(30-04-2013, 04:31 PM)sfem Wrote: This thread is probably a good place for us to hash out some of these questions, rather than people sending individual feedback to flame, creating a lot of work for flame. So here is my take on some of the questions in the faq, with suggestions for content enhancements. Ones I don't give thoughts on I like as they are, or have no knowledge/experience of, or have no value to add. If there are additional topics, or people who feel they have lots to contribute to a particular question, I am perfectly happy to add them as authors to the blog, and they can post/maintain those topics.
1. The stronger the phytoestrogen, the faster the results has been my experience. PM works faster than things like FG, RC, etc. with respect to complete breast development. Pharmaceuticals are even faster.
I like this. I agree it should be emphasized that not all herbs are created equal in terms of promoting breast development.
(30-04-2013, 04:31 PM)sfem Wrote: Implants are not development, but really just another kind of breast form. I would hope no-one can be confused into thinking getting implants would cause any actual breast development, but you never know.
When I mentioned breast implants I assumed everyone is aware they're fake in terms of breast tissue. I'm not sure how else to reword this.
(30-04-2013, 04:31 PM)sfem Wrote: 3. First signs may be noticing some accumulation of fatty tissue on the chest. For me, the first sign something was happening was itchy nipples. That happened within 2 weeks. The fat accumulation happened later for me. I also personally don't think fat redistribution is a good term for us. It implies things physically move which they don't. I prefer to call it changes in body fat distribution or accumulation.
I think the usage of fat redistribution resembles the usage of breast implants. Taken literally, I agree both terms can be confusing if not outright misleading. If this is a major issue, I think clarification is in order, otherwise it can be addressed if any newcomers is uncertain about such terms.
(30-04-2013, 04:31 PM)sfem Wrote: 4. I'm thinking the point at which you find the little bump behind the nipples, or first notice a more solid feeling mass around the nipples is the beginning of female breast development, and might be the point of no return for tissue you will be stuck with if you change your mind. If point of no return means loss of male function, I think for most that happens quite a bit further on than the start of duct/nodule building behind the nipples. For some, male function doesn't appear to be completely lost at all. The same can be said for male appendage size.
I don't remember if I experienced a correlation between developing breast bumps and losing functionality. I only recall at some point it occurred to me my sex drive was diminishing.
(30-04-2013, 04:31 PM)sfem Wrote: 7. Side effects do vary quite a bit. Side effects I have seen described may include headaches, muscle aches, back pain, upset stomach, diarrhea, body odour changes, and minor blood pressure changes. It really depends on the individual, which herbs or herb mix they are taking in what doses, and a lot more factors than we can take into account in this faq.
Like with a lot of other aspects of NBE, I agree side-effects really depends on the individual.
(30-04-2013, 04:31 PM)sfem Wrote: 8. Boy, I don't like the term brain rewiring. It implies permanent changes regardless of whether we continue the herbs or not, and I just don't believe that happens. I have gone cold turkey enough times to tell you that when you go off the herbs long enough, your old self will come back. I know there is a mental effect from the phytoestrogens. I just don't think it is a rewiring or permanent change. I would rather see this called something like mental changes, or emotional changes or adjustments, or perspective change. The changes I know of include aggression reduction, decrease in anxiety, increase in patience (for everything but boobies!), and decreased desire to cross-dress or obsess about or focus on gender or sex for some. Whether it promotes or reduces a desire to transition is questionable in my mind. I think it may helps to remove some of the anxiety, impatience, and obsession which may make it harder for a person to decide how they feel about transitioning, but I don't it makes anyone want to transition. It may well simply be an alternative to transitioning for those who want to feel more female, but don't necessarily want to be genitally female.
The thought of losing the brain rewiring is unsettling to me. In a strange way, such rewiring feels less genuine knowing it'll go away after I stop taking pm. Simply put, I don't want to go back to the pre-NBE mindset.
(30-04-2013, 04:31 PM)sfem Wrote: 9. Don't some folks cycle or modulate their intake using other patterns than the female monthly cycle? I thought the primary benefit of cycling was to cause a change in ER activity since for many of us, that is when a growth spurt seems to happen. Nobody believes our bodies are similar enough to female bodies to actually be affected by the same frequency of hormonal changes, do they? The female body is a lot more complex than just whether and when ER receptors are activated. Choosing a monthly pattern is probably as good as any other pattern, but I wouldn't go so far as to suggest the timing of the much greater complexity of the female body has much to do with growing boobs on male bodies. Our glands and organs probably negate much of what affects female monthly timing. At the least not having the ovaries shuffling eggs along probably changes the cycle.
I haven't tried to setup my NBE regime to have highs and lows of estrogen that resembles something like the female monthly cycle. I think this question is fairly common amongst newcomers, hence why I included it in the FAQ. Perhaps someone with more experience in this matter would share their opinions?
(30-04-2013, 04:31 PM)sfem Wrote: 10. I think we need to have a links post in the blog to link to sites we believe present these kinds of topics. Estrogen dominance is a theory which has a lot of controversy, and not much actual science I've ever seen. Almost all of the sites I have seen on this topic, usually end up referring back to John Lee as the sole rock this theory balances on. If there is good peer-reviewed science available on this, I'd be interested to see it.
I agree. The more documentation we have for NBE, the better.
(30-04-2013, 04:31 PM)sfem Wrote: 23. Isn't this really just a form of cycling? Does it need a separate q&a or should it be part of the answer to #9?
I see cycling as about mimicking the female cycle, while the high/low plan does not. I might be splitting hairs here, but that was why I kept them separate. I'm willing to consolidate them though.
(30-04-2013, 04:31 PM)sfem Wrote: 24. What is the "chairs" thing? Typo...
In my defense, it was kind of late when I was originally writing the FAQ.
quote='sfem' pid='73636' dateline='1367335911']
Awesome start flame! Let's rock this thing.[/quote]
Should we try to set a goal with this FAQ, such as adding or improving 2 or 3 questions a week? I think if there's a major discussion that arises, surely that would be a good opportunity to bring it up in the FAQ.