Female Reproductive Disorders 207
estrogen levels, and Vitamin E counteracts estrogen’s destruction of
oxygen by its oxygenating effects.
Another way to balance estrogen and progesterone levels is to stimu-
late the function of the pineal gland. The pineal, in the middle of the
brain, delays puberty by lowering estrogen levels. It also wakes us up in
the morning by absorbing sunlight and brings on sleep when darkness
triggers its secretion of melatonin. By sleeping in as dark a room as
possible at night and getting plenty of sunlight during the day, we can
ensure that the pineal gland’s ability to reduce estrogen increases and
that it may become permanent. To obtain maximum benefi t from the
sunlight, try panning. Raise your head toward the sun, close your eyes,
and move your head slowly to the left and then to the right, back and
forth for at least fi ve minutes at a time. When the sky is overcast, you
can pan in front of a high-intensity light (see Resources). Even an ordi-
nary lightbulb will bring results. To increase exposure to darkness dur-
ing sleep, wear an eye mask, preferably padded, to keep out as much
light as possible.Health Consequences Associated with the Removal
of Ovaries
The data from a study of 29,380 women, 16,345 of whom had a hyster-
ectomy including removal of the ovaries, while the remaining 13,035
didn’t have their ovaries removed when they had their uterus removed,
was analyzed. It revealed that after twenty-four years those who had
their ovaries removed were 12 percent more likely to have died, 17
percent more likely to develop lung cancer, and 17 percent more likely
to get heart disease than those whose ovaries were left intact. Further-
more, their chances of getting Parkinson’s disease doubled.^11 These are
scary statistics as three hundred thousand women who have hysterec-
tomies yearly also have their ovaries removed. The ostensible reason for
their removal is to prevent ovarian cancer. Since, however, only 34 of
the 13,035 women who kept their ovaries died of ovarian cancer, the
removal of the ovaries, unless there is a family history of ovarian can-
cer, does not appear to be justifi ed.