Unravelling the Mystery of Natural Hormones :: Health and Disease :: Bones, Joints, and Muscles

> Health and Disease > Bones, Joints, and Muscles > osteoporosis

Unravelling the Mystery of Natural Hormones
by author Garrett Swetlikoff, ND

One of the greatest areas of confusion in complementary medicine today is the subject of natural hormones. Consumers, practitioners, educators, manufacturers and the media all contribute to misinformation and misunderstanding. This article will attempt to clarify this topic as well as explain the functions hormones play in our health.

What is a Hormone?

Hormones are chemical messengers produced by a variety of glands and organs in the body. Hormones course throughout the bloodstream and enter cells and tissues where they turn on and off various functions. Most responsible for hormone control and production are the pituitary gland, hypothalamus, pineal gland, thyroid gland, adrenals, pancreas, ovaries and testes.

Steroid Hormones

Some hormones are composed of large proteins and others of small fatty substances derived from cholesterol. One class derived from cholesterol belongs to a family of hormones termed steroids. The steroid family is broken down into six major categories as follows:

Cholesterol---->pregnenolone---->progestagens---->androgens

---->estrogens----> glucocorticoids---->mineralocorticoids

Cholesterol is converted to the mother steroid hormone pregnenolone, which is further converted in the ovaries, testes and adrenals to other hormones as directed from protein-hormone signals from the brain.

What Functions do Hormones Provide?

Pregnenolone is produced in the adrenal glands and also in the brain, liver, ovaries, testes and nerve myelin sheath. Other hormones such as DHEA, cortisol, progesterone, testosterone and estrogens are made from pregnenolone, which is also known to enhance mood, energy and memory.

Estrogens (estradiol, estrone, estriol) refer to not just one but a group of hormones. Estrogen is required for the female secondary sex characteristics and menstrual cycle. Estradiol is the most potent estrogen and is most stimulating to breast tissue; it is made mainly in the ovaries. Estrone is most prevalent after menopause and is produced by the adrenal glands and fat cells. Estriol is made during pregnancy and is thought to be the main circulating estrogen in young women; estriol is made from estrone and estradiol and is least stimulating to breast tissue.

1 2

Next Page >>>

Dr. Garrett Swetlikoff is a naturopathic physician who lives and practises in Kelowna, BC. He is currently BC Naturopathic Association president and is strongly involved in government affairs to retain the right for naturopathic physicians to continue their ability to prescribe natural hormones. He can be reached at 250-868-2205 or at knc@shawlink.ca.

Source: alive #249, July 2003

Treating Menopause Naturally
The cancer-causing potential of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a real and serious concern. More than 30 studies have been performed to determine the risk of HRT on cancer. Unfortunately, despite intense investigation, these studies have not provided clear-cut answers.

Hormone Heresy
The "miracle" hormone estrogen hit the marketplace in the 1960s, becoming one of the top 10 selling drugs in North America for the treatment of menopause symptoms in women. In 1968, with financial backing from Ayerst laboratories, Dr. Robert A..

Hormone Therapy Update
According to a poll conducted by Pollara and commissioned by Eli Lilly.

Flushing the Flashes
Menopause may be a natural progression in life, but it is one met with trepidation by many wome.

Calcium
As women reach their early 50s, their bodies undergo many changes, including the beginning stages of menopause and a decrease in bone mass of 3 percent or more per year that can ultimately result in osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis Prevention
The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study, which had placed healthy post-menopausal women on long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT), was suddenly .

Arresting Canada's Number One Killer of Women
Heart disease among women is on the increase. This may be because its incidence rises after menopause, and women in the baby-boom generation are nearing the age of menopause. But something else is happening here.

Menopause Misery Sends Women Back to HRT

First the good news.

Horse Wishes
Still the most popular hormone replacement therapy in North America, PremarinTM is an oral estrogen replacement drug derived from pregnant mare's urine (PMU).

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy

Reducing heart toxins

Women and Testosterone
Testosterone has been called the "hormone of desire for good reason. Without enough testosterone, desire for sex all but disappears. But testosterone also plays other important roles for women-especially in helping to maintain healthy body composition. Adequate levels of testosterone also help women look, feel, and perform better from day to day.

Estrogen Overload
Hormones, the chemical messengers of the body's endocrine system, work together in harmony to regulate many processes, from body temperature and blood pressure to governing sexual desire and fertility. We may not often think about having proper hormonal balance, yet it is essential for good health.

Hormonal Harmony
Irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, and nutritional deficiencies leading to heart issues and bone loss are only a few of the health concerns associated with hormonal imbalances due to menopause.