Here is my understanding of BE and how we are approaching it.
The endocrine system has several components to it. The following is in relation to BE and steroid hormones. There are some things intentionally overlooked due to time constraints and immediate relevance.
The Endocrine System is driven by positive and negative feedback. Blood hormone levels are monitored. The intricate details are not necessary in order to understand or use this theory.
It appears that hormone levels behave the way they do because of positive and negative feedback in the endocrine system. The system obviously needs to maintain what estrogen dependent tissue is already there. The system has the ability to regulate estrogen and other hormones. How does the system determine if there is a need for more estrogen?
The assumption is that there is some sort of mechanism where the system detects that there is a need for estrogen to be produced. This could be measured by producing some amount of estrogen, waiting a certain amount of time and then measuring what the levels are. The degree to which serum levels have fallen dictate how much estrogen should be produced, if any. The idea being that if there is less estrogen than expected, then it must have been consumed by additional estrogen receptors, therefore more estrogen must be needed.
By using herbs to fill receptors, BE'ers are bypassing this system to create more cells and therefore more receptors. This creates a need for more real estrogen to maintain the additional tissue. When the hypothalamus/pituitary axis polls the estrogen levels, they should appear lower because more real estrogen has been consumed by the new tissue. More real estrogen is produced to keep up with the demand, the goal being to keep estrogen levels stable, or at some constant.
This is dependent on the system to work as expected. For those with endometriosis, hysterectomy, or on BCPs, all bets are off.
By understanding the purpose of these hormones and how they are manufactured, distributed and regulated, BE'ers can more effectively apply the knowledge to their own unique situations.
2. Positive Feedback. If the number of cells that need estrogen are great enough, then estrogen production is increased to fill the need.
3. Negative Feedback: Hormones that are produced are expected to fill targeted cells in order for the cell to complete a DNA inscription and output a protein or a fat, or some other form of potential energy. In our case, we are interested in cells with estrogen receptor sites. When estrogen receptor sites are filled to some level, the need is filled. If there is some form of excess, negative feedback occurs due to that excess estrogen in the blood which is not being used. Estrogen production is lowered or stopped to maintain what is needed but no more. It works somewhat like this:
Another way that estrogen is manufactured is through adipose fat tissue. That is why BE 'ers use topicals - to fill the receptors locally to stimulate the process that takes place locally.
4. Homeostasis: When women start BE, their systems begin in a "balance." That is, while their system as a whole may even be out of balance, the number of receptors and the amount of hormones are at a standoff which neither increases nor decreases breast tissue. The purpose of BE is to tip this "balance" in favor of breast growth. It works somewhat like this:
It is important to note that these levels are all subjectively placed. The purpose of the diagrams is to show the mechanics of the process. The actual levels of hormone and resulting growth are unknown and probably unique to each individual.
Someone starting at AAA Cup will have a slower go of it than someone starting at B due to available receptor sites, and the less forgiving closer thresholds. There is not enough wiggle room sometimes, so you have to have it exactly right.
So, as a method, start with low dosages on a few herbs and then evaluate if you have grown, or feel the growing aches, iches or tingles. If you do, then maintain what you are doing. If not, add something else or bump up the dosage of an existing herb.
A good starting point is 500mg per herb. Ramp up on those one at a time also to get your body used to them.
Learn what each herb does do you can make a good decision on what to bump up.
Don't forget the teas and massaging.
Basically (in order of my preference) : Fenugreek - The most potent estrogenic herb Fennel - The next most potent estrogenic herb Saw Palmetto - An "anti androgen" (really a DHT blocker) Wild Yam - Estrogenic Herb (up in the air)
Red Clover - Estrogenic and Progesterone blocker (I don't recommend this one but others do so I'll list it.)
I have not yet seen a routine that uses all of these.
5. Blockers: The use of "blockers" is simply using an herb that fills receptor cells thus keeping the real hormone from filling those cells. This results in negative feedback for that hormone if enough cells are filled. The hormone is 'blocked."
Some examples of herbs used as blockers are Oregano as a Progesterone blocker and Saw Palmetto as an androgen blocker. Although, what probably happens with Saw Palmetto is that it keeps testosterone from converting to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by filling DHT receptors, thus keeping more testosterone available to aromatize into estrogen. I am unaware of any studies that find Saw Palmetto fills testosterone receptors or androstenedione receptors. On the other hand, it may not have been studied either. Fenugreek and other phytoestrogens are considered to be Estrogen blockers, if used to that extent. BE'ers try and keep below those levels.
Perhaps the reason progesterone needs to be blocked is because it competes with androgens for pregenalone. By blocking progesterone there is more pregenalone available to go down the adrogen pathway on its way to becoming estrogen, as long as the extra testosterone is used.
6. Stalling Basically, a stall happens when growth stops and does not start again. Stalling could happen in several ways.
Direct: When all or nearly all receptors of a certain type are continually filled, this seems to result in a stall. This appears to be a function of negative feedback.
Indirect: When a hormone higher in the chain is blocked, the rest of the chain essentially starves from lack of hormone. Production of that hormone cannot continue due to lack of resources.
-Example: Estrogen is blocked by phytoestrogens to the extent that negative feedback occurs and growing stops.
-Example: If testosterone is blocked, then estrogen will be blocked because it is downstream from testosterone.
-Example: If there is not enough pregenalone to create progesterone and enough estrogen (for BE), then progesterone could consume enough pregenalone to starve the DHEA path, as far as BE'ers are concerned.
-Example: Too much testosterone is converted into DHT, therefore keeping it from converting into estrogen.
Perhaps a strategically placed blocker can overcome many of these stalls by allowing more of the parent hormone to follow the path to it.
-Example: Progesterone blockers can allow more pregenelone to be available to go down the DHEA path, thus making it available for testosterone production for conversion into estrogen via aromatase.
-Example: Using a DHT blocker can allow more testosterone to be available to be converted into estrogen.
Lowering below the negative feedback line may not be enough to recover quickly from a stall. It is possible, that in order to recover from a stall that the blood levels of estrogen/phytoestrogen must be lowered below the positive feedback line.
For those in the AAAAAAA category, there are relatively fewer receptors to begin with. Therefore stalling is easier to do. In fact it might even be hard to avoid. For these women, it is not necessarily true that the program "not working." The program may be working just fine. They are simply stalling at lower levels because of a low estrogen receptor count.
Perhaps in this case, starting over after a sufficient break, and ramping up slowly with evaluation points (a week or two for every 500mg step, for example) should be added.
Cycling:
Keeping your body guessing. Missing dosages can be a form of cycling. Adding progesterone on one cycle out of three is a form of cycling because it is said to clear estrogen receptors.
Massaging every other day instead of every day is a form of cycling.
Dowsing is a form of cycling.
In a nutshell: Filling receptors and allowing them to empty in any form of frequency. This probably guards against the negative feedback system downregulating.
Question: How do BE'ers draw hormones in a given direction in the steroid hormone cascade?
Answer: By using a BE routine to create tissue which the endocrine system will create more cells with estrogen receptors and the body should adjust homeostasis through negative feedback and maintain the added tissue.
My thoughts on how much estrogen to use is different depending on the number of estrogen receptors available - which may translate to cup size.
As the area between the arrows goes down, the regimine uses lower dosages and has to be more exact because there isn't enough room to deviate.
So, here is how we are attacking this. (Much slower than last time)
Start with the infusions(herbal teas) at 1/2 strength then full strength ASAP. Do the massages from day one.
Ramp up the internals to 500mg on each herb and give it a week or two to allow time for the growth signs to appear. If there are none, then go to 1000mg of each herb and do the same. Keep going in approximately 500mg increments until growth signs appear.
Once growth signs appear, then record that level. If one is in the AAA to AA range then stop there. If AA or greater then adjust up as necessary. Maybe add a progesterone blocker NOT progesterone cream.
Otherwise, one could keep adjusting up to find the negative feedback limit (the stall wall ) and then know what their growth range is. They can then lower the dosage to the upper half of the range.
