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Hormones are chemicals that are released from our glands, which carry messages from one part of the body to the other. They can be likened to chemical keys that turn vitally important locks in our cells. The turning of these locks stimulates activity within the cells of our brain, intestines, muscles, genital organs and skin. A proper balance of hormones is vital; as even a small discrepancy can affect the way these organs function and contribute to symptoms such as lowered energy and immunity, low libido and fertility issues, stress and insomnia, as well as affecting our metabolic rate and our ability to loose or put weight on.
There are many things in our daily life that can negatively affect our hormones and their careful balance. These could include some of the herbicides, fungicides & pesticides used on the foods we eat & drink, as well as other petrochemical derivatives such as those found in various plastics and PCBs. These estrogen-mimics have been given the name “xeno-estrogen”, as they can be taken up by estrogen receptor sites, seriously interfering with “normal” biochemical activity. They can accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals, which humans then eat. Around 51 hormone mimics have been identified, each able to unleash a myriad of effects in the body including reduced cell division, sperm production and brain development.
The three main hormones we think about in women are estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. The correct balance of these in a woman is absolutely vital, as even a slight imbalance can affect her out look on life and how she perceives the world. This imbalance could contribute to symptoms such as moodiness, depression, fluid retention, lack of sex drive & blood sugar problems – to name a few.
So let’s look at these hormones a little more closely. The pituitary gland, found at the base of the brain, is the gland that “speaks” to the ovaries by sending chemical messages called follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and lutenising hormone (LH) via the blood stream to the ovaries. FSH & LH stimulate the ovaries to manufacture both estrogen and progesterone. Ovulation occurs when the ovary releases a mature egg and the cells left behind in the ovary then form a small yellow gland called the corpus luteum, which sets to work and pumps out progesterone. It is after ovulation that many women start to experience unpleasant symptoms. In some women her levels of estrogen and progesterone remain in adequate and balanced amounts between ovulation and her period. In others, their levels are out of balance. Researches believe it is the
ratio between these hormones and their balance that is important, rather than the actual amounts of these.
Many women suffer with estrogen dominance, where estrogen continues to be the dominant hormone, with a lack of progesterone. In women aged from 35 to 50, there can be a 75% reduction in the production of progesterone in the body. Estrogen, during the same period, only declines about 35%. In these women, by the time they reach menopause, the total amount of progesterone made is extremely low, while estrogen is still present in the body at about half its pre-menopausal level.
With the gradual drop in estrogen but severe drop in progesterone, there is insufficient progesterone to counteract the amount of estrogen in the body. This state is called estrogen dominance. Many women in their mid-thirties, most women during peri-menopause (mid-forties), and essentially all women during menopause (age 50 and beyond) can suffer with this.
According to Dr. John Lee, the world's authority on natural hormone therapy, the key to hormonal balance is the modulation of progesterone to estrogen ratio. For optimum health, the progesterone to estrogen ratio should be between 200 and 300 to 1.
Many women have high levels of testosterone, the hormone we usually associate with men and manliness. Women do release testosterone during their normal monthly cycle, but when there is too much, she can suffer with problems such male pattern hair growth (hirsutism), especially on her face and chest. More rarely and over time, some women may experience virilisation, which causes an increase in muscle mass, redistribution of body fat, enlargement of the clitoris, deepening of the voice, male pattern baldness, acne, and/or increased perspiration.
In a man, testosterone is the primary hormone. It influences many important functions in his body such as the development and maintenance of his muscle mass, his physical vitality & libido, erectile function and sperm production. For men in their forties, the decrease of this hormone is so small that it is hardly noticeable. It is more in his 50’s and 60’s that this decrease can really start to affect him, with noticeable symptoms such as a reduction in physical vitality, strength and sexual ability.
Men can suffer with estrogen dominance too. This happens with a decrease in free testosterone while estrogen levels remain the same or suddenly increase. Many men are prescribed testosterone replacement therapy only to find this compounds their problem, as the replacement testosterone may convert (aromatize) into even more estrogen. Estrogen is a necessary hormone for men, but too higher levels have been known to contribute to health problems such as heart attacks and a stroke, as well as benign prostatic hypertrophy. The estrogen dominance in men can also trick the brain into thinking that enough testosterone is being produced, slowing down their natural production of testosterone.
Dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA is a hormone made by the adrenal glands in both men and women. It is a precursor to both estrogen and testosterone. Many tests have shown that this normally abundant hormone is deficient in most people by the age of 35 and it is this deficiency that has been linked to chronic inflammation, depression, diabetes, excessive body fat levels, cognitive decline, osteoporosis and heart disease.
Studies have shown that supplementing with DHEA over a 4-6 month period has lead to an improvement in symptoms of depression and anxiety and an improved libido in women. Improvements in bone density were also noticed.
Many people take natural or synthetic hormonal supplementation in the hope to correct or balance their hormones and hence relieve the symptoms they are experiencing. Most choices are made via guess work or sometimes after a blood test. But now there is a more accurate way to determine your free hormone levels; Salivary hormone tests.
Why use saliva testing? When our glands manufacture hormones they are released into the blood stream bound to carrier protein. Only a small fraction (1-5%) of the specific hormone breaks loose from the carrier protein, now free to enter the target tissue. It is this unbound or free hormone that we want to measure, as it is this that is active or bioavailable to the target tissues, such as the brain, uterus, breasts and skin.
A number of studies & scientific literature have shown that there is a strong correlation between the levels of steroid hormones in saliva and the bioavailable (free) levels of steroids in the bloodstream. The amount of steroid hormone that enters the salivary ducts and then saliva is representative of the fraction of steroids in the bloodstream that are bioavailable to other tissues in the body.
For the first time in New Zealand, you can now purchase Self Test Salivary hormone test kits from your local health shop and complete your hormone test in the privacy of your own home. Saliva collection is easy and there is no need to make a trip to the Medlab or to have a blood test. The hormones in a saliva test are very stable and the test sample can be kept at room temperature for at least 1 week.
The results of the tests are sent directly to you, with an explanation of what they are showing. Armed with this information you will then know which hormones to target, to produce a better balance and hence, have more control over your health. After supplementing with these, you could then retest in 6-12 months time, to ensure your hormonal levels really are improving.
Author
Leanne James Dip. Irid., Dip. Herb. Med.
Health Coach and Naturopath
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