When Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy Can Be Misleading

Natural hormone replacement therapy uses what are called bioidentical hormones. These natural hormones may or may not be made from plants. They could be made in a lab from a plant extract, or they could be made from other chemicals. The reason they are called natural hormones is because they are identical to the hormones that are in your own body. This means when they are metabolized, the breakdown products are also similar to what your body knows from metabolizing its own hormones.

It can be confusing looking at the source of a supplemental hormone. This is because synthetic hormones can actually be made from 'natural' substances. A good example of this is Premarin, which is made from the urine of pregnant mares. This may seem like it makes it a good candidate to be considered natural. However, Premarin, and other synthetic hormones, are structurally quite different to our own hormones. This is true of their breakdown products as well.

Because the breakdown products are also structurally different, synthetic hormones expose women to foreign chemicals that can cause side effects and potentially other harm over a period of time. Some synthetic hormones are even made from plants. So don't assume a plant derived hormone is 'natural' (and hence safe), unless it is also a bioidentical hormone.

Bioidentical natural hormones include:

Estrogen:

* dermestril septem

* elleste-solo MX40 & MX80

* estraderm MX

* evorel

* femseven

* oestrogel

* aerodiol

* hormonin

* ovestin

* climaval elleste-solo progynova

* estring

* vagifem

* ovestin

* ortho-gynest

Progesterone:

* crinone

* cyclogest

* gestone

Natural hormone replacement therapy medication is available as pills, creams, gels, patches and sprays. They have much fewer side effects than synthetic HRT, although some women may not respond to them. In that case, synthetic hormones may be the best option.

Before taking any form of hormone replacement therapy, even a natural hormone, it is worth making dietary changes, and exploring the use of herbs and phytoestrogens. Vitamins may help as well.

There are three types of phytoestrogens - isoflavones, lignans, and coumestans. Isoflavones are relatively well known. They are found in soy products and things like chick peas, lentils, and red clover (a herb). Try eating more tofu, and drinking more soy milk. These are often supplemented with calcium as well. It's better to consume isoflavone rich food rather than taking isoflavone supplements, as the protein in the foods are needed to make the isoflavones active in the body. If you do decide to take an isoflavone supplement, make sure it has soy protein in it, or take it with a glass of soy milk.

Lignans can be found in flaxseed, as well as many fruits, vegetables, and cereals. Coumestans are found in alfalfa and bean sprouts.

References: Dr L E Corio and L G Kahn, The Change Before The Change

Raise Your Natural Hormones To Build Muscle Mass

Quick question: What's more important to gain muscle mass, the amount of weight you lift or the amount of natural anabolic hormones your body releases in response to muscular stress (as is the case when performing a set)?

The answer to that question is very important, since it can make the difference between a successful workout program and a bodybuilding routine that keeps you looking the same year after year.

Some feel that as long as you continue to lift heavier and heavier weight, you are going to build muscle mass fast.

Others say that in order to gain weight in the form of muscle, you should focus on training techniques that will force the body to release large amounts of anabolic hormones in the body, especially testosterone, growth hormone, and insulin, amongst others.

I'm not going to beat around the bush...in order to gain weight from your bodybuilding workout program in the form of muscle your body's own anabolic hormones are going to have a bigger impact on muscle mass growth than lifting heavier and heavier weight.

Here's why:

You can lift all the weight in the world, you can be stronger than a bull, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to have large muscles.

How many people do you know who can bench press hundreds and hundreds of pounds, yet their chests are flat as a board?

How many individuals have you seen that squat a ton, and in good form, yet their thighs lack any kind of real muscle mass?

How many power lifters have you seen who can lift a building, yet they don't have the same muscular development as a bodybuilder that is only half as strong?

However, one of the many reasons why anabolic steroids are so powerful and work at gaining muscle is because those that use steroids are literally injecting extra amounts of anabolic hormones.

And many steroids aren't even that effective at building strength, but they sure can make you grow.

If you have been using a workout routine that mainly focuses on strength and lifting heavier and heavier weight, without taking into account other factors that will signal the body to release its own hormones, then you may have noticed that you really aren't gaining the type of muscle you know you should be.

Many tests have proven that those that focus on using bodybuilding techniques that signal the body to elevate its own anabolic hormones see a greater gain in muscle mass than those that focus on resting for long periods in order to be able to lift more weight.

A test conducted in 2005 called "The impact of metabolic stress on hormonal responses and muscular contractions" is one such test.

To make a long story short, use workout techniques that cause an accumulation of waste products (like lactic acid and hydrogen ions) in the muscle while you are exercising it.

This is the "burning" and acidic sensation you feel when you are hitting a muscle.

Now, don't get me wrong. Lifting heavier and heavier weight is important, but that shouldn't be the main focus of your workout program.

Your priority should be:

1) Cause a build up of these waste products and burning sensation in my muscles in the shortest amount of sets, exercises, and time necessary.

then...

2) Attempt to lift at least a couple pounds heavier than the time before.

That way you get the best of both worlds.

When your body senses this type of build up and stress in a muscle being trained it signals to release additional anabolic hormones......and the more anabolic hormones you have being released by your body the more muscle you are going to gain.

...And isn't that why we workout in the first place?

Copyright (c) 2006 Jonathan Perez

Middle-Aged Women and Hormones: Estrogen, Fat Cells, and Weight Loss

Many studies have been conducted to determine what effect aging, and menopause have on women. Not only do middle-aged women experience hormonal changes, but the side effect can sometimes be additional fat in the abdominal area. The aging process, genetic factors, lifestyle changes and changes in diet, are all factors of this dreaded, seemingly sudden weight gain. As in life, there are certain factors that may be controlled, and others which may not. The trick is to work with what you can change, to get the desired result.

Middle-aged women may experience a decreasing level of estrogen. Estrogen refers to three different sex hormones. Estrone, estriol, and estradiol are steroidal hormones made from cholesterol, that make up estrogen. It is produced by the ovaries, and its function is to stimulate ovulation. Estrogen affects the development and health of the reproductive system as well as the breast tissue. Middle-aged women experiencing perimenopause, and menopause, produce less estrogen. The body tries to compensate for the decrease in estrogen, by producing more from fat cells. In order for the cells to make more estrogen, the cells must store more fat, therefore slowing the body's metabolism, which leads to weight gain. When the body's metabolism is slowed down, the fat cells are not transformed into energy as quickly, and the fat is stored in the cells. When you lose weight, you lose estrogen, and your body is alerted that it needs to produce more, starting the cycle all over again. That is why it is so difficult to keep the weight off, while dieting.

Weight loss also creates a fluctuation in the levels of other hormones such as leptin and ghrelin. Leptin signals your brain, indicating that you are full, and ghrelin stimulates hunger. Leptin will decrease with a drop in body-fat percentage, while ghrelin levels will increase. So if you have less leptin, you will continue to feel hungry, and increased ghrelin continues to stimulate your hunger. Androgen is a hormone which also affects weight gain around the abdomen. Testosterone, a steroid from the androgen group, is the hormone that helps create lean muscle, and boosts metabolism. With weight loss, this hormone is also decreased. Muscle mass decreases, and the speed in which fat is transformed into energy is decreased due to lower levels of testosterone. These hormone levels continue to fluctuate even a year after losing weight, so it is important to maintain your dieting habits in order to keep the weight from coming back.

Fat cells make up highly complex tissue, to coordinate the storage of fat and to regulate metabolic processes. These cells secrete hormones and proteins, regulate the reproductive system, and indicate to the body when it is time to make more, to maintain a constant number in the body. When you lose weight, you do not reduce the number of fat cells, they just reduce in size. When fat cell shrink, triglycerides are broken down into glycerol and fatty acids. The fatty acids and glycerols are absorbed by the liver, kidneys, and muscles. They are further broken down to produce energy for your body. The number of fat cells in your body is established during puberty. The more calories that you burn, the more your body uses the fat cells for energy. So, shrinking the fat cells, is the goal of any weight-loss program. Then you must deal with the fluctuating hormones, signaling to your brain that you are still hungry.

The middle-aged woman's bulge is not just a concern because of vanity. It has very pronounced effects on the body. Increased abdominal fat may lead to heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes. Metabolism decreases with age, and that is a normal aging process. Genetic pre-disposition to obesity is also a factor, so it cannot be said that hormones exclusively cause the middle age bulge. It is a factor to be considered however, and although hormone-replacement therapy, or HRT is available, it has been found to have possible dangerous side effects. Many of the studies conducted suggest that long-term treatments are necessary to counteract changes in hormones, and to reduce appetite. It seems that the best way to lose the additional pounds is by a sustainable lifestyle choice, physical activity, and a healthy diet.

What Causes Impotence? - Hormones and Psychological Factors

Impotence or erectile dysfunction can be a harrowing experience for any man. Getting hard and firm erections form the basis of your manhood and if you get weak or soft erections that are not satisfactory enough for sexual intercourse it can be a big blow to your confidence and self esteem.

There are a lot of causes that can lead to erectile dysfunction in men. This article is focused on hormonal and psychological factors that can lead to ED.

Hormones and Impotence

Testosterone is the hormone that regulates sexual function and libido in men. But it is one of the hormones that begins depleting with age. The production of testosterone slows down after the age of 30 and this not only leads to a low libido but also triggers erectile dysfunction in men. There are factors that aggravate this decline in testosterone production and some of them include lack of physical activity, increasing stress and pressures, sleep deprivation etc.,

However, there are ways to boost testosterone production naturally. Taking care of your diet is where it all begins. Your diet should be rich in proteins, moderate in essential fats and limited in carbohydrates. Regular exercises not only helps boost testosterone production but also enhances blood flow throughout the body.

Reduced stress and adequate sleep are other steps towards increasing your testosterone production. Moreover, there are some herbs that can prove highly effective.

Psychological Factors

Psychological factors that can lead to erectile dysfunction in men include stress, depression, anxiety, nervousness, relationship problems etc.,

Not only this childhood abuse and trauma can also lead to impotence in men.

What is worse is that the more you think and worry about it, the severe your problem gets. Therefore the key is to relax and look for a safe and natural treatment to cure impotence.

What is good about psychological impotence is that these cases have a very high recovery rate.

How to Cure ED

Though prescribed medications help, there are some natural pills that are a far more safer and effective alternative. These pills are safe and made with age proven herbs that not only increase blood flow to the penis but also reduce stress and ensure rock hard erections.

There are some high quality pills that are clinically approved and endorsed by doctors as well.

Check out more on What Causes Impotence and how to cure it.

Growth Hormone Treatment: Its History and Future

Perhaps you have heard of the term growth hormone treatment, but you are not quite sure what it really means. A form of hormone treatment, this therapy involves the use of the human growth hormone to treat certain conditions and deficiencies. As there are many factors, pros, and cons in the use of such treatment, it would be fit if you'll try to get to know first how this type of treatment works and to which conditions it is generally recommended. So without further ado, we are now going to talk about this type of treatment.

First, we are going to take a little bit of history lesson. This type of treatment started in the early 1950, when humans have learned how to extract human growth hormones from human sources. Sure, hormone treatment has already existed for decades during that time (one notable hormone treatment is the use of insulin for diabetes treatment), the use of growth hormones from different sources such as other animals is deemed ineffective because the hormone found in humans is largely different from typical "donor" animals such as pigs and cattle. Ever since the successful purification by Maurice Raben from human sources, this type of hormone treatment has now become a viable option for the treatment of various diseases, most notably dwarfism resulting from hormone deficiency.

Only a few people can receive human growth hormones to use for treatment back then because they are extracted from human pituitary glands during autopsy. Because of the short supply of people willing to go through autopsy to extract hormones from their endocrine glands, supply tends to be short. In some cases, patients are even rejected from receiving treatment unless their case is of the severe kind. However, a breakthrough was accomplished in 1981, when recombinant technology was developed. After the refining of the recombination technique, it was finally sold in the market in 1985 under the brand name Protropin. Because all of a sudden pharmaceuticals can synthesize their own hormones, a competition ensued among different pharmaceutical companies on who can sell the best (or at least the most) hormone treatments.

The main use of human growth hormones is to treat those who are affected with dwarfism caused by hormonal deficiency. The causes of deficiency may vary, but this is usually caused by the inactivity of the pituitary gland. Children who are subjected to this treatment are observed to have dramatic growth within months of use. In addition to growth, development of muscle mass and motor movement is also observed. When used for adults, bone and muscle density improvement is observed, among other effects. This has led to some people believing that this hormone has strong anti-aging properties.

However, the use of growth hormones has its own share of controversies. Other than the huge cost of attaining this form of treatment, there are side effects associated with the use of this hormone. In addition, some ethical issues have arisen because of its roots from recombinant technology. Still, it cannot be denied that for those who are affected by the deficiency in growth hormones, the treatment can play such a huge role in changing their lives.

Hair Loss In Women - Is It Your Hormones?

Although you don't hear about hair loss in women on a regular basis, it is a very common problem among women of all ages. There are several factors that may contribute to the loss of hair in a woman. Environmental factors may play a role, your diet, overall health, chemotherapy, etc. With so many possible causes, it can be difficult to determine what is actually causing your hair loss. It can also be a scary experience as women will naturally feel as though something serious may be going on. Before you panic, you should first rule out the less serious or more natural causes of hair loss in women. Often, a woman's hormones are to blame. You should always consult your doctor if you are experiencing any unusual hair loss, but the following warning signs may help ease your mind and possibly indicate that your hormones are the cause.

• Shedding or losing more than 100 hairs per day. You may notice excessive shedding when washing your hair.


• Thinning hair at your temples, crown, and vertex. Your vertex is the pointed part at the back of your head.


• Thinning of your ponytail, or widening of your natural part.


• Scalp is becoming increasingly visible on the top of your head.


• Hairdresser no longer thins your hair when you have it cut.


• Itching, burning or sores on your scalp.


• Presence of other hormonal skin changes such as persistent acne, increased body or facial hair.


• Irregular periods.


• Difficulty controlling your weight.

These may also be signs of other more serious medical conditions and if you notice such symptoms you should contact your physician.

Hormones and Acne - What is the Link Between Hormones and Acne?

There is a well known and well documented link between hormones and acne.  This is why typically teenagers, menstruating women, as well as pregnant women all tend to have acne breakouts.  This is also also why women can treat their acne breakouts with birth control pills; they regulate their hormones and stop their breakouts.

This is great for women who can take birth control, but what about the rest of us?  What can we do about the connection between hormones and acne?  Well it's actually much less complicated than you think. 

First of all, you have to stop treating your acne symptoms.  If the link between hormones and acne is why we break out in the first place, then why are we putting on of these chemicals on our skin to help clear us up?  These treatments are only good at taking care of our acne symptoms...heck, sometimes they're not even good for that!

Instead of buying expensive and wasteful chemicals, you have to treat your hormones and eliminate your acne naturally.  By doing this, you actually address the root acne causes and your body will eliminate all of its acne causes all by itself. 

There is nothing difficult or obscure about eliminating the link between your hormones and acne.  It is mostly caused by our lifestyle.  For me, my diet had to change.  Things like dairy, white sugar and white carb's all had to go as they either bring in to many outside hormones, in the case of dairy, or they cause our bodies to produce to many hormones, such as with sugar. 

In either case, the link becomes quite clear.  Excess hormones from dairy or excess hormones from white sugar all cause our bodies to over produce sebum, or oil on our face.  This oil is what the bacteria on our face feeds on.  If we eliminate that link between our hormones and acne, the excess oil will stop being made and the bacteria on our faces will stop over producing.

By addressing this link between hormones and acne, you can quickly, naturally and cheaply solve all of your acne problems.  Stop trying to solve your acne problems by treating the symptoms.  Instead, use a holistic approach and eliminate that link between hormones and acne.

Natural Treatments That Can Balance Hormones and Prevent Adult Acne

Acne is often thought of as an adolescent issue for teens that can be grown out of over time, yet more and more cases of adult acne are being reported, and those suffering are feeling the weight of what this sickness creates when untreated and left to linger over time. To break it down, acne is when the sebum, or oils under the skin get clogged in sebaceous follicles and create infections that becomes inflamed and surface as a cystic blemish, white head, or black head upon the surface of the skin. These are very unsightly and painful eruptions that can create long lasting scars as well as tremendous embarrassment. When left untreated, the topical bacteria can spread across the face quickly and create a complexion full of red, inflamed and painful eruptions.

That being said, I want to offer some hope, as I am a previous acne sufferer and have spent my entire adult life seeking a natural, risk free treatment that will deal with the root causes of acne, and will not break the bank. Topical treatments only deal with part of the equation, and often create a worse environment upon the skin than before the treatment began. These harsh chemicals often peel and dry the skin and make everyday life difficult when considering the normal activities of life such as fitness, enjoying time out in the sun, or playing the the pool. In order to find a solution to a physical issue upon one of the largest excretory organs of the body, is to identify what it happening internally that would cause a reaction through the skin. A variety of factors can play a role in this situation, from diet to allergies, hormonal imbalance to stress and lack of physical activity. All these various attributes must be looked at in depth in order to find a long term solution.

Diet is a huge concept to discuss in regards to overall health and well-being. Our current generation and culture of quick fixes has created quite a challenge in the aspect of healthy food consumption. With fast food chains, instant meals, genetically altered, chemically laden, hormone pumped products (note I did not say food), many American's are at odds with our lifestyles and dietary needs as a whole. This forces us to take the time to research and consume more costly and hard to find food items in order to nourish our bodies properly and adequately. Farmers Markets held in your local community are great solutions to discovering fresh, seasonal, organic, local produce and eatables that are as whole, and healthy as it gets. Smaller chains of Natural Grocers are also a very good option for finding an apt supply of healthy goods. The many, many issues that are created through processed, sugar laden, chemically altered, high fat products are to many to discuss here, but as far as the skin is concerned, the body will secreat extra toxins out of the body through the organ of the skin, and ingestion of toxic material in large portions on a daily basis will likely result in skin breakouts, as that lifestyle will quickly over burden the cleansing organs such as the liver and gall bladder forcing the skin to be utilized as a cleansing organ.

Allergies are another aspect of health in general that will take some time to identify personally. This will require acute attention when consuming foods over time. If you want to experience radiant skin, take this time for yourself and pay attention, take notes of adverse reactions to certain food items, be it wheat, gluten, etc.

Stress has seemingly become a very prominent concern for many individuals across the world. Being connected on a 24 hour timeline 7 days a week can create major health disruptions if not dealt with head on. Simple measures can be taken to manage stress, such as meditation, deep breathing, visualization and other at home treatments. Make every effort to manage priorities, and take care of yourself so that you can be the best you possible. Utilize the healing elements of essential oils, aromatherapy, baths and music to relax and enjoy your life.

Hormones...women are grimacing at the word, as these essential yet challenging chemical messengers of nature can help or hinder our efforts at optimal health. These building blocks of life are not our nemesis, but absolutely essential to all the various actions and reactions within the human body. The key to feeling optimistic about hormones is keeping them in proper balance and harmony in order to carry out all the facets of living. This again can be challenging with the above mentioned issues that plague us daily. Balancing hormones through hormone replacement therapy may be an option for some, but also holds risks. For those of us who desire a risk free solution to balancing and managing our hormonal lives can get excited about holistic and naturopathic alternatives.

Ancient cultures have known the wonders of our natural world and the power within its elements to restore health, balance and energy for ages. These tinctures and tonics have been researched in depth through science, and the power astounds us even today when applied properly to specific situations. Maca Root is a dehydrated, cruciferous root vegetable that is grown in Peru, and has been used for centuries to increase sexual drive, women's fertility and is a hormonal adaptagen, which naturally balances the proper ratio of hormones within the body. Another group of nutrients that assist in the avoidance of acne vulgaris through nourishment and harmonizing is the vitamins A, D, C, E, and B Complex. These each offer specific values that pertain individually to healing, repair, anti-inflammation, and immune strength. Minerals such as zinc, chromium and selenium can also aid in healing and repair, as well as folic acid and EFA's. Invest in high quality, bio-available, cold pressed supplements when treating a chronic, acute condition. A complete and high quality multi-vitamin/mineral should be taken by every individual on a daily basis in general simply to ensure adequate nutrition and optimal health.

Exercise is one final attribute that can really offer a large bang for the buck when treating acne and hormonal imbalance. When the body has increased circulation and the release of endorphins through physical exertion, stress is released properly and hormones regulate ideally to compensate for energy expenditure, muscle rehabilitation and in general, it builds up of the body. The sweat that forms through exercise is also a detoxification of the skin, and when cleansed from the face and body create a clean and PH balanced skin surface. Exercise has so many positive effects that it is essential to living a healthy and abundant high quality life.

I want to quickly address some topical treatments that are completely natural, anti-bacterial, PH balancing and toning agents that have little to no adverse side effects unless your skin is extremely sensitive. Essential Oils and natural oils such as Lavender, Tea Tree, Neem, Almond, Hemp Seed, Jajoba and more offer ideal properties in balancing the skins PH, as well as destroying harmful bacteria and infection. Lavender and Tea Tree as well as Neem essential oils have been used for ages in preventing infection and treating wounds and lesions. Natural plant oils, such as olive oil, hemp oil and others are ideal for revitalizing and healing abrasions upon the skins surface. Remember to not pick or scratch at current blemishes, as not to spread bacteria and cause inflammation and scarring.

All these separate lifestyle adjustments and additions will manifest a radiant and healthy, balanced body for any individual that desires a radiant and healthy complexion. Again, this is a lifestyle, not a quick fix, and it must be sustained in order to create proper synergy and harmony long term. Watch as you realize the radiance surface upon your skin and within your life.

Bio-Identical Hormones for Female Hormone Replacement Therapy

The majority of women experiencing menopause require some kind of HRT to help alleviate their sufferings, and even women prior to menopause can suffer symptoms of hormonal imbalance if they have a poor diet or are missing out on important vitamins. Both sets of women can suffer from a variety of symptoms, including pains in the breasts, feelings of bloating after eating, unexplained weight gain, insomnia, depression and anxiety, and even more severe problems such as loss of calcium and lower bone density, and arthritis. All of this can leave a woman feeling very unhappy, and may expose her to other risks such as breast cancer. In many cases, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can help a woman to get back on her feet.

There are two main hormones whose loss is responsible for the symptoms which women suffer. The powerful estrogen hormone is responsible for the pre-menstrual cycle, and its loss can cause tenderness in the breast, an eruption of allergies or skin symptoms and severe mood swings. While these problems can be treated with traditional HRT, many woman experience continued symptoms due to the loss of another hormone, Progesterone. The majority of HRT treatments do not add this, and only bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can really replace both types of hormones through one treatment.

The bio-identical hormones are created using organic hormones which are developed in a lab using plant-based hormones. These allow them to be recognized by the body more easily than the typical HRT product, which is created from synthetic hormones. The latter are usually obtained through animal products, and can increase the risk of cancer and high blood pressure. Instead, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy provides the taker with a completely organic and natural substance which will allow them to get what they need from the therapy without having to absorb too many non-organic chemicals.

It is not always a good idea to accept non-organic replacement hormones when you are suffering from a pre-menopausal problem, as the latter can sometimes be triggered by the body's reaction to chemicals. If you have suffered from allergies in the past, then bio-identical hormones will always be a much better response, and gives you an alternative to synthetic hormones.

You may need to speak to several doctors before you can find one who is ready to allow you to avoid synthetic hormones, and instead choose a bio-identical hormone replacement therapy that can help you to reduce the risks of weight gain and high blood pressure that can sometimes be caused by unnatural chemicals.

10 Easy Ways to Get Rid of Acne

Do you have acne? That must be hard. But wait - there is still
hope.

Read the following tips for getting rid of that problem:

1. Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. You can
easily create juices and smoothies using ripe fruit or consume one
salad daily, even as just a side dish. You can also pop in nuts
and dried fruits in between meals.

Brazil nuts have selenium while pumpkin seeds contain zinc - both
these minerals are lacking in people with acne. So take in lots of
these two.

2. Try to drink at least two liters of still mineral water
daily. When the skin is dehydrated, dead skin cells remain on the
skin which may block pores and promote acne.

3. If you have been prescribed antibiotics to control your
acne, remember that antibiotics destroy all kinds of bacteria in
your digestive tract - even good bacteria. Without good bacteria,
you will have poor digestion, constipation, and be less able to
absorb essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

This, in turn, may lead to increased acne production since your
body cannot expel waste effectively. Toxins pass through your skin
instead. To prevent this from occurring, replace the good bacteria
in your digestive tract with a good quality probiotic.

4. You may try consuming some supplements since your diet may
not incorporate every vitamin, mineral and nutrient necessary to
getting and keeping clear skin. Some supplements are really
helpful to people with acne, such as:

o Maca - This is a powdered root vegetable from Peru that
balances and stabilizes the systems of your body while normalizing
hormones. Maca also has a lot of essential amino acids,
phytochemicals, fatty acids, and minerals such as iodine, silica,
potassium, iron, magnesium and calcium.

o Manuka honey - This one possesses strong antibiotic,
antiviral and antiseptic elements. It is great for the skin, as
well as for digestive disorders.

5. Rely only on natural skin-care products. Many skin-care
products on supermarket shelves have chemicals which can worsen
your acne. Too many chemicals can strip your skin of its natural
oils, meaning the skin will overproduce oil to compensate - thus
blocking your pores and causing more acne to show up.

Use only products with natural ingredients or try to use fewer
products to allow your skin to naturally heal.

Should you wear makeup, use formulas that are listed as
non-acnegenic or non-comedogenic.

Some products you can use are:

o Tea tree oil body wash - This product can be used for the
entire body, including the face.

o Tea tree oil - This product has antiseptic, antiviral and
antibacterial functions. It is remarkable for use by acne
sufferers. Use a cotton bud to apply this product to the acne
blemishes.

o Neem soap - This product is very good for acne victims due
to its antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-viral
and antibacterial properties. It also calms and soothes irritated
skin.

6. Cut down on stress as this acts as one of the strongest
precursors of acne, especially after puberty. There are different
ways you can reduce stress and aim for relaxation:

o Exercise - Moderate exercise such as Yoga and Tai Chi
improve skin blood flow and support the healing process. It also
boosts the condition of your internal organs which allows them to
eliminate waste more effectively.

o Try relaxation techniques including meditation and
breathing exercises.

7. Cut down on your consumption of sugar and refined
carbohydrates. Recent research has shown that eating these foods
triggers a process which leads to a production of too many male
hormones. In turn, the skin is moved to excrete huge amounts of
sebum which fosters the increase in skin bacteria - that triggers
acne.

8. Lessen your consumption of caffeine because it hikes the
level of stress hormones in the body, thus making acne worse.

9. Cut down on dairy and red meat products because these are
difficult to digest and raise acid levels in the body. As you try
to digest huge amounts of animal protein in your internal organs,
your body cannot eliminate waste products well and these will be
released through the skin - causing acne.

In addition, dairy and red meat have huge amounts of hormones.
These raise the hormone levels in the body and trigger even more
acne. Furthermore, symptoms of intolerance to dairy products can
crop up as acne.

10. Get plenty of sunshine and fresh air. Sunshine triggers the
production of Vitamin D which is essential to having healthy skin.
Fresh air and sunshine will cut down on your stress levels and
course oxygen through the skin. Learn to tell the amount of
sunshine you need every day though, it does not help to get burnt
in the sun.

Hormones in Couples and Partner Dancing

Have you ever been told your steps are too big or not big enough or that you're moving to much or maybe not enough? The cause might be hormones.

Hormones cause a change in the way we move and respond to music. Sometimes those changes are just what the doctor wanted. Sometimes they are not. By first understanding how hormones affect the way we move in response to music and why we do that, we can then make a conscious effort to override our natural tendencies and dance how we wish.

But even before that, I should explain how this knowledge was first found.

The research was conducted by Dr Peter Lovatt. He is also sometimes called 'Dr Dance.' Peter was a professional dancer until the age of 26. After that he went to university and eventually ended up becoming a researcher in the psychology of the performing arts.

As part of this research, Peter went to a club to get samples of dancers to video tape. After he recorder these people dancing he converted the video to a silhouette. That way if anyone was to watch the video, then they could only judge the attractiveness based on movement and not the face of the person. Peter also measured the length of the ring and index fingers of each dancer. The relationship between the two fingers is strongly believed to correlate with the amount of testosterone an individual was exposed to in the womb. Thus, Peter could correlate dance style with hormone exposure.

After the video was shown to other people it was found that women were more attracted to men who had been exposed to more testosterone and men were more attracted to women who had been exposed to less. Remember, this was based purely on dance style. This means that our dance style can actually communicate (even though we do not know it) hormone levels to people of the opposite sex.

If our hormones control our dance without us knowing it, then there is a variable to our dance style that we have not yet accounted for. But what are the effects.

With more testosterone (these were the attractive ones) men tend to have larger movements. To increase the attractiveness, complexity of movement helped.

Women who had lower testosterone (and thought more attractive via their dance) made more subtle movement - especially with their hips.

If your teacher says that your movement is too much, then it could be the testosterone you were exposed to. Same goes if your movement is too small. But what to do about it?

You can change what you were exposed to before you were born so the best thing to do is work out of it might be a factor and then account for it consciously. Measure you index finger and your ring finger. If the index finger is a bit shorter, then you were exposed to more testosterone, and tend toward large movements. If the index finger is about the same or longer, then you were exposed to less, and tend toward smaller movements.

You can use this to work out if you need to put effort into restricting your movement. You might need to control your movements at times - say you're a high testosterone woman who wants to look better on the dance floor. Or, you might want to put more effort in - say you're a man who needs to lead some large steps in Waltz. Knowing your tendency simply helps you compromise for it.

Brainwave Entrainment Stimulates Hormones For Longevity

Brainwave entrainment is a neuro-technological tool that alters your brainwaves to a specific brainwave frequency pattern for a specific purpose. Through the use of audio and/or visual stimulus, entrainment induces the brain to follow or mimic said stimulus, creating a new state of mind or consciousness.

Scientific study has shown that when certain brainwave frequencies are stimulated through brainwave entrainment, parts of the brain will release beneficial hormones and chemicals.

Why This Is Important

As we age, we produce less of these hormones which in turn, leads us to developing symptoms of aging and disease. Entraining the brain with specific frequencies that stimulate the brain to release these beneficial hormones, can improve our health, and may possibly be, the answer to the "fountain of youth."

The Big Three For Longevity

A deep meditative state has been proven to dramatically affect the production of three hormones related to increased longevity, stress and well-being-DHEA, cortisol, and melatonin.

Alpha and theta brainwave frequencies help the brain to produce DHEA and melatonin in significant portions and diminish the production of cortisol..

• DHEA 90% increase


• Melatonin 98% increase


• Cortisol 47% decrease

DHEA

• Dehydroepiandrosterone DHEA


• Is produced by the adrenal glands


• Is the key determinant of physiological age and resistance to disease.


• As we age, our DHEA diminishes, and we are susceptible to disease.


• If our DHEA is high, we are in peak health and able to fight off disease.


• Higher levels of DHEA reduces cardiovascular disorders by 48% and death by 36%.

Melatonin

• Is produced by the pineal gland-the third eye.


• Is a hormone that controls our sleep cycle.


• As we age, melatonin is made in less and less supply.


• Not sleeping decreases the quality of our life and speeds up the aging process.


• Is a powerful antioxidant.


• Melatonin passes through cell membranes and removes free radicals that damage DNA.


• If the supply of melatonin in the body is low, diseases produced by free radicals, like cancer, aging, neurological diseases, heart disease and heart attack, can be more prevalent.


• Low melatonin can alter blood pressure and heart rate as well as neurological cardiopulmonary and reproductive functions.


• Reduced melatonin diminishes the strength of the immune system.


• Low levels affect sleep and circadian rhythm, mood, sexual performance, reproduction, cancer, immune system response, aging, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, hypertension, blood clotting, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia, ischemic heart disease, epilepsy, manic depression, suicide, sudden infant death syndrome, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.

Cortisol

• Is produced by the adrenal glands.


• Is a stress hormone that is involved in response to stress and anxiety.


• Increases blood sugar, blood pressure and reduces immune responses.


• The more you produce of this hormone, the more stressed out your are, and visa versa, making you vulnerable to disease and fast aging.

Brainwave entrainment recordings designed to release these hormones can play a vital role in turning back the clock, hormone-wise, slowing down the effects of aging on our body and mind.

Who knows, maybe brainwave entrainment is the key to the "fountain of youth" after-all.

Understanding Obesity and the Hormones Involved

Getting It Right. Confessions of a "Desk Dumpling"

A lot is known about what causes obesity. The simplest explanation is that the genes that have protected us from famines for millions of years are at the core of the cause of obesity. These powerful biochemical systems are centered on a small area in the middle of the brain called the hypothalamus. A specialized area in the hypothalamus, called the arcuate nucleus, is where the signals that control metabolic rate, hunger and satiety are located.

The two major hormones that control the hunger and satiety cells are ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is produced by the stomach and travels to the brain where it turns on the hunger cell and turns off the satiety cell. Leptin is produced by the fat cells of the body and travels to the brain where it turns on the satiety cell and turns off the hunger cell. When you are obese you have lots of fat cells and thus your leptin levels are high. The high leptin levels in combination with high insulin levels turn off the stomach cells that make ghrelin so your ghrelin levels are low. Now if that seems backward, you are right. The problem is that high leptin levels over time make the satiety cell insensitive to leptin and low ghrelin levels make the hunger cell hypersensitive to ghrelin. The result is that even though the leptin levels are high and the ghrelin levels are low, the hunger cells are turned on and the satiety cells are turned off.

This is exactly the situation that occurs in a famine, hunger cells on and satiety cells off. So if you are obese, even though you have plenty of fat stores, the brain behaves like you were starving. A common sign of this is that most obese people don't feel hungry when they get up in the morning. As a result they often skip breakfast. The brain interprets this as more starvation signals and further shuts down the metabolism. In fact the number one risk factor for obesity is skipping breakfast.

Ghrelin is also important in many other functions of the body. One of the most important is sleep. In order to efficiently progress though the normal cycles of sleep you need adequate ghrelin levels. You will not sleep as efficiently; you will dream less and get less restorative sleep. This will make you more tired the next day and since dreaming promotes leptin production, you will be hungrier and have a lower metabolic rate. The imbalance of leptin and ghrelin are at the heart of the cause and consequences of obesity.

Desk Dumpling you say, "What is that?" A desk dumpling is what many of us are turning into as we spend time in front of computers. Not all of us are Couch Potatoes. I work from a home based office and therefore find myself spending enormous hours in front of my computer. I found myself, like so many today slowly packing on the pounds, fat and inches. I would go through a cycle of losing inches and pounds and then next thing I knew it would yo-yo back on. One day I look in the mirror and it was like all this extra weight would magically appear overnight. I, like many needed to figure out what was going on with this body. I used to be a "female jock." I was not totally inactive, after all, I love to walk. Isn't walking and exercise what they say I need? I ate a great diet (not junk) BUT it didn't matter, I kept expanding. I needed to understand the mechanisms of obesity and then I needed some tools to help me overcome a problem that was getting more severe as the years and the decades rolled by. I now have the tools and an understanding of what I need to do, The Desk Dumpling is working her way back to becoming a Desk Jock. I hope this will help you?

How Hormones Influence Blood Pressure to Rise

Hormones are the chemical messengers of the body since they release certain cells that affect tissues, muscles, and organ cells. Hormones influence blood pressure, like in the case of our kidneys where the hormonal imbalance of insulin leads to a diabetic disorder that progresses with high blood pressure complications.

If all the hormonal systems are not functioning properly or in harmony, the effect is sodium reabsorption which adversely affects the kidneys. However, this can still be controlled by proper diet or medications.

If there is excess insulin, the kidneys will reabsorb the sodium. By this, it means the cells will be influenced to re-absorb the sodium in the blood stream to cause an imbalance in the cells' mineral contents.

In this case, the particular hormone insulin will have an indirect influence in elevating blood pressure. This is common among obese or overweight people who crave for more sugar that will result to the production of excess insulin thereby making them susceptible to high blood pressure.

Another hormonal system that affects the pressure of blood is the angiotensin-renin-aldosterone system. In this particular function, the adrenal glands will produce aldosterone hormones to primarily induce the kidneys to retain chloride and sodium, and emit potassium. Again causing a disparity of mineral contents in each cell.

The aldosterone hormones are produced by the adrenal glands located at the top of the two kidneys. Aldosterone will influence the kidneys and sweat glands (acts similar to kidney functions) to preserve sodium. Even though the adrenal glands generate the aldosterone, the kidneys regulate it by releasing the renin enzyme and the angiotensin hormone.

As the kidneys release renin, the release of angiotensin follows. Angiotensin constricts the arterioles and signals the adrenal to discharge more aldosterone. Angiotensin constriction increases peripheral resistance or a condition where there is difficulty in circulating blood.

Aldosterone release on the other hand will cause the retention of salt. As a result, both hormones influence blood pressure levels while in the process of circulating blood in the kidneys.

Another cause of high blood pressure is the activation of the sympathetic nervous system which will produce renin when under the influence of stress. As mentioned earlier, when renin is discharged, angiotensin follows thereby making the blood pressure to rise. As an example, the sympathetic nervous system is activated when somebody threatens or attacks you with bodily harm.

Further, the production of renin is common among Type A personalities who are always in a competitive mood thereby inducing them to have high blood pressure. This is often treated by certain drugs that that will block the production of renin so that the angiotensin hormone will not influence the blood pressure.

Other factors being considered in the excessive production of renin are inadequate supply of magnesium in the body, serious illnesses leading to high blood pressure (secondary hypertension) and the rate at which the kidneys excrete sodium (natriuretic factors).

As can be inferred from the above, when a diet is high or low in sodium, it creates an imbalance of mineral contents in the cells where sodium is often the excessive substance.

Any excess of sodium over the calcium, potassium, and magnesium content in our body cells can trigger hormonal imbalance in our body system particularly the kidneys. Hormones influence blood pressure as a result of a series of chain reactions that emanates from improper dietary intakes.

Do Milk and Hormones Cause Acne Breakouts?

According to a recent research published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, consuming diets of a high glycemic index or high consumption of diary may have an effect on acne breakouts. With this, medical nutritional therapy is now considered as one of the possibilities for acne treatment.

Also, a professor of dermatology at Northwestern has commented that hormonal changes may also cause acne breakouts. This is in view of the fact that those seeking help for acne are not limited only to teens, but many adults are also seeking professional treatment for this condition.

While there is still a constant debate on whether certain types of food do instigate acne, the heightened interest in medical nutrition therapy as a possible acne help have stirred the need for more research in this area. Indeed, a new study entitled "Acne: The Role of Medical Nutrition Therapy" will be published in March 2013 by Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In reality, these new findings defy previous studies conducted in the past decade, which have deemed diet as not a cause of acne. Strangely though, way back in the 1800s, the over-consumption of sweet foods such as chocolate and sugar, have been believed to cause acne breakouts. Looks like there is some truth to these old wives' tales after all!. The purpose of such research is to further uncover the underlying causes and effects of diet and acne.

In reality, these new findings defy previous studies conducted in the past decade, which have deemed diet as not a cause of acne. Strangely though, way back in the 1800s, the over-consumption of sweet foods such as chocolate and sugar, have been believed to cause acne breakouts. Looks like there is some truth to this old wife tale after all!

Regardless of how this detailed study will pan out, medical professionals have now been advised to consider dietary counseling as an option when providing acne help to adult acne problems.

So, what if your acne was hormonally driven? What can you do about it?

For one thing, you could subscribe to a daily facial cleansing routine, followed by exfoliation, and combine that with the use of creams with salicylic acid as the active ingredient. On the other hand, if you are into natural acne treatments, easy home acne remedies such as with the use of pumpkin or even chamomile teabags may help too.

In addition, refraining from popping your acne may actually help reduce the occurrence of acne scars. Some natural acne scar treatments such as using olive oil, aloe vera and even baking soda may actually help hasten the healing process of these scars.

Hormones - Can't Live With 'Em, Can't Live Without 'Em

Hormones have gotten a bad rap. Men and women alike know what "that time of the month" means, and they take cover when necessary. "Raging hormones" is apropos when we think of teenagers socializing in groups. Aggressive males are considered "pumped full of testosterone." These phrases imply that if people could only get rid of these nasty things called hormones, all would be well.

Here's something you may not know: if it weren't for hormones, you would starve! So, I have another phrase for you concerning hormones: Don't shoot the messenger.

FedEx is a great way to tell you about hormones, although the analogy will need to be stretched a little. Let's say FedEx knows that the package they have at their distribution center will make Bobby Jones really happy when he gets it, and their role is to make Bobby Jones happy. The FedEx guy hops into his vehicle and drives right to Bobby's door and delivers the package. Bobby then jumps up and down that his new orange wiffle ball has finally arrived.

Hormones in our bodies are like that. They are just delivery people who are released by one area of our bodies, drive to the place they're supposed to go via the bloodstream, and cause the people on the other end to react. The reaction they get depends on the "distribution center" they leave from and the specific place they are sent to. Take adrenaline, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland located near the kidney. This hormone, along with another also produced there, gets released and travels through the bloodstream. Adrenaline's role is to make certain blood vessels get smaller, and other ones to get wider, and the muscles and liver are able to function at their best because of it. If you're watching the Superbowl and it's triple overtime and your team needs the field goal to win, you usually notice your heart starts racing, you move forward in your seat, or you jump up and start yelling at the kicker. Adrenaline is the mechanism that is helping the body to perform in that way, working to get less important vessels smaller and making the more in-demand ones bigger so the heart can pump faster and get oxygen to the muscles that are contracting with suspense or helping you jump and yell. Adrenaline is actually being produced all the time, but when the body's muscles and liver need to act in an extraordinary way, a "surge of adrenaline" is produced.

There are 36 main hormones produced by the endocrine system with a huge spectrum of functions. In digesting food, here's a surface overview of the four main ones: gastrin, secretin, cholecystokinin (CCK), and gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP). If you take a bite of carrot, chew it, and swallow it, here's what happens.

• 
  Gastrin is produced by the stomach and brings the message to the gastric juice producing parts of the stomach to start working on the chewed carrot.


• 
  Secretin is produced by the duodenum. The duodenum is where the more broken down carrot and gastric juices (chyme) empty into and is considered the top part of the small intestine. When the chyme hits the duodenum, secretin carries the message to the liver and pancreas to secrete juices that will neutralize the acid from the stomach.


• 
  CCK is also produced by the duodenum. It carries the message to the pancreas and gall bladder to secrete enzymes and bile, respectively, into the small intestine so that the carrot can be broken down even further.


• 
  GIP is yet another hormone produced in the duodenum. (Busy guy, this duodenum!) Think of it as the opposite of gastrin, carrying the message that things need to slow down up there. It also plays a part in the pancreas secreting another hormone you are probably very familiar with: insulin.

Without these four hormones, the carrot you ate for lunch would still basically look like chewed carrot when it reached the lower parts of the small intestine. This part of the small intestine needs the carrot to be very broken down so the tiny nutrients can be sent throughout the body.

No hormones, no nourishment--it's that simple. Who's up for some wiffle ball?

Breast Cancer

Among all cancers in women, he takes the first place. In most cases, breast cancer develops in the presence of precancerous changes. This is primarily a benign mammary dysplasia and papilloma ducts.

Breast cancer is represented macroscopically nodular and diffuse forms, as well as cancer of the nipple and the nipple of the field (Paget's disease of the breast). For the nodular cancers are characterized by the node having a diameter of up to several centimeters. In some cases, a tight knot, is permeated with whitish layers tissue penetrating into the surrounding fatty tissue, in others - a soft, juicy on the cut, splits easily. Diffuse prostate cancer is covered for a considerable distance, the contours of the tumor are marked bad. Sometimes the cancer invades the skin and forms on the surface of decaying mushroom formation - a cancerous ulcer. In some cases, the tumor spreads along the surface of the breast and all the iron is covered with a dense shell.

In histological structure are the following types of breast cancer:

• noninvasive: intralobular and intraduct;

• infiltrative.

Noninvasive breast cancer can be intralobular (lobular carcinoma in situ), and intraduct (ductal carcinoma in situ).

Infiltrating (invasive) cancer is characterized by varying degrees of tissue and cell irregularities, which allowed to distinguish different degree of malignancy. This type of cancer include, in particular, infiltrating ductal and lobular carcinoma, which usually has the structure of scirrhus, as well as Paget's disease.

Causes of Breast Cancer.

The causes of breast cancer often are hormonal changes in the body: the entry into menopause, when there is an active restructuring of the hormonal regulation of the woman, the ovaries lose their activity, decreased production of progesterone and estrogen, the body is going through, "hormonal crisis." The mammary gland and endometrium (lining of the uterus) are most responsive to these changes, the breast tissue begins to dissolve and be replaced by fat.

Scientifically established that the female hormones estrogen-, plays a key role in the development of breast cancer. The excess hormones in the body creates a favorable background for developing the disease. The least active hormones estrogen behave during pregnancy and after birth - during breastfeeding. It is proved that the birth and prolonged breastfeeding (more than 1 year) to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. On the other hand, abortion lead to hormonal "explosion" in a woman's body that can trigger the development of tumors. So far there is no consensus about the impact on the development of tumors of hormonal contraceptive drugs, but it is believed that these drugs reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, but increase the risk of developing cancer of the female genital organs, and osteoporosis. In addition predisposition to breast cancer can cause harmful environmental factors: the environment, as well as inflammatory diseases previously deferred breast - mastitis.

In addition, patients with a family of first-degree relatives with breast cancer (mothers and sisters) risk of developing a tumor increasing by more than half - familial forms of cancer.

Benign breast diseases such as fibrocystic breast disease, or fibroadenoz intraduct papillomatosis alone do not lead to cancer, but at the same time, create an unfavorable background for its development.

The cause of breast cancer may be the effects of radiation, such as irradiation of the chest for other diseases (lung tumors, the lymphatic system), prolonged and frequent chest X-ray studies on inflammatory diseases or pulmonary tuberculosis.

Constitutional obesity can lead to cancer of the breast and female reproductive system, with an excess fatty tissue in the body, it becomes a separate endocrine organ and begins to actively produce hormones-estrogens, whose action and provokes the development of tumors.

Symptoms of Breast Cancer

There are several forms of the growth of breast cancer:

- Nodular form, the most common, is characterized by a dense knot of 0.5 to 5 cm or more, it is characterized by all of the following symptoms;

- Diffuse. All of them are very aggressive, grow quickly, almost lightning speed, the tumor with no clear boundaries, "spreading" of the breast and skin. For the first two forms are characteristic signs of inflammation: pain of the breast, a bright red color of the skin it raises body temperature to 39 degrees C. In view of these symptoms often occur, and errors in diagnosis of patients treated for inflammatory diseases, which are named and are referred to these forms breast cancer. When tubular carcinoma breast cancer cover as a "skin" of its contracting and decreasing in size.

In some cases, breast cancer manifests in the form of metastases in the lymph nodes on the affected side, often fails to detect the tumor itself - show hidden breast cancer.

For small tumors of the breast, any symptoms arise. The most observant women and their husbands are able to detect tumor site in the gland by chance, but in a large breast to detect small size hard knot. Revealed a knot can be painful when pressed, round, smooth and agile, this speaks in favor of a benign tumor. Signs of malignancy other: a tight knot to touch the stone, its surface is uneven, it is stationary or slightly shifted, can be firmly fixed to the surrounding tissue or skin, usually painless, can reach a significant size (more than 3 - 5 cm and sometimes 10-15 cm).

Need to assess the surface of the skin over the tumor: the malignant process will be observed retraction of the skin, picking up in the folds, wrinkles, a symptom of "lemon peel" - a local swelling of the skin over the tumor, may be a direct tumor invasion to the skin surface, then it becomes a bright red color and sprawl as "cauliflower."

Could Androgen Hormones Be the Missing Link in Curing Hair Loss?

For most men and women the thought of losing their hair is scarier than a socialite having to drive a cab to pick up lunch money. For this reason the hair care isle at your local super store is filled with products that claim to make a persons hair look fuller and more vibrant. But if there isn't anything left on top even the best shampoos, conditioners, and hair regrowth products won't do you a bit of good.

In this article titled "Could Androgen Hormones Be The Missing Link in Hair Loss" we will briefly cover hair loss (balding) and then get right to the point concerning androgen hormones.

Would you believe the average person starts with 100,000 scalp hair perfectly placed to give them the look of having a full head of hair? Each day a person loses between 75 and 150 hairs most of which are replaced through the natural replacement cycle. As a person ages the number of hairs lost tends to outnumber the hairs replaced thus leading to moderate balding.

But in over 60% of men and 20% of women things don't go quite so smoothly. The culprit is (you guessed it) androgen hormones. Yes ladies you have androgen hormones too but just in much more smaller amounts.

Androgen hormones are produced by the testicles in men and the adrenal glands and ovaries in women. They are also the primary factor in a condition known as androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness, female pattern baldness) which is responsible for over eight out of ten cases of balding or thinning. The three merry musketeers that perform the hair removal are affectionately known as testosterone, androsteinedione, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is the merry leader of this group and getting him to leave those follicles alone is much like asking your dog to love all neighborhood cats.

When excess amounts of DHT are produced and find its way deep into the hair follicle hair appearance and abundance begin to change. The hair follicles are effectively strangled leading the hair to appear finer and shorter. The overabundance of dihydrotestosterone also shortens the hair replacement cycle thus leading to and acceleration in the balding process.

Could DHT be the cure for hair loss? While androgenetic alopecia is responsible for most balding and thinning it is not responsible for all cases, thus the answer is no. But if you asked whether finding a way to control and moderate DHT could cure most cases of hair loss the answer would be yes. The problem lies in the fact that dihydrotestosterone is an import developmental hormone thus eliminating it completely would not be feasible. So the key is balancing its presence while keeping it away from scalp hair follicles. It is my belief that sometime not in the so distant future this will become a reality but until then answer will have to be found elsewhere.

What Next? If you are one of the millions of men and women suffering from balding and thinning caused by androgenetic alopecia there are a number of excellent hair regrowth options available specifically formulated to block DHT that are worth investigating. Additionally, the longer you wait the harder it will be to reverse the condition so time is of the essence.

How to Increase HGH - Naturally

It's no secret we don't get the exercise our ancestors got. We pick our meat from a supermarket cooler, not from lengthy hunting expeditions that may or may have proved successful. Few of us have any comprehension of the sheer effort it would take to grow enough fruits and vegetables to feed our family.

In the old days, fasting was a way of life, simply because food was literally "catch as catch can". We know now there are benefits to this regimen.

Our body goes into a tissue breakdown period (called "catabolic") when we fast, which allows bodily resources to eliminate, damaged cells and replace them with stronger ones.

We were much leaner then, with body fat that would be the envy of elite athletes today. For men, it was typically less than 10% and women 10-20%. Present day research suggests it may be beneficial to recreate at least part of that ancient lifestyle.

What that means is that intermittent fasting and high-intensity, short duration exercises could keep us more fit and thus healthier.

But here's the best part: We all know about the publicity that HGH (Human Growth Hormone) is receiving. Now some recent studies have come out that suggest the fascinating possibility that intermittent fasting coupled with high-intensity exercise in short bursts actually boosts HGH (Human Growth Hormone) in the body.

Findings have been reported by such diverse entities such as the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah (near Salt Lake City) and the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The Utah study focused on the effects of fasting, finding that men were able to boost their HGH by 2000% and women 1300%.

The British study dealt with exercise, which of course produces lactic acid. It's long been known that an accumulation of lactic acid can trigger HGH production, but a human can't tolerate the physical discomfort that producing enough lactic acid to make a difference would require.

But now, researchers are tying the data together from those two seemingly disconnected studies and coming to a surprising conclusion: Human Growth Hormone can be increased naturally in the body by a disciplined regimen of fasting combined with high-intensity aerobic exercise.

While most doctors will say that all exercise is beneficial, low intensity exercise tends to wear down the body, while the high intensity workouts foster healthy tissue repair.

While more studies will be forthcoming, the evidence so far is that short bursts of high-intensity exercise gets the most bang from your exercise buck.

Sex Enhancers for Women - Increase Libido, Get Wet Naturally and Forget About Vaginal Dryness

Sex enhancers for women have been designed with a woman's needs in mind. They have become a big hit with women looking for ways to improve their sex lives. For long there has been a void in the market as far as sexual enhancement products for women is concerned. Though such products have emerged quite late on the scene, they have become really hot among women.

Such sex enhancers come in the form of pills and gels that can help women get over libido problems and other issues such as vaginal dryness, menopause symptoms, hot flashes etc., and the best part is that they are 100% natural formulations and this is why there are no side effects.

Natural sex pills for women not only increase blood flow to the genitals but also help stimulate the production of estrogen and other sex hormones including testosterone and progesterone. What is more important is that they strike a perfect balance between these hormones. It is extremely important for these hormones in your body to achieve an optimum balance in order to ensure proper sexual and reproductive function.

Some of the ingredients used in such supplements include herbs like epimedium sagittatum, hops extract, ginkgo biloba, tribulus terrestris, melatonin, niacin etc.,

These natural pills not only boost your libido but also help increase response to sexual stimulation. They increase the level of excitement and also increase clitoral sensitivity. In addition to this, by increasing estrogen production in your body they help you tide over vaginal dryness. Lack of estrogen in your body makes walls of the vagina thin and dry. This can turn out to be quite problematic and make intercourse unbearably painful.

Natural sex pills can make you reasonably wet naturally. They can also help boost your libido and provide relief from menopause symptoms, hot flashes etc.,

Good quality supplements are made with clinically approved ingredients and do not have any side effects. However, you must not have them if you are pregnant or while breast feeding.

So, If You Want to Boost Your Sex Life, Check out the Best Sex Enhancers for Women that have Helped Thousands of Women Over the Past Few Years!

Being Familiar With Hormonal Imbalance

Many individuals experience hormonal imbalance without realising it. It is important to visit a doctor and go through a blood or saliva hormone test to see whether you've got this problem. It helps your doctor build a more potent and targeted treatment.

It's easy to blame unpredictable conduct on attitude problems. You can point to genes, stress, and also other factors for those who have health and body-related issues. Something you may well not realise is the trouble may lie deeper than the surface. Your hormone levels could be far from normal.

Understanding Imbalance

Hormones come from endocrine glands scattered throughout your whole body. Men and women have the same set of glands, excluding sexual endocrine glands. Women's ovaries produce oestrogen, while men's testes produce testosterone. There is a wide array of these chemicals that control different functions and procedures. It only needs a little bit of hormones in making significant changes to your body.

Hormonal imbalance happens when your endocrine glands begin to make an excessive amount of or inadequate hormones. This brings about approximately six thousand endocrine disorders. There are occasions in your lifetime when you will experience imbalance naturally, like puberty, post-childbirth, and during menopause or andropause.

What causes hormone imbalance?

Various factors cause hormonal imbalance. Majority of the existing cases are because of increased oestrogen levels. Genetics, obesity, and tumours are among the natural reasons your endocrine glands come to malfunction. Obesity is the leading medical reason behind imbalance. The milestones in your lifetime mentioned earlier also cause endocrine disorders.

External factors may also cause this problem. Scarcity of physical activity, living an inactive lifestyle, using oral contraceptives, stress, non-organic animal products and even overuse of cosmetics may boost your odds of developing this problem.

What symptoms must you look for?

Detecting hormonal imbalance is tough, especially since many of its symptoms coincide with many other physical and psychological disorders. Fatigue, moodiness, low memory retention, and diminished sexual libido are just some of the psychological effects. Unhealthy weight and skin problems like acne will also be common indications of hormonal imbalance that doctors could misdiagnose.

More serious cases can have worse symptoms. You may develop chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, and panic attacks to name a few. Menopause-induced imbalance might lead to bladder infections, increased dryness in different lubricated parts of the body, hot flushes and abnormal heartbeat.

The ultimate way to know you've got this disorder will be conducting a hormone test. A blood hormone test measures your hormone levels within the blood. A saliva hormone test, on the other hand, measures these levels from the inside of your cells. This makes a saliva hormone test more exact, although both tests show abnormalities effectively.

How will you treat hormone imbalance?

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the most commonly-known solution for this problem. It requires taking either stimulants for the endocrine glands or low doses of the lacking hormones. Its goal is to return your whole body to a balanced state. HRT is very effective, but you ought to follow your physician's instructions strictly. A number of these chemicals could be dangerous in large doses. Keep in mind that you merely need a bit to help with making necessary changes to your system.

You could also select non-chemical treatments, like natural supplements. Exercise and diet can be effective for obese folks and those going through menopause or andropause. Consult a doctor before you begin any therapy or exercise program to ensure success.

Acne Treatment - Are Oral Contraceptives Effective?

We all know that hormones are responsible for the appearance of pimples in adolescence and sometimes in adulthood. One way to control hormones is to use oral contraceptives, which are popularly known as birth control pills. They have become a popular acne treatment option for women. The big question is whether they work.

How Oral Contraceptives Work

There is a group of hormones called androgens, which cause an increased production of sebum (skin oil). The extra sebum cannot get fully released through the skin pores and it clogs them. The clogged pores contain a mixture of sebum and dead skin cells so they are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. This results in zits and the need for acne treatment.

The ovaries and the adrenal gland of women produce a fairly small amount of androgens. However, this amount can increase during adolescence, before menstrual periods and during pregnancy. This can lead to the appearance of pimples.

The oral contraceptives contain the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. They work to reduce the amount of androgens produced in the body. As a result, the production of sebum is also reduced and so is acne.

It is worth pointing out that oral contraceptives can be used for acne treatment only by women, who require them for contraception. Basically, the skin treatment is just a side effect. Furthermore, only three types of birth pills have been approved for this type of side treatment by the US FDA. They are typically used for treating moderate to severe cases of acne.

Possible Side Effects

Just like all pills, the oral contraceptives have side effects. The main immediate ones include breast tenderness, spotting, nausea, dizziness and mood swings. In the long term, there is a higher risk of hypertension, migraine, liver disease, gallbladder disease and depression.

It should be noted that the modern birth control pills are designed to cause minimal side effects. When they are taken as required under the supervision of a doctor, the risks associated with them are reduced to the possible minimum.

Effectiveness

According to doctors, patients and researchers, oral contraceptives are a good acne treatment. They help to reduce the frequency and the degree of severity of flare-ups. Even when pimples appear, they are fewer in number.

A recent study has revealed that the number of pimples is reduced by 30% to 60%. The inflammation is considerably reduced. As a result, the healing process is quicker and the risk of scars is lower.

Oral contraceptives will reduce the severity of the condition, but it takes time for the hormonal changes which they induce to take place. Hence, you will have to wait for some time to see the desired results. Furthermore, while this acne treatment targets one of the causes of the condition, it does not affect the pimples directly. This means that you will still have to use topical remedies to get rid of any pimples that appear.

Hormone Showdown - You're in Charge

A woman faces many phases of hormonal change over the course of her life: puberty, menstruation, PMS, pregnancy, infertility, pre-menopause, and menopause. A woman can experience hormone imbalance at each stage; however, she need not be at the mercy of her hormones. Instead, she can take charge of her condition and work towards well-being and optimal health - without drugs that have dangerous side effects, or suffering the consequences of non-treatment.

Understanding hormone imbalance is an important aspect of women empowering themselves toward well-being. To identify hormone imbalance, its causes, and alternative treatments, it is helpful to ask and answer the following questions.

What are hormones?

Hormones are the messengers of the body, a kind of wireless communication system that carries the messages of emotions and physical well-being or stress. Stress hormones are adrenalin and cortisol. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are the so-called sex hormones. Cholesterol and vitamins A and D are the main ingredients needed to make hormones, also called the building blocks. Stress hormones and sex hormones work in balance with each other, and the body works diligently to create hormone reserves, a well to draw from when it encounters stress.

What is hormone imbalance?

Hormone imbalance occurs when the body does not have enough of the right building blocks to create both stress hormones and sex hormones. When the body is under stress, it extracts hormones from the hormone reserves. The body tries to make hormones to replace the ones it takes from the reserves, but if stress is overwhelming or a woman is nutritionally deprived, hormone imbalance will exact its toll and symptoms will appear.

What are the symptoms of hormone imbalance?

To make a diagnosis of hormone imbalance, a woman would have five or more of these symptoms:

* water retention and bloating

* weight gain

* hot flashes

* low sex drive

* memory loss or confusion

* night sweats

* dry skin

* hair loss

* anxiety

* depression

* irritability

* breast tenderness

* poor concentration

* pre-menstrual syndrome

* fibroids

* vaginal dryness

* fibrocystic breasts

* endometriosis

* breast and uterine cancer

When these symptoms exist, what are the next steps toward treatment?

If a woman identifies with these symptoms, it is essential to seek out treatment. The most healthful treatments are improvements in nutrition and emotional stability, which lead the body toward hormonal restoration and physical and mental well-being.

How does good nutrition help to balance hormones?

For a woman's body to manufacture the right balance of hormones she must eat healthy foods that supply her with the necessary building blocks. Nutrition knowledge is a necessary step in the healing process and essential for the long-term maintenance of well being. A woman must learn about the foods that will help restore hormonal balance and which ones will not. For example:

* Healthy fats are an essential building block required to make all hormones. Diets low in fat are harmful to hormone production. Fats from natural sources are best and can help the body regain hormonal balance. Excellent sources of fat, rich in natural minerals and vitamins, include whole milk, beef or chicken broth, and butter.

* Processed foods, nontraditional soy foods, or those containing trans fats or hydrogenated oils block hormone production. Savvy marketers have successfully convinced people to eat a diet that lacks nutrients necessary to maintain hormonal balance. Most foods introduced in the last few decades fall into this category. While it is worthwhile to read nutrition labels, some will not list trans fats.

* Eggs are an excellent source of cholesterol for hormone production. Our healthy ancestors consumed eggs in great quantities. Reintroducing eggs into a woman's diet is occasionally all that is necessary to restore hormone balance.

* Fish oils are an excellent source of vitamins A and D and essential for hormone production. Look for the brands that are mercury and heavy metal free.

* A woman will receive the highest levels of essential vitamins, minerals, and fats from natural and organic foods.

* Establish healthy eating habits with young girls. This helps to set a woman on the right road to healthy hormonal balance. If girls eat poorly at a young age, they may not build up sufficient hormone reserves to handle physiological or emotional stress.

What is an example of a treatment to help with emotional stability?

Homeopathy is an excellent treatment that provides relief and helps the body to heal using its own resources. Homeopathy is the safe and natural administration of minute doses of medicines derived from plants, animals, minerals, or chemicals that stimulate the body's own defenses. Once a woman is able to gain control over her emotional state, she feels empowered to take on long-term changes such as addressing her relationship to food and improving her nutrition.

What is the holistic approach to hormonal restoration and continued balance?

The holistic approach to helping a woman attain a state of hormonal balance is to look at the whole person: emotions, nutrition, relationships, lifestyle, work habits, and temperament. This approach offers a higher likelihood of optimal results and effective treatment. Often women may need a stepping stone treatment such as hormone replacement therapy or bioidentical hormone therapy to restore hormones to their proper balance. Once achieved, the woman can move toward natural methods to restore balance with homeopathy and nutritional changes.

The Benefits of Human Growth Hormone

Ok, you are feeling blue because your youth is gone and you are not able to do the things you used to a decade ago. If that is the case, then you need not worry about it as you have human growth hormone or HGH which can improve your situation. What is human growth hormone by the way?

Human growth hormone or HGH contains 191 amino acids which are produced by the pituitary gland. As you grow old, the secretions reduce which can cause reduced metabolism in your body. To understand how it can help your body, you must know their benefits.

Human growth hormone has many benefits as far as the human body is concerned. If you are still not yet aware about them, then it is high time, you make yourself familiar with them.

They are as follows:

Increase your energy levels

HGH increases your energy levels in your body. When you find that your energy levels have decreased, you feel lethargic often, and decreased libido, then you must take human growth hormones. That is because it tremendously increases your energy levels and improves the body metabolism.

Those of you who are under weight or want to put on some weight might also consider using these hormones.

Reduction in fat

These hormones help in reducing body fat. Those of you who feel you are overweight can consume these hormones which increase the body metabolism. When your body metabolism is increased, it prevents the excess fat forming in your body by burning it. As you know, being overweight can cause many health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart ailments and the like.

Prevents sagging skin and graying hair

HGH prevents your skin from sagging and graying of your hair. Those of you who are well past your mid fifties might want to get rid of sagging skin and graying hair. Who likes their skin to hang down and hair to gray? It completely ruins your looks and personality.

To see to that your skin stops sagging and hair from turning grey, you must make use of human growth hormones.

Improves your memory

Human growth hormones help in improving your memory and sharper vision. As you grow older, you tend to forget even the simplest of things and have decreased eyesight. It can not only annoy you, but also others who are close to you. To avoid being depressed about yourself because of forgetting things and poor vision, you should utilize HGH.

From the above, it is clear that these hormones can change the way you are living your lives.

Remember, aging is something that none of us can avoid, but it is crucial when you want to lead normal and independent lives, you must make use of human growth hormone.

Cure Uterine Fibroids by Reducing Estrogen and Balancing the Hormones

Many women of childbearing age suffer with fibroids and fibrocystic breast disease. For many the condition will prohibit planning a pregnancy.

Many post-menopausal women are taking estrogen replacement drugs that help control hot flashes and mood. However there are so many research studies implicating estrogen replacement with an increased risk of cancer, it hardly seems worth it to use this treatment to control hot flashes.

Many post-menopausal women are surprised to learn that despite their wise refusal of estrogen replacement, they too are estrogen dominant, and this excess estrogen in fueling the growth of fibroids and fibroid cysts in the uterus and breasts.

So what do you do? It you are on oral contraception or any type of hormone contraception (i.e, DeproProvera, etc.), discontinue it and use an alternative that is hormone free. If you are currently on estrogen replacement, tell your doctor that you want to discontinue it. (Later you can explore bio-identical hormone replacement with a qualified practitioner.)

Avoid drugs that contain hormones such as cortisone and prednisone. Avoid hydrocortisone cream.

Avoid estrogen-rich foods such as: soy products (tofu, soy yogurt, soy milk, etc.), flax seeds and flax oil, canola oil (from the rapeseed) as well as all seeds, pods, and beans. Think of every seed, pod and bean as a mini uterus ready to reproduce and consequently high in estrogen. Yes, many of these foods are famous for their nutritional value. However, for the individual with fibroids these foods will fuel the growth of the tumors. Soy in particular is everywhere in processed food products.

Avoid the so-called "women's herbs or herbal formulas" as these contain herbs known to be high in phytoestrogens. This can be the ultimate in irony as many natural approaches to treating fibroids recommend herbs that will in the short term have a positive effect, but in the long term fuel the growth of fibroids due their high content of estrogens.

Avoid herbicides and pesticides. These chemicals are known as xenoestrogens since they mimic the activity of natural estrogen. Stay away from golf courses, commercial farms, pest control sprays, fuel and solvent fumes. Always soak fruits and vegetables in a sink of water and a tablespoon of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide or a mixture of one half vinegar and water for 20 minutes, followed by a thorough rinse. Seek out my article on identifying estrogenic foods and herbs.

Metabolizing excessive estrogen is possible with a specific herbal formula developed by an oncologist with training in Chinese medicine (check below) and the use of a pure progesterone cream. Progesterone supplementation via a transdermal cream is an easy and powerful way to recover from the estrogen dominant condition that causes the growth of uterine fibroids, fibrocystic breasts and endometriosis. Progesterone quite simply puts excessive estrogen into balance. However, many formulas contain ingredients that are estrogenic in a misguided attempt to improve on pure progesterone. Read labels!

Estrogen is stored in body fat. Body fat is most often the result of a lower metabolism due to a sluggish and toxic liver. Excessive estrogens are contributing factors to weight gain. When the liver fails to eliminate estrogens efficiently, the excessive estrogens stimulate fat cell production from the lower abdominal area to the knees where estrogens are more concentrated.

Estrogens also bind to sodium which retains water and leads to weight gain. Chinese bitters can be helpful in detoxifying the liver and increasing the flow of bile. However, the fast track to a more functional liver can be realized by engaging in a series of liver-gallbladder flushes to remove the cholesterol pellets that clog the bilary ducts of the liver and impede the flow of bile. The easiest and most effective L-G flush uses an ozonated olive oil product, Olive Gold 03.

The best natural treatments for uterine fibroid tumors address the cause and the symptoms of the problem. Fibroid tumors develop due to excessive estrogen. The fibroid tumor is the symptom and product of the cause. Since fibroids are composed of fibrin, the same material of scar tissue, taking a professional strength systemic enzyme formula will dissolve the fibroid and remove this tissue altogether over time. When combined with the hormone balancing strategy this protocol offers the best natural approach to defeating uterine fibroids once and for all.

Contraceptive Methods To Avoid Unexpected Pregnancies

An unwanted pregnancy can create many problems. Contraceptive method is really important for women who are sexually active, as well as those who have a steady monogamous relationship. Contraceptive methods have been practiced for several of years. Today, a number of effective birth control methods are available that works in different ways and have different type of pros and cons. To understand what contraceptive method is best for you, first you should understand how it works and what are the pros and cons of each.

Contraceptive methods

Oral pills or birth controlling pills

The birth control pills are most commonly used methods among women's. Most oral pills consist of two types of synthetic hormones- progestin and estrogen, these hormones prevents ovulation from ovaries. This method is more effective if a woman takes a pill daily at the same time each day for 21 days of cycle.

Possible Side effects:

Nausea, Headaches, Breast tenderness, depression, weight gain, bloating, acne and increased blood pressure.

Condoms

This method is also the most popular and commonly used method. It stops the sperms from entering into the uterus and prevents pregnancy. This method can be 99% effective if it is used with vaginal spermicide.

Male condom is a flexible and thin tube made up of latex rubber or polyurethane. Male condom is rolled over the erect penis before the intercourse. It is risk free contraceptive method, which reduces chances of pregnancy and STDs, including HIV/AIDS.

Female condom is a soft tube made up of polyurethane. It has O-rings on both the ends. It is worn inside the vagina.

Possible Side effects

Some women's are allergic to latex.

Emergency method- Morning after pill.

If there is an unprotected sex or a failure in a contraceptive method during sexual intercourse, then morning after pill or emergency contraceptive method is must used to avoid unwanted pregnancy. It inhibits fertilization or implantation and stops pregnancy. These pills can be taken up to 72-120 hours after the unprotected sexual intercourse.

Possible Side effects

-Bloating, Discomfort, Breast tenderness and Lower back pain.

Depo-Provera Hormonal Injection.

Hormonal Injection works in similar way like birth control pills. In this method a Synthetic Progesterone hormone is injected in the female body, which stops ovulation from ovaries. It prevents pregnancy for three months or for 13 weeks.

Possible Side-effect:

-Irregular menstrual periods, weight gain, headaches, depression and possible bone mineral loss.

Hormone patch (Ortho-Evra)

The patch of hormones called estrogen and progestin are worn on the skin. These hormones are absorbed through the skin to the bloodstream and prevent ovulation. This contraceptive method is 99% effective, if it is used correctly. It is important that first you consult a doctor if patch is right for you or not.

Possible side-effects

-Blood clots, irregular bleeding, breast tenderness, nausea, skin irritation and cramps.

Sterilization method.

It is a permanent birth control method for both male and female. Sterilization for male is called vasectomy and for female it's called tubal ligation. This is a surgical procedure in which vas deferens (the tube that carries sperm from scrotum to penis) of male and the fallopian tubes (the tube leading from ovaries to uterus) in female are cut, clamped and tied. This sterilization contraceptive method is most effective and reliable for all those couple who don't wish to have a child anymore.

Intrauterine device(IUDs)

These devices are inserted into the uterus by a medical practitioner and can be left for a week. IUD is a T shaped plastic or copper and plastic devices which contains leveonorgestrel hormone, it stops sperm and egg to fertilize.

Possible side effects:

-Abnormal bleeding, abdominal pain, pain during sexual intercourse, chills and fever.

Diaphragm

Diaphragm is dome-shaped device with flexible rim. It is made up of rubber and silicon and can be reused. It is use with spermicide. It prevents sperm to enter into uterus. It is less effective than other contraceptive methods.

With the right type of contraceptive method, you can make a proper family planning and have a child when you wish. In additional, some of contraceptive methods can protect you from sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS.

Bioidentical Hormones - Your Questions Answered

What are bioidentical hormones?

These are hormones that are extracted from a natural source such as yams and soy and are refined in a lab so that they are identical, molecule for molecule, to the human hormone molecule.?? Our bodies contain the exact enzymes to metabolize them properly making them very effective in hormone replacement therapy.

What is the difference between synthetic hormones and bioidentical hormones?

Because they are not identical to the human hormone molecule, the different chemical structure is often not effective and can result in side effects.

How will taking biolidentical hormones help me?

It will help if you are suffering from the signs of menopause such as hot flashes, insomnia, mild depression, memory loss, low libido and weight gain, caused by low estrogen levels in your body.

Which doctors can prescribe bioidentical hormone therapy?

These days many doctors and general practitioners are prescribing them for hormone replacement therapy.

Should I take any other supplements?

It is always recommended that women take vitamins and minerals, anti-oxidants and essential omega 3 fatty acids, along with calcium, magnesium to support the body during menopause.? This will help prevent excessive symptoms such as hot flashes and also prevent osteoporosis.

How long will I need to take bioidentical hormones?

It is recommended that they are taken indefinitely to support a better quality of life and to prevent diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis and altzheimers.

In conclusion

Remember that taking any hormone replacement therapy could be considered a risk, and should only be taken as a last resort once all other avenues have been explored. It is always best to ensure that the body has proper nutrition and regular exercise in order to function properly and at an optimal level. Always eat the right foods and steer clear from fast foods, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. And avoid stress by exercising. Your health is your most valuable asset, and is priceless.

Testosterone and Other Hormones Are Constantly Changing in Our Body

Testosterone is from the androgen class of steroid hormones and it is made from cholesterol by Leydig cells in the testicles. The brain detects we don't have enough testosterone in our blood for our body's needs and so it commands the pituitary gland to make more. The pituitary gland sends signals to the Leydig cells to get on with converting the cholesterol in our blood into a variety of hormones typically starting with Pregnenolone which is subsequently broken down and further processed into progesterone which goes through further processing to become Androstenedione and finally in the last stages of production it becomes testosterone. The alternative route for our tests to produce testosterone is after the Pregnenolone stage that it is converted into DHEA and later into Androstenediol before final conversion into testosterone.

Indeed after the testosterone has served its purpose of driving our sexual interest and growing us more muscle mass, the testosterone breaks down too into further hormones in particular estrogen - the female hormone. Our hormone levels are always being produced and changed into other hormones and the issues of our diet and exercise levels are major contributing factors. Higher protein and fat diets lend themselves to higher production levels which is why body-builders never expect to lose fat and weight when they commence heavy training schedules.

In no small measure our free testosterone level is always in a contest with our estrogen levels and our estrogen levels are a bi-product of testosterone that has been spent and used up doing its manly things for us. Many body builders who use synthetic testosterone also ingest estrogen blockers so that the balance of hormones is always in favor of the testosterone. The real issue is that we have constantly changing levels of hormones in our body and that they are always being broken down by metabolism into other compounds and hormones before being filter out of our body by the kidneys and liver.