The first indication of aging is the loss of hormones. You don’t see it at first. It’s happening inside, lurking about, waiting for the reproductive passage of “who you are” to finish. It’s almost as though the hormones have grown impatient, sitting inside, tapping their fingers, and waiting to complete their job so they can take time off for good. Once that happens, the trouble inside “you” begins.
Hormonal loss is a very difficult passage for everyone. At forty years old or earlier, you will start to notice either a slight weight gain or an alarming amount of weight gain. Many women report going up as much as two dress sizes. Your bleeding cycle becomes irregular. What was once like clockwork now appears seemingly whenever it wants. Sometimes you skip a month or two.
Hot flashes come without warning. Suddenly heat rises up in you that is like nothing else you have ever experienced. Sleeping—which was once a given, something you didn’t even think about—becomes difficult. You now get into bed and pray for a full night of uninterrupted sleep. Mood swings are also part of the equation.
We can visibly see hormonal decline in the mirror. God forbid you have one of those horrible magnifying mirrors, which most of us do, as our eyes betray and no longer work with the clarity they once had. We see the lines and wrinkles, and the skin on the neck and body becomes looser, less firm. As we get older, changes in cellular behavior lead to changes in hormone levels that cause the skin to become thinner. The barrier function of the skin, which attracts and retains moisture, also becomes less effective, making skin drier as well.
Here’s the deal: Sooner or later, you are going to start experiencing these symptoms. All women and men go through hormonal decline. Symptoms are part of nature. Symptoms are your body’s way of talking to you. With each hot flash or night sweat, your body is screaming for you to do something. The good news is that now you can. You will not have to suffer in silence like your mother or grandmother. To enjoy a satisfying life, hormones must be replaced, but only with bioidentical hormones. As you will read in chapter 5, there are different ways to take them, but taking bioidentical hormones is not negotiable. There is no other or better way to replace hormones and nothing else that your body will respond to like bioidenticals. Because the body recognizes them, it does not reject them. Quite the opposite—it welcomes them.
WHAT EXACTLY IS A HORMONE?
According to Dr. Gary London, OB/GYN, in his book Thank You, Suzanne Somers (can you believe it?), a “hormone is a substance produced by a gland and transported in the bloodstream throughout the body, transferring information and instructions between cells. Hormones are molecules that are synthesized and secreted by several glands throughout the body, collectively known as the endocrine system. Each gland produces its own unique hormones and each of those hormones serves as a molecular messenger to deliver very specific information to specific cells or organs in the body. Almost like a key opening a lock, these hormones have the ability to turn certain cells in the body known as target cells (for example, there are specific target cells in the breast and uterus that will respond to estrogen) and each target cell is genetically programmed to respond to particular hormones in a certain way. All aspects of cellular function, including repair and replication, are influenced by one or more hormones.”
With the exception of prescribing supplemental estrogen (usually in synthetic form), the conventional medical community considers age-related hormonal decline to be normal and, therefore, takes little action to correct it. Low levels of other hormones such as DHEA, thyroid, testosterone, and growth hormone are not treated unless, or until, a full-blown condition such as adrenal failure, hypothyroidism, or pituitary disease is diagnosed.
Many antiaging doctors take exception to not treating age-related hormonal loss. According to Dr. Philip Lee Miller: “It doesn’t matter to me whether that deficiency is the normal condition of the aging human. When we can improve health and function by restoring hormone levels to optimal levels, it makes sense to do so. This is the essence of functional medicine, the goal of which is to restore function and not necessarily to treat disease.”
If you are thinking of taking hormones to treat aging, it is important to understand that we once all had optimal levels. To combat aging, you must try to restore those optimal levels in order to mimic your healthiest prime, and in doing so you give your body the greatest gift it has ever received. In the following sections you’ll learn about the key hormones you need to balance to start reversing the aging process.
| Hormone | Site of Production | Function |
| Estrogen (includes estradiol, estrone, and estriol) | Ovaries, adrenal glands, fat cells, placenta (during pregnancy only) | • Regulates a woman’s passage through menstruation, fertility, and menopause • Supports the growth and regeneration of female reproductive tissues • Develops secondary sex characteristics such as body hair, breasts, and distribution of body fat • Keeps the uterus, urinary tract, breasts, and blood vessels toned and flexible |
| Progesterone | Ovaries, adrenal glands (women and men), testicles (men) | • Regulates menstrual cycle • Sustains a pregnancy • Stimulates bone-building cells (osteoclasts) and increases the rate of new bone formation • Promotes energy production in the brain • Protects against nerve cell damage and brain aging |
| DHEA | Adrenal glands | • Precursor (building block) to sex hormones • Involved in sex drive • Maintains collagen levels in the skin for promoting smoother, younger-looking skin • Works as a natural antidote to negative effects of cortisol |
| Thyroid | Thyroid gland | • Affects all metabolic activity • Regulates temperature • Regulates heart rate • Increases fat breakdown • Controls metabolism of carbohydrate and fat • Lowers cholesterol • Keeps hair, skin, and nails healthy |
| Cortisol | Adrenal glands | • Keeps us awake and alert • Mobilizes sugar for energy |
| Adrenaline | Adrenal glands | • Mobilizes sugar for energy • Functions as a natural stimulant |
| Insulin | Pancreas | • Determines whether fat will be burned or stored • Involved in growth |
| Human Growth Hormone | Pituitary gland | • Controls chronic inflammation • Beneficial to organ systems, including the heart and brain • Protects immunity • Increases aerobic capacity • Protects bone • Regulates body composition by decreasing body fat and enhancing muscle tone • Provides energy and endurance • Lowers blood pressure • Improves memory • Improves vision • Enhances ability to deal with stress • Enhances sleep • Responsible for growth |
| Melatonin | Pineal gland in the brain; small amounts in retina and gastrointestinal tract | • Increases quality of sleep • Is a potent antioxidant and captures amaging free radicals • Activates thyroid hormones • Improves mood and relieves anxiety • Improves sleep disorders • Fights the growth of cancer cells • Improves immune system • Relaxes muscles and relieves tension |
Take the time to read each of the next sections thoroughly. It is important that you understand the functions of each hormone. By doing so, the interviews with the doctors that follow will make complete sense.
WHAT IT IS: Estrogen is one of the most powerful hormones in the human body; it is what makes a woman a woman. It is estrogen that gives women their softness, curves, and breasts and helps regulate a woman’s passage through menstruation, fertility, and menopause. What many people don’t know is that both men and women make estrogen. To be a woman, you need high levels of estrogen and low levels of testosterone. To be a man, you need high levels of testosterone and low levels of estrogen.
HOW IT WORKS: Estrogen is not a single hormone. It is a group of three different but related hormones (estrone, estradiol, and estriol) that perform functions we normally attribute to “estrogen.” Approximately three hundred different tissues are equipped with estrogen receptors. This means that estrogen can affect a wide range of tissues and organs, including the brain, liver, bones, and skin. The uterus, urinary tract, breasts, and blood vessels also depend upon estrogen to stay toned and flexible. Many menopausal women have urinary “leakage problems” from losing estrogen, and many menopausal women have to urinate often; for some, it’s constant throughout the day. This is remedied by bringing estrogen levels back to normal. The family of estrogens work in concert with progesterone to nourish and support the growth and regeneration of the female reproductive tissues as well as impart the characteristic female growth of body hair, breasts, and distribution of body fat.
Symptoms of an estrogen deficiency include
HOW TO TEST: It is important to establish your estrogen levels with a blood or saliva test. Even if you are too young to experience estrogen loss, it is advised that you start getting a hormone panel done each year so that you can evaluate from year to year to see if there is an estrogen decline.
You also have to be able to evaluate the way you feel to understand when your hormones are declining or out of balance. The more you understand this, the more your doctor will be able to help you. One of my first symptoms of low estrogen is itchy arms. Normally, you wouldn’t think to call your doctor about an itch on your arms, but when you are balancing hormones, a symptom such as this is information for the doctor. If you are in touch with your body and if you pay attention to the way you are feeling, your doctor will be able to help you balance your hormones and make you feel good again.
I suggest that you keep a journal for the first three months and mark down how you feel on each day of the month. If any of the symptoms listed are part of your day, mark it down and you will have an accurate record for your doctor to evaluate. Symptoms are signs of imbalance. This is not something to “tough out.” Toughing it out only keeps you in an imbalanced state, and that is a dangerous and uncomfortable place to be.
USING BIOIDENTICALS: By replacing lost estrogen with bioidentical estrogen, a woman can restore her body to her healthy prime. Along with a good diet and exercise, a woman on BHRT can expect to feel good for the rest of her life.
Bioidentical estrogen has numerous benefits. First and foremost, your menopausal symptoms go away. Your sex drive comes back, and your memory and mood improve. Your fatigue dissipates, and your skin elasticity improves. You have a reduced risk of heart disease and bone loss. Your depression is relieved, and estrogen supports your immune function. No drug can do all this for you. Drugs only exacerbate these problems.
Bioidentical estrogen replacement is by doctor’s prescription only and prepared for you by a compounding pharmacy. These pharmacies use only pure grades of estrogen. The strength and combinations of estrogens can be established by working closely with your doctor, but remember: You know your body better than anyone. Some women require large doses of estrogen to feel good. I am one of them. My body does not “sing” with low doses. Once you are on replacement, it is important to pay acute attention to your symptoms. If you are symptomatic, then you need to have your dosage evaluated. Talk to your doctor about it. A symptom might be as simple as “my leg itches,” but even that can be a sign of low estrogen.
SAFETY AND SIDE EFFECTS: Many health care professionals, such as the doctors you will meet in this book, believe bioidentical hormones—including bioidentical estrogen—are safe. If you have any side effects such as weight gain, breast tenderness, bloating, or other symptoms, report these to your doctor. This usually means you are not completely balanced and your dosage needs adjusting. Generally, though, bioidenticals are well tolerated.
SYMPTOMS FOR WOMEN WITH EXCESS ESTROGEN (ESTROGEN DOMINANCE)
Often, too much estrogen supplementation can be at the root of your symptoms. Be sure to have your doctor do a blood or saliva test for levels and then have your hormones rebalanced. If you have gone through a period of high stress and now things have calmed down, the estrogen you needed during the stress is now more than you require.
Alternatively, estrogen dominance can be due to hormonal imbalance, and a complete evaluation of your levels must be done and a new prescription dispensed to fit your current needs. Some of the symptoms of estrogen dominance include
EXCESS TESTOSTERONE FOR WOMEN
Women can suffer from too much testosterone. Often, this imbalance can be caused by consuming too much sugar and eating carbohydrates in excess. Having a blood test to evaluate your testosterone levels, then correcting any imbalances through bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, can also bring you back to balance. Some symptoms of testosterone excess in women include
WHAT IT IS: Progesterone and estrogen are two of the main hormones made in the ovaries. Progesterone is produced primarily in the second half of a woman’s menstrual cycle and is the hormone responsible for the survival of the fetus in pregnancy. Men also produce tiny amounts from the testicles. Progesterone is further produced in small amounts in the adrenal glands in both men and women.
HOW IT WORKS: When women reach their thirties and forties, it is very common that the balance between estrogen and progesterone shifts heavily toward estrogen. This excess estrogen is commonly known as estrogen dominance and is often to blame for many symptoms experienced by women at this time, such as PMS, night sweats, and depression. Around this time, a small amount of bioidentical progesterone can help rebalance these hormones and relieve these symptoms.
Symptoms of a progesterone deficiency include
HOW TO TEST: You can have your progesterone levels measured by a saliva or blood test. It is best to check hormone levels on days 12 and 21 of the month, if you are cycling rhythmically. If you are static dosing, check levels around days 18 to 21. If you are feeling that you can’t ever achieve balance on your static doses, read about rhythmic cycling in chapter 5 and give it a try.
USING BIOIDENTICALS: Treatment with bioidentical progesterone may protect the breasts against cancer and benefit your bones, brain, and mood. It can help prevent excessive proliferation of both normal and abnormal cancerous breast cells. Trials conducted by Dr. Helene Leonetti at Bethlehem Obstetrics Clinic in Pennsylvania found that progesterone therapy reduced fibrous (benign) breast lumps.
Other benefits of bioidentical progesterone:
Please be warned: If you go to a health food store to get your progesterone, you are not getting progesterone. A wild yam cream is not progesterone. It contains phytoestrogens, which may increase the body’s production, but it is not a hormone or a precursor to a hormone. In other words, you are not replacing progesterone by using a wild yam cream. True-grade therapeutic bioidentical progesterone can be supplied only by prescription through a compounding pharmacy.
Do not confuse natural bioidentical progesterone with Provera, and do not confuse natural progesterone with “progestins.” These are synthetic chemical analogues similar to progesterone but different enough to have dramatic side effects. The progesterone molecule in progestins has been chemically altered in order to be patented and owned by the pharmaceutical company. Synthetic progesterone is foreign to the body and has actually been shown to inhibit the biosynthesis of progesterone.
According to Dr. David G. Williams, progestins can cause abnormal menstrual flow or cessation, fluid retention, nausea, insomnia, jaundice, depression, fever, weight fluctuations, allergic reactions, and the development of male characteristics.
Bioidentical progesterone, on the other hand, can relieve menopausal symptoms, reverse osteoporosis, enhance mood, and restore libido, provided you are working with a qualified doctor who understands how to achieve the correct ratio or balance between estrogen and progesterone.
The correct ratios between estrogen and progesterone are key. These two hormones are meant to work together to maintain hormone balance. Without balance comes mood swings and weight gain, among other symptoms. Even women who have had a hysterectomy need to balance their monthly cycle with progesterone ten days of each month. There has been controversy about this. Many doctors put women on continuous estrogen replacement (meaning estrogen every day of the month) and do not give them progesterone, figuring because they no longer have a uterus that progesterone is not needed. Here is where you need to really understand the template that the brain follows. If you are not ovulating (because without progesterone, ovulation is impossible), then the brain “knows” that you cannot reproduce; therefore, the internal shutdown begins. This woman begins to have all sorts of medical problems as a result. After a hysterectomy you must “trick” the brain into believing that “all is well, you are reproductive.” This is why you continue to replace progesterone just as you did when you still had your uterus. Remember, this book is to empower you so that you can tell your doctor what you want and need. Natural progesterone is very useful to balance excess estrogen—a situation that happens to women in perimenopause (the stage prior to menopause)—and it is also useful to treat estrogen dominance.
SAFETY AND SIDE EFFECTS: Bioidentical progesterone has few side effects. It does not increase the risk of cancer or cause abnormal menstrual flow, fluid retention, nausea, or depression.
However, women need to be aware of the serious side effects when estrogen is administered alone and their progesterone levels are down: nausea, anorexia, vomiting, headaches, and water retention leading to weight gain. For some women with physical disorders, taking estrogen supplementation only can exacerbate high blood pressure, diabetes, migraines, and epilepsy.
WHAT IT IS: DHEA is the most plentiful hormone in your body and can be converted into other hormones, including estrogen and testosterone.
HOW IT WORKS: Considered an antiaging hormone, DHEA has positive effects on the brain, immune system, reproductive organs, muscles, and other organs and tissues. DHEA also helps to maintain collagen levels in the skin, promoting smoother, younger-looking skin. French scientists studied the effects of DHEA replacement therapy in about three hundred men and women between the ages of sixty and eighty over the course of a year. One of the findings to come out of this well-known study (known as the DHEAge study) was that DHEA supplementation greatly improved the color, tone, thickness, and hydration of the subjects’ skin.
DHEA begins to drop off after age thirty and can be almost negligible after the age of sixty. This drop-off parallels the general decline in our health and vitality as we age. Stress accelerates the natural decline of DHEA levels.
HOW TO TEST: To determine your DHEA levels, you can have your hormone levels checked by saliva or blood test. If you are a female of any age, you would want your levels to be at optimum, which would be between 150 and 350. If you are a male of any age, you would want your optimal levels to be between 250 and 450.
USING DHEA SUPPLEMENTS: DHEA is available over the counter as a nutritional supplement, but before you use it, make sure your levels have been tested and your doctor feels you would benefit from taking this supplement.
SAFETY AND SIDE EFFECTS: Too much DHEA in women can lead to some undesirable side effects (not serious ones) such as increased sweating, oilier skin, acne, or hair growth. These effects are generally not seen in dosages below 50 mg a day. If these side effects do occur, simply reduce your dosage.
With proper monitoring by your doctor, DHEA replacement therapy is a very safe and extraordinarily effective antiaging therapy for most people. However, those with certain types of cancer are an area of potential concern. This is why any hormones should be monitored by a qualified doctor.
WHAT IT IS: The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the lower part of the neck just below the Adam’s apple. The thyroid secretes iodine-containing hormones, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), which regulate body temperature, heart rate, and metabolism. Thyroid hormones have a profound impact on weight. They control how the body burns up carbohydrates and fats by increasing enzyme levels that produce energy. Thyroid function is very complex and exerts a profound effect on the function of nearly every other organ in the body. If your thyroid isn’t functioning optimally, neither are you.
HOW IT WORKS: The thyroid takes its orders from the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus, which are constantly monitoring the amount of thyroxine circulating in the blood. When the level of thyroxine gets low, the pituitary gland releases thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), produced in the pituitary gland. As the name suggests, thyroid-stimulating hormone signals the thyroid to produce more thyroxine. As the amount of thyroxine in the blood increases, the production of TSH is suppressed. This in turn slows the production of thyroxine. This feedback loop between the pituitary and thyroid works to keep the level of thyroid hormone relatively constant in the body.
Once in the body, circulating T4 is converted to the active form of T3. As we age, the production of T4 diminishes. In addition, the conversion of T4 to T3 also diminishes, resulting in less stimulation of the cells.
When T4 is not converted to T3, hypothyroidism (low or underactive thyroid) occurs. The most common thyroid disorder, underactive thyroid, typically strikes after age forty but is underdiagnosed and undertreated. Untreated thyroid disease leads to elevated cholesterol levels, heart disease, infertility, fatigue, muscle weakness, poor mental function, depression, weight gain, and an increased risk of cancer. Endocrinologists estimate that one in five women and one in ten men over sixty suffer from underactive thyroid.
Dr. Philip Lee Miller says, “Astonishingly, one study found that 40 percent of patients who were already taking thyroid medication still had abnormally high levels of TSH, an indicator of low thyroid function.” Because even “normal” TSH levels increase heart disease risk, Dr. Miller advises testing for TSH and other blood markers of thyroid function and working with an antiaging doctor to bring these values into the “optimal” range for peak thyroid function.
Some of the factors that cause a “sick” thyroid include:
Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland does not produce enough “energy-generating” thyroid hormones. Weight gain is a classic symptom of this dysfunction. In such cases, levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone may rise in an attempt to spur more production and secretion of thyroid hormones from the thyroid gland.
Other symptoms include
HOW TO TEST: Thyroid function tests tell you whether your thyroid is working normally. When TSH is measured, most doctors consider normal to be in the 0.2 to 5.5 range. However, the normal range is no longer considered optimal by antiaging doctors. Optimal is between 1.0 and 2.0. Higher than this, and you can experience premature aging and an increased risk of heart disease. Writing in his book Life Extension Revolution, Dr. Miller says, “If your thyroid levels are above 4.0 (still well within the considered ‘normal’ range), you are at increased risk of heart disease.”
You may be going to your doctor with complaints that indicate your thyroid is too high or too low, but your blood work comes back in the normal range. Your doctor, therefore, may not treat your thyroid because you are “normal,” and that could be one of the big reasons you are symptomatic and gaining weight. You need to know this. When you go to an antiaging doctor, bring these ranges with you so you can do your own evaluating. When the thyroid is not working at optimal range for you, you are not getting the full benefit of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
If you suspect that you have an underactive thyroid, blood tests should not be limited to the “faithful” TSH test. This method happens to be scientifically outdated, and not all doctors are up-to-date with this fact. To get an accurate picture of what your thyroid hormones are doing, you need to work with a physician who understands thyroid problems. Demand a full panel of tests, including TSH, free T4, free T3, reverse T3, and possibly thyroid antibodies. Together, these are considered a complete battery of thyroid function tests.
Overweight women with a family history of obesity may have lower levels of T3 in their blood. Treatments to raise T3 levels may help reduce some metabolic risk factors associated with abdominal obesity in some overweight women. Also, it is not uncommon for women with thyroid problems to suffer from depression. One explanation for this is that T3 is actually a bona fide neurotransmitter that regulates the action of serotonin (the feel-good hormone) and nor-epinephrine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), two brain chemicals that are important for alleviating anxiety.
Whenever thyroid problems are suspected or treated, it is important to monitor adrenal function as well. Attempting to treat low thyroid levels without supporting the adrenals can deplete the adrenal glands. At the same time, if your adrenals are weak, symptoms of low thyroid may persist even after your thyroid levels have been restored. Recognizing and treating adrenal exhaustion in conjunction with thyroid treatment can bring the body relief from fatigue, anxiety, and depression. It can stabilize your mood and energy levels and could be a factor in losing the weight you have gained.
USING NATURAL THYROID HORMONE: There is such a thing as natural thyroid hormones, which can be helpful for a sick thyroid gland. Many antiaging doctors prefer to use Armour thyroid, a natural replacement for thyroid hormone obtained from porcine (pig) thyroid glands.
Low thyroid can also be easily corrected by augmenting the body’s own production with bioidentical thyroid hormones. It’s not just your individual hormone levels that matter, but the balance of all the hormones and a healthy lifestyle that helps you achieve optimal health and successful aging.
SAFETY AND SIDE EFFECTS: Natural thyroid hormone should be used with caution if you have cardiovascular disease. It may also increase the symptoms of diabetes. Always report any unusual side effects to your doctor.
WHAT IT IS: Cortisol is your stress hormone. It is released by your adrenal glands and is one of the major hormones in the body.
HOW IT WORKS: Cortisol gives you energy, but more in response to stress. When you encounter a stressful situation, your adrenal glands release cortisol. If your child is trapped under a car, for example, your body will mobilize energy so you can lift the car and save your child. Or if you encounter a knife-wielding stranger, your body springs into action, thanks to cortisol, so that you can quickly run away. These are examples of cortisol in action. You cannot live very long without cortisol. It is that important.
However, the problem is that your body will secrete cortisol for whatever stress you encounter, including a bad day at work, stressing over the way your daughter is dressing these days, or a death in the family. Stress raises your blood pressure and uses up your energy reserves without much benefit to you. Using up your biochemicals is a waste because they are being used when there is no threat to your life. Our world is so full of stresses on a daily basis that most of us are running around with high cortisol all the time. It may give us a debilitating stroke, heart attack, or crippling diabetes—or worse, even kill us. Because stress is a wasted emotion that takes its toll on every part of your body, emotionally and physically, it is important to work at eliminating unnecessary stress and save your cortisol reserves for when you really need them, as in life-threatening situations.
There is a cortisol connection to getting fat. As I just explained, stress creates high levels of cortisol. High levels of cortisol, in turn, create insulin resistance, in which the cells of the body become resistant to the effects of insulin and higher levels of insulin are produced by the pancreas. When you are insulin-resistant, your body converts sugars and carbohydrates into fat rather than burning them as fuel.
When your cortisol is chronically elevated because of stress, it creates a devastating cycle of alternating high blood sugar and high insulin. This is why, after a while, your body loses its sensitivity to this cycle of alternating high blood sugar and high insulin. The dangerous progression from elevated cortisol to elevated blood sugar to insulin resistance is one of the major ways stress contributes to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and even death.
Also, chronically elevated levels of high cortisol will eventually degrade your immune system. This is a dangerous place to be, since you will have difficulty fighting off infections, especially viral infections. Stressed-out people are more susceptible to colds and flu, as well as flare-ups of cold sores or shingles. Cancer patients with high cortisol have little ability to fight the cancer, which increases the chances that the cancer will metastasize throughout the body.
The stress connection goes on and on and is even harmful to your brain cells. It can impair “cognitive function,” which means your memory, your reaction time, your problem-solving abilities, and your learning abilities. In short, high cortisol ages the brain.
HOW TO TEST: Cortisol levels can be determined by a saliva test, which you can obtain through any antiaging doctor.
TREATMENT: The best treatment for high cortisol is stress reduction and stress management. Often, maintaining proper hormone levels and balance will resolve high cortisol, too.
WHAT IT IS: The adrenals are two triangular glands that sit on the top of each kidney. I like to think of hormones within the body as a concert. The adrenals are the orchestra leader. They communicate with all the other hormones, telling them what to do. Among other things, they produce stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, which, once released, speed up heart rate, blood pressure, and other bodily functions to help you cope with stress.
HOW IT WORKS: Adrenaline is our engine. It pushes us forward. If we are leading a balanced life, our bodies release adrenaline when we need that surge of energy. Afterward, we return to a calmer baseline. But problems arise when we get addicted to adrenaline and put ourselves in situations that continually feed our bodies more and more. I describe a person in this state as being an “adrenaline junkie,” meaning that he or she craves, and lives in, a high-energy state at all times. You know the type: Every minute of each day is filled with activities, responsibilities, and piles and piles of things on the to-do list, with lots of check marks ticking off completed tasks. It is often said, “If you want something done, ask the busiest person you know.” There is truth in that statement, because the busy, busy people are running on adrenaline, and it’s as though they have superhuman energy. It’s akin to a caffeine high or even a drug high. And just like those stimulants, adrenaline can be addictive and dangerous to your health.
TESTING FOR ADRENAL FATIGUE: Saliva tests can measure cortisol and determine whether your adrenals are blown out. Also, some of the symptoms of shot adrenals (“adrenal exhaustion”) include fatigue, heart palpitations, recurrent infections, achiness, and low blood sugar.
I know a little about adrenal exhaustion since I have been the worst offender. For thirty years I lived in an almost constant state of high adrenaline. I loved it, I craved it. I am a wife, a mother, and a grandmother first. Plus I work, travel, entertain, lecture, have seven businesses, remodel, decorate, write, perform—and oh, yes, I still cook and give perfect dinner parties for family and friends. Watching me go like the Energizer Bunny, my husband would tell me to slow down. But my body did not want to slow down! If I had some time left, it would be hard for me to relax. I would clean the house, organize a desk, or answer e-mail. Finally, my adrenals burned out.
I vowed never to do that to myself again. Though it was a big adjustment, I had to change my life. I reprioritized my daily schedule, made time for sleep, did yoga three or four times a week, and learned that relaxation time was as important as being so busy. I no longer stay up late at night, whereas I used to write until the wee hours of the morning. Now I try my best to be in bed by 9:00 p.m. and asleep by 10:00 p.m. It takes retraining. I have readjusted my social schedule so that I do not go out two nights in a row, and I try not to go out more than two nights a week. Had I not done this, I would have run into trouble down the road, since burned-out adrenals lead to chronic high cortisol and, ultimately, a heart attack or stroke.
My doctor told me this after I had experienced adrenal burnout for the third time. The body can’t handle that kind of stress. It’s not easy to make the choice to change your life for health’s sake, but the way I look at it, what choice do you have? Look around you at the people who are on the adrenaline merry-go-round. Now that you know the facts, you can see where they are going. Is this where you want to go? If not, start making changes right now. This is your life.
When your adrenals are shot the way mine were, you have no energy, and you feel a “racing” inside that makes sleep impossible, further blowing out your adrenals. Why? Because burned-out adrenals put you in such a state of fatigue that sleep is impossible. This lack of rest exacerbates the situation; things get worse and worse. What do you do when you are exhausted? You drink coffee, a stimulant that gives a false sense of energy. Then, when you don’t sleep soundly for days, weeks, even months, depression is the result. What do you do then? You go to your doctor, who prescribes an antidepressant like Prozac or Paxil.
Now you’re in trouble. Antidepressants make you feel good at first, but after a while they produce lethargy, a false sense of well-being. Then you start to get fat. What would you expect? Antidepressants slow everything down, including your metabolism. No metabolism equals weight gain.
But you are already hooked. Once your body gets accustomed to antidepressants, it’s hard to feel good without them. Thus, the addiction. Addictions develop because the antidepressants initially cause the release of a lot of serotonin into your brain, making you feel calm and happy. This is how we want to feel all the time. The irony is that these same toxic chemicals that give you an immediate release of serotonin also cause you to use up more serotonin. Then you start craving anything that will make serotonin levels rise, even if it is only temporary. Many people go to carbohydrates and refined sugars or self-medicate with caffeine, alcohol, or drugs to feel good. What they are really doing is trying to use these substances to raise their serotonin levels. Then they can’t stop with the antidepressants because without them they feel depressed. Depression is an impossible state in which to live. It debilitates. It hurts. Any of us would do anything to get rid of depression when it arrives uninvited.
FACTORS THAT CAN BLOW OUT YOUR ADRENALS
Almost everything and anything raises adrenaline levels in your body, because adrenaline is one of the hormones needed to access your biochemicals for use in the activities of daily living. Unfortunately, it is estimated that 85 percent of all Americans are walking around with burned-out adrenals. Here are some of the factors that can cause adrenal fatigue:
overwork
anemia
sleeplessness
high DHEA levels
high progesterone levels
high testosterone levels
high thyroid levels
high protein intake
low blood sugar levels
low estrogen levels
inflammation
infections
dietary imbalances
skipped meals
birth control pills
overexercising
pain
stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, marijuana, ginseng, ephedra, Dexedrine, cocaine, and pure white sugar
So you see, it’s not just junkies who get addicted. We are all driven by our deficiencies. Deficiencies cause cravings. We crave feeling good, and we will do anything to feel good, no matter what the consequences.
It’s not about willpower or intellect. Rather than cave in to cravings, it’s better to make the decision to change your life. Start working on eating well, sleeping an adequate amount, managing stress, reprioritizing your schedule (yes, the world will keep on spinning without you running it!), and, of course, keeping your hormones balanced. Remember that all hormones talk to one another. If one is off, they are all off.
TREATING EXHAUSTED ADRENALS: No one of us can take on the whole world. All we can do is try to make the changes in our own lives. Part of this involves following a good diet of whole, unprocessed foods that avoids sugar and chemicals. These changes not only will affect our health positively, but will also have a positive impact on our immediate family.
WHAT IT IS: Insulin is a major hormone. It has many jobs in the body, one of which is determining whether fat will be burned off as energy or stored as fat. (This is why insulin is often called the “fat-storing hormone.”) In my eating program, Somersizing, I advise my readers that to lose weight, they must acquaint themselves not only with sugar, but also with foods the body converts to sugar, and then avoid those foods during the weight loss portion of the program. These foods promote insulin secretion and include white flour, white rice, high-starch vegetables, refined white sugar, and any food that contains sugar. By identifying and avoiding these foods, we can control our insulin levels and, therefore, our weight.
HOW IT WORKS: When we eat sugar or carbohydrates, our blood sugar is elevated. If our metabolism is working at optimum, our pancreas first secretes insulin. Along with sugar, the insulin travels to the liver, where the sugar will be converted to fat. The fat will be burned off immediately as fuel, or it will be stored as fat. Here’s the hitch: If someone is “insulin-resistant,” his or her cells will not accept any additional sugar. When the cells do not accept any more sugar or fats for energy, this initiates a further release of insulin from the pancreas, leading to even higher insulin levels. If blood sugar and fats are not burned as fuel, they will be stored for later use. Therefore, even fat-free carbohydrates like sugar and white flour can be converted to fat if we do not need the energy at the time we eat. With this information you can see how the elevation of blood sugar can lead to weight gain when we eat too many carbohydrates at one time.
With prolonged high insulin levels, you’ll first notice fat deposits around the midsection. Men get that “beer belly” or “potbelly,” and women get thick through the stomach, waist, and thighs. Think of your midsection as your “insulin meter.” It doesn’t matter if you are overweight or thin. When you are thick around the middle, your insulin levels are elevated.
Insulin resistance occurs naturally as we get older. Our metabolic processes slow down, and we do not need as many carbohydrates as we did before. But when we have too much insulin, we throw off our body’s entire hormonal balance. Hormonal imbalance leads not only to weight gain but also to increased cholesterol and disease. Overproduction of insulin leads to plaquing of the arteries and accelerated growth and division of tumors. Breast, colon, and prostate cancers have been found to grow more rapidly under the stimulus of insulin. Anything that leads to chronic high insulin levels, including poor nutrition and lifestyle habits, can increase the risk of cancer.
High insulin also causes an abnormal increase of salt retention at the kidney level and is thus a factor in heart disease. Too much salt in the system increases water retention, and more overall fluid means higher blood pressure. Insulin also overstimulates the nervous system, and this increases blood pressure as well. With high blood pressure the amount of blood pumped out by each contraction of the heart is increased and the artery walls become stiffer—not good for heart health.
Women need to understand the estrogen connection to high insulin. When estrogen levels are low, we crave carbohydrates. This is why women are combing the cupboards for chocolate right before their periods, when their estrogen levels are at their lowest. A low estrogen state makes it impossible for a woman to avoid carbohydrate craving because estrogen is one of the hormones necessary for serotonin production. When she gives in and consumes the sugar, chocolates, or carbohydrates, her insulin levels shoot up. Now she craves more sugar and carbohydrates, and the merry-go-round begins.
If you continue your present high-insulin eating and lifestyle habits, both your immune and hormone systems will age faster, since prolonged insulin levels are one of the causes of accelerated metabolic aging. The best way to lower your insulin level is to keep yourself hormonally balanced, eat a well-balanced diet of real foods and real fats, and engage in some form of daily exercise. Remember this: An important key to longevity is delaying insulin resistance for as long as possible.
Here is a look at habits and factors that raise insulin levels:
WHAT IT IS: Human growth hormone (HGH) is a protein hormone released by the pituitary gland in the brain. It is responsible for telling our bodies to grow cells, bones, organs, and muscles and is beneficial to the brain, the cardiovascular system, the immune system, aerobic capacity, body composition, and bone. HGH enters our bloodstream in bursts during sleep, particularly after midnight. It heads to the liver, where it is converted into insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a messenger molecule that travels to all parts of the body and stimulates cell production and growth.
HOW IT WORKS: HGH promotes growth by helping transport amino acids (the building blocks of protein) between cells and into cells. The body uses amino acids to create muscles and to build and restore organs, including the heart and skin.
Because this hormone is primarily responsible for the growth and regeneration of every cell in our bodies, low levels of HGH cause aging. HGH is in plentiful supply until about age twenty. Each decade thereafter, we lose approximately 20 percent of our HGH base level. So by the time you’re sixty or seventy, your body has access to only 15 to 20 percent of the HGH you had in your youth.
Symptoms of a deficiency include
On July 5, 1990, the New England Journal of Medicine published a clinical study on HGH, hailing it as a fountain of youth. Injections of synthetic human growth hormone had turned twelve men, ages sixty-one to eighty-one, with flabby, frail, fat-bulging bodies into sleeker, stronger, younger selves. After just six months of treatment, the men gained an average of 8.8 percent in lean body mass and lost an average of 14.4 percent in fat mass. In addition, their skin thickened by 7.1 percent, the bone density of their lumbar spines increased by 1.6 percent, their livers grew by 19 percent, and their spleens grew by 17 percent. Finally, the subjects in this study showed a ten- to twenty-year reversal in the aging process.
According to Dr. Philip Lee Miller: “Perhaps more powerfully than any other hormone system, supplementing the body’s waning production of growth hormone with bioidentical replacement hormones can reduce, and even reverse, the changes normally associated with the aging process. Growth hormone replacement therapy enhances the effects that we have already seen with testosterone and estrogen therapy: more youthful skin, increased lean muscle mass, and increased mental and physical vitality. But with the addition of growth hormone, the changes are even more dramatic and profound.”
HGH is also great for weight control, doing something few other weight loss regimens do: It recontours the body, melting away fat and building muscle. In many cases, people who take HGH look as if they’ve shed not only years, but also lots of fat. Even better, the greatest loss occurs in deep belly fat, the area associated with increased risk of heart attack and diabetes. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study on overweight women, HGH caused an average loss of more than 4.6 pounds of body fat, mostly in the abdomen. Most diets cause loss of muscle along with fat, but in this study the women’s lean body mass increased by 6.6 pounds.
Loss of abdominal fat also has implications for type 2 diabetes, since there is a close association between central obesity and insulin resistance. According to Dr. David Clemmons, “While some early studies showed increased blood sugar and insulin resistance in GH-treated subjects, later studies showed that after six months of treatment, insulin sensitivity returned to baseline. While proof is still lacking, it is reasonable to assume that over the long run, stimulation of growth hormone could help to prevent type 2 diabetes or even reverse the process.”
HGH’s disease-fighting and antiaging benefits are becoming more clear all the time. More than twenty-eight thousand different studies on HGH indicate that human growth hormone supplementation is indeed one secret to maintaining youth. (If you want to read some of these studies for yourself, go to www.pubmed.com.)
Dr. Julian Whitaker of the Whitaker Health Institute in California has been prescribing HGH to his patients with deficiency. In his view, HGH is most effective in combating the effects of chronic diseases that involve muscle wasting, stroke, chronic heart disease, and AIDS. He feels it can even be beneficial in treating burns and in helping patients recover from surgery.
For the record I, too, have become convinced and am enjoying the benefits of daily injections of HGH. My tests indicated I had a deficiency. In a few weeks of taking this hormone, my belly fat had all but disappeared. My skin appeared thicker and less wrinkled. My stamina, vigor, and vitality are now at optimum. Combined with a regimen of adequate sleep, good diet (most of the time), and exercise (but not fanatically), I find my hormone levels and all ratios are in line, and all my other tests are coming out in good to optimal ranges. These are very significant and encouraging results.
SUPPLEMENTING WITH HGH: The antiaging community has heralded HGH as the ultimate antiaging therapy. But it is prescribed only when there is a deficiency. For now, the conventional establishment continues to insist that growth hormone therapy is unproven and risky. Growth hormone is readily available as an FDA-approved drug and is the standard treatment for adults with a clinical diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency due to pituitary failure or disease.
As a cancer survivor, I have always been interested in understanding HGH, yet somehow I felt that a growth hormone certainly couldn’t be a good thing for me. I mean, why would I want to encourage growth in a body that once housed the nastiest element of growth? But the more I discovered about this hormone, the more interested I became. According to Dr. Philip Lee Miller, “Perhaps more powerfully than with any other hormone system, supplementing the body’s waning production of growth hormone with bioidentical replacement hormones can reduce and even reverse the changes normally associated with the aging process.”
Virtually everyone over age forty has suboptimal growth hormone levels, and the earlier HGH is initiated, the greater the benefits. HGH is typically prescribed in small, regular doses to mimic the body’s own natural secretions. Although supplementing with injectable HGH remains somewhat controversial, Dr. Miller argues strongly in favor of considering it as part of a comprehensive antiaging program. “Personally, I believe the antiaging effects of growth hormone are so profound and so beneficial to your long-term health that the benefits far outweigh the possible risks,” he explains. “In addition, I firmly believe that when HGH is used properly, the risks are minimized. I not only offer growth hormone therapy to my patients as an option, but also personally use HGH injections as part of my own antiaging program.”
At the moment, HGH injections are quite expensive. Most doctors I have spoken with say that the price will be going down drastically in the near future as this amazing hormone becomes better understood. If daily HGH injections are not a possibility due to cost, or if you find the idea of daily injections too difficult, you can try to jump-start your own body to make HGH on its own by supplementing with L-arginine, L-glutamine, L-ornithine, lysine, glycine, and niacin, all known to increase the body’s internal release of growth hormone. Getting adequate sleep and exercising on a regular basis also stimulate the release of HGH.
SAFETY AND SIDE EFFECTS: I’m sure at this point you are asking whether growth hormone is safe. In my case, I first had blood work done to show that I had a growth hormone deficiency, probably due to the aging process and the natural occurrence of declining hormones. Then I wanted to know if using growth hormone could increase the risk of cancer, so I looked into this. The only evidence comes from children and young adults who were given growth hormone to treat growth disorders and later had a higher rate of certain cancers as adults. The dosages used in these cases were up to ten times those used today in antiaging therapies. The connection between cancer and growth hormone has also been observed only in patients who received therapy prior to 1985, when HGH was synthesized from cadavers. When synthetic forms of the hormone became available, the use of growth hormones from cadavers was halted.
To date, according to Dr. Miller, there is no conclusive data that connects the use of low-dose synthetic growth hormone with an increased risk of cancer. “The positive effect of growth hormone on overall health of the body, including the function of the immune system and other organs, is far more likely to decrease your chances of cancer and other diseases as you age,” he emphasizes. “However, it remains an unanswered question that must be carefully considered by each potential user.”
HGH can be prescribed only by a doctor under certain conditions—namely, that you are deficient. That stands to reason. Remember that with any hormone, you never replace a hormone that isn’t low or missing, nor do you ever take more than your body needs.
Some of the negative side effects that have been reported from supplementing with HGH include carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, water retention, and the growth of precancerous cells. Some men whose hormonal activity has been reawakened by HGH supplements find themselves growing small breasts. Finally, long-term HGH use in higher than physiological amounts has been known to cause enlargement of the bones of the hands and feet, particularly in bodybuilders who overdose. Recent studies have indicated that most, if not all, of the undesirable side effects are reversed when the patient stops taking HGH or the doses are reduced.
For antiaging purposes, however, HGH is prescribed in small, regular doses to mimic the body’s natural secretions. Doctors have discovered that this protocol cuts out most of the risks associated with taking excessive amounts.
Normally healthy young people under thirty should not receive HGH injections. However, they can ensure maximum production levels through diet, exercise, vitamins, minerals, and natural hormone supplements.
For more information on HGH, read Dr. Ron Rothenberg’s interview in chapter 28.
WHAT IT IS: I first learned of melatonin when friends of mine started flying back and forth to Europe and were using it to help them with jet lag and to get them back on regular sleep cycles. It was then hailed as the wonder drug for sleep, although it was actually a hormone available as an over-the-counter sleep aid, but without the side effects of sleeping pills. At the time, it seemed to me that a glass of wine might be a better solution. How wrong I was!
Melatonin is the hormone of sleep. It is secreted from the pineal gland located in the brain. (Very small amounts of melatonin are also produced in the retina and gastrointestinal tract.) The main function of the pineal gland is to help govern those of our biological rhythms that take place over the day, such as the sleep-wake cycle. Researchers see this gland as important in coordinating and controlling our other hormone-release and immune responses. The pineal gland communicates with these other systems through its messenger, melatonin. The pineal gland knows “how old we are” and when we are past our prime. It responds by producing lower levels of melatonin, signaling our other systems to break down, and causes us to age. If we can keep melatonin raised to optimal levels as they begin to fall, we would once again be tricking our bodies into believing that we are still young. With optimal levels of melatonin, we can continue to produce high levels of sex hormones and keep our bodies operating with a well-functioning immune system to fight off disease. Chronologically we would be older, but biologically we would be younger.
Melatonin is synthesized from an amino acid called tryptophan, which in turn is converted into the brain chemical serotonin. Ultimately, serotonin is turned into melatonin. See how all hormones speak to one another? With adequate amounts of melatonin, you sleep soundly and deeply, and you dream and wake up rested in the morning. Melatonin is also responsible for making you yawn. As night falls, melatonin release induces sleep; dawn shuts it off, waking you up in the morning.
HOW IT WORKS: It is important to understand that melatonin is produced naturally in the body. Aging, work, travel, and stress can cause changes in sleep patterns and are likely to have adverse effects on melatonin secretion. However, you can achieve optimum release of melatonin by going to bed three hours before midnight and coupling this practice with BHRT if you are in hormonal decline. These three hours of melatonin production reset prolactin production. Three hours of melatonin production is always followed by six hours of prolactin production at night to rev up the defensive arm of your immune system. If you do not go to bed three hours before midnight, you only provoke one and a half hours of prolactin production, possibly suppressing your immune system.
Changes in melatonin set off a range of responses, such as puberty, menstruation, and sleep. Melatonin also alerts our bodies to produce antibodies to combat disease. So you can see how important the presence and maintenance of the correct level of this hormone are for the optimal functioning of our bodies throughout our lives.
Melatonin is known as a wonder drug because of all its other incredible effects. In fact, melatonin may extend our life span by 25 percent or more, possibly because it acts as a powerful antioxidant, keeping the body young by doing battle with free radicals—those toxic agents that pummel and mutilate DNA. It is the only antioxidant capable of penetrating every cell of the body and is the most active and effective of all naturally occurring compounds. For example, in certain tests melatonin proved to be five times more powerful than glutathione and at least twice as effective as vitamin E, another potent antioxidant.
In 1995, an Italian researcher demonstrated that melatonin boosted the immune system of people under extreme stress. Not only that, melatonin helps prevent cancer and improves sexual functioning. Additionally, it helps prevent heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol. It also combats AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, asthma, diabetes, and cataracts. Melatonin can also extend your youth, enabling you to enjoy work, sex, and social activities with the same zest and vigor that marked your life in your twenties. Author T. S. Wiley says that with less melatonin in your system, you accelerate aging by four years for every one you live.
SUPPLEMENTING WITH MELATONIN: There are plenty of reasons to supplement your hormonal system with melatonin. Because melatonin production drops off sharply around age forty-five, supplementation should begin then and not before. The idea is to start taking melatonin when your levels drop.
To find out how much you need, have your melatonin levels checked with a saliva test. Melatonin in the range of 0.5 mg to 12 mg is usually effective. It’s best to start on low doses such as 0.5 mg to 2 mg; increase this dosage if you find it does not help. With melatonin, less is more. Although melatonin plays an extremely important role in our bodies, it is present in only tiny amounts, even at our youthful peak. Larger doses of melatonin won’t help. You can find melatonin in your local health food store, or your doctor can recommend or prescribe the type he or she feels best.
Take melatonin supplements only at night, since the production of this hormone is initiated by darkness. If you take them during the day, you confuse your brain. You don’t want to do that, since there is more to this hormone than sleep regulation. Melatonin also governs which other hormones are released and when. Additionally, taking melatonin generally makes you sleepy, so you definitely want to take it prior to bedtime.
SAFETY AND SIDE EFFECTS: There are no harmful side effects with melatonin and no long-term dangers because it is not a drug, but a substance that occurs naturally in your body. Even so, people with autoimmune diseases, leukemia, or lymphoma should consult a doctor before use. Melatonin can also interfere with fertility and should not be taken by those who are pregnant or nursing. On the other hand, women on BHRT can take melatonin without fear of any ill effects.