One Woman's Story |
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| February 27 2009 |
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In 1989 I graduated from high school in a small town in Texas and couldn't wait to hit the big college city so I could begin to live my own life. One of the changes I wanted to make was to eat healthier. My family wasn't big on tofu, yoghurt or fruits. I also didn't want to gain the freshman 15. Once I moved to health-conscious Austin, Texas with its parks, hike and bike trails, and health food stores, I began to fortify my body with the best and healthiest foods I could find. Tofu was the main ingredient in every healthy dish and I bought soy milk almost every day because it was better than milk. I used it for everything from cereal to smoothies or just to drink for a quick snack. I bought soy muffins, miso soup with tofu, soybeans, soybean sprouts, etc. All the literature in all the health and fitness magazines said that soy protected you against everything from heart disease to breast cancer. It was the magical isoflavones, it was the estrogen-like hormones that all worked to help you stay young and healthy But I wasn't that healthy. I looked great, I was working out all the time, but my menstrual cycle was off. At 20 I started taking birth control pills to regulate my menstrual cycle. One brand would work for a few months but then I would become irregular again. The doctors kept switching the brands and assuring me that I'd find the one that would work. In addition to this I began to suffer from painful periods. I began to get puffy--not fat, I wasn't gaining weight, just getting rounder. It was as though I was losing my muscle tone. I wasn't looking as good as I had before, despite all my exercising. I began to suffer from fits of depression and get hot flashes. I mistook all this for PMS since my periods were irregular. I had no way of knowing when I was going to begin my period. Now, I had started using soy when I was 19. The onset of these problems quickly began at 20. By the time I was 25 my periods were so bad I couldn't walk. The birth control pills never made them regular or less painful so I decided to stop taking them. I went on like this for another two years until I realized my pain wasn't normal. In 1998, when I was 27 years old, my gynecologist found two cysts in my uterus. Both were the size of tennis balls. I was scared to death! I went through surgery to have them removed and thank God they were benign. The gynecologist told me to go back on birth control pills. I didn't. In 1998 he discovered a lump in my breast. Again I went through surgery and again it was benign. It was in November, 2000 that my glands swelled up and my gums became inflamed. Thinking I had a tooth infection I went to the dentist who told me that my teeth were not the problem. After a dose of antibiotics the swelling still did not go down. At this point I could feel a tiny nodule on the right side of my neck. No one else could feel it. I told my mother I had thyroid trouble. This was based only on a hunch. She, along with others in my family, said I was being silly. No one in the family suffered from thyroid trouble. What's a thyroid?" was what my friends would say. Going on a hunch I saw a specialist who diagnosed me with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma. After a series of tests he told me it was cancer. My fiance and I sat stunned. I was dreading another operation but so far every lump had been benign. We were not prepared and I was so scared. We scheduled surgery right away. The specialist told us that it would only be after the operation that a pathologist would be able to tell us for sure if it was cancer. They found a tumor on my right lobe composed of irregular cells and another smaller tumor growing on the left, so the entire thyroid was removed. No harm was done to my vocal chords, no harm to my parathyroids but I now had an ugly scar and would be dependent on thyroid hormones the rest of my life. They told me that after undergoing radioactive iodine I would be safe and assured me that I could live a long life. After treatment I began to search for the cause of all these problems. An x-ray I had done at age 8 was under suspicion, as was stress--everything got blamed on stress, genes, maybe that time I tried to smoke a cigarette (I was never a smoker but tried once), maybe that summer when I was 25 and began to drink vodka and try mixed drinks ( I was never one for alcohol but wanted to know what the hype was about). I began to look for esoteric reasons like not being spiritual enough. I never once thought it could be all the soy I had consumed for nearly ten years. After all, soy is healthy. I never drank soft drinks, and even when I was under excruciating pain, never took aspirin or headache medications. Maybe it was birth control pills. I came upon a web page that linked thyroid problems to soy intake and the conspiracy of soy marketed as a health food when in fact it is only a toxic by-product of the vegetable oil industry. This was insane, I thought. After all, the health and fitness magazines had said nothing about soy being harmful. I visited an herbalist who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 1985. She informed me that soy was the culprit. She was a health-conscious individual who in her twenties fortified her diet with soy. A few years after that she had to have a hysterectomy due to cysts and other uterine problems. A few months later another acquaintance who had consumed soy came down with thyroid cancer. She was 27. A girl in England I met through the internet in a thyroid cancer forum had just undergone surgery and she was only 19. What was going on???? The research said that thyroid cancer was more common in older women, age 50 or older. It was said to be genetic or the result of nuclear fallout like in Chernobyl. Today I found out that yet another acquaintance--another health-conscious individual--just found out she has thyroid cancer and she is 29. I got on the internet and found breast cancer linked to the radioactive iodine given during treatment. This didn't seem true. As fearful as I am of anything nuclear, the treatment has been given for over 150 years. Breast cancer is linked to estrogen. What mimics estrogen in the female body? SOY! I am not a scientist nor a doctor but I know my body. I knew that there were changes going on and I did search for clues as to why, but I never suspected soy because until now I never once found a single article that stated soy could be dangerous. Evening primrose oil I heard taken in large amounts, vitamin A, C and E can make tumors grow if taken in large dosages, MSG, even tuna is harmful but never once SOY. Women who took soy prior to thyroid problems will continue to take it after if they are not aware of what soy actually does, what it contains and how it reacts in the female body. I think this is the reason that women with thyroid cancer often develop breast cancer later. Now it all makes sense. If you trace the problems I have had, they are all related to hormones. Taking birth control pills I believe only added more hormones to my body that I didn't need. I believe it was the fruit, no smoking, no drinking, exercise and veggies that kept my first surgeries benign. I wasn't as lucky the last time. My co-worker is big into soy and I see her losing hair and gaining weight despite a walking workout during her break and after work, and apples and oranges for lunch. She just had cysts removed from her uterus too. I warn her to stay off the soy. I refer her to websites but until it is on the evening news on all four networks, women will suffer. I say what I can but at the Christmas potluck every dish contained soy in one form or another. It's now the staple of the new American diet--eat right, eat for health, eat to ward off cancer, AND IT'S SOY! Back in 1994 I did have my thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) checked, again on a hunch. I was suffering from lethargic days, fits of depression, feeling off, and mild digestive problems. My TSH was a 6. A good physician, taking into account my symptoms, would have explored this. We are not always blessed with good physicians. Many don't know what a thyroid gland is, what it does or even where it is, and they miss important signs. By the way, today I have normal periods even though I am not on birth control pills and even though I have had to change my dosage of thyroid hormone since the thyroidectomy. I do not touch soy, haven't for two years. Dear readers, please use my story in any way you can. There are so many young girls who are consuming soy because they think they are taking care of themselves, and women taking soy because they want to be healthy. It is so unfair that the information about the dangers of soy isn't more widely circulated. It is sad. Health is wealth and until 1998 no matter how badly things went--car breaking down, bills, bad dates--I felt comforted in that I had my health. There are many out there who feel this way and it is a terrible blow when you realize you are not as healthy as you thought and that the information that you depended on was wrong. Â This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly magazine of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Spring 2002.
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written by Rich, Dec 17 2011
How could the "doctor" diagnose her with Papillary Thyroid Cancer andd then tell her he can't be sure until after surgery? Cancer biopsy tests are a crime! They are based on this silly theory of antibodes reacting to something (what? who knows?).
"Soy" it ain't so!
written by Dawn, Sep 07 2011
Look higher up the totem pole to find out why soy is so prevalent in the foods we eat. It, along with corn, is one of the most government subsidized foods in our country. It is cheap to produce and cheap to buy. So it is in most everything people (including many health conscious folks) consume each day in the form of soybean oil, soy lecithin, soy flour, soy protein to name a few. It comprises a good portion of the diets of cows, pigs and chickens, etc. It is abundant in many of the foods dubbed as natural and organic, but it is still a phytoestrogenic compound, even if it is organic.
I was a vegetarian through most of high school and college, and began (consciously) eating many organic soy based foods then, and by graduate school I was drinking soy milk, eating tofu and (soy based) veggie burgers and so on, touting the benefits of the soybean because that's what I read. Soy was the main staple of my diet. In my late 20's I began having very bad menstrual symptoms, including fibrocystic breasts, acne and migraines that increased in severity, even though I worked out and was in the very best shape of my life. In my 30's the fatigue and hypothyroidism arose, along with worsening menstrual symptoms, 30lb. weight gain, hot flashes and depression (which can all be signs of estrogen dominance). It is in my mid thirties that I learned so much more about soy and the driving force behind its prevalence in our food supply. Eliminating it (for the most part) has helped, but now it's a work in progress. I know that's not the only causative factor in my health issues, but it is the largest component of the estrogen dominance. A few years ago, my husband wrote a letter to the company who made a particular organic salad dressing he liked that used soybean oil to encourage them to switch to olive oil. Their reply was that if they switched to olive oil it would be expensive to produce, so they would have to increase their price to the consumer, which would be counterproductive. We had to stop purchasing that salad dressing. Sorry for the long comment, but I need to close with this: please read EVERY label on all of the foods you consume. Even in the health food stores. Soy is everywhere (in so many foods you may not even expect to find it), and it is difficult to avoid these days and will be unless it gets un-subsidized.
I totally agree with this article
written by chris, Mar 20 2011
I too foolishly thought soy was healthy for about 10 to 15years..until I finally woke up after doing some research and realising how bad it was. I now have Hypothyroidism and have had PCOS for about 10yrs also, notably both endocrine disorders. I definitely feel Soy played a large role in these problems.
I am very glad I know better now, although a bit late for me to retain my health, at least I can save my children from the same mistake! Unfortunately, I have tried to enlighten a few friends of mine to the dangers of Soy but there's no telling them, just like she says in this article, unless it is on the 6 o'clock News no one believes you. And these women I am thinking of have weight problems, uterine fibroids and very difficult periods. One of them also fed both her babies on Soy formula! I hate to think where that will leave them in the future. It is positively criminal that soy is so blatantly misrepresented. Don't be sucked in like I was and save yourself the pain of having to cope with the illnesses it brings.
Breast pain
written by Sue, Sep 21 2010
I tried two times to incorporate soy in my diet.
Each time I have suffered bilateral breast pain- I had to use heating pads and hold weighted books on my chest for relief.
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written by Beth, Sep 19 2010
I have not had my menstrual cycle for 5 years now. About 6 years ago I started losing weight due to increased exercise,and went from a size 16 to a size 2 in about 2 years. During that time my menstrual cycle stopped, and I was told that I was too skinny. I saw a nutritionist and was able to gradually increase my weight in a "healthy" way. I am now in a size 7 and I still do not see any signs of my period. For the past year and a half I have been using standard process and following the wapf diet, but still have not seen any results. Do you have any suggestions for nutritional interventions that I could take?
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written by Pierre, May 11 2010
I am sad that soy has caused many women problems and even more sad at how it is highly marketed as being healthy. I, probably like many others, stumbled across this article by accident after reading that giving soy baby formula to an infant is the equivalent to giving them 5 birth control pills, I don't know how much truth that statement holds, but I wouldn't test it knowing what I've learned about soy. I didn't know it was bad for women,I did know it was bad for men, because it lowers testosterone, so all the bodybuilders drinking soy protein are fooling themselves. The sad reality is most things on the market with health claims are false, I sadly just realized how unhealthy my whole grain cinnamon toast crunch is. People out there, please listen to this woman's story and try to avoid soy, she's telling the truth
soy= pimples
written by nancy, May 06 2010
I have recently just became vegan ( 5months) and i started drinking soy milk and eating soy products. once i did the transition i began to have horrible acne breakouts. i never got pimples, my face was always clear but then realized it was the soy products. I am a nutrition and dietics major and soy is not taught in class as a bad food base. although it is not ref. to as harmful i know my body and soy does have side effects.
very shocked
written by Kathleen, May 05 2010
I'm a 17 year old girl that has been vegetarian since 8th grade. I recently turned vegan. Befor that I was eating soy but now I'm drinking soy in my cereal every morning and in my tea right now. I'm shocked. I was searching because I was curious about what my mother said. She said she can't drink soy milk because her doctor told her not to because it isnt good for middle aged women. But this is scaring me. I'm deffinatly going to search more on the topic and ask my gynecologist. I started the pill last summer because of heavy periods and really bad cramps, but that could be for multible reasons. I am not completely sure about soy being completely bad, where else will I get most of my protein? Thank for your story and opinions
Soy and Horrible Menstrual Pain
written by Heather, Apr 29 2010
My Daughter started showing signs of reflux a few months after birth. She was 100% breastfed. At around 4 months I discovered that she couldn't tolerate milk, soy, or egg in my diet. She would even break out in a pimply rash and get severve gastric problems and diaper rash. At 6 Months she had been dairy, soy, egg free for over 6 weeks and was 100% better. She has just started to tolerate these items at almost 2 years...
Here is where my store ties in. I have had SEVERE Menstrual cramps since puberty. I even went the Birth Control Pill way too. Well I spent 1 1/2 years on a dairy, soy, egg free diet for my daughter. My periods have been easy, normal, unadventful and painless. Now that I have introduced these items into my diet again I am again plagued with Horrible cramps. I believe that I am extremely sensitive to soy. I don't eat it in any way other than the additives that are in food (Salad dressings, breads etc). I believe soy is dangerous. How can we take in something so close to a hormone and not be worried by it. Why does it have to be in everything?
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written by Denise, Apr 28 2010
My daughter started theater classes in Sept of 2010, her theater teacher not only taught them how to act, stretch, and extend themselves, but also how to eat a healthier diet. Without me knowing, my daughter began a soy diet, with soy burgers, energy bars, and drinks. The first symptom was acne. She had enjoyed good skin, with an occasional breakout, but now most of her face was covered with inflamed acne. The next symptom were stomach cramps round the clock. She came to me for help, and I knew, regardless of what doctors say about food not being triggers for acne, something else was going on with her body. I told her to quit eating soy. We finally started to see some results after months, but then yesterday she decided to eat a soy burger. I noticed her bloating first, then this morning, her face was inflamed again, and her stomach hurt. I'm a big believer in listening to your body. If you change something in your diet and your health starts to change, pay attention to what you've done differently in your diet and lifestyle, look for triggers. Case in point: My other daughter, when she was 10, was playing outside one day gathering fruit from our trees. Two days later she had a major allergic reaction, where her face was unrecognizable. We have been in this home since she was 3, so I did not feel that it was something from here that caused this reaction. I rushed her to the doctor worried that her breathing was also affected. The doctor said it must have been a bite and she would be fine, and he gave her steroids, creams and pills. A week went by, no change. Finally, I sat down and recreated the days before this reaction began. What came to mind about those days was her gathering of fruit, our mangoes. although she had picked them up before, she had never picked up so many at one time. Some of the fruit was broken open, and the juice and oil had gotten on her hands, and her hands had wiped her face. That fruit was sitting on my counters, everywhere. Bottom line, she is allergic to the oil of the mango skin. Its a cousin to poison ivy. It only took one broken fruit to create her reaction. Patch testing also confirmed. She's fine now, stays away from that fruit. I guess the lesson to learn is that even though she had handled this fruit many times, it only took one time in the wrong combination to cause a problem. This is what I mean by triggers, looking at what changed in diet or lifestyle. I know soy has created problems with my older daughter. I know because of the changes in her skin and well being. I get laughed at when I say this to people, so thank for the confirmation.
Media and Soy
written by eballard, Apr 23 2010
I just read a book called "Skinny BI$c*" I read it in Hastings and purchased a copy because it seemed so upfront and in your face about the epidemic of weightloss with women in the United States. The authors are two very beautiful former models who encourage women to eat no meat and supplement their diet and cravings for meat with soy products, what's more they encourage the consumption of soy milk, and cheese that actually melts when you cook it. One woman has a degree in holistic nutrition and both women state and agree that being vegan is the only way to go. They back up their opinions with horrific stories about the way that livestock, chickens and fish are slaughtered and to be honest, I almost threw up during the reading because it is so explicit. They back up their opinions (veganism) with questions designed to make you laugh, like "do you have the teeth and intestinal track of a lion? Could you see yourself trying to take down an antelope? No you would look like an idiot and probably get your a$* kicked." By the end of the book, and I consider myself a fairly well informed person I was ready to take my whole household vegan and start incorporating all soy products. Thank you to every woman on this site who took the time to write about your experience with these products. I want my family to be healthy and lose weight but not at the expense of messing up our bodies. Miss Jade, I know you mean well in your discussion of moderation but ask yourself with books like this circulating all over the world and these other women's experience with counsel, even from health food stores is it likely that a healthy balance can be struck? I am not one to latch onto conspiracy theories and ride the wave but there are lots of misinformed people, who with a little time and effort can discover truth for themselves, I for one am glad I did not run to the health food store to load up on soy products before I did the research that brought me to this site, in a fast food society how many women are purchasing the book I mentioned and purchasing products recommended by two beautiful skinny women and how many of them will achieve health and wellness based on recommendations that obviously have been so detrimental to the women commenting on this story? I see your point of personal moderation especially if you enjoy soy based products, however it saddens me that the food industry and the USDA will sell us product touting health benefits and weightloss that backfire and send us to emergency rooms.
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written by juju, Apr 22 2010
I have similar symptoms. I have been vegan since I was 18 but never really ate any soy products. They were not very popular in europe.
However I moved to Canada for university and started eating more soy. I actually felt the hormone change effects of soy straight away from eating soy. I felt my breast smell and a feeling of bloatness I therefore decided not to consume muy soy in my diet. However in the last few months I have started eating more soy and things have started to become really odd. My periods have become late, I have extreme PMS symtoms with my breast increasing 2 bra sizes, I got mood swings and more... Ive been trying to figure out why suddenly this is happening. Doctors have told me that this is usual for a women to get these symptoms but I think for me they are too extreme. I got a bit confused and didnt know what to do, forgetting that it could be soy because the effects were a bit different... but once again I think it must be soy and plan to completely ban it from my lifestyle .. thanks for the sharing
FINALLY!
written by PJ, Apr 21 2010
I am 47 and I finally have figuered out why I was having horrible, debilitating period and breast pain. EVERY TIME I WOULD CONSUME SOY PRODUCTS, whether it was shakes, tofu, bars, I would always have horrible pain during my periods. I thought I was going through metapause! I decided to just stop cold turkey. 100% of all symptoms went away. AMEN! dumped all soy in my house and am back to normal every 28 days periods with little pain. I love Tofu, but I can't eat it ever again...
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written by Jae, Apr 14 2010
Thank you! I recently discovered delicious soy lattes...and the debilitating menstrual cramps that accompany them, the kind that make you pass out/nauseous and/or unable to walk. Back to regular milk for me!
Soy and my cycle
written by Renee, Apr 10 2010
I'm 33 years old and I was never a vegetarian, or a healthy eater for that matter. And when I decided to start exercising and eating a healthier diet, I decided to incorporate tofu and soy protein powders.
After a couple of months of eating tofu (about 1/4 a block) with veggies for lunch, or a soy shake for breakfast about 4 times a week, I started having symptoms. My periods became irregular. My cycle shortened from 28 days to 20-25. They were more severe and heavy than I had ever had before. I started having severe cramping on my lower left side. It was a sharp, pinching cramp... and I was concerned that it was a cyst. I had an ultrasound done, and nothing was wrong. So I kept a food diary and started eliminating foods in case it was gastrointestinal. I removed tofu from my diet, and the cramping stopped. That was last year. This year I am still trying to be healthier, and as I have found that I have a sensitivity to certain minerals in multivitamins (chromium) it's hard to find a supplement that works. This week, I started my period. 10 days early. With heavy cramping... so bad it was like I was in labor again. My husband brought to my attention the powder supplement that I have been taking. It's one of those mixes that come from powdered fruits and veggies- all kinds of good stuff: spinach, chlorella, carrots, spirulina, apple, alfalfa-and so on. The directions call for 1 heaping scoopful in 8oz water. I was taking two doses a day for the past 2 weeks. I just re-read the label this morning- it contains 1500mg of Soy Lecithin. I never noticed. I can see where people may say, "Well, she's been a vegetarian all her life, and eating so much for so long etc. etc. etc." about someone with that lifestyle and just brush it aside. But I was taking 3 grams of soy lecithin. That's it. The recommended dosage is nebulously between 1200 mg and 30 grams. So I'm taking a relatively low dosage, and yet it seems to have affected me enormously. It seems my quest for better nutrition continues...
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written by Jeannie, Mar 31 2010
I used to be a vegetarian for 11 years. During this time, consumed soy with the idea that it was healthy and delicious. (yes, I enjoy a well-cooked tofu) I enjoyed soy milk because I liked it, and I enjoyed other soy products in moderation.
Sometime during the last few years of vegetarianism, I decided that I wanted to try vegetarian meat substitutes (made with soy) to accomodate meal recipes that family and friends were used to. During this time, my weight creeped up a bit. No problem, I thought it was age and having a child which increased my weight. Then summer came I decided to take the opportunity of field work in the mountains, which entailed strenuous hiking and physical activity, to ditch the 10 or so pounds I had gained in the previous year (the same year that I began using soy meat alternatives). I loaded up my food plan with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein (with calories appropriate to activity level). What did I use for protein?? yep, soy. Soy protein hot dogs, soy beef, tofu, soy soy. It was my primary protein and it was so cool because I could roast my hotdog in the campfire like everyone else. Well, the month of field work ended and though I thoroughly enjoyed my work and my time, I did not enjoy any benefit of weight loss. My waistline did not shrink, my jeans were still tight, and I was still a dimply squishy chubby chub (you would have though I would have at least firmed up!) despite all that hard physical activity (8 hours minimum per day) and meal planning with "healthy" foods. To make everything worse, my face broke out in acne so bad, you would have thought I should be an acne skin product "before" picture. My analysis of the situation was that the soy products are a processed food...processed with a list of ingredients that I cannot pronounce (and I am a chemistry buff) and others which are just not a good idea in general. They do me no better (and possibly worse) than eating fast food crap. In addition, they are expensive and all that processing to make a food into which it isn't can't be good for the environment either. Certainly not for the environment of the people around me seeing as the soy gave me stanky farts. lol So I quit faking it. Nothing but the real deal. Real foods, real protein, and real health. I still enjoy a miso soup, and a little edamame from time to time, but like alcohol, moderation is a must. Now when I work out, even if I don't lose pounds, I lose inches and my body firms up, and I am one smokin hot sista! No acnes, no stanky farts, and not chub blub. All WITHOUT fakin' it with soy. My boyfriend thanks me.
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written by hannah, Mar 23 2010
i recently became vegan and started eating more soy products, my last period was hell and i had intense pms which i never struggled with before. no more edamame for me! thank you guys so much. water is always safe
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written by Am, Mar 11 2010
I had been eating soy products heavily since around 1995 and I thought I was eating healthy. I started to gain weight, which I was never able to lose, and I was puffy and bloated and I was super moody.
In 2005 I went vegan and really stepped up the soy. My periods were never irregular, but they were always painful and I was moody, sore and bloated. During this time, just before my period was due I developed a pain on the left side of my lower back. It was a pain so awful it awoke me from my sleep. It lasted about 2 hours. Later that night, the pain returned and it was so bad I vomited. It went away until the next night and it came back with a vengeance. I was up all night with the pain and I vomited 5 times. Nothing stopped the pain. Not ice packs, heat, Tylenol, Motrin. I went to the doctor that morning and did a urine test which revealed blood in the urine only because my period came that morning. The intense pain gave way to a dull pain and went away. After that I went just vegetarian and ate more egg and dairy and slightly less soy. As the years went on I, on occasion when I got my period, would get the dull pain in that part of my back. Not realizing anything about soy I continued eating it and the pain and the bloat continued. I have gone back and forth with being vegan and being vegetarian and everytime I went vegan I stepped up the soy. I stopped the vegan diet again just this past December because the dull pain returned to my lower back. I am not sure why I decided to look into soy but I did. I first asked the lady that owns the local healthfood store about soy and she claimed that soy is wonderful and so good and to keep eating it. I still felt unsure and I googled soy and the first thing I found was 'One Woman's Story' and it all clicked. The soy causing excessive estrogen. I have stopped eating soy products as much as possible. No tofu or soy milk or soy butter.(Unfortunatly there is soy in almost everything and difficult to totally avoid). I have not had the intense lower back pain, bloat and craziness during my last two periods. I am so glad I found this site because now I at least have an idea of what to do to help myself.
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written by marimoomoo, Mar 04 2010
I am 35 and I have been consuming soy milk daily for a couple of years and have experienced adult acne and heavier, painful periods. I have also been on zoloft for several years for anxiety/depression and birth control for 18 years, I don't know if this has any bearing on what I am experiencing or not. Anyway, recently a friend told me about the hormonal effects of soy and I switched to almond and/or rice milk. That was about 2 weeks ago. I have noticed my skin is clearer, I have lost 4 pounds, I am having night sweats and am lethargic. I am also experiencing premenstrual cramps but I am in the middle of my cycle. Just thought this was all interesting and now curious about the connection of soy to my symptoms. Anyone else share my experience?
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written by Jamie, Feb 28 2010
I noticed that the woman who wrote this article used soy in very large quantities over the course of many years. I don't mean to discredit the seriousness of what she experienced in any way, but I don't agree that soy is dangerous.
From the reading I've done today (on several government and medical websites) soy is not harmful to the average healthy person when used in moderate quantities. However, when you begin to consume soy products in large quantities negative side effects may begin to manifest themselves. There are many things in life that are beneficial to us when used in moderation that can be harmful when used in excess -- and I suspect soy is one of them. Caffeine, for example, in small doses can improve your metabolism (among other things). However, consume too much and you'll likely suffer from insomnia and other side effects. Alcohol is another of these. One serving a day has been shown to have positive effects, but much more than that and you'll have to deal with extra weight from the hidden calories and many other negative effects. I've consumed soy milk, tofu, and other soy products in varying amounts since I was about 17 (about 5 years ago). Yes, when I was consuming large amounts of soy, I did notice some changes in my menstrual cycle, but as soon as I returned my consumption to a "normal" level, those issues subsided. Along a similar note, a few years ago, I began consuming very large quantities of wheat and I thought I might be developing a wheat allergy because after I ate wheat, it felt like my throat was a little swollen. But once again, as soon as I reduced my wheat consumption back to a "normal" level, I didn't have any further problems and to this day I'm a happy wheat-eater.
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written by MA Calvaneso, Feb 19 2010
I started drinking soy milk about 8 years ago. I gave up cows milk completely. I have had a multi- nodular goiter for around l6 years. Two weeks ago I had a complete thyroidectomy. I have developed leg pain in my knees and feet, swelling of hands and feet, constipation,
If not soy milk or cow's milk, What kind of milk is good? What about almond or rice milk? I don't want to go back to cow's milk. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you
Severe depression
written by Sylvia, Feb 17 2010
I recently went on a high-protein soy-based diet. I am 53 and have never gone a diet before but my niece was doing this and I thought it could be fun and I could stand to lose a few pounds so I did it.
After two months on the diet, I have been able to stick with it only 3-4 days at a time due to the severe depression and brain fog that accompanies it. I've spent the last hour researching soy and now I know what's going on. Thank you all for sharing.
My Story
written by Tera Avila-Crain, Feb 10 2010
I wrote this years ago when I was depressed about my health. I am truly glad that it is making women aware of the dangers of soy. I am now ten years cancer free and continue to avoid soy. My outlook has greatly improved and I make better health and food choices.
I worked at a gym for a few years and I would tell the women to cut the soy milk and soy products out of their diets and watch the pounds come off and the puffiness around the face disappear. It worked for them. When I wrote this GMOs were not something I knew about. Now, with all we know of GMOs, there is even more of a reason to avoid soy.
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written by Lori, Feb 08 2010
I had total hysterectomy and now need to take estrogel which is a soy based gel I apply everyday. I could not take the horse pee pills they made me sick and frankly did not like that idea anyway. If I don't use the estrogel I cannot function from all the hot flashes, etc that comes from menopause so I won't stop using it but wondering about long term consequences.
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written by Rita, Jan 17 2010
Thank you for everyone's comments, it validates what I have been experiencing this past week. I have never purchased soy products, and read labels to avoid soy. However, this past week, I purchased edamame, since I have been hearing so much about it. Edamame is soybeans. I had eaten them all week and was enjoying them for their crunch and snack-like properties. The whole week I was eating them, I began to have hot flashes and SEVERE depression, as well as brain fog. I am not a chronically depressed person and I had not been having frequent hot flashes prior to eating the soybeans. I thought I was going crazy and was trying to figure out what was causing the severe depression. I am generally a happy and cheerful person. I decided to check online last night and see if soy can be a cause of depression. I found an article that stated soy can be a cause of depression, hotflashes, brain fog, and numerous other things. I stopped eating the soybeans two days ago, and my depression, brain fog, and hot flashes have subsided. I now feel happy and uplifted again. Not everyone will be effected with depression from eating soy, but I did, and I wanted to share this story. I will NEVER knowingly eat soy again. I have always been a label reader, but I will be checking for anything with soy properties from now on. Good luck to all. This can be hard to figure out.
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written by Mary, Jan 14 2010
I am so glad to have read this article. I thought I was losing my mind. I had difficulties with weight gain and memory. I thought it was my thyroid. I also was a devoted soy user. I thought I was doing the right thing by using soy. After reading this article and the other letters written I am off the soy. I also will be telling all my family and friends about the ill effects of soy. Tghanks for the information.
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written by Lou, Jan 09 2010
This chimes so well with my own experience that I just had to comment. I was luckier than the writer in that I didn't get thyroid cancer but in other respects our stories are similar. I too have always been health conscious; I'm a similar age and in my teens and twenties, before the internet, we were more or less at the mercy of whatever newspapers and magazines happened to print about healthy living without having the resources to research further and verify any claims.
So I too did the low fat, high soy diet. I was active and in my early twenties looked great. I was always tired though, and soon my ambition and concentration started to flag. I too suffered horribly with menstrual cramps, bad skin also, but I never thought to connect it to my diet, at least not to the low fat and soya - after all, that was as healthy a diet as can be, or so we were told. In fact I thought I must be run down and need more protein, and so upped my intake of soy milk and soy protein shakes! By my early thirties my menstrual cycle was really acting up and so I finally consulted a doctor, and it turned out I had autoimmune thyroid disease. Unfortunately, as the writer of the article suggests, most of mainstream medicine is pretty clueless about thyroid disorders and it was only after researching my own treatment options that I began to do better. I have also changed my diet radically. No fats other than olive oil, coconut oil and butter and plenty of them, and definitely no soy in any form. I was vegetarian since childhood, for ethical and ecological reasons; I do now eat some meat, only ethically and humanely produced. It's been difficult but I persevere! The only saving grace of my diet during all those year was that I did always eat plenty of free-range eggs, and I believe if I hadn't done that I'd have ended up with even worse health problems. I wish the writer all the best, and hope that others will continue to be enlightened about the dangers of soy.
soymilk dangers
written by Kimberly , Dec 20 2009
I have been having these changes in my menstrual cycle caused by soymilk, and reading this article has helped. I was begining to think there was something wrong with me. thankyou, Kimberly W.
... written by Auburn, Dec 17 2009
Ever since I discovered the Weston A. Price Foundation, I've been trying to spread the word about what good nutrition really is. Unfortunately, very few people will listen and the ones who do will always take the info I provide with a grain of salt (which really upsets me but, at least, they are listening).
The minute I tell people to try adding good fats to their diet and to eliminate their soy and HFCS/sugar intake, they start with the usual "But they've been telling us for decades that animal fats are a no-no and that soy products are a must!" Even a good friend, who happens to be a physician, tells me "I'd like to see what your cholesterol levels are" when I tell her that I've been using only virgin coconut oil and animal fats in my cooking for many months now and not only do I feel much better but I've lost quite a bit of weight. Anyway, thanks a lot for this article. I wish the very best to the woman who wrote the story.
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| Last Updated on Friday, June 05 2009 19:21 |
This is my true story, nothing altered. These are facts as they relate to my experience, my opinions based on what I have read and felt. I am relating them to warn other young health-conscious women who are unwittingly harming themselves and so that what I went through and what I am going through has some purpose. It would make what I have gone through worth something and not in vain.
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