and often the damage is irreversible. I will continue to share the truth until we see all these conditions start a pattern of decline. We need to stop sacrificing the health of women for convenience.

  The couple from our scenario, Jill and Bob decided that Jill would go on birth control to prevent pregnancy until they were ready to have kids. This is a decision many couples make. The pill was the option they chose so they could have sex without worrying about pregnancy. Ironically, they have started a new cascade of worries. How intimate can a couple get if her hormones are out of balance? Intimacy is typically the last thing a woman is interested in if they have gained weight, have headaches, depression, vaginal infections or any other side effects.

  When they are ready to have that baby, will her body be ready? Her hormones have been disrupted for so long, we don’t know what they will be like. They might find her hormones don’t just come back after she stops taking the pill. When Jill and Bob want to have kids, they may run into fertility problems. Then we will have to work on rebuilding Jill’s hormones. It could take lots of heartbreak and unnecessary spending to rebuild hormones because her hormonal balance was destroyed by this endocrine disruptor. Not everyone is lucky enough to rebuild them.

  Who says there are increased rates of breast and cervical cancer? “They” do! Read the inserts.


  Some women do everything in their routine naturally, but then they take birth control because their husband wants them to. I wonder if they would be so eager if they knew the health disruptions of increased cervical cancer rates and increased breast cancer rates. Who says there are increased rates of breast and cervical cancer? “They” do! Read the inserts.

  Each week, I do a live recording of “The Dr. Patrick Flynn Show.” Viewers and patients send us questions, so we can respond live and unscripted. It’s a great outlet for many questions to be answered while getting the right information to people seeking answers. Here’s a question and then I will give you my response from one episode.

  Hi Dr. Patrick, I am thirty-two years old. We have three children; my husband does not want anymore but I would not mind. He wants me on birth control. I started taking it and I don’t feel good; I don’t even feel like the same person! I’ve gained weight, I’m more emotional, but my husband said he will NOT use condoms. I’ve been following you for a long time and know it’s not good for me and the more I research I do, I’m scared that I’m taking it. What research can I give him to convince him that I should not be on it? Also, he says it is fine because my OB said it was the best way to prevent another pregnancy.

  First, we’ll take this from the relationship side. Ladies, this is an interesting situation. Women will take care of their bodies. However, if their husband suggests for them to do something different, they will frequently, quickly, do it. Typically, this is due to the deep need for connection and their desire to keep the peace in the relationship. You want research to convince him birth control is bad for you? Stop having sex with him. There’s your research. Ok, that sounds aggressive, but hang in there with me. The research is everywhere. It’s even on the package insert. His concern should be your health, not his convenience the few days a month you may be fertile. Unless he uses condoms, you aren’t having sex. Ladies, understand, you have the control.

  Ladies, understand, you have the control.

  I know I’ll hear from Christian ladies out there, “But Doc, being a Christian woman, I just have to do what he wants and submit.” My friend Ross Allen Skorzewski, who is my host on “The Dr. Patrick Flynn Show,” has worked in the church for over twenty years and has plenty of experience in marriage and relationship counseling. He has also worked with some of the greatest marriage enrichments speakers around the world. Here’s his response to this argument:

  Stop over-spiritualizing this situation. If he is putting you in an unhealthy place, and now we are talking about birth control, you need to look at this more clearly. He says he won’t use condoms. The only option for him to be intimate with you is for you to put this unhealthy poison into your body. You need to rattle that boy’s cage. You need to get a hold of him and shut down the shop and say, “The Man Cave is closed.” This isn’t about submitting, this is about dysfunction junction. He needs to look at his relationship with his wife and not just his own needs. He may just want sex now, but he’ll be getting a lot less of that as his wife’s body gets sicker. The dysfunction has to stop. This has to be about a healthy relationship and healthy bodies, together.

  According to the email, it doesn’t even look like it was a discussion, and often it’s not. He may have said he won’t use condoms and she needs to take birth control. Because she desires that relationship, she caves. On the other hand, testosterone is a powerful motivator. If condoms are his only way to get to where he wants to go, he’ll soon happily oblige. Ladies, trust me, you have more control over him than you think.

  Here’s another angle to this, the OB said it was the best thing for her to use to prevent pregnancy. It doesn’t mean it’s best for her body. Technically, there is an even better way to prevent pregnancy. Abstinence. You’ll have no kids if there is no sex. Frustrating? Sure, but you won’t have to worry about pregnancy! It sounds silly and extreme, but honestly, the moment you tell him no, he’ll go for a while without being intimate with you, but he’ll quickly consider the use of condoms.

  Looking at it from a health standpoint. Birth control is very detrimental to female health. It is an endocrine disrupter as defined by the EPA. It throws off the cycle and trust me, you’ll end up with problems. The woman who sent the email was looking for help because she did break down and take the birth control. She knew right away she was starting to feel sick. Picture this. If the average person who has no medical conditions then takes a medication, it makes them sick. Remember what medication does? It forces a response. Actually, medication by pharmacology definition is a non-lethal dose of a lethal substance. If a healthy person takes a medication, they become sick. This woman has three beautiful kids and apparently no problems with pregnancies and now goes on a hormone disruptor. She’s going to feel sick.

  Medication by pharmacology definition is a non-lethal dose of a lethal substance.

  This woman now doesn’t feel like the same vibrant person she was before the birth control. Every time she looks at herself, she’s probably bothered by the weight gain and her emotions are completely off. She’s not going to be interested in sex. She’s going to shut down because of all the changes going on in her body. Women, you are so self-conscious about your bodies. Most guys don’t care about the subtle changes like weight gain in your body. But for you, this is huge and will disrupt your whole being, including your long-term health. Keep your best interests at heart, and say no to prescription birth control. If he becomes disrespectful and disruptive, my heart goes out to you for the kind of man you are dealing with. However, he doesn’t control you, especially if it means causing you health problems.

  I would hope that men would have their wives’ best interest in mind; her health and physiology, her emotions, their relationship and even his own health. Because if they understood what birth control does, they wouldn’t ask their ladies to put this into their bodies. Men, part of protecting her is protecting her health. If she thinks you’ll stop loving her if she says no to prescription birth control, it’s time for some serious reflection. Testosterone makes you great at protection—don’t be afraid to use it.

  Ladies if you are on birth control, every time you kiss him or you have sex with him, he gets the hormone.

  Here’s something few people realize about prescriptions, including birth control: that hormone shows up in your bodily fluids, not just your bloodstream. It is also in your saliva and your vaginal secretions. Ladies if you are on birth control, every time you kiss him or you have sex with him, he gets the hormone. You are passing it to him. I have men come into the office and their estrogen and progesterone levels are way off. They ask me how it’s possible. Is your wife on birth control? Well, then you’re taking it too. When men realize this, and understand these synthetic hormones are also affecting his body and will create problems for him as well, they’re quick to reconsider their stance on the matter!

  One of the number one side effects of birth control? Cancer. Remember that insert of info from the pill packet. That will list all the disruptions it will cause in the woman’s body, including cancer. Sex without condoms becomes much less of a concern if and when a family is devastated by cancer.

  Pills are not the only form of prescription birth control capable of causing such problems with hormones and health. IUDs and the patch are just a disruptive. You are not safe if you are using another endocrine disrupter form of birth control like the hormonal IUD, vaginal ring, implants or the patch; all these things are destructive to hormones. Fortunately, there are non-hormonal options.

  There are other natural methods to prevent pregnancy:

  • Diaphragm

  • Condoms

  • Family planning

  Not all women who are on birth control are taking it to prevent pregnancy. A study found 14% of women are taking the pill for non-contraceptive reasons. Many more relied on it for non-contraceptive purposes in addition to contraception with only 42% using it exclusively for contraception. I wonder if the numbers would be the same if they all knew the
consequences.

  CHRISTY’S THOUGHTS

  I was grateful when my mother told me that because of her own reproductive issues, she was not going to encourage us to get ’the pill’ or any other drugs that doctors claimed would help. Even though my cystic acne was so bad, I got good at covering it up and many times avoided staying the night at friends’ houses to avoid the embarrassment of them seeing me without it. Even though I got migraines in college that were just the beginning of a seemingly downhill spiral of a hormone imbalance caused by stress was slowly taking over my life. Even back then, I just refused to believe that everything could be fixed with ’the pill’. Then came the cysts and the incredible pain…and the only solution medical doctors had was drugs and surgery. Well, I’m so glad that I disagreed before I even knew better. Had I continued to go down the road they were recommending, I would not have had our four amazing girls!

  Pharmaceutical companies are very good at marketing their products for a multitude of purposes, and birth control is no exception. They use what they know to address all kinds of concerns: acne, heavy periods, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, migraines, and more. Each of those is regularly treated with a type of prescription birth control. You’ll notice something interesting when you look at the inserts to see the potential negative effects. Some of them are the very ones they are treating you for.

  You can take all the medication you want to, but it doesn’t fix the underlying problem.

  You shouldn’t have bad acne, horrible periods, or cysts and all that can come from imbalanced hormones. If your hormones are out of control, it’s not because you aren’t taking a birth control pill. It’s because your hormones are off balance. You can take all the medication you want to, but it doesn’t fix the underlying problem. Thinking differently, getting your hormones tested and to knowing how to best support your body to bring them back into balance will bring you clinical results pills can’t.