Regarding Herbals, Phyto-Estrogen, and Transgender HRT

So,
I wanted to post this in response to some issues that have come up, and address some concerns.

For those of you who don't know,
Some types of plants contain a plant hormone known as Phyto-estrogen.

Some people take phyto-estrogen in varrious forms for either hormone replacement for menopause, or for a natural approach to HRT for trans. folk.

Phyto-estrogen is not Estrogen. However when ingested, it does get assimilated into actual estrogen by the body.

Currently the only way to come accross this compound is to get it in capsule form from the natural foods store or such herbal place.

I have seen two forms:
One, a version of plant extracts in a liquid (presumbably alcahol of some sort [the traditional tincture method]) in capsule form.
The other, a blend of powdered herbs that contain high concentrations of Phyto-estrogen along with other traditional "womens herbs"
Also in capsule form.

Let me say right off the bat that I have used these with some success.

However there are some people who are opposed to their use, and even go so far as to say they are dangerous.

I will present their argument here as clearly as I understand it.

There are three main points.

1, that are unregulated, and variable (even if slightly) in their dosage levels, thereby they do not trust them as well as a capsule of micro-measured pharmaceutically made prescription estrogen.

2. That they are ineffective. People who say this discuss how the effect received from, say one herbal capsule, does not equal the effect of say one prescription Estrogen capsule.

3 That they are expensive. They cite how along with not comparing equally in dosage effect 1-to-1 with prescription capsules, the jar of herbals is also expensive, per dose needed for effective effect.

4. That they are dangerous. The primary arguement here is that due to the higher number of capsules needed for effective dose, one is also taking a higher dose of any other compounds found in the supplements. Of which some are not always known.

So, I thought that I'll take a moment to address these concerns as someone who uses herbal Phyto-estrogen.

1. That they are unregulated and variable in their dosage levels.

This is true in a sense, however 36 milligrams of dried, powdered mint is 36 milligrams of dried, powdered mint.
The kind of variations involved depend on how the plant was grown, however due to the low dosage levels of each capsule, the kind of variation we are talking about would be in the thousandths of a milligram. Hardly an overdose concern if you ask me. The danger here implied that if you took one too many, that "one" might contain an abnormal amount that could "send you over the edge"
Due to the extremely low variable we are talking about, I find this highly unlikely unless someone was VERY sensitive to some particular compound.

2. That they are ineffective, and do not equal the effect of prescription estrogen dose for dose.

This is a mixed bag. there are two assertions here. The dosage inequalities and their effectiveness.
I will address the dosage inequality first.
This is true. The dosage needed for the same effect of one prescription estrogen is much higher. Several at least. depending on the brand and milligrams per capsule, and what herbals were used. Usually brands have consistency within their brand.
The reason for this is because we are dealing with herbal substances, not refined chemically extracted drugs. A plant has as much phyto-estrogen as it has.It is not made up of 100% phyto-estrogen. So if you want more, you have to take more. A drug does consist of mostly what it is. Usually pure whatever, mixed with placebo (sugar) for dosage. Add capsule material if you like. Which means if you want more effect from an herbal you have to take more than you would if you were just using a drug version. Does this make them effective?
That depends. If you realize the inequality of the dose and do not expect beer to act like whiskey, per volume, then yes, they are quite effective. But you do have to take more.

3. That they are expensive.

This is basically true. One bottle of 120 powdered herb capsules that I take costs around 16 dollars. Ive seen the same bottle go for 20.
A bottle of 60 liquid capsules of another brand costs between 22 to 28 dollars, however IS much more potent than the powdered herbals ones. So yes. expensive. Very actually.

4. That they are dangerous. Once again, the primary argument being that due to the higher number of capsules needed for effective dose, one is also taking a higher dose of any other compounds found in the supplements. Of which some are not always known.

There [i]is[/i] some validity to this hypothesis. However, empirical experience has shown that I have not met anyone who has had or seems to know anybody who has had a bad side effect from taking Herbals.
I do think this should be investigated further, however I also think it is too far to conclude that they are dangerous, when the evidence suggests that they are not. I believe this deserves further study. There is also the fact that some of these "other" compounds in plants have been shown to be often beneficial, and complimentary. My favorite classic example of this is Asprin. When extracted from willow bark, the process used to make asprin, removes the buffers in the bark which aid safe absorption. Hence the later creation of Buffrin. Plants contain other things such as enzymes which help the body digest, as well as often contain other compounds that are also beneficial to the same cause. Compounds that are not present in prescription versions (such as buffers).

Conclusion:
Although I respect the opinions of others, I want to point out that all of these four arguments apply not only to Herbal Phyto-Estrogen, but to all herbal supplements as well.
It is the classic argument between Herbal users and Pharma users:
the pharma people accuse the Herbals of being unregulated, varriable, hence unstable; and the herbal people accuse the pharma-drugs of not containing essential compounds needed for safety as well as being commonly toxic, and not as safe as historically proven herbs.

So: the thing is, they both have good points. And most moderate people I know tend to use both, and not rely solely on one or the other
Doctors are split about this as much as the rest. some are either/or and some advocate both for different things.

Really it's up to you.
As far as Phyto-Estrogen is concerned, They can be effective, IF you are willing to shell out lots of cash.
I am.
and so I use them.
There are inherent risks involved with either.
I will probably end up using both as I like having the ability to adjust what I take to fit my body's needs on a daily basis.
Flexibility that a prescription alone, doesn't offer.

It's up to you though.
I would advise against calling one or the other dangerous, especially when they both are. And are both not.
There are risks inherent to both.
As well as benefits inherent to both.

What is appropriate for you depends on which benefits outweigh which risks.
Which risks are acceptable to you, and which are not.
Remember: Lots of sane people advocate and use both.

-thank you for your time.
-Sarah

Between the Lines transgendered comic Rocks!

Finally, someone is making a graphic comic of the everyday life of transgendered youth!
Sometimes I get so tired of hearing about how it was in the "olden days" and
old recycled issues that do not address my concerns as a young person. The older gen is so conservative and fearful,  sometimes it seems like all I hear from them is FUD 
(Fear Uncertainty and Doubt)
 about safety, and  suicide, and why they don't approve of herbals and why your doctor or therapist is God.(buch o bullcrap). Gnd while the youger gen has more than it's share
of fear, In my experience, leadership in the older generation, is not to be found for the most
part. Donna Rose and Jamison Green are noteable ecceptions and there are others, but they are few and far between.
Finally someone puts a voice out that I can relate to. someone know's what my life is like, and does it in a graphic way that I can share with others. These girls do a realy nice job, and if you know anybody or have anybody in your family or are yourself currious about the joys and tears and fears of what it is like to be 
Transgendered, (especially as a youg person) I'd advise you to check this out.
 Really great job.
-Sarah
http://betweenthelines.sosdg.org/

Why being Transgendered Rocks!

So, with all the information out there on the problems and challenges facing trans. peole, I thought I would incluse some more information on why this (being transgendered) rocks!
First off,
Communication is better.
Being open with others tends to make them open with you.
But this goes so much better as that only touches the tip of the iceberg:
Women: it is so much easier to talk to women for me now! We have so much in commonthat was not obvious before. We can talk about shopping, our favorite stores, brands and types of makup used, hair products, clothes, style, fashion, and any other thing that gets led to by these subjects.
This leads to great, fun conversations that would not have taken place if I had not come out.
For men: they understand me better, and why I have a more sensitive personality, they also tend not to make uncomfortable masculinity jokes around me and tend to be more sensitive and aware of my femininity. They also tend to focus conversational topics on things we actually have in common and like, like sports, girls(in my case), job joys and woes, food, and creative recipies (shared also with the women), common local jokes, etc. And the men just tend to be more sensitive arround me overall.
I think this was and is a vast improvement over the before-standing situation which was very uncomfortable for me.
Which is another thing: I tend to feel comfortable arround people rather than just nervous and afraid.
This is really great,
-Sarah

Steps torwards a Transgender-Inclusive Small-Business certification and Rating.

I recently stopped by the local Pride center, looking for information about what the local small business stance towards transgendered persons was in my local area. I  presumed that due to the existance of the Mountain Pride Connection (a Colorado business directory for LGBTQ businesses) as well as the local Human Rights Campaign, and Of course the Pride offices,  
that some sort of formal recognition and/or informal business listing of LGBTQ friendly businesses would be present and avaliable. -After all, I live in Boulder Colorado, which is known as being one of the more progressive cities in America -especially on LGBTQ issues. Much to my suprise, such a listing or rating did not exist, and there was very little information avalible on the actual hiring and business policies of local businesses. This came as somewhat of a shock,  because while the HRC keeps tabs on big businesses, there seems to be nothing currently in place for local and small businesses, nor any means for local LGBTQ groups to apply and certify such a rating in their local communities.
This strikes me as a hole unfilled. And has led me to the question of "why not?".
Which is the reason for this letter.
I will be getting in touch with the local HRC as well as the legal Dept. in my local Regional Pride Hedquarters. I will also see if I can get a hold of Donna Rose and Jamison Green, now that they are starting an organization for Transgender Education, and will see if we can't come up with some means (like a PDF downloadable kit) for local groups to interview, asess, rate, and give certification to local businesses. As well as improvement steps needed for a higher rating.
This would be something similar to the HRC's current practice with fortune 500 companies, but smaler, on a more local and grassroots level. Some sort of acredidation would also likely be needed for the local organization(s) to be able to offer such a rating as well as possibly a training course or manual with test.
I would immagine this rating system would likely be offered by the new Transgender Education Partnership, in conjution with another organization, such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, to offer a rating for those of the rest of the LLGBTQ community as well, not just Trans.
If anybody has any thoughts, questions,comments or ideas, feel free to email me with the header "Trans/LGBTQ small and local business rating" as the subject.
-Sarah
anavi@earthling.net

Transgendered HRC Council Members announce resignations from the HRC and the formation of a new Transgender Organization

In an open letter to the GLBTQ community, members of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and others,
Ranking HRC members Donna Rose and Jamison Green formally announced their resignation as members of the HRC business council.
The resignation comes as a response due to HRC's recent sponsoring of a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that did not include Transgender rights.
Previous versions of the bill did include such rights, however due to reasons given that there were not enough representatives to pass a Trans. inclusive bill, the Trans. measures were dropped.
The outcry over the dropping of the "T" from the bill has effectively led to a split within the GLBTQ community. With the "Barney-Franks/HRC" on one side and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) and supporters on the other.
Donna Rose and Jamison Green were the only Transgendered people on the HRC board, and the decision to support a version of ENDA that did not include Trans. rights was cited as the primary reason for the resignations.
The letter expresses thanks for the time served on the Business Council, as well as assures members of theLGBT community that this action "...in no way diminishes our commitment either to the transgender community or to ensuring that workplaces have access to professional training, support and guidance on transgender issues."
The letter also announces the formation of a new organization whose "sole purpose is to provide ongoing education on transgender issues for businesses, governmental agencies, NGOs, and educational institutions."
The new organization is to be called the Transgender Education Partnership (www.transeducate.com)
to see the letter, go here

Comments:
S.2 says:
In some ways I think this is a double-edge sword leaning on the good side.
I think they are right, that we cannot, and should not rely on the rest of the GLBTQ community to support us and our rights.
For one thing, I have heard the comments of some prominent Lesbians in our local community where I live, that as the gay/lesbian/bi community has gotten main-stream acceptance, the leadership of those organizations, and those leaders who were very active in the 60’s through 90’s have gotten lax and less motivated as they have been more and more accepted.
However Trans have not.
Not nearly as much anyway, and we still have our work cut out for us.
I don’t think we can rely on the big LGB organizations to do the heavy lifting for us anymore.
We need to do it ourselves.
This is a good thing in my opinion, as I believe it will cause or community to organize itself in ways that have not happened before, and create more “for trans, by trans” organizations and services which will no doubt be better and more accurate as they will be offered for and by the Trans. community.
We should not alienate the LGB groups, but we should be able to stand on our own feet. and take a stance if necessary.
Personally I’m for the Idea of 3′rd Gender. A way to organize our stance outside of the traditional Dualism.
The biggest question I have is why the Barney/Franks chose to divide the community over a bill that is guaranteed not to pass. It will certainly be vetoed even if it passes the senate. Why put your foot down over a bill that is going nowhere?
Why not wait a year, and a new president?