Taking a Natural Approach to Balancing Hormones
FEATURE
Todd Singleton
DC
As more patients see their doctor or chiropractor for weight loss, it is important to be equipped with information regarding balancing hormones.
Today’s chiropractic practices are much more than spinal manipulation, and patients generally need more than an adjustment to obtain the highest quality of life. One of the primary reasons for discomfort is weight. Moreover, few patients realize that unbalanced hormones often are the culprit for weight gain and a host of other ailments. When the symptoms of a degenerative disease begin to manifest, the breakdown of the immune system has long since begun and a hormonal imbalance has been initiated.
Importance of Honnones and Hormone-Producing Glands
Hormones are “chemical messengers,” which are produced and secreted by numerous glands in the body. They are dependent upon each other to produce a balanced chemical environment within the body, and they stimulate or inhibit the actions of cells everywhere. Once a hormone is released into the bloodstream, it instructs target glands to produce a given substance (such as other hormones). Glands, such as ovaries, adrenals, pituitary and hypothalamus, produce and regulate levels of estrogen, progesterone, and androgens. Let’s review some complications that occur when there is a shortage or excess of these primary hormones:
Estrogen:
• Hot flashes
• Vaginal dryness
• Anxiety
• Mood swings
• Sagging skin
• Poor sleep quality
• Memory problems
• Fatigue
• Depression
Androgen:
• Thinning hah'
• Unusual facial, leg, or arm hair
• Acne breakouts
• Hypoglycemia
• Tumors
• Water retention
• Depressed libido
• Painful intercourse
• Bladder infections
• Salt and fluid retention
• Headaches
• Bloating
• Rapid weight gain
• Miscarriage
• Endometriosis
• Breast cancer
Functions of progesterone
(and implied complications):
• Normalizes blood sugar level
• Causes weight loss by improving the body’s efficiency in burning fuel for energy and eliminating fluids
• Balances estrogen to relieve hot flashes
• Stimulates osteoblasts
• Pressures all other steroid honnones, including estrogen and cortisol
• Regulates metabolism
• Linked to delayed aging and longer hfe span
• Is a pro-libido hormone
One of the most common effects of hormonal imbalance is weight gain. While there are many reasons for weight gain, men and women tend to gain in their 30s and 40s when changes in hormone levels during the aging process aid in the distribution and storage of body fat in or near the midsection. Whether the patient is overweight, underweight, or has a normal weight, he or she can suffer from hormonal imbalances.
What about Traditional Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Millions of women who were taking estrogen and progestin in 2002 were surprised when results from the first large clinical study of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were released. Findings from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study showed that long-term use of HRT not only did not reduce the risk of heart disease, as previously thought, but also increased a woman’s risk of developing cardiovascular problems and breast cancer. 1 The WHI study followed 16,000 women age 50 to79 who took either a combination of estrogen and progestin or a placebo pill. Although the eight-year study was supposed to last until 2005, it was stopped when researchers determined that the risk of HRT outweighed the benefits. Additionally, women taking HRT were more likely to develop invasive breast cancer or suffer a stroke, heart attack, or blood clot than women not taking the hormones. The increased risk of breast cancer became evident after about four years of HRT use, but the cardiovascular risks appeared after only a year or two on the drugs.
Furthermore, in 2003 the FDA approved a warning label for HRT drags: “Estrogen (from an outside source) has been added to list of known carcinogens.” Despite the known side effects, the traditional medical approach for hormone deficiency is still synthetic hormonal replacement therapy (HRT). Never mind that the healthy human body has organs that produce and balance hormones naturally, if given the proper environment. Synthetic hormones mimic natural hormones, but they are
not bioidentical to naturally occurring hormones. Synthetic hormones are toxic and do not get eliminated from the body.
Creating and Maintaining Hormone Health the Natural Way
Patients need to know that hormone health does not depend on using toxic doses of synthetic drugs to suppress symptoms. Like any aspect of health, hormone health is linked directly to having essential nutrition, exercise, stress control, and detoxification to produce and metabolize hormones properly. Patients can focus on reducing caffeine and alcohol intake, practicing stress management techniques, taking supplements to rebuild the immune system, and eating a natural precursory food diet. Some estrogen and progesterone precursors to stimulate the body to correct and maintain hormonal balance are:
Flax seed
Yams
Peas
Evening primrose oil
Cucumbers
Bee pollen
Raw nuts
Papaya
Bananas Licorice root Garlic Avocados Leafy greens Seeds
Equally important to what our patients eat is what they do not eat. Patients should stay away from pesticide-ridden produce and steroid-filled meat. Patients should avoid beef, poultry, pork, and fish that have been injected with or fed growth hormones; milk products from cows that have been given growth
hormone; or any other animal food source that may contain hormones, which alter the body’s hormonal balance.
In addition to the right diet, hormone-balancing supplements are beneficial. The difference between getting hormones from pills and animal products that have been fed synthetic hormones and getting hormones from plants is that one simply ingests precursors in plant form. The body utilizes and converts only what it needs, allowing for natural and healthy hormonal levels. Plant extracts make molecules that are precursors of human hormones, and these extracts are easily converted by the body. Use plant-based formulations for your patients that produce hormonal balance by adding herbal extracts that act as hormone precursors, allowing the body to produce its own natural hormonal balance.
DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, is key to treating hormonal imbalances. This substance is the precursor to more than 50 other hormones in the body. It is produced in substantial amounts by the adrenal glands when healthy, and it is a muchneeded substance to maintain youthful vigor and a lean body. The endocrine (hormonal) system is dependent on adequate levels of DHEA, but levels decrease as we age. DHEA is a very effective anti-obesity agent. Increased DHEA appeal s to create a stabilizing effect on all body systems. It can help overweight people lose fat and underweight people gain weight.
Summary
Patients should practice the following recommendations:
• At least 70% to 80% of food should be vegetables and fruits (twice as many veggies as fruits).
• Fresh and organic produce is best (stay away from chemicals— organic may cost more, but less is needed for nutritional support).
• Take all recommended supplements.
• Use cold-pressed olive oil, flax oil, or coconut oil.
• Drink water (patients should drink half of then weight in ounces).
• Get eight hours of sleep.
• No processed foods.
• Choose healthy meats that don’t have hormones or additives.
• No MSG and no chemicals.
• When patients participate in a holistic and natural program to balance hormones, lose weight, and treat other discomforts, a healthy body can be achieved.
References
1. Writing Group for the Women & Health Initiative Investigators. Risks and Bene fits of Estrogen Plus Progestin in Healthy Postmenopausal Women. Principal results from the Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA. 2002;288(3):321333. doi: 10.1001/jama. 288.3.321
Dr. Todd Singleton, DC, is an author, speaker, and consultant who has been a practicing doctor for more than 25 years. He ran the largestMD DC PTclinics in Utah before switching to an all-cash nutrition model in 2006. He created a very successful cash practice in Salt Lake City and now spends his time speaking, teaching, consulting, and visiting other offices all over the United States. For more information on implementing nutritional protocols in your clinic, call 801-917-0900 or visit www.ArticlesByDrSingleton.com.
