Customer Reviews

The DHEA Breakthrough

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I am a little concerned about some of the negative comments made about DHEA on this page. The reality is that DHEA is a powerful hormone that shouldn't be treated like a vitamin off a supermarket shelf. Used correctly, it can literately add years to peoples live and reduce the risk of most major diseases of aging. The Dhea Breakthrough by Stephen A. Cherniske represents a positive interpretation of the literature on DHEA. But with all things, readers beware - as drug effectiveness is calculated on averages not on individual cases. There will always be individual response variation to all drugs, hormones and supplements. What does individual variation mean for the DHEA user, if we look closely at Cherniske's book there is a simple set of guidelines for use to avoid the problems by the poor fellow here who wrote a response to this book saying that he grew breasts, a rare reaction by males that are overly estrogenic to begin with, this is a dangerous hormonal state for a male to be in and he should start a protocol to reduce aromatisation of testosterone into estragon, this will also stop the over conversion of DHEA to estrogen. Of course, my review is influenced by my own views on DHEA use, so please be aware of this issue. 1. Use blood test monitoring to insure you are not over or under supplementing DHEA, this is important, never supplement above the top one third of the range for your age. Likewise, under supplementation might be insufficient to gain any benefit and therefore is a waste of money. 2., make sure you have a full blood hormone panel, including estrogen, total testosterone and free testosterone to ensure you are not over converting to estrogens dominance, a conditions with all sorts of health problems for males. If you are, don't panic, as there are a few good natural supplements and pharmaceuticals that are great for stopping this reaction. In fact all males tend toward estrogenic dominance as they age and reducing this can lean us down and tone us up improving cardiovascular profiles. It is a fact that lots of middle aged guys make more estrogens that women of the same age. 3., do not take DHEA if you have severe side effects or if you have any hormonally related cancer, more current research is suggesting there might be a role for DHEA in some cases here, but should only be considered with specialist oncology MD advice and supervision. 4., lastly and most importantly, DHEA is more likely to converted to estrogen if we are overweight, fat cells make estrogen, and we sit around all day eating junk food. For best results with DHEA, get active, try a higher protein - moderate carb approach, get some regular cardio exercise and start lifting some weights, use a trainer if you are very out of condition, after a fitness assessment by a MD. Exercise has an independent positive effect on testosterone and weight loss reduces estrogen conversion and total levels in the male body. Combining exercise, diet, lifestyle with appropriate DHEA use is the great approach that maximise benefits and reduces potential problems.

After reading "The DHEA Breakthrough" by Stephen Cherniske, I bought some DHEA and since my age is 57, I now take 50 mg daily and have been for about 10 months. I can't respond to all of the claims Mr. Cherniske makes, but as to improved energy, strength and increased vitality, the results are there---in spades!

This book provides all the information one needs to take advantage of and maximize the amazing properties of the natural hormone DHEA in a safe and effective manner. His DHEA Plan is not only about taking pills but also improving one's lifestyle with stress-reduction techniques, an exercise program and dietary guidelines.

DHEA is a natural hormone produced in the adrenal glands; the full name is Dehydroepiandrosterone. The author covers all aspects of the hormone, from the Dioscorea plant in which the supplemental form is obtained, through the manufacturing process, down to dosage directions. The therapeutic potential of the substance is examined with reference to its ability to reduce stress, protect joints, build bones & lean muscle mass, counteract fatigue, beat depression and boost memory. DHEA may eventually play a greater role in the fight against cancer, diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis.

Cherniske's witty writing style keeps the attention throughout, and the book contains a number of appendices (resources, health support organizations, reasons why it is essential to take vitamin supplements) plus a glossary, bibliographic notes and index. Each chapter concludes with a bibliography of articles from the scientific literature and the text contains a few black & white illustrations. Oddly enough, the grandmother of all natural hormones, Pregnenolone, is never mentioned and is not found in the index. This is strange in view of the fact that in the body DHEA derives from Pregnenolone and shares with it a number of features.

I also recommend Ray Sahelian's books on DHEA, Pregnenolone & Melatonin, The Superhormone Promise by William Regelson and the work of Ronald Klatz as valuable sources of information on all the superhormones & other supplements that can extend and improve human life; besides natural hormones these include amino acids, vitamins, minerals, trace elements & phytochemicals as well as medicines like Cimetidine & Deprenyl.

This is in response to the 'a reader' below who seems to suffice on half-efforted research. I have met Mr. Cherniske and found the following information from my own meager research.

In a free society, people are entitled to express their opinion. Stephen Barrett uses websites to express his opinions regarding a number of topics, including network marketing, alternative and complimentary medicine, nutritional supplements and those who promote nutritional supplements. He presents his views in an authoritative manner, leading some to confuse these opinions with actual fact. In reality, what Dr. Barrett chooses to include in his "profiles" is extremely limited and loaded with innuendo. What's the issue? Stephen Cherniske attended Columbia Pacific University from 1979 to 1982. The school, as Dr. Barrett admits, was accredited at that time, and then degree requirements were quite stringent. The court order referenced by Dr. Barrett only affects students who attended after June of 1997. Still, he includes Mr. Cherniske in a list of recent graduates from Columbia Pacific University, hoping to disparage by association what he cannot say in print.

Of course, the fact that one's Masters Degree is not from Harvard should mean very little in a review of someone's career. Mr. Cherniske has letters of commendation from the head of the UCLA program where he was an instructor, as well as letters from Chapman University where he taught extension classes for nine years. Mr. Cherniske has certificates for 171 hours of state approved Continuing Medical Education that he has completed since 1980 as well as course materials from the CME courses that he has taught.

I would also point out that his selection for a faculty position with the American College of Sports Medicine was not based on where he went to school, but rather his expertise in the field of nutrition and human performance. Likewise, the medical reviewers at Random House and Warner Books gave Cherniske high marks for accuracy and scientific insight. Since 1980, he has presented more than 6,000 hours of lectures to professional and lay audiences. Lectures that were subsequently published in scientific proceedings are listed in his CV, which he makes available to anyone who asks.

Still, skeptic choose to ignore these accomplishments and focus instead on membership in the National Academy of Research Biochemists, an organization that Cherniske joined in 1975 and subsequently left.

A relevant question is, why should one believe Stephen Barrett, a retired psychiatrist and consumer "watch dog," who condemns anything he does not personally believe in, including chiropractic care, which he calls "organized crime." Dr. Edward Maurer, chairman of the board of the American Chiropractic Association, disagrees. He calls Dr. Barrett "... a self-appointed vigilante committee of one."

Barrett also believes that taking vitamins is useless ("If you are eating food," he says, "you are going to get vitamins.") and maintains that position even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Dr. Barrett wrote the forward for a colleague's book (which he sells on his web site) in which vitamin E is called "Snake-Oil for the Heart." Seeing as vitamin E has been found - in Harvard studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine (1, 2) - to remarkably reduce risk for heart disease should give one pause before believing everything Dr. Barrett says.

Barrett also criticizes the Anabolic / Catabolic Index, essentially arguing that the ACI does not measure overall healthfulness and therefore has no value. In fact, Cherniske never claimed that the ACI measured overall healthfulness, although this point was included in an agreement between the FTC and myself. Apparently, Dr. Barrett feels that reading one FTC action letter is sufficient to pass judgement on a test that has received accolades from clinicians and scientists around the world.

Barrett ignores the research paper on the ACI test published in the Journal of Chromatography, a highly respected peer-reviewed laboratory science publication. (3) He must also be unaware that the test was selected for inclusion in Science Direct, the world's largest biomedical database and was selected and quoted by the prestigious scientific bibliography "Current Awareness in Biomedicine."(4)

He also missed the fact that the ACI test has received a U.S. Patent as a biomarker of aging (5), and was presented at the 2002 International Conference on Biomedical Spectroscopy in Cardiff, UK.(6) The second peer-reviewed paper validating the ACI test as an aging biomarker appeared in the international journal Spectroscopy.(7)

Bottom line, Mr. Cherniske and his readers are extremely proud of his academic and professional accomplishments over the last 30 years. His CV has always been accurate and available to anyone with a genuine interest in evaluating the true science.



1. Stampfer MJ, Hennekens CH, Manson JE, Colditz GA, Rosner B, Willett WC. Vitamin E and the risk of coronary disease in women. N Engl J Med 1993; 328:1444-9.

2. Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Ascherio A, Giovannucci E, Colditz GA, Willett WC. Vitamin E consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease in men. N Engl J Med 1993; 328:1450-6.

3. Jia Q, Hong MF, Pan ZX, Orndorff S. Quantification of Urine 17-ketosteroid sulfates and glucuronides by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography - Ion Trap Mass Spectroscopy. Journal of Chromatography B. Jan 2001, Vol 750, (1) 81-91.

4. http://www.shef-ac-press.co.uk/subis.
The ACI paper was quoted in " High Performance Liquid Chromatography" with reference # 1010706961.

5. Cherniske, S, Jia, Q., Hong, M-F. Measurement and Quantification of 17 ketosteroid-Sulfates as a Biomarker of Biological Age.
US patent, US 6,326,209 B1, Dec. 4, 2001

6. Jia, Q., Hong, M., Ritter, C., Vance, S., Cortes-Guzman, M., Cherniske, S.
Quantification of Urine 17-Ketosteroid Sulfates and Glucuronides by LC/MS and Using the Normalized Total 17-KS-S as a Bio-Marker of Aging. Proceedings, First International Conference on Biomedical Spectroscopy in Cardiff, UK (7-10 July 2002).

7. Qi Jia, Mei-Feng Hong, Zhao-Xing Pan, Cheryl Ritter, Susan Vance, Mariam Cortes-Guzman and Stephen Cherniske. Quantification of urine 17-ketosteroid sulfates and their age correlations. Spectroscopy. 2002; 16:171-81.

I was only replacing with a new copy the original one I bought in October 1998, which I loaned and did not receive back.

The DHEA Breakthrough has tranformed my life. Now I feel like when I was 30, full of energy, high libido and plans for a vibrant future at age 52.

Amalia
Colon, Panama

Since taking DHEA I have lost body fat, my exercise is more effective, I feel better, and my libido has increased! Read this book! Stephen Cherniske not only describes what DHEA can do for you, but teaches in detail a lifestyle consistent with health and longevity. DHEA restores balance to the immune system, strengthens bones, decreases recovery time after a workout, reduces body fat, decreases risk of heart disease, decreases risk of cancer, and decreases hyperinsulinism which contributes to obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and adult onset diabetes. DHEA tells the brain: "I'm young!..keep me well, alive, and kicking!" Wouldn't you like to take the DHEA and other health-building products that Steve Cherniske himself has formulated?

"What DHEA provides is the missing link in your longevity program. It gives you a better-than-fighting chance against the diseases that cause more than 75 percent of premature deaths." ~ pg. 8

If you are over 40, you may want to consider DHEA supplementation. I'm personally taking Enzymatic Therapy's 7-KETO DHEA, "an improved metabolite of DHEA that does not convert into testosterone or estrogen." This book mainly deals with regular DHEA which may have side effects as mentioned in this book. I have a friend who has taken both regular and 7-Keto and also recommends 7-Keto. He had anger problems with the regular DHEA but no problems with the 7-Keto version.

"DHEA appears to be the master switch that turns on an entire cascade of antiaging benefits throughout the body." ~ pg. 51

In "The DHEA Breakthrough," Stephen Cherniske explains why you will age slower and thrive well into old age is you take DHEA. He takes a look at studies on animals and humans and comes up with some very positive results. One of the most important findings was that DHEA inhibits an enzyme required for cancer growth. DHEA also prevents and reverses the atrophy and shrinking of the thymus gland. Stephen Cherniske presents the evidence so you can decide for yourself if this is something you want to take. He also answers the following questions:

Why are couch potatoes an endangered species?
Will DHEA supplementation help me lose weight?
Is osteoporosis really a calcium deficiency?
How can DHEA improve bone density?

"Low DHEA levels are linked to a number of killer diseases." ~ pg. 247

One of the things that is not really discussed very much in this book is how DHEA can make you a little hungrier. I found this to be the case so I'm considering taking Garcinia Plus (Garcinia Cambogia Extract) 120 tabs from Source Naturals to reduce hunger.

Since Stephen Cherniske takes a very balanced approach in this book, he also discusses why taking DHEA will not solve all your problems if you are extremely stressed out and not exercising. He provides a short section on exercise (walking and weight lifting) and stress-reducing activities like yoga.

Stephen Cherniske's books are life changing and this one is no exception. I can also recommend The Metabolic Plan: Stay Younger Longer and Caffeine Blues: Wake Up to the Hidden Dangers of America's #1 Drug. I have followed his advice and now exercise on a regular basis and avoid caffeine. I feel great, perhaps 10 years younger than I did when I turned 40. One thing I've noticed is that I'm especially alert and when I wake up in the morning I'm no longer groggy.

Please consult with your physician before taking DHEA because there are some people who should not take this supplement.

~The Rebecca Review

Amazing book - there's so much information about our body and how it works - the relationship to aging and the body's production of DHEA - If you want to know about healthy aging, read this book.
Having taken DHEA for 5+ years, I can say it truly is life-changing.

The endocrinologist said "DHEA is a hormone produced by the adrenals that
doesn't do much of anything." The DHEA Breakthrough makes a case otherwise that is very convincing and interesting. It presents a comprehensive plan that includes many lifestyle factors that are undoubtedly helpful. It is not a book that validates through research but is more of a book of ideas that one never thought of before that make perfect sense such as "eat like a caveman". It gives a sound and sensible approach to the administration of DHEA to help one make their own way. Since every person is going to react a bit differently to this hormone, heres what it did for me -- on a mere 12 mg (sub physiological dose) about
2/3 of the time, cholesterol went down about 20 points and testosterone up 130 points from a low level and kidney creatine levels improved significantly! This is powerful stuff and this book gives people the information to proceed with confidence with something that could be very helpful to them.

I haven't read the book yet but have experience of Dhea. What I find most remarkable is the difference between various brands. I have taken 3 different brands, all claiming to be close to 100% pure and of pharmecuetical grade. The first one I took was 50mg a day of NON micronised DHEA. The second was 50mg a day of micronised slow release DHEA and finally 25mg of micronised DHEA with bioavailability enhancing factors. The last is the most recent and I have not noticed any change in mood, libido, strength or weight loss. It is too early with this one to be sure however of the effect. Perhaps I need to increase the dose to 50Mg. The slow release DHEA seemed to have a strong effect in the head, making me feel quite strange at first but after a week or two I got used to it. Again I noticed litte advantage on the product. However a couple of friends of mine on a 25mg dose did experience good results with this version of DHEA, in particular my female friend, went back to a weight she hadn't been for 10 years and had her skin improve markedly. She also came out of a rotten hole of hormone problems she was having. The first DHEA I took was non micronised. This had by far the greatest effect on me. I lost weight, felt fitter and my mood and libido improved markedly. I think perhaps it was the conversion of the non micronised DHEA in the liver to Dhea sulphate and testosterone that was giving these results. The juries still out but I think the non micronised was better for me. Why not a product half and half? Better still coupled with pregnenalone as well. I would be interested to hear of any ones elses experience with these products.