WHAT ARE HORMONES?
To answer that question as briefly as we can, they are hormones that are identical in molecular structure to the hormones your body used to produce but is not making in sufficient quantity anymore. Lack of these crucial hormones causes a wide array of symptoms. Replacement of these hormones with exact replicas from natural products brings your body back to its normal “feel good” state.
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING NOW, WHEN IT WASN’T A PROBLEM 20-40 YEARS AGO?
There are a large number of reasons why our own hormone production has declined rapidly in the last 20 years or so. Some of the more prominent reasons are:
1. Contamination of our food supply with artificial hormones in beef, chickens, pork, etc.
2. Pesticides that are absorbed into our food chain.
3. Parabens, the preservatives that are in our everyday toiletry items such as shampoo, deodorant, and make-up are really hormone imitators that easily get transferred into our bodies transdermally and alter your body’s balance.
4. Plastics, one of our most commonly used products of the modern world, contain Parabens, so even drinking bottled water adds to these imitators to your body.
5. Using plastics in microwave ovens can also cause these hormone imitators to get into the food you cook.
The environmental causes can be endless, but there are also other normal bodily processes that cause our hormone production to decline.
1. Aging. There is anywhere from 2-4% less hormone production per year. Low Testosterone
2. Surgical reasons such as hysterectomy, ovary removal, removal of the thyroid or any hormone producing gland, etc.
3. The hormone system in our bodies is a delicate system that needs to be in a state of balance for you to feel right. If just one hormone gets out of “whack” for any reason at all, there is a domino effect that causes many other hormones to become insufficient or over abundant.
Probably one of the most intriguing reasons is the “Miracles of Modern Medicine”. This is important because our life expectancy has increased dramatically over the past 40 years. We now can expect to live 75-80 years on the average. While due to the environmental factors discussed above, the decline of our hormones is happening at a much earlier age, sometimes in the early 30’s. That leaves a huge discrepancy from when we lose our natural hormone supply of up to 50 years. To put this in perspective, 40 years ago we lost our hormones close to the time of our average life expectancy. The loss of these hormones was not felt.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO REPLACE THESE HORMONES?
Forty years ago our bodies did not have enough time to feel the effects of hormone loss such as osteoporosis, all the symptoms of Menopause and/or Andropause. The latest research is also indicating that replacement of these vital natural hormones help to prevent the development of some cancers, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s, and Type II Diabetes. Some studies have even suggested that the lack of natural hormone supplementation may shorten one’s life span. Research is ongoing, and most studies are showing positive outcomes toward longevity, improving the quality of life, ridding your body of the discomforts of Menopause or Andropause.
MANAGING MENOPAUSE OR ANDROPAUSE THE NATURAL WAY
There has been tremendous controversy in recent years as to whether hormone replacement treats the symptoms of Menopause or the male equivalent Andropause. Almost all of the recent studies have produced conflicting results, but the end analysis is predominantly negative. It is crucial to understand that all of these studies pertain to the use of Synthetic Hormone Replacement, known as HRT. This method could be defined as the replacement of the missing hormones with look-a-like chemical substitutes.
There is one constant fact that all clinicians do agree on; our body’s production of all hormones decline as we age. A large variety of symptoms can be caused or felt by the loss of these hormones. This is most easily seen in Menopause in which medicine has recognized for many years however the male counterpart, Andropause, is now being recognized as well. Hypothyroidism and Diabetes Type II are the result of insufficient hormones as well. Modern medicine is exploding with the realization of the important role our body’s hormonal system plays.
