Archive for the ‘BHRT & Hormone Imbalance’ Category
Monday, June 7th, 2010
Tags: Anti Aging, Anti-Aging & Healthy Aging, Bio-Identical Hormones, Functional Medicine, Anti-Aging & Healthy Aging, healthy aging, Hormone, Progesterone, Wellness
Posted in BHRT & Hormone Imbalance
Monday, June 7th, 2010
Tags: Anti Aging, Anti-Aging & Healthy Aging, Bio-Identical Hormones, Functional Medicine, Anti-Aging & Healthy Aging, healthy aging, Hormone, Progesterone, Testosterone, Wellness
Posted in BHRT & Hormone Imbalance
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Tags: Anti Aging, healthy aging
Posted in BHRT & Hormone Imbalance, Functional Medicine, Anti-Aging & Healthy Aging
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
Beyond Estrogen and Progesterone: The Total Hormone Picture
The final step to total hormone restoration is to look at all the hormone levels. Because the steroid hormones are all related to one another, and because many convert into other hormones, it is very important to strive for balance.
DHEA is a natural steroidal hormone secreted by the adrenal gland, the gonads, and the brain (Williams et al 2001). Although women usually have less DHEA than men, both sexes lose DHEA at about the same rate, suggesting that its decline is age related (Khorram 1996; Wilder 1996). Peak levels are typically reached when women are in their 30s, after which they begin to lose approximately 2 percent per year. Decreased levels of DHEA are associated with cancer, diabetes, lupus, and psychiatric illness (Berkman et al 1993; Salek et al 2002). Low levels of DHEA are also associated with higher levels of insomnia, pain, and disability (Morrison et al 1998).
DHEA has been shown to improve mood, neurological functions, immune system functioning, energy, feelings of well-being, and to maintain muscle and bone mass (Kroboth et al 1999; Proctor et al 1998; Yen et al 1995). A study has demonstrated memory-enhancement effects by DHEA and pregnenolone (Rupprecht et al 1999). DHEA may also improve insulin sensitivity and lower triglyceride levels (Casson et al 1995).
Testosterone levels also gradually decrease with age (Schneider 2003). Loss of testosterone affects libido, bone and muscle mass, vasomotor symptoms, cardiovascular health, mood, and well-being (Burd et al 2001; Watt et al 2003). Testosterone therapy, combined with estrogen therapy, has been shown to improve quality of life, vigor and mood, ability to concentrate, bone mineralization, libido, and sexual satisfaction (Bachmann 1999; Braunstein 2002; Cameron et al 2004; Davis et al 2003; Sarrel 1999). This combination therapy also produces improvements with hot flashes, sleep disturbances, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. Because DHEA converts into testosterone, it may be possible to raise testosterone levels with DHEA supplements (Cameron et al 2004; Schneider 2003).
An observational study suggests that testosterone may protect against breast cancer (Slayden 1998). Studies also demonstrate that testosterone replacement alone may protect against breast cancer (Dimitrakakis et al 2003; Dimitrakakis et al 2004; Zhou et al 2000). In addition, testosterone is effective for the treatment of decreased libido (Davis 1999).
Pregnenolone levels also decline with age. As the primary steroid hormone in the cascade, pregnenolone is the first product of cholesterol. Like other hormones, there is a significant reduction occurring in women at about age 32 (Havlikova et al 2002). Reduced pregnenolone levels result in decreased amounts of all other hormones, and pregnenolone deficiencies have been associated with diminished brain function and dementia (Yao et al 2002; Maurice T et al 1999).
It is very important for women to check blood levels of hormones before beginning therapy, and again one and three months after initiating replacement therapy to ensure safe and adequate levels. If testosterone is still low after DHEA and pregnenolone therapy, talk to your physician about options. Always consult your physician before beginning HRT, especially if you are at high risk or have a family history of hormone-dependent cancer.
Read entire article at http://bit.ly/40wvJP
Tags: DHEA, Estrogen, Hormone, Pregnenolone, Progesterone, Testosterone
Posted in BHRT & Hormone Imbalance
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
Women with breast cancer should be given high doses of vitamin D because a majority of them are likely to have low levels of vitamin D, which could contribute to decreased bone mass and greater risk of fractures, according to scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center (see also University of Rochester Medical Center).
In a study of 166 women undergoing treatment for breast cancer, nearly 70 percent had low levels of vitamin D in their blood, according to a study being presented Thursday, Oct. 8, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Breast Cancer Symposium in San Francisco. The analysis showed women with late-stage disease and non-Caucasian women had even lower levels.
“Vitamin D is essential to maintaining bone health, and women with breast cancer have accelerated bone loss due to the nature of hormone therapy and chemotherapy. It’s important for women and their doctors to work together to boost their vitamin D intake,” said Luke Peppone, Ph.D., research assistant professor of Radiation Oncology, at Rochester’s James P. Wilmot Cancer Center. He is a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Community Clinical Oncology Program research base in Rochester.
Scientists funded by the NCI analyzed vitamin D levels in each woman, and the average level was 27 nanograms per milliliter; more than two-thirds of the women had vitamin deficiency. Weekly supplementation with high doses of vitamin D — 50,000 international units or more — improved the levels, according to Peppone’s study.
Read entire article at http://bit.ly/3keDKZ
Tags: Breast Cancer, vitamin d
Posted in BHRT & Hormone Imbalance, Breast Cancer & Cancer Prevention, Functional Medicine, Anti-Aging & Healthy Aging, Osteoporosis & Women's Health
