Natural Hormones
Optimizing Health with Natural Hormone Replacement
Hormones are tiny chemical messengers that are secreted into the bloodstream from glands. They regulate activities of vital organs throughout the body. Some familiar hormones include estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, cortisol, thyroid, insulin, DHEA, and melatonin. Hormones stimulate many life-sustaining processes throughout the body to promote health, mental and emotional harmony, growth, reproduction, healing, immune defense and repair.
As we age past forty, many hormone levels naturally start to decline. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) instructed several major U.S. universities to study the relationship between aging, lowered hormones and the development of disease. They determined that insufficiencies of hormones were major contributors of the diseases of aging. Worldwide research of the past twenty years also confirmed their conclusions: There are tremendous health benefits of hormone replacement therapy during the aging process.
The current emphasis of Western medicine is to diagnose and treat diseases. Many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer and Alzheimer's disease, are blamed on the "natural" aging process. Conventional medicine has never treated aging as a disease and so has never tried to prevent these health consequences when related to aging. Current research allows us to look at aging itself as a significant factor in the development of disease. We are changing our medical thinking about whether diseases that occur with aging are really normal and acceptable. What we now know is much of the deterioration of aging is preventable with hormone replacement therapy.
The new paradigm of treating aging as a disease first started in 1991 by Dr. Daniel Rudman, a highly respected endocrinologist from the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Rudman's landmark study about hormone replacement therapy in older men was published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Rudman stated, "We reversed 10-20 years of the aging process in older men. Fat diminished, muscle tissue and strength increased." The study showed that there was an increase in lean body mass, decreased body fat, increased vertebral bone density, increased exercise tolerance and endurance, improved healing and immunity, and a tremendous increase in overall well-being. This was all accomplished by the simple administration of human growth hormone (hGH). Thus Dr. Rudman's study provided solid proof that hormonal decline itself is a major cause of aging and that providing the elderly body with hGH, many symptoms and signs of the aging process can be reversed.
Other researchers realized the importance of supplementing other declining hormones to promote healthier aging. Scientists at the Gerontology Research Center of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Baltimore, Maryland, examined the role of sex hormones (estrogen, testosterone, DHEA) and age-related disturbances, including muscle, skeletal, metabolic function and body composition. Combined hormone replacement therapy, by returning hormones to levels typical for healthier, younger people, showed additive or synergistic health benefits. Physical and psychological functions were improved. Cardiovascular function, improved cholesterol, decreased body fat, increased lean body mass, improved energy, muscle strength and endurance were all recognized as valuable benefits of hormone replacement therapy during aging.
The theory behind supplementing diminished hormones to promote health can be understood by our experience with the hormone, insulin. Before the identification, production and administration of insulin, many people died as a result of diabetes. Once scientists were able to synthesize and replace insulin, the severe health changes caused from the diabetes were profoundly improved.
Genetic engineering now enables scientists to synthesize all the natural hormones found in our bodies. This advanced technology leads endocrinology research beyond just treatment of diseases of the glands. Now there can be a focus on correction of hormone deficiencies associated with aging. Replacing hormone levels back to what we had during our healthy youth (ages 25-30) has been shown to reverse many of the unfavorable effects that appear as we age.
Growth Hormone - Somatomedin
Human Growth Hormone (hGH) is secreted by the pituitary gland and is taken into the liver and converted into a protein called somatomedin-C or IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor one.) It is IGF-1 that is partially responsible for the growth hormone functions in the body. Growth hormone (somatomedin) contributes to ongoing tissue repair, healing, cell rejuvenation, bone strength, brain function, enzyme production, and the integrity of hair nails, and skin.
The signs of growth hormone (somatomedin) deficiency are the same as the signs of aging:
- Body composition shifts with an increase in fat and body weight
- Decrease in muscle mass and energy
- Decrease in bone mineralization
- Vitality ebbs
- Increase in cardiovascular disease and mortality
- Psychosocial deficits and impaired physical performance
- Poor sleep
- Decreased social interaction
Research indicates that daily supplementation of growth hormone may rejuvenate and reverse symptoms of the aging process and restore a more youthful physiology and conditioning. All major hGH studies have documented improved body composition and function. There is a consistent improvement in muscle/fat ratio. There is a 10-20% decrease in fat and a 10% increase in muscle. There is also an increased utilization of fat along with a decrease in cholesterol and triglyceriedes. There is an increase in exercise capacity, muscle mass, strength, and endurance. Bone density and strength improves. Cardiac output improves. Skin rejuvenates with increased collagen and elastin. A significant improvement in immunity results that contributes to hGH's anti-cancer and longevity effects.
DHEA
DHEA is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands located above the kidneys. This hormone is a precursor to the sex hormones: testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. DHEA promotes an anabolic (protein building) state. It reduces cardiovascular risk by increasing fat metabolism. DHEA stimulates the immune system, restores sexual vitality, improves mood, lowers cholesterol and reduces body fat. Recent studies point to DHEA as an anti-stress hormone, reversing the effects of stress on the immune system.
Pregnenolone
Pregnenolone is a parent compound to many other hormones, namely estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, DHEA, and cortisol. Pregnenolone also functions as a memory enhancer and is a factor in cell repair, particularly in the brain and nerve tissue. Pregnenolone protects brain function and prevents brain cell injury.
Melatonin
Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland located at the base of the brain. It is a circadian rhythm hormone-fluctuating according to the amount of daylight. Melatonin levels affect sleep patterns. Research has shown that cells rejuvenate and repair during the deeper stages of sleep. It is during these sleep stages that the body produces natural killer cells or CD4 cells. Melatonin increases the deep stage of sleep and stage IV sleep, thereby increasing and enhancing immunity. Improved sleep patterns serve to energize the body and improve mood. Melatonin has powerful antioxidant effects that contribute to disease and cancer prevention. Melatonin deficiency results in poor sleep, jet lag, irritability, and premature aging.
Thyroid Hormone
Thyroid hormone is a metabolic hormone secreted by the thyroid gland that regulates blood circulation, body temperature, metabolism and cerebral function. It contributes to energy levels, temperature regulation and body warmth. It increases fat breakdown, resulting in weight loss as well as lowering cholesterol. It protects against cardiovascular disease and improves cerebral metabolism. It helps to prevent cognitive impairment. Thyroid hormone is probably the safest and most beneficial cholesterol-lowering agent, yet it is infrequently used for this. Thyroid function is best evaluated by laboratory levels of TSH, free T-4, and free T-3 along with clinical correlation of symptoms. Abnormal TSH levels indicate primary hypothyroidism, while abnormal free T-3 and free T-4 cause secondary and tertiary hypothyroidism.
Testosterone
Testosterone is an important hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, testes, and ovaries. It contributes to energy, muscle mass, strength, endurance, decreased fat, increased exercise tolerance, enhancement of well-being and psychological status. Testosterone protects against cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, and arthritis. It leads to improved lean muscle mass, increased bone density, decreased cholesterol, improved skin tone, improved healing capacity, increased libido and sexual performance. It prolongs the quality of life by decreasing the diseases of aging.
Testosterone levels dramatically decline after age forty in both men and women. The most common symptom of declining testosterone, andropause (male menopause), is fatigue and is often experienced by men in their mid-forties. Testosterone is extremely important in the female as well as the male, making supplementation absolutely recommended for both.
Estrogen
The estrogens are secreted by the ovaries. Men also make a small amount of estrogen from conversion of testosterone. In women, estrogen protects against heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease and memory disorders. It protects against vaginal atrophy (skin thinning), urinary leakage (incontinence), and prevents symptoms of menopause including hot flashes and temperature dysregulation. Estrogen improves balance by improving the visual somatosensory system in the central nervous system. Estrogen deficiency results in urogenital (urinary and genital) atrophy, incontinence, saggy breast skin, increased face wrinkles, decreased energy, depression, mood swings, decreased libido, and insomnia. The use of estrogen replacement during menopause is a classic example of optimizing hormone levels to younger levels to avoid some of the diseases of aging (osteoporosis, heart attack, and stroke).
Progesterone
Progesterone is secreted by the ovaries after ovulation during the second half of the menstrual cycle. During reproductive years, it prepares the uterine lining for embryo implantation. After menopause, progesterone supplementation protects against uterine and breast cancers, osteoporosis, fibrocystic breast disease and ovarian cysts. Most U.S. physicians prescribe synthetic progestins that cause side effects such as bloating, headaches, fatigue, and weight gain. Natural progesterones are as effective and generally do not cause these side effects.
Cortisol
Cortisol is secreted by the adrenal glands. It is the hormone responsible for the body's ability to handle stress. Stress can be emotional or physical, yet both have the same cortisol response. Prolonged stress can markedly deplete cortisol levels. This leads to adrenal fatigue and eventual "burn-out." Low cortisol levels contribute to fatigue, poor immune defenses, and depression. Low cortisol levels inhibit the effectiveness of antidepressant medications often making depression more difficult to treat.
Insulin
Insulin is secreted from the pancreas gland and is critical for glucose (sugar) transport to every cell for energy. If insulin levels are too low or too high, the functions of the cells are greatly impaired. Hyperinsulinemia (too high insulin) contributes to a metabolic syndrome called Insulin Resistance Syndrome (IRS). Seventy-five percent of American adults have this hormone condition. IRS worsens with age. Insulin Resistance Syndrome often results in high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and/or triglycerides, obesity, gout, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) is now known to be caused by insulin resistance.
Summary
The basics for optimal health and longevity are proper diet, exercise, nutritional supplementation, and hormone replacement therapy. These are fundamental to stopping cellular degeneration and allowing regeneration of tissue, proper healing, and slowing of the aging process.
Hormones are not drugs. They are natural substances that have existed in our bodies since conception. The doses of hormones taken for hormone replacement therapy should not exceed what the body normally produced in younger years. The rationale for treatment is based on the recognized health benefits of hormone levels produced during younger, healthier times. When taken as prescribed and monitored closely by physicians trained in hormone replacement management, negative effects of hormone replacement therapy are rarely encountered.
Physical deterioration is not a requirement of growing older. It is now possible to deter the undesirable aspects and diseases of aging. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is an updated science that has been shown to not only prolong life but also promote its quality.