Hormones - The Fountain of Youth
Hormones can be thought of as our fountain of youth. They direct our cells and tell them what to do. They help with:
- weight regulation
- anti aging
- immunity function
- body fat composition
- energy levels
The Major Hormones
The major hormones are:
- insulin
- thyroid
- progesterone
- testosterone
- estrogen
- DHEA
- growth hormone– promotes muscle development, efficiently uses stored fat
- vitamin D
- Adrenaline
- Norepinephrine - is also a neurotransmitter. It is secreted by the adrenal gland, it works alongside epinephrine/adrenaline to give the body sudden energy in times of stress, known as the "fight or flight" response. As a neurotransmitter, norepinephrine relays brain impulses from one cell to the next and is involved in arousal, attention and mood.
- Cortisol
Vitamin D is really a hormone. It
- activates 10% of our healing genes
- increases bone density
- improves immunity
- fights cancer
- improves mood
Progesterone
- is the dominant female hormone
- opposes estrogen
- allows for gestation of a child
- protects against cancer
Women
need enough progesterone in their system to balance out the estrogens
in their system (natural or “chemical” estrogens – more about “chemical”
estrogens later.)
Estrogen
- regulates healthy metabolism in liver
- sometimes gets stuck in liver (because of age related accumulation, xenoestrogens, and food estrogens)
- is essentially the one that creates sexual feelings in females
- is responsible for stimulating the characteristics that make a woman a female
- is responsible for the development of breasts, the uterus and other tissues
- controls some of the metabolic processes of the human body, such as exactly how fast bones grow. It also helps lower cholesterol levels
- is actually a word for a group that includes estrone, estradiol, and estriol
If we are able to maintain our hormones, it is much easier to maintain our health and our fountain of youth. Hormones must also be kept in the right balance in order for us to maintain our health.
Learn more about balancing your hormones (our fountain of youth) with bioidentical hormones.
The predominant hormone for women is progesterone.
Women have to maintain their progesterone levels so that it balances
the estrogens in their bodies. According to Dr. Pati, women with low
progesterone have a five fold increase in cancer.
The predominant hormone for men is testosterone. Men need to maintain their testosterone levels to balance the estrogens in their bodies.
If we become unbalanced with too much estrogen in our bodies (either men or women), it can lead to health issues.
Learn more about balancing and supporting your hormones naturally with diet and supplements.
Progesterone in women and testosterone in men help to keep estrogen in it’s proper balance in our bodies.
Causes of Imbalances
Causes of hormone imbalances include:
- artificial light
- medication
- soy
- rancid fats
- pesticides, pollution
We have more than 77,000 chemicals in our environment. One of the results of chemicals in our environment is that some of the chemicals mimic estrogens in our bodies.
These “chemical estrogens” are absorbed by our bodies and often create an imbalance in our body with too many estrogens (natural or chemical). The chemical estrogens are often referred to as xenoestrogens.
Xenoestrogens are a type of xenohormone that imitates estrogen. They are widely used industrial compounds such as PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls), BPA (bisphenol) and Phthalates, that have estrogenic effects on a living organism even though they differ chemically from the natural hormones or the naturally occurring estrogenic substances internally produced by the endocrine system of the body. Their potential ecological and human health impact is currently under extensive study by many scientific institutions and independent researchers.
Xenoestrogens have been implicated in a variety of medical problems, and during the last 10 years many scientific studies have found hard evidence of adverse effects on human and animal health.
In addition, some foods mimic estrogen in our system as well. With the xenoestrogens, food estrogens and our own natural hormones (estrogen), we can too often become out of balance.
Becoming out of balance in our hormones creates health problems and keeps us from that fountain of youth. By using bioidentical hormones or by supporting our hormones naturally, we can better support our health as we age.
