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Below are the "Top 10" hormone issues I deal with in my practice and with my patients: 1. Every day 10,000 people turn 50. The baby boomers are the largest section of the population, and they're getting older! They're unwilling to lose their vitality and zest for life and want natural remedies for their aches and pains and mid-life changes (hormones!) 50 is really the new 40. 2. Hormone imbalance is one of the leading causes of disease and aging. Heart disease, stroke, cancer, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's are all greatly affected--some say even caused--by hormone imbalance. 3. If major hormones (insulin, cortisol and adrenaline) are out of balance you will know relatively quickly (i.e many symptoms and problems like diabetes) An imbalance in minor hormones (sex hormones like estrogen, testosterone, progesterone) will show up more slowly--like over 10-15 years. 4. Sex hormone imbalance in men is called "andropause" (male menopause). The guy who once had the "tiger by the tail" and loved to play sports is now a couch potato with a remote attached to his fingers, potbellied, losing his hair and has become a "grouchy" old man. Menopause in women is more well known, but most women don't realize that the process takes10-15 years and starts in the mid-30's. 5. The most missed cause of sex hormone imbalance in women (and more recently men) is the lack of the sex hormone progesterone. More than 1/2 of all women over the age of 35 (and many men) are severely deficient in progesterone; this causes a condition called "estrogen dominance." Estrogen dominance causes weight gain, bloating, moodiness, loss of sexual desire, headaches, hotflashes and predisposes people to cancer. Breast cancer is the #2 killer of women, prostate cancer is the #2 killer of men (both after heart disease). Both of these cancers are directly effected by estrogen dominance. 6. There are four kinds of hormone replacement therapy: • herbal (black cohosh dong guai) • animal (Premarin), • tinkertoy (synthetic progesterone like Prempro) • bioidentical 7. Bioidentical hormone replenishment is the safest and most effective way to get balanced. (see Suzanne Somers book "The Sexy Years”) Bioidentical hormones are derived from yams and altered in a lab to be exactly the same molecular structure as our own sex hormones. You can not tell the difference under the microscope between a real sex hormone and a bioidentical one. 8. Diet is a crucial factor in hormone balance. The easiest way to avoid hormone problems with food is to stay away from "white" food (bagels, crackers, bread, ice cream potatoes and sugar) and eat 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. 1-2 Tbsp. of flax ground up in the coffee grinder and mixed in peanut butter or yogurt is a great way to clean the gut and eliminate recirculating harmful hormone breakdown products. 9. It's important to have professionals on your "health team" who understand the importance of hormone balance to your overall health, and who know about, or are willing to work with you on natural/bioidentical hormone balancing. 10. The average lifespan for a woman is over 80 years old. When a woman turns 40, she still has half her life to live. Once women are beyond their reproductive years, they still want to have a long, vital, productive life. Men in their 50's & 60's should be in their prime, full o wisdom and increasing in compassion, not dying like flies of heart disease. Hormone balancing allows men & women to enjoy the second half of their lives as vital as the first half! Longevity and quality of life have become the #1 health issue for men & women over 40. |
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