Women To Women Supplements

[chellebug2000]

Hello all,
I've been doing some lurking for a while. I am 33 yrs old, over weight with hypothyroidism, major yeast problems, and possibly in plerimenopause (my mother went thru it in her mid 30's). I went to the women to women website, read their articles, took their hormone survey and ranked in the severe category. My hot flashes, night sweats and itchy yeast infection (had for 2 years with no help from prescriptions--diflucan taken 3 times, and premarin, etc) prompted me to try it. I ordered the 3 month supply in early Jan. 08. I have yet to notice any difference in any of my problems and it is now the end of Feb. At the end of this month, I will make my last payment for the supplements ($85 for 1st payment, $75 for 2nd, and $75 for 3rd payment). I was told that I get a nurse consultation on the phone. In mid to late Jan. (can't remember exact date), I called them to schedule the consultation. Their earliest available date was March 19th. Huh, that's at the end of my 3 month supply that I paid $235 for.

Two weeks ago, I had pneumonia. I was feverish for 4 days starting (highest temp. being 103.2.

I was just wondering if anyone else has had any dealings with this group? and what your opinions may be, based on my information.

Thanks for your time,

Chellebug2000

[BawdyWench]

My experience with W2W was pretty dismal, as you would see if you read some of my posts here. I took their supplements for about 6 months, to the tune of more than $100 per month.

When I first went there, I was having unexplained weight gain (20 pounds in 6 months with no change in diet or exercise). The person I saw diagnosed me with adrenal fatigue within 5 minutes of my first appointment. They're really big on the saliva tests and all kinds of other tests.

She also didn't like that I was following Protein Power. They believe Protein Power and Atkins are fad diets that are (get this) too low in fat and cause metabolic problems. They advocate Schwarzbein's books, which (surprise, surprise) they just happen to sell.

I did the saliva adrenal test (4 times during the day). My first test of the day turned out a little low at 12 in a scale of 13 - 24 (or something like that). So, she prescribed supplements. Licorice root, something for cortisol, etc., etc., etc.

I didn't want to do Schwarzbein, but she insisted that it was the best thing for me. I said if I have to eat 90 carbs a day (this is the minimum, according to her), I'd gain weight. No, you won't.

She also told me to stop my exercise regimen of weight training and cardio. She said I was overtraining.

So, after several months of this, I had gained another 20 pounds. We re-did the saliva adrenal test, and now my morning reading was 124 on a scale of 13 - 24. WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I told her that the supplements did that. She said no they didn't. Then what caused it? Stress. I told her I had no more stress in my life than I did when I started and again mentioned the supplements. No, the supplements won't do that. Then why did you prescribe them? To help with the adrenal problem. What kind of roller coaster was I on?

Finally, she said she didn't want to argue with me. I said I wasn't arguing, just trying to understand. She said, Fine, don't take the supplements. When I left, I saw that she had not written down that I should come back for a follow-up. Just as well, since I had no intention of ever going back there.

That was my experience. I'm still trying to lose those 40 pounds. Other people have had better experiences, I hear.

If forced to give you my advice, I'd say dump all the supplements and stick with a good solid LC plan like Protein Power. Find a specialist in your area and work with that person. Don't try to do something as important as this over the phone. It's not easy finding a good doctor, but it can be done.

[chellebug2000]

Thank you Bawdy for replying. I noticed alot of people looking but no one replying. I think you are right. Since my posting, I've tried to email Women to Women about the nurse's consultation appointment and about the supplements not working. They have not replied to me. I think I'm going to call them this week and ask about their refund and not to put me on their monthly supplements.

Bawdy, you have had enough experience with peri and menopause (from reading your posts), what's a good multi vitamin to take and what's good to take for those darn night sweats/hot flashes? I am hypothyroid, so I've been trying to stay away from soy.

And thanks again for posting your thoughts, I really, really appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Michelle (Chellebug2000)

[BawdyWench]

Hi, Michelle! I'd definitely stay away from soy. I tried Black Cohosh and had no luck with it, but it works like a charm for good friend of mine.

I have no clue about a good multi-vitamin. Haven't found one that I think makes any difference at all, but then who knows what's happening at the molecular level, huh?

Three weeks ago I started bio-identical hormone-replacement therapy. I use the Vivelle-DOT for estradiol, and Proemetrium for the progesterone. It took almost 2 weeks, but the hot flashes and night sweats stopped. My moods got a bit better, and just maybe I'm not experiencing as much brain fog.

I certainly don't have the answers. The bio-ID seems to work well for me. My (new) doctor said I'd be on it for no more than 5 years, but I'm thinking the less time on it the better. After I"ve been on it a year, we'll discuss things again.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[Relief]

bio identical hormones also stopped my hotflashes. Similar as Bawdy--the vivelle dot plus progesterone cream ( I go to a compounding pharmacy and they make the cream up in a higher dose than available over the counter)plus testoterone and DHEA in a cream. I had to go through a couple of doses of the estrogen patch to find the right one but within about 4 days the hotflashes diminished once i got on the right dosage.

My health "team" is great--a physicians assitantand a nutirtionist attached to a very holistic gyne ( a woman) plus the pharmacy. we used saliva testing to get levels and went from there. tests PLUS symptoms are how they treat. i also am hypo thyroid. and they take care of me with that too--I take levothyroxin PLUS a timed release T3 and finally have that under control and have been able to lose weight.

Seriously--find someone who does bioidentical hormone therapy!

as far as supplements I think the number one most important is fish oil ( or krill oil) totally supporsts all your systems. if you only take one thing--take that!

second: D3--HUGE difference in my energy when i added this one in!

[BawdyWench]

I'm taking krill oil and D3, too, but haven't really noticed a difference.

I tried the progesterone cream from a compounding pharmacy, too, but hated it! It just didn't want to soak in well, so I called the doctor back and asked for the Prometrium (pill).

The one thing I didn't like about this new doctor is that they don't test you for hormone levels, they treat based on how you feel. She said I would feel "better" in a couple weeks, and "dramatically better" soon thereafter. So, how do I know? I feel better, but could I feel even better? It really bothered me that they don't do testing.

I did get her to give me a testosterone test, and it turned out to be 20 on a scale of 20 - 76. She said it was normal. They also tested me for thyroid. My TSH came back high (4.89 on a scale of 0.40 to 4.00), which prompted them to do the T3 uptake, total T4, etc. etc. etc., all of which came back "normal."

The OTHER thing I wasn't impressed with at the appointment concerned our discussion of my weight gain. She said I should watch my sugar intake. I told her I've been eating LC for almost 10 years now, so I don't eat sugar. White bread, too, she told me. Yup. Don't eat that either.

Then she said what she recommends is Weight Watchers because "they really teach you about food." For example, she told me how she went to Subway the other day and thought she'd get one of their "low-fat" subs. But do you know what's in there? "Like, 6 points!" Huh? I said, I don't know about points, but there's probably 60 ot 70 carbs in that sub.

So, even though I'm getting some meds from her, I'm not sure if this is the right "relationship" for me. I might keep looking.

[BawdyWench]

Me again.

Relief, how much krill and D3 do you take daily? I've been taking 2 capsules of krill (1000 IU total) and 5,000 mg D3.

[chellebug2000]

Okay, I got a message on the machine from Women To Women. Have been trying to call them for two days now, still haven't got hold of any one.

I have a couple of questions, Bawdy and Relief:

1. What kind of doctor prescribes bio identical hormones? I don't have any alternative health or holistic doctors within 100 miles .

2. What is D3? I've never heard of that supplement. The closes thing to a health food store that we have is a GNC and it is about 40 miles away. (Yeah I know, I live in the middle of no-Where). That's eastern KY for you!

[BawdyWench]

Here's my two cents.

I wasn't sure who in my area prescribed bio-identical HRT, so I chose a "women's center" and called. I was on hold for almost 30 minutes before being connected with one of their "triage" nurses, but it was worth it. I asked three things:

Do you prescribe bio-identical hormone-replacement therapy?
Are you going to push me to use soy products and herbal remedies?
Do you have a problem with the low-carb lifestyle? Are you going to try to convince me that I need to eat whole grains and carbs?OK, technically that was four questions, but two were closely related. They answered yes, no, no, and no.

I was hesitant to do this, but why waste my time and their time if I know going into it that they don't agree with how I want to be treated? So, at the urging of some very nice women on another forum, I took the plunge and called. It just so happened that the first place I called "correctly" answered all my questions. Trust me. It's worth the 30 minutes on hold. And no, they're not holistic or spiritual or "granola" or anything. Pretty darned mainstream docs.

As for the D3, it's simply Vitamin D, but a subtly different compound. I first read about it from Dr. Mike. Go to his blog and type D3 in the search field to find all the articles on it. Regular Vitamin D can build up to toxic levels in your system, I've read. The same does not hold true for D3. Especially if you live in the northern climates, it's a good idea to supplement with D3 at least during the winter months. A good rule of thumb is 5,000 IU a day (one tiny little capsule), but Dr. Mike says he's taken up to 10,000 a day, and some people in studies have taken up to 50,000 IU daily with no adverse effects and a lot of positive effects.

Does that help?

[chellebug2000]

Thanks Bawdy,
That was really helpful. I will try that. Update on the Women to Women. Just got hold of them this morning. They wanted me to take the herbal equilibrium 3 x per day and call them back in a couple of weeks and if nothing happened, they want to talk about other treatments. I also needed to reschedule that March 19 nurse consultation because I have an out of town meeting. They wanted to schedule me for a date in May. Wow! So I said that if the supplements didn't work and I couldn't get scheduled to talk to a nurse (Bonnie) until May that I wanted info on their risk free trial (I paid $235 for this stuff). Then she hurried said that I could talk to a nurse when I called back in a week and a half. Wow are these people that desperate to keep me paying?

Oh well, I'll wait a week and a half and try to call them back. Their website said risk free, and that was the only reason I tried them out , out of desperation of relief!

Okay, I think I'm finished venting now. Sorry about that. But Bawdy, I really appreciate you imput, as well as the imput from Relief. Thanks Ladies!!!!

Sincerely,
Chellebug2000

[BawdyWench]

Then she hurried said that I could talk to a nurse when I called back in a week and a half. Wow are these people that desperate to keep me paying?

In a word, YES!

I'd get out now. Excuse me if I sound blunt, but what makes you think you'll be able to talk with a nurse when you call back in a week and a half?

What were the "conditions" of the risk-free offer?

[BawdyWench]

To prove my point, overnight I got an email from the Women to Women Center. Yes, I'm still on their mailing list. My spam filter caught it. Here's what the subject line of the email said:

SUSPECT Women to Women announces launch of Herbal Equilibrium

Need I say more? ;)

[chellebug2000]

I'm planning on starting to call about Wed. of next week. If they don't honor their "risk free guarantee of improvement in 90 days or less", then I will contact the Consumer Protection Agency.

Here is what I copied from their website, concerning their risk free guarantee:
Your satisfaction is absolutely guaranteed, no questions asked.

Here is the link that talks about their RISK FREE TRIAL (it would not let me copy and paste here). www.womentowomen/programs/riskfreetrial.aspx (http://www.womentowomen/programs/riskfreetrial.aspx)

NO QUESTIONS ASKED! She asked all kinds of questions and mentioned the possibility of using some of their other products. but that's my plans. Again, thanks Bawdy for your imput.

I tried their eating program, it wasn't for me. From there, I starting looking into other low carb plans and stumbled onto protein power and glad that i did, for more reasons than one.

--Chellebug2000

[BawdyWench]

Well, good luck to you. When you call back, stick to your guns and remind them about the risk-free trial with no questions asked.

[chellebug2000]

:D Well, here's an update. I called them. This time, they said I couldn't talk to the nurse the same day (good call Bawdy!!), but said I could talk to one the next day. So I told them, I was sorry, that I had really looked forward to talking with a nurse early on in the program (or at least in the first month out of three and not the end of the program). So I told them, that the only reason I had given it a try was because of the risk free trial, and wanted them to confirm their address so I could ship the bottles back to them for a full refund. I mailed it priority, insured for the amount I paid them ($225) with a delivery confirmation. It took about a week and a half later, I get a refund to my checking account. Woo hoo!!!

I think I'm just going to give PP a good go at it, and do some herbal supplements from GNC. I put alot of unknown supplements in my body from Women to Women trusting them to be truthful. But it didn't work.

Thanks to all who commented and advised me!!!

Sincerely,

Chellebug (Michelle);)

[Mal Lady]

:D Well, here's an update. I called them. This time, they said I couldn't talk to the nurse the same day (good call Bawdy!!), but said I could talk to one the next day. So I told them, I was sorry, that I had really looked forward to talking with a nurse early on in the program (or at least in the first month out of three and not the end of the program). So I told them, that the only reason I had given it a try was because of the risk free trial, and wanted them to confirm their address so I could ship the bottles back to them for a full refund. I mailed it priority, insured for the amount I paid them ($225) with a delivery confirmation. It took about a week and a half later, I get a refund to my checking account. Woo hoo!!!

I think I'm just going to give PP a good go at it, and do some herbal supplements from GNC. I put alot of unknown supplements in my body from Women to Women trusting them to be truthful. But it didn't work.

Thanks to all who commented and advised me!!!

Sincerely,

Chellebug (Michelle);)

Good for you!!!!!!

I bet you'll get better results and be so much happier on pp than that other "thing"!!!! Always remember, vitamins, minerals, supplements, are not regulated. Trust only the companies that have a good reputation. You'll be better off! JMHO!!!:D

Welcome to pp!!!

Sharon

[blairlane]

Oh my goodness, I just looking into the Woman to woman supplements about three days ago. When it came up saying how much it would cost for three months I backed out in a heartbeat. At the time I wondered if I had done the right thing. Reading this thread has confirmed that I did!

so glad you were able to get your money back!