The Birth Control Pill: Cautionary Tale Number One
I spent a good chunk of my twenties on the birth control pill, and given the lack of an open discussion of its downsides (see the recent article in the New York Times) and the concomitant promotion of its supposed benefits in advertising, this should pose no great concern.
However, I wish I had known what I know now, and I will share this knowledge with my daughter when she comes of age.
First, a little over one year ago, my not-so-conventional doctor tested me for various food sensitivities and found that I had an overgrowth of Candida. I had noticed no digestive problems, and my complaint was severe seasonal allergies. Mainstream doctors will not diagnose Candida, nor its less flattering name – leaky gut. Well, I healed my gut through a diet eliminating yeast and anything that feeds yeast as well as all the foods to which I apparently had sensitivities, and my seasonal allergies disappeared, never to return, even after returning to my pre-diagnosis diet.
Now, of all the possible causes of Candida, my instinct tells me it was my multiple years on oral contraception. Playing games with your hormones comes at a cost. (See the following article on the website of Dr. Mercola, a great source for information on alternative medicine).
The pill is not harmless, and the trumpeting of its benefits in commercials and the mainstream press does, at least thus far, immeasurable harm to women.
Tags: allergies, birth control pills, candida, hormones, leaky gut, oral contraception
