Tag: #hormonetherapy

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.

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NLW Patient Testimonial: Meet J.M.

Meet J.M.

New Leaf Wellness is proud of our patient’s success, and it makes it why we’re so passionate about educating and learning to live your life better. J.M. came into our office with a very common issue, and so we are proud to share his patient testimonial so that it may help others.

J.M. is a 55 year old fireman and over the past few years he had noticed that he could not run in and out of buildings like he used to. He found himself getting irritated more easily and felt like he had passed his peak. Even though he was working out, he had a difficult time building muscle. He even noticed a little muscle loss and a hard time losing fat.

We see a lot of patients initially accepting the feeling of ‘degenerating’ is just a part of aging….. this is why we’re so thankful for J.M. sharing his patient testimonial.

J.M. was examined by his primary doctor and was told that his lab work was normal and that he was just getting older. Luckily, he did not accept that as fact and sought out help. His hormone lab work was definitely not optimal.

Did you know that in a typical routine blood exam, hormone counts are not even reviewed? Do you know where your hormone levels? And if they are optimal?

What You Need To Know

Normal ranges at the labs are determined by testing a part of the population and then coming up with the average numbers. But what happens when the people they are testing are out of balance hormonally? In modern society, the average person does have a hormonal imbalance and this results in the “normal” lab values being incorrect.

Your hormone lab values may be interpreted as “normal” when in actuality they are low–the imbalance is missed simply because the “normal” lab values are incorrect. The medical profession gets pressured from many angles and most doctors are hesitant to look outside the “normal” values. They tend to accept the “normal” lab values without question. They forget to really look at the person and see that there is a hormonal imbalance. They are simply not questioning the validity of the “normal” values. This is not their fault–due to the nature of insurances, they do not have the luxury of time to treat “outside the box”.

Hormonal imbalances exhibit specific symptoms and it takes time to get to know the patient and determine what he/she requires to achieve and maintain proper balance.

Lab work is just a piece of information, and it needs to be interpreted looking at optimal values, not the “normal” values.

Optimal lab values are the values we see in people who are functioning at a high level and feel great. Unfortunately, these values can be flagged as “abnormal” on lab results. This can scare the uninformed. “Abnormal” is often optimal. Look around you at the general population’s health. This is a sad truth.

The goal of proper hormone balancing is to get rid of your symptoms and prevent future medical issues like dementia, heart disease, certain cancers, osteoporosis, etc. This is only possible by taking the time and investing in yourself by seeking the help of a specially trained hormone specialist.

The truth is we can share about our services and show proven methods, but it is a patient testimonial like J.M. that really inspire us all to understand just how life changing hormone balancing can be.

How NLW Helped J.M.

When J.M. came across New Leaf Wellness, he got the lab results he needed to see. He was found to have a significant Testosterone deficiency. We also found a B-12 deficiency and slight thyroid imbalance. Once these deficiencies were corrected, he regained his vitality. His workouts are creating a muscle gain and fat loss. J.M has the energy to enjoy his free time and is now really living his life thanks to his treatment at New Leaf Wellness. And we’re so thankful we were able to aid in J.M. living life better!

For more patient testimonials, visit our pages by clicking the links below.

Testimonials from MEN

Testimonials from WOMEN

To learn more about how to get the RIGHT lab results, give us a call or contact us TODAY!