Dear Dr. Roby
Hello. I spoke with your assistant Laurie today and she gave me your email address so I could explain my situation and ask any questions of you. I really appreciate your time:
I’m 47 years old. I started my period at 10 or 11. I’ve always had irregular periods, but began having two periods each month since my early 20’s after I gave birth to my 1st son. In the years following, my doctors tried to put me on birth control pills (estrogen) to fix the “period problem” and this led to extreme nausea and immediate weight gain of 15lbs. each time (My weight hovered around 140-155 during those years; I’m 5ft 7in) so I could only tolerate the pills for a few weeks. This pattern lasted through my mid 30’s, including the weight fluctuations. I also started having seasonal allergy symptoms at the age of 19 (itchy/watery eyes, scratchy throat, stuffy or runny nose). At age 25 I started to have some allergy induced asthma. I have always been active – loved to run, bike, even worked at a gym, etc…
I had my last son in 1998 (I was 36) and two years later still had not lost all of the weight from pregnancy (I was up to 175lbs), my hands/feet were cold, skin very dry, extreme tiredness all of the time but esp. in the mid afternoon and I felt grumpy more often.(I’m usually a “glass half-full” kind of a girl). Oh yes, and I’ve always struggled with sugar cravings and low blood sugar (confirmed by a 6hr. glucose tolerance test). I went to a doctor the local health food store recommended who said that I needed to take Armour thyroid based on my 5 day basal temperature readings and my symptoms (my labs were “normal”). He also prescribed progesterone cream for the 2 periods. I lost 10lbs within a month and finally had normal periods for the first time in my life. I stayed on this regime for about 4 years until Kaiser lowered my thyroid meds.
After Kaiser got a hold of me, I gained 15lbs. and stopped using progesterone after reading that it could accumulate in fatty tissue stores and cause problems. Since I had no way of knowing what my hormone levels were (and had never had them tested before) I was nervous about the side effects. Fast forward to today (and 2 more thyroid lowering acts from Kaiser with weight gain following each time- arggggh!) and I weigh 195lbs.
In August of 2008 I started having bouts of insomnia as my husband had been promoted and was sharing his anxieties over his increased responsibilities, his lack of overtime money, and our “financial problems” each night before we went to bed. I ended up in the emergency room in Oct. 2008 with heart palps, trouble breathing, headache, dizziness. The doctors found nothing. They wanted to prescribe anti-anxiety meds, but I knew it wouldn’t fix the root problem so I refused. I went to the ER again the following week terrified by the same symptoms and was given a CAT scan and other blood tests, but they found nothing. (I do pray and love God so I had been praying all along for wisdom re. these conditions.)
In November I believe God led me to a nurse practitioner who suggested that my symptoms were due to some anxieties in my life but seemed also related to my hormones.(That made more sense to me.) She did a hormone panel through Genova Labs on November 24, 2008:
My Results Reference Range
progesterone level 39 0.95-21.00 ng/ml
Sex Hormone binding globulin 46 18-114 nmol/L
estrone sulfate 1.62 0.75-4.28 ng/mL
estrone 60 28-163 pg/mL
Estradiol 98 27-246 pg/mL
Estriol <80 <=80 pg/mL
DHEA-S 136 35-430 mcg/dL
Testosterone .31 0.10-0.80 ng/mL
Free Androgen 2.34 0.43-8.48
2-Hydroxyestrone 226 112-656 pg/ml
16cx-Hydroxyestrone 580 213-680 pg/mL
2:16cx-Hyroxyestrone Ratio .39 0.40-1.4
The NP put me on progesterone cream (20mg/bid). Then on Dec 9th, 2008 she prescribed 100mg micronized progesterone to be taken on days 8-28 of my cycle. She said to only use the cream during my period. The pills made me feel ill, but with the cream, I started to feel better almost immediately. I took the pills for a few weeks and then discontinued them. I used the cream 2x/day until February of 2009 when my legs, arms started going numb and getting prickly tingles as if they were waking up from having been “asleep”.
The numbness, prickling and tingling continued until it scared me. (We’d changed insurance providers in 2009 so I had to go through Kaiser again and couldn’t go back to the NP). I found a naturopath through Kaiser who ordered another expensive hormone test. This time it was a saliva test. It showed my progesterone levels were very high, but she didn’t seem too alarmed. I asked her what the numbers meant: ( Progesterone 2401H pg/ml and Ratio: Pg/E2 1601H ) but she wouldn’t explain it to me except to say that it was high and that I should cut back to 1x/day with progesterone cream. Then she saw me 2 more times after this and said she didn’t know what was causing my symptoms.
Oh, Dr. Roby, if I’ve kept you this far, I’m nearly 2/3rds finished…
I still have this numbness/tingling in my arms and legs – mostly at night – but when I’m really stressed it shows up at anytime. I have occasional asthma. I have allergies – nasal mostly – and usually May thru July. I have edema everywhere and still have labored breathing about once a day. I have a funny sensation in my throat at times making it difficult to swallow. I’m ½ Puerto Rican, ¼ Filipino and ¼ German if ethnicity has any factor in my healing. (And I’m still kinda cute in spite of all of this, but would sure like to look better while I’m still relatively young! ) My hair is usually very thick, but lately I am seeing some thinness in my scalp and increased facial hair under my chin (yuck!). I’ve also had some increase in acne. (I don’t usually get acne, but my eldest son has been riddled with it since puberty.) I have brown spots all over my hands – this started in my early 30’s).
I do workout about 2-3 times a week – walking, running, bicycling- all indoors. I started a low-glycemic program about 2 months ago and have felt better since doing this. I initially lost around 10lbs after 6 weeks.
I’ve been seen by a chiropractor, Dr JohnEwanyk in Salem, OR since around May, 2009. He has given me many expensive supplements for liver cleansing, candida, etc… and although he seems like a very knowledgeable and patient doctor, none of this has helped. I told Dr Ewaynk about you as he has been unable to figure out how to help me. He said that after he looked at your website that he may call you about the hormone allergy information. Kaiser, in the meantime has given me a brain MRI (normal); sent me to a sleep specialist who told me I might be low in iron and to and endocrinologist whose advice was as helpful as talking to a pre-programmed robot.
I’m several thousand dollars poorer after all these tests (my husband was anxious about money before all of this!). I’m beyond frustrated. I cried out to God and then found your site. I really identified with the hormone allergy information. I have hope for the first time in a long time. I wish that I could fly to Austin today and I guess if I have to do that to get better I’ll try and make it happen. In the meantime, would you please email me with any advice that you might have? What do you think is wrong? Do you want more lab results – I could fax them.
Thank you so much.
Dear Lindy,
Thank you for contacting us. We are always pleased to hear from people with our kind of problems.
Before going any further, I am asking that you go back to the website, robyinstitute.com, and take advantage of the free download of the first chapter of Dr. Roby’s new book, “Maybe It Is All In Your Head … And You Are NOT Crazy!”. Then, after you have read it, we can talk more. The excerpt from the book, will tell you more about hormones in general, their function in the body, than you ever imagined. It will also give you an insight into your own hormones, why it’s happening, and what can be done about it. You will know more about hormones, than any physician that you have seen, so far.
Most of the symptoms that you are presenting, are the same symptoms that we see, test for, and successfully treat, every day.
Dr. Roby’s protocol, is actually in two protocols in one. Let’s get you started now, on the nonmedical part. If you will faithfully follow these instructions for 30 days, I can guarantee that you will feel 50% better. We have had prospective patients, who have practiced this for 60 days, and have called back saying that it has worked so well for them, that they no longer have the need to see us. We really like that. Do it for 60 days, yourself, and see. Since we are a holistic practice, we look at it as a total lifestyle change, not a quick weight loss, or feel good for awhile, and go back to the old life, treatment.
These are the steps that I will ask you to follow.
1) DIETARY: Follow on school nights only. Take a break on Friday or Saturday, and eat the food that you miss the most. The diet itself is Low carb, low fat. All diets will work, if followed, we particularly like The South Beach diet, because of the varied choices that it offers. The recipes are easy and tasty. Be sure and stay hydrated, but remember that plain water is a natural diuretic. We would like for you to intersperse plain water with Club Soda, once or twice during your day, to save wear and tear on the electrolytes. NO SUGAR, except on that free day..
2) MOVEMENT: LDS. Looong, Slooow, Dissstance walking. One hour on the treadmill, in the morning, inside your house or a gym, we don’t want you to be breathing real pollen and mold polluted, outside air. If you are doing a regular cardio work out, this will make a good cool down exercise for you. We want you to keep your pulse rate low, not over 90. the reason is that when the pulse rate rises, it sends a signal to your brain, that you are in an emergency situation. You will begin to produce more adrenaline. Your body is hardwired, to NOT burn fat, while spurting out adrenaline. No matter how you try, if you go too fast, you will not be able to burn any of the fat. We don’t want you to sweat, become fatigued, or have any shortness of breath, This walk is the best, and safest way to lose the weight that you have gained. We want you to do the same LDS, just before going to bed every night. Just the slow walk, reading, watching tv, chatting on the phone, whatever you want to do, while relaxing on the treadmill. This walk, is designed purely for the adrenaline dissipation, so that you can sleep deeply enough to reach the 4th level of sleep, which is where the relax and repair takes place. You will begin to feel much better, when you do it. All of these instructions, by the way, can be found in the allergy sections of the website.
3) SPIRITUALITY: Yours, not ours. Whatever is your best way of centering. It is all about “ME”. You can do it with meditation, yoga, relaxation tapes, prayer, whatever you need, for you to be relaxed, and in touch with your inner self.
I would very much like for you to keep in touch with us while you are doing this, so that we can discuss your progress, and sometimes make changes.
Doctors in Texas are prohibited from diagnosing, treating, or prescribing for anyone that haven’t seen in person. this simply means, that if you cannot come for the first visit, he can’t do anything for you. Once that first visit is over, the only requirement is an annual retesting here. Good law, protects patients by assuring that nothing else has crept in, and the doctors are kept up to date, too, on the patient’s progress.
Most of our out of town patients, make it a day trip, depending on how they choose to get here. By plane, usually Southwest Airlines, early in, three to four hours in the clinic, testing and treating, afternoon flight back home in time for dinner, and sleep in their own bed. You will leave our clinic with everything that you will need for a year of treatment. If they drive, and many of them do, it is a bit different, usually because the entire family will come along, and is more leisurely, and vacation like.
We do accept most healthcare plans, including Medicare, Medicaid and Military. We exclude Humana. We also offer a satisfaction guarantee. If you come in, and we find that we cannot help you, there is no charge for the visit. It’s free. If you decide to become a patient, and after a while conclude that it isn’t working as well as you had thought, just let us know, and we will promptly refund any money that you have paid to us.
Although Dr. Roby likes for prospective patients to go through the nonmed protocol before making the long trek to Texas, should you decide that you want to come and see us, right away, call us at: 800-842-6349 for scheduling.
Please let me know if I can be of any more help to you.
Best regards,
Dorothy Dreux
Roby Institute