Category: Hormone

VITAMIN D FOR IMMUNE SYSTEM SUPPORT

Winter is almost over, but with winter months come more illness. There are good reasons why we tend to see more illness during the winter months. One of those reasons is lower Vitamin D levels. As spring approaches it is vital you get your Vitamin D levels back to their optimal levels.

Humans are supposed to get over 90% of their vitamin D from the sun (diet provides very little), and the recommended Daily Value (or previously the RDA) assumed that most people received plenty of vitamin D from the sun. Our ancestors (both ancient and recent) spent a lot of time outdoors in the sun. However, in today’s modern world many people do not get enough vitamin D even during the summer months. People living in northern locales get even less. If you haven’t had your vitamin D levels checked (and most people have not) we highly recommend asking your New Leaf Provider about it. In America, most people test insufficient or deficient for this important vitamin. It is thought that most people need from 7,500-20,000 IUs per day (from all sources, including sun) to meet our needs; we need more when we’re sick or stressed.

Vitamin D helps our immune systems stay balanced during the cold and flu season. There are Vitamin D receptors and activating enzymes on the surfaces of all White Blood Cells. The role that vitamin D plays in keeping the immune system healthy is very complex because the immune system has to be perfectly balanced. If there is too much stimulation, autoimmune diseases can set in. If there is not enough immune system activity, frequent infections can occur.

Low levels of vitamin D have been linked with both extremes, including being associated with worsening autoimmune diseases. Low levels of vitamin D are not the underlying cause of the autoimmune disease, but low levels of vitamin D can make autoimmune disease states worse. Low levels of vitamin D have also been associated with frequent infections. In 2009, the National Institute of Health warned that low vitamin D levels are associated with frequent colds and influenza.

So it appears that vitamin D helps keep the immune system balanced much like a gymnast walking on a balance beam. It is important that daily and weekly vitamin D supplementation help keep your immune system balanced during the cold and flu season.

TESTOSTERONE: Moods, Motivation, And More…

Most people associate testosterone with men. It’s true that this vital hormone drives the development of the male brain and is responsible for the deep voice, facial hair, and many other features we associate with maleness. But women produce and need testosterone too (just as men have some estrogen), just in smaller amounts.

In both men and women, testosterone helps protect the nervous system and wards off depression, cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease. The aging process, however, can leave some men with low testosterone levels that have been shown to increase symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as a host of other issues.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF LOW TESTOSTERONE

  • Moodiness

  • Depression

  • Anxiety

  • Difficulty concentrating

  • Lack of motivation

  • Low libido

  • Fatigue

  • Trouble sleeping

  • Erection problems

  • Increased body fat and reduced lean muscle

  • Low bone density

  • Hot flashes

  • Hair loss

PROGESTERONE: NATURE’S ANTI-ANXIETY HORMONE

Progesterone is the other major hormone in a woman’s monthly cycle. It affects the brain in the following ways:

  • Supports GABA, which helps the brain relax
  • Protects your nerves
  • Supports the myelin that “insulates” and protects neurons

When progesterone is in balance with estrogen, it calms you, brings feelings of peacefulness, and promotes sleep. But when they are imbalanced or when the relaxation hormone drops too dramatically, calmness can give way to irritability, anxiety, depression, sleepless nights, and brain fog. For some women, when progesterone and estrogen plummet right before menstruation starts, mood stability goes out the window.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF LOW PROGESTERONE

  • Anxiety/Depression
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Fibrocystic breasts
  • PMS
  • Premenstrual headaches
  • Postpartum depression
  • Bone loss

ESTROGEN: THE MOOD MODULATOR

Estrogen is one of the primary hormones involved in a woman’s menstrual cycle. When estrogen levels are healthy and balanced, it helps optimize neurotransmitter production and brain function so you feel good all month long. When estrogen levels are off, it causes problems.

Too much estrogen in relation to progesterone can lead to a condition called estrogen dominance. This causes the gentle monthly hormonal rise and fall to turn into a series of intense spikes and dramatic drop-offs that disrupt important brain processes and make you anxious and irritable.

Too little estrogen leads to feeling depressed and confused. The loss of estrogen also hinders critical thinking, short-term memory, and other cognitive functions. These problems can worsen during perimenopause when estrogen levels can fluctuate wildly and during menopause when the hormone drops and stays low.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF ESTROGEN IMBALANCES

ESTROGEN DOMINANCE
• Mood swings, depression
• Fatigue
• Sluggish metabolism
• Low libido
• Headaches or migraines
• Brain fog, memory loss
• Weight gain, especially in the belly and hips
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Sleep disturbances
• Fibrocystic breasts
• Bloating
• Vaginal or oral yeast (thrush)
• Heavy bleeding
• Carbohydrate cravings

LOW ESTROGEN
• Mood changes, depression, weepiness
• Fatigue
• Heart palpitations
• Osteoporosis
• Painful intercourse
• Brain fog, memory loss, focus problems
• Weight gain
• Bladder incontinence and infections
• Sleep disturbances
• Pain
• Hot flashes

Hormone Evaluation and Replacement Therapy

Are you feeling down and worried that you might have depression? Do you have memory problems or trouble focusing and are worried that you might have ADD? Are you gaining weight and don’t know why? It could be your hormones!

Hormones are chemical messengers produced in the body that control and regulate the activity of certain cells or organs. Neurohormones have an important impact on the brain. The human body produces hundreds of hormones, but the following four of them have a very direct influence on brain health/mental health:

• Thyroid—energy regulation
• Estrogen—mood modulator
• Progesterone—nature’s anti-anxiety hormone
• Testosterone—mood, motivation, sexuality, strength

NEUROHORMONES AND THE BRAIN

Communication between the brain and hormones goes both ways. The brain sends out signals that instruct your body’s glands to produce and release hormones, and hormones from within the body send messages back to the brain that influences its activity.

When hormones are healthy, you tend to feel vibrant and energetic. When the hormones that affect your brain neurohormones are off, you are off. You may experience symptoms that change the way you think, feel, and act in negative ways. It also makes you more vulnerable to conditions like anxiety, depression, and even psychosis. If nobody checks your hormone levels, you will never know the root cause of your issues. And if your hormones are the problem, no amount of psychiatric medications will get you right.

THYROID: THE MOOD AND ENERGY REGULATOR

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in your lower neck that plays a powerful role in keeping your brain and body healthy. This gland regulates how your body uses energy, and it also has a strong impact on the brain because it controls the production of many neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin, and GABA. Problems occur when thyroid dysfunction causes the gland to produce too little hormone (hypothyroidism) or too much hormone (hyperthyroidism).

Hypothyroidism: Brain SPECT scans of people with hypothyroidism show overall decreased brain activity, which often leads to depression, cognitive impairment, anxiety, and brain fog.

Hyperthyroidism: An overactive thyroid produces too much hormone, making everything in your body work too fast. It can feel like you’re in hyper-drive—you feel jittery and edgy, as though you’ve had way too much caffeine.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF THYROID DYSFUNCTION

Hypothyroidism

• Fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory problems
• Depression
• Attentional problems
• Psychosis

Hyperthyroidism

• Sleeplessness, restlessness
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Racing thoughts
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory problems
• Depression
• Mania
• Psychosis

The Benefits of Estradiol

Estradiol protects the nervous system from the body’s fight against its effort to detoxify free radicals that damage all components of the cell, including proteins, lipids, and DNA. This stress is increased without estradiol, causing the toxic effects of free radicals, and is dangerous to the central nervous system. The consequences of being without the protection of estradiol may be neurodegenerative diseases including gene mutations, chronic fatigue syndrome, heart and blood vessels disorders, heart failures, heart attacks and inflammatory diseases. Further insults on the body come from disruptions in normal mechanisms of cellular signaling, which may cause cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s atherosclerosis, fragile X syndrome, Sickle Cell Disease, lichen planus, vitiligo, autism, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

“Estrogen replacement therapy is associated with improvement of cognitive deficits and reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.”

The beneficial effects of bio-identical estradiol was touted in an article published by The Endocrine Society in 2002: “Estrogen replacement therapy is associated with improvement of cognitive deficits and reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. This combination, protected against glutamate toxicity. Without becoming too complicated, glutamate is a neurotransmitter. It is especially important in the brain to keep us thinking and remembering. Having just the right amount is paramount. Too much glutamate is toxic to the brain and results in memory loss and eventually Alzheimer’s. Estradiol and progesterone ,that are natural to humans, protect the brain from excess glutamate.

Check your levels TODAY
for healthy cognitive processes TOMORROW!

How does hormone health impact your immune system?

With all of us trying to stay healthy and avoid getting sick, it seems like everyone is willing to try anything to strengthen their immune system for better protection from disease. Many adopt a healthy lifestyle by eating better and getting more exercise. Others stock up on supplements. And some try getting more sleep. But few people realize that all of these habits may not be enough if your hormones are unbalanced. That’s because your hormones have a direct effect on the strength of your immune system. See, balanced hormones equal better immunity. If you’re experiencing hormonal imbalance, it’s more important than ever to discover the root and the remedy to keep your immune system strong and tip the scales in favor of better health. 

The Balancing Act Between Hormones and Your Immunity

So how do your hormones affect your health and your life? Well, hormones are chemical messengers produced by your body that regulate many processes, from your mood and your energy level, to your blood pressure, appetite, sex drive, physical performance—and yes, your immune system. As a result, hormones control how you feel and function.

The Impact of an Imbalance

The hormones that play the biggest role in our health and our quality of life are estrogen, progesterone and androgens like testosterone. As we age, our body’s natural levels of these hormones can drastically fluctuate. This sudden shift can also result from menopause, obesity and other medical conditions.

No matter the cause, the result is a hormonal imbalance that completely disrupts the many processes that your hormones normally control. That’s why so many women and men that have a hormonal imbalance experience fatigue, weight gain, mood swings, loss of sex drive, lack of strength—and yes, a weakened immune system which leaves you more likely to feel run down and makes it harder to stay healthy.

Don’t Get Mad, Get Even

You should never ignore a hormonal imbalance. Not only because the symptoms are too uncomfortable to ignore, but because one of the processes it impacts and impairs is your immune system. And the longer your hormones are out of whack, the harder they are to get back in sync. So if you’re trying to boost your immunity but your hormones are unbalanced, you can take an alphabet of vitamin supplements or completely change your lifestyle, but nothing you do may do any good.

Help for Hormonal Imbalance

If you’re worried about a hormonal imbalance, you need to speak to a healthcare provider, like New Leaf Wellness, to discuss your different options. One possible and popular treatment is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Several studies support its benefits, with research showing that estrogen plays an important role in a woman’s immune response, along with medical evidence that HRT can reverse the hormonal changes that women naturally face after menopause. Another alternative is nutrient IV therapy, which infuses high doses of vitamins and minerals directly into your bloodstream to help support and strengthen your immune system. But only your New Leaf Wellness provider can help you find the remedy that’s right for you.

Take the Next Step

By getting to the root of the issue and getting your hormones back in balance, you will be able to get your immune system and your life back on track. Set up a FREE consult today!

New Leaf Wellness offers comprehensive, individualized, and a healing approach to total wellness and age management. By focusing on customized medicine, New Leaf Wellness helps patients earlier in the aging process in order to help prevent, rather than treat age-related issues. Dr Robert Sieman, Medical Director, is dedicated to helping patients identify the root causes of any issues in order to restore the body to its peak performance, alleviate symptoms and ultimately, reverse the effects of aging and prevent age-related diseases. New Leaf Wellness creates personalized treatment plans with proven, effective and safe anti-aging solutions that include highly advanced testing, bioidentical hormone therapy, nutrient therapy, sexual health programs, medical aesthetics, weight loss and much more.

Effects of Low Estrogen

Estrogen is an essential hormone so the effects can be quite wide-ranging. Learn about just what all the effects are of low estrogen.

Symptoms of low estrogen may include the following:

  • Irregular periods: Estrogen is one of the main hormones driving the menstrual cycle. Low estrogen may lead to missed or irregular periods.
  • Infertility: Low estrogen levels can prevent ovulation and make getting pregnant difficult, leading to infertility.
  • Weak bones: Estrogen helps keep the bones healthful and strong. As estrogen levels decrease, bone loss may occur. For example, women who are post-menopausal are at an increased risk of developing osteoporosis and bone fractures.
  • Painful intercourse: Estrogen can affect vaginal lubrication. If levels become too low, vaginal dryness can occur, which often leads to painful sex.
  • Hot flashes: Hot flashes often happen during menopause due to low estrogen levels.
  • Depression: Estrogen is thought to increase serotonin, which is a chemical in the brain that boosts mood. Estrogen deficiency may cause a decline in serotonin that contributes to mood swings or depression.
  • Increase in urinary tract infections: Increased urinary tract infections may occur due to the thinning of the tissue in the urethra, which can develop with decreased estrogen.

See What Our Patients’ Are Saying About Their Experience With Our Comprehensive Natural Hormone Therapy Program >>

Effect on Weight

Hormones including estrogen can play a role in weight management and how much fat the body stores. Low estrogen levels, such as during perimenopause and menopause, may contribute to weight gain.

The areas where women store fat may also change during menopause. Typically, women store fat in their hips and thighs. But that changes as estrogen levels drop. According to the Journal of Climacteric, the decrease in estrogen at midlife is associated with an increase in abdominal fat.

Although weight gain due to low estrogen levels is typical, it does not have to be inevitable. Eating a healthful diet and getting regular exercise can help women reduce their chances of weight gain.

“I always wondered why at such a young age my energy, concentration, and libido were so low. How could a 25 year old not have any desire?! Natural Hormone Therapy saved my sanity. I no longer wondered why I was different. Knowing that other women and men struggled with the same issues was comforting. I have never doubted the effectiveness of NHT. This is one aspect of my life I will never give up. I hope other men and women can find what I was looking for at New Leaf.”

– Amanda L., New Leaf Wellness Patient

Diagnosis

A diagnosis of low estrogen often starts with a physical exam, medical history, and a review of symptoms. Telltale indicators of low estrogen include hot flashes and missed periods. But some of these symptoms can also occur as a result of other conditions, including thyroid problems.

To determine the cause of low estrogen, New Leaf Wellness does a blood test to check hormone levels. The Provider may also recommend additional tests to rule out other conditions that might be causing symptoms similar to low estrogen.

What Should You Do Now?

Don’t wait. Contact us today and start living your best life. Fill out the form below to schedule an appointment with us.

[formlift id=”1749″]

5 Things Your Gut is Trying to Tell You

The Importance of Maintaining a Healthy Gut

It’s surprising how much you can tell about your overall health from the condition of your gut. The state of your gut has been known to have a direct correlation between overall health and wellness and can even indicate problems in other parts of the body. Because research indicates that 70 percent of the immune system may be found in the gut, paying attention to your gut health is incredibly important because problems with the gut can be the first signs of problems elsewhere in the body. If you are experiencing gastrointestinal problems, your gut may be trying to indicate a mild or serious problem. Here are a few of the ways that gut health and overall health are connected

1. The Link Between Gut Health and Depression

The gut is sometimes referred to as “the second brain,” thanks to a multitude of studies indicating a strong link between gut health and brain health. From depression and anxiety to brain fog and fatigue, your bathroom habits and the presence of other gut-related conditions like the rapid onset of nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, abdominal pain, constipation, or diarrhea can tell you quite a lot about your mental health.

How Gut Health Affects the Brain

The link between gut health and brain health indicates the state of our brains and our stomachs have a direct connection. Numerous research studies have indicated that individuals with chronic depression experience frequent bouts of constipation, diarrhea, stomach discomfort, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. This is believed to be caused by the bacteria in your gut since evidence suggests those with depression tend to have higher chances of having gut biomes that contain a large amount of “bad bacteria” or inadequate amounts of “good bacteria.” An imbalance of gut bacteria can lead to many additional side effects, including:

  • Acid Reflux
  • Delayed Digestion
  • Delayed Gastric Emptying
  • Flatulence
  • Heartburn
  • Nausea
  • Upset Stomach
  • Vomiting

2. The Link Between Anxiety and Gut Health

As with depression, there’s evidence to suggest a direct link exists between anxiety and gut health. This is again believed to be the result of an imbalance of bacteria, and it makes sense. When you don’t feel well, you can become more agitated, restless, and anxious, so if there’s a chronic or permanent problem in the stomach, the lining of the intestines, or other digestive areas, it’s easy to see how anxiety can become a chronic problem.  

3. Celiac Disease and Gastrointestinal Problems

Gastrointestinal problems are the biggest signs and symptoms of food-related autoimmune disorders like celiac disease. Celiac disease is a serious condition in which an individual’s small intestine is unable to ingest gluten, a common ingredient found naturally in wheat, barley, and rye but also as a thickening agent in salad dressings, packaged foods. In individuals with celiac disease, the immune system triggers a response to gluten, and in addition to stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation, this can also lead to physical symptoms elsewhere, including fatigue, headaches, joint pain and inflammation, and even seizures. Over time, the small intestine can even sustain permanent damage from the ingestion of gluten.

4. Vitamin Deficiencies and Gut Health

If you’re experiencing gastrointestinal issues and food allergies and sensitivities have already been ruled out, it’s possible your symptoms are related to a Vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D and it is anti-inflammatory and immune system regulating effects can boost your mood and your overall health. Studies have shown a vitamin D deficiency, however, may be linked to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), colon and rectal cancer, breast cancer, and other serious health concerns.

5. Hormonal Imbalances and Gut Health

The human body produces around 50 different hormones that are essential to the proper function of essential organs and processes. When too little or too much of these hormones are secreted, the result can be a decrease in vitality, focus, and overall health and wellness. One of the ways hormonal imbalances can manifest is through gastrointestinal problems. When the endocrine system (which is in charge of the organs that secrete hormones) isn’t functioning properly, this can also mean the digestive system, circulatory system, and other parts of the body can malfunction. Through a hormone test, your wellness provider can determine whether or not a hormone deficiency or imbalance can be the cause of your gut health concerns.

Ready to change your gut health for the better?

Contact us today to get your body back on track or feeling better than ever before because at New Leaf Wellness, our mission is for our patients to ‘live their best life’. Get started with a totally free consultation or call us at 888-728-7555.

[formlift id=”1749″]

What is progesterone? 

What is progesterone? Progesterone is a hormone. Its name comes from “pro” — meaning to support, and “gest” — meaning gestation. It triggers pregnancy and keeps it going.

How It Works

Progesterone initiates birth by helping sperm get attracted to, swim towards, and penetrate into the deeper layer of eggs produced by the female. Once pregnant, the soon-to-be mom’s body secretes increasingly high levels of progesterone (up to 400 mg/day) to help “hold” the pregnancy to full term. Thus, progesterone is mostly thought of as a female pregnancy hormone.

But it’s so much more.

What Is It?

Progesterone is a natural anti-inflammatory agent, a brain protector in both sexes of all ages, a natural Ambien, and new science suggests it is so breast protective that some breast cancer survivors should be taking it!

Brain and nervous system. Progesterone protects your brain. Progesterone is part of a critical group of endogenous (naturally made) steroids (hormones) called neurosteroids. Neurosteroids protect brain and nervous system tissues. Progesterone is produced locally right inside the brain and throughout the mass of nerves inside the spinal cord to do just this. Progesterone production inside our brain and entire nervous system, including the one in our gut, happens in boys, girls, men, and women.

Neuroprotective. In the brain, gut and throughout the spinal cord, progesterone is neuroprotective. This means progesterone protects these tissues from damage from excess inflammation, regulates synaptic conversations, lubes neurotransmitters, and even protects outer nerve sheaths called myelin (one reason why progesterone therapy is helpful in some demyelinating diseases).

Progesterone protects brain volume. A healthy brain has an optimal size or volume. Aging shrinks brain volume, especially in the area where we keep memories and our sense of who we are (the hippocampus). Anything that protects brain volume promotes better thinking and loss of it (cognitive decline).

Progesterone therapy is even used to hasten brain recovery after brain injury or stroke. Progesterone does this by reducing cerebral edema, reducing excessive inflammation, and making the flux of minerals in and out of the brain more Zen-like. Both you body and brain adore ZEN.

Not many practitioners yet appreciate that progesterone wears so many protective nervous system “hats.”  At New Leaf Wellness, progesterone is one of 3 main hormones that Providers watch, monitor and adjust for Patients.

Want To Learn More?

We produce less progesterone as we age, so aging is a natural anti-progestin. But modern life is filled with unnatural molecules that can also block healthy progesterone signals and act as synthetic or environmental or toxic anti-progestins. One example is the pain medication family, many found over-the-counter, called NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents. Many studies show that regular daily use of NSAIDs, like Motrin, is linked to an increased risk of gut inflammation and ulcerations. Why? Motrin is an anti-progestin. It blocks the benefits of progesterone. And especially at the gut lining, as this medication is swallowed so it directly exposes the gut lining. For more information, contact your New Leaf Wellness!