Wednesday, July 3, 2013

The Ups and Downs of Hormonal Imbalance


Remember that catchy song that goes, "When you're up your up, and when you're down, you're down, and when you're only half-way way up, you're neither up nor down? Sorry! Now you have it stuck in your head. The reality though is that emotional ups and downs are not "all in your head." There is a clear connection to hormonal imbalance and before immediately signing up for prescription anti-depressants and mood stabilizers, it's certainly a key contributor to emotional liability that warrants checking out. If your doctor is not listening to your suspicion about hormonal imbalance, get a new doctor!

As I travel and teach and in my office, I always like to cover that pesky little "e" word (emotions) and the link to hormonal imbalance in my presentations. Why? Because so many are on the verge. Ever noticed that some days you laugh and some days you cry... for no particular reason? I've had many women and men throughout the years express concern that they are more emotional and on the verge of tears all the time. In some conditions like PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome), the roller coaster can really drop to the ground floor of emotions.

I just want to point out some clear connections to hormones that might help you understand how you might find your way off the "E"-roller coaster.

If you are DOWN in ESTROGEN this is how you likely will feel: depressed, mildly anxious, feeling despair at times, and on the verge of crying all the time.

If you are UP in ESTROGEN: agitated, angry, irritable, and short tempered. "Estrogen Dominance" is common particularly in women aged 30-45 (as a general guide). That simply means that a person has too much estrogen compared to progesterone that's circulating in the body.

If you are DOWN in PROGESTERONE: anxiety, over reacting, easily alarmed, stressed, feelings of confusion, mood swings, irritable, nervous, jittery, and depressed.

If you are UP in PROGESTERONE: crying, flat mood, and more unresponsive to significant things that normally should cause some emotion. This sometimes happens with inappropriate dosing of over the counter progesterone formulations or when a patient simply uses too much.

If you are DOWN on TESTOSTERONE: depression, lack of drive and confidence, and demotivation are the "E" warning signs. (This certainly goes for men too)

If you are UP on TESTOSTERONE: agitation, angry, irritable, feeling throttled inside.

As you see, there can be some crossovers in symptoms with the various hormones. This is ABSOLUTELY the reason that you need to be tested to determine what is UP or DOWN. Just like the song... "When you're up, you're up, and when you're down... Okay, I'll stop!

In the "REAL WORLD", coping with the normal things of life are particularly hard as men and women go through the aging process. And this is not just a "menopause thing"!!! There are PLENTY of younger women who take small doses of progesterone in a pattern with their menstrual cycle to help "level them out" because they've noticed that they are very emotionally unstable around their monthly menstrual cycle. That's because of a clear deficiency that can be tested and put back into proper balance to help them maintain better emotional control. And please don't just run out and buy hormone creams over the counter without knowing what is out of balance and without consulting a trained healthcare professional in this area of health and wellness. You could do some real damage.

As you see, hormone balance could be the pathway to exiting off the roller coaster ride of emotions. Testing kits, private consultations, and phone consultations are available by calling a specialist who deals with bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, functional and integrative medicine, and nutraceuticals. I'm excited to share that physicians and healthcare professionals are also coming out in the masses to have their own personal hormone and stress assessments as well. This affects everyone!! It's so great to serve in such a growing area of need in health and wellness. Get tested! Get treated! Get better!

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