Unravelling the Mystery of Natural Hormones :: Health and Disease :: Women's Health Issues

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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.

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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

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