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HORMONES….FRIEND OR FOE?
Is your health important to you? Most people when asked that question will reply with a resounding “Yes”, but if it is important to you, what are you doing to make sure your health is at the optimum? We are here to help.
Hormones…. We all have them, but are they a friend or foe? The answer can be both. Hormones in all of their glory, affects so many parts of our body. A hormone is actually a substance or chemical that is produced by your body that sends out messages that affect other parts of your body. Hormones are typically found in your thyroid gland, ovaries and testes. As we age, the glands can be less affect in their operation, and the result could mean less production of the hormone, or your body may just not be functioning properly, resulting in an imbalance of hormones. Most body functions only require a small amount of hormone to function, but with such a small amount required, it is easy for them to become imbalanced.
Hormones can affect:
- mood swings
- hunger cravings
- regulation of metabolism
- stimulation or inhibition of growth
- induction or suppression of normal cell death
- stimulation or inhibition of your immune system
- the body’s ability to reproduce
- fatigue or low energy
- control of the reproductive cycle
- how you will respond to fight or flight situations
- the body’s ability to move through a new stages of life, such as puberty, parenting, and menopause
- hair loss
- hot flashes
So what are you to do about hormone imbalance? First you need to be diagnosed. This will require a visit to a physician. There are physicians that specialize in this area, so you need to seek them out for your care.
Although there is great controversy with hormone replacement therapy and cancer, there are other treatments that can return your body’s hormones to normal, without the negative side effects.
Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) has been around for over 20 years. They are sometimes called “natural hormones”, and are often used to treat menopause type symptoms. Bioidentical hormones are identical to the hormones that our body produces. They come from sources like yams and soybeans, and have much less side effects, because our bodies metabolize the hormones the way it normally does.
If you are having symptoms listed above, follow up with your physician to check your hormone levels, then consider Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy.
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