OUR HORMONE LEVELS DON’T DECLINE BECAUSE WE AGE; WE AGE BECAUSE OUR HORMONES DECLINE.
The distress declining hormone levels produces can range from mildly annoying to clinically severe. I have had patients who were at the end of their ropes, and if they didn’t find a solution, they weren’t sure how much longer they could take feeling so lousy. Upon starting bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, they are now enjoying renewed vitality and a new lease on life! Some women are on a hormonal roller coaster with their monthly cycles, and PMS has negatively affected their lives (and those around them) every time “that time of the month” comes around. The hormonal changes after childbirth have caused some to experience postpartum depression, a very serious condition. Every woman will experience some or all of the symptoms posed in the above questions by the time menopause occurs, whether menopause was induced by a hysterectomy or if it happened naturally, around the age of 50 (although some experience it much earlier). All men, to one degree or another, start to feel the effect of declining testosterone levels by their mid- to late-40s. Loss of strength and energy, weight gain, erectile dysfunction and depression are all common symptoms among men this age and older. And all of these symptoms are treatable. In addition to causing unpleasant symptoms, which prevent life being enjoyable and full, declining hormones are also linked to many diseases of old age. Heart, brain, bone and muscle health all depend on adequate hormone levels for optimal functioning. Cholesterol and inflammation levels have also been found to be affected by inadequate hormones. Therefore, balancing hormones means much more than relieving distressing symptoms; it means maintaining optimal health for every organ and tissue in our bodies as we age. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
In the 1930s, doctors knew that hormone imbalance needed to be treated, and first began prescribing hormone replacement therapy for women with great success. By the 1970s, 80s and 90s, hormone replacement was offered to every woman who complained of menopausal symptoms. The medical community understood and agreed upon the short- and long-term necessity of maintaining adequate hormone levels through menopause and beyond.
quit. Many women were left to suffer their menopausal symptoms unaided by any medical therapy. But that wasn’t the whole story. Careful analysis of the WHI study found only a certain subset of patients had these terrible outcomes. They had been taking Progestin (medroxyprogesterone acetate, brand name, Prempro), a synthetic drug made to look and behave like the body’s naturally produced progesterone. Progesterone is an important sex hormone, which, when low, is responsible for many menopausal symptoms. However, Progestin’s chemical structure was slightly altered from progesterone so that it could be patented and branded. IT WAS THE CHEMICAL ALTERATION OF THE DRUG THAT MADE THESE PATIENTS SICK.
Our bodies are smart. Our immune system is exquisitely designed to attack anything that doesn’t look like “us” at a cellular level. The bodies of the women who became ill, as a result of the drug, recognized Progestin as different from progesterone, and the ensuing immune response caused heart disease, strokes and cancers. At all costs, we should avoid this from happening again. THE TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
The important lesson from this study is that doctors ought to avoid prescribing any hormone that doesn’t look, at the level of its chemical structure, exactly like what our bodies naturally produce. Significant to note, the patients in that study who were on chemically identical hormones had no increased risk of those diseases; their symptoms were effectively treated, and they enjoyed the overall health benefits of adequate hormone levels in their bodies. WE THREW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER
Those effective and safe drugs that were chemically the same structure as our natural estrogens and progesterone are called bio-identical (or, sometimes, bio-mimetic) hormones. As the name suggests, this formulation is so important, because the body responds to the bio-identical drug just like it does to its own estrogen, progesterone, et al., without the harmful side effects or risks. When taken as prescribed, and monitored carefully by a knowledgeable physician, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is SAFE, as shown by numerous studies conducted before and after the 2002 WHI study. WHAT ABOUT TESTOSTERONE FOR MEN?
WHAT HAPPENED, AND WHY ARE WE SCARED TO TAKE HORMONES NOW?
The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study results were released in 2002 showing that some women on combined estrogen and progestin hormone therapy had increased risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer. The study was halted immediately, because medicine’s aim is to cure and relieve disease, not cause harm! The media caught hold of the WHI results, and fear was perpetuated by headlines like Hormones Cause Cancer! Patients were told not to take hormones at all, or, if symptoms were intolerable, to take them for as short a period of time as possible, and then
Low testosterone (Low T) not only causes sexual, mood and undesirable quality of life changes, but, of critical concern, untreated men with Low T are at significantly increased risk of death from heart disease and cancer, compared to men who are treated. An April 2014 article in the International Journal of Endocrinology pooled data from all previous studies and concluded the substantial benefits of treating Low T should not be overshadowed by unsubstantiated fears of prostate cancer or increased risk of heart disease. Men, the bottom line is that if you have Low T, you should be treated. You can be in your prime, no matter your age. continued >
August 2014 | Newport Beach Lifestyle 25