Hormone-HealthIn the last few years I’ve had multiple cases of people thinking they have a hormone imbalance. Symptoms have ranged from weight gain, fatigue, mood swings and in some unfortunate cases, cancer. And yes, hormone imbalance can be to blame. After all, too much of anything can be bad but a lot of people don’t realize that the real problem might not be having too many or too few hormones.

The problem just might be what your body does with what it has. It is often thought that men and women have different hormones but the difference is only in the levels. That being said, within all our bodies we have progesterone, testosterone and estrogen.

Good verses Bad
Things we do on a regular basis, breathe, eat, play golf (pesticides on the course!), etc have a heavy role in our hormones being metabolized in either a positive or negative direction.

The Good: Hormone Inhibitors
Some examples of these are citrus fruits, onion, garlic, and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and cabbage) as well as omega 3 fatty acids. Supplements we use in the office to promote healthy estrogen metabolism include Iodine, specific B vitamins, and two very unique nutrients Sulforaphane and Dimethol-indol-3-carbanoyl(DIM). Good metabolites of estrogen can function as antioxidants, and have the ability to eliminate damaged or cancerous cells throughout the body.

The Bad and Ugly: Hormone Promoters
Some examples of these are pesticides and herbicides in fruits and vegetables, hormones in meat and dairy, soy, plastic derivatives in packed food and water, diets high in animal fat and excessive consumption of omega 6 rich oils (such as canola, corn, safflower and soy oils). Bad metabolites act negatively and allow oxidation to damage DNA. This DNA damage can promote cancer.

Lady swirling in dress-375x250The Path to a Solution
So how do we know what our hormones are metabolizing into? Through testing of course. Here at Ascent Health Center we run the Complete Hormone Panel. Not only does this test your hormone levels, it will show us what those hormones are metabolizing into and where the breakdown is occurring.

More about Complete Hormones
This test is one of the most comprehensive urinary hormone metabolism evaluations. It is designed to assist in the prevention and treatment of hormone-related symptoms and conditions. This provides clues about menstrual irregularities, infertility, fatigue, cancer, and osteoporosis. Contact us for a consultation and more information on Hormone testing.

Conditions We Treat:

  • Menopause and Perimenopause
  • Hot flashes / night sweats
  • Depression & Anxiety
  • Adrenal Fatigue