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Addicted to Hormones–Part Two
I’m going to continue this health study on hormones and the overall effect they have on our bodies. As in, they are what makes our body function so we better learn how to keep them healthy and in balance if we want to live a healthy, long and productive life!
There is something about us humans that don’t want to change anything until we are faced with uncertainty – cancer, disease, deterioration of the body, etc. I choose to PREPARE so down the road I don’t have to REPAIR!
Even though this is a longer post, read it in intervals if you need to, but don’t skip over it because of it’s length…the information is very valuable to everyone!
Before any of you leave this post, I encourage you to read a little further. If you are someone who finds themselves thinking or saying (or you know someone who does) things like:
~ Why am I always sleepy no matter how much sleep I get?
~ How come I have no energy and it only seems to be getting worse?
~ I’m only 30, so why do I have all these wrinkles on my face and why is my skin already sagging?
~ How come I can’t ever lose any weight?
~ How come I can’t lose that last 10 pounds?
~ Why is my skin so dry?
~ Why am I still getting acne and I’m way past my teenage years?
~ Why are my PMS symptoms so terrible?
~ Why am I having such a hard time conceiving?
~ Why am I always moody?
~ How can I have diabetes and I’m only in my early twenties?
~ Why do I crave sugar? Why do I crave salty things?
~ How come I’m having such a hard time sleeping?
~ Why do I keep getting gout?
~ Why is my young daughter’s body developing at such a young age?
~ ETC. ETC. ETC.
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If that’s you or someone you know – stick with me on these health posts and I promise you that you will find help with the information I am giving you. These particular posts may be long – but they will be worth the time. Your health is worth it! I’m breaking them up into several posts, because there is a lot of foundational info I need to give you!
The fascinating thing about hormonal imbalances is that they can be ‘fixed’ or ‘balanced’ or “brought back into harmony” by simply CHANGING WHAT YOU EAT AND DRINK.
Isn’t that amazing? You don’t need all these pills you see on TV, you don’t need counseling, you’re not past the point of no return – you just need to get your body working and functioning properly and at it’s peak. There now is a pill for everything. One commercial states that if you have more than 2 negative thoughts a day or week you could be clinically depressed. Come on people! Let’s take charge of our lives!
Pills are a band-aid. They don’t get to the root of any problem. If anything, they just force numbers down, but once you get off those pills, the numbers go right back up. And on top of it, all those pills add extra issues to your physical body and emotional life. I know people who have resorted to taking pills, but my desire is to see them come off those pills as they learn how to change what they are putting into their body, causing their body to get back in balance where they don’t need the pills anymore.
That, my friend, is freedom. To not be bound by pills, counselors, co-pays or doctors. You have to believe that there is hope of a better life! Because, There is!
So – today I’m going to list off some of the main hormones in our body and what part of our body and lives they affect! Read the info below and see if you can relate to any of these symptoms. This is not extensive information for each one listed, but it’s a great starting point.
At one point I had a low thyroid. With both pregnancies they did blood tests and my T4 is low aka a sluggish thyroid. This can lead to many things including weight gain, not being able to lose weight and temperature sensitivity – for those of who know me you know that I’m cold when the thermometer hits 70 degrees or lower – Fahrenheit! I was excited to learn that I didn’t have to go on a prescription to get this taken care of – I decided I would take care of it naturally and get my body working right again.
So, here we go!
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the TOP 11 HORMONES I’LL DISCUSS
INSULIN
THRYOID
ESTROGEN / PROGESTERONE
TESTOSTERONE
DHEA
CORTISOL
HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE (HGH)
LEPTIN
GLUCAGON
MELATONIN
In this post I’ll list what they are and in following posts I’ll talk about what causes these imbalances and I’ll tell you how you can get them back in balance with your diet.
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INSULIN affects Food Metabolism….Insulin pretty much governs your body and has a huge part in the effects of aging. When we consume excess sugar, we produce and have excess insulin. Low fat diets and excess ‘bad’ carbs will cause the pancreas to overproduce insulin. When your pancreas gets too overwhelmed, it will stop making insulin – which results in elevated blood sugar levels and leads to diabetes. If you have a ‘middle section’ it’s a good indication that your body is secreting too much insulin.
Symptoms connected with too much insulin include abdominal obesity, depression, facial hair on women, high liver enzymes, acne, problems sleeping, infertility, high blood pressure, skin tags, gout, irregular menstrual cycles and more.
Symptoms connected with too little insulin include rapid breathing, stomach pain, fatigue, unusual thirst, blurred vision, increased pulse rate, infection and more.
THRYOID affects Energy and Metabolism….The Thyroid is one of the largest endocrine glands in the body and is found in the neck below the ‘adam’s apple’. The Thyroid provides energy, boosts your immune system against infections and cancer, lowers blood pressure, decreases ‘bad’ cholesterol and can help improve your thinking. It helps control the rate at which your body burns calories, affects fertility, digestion, mood, overall growth, your heart rate and more.
There are two issues with an unbalanced Thyroid: Hyperthyroidism (overactive) and Hypothyroidism (underactive).
Hypothyroidism (an autoimmune disease) is when your thyroid gland does not make enough of the hormone. Those affected by this can experience low body temperature, depression, realllllyyyy slllooowwww metabolism, fatigue, dry skin and hair, slow heartbeat, hair loss, weight gain, memory issues, menstrual problems (heavy and prolonged), carpal tunnel syndrome, exhaustion, lump on neck (goiter), snoring, puffy face, dry or yellowing skin, difficulty swallowing, droopy eyelids and more.
Overproduction of the Thyroid hormone can result in: dizziness, extreme hunger, low blood pressure, bulgy ‘bug’ eyes, weight loss, excessive body heat, fatigue, insomnia, light or skipped periods, heat intolerance and more.
ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE serve many functions in both males and females. In women it is a part of our entire development from childhood to adulthood. It also has a part in bone density, memory, blood fats, digestive enzymes, lowers body fat, protects the heart and against Alzheimer’s disease, improves overall glucose tolerance, enlarges breasts and widens the pelvis (gives females their curves), increases insulin sensitivity and more.
Signs of low estrogen are headaches, frequent bladder infections, weight gain, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mental ‘fuzziness’ and more.
Signs of high estrogen levels include headaches, depression, bloating, swelling of the breasts and excessive vaginal bleeding.
Low progesterone levels can cause irregular and heavy periods, anxiety, migraines, pms symptoms and more.
TESTOSTERONE has several function as well, in both males and females. This hormone aids libido in both male and females. In males it’s needed to maintain muscle mass and strength, normal hair growth, bone mass, sperm production, weight maintenance and more.
With a lower testosterone level it will be harder to build muscle, but much easier to gain fat. Low levels can also cause decreased fertility.
DHEA is a steroid hormone found in the adrenal glands as well as the brain and is one of the most abundant in our body. (Note: steroid means: that your body creates this hormone out of cholesterol.)
Symptoms of a DHEA deficiency can include depression, anxiety and fatigue.
CORTISOL is a stress hormone and has several functions including energy and inflammation control. Cortisol is a major hormone responsible for increasing blood sugar levels, and in turn, energy levels. It also neutralizes inflammation and it raises blood pressure. It’s a long explanation to fill you in today on Cortisol release, but just know right now it’s connected to many other hormones and their functions. Too high or too low levels of Cortisol is a big deal.
Some symptoms of too little Cortisol include low blood pressure, salt cravings, paleness, extreme weakness, nausea and vomiting, chronic diarrhea, lesions inside the mouth and more.
Some symptoms of too much Cortisol include weight gain, obesity, depression, diabetes, high blood sugar, frequent colds or infections, insomnia, irregular periods, high blood pressure, belly fat and more.
HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE (HGH) is an amazing hormone all around involved in our overall growth and repair of tissues. It also protects your bones, builds muscle, burns fat, helps resist heart disease and is known as the closest thing to the ‘fountain of youth’. It also helps reduce anxiety and can help deepen your sleep and prevents many aging signs on your face such as deep skin creases, a shrinking jawline and a dwindling upper lip. HGH helps keep us fit and helps put the brakes on insulin – which is a fat-storing hormone. If we have too much, we’d be too tall, if we have too little, we’d be dwarfs. We need this hormone and we need it functioning at it’s peak.
Signs of too little HGH include sleep problems, wrinkles, shortness, low energy levels, fatty deposits in the face and belly, decreased bone density, depression, moody, decreased muscle mass and more.
Signs of too much HGH include hardening of the arteries, thickening of bones in your jaw, toes and fingers, breasts in males (aka man boobs), diabetes, carpal tunnel syndrome, insulin resistance and more.
LEPTIN is our satiety hormone-which means it tells your body when it’s full or when it’s hungry. Leptin is most active in your brain and it also manages how much fat is stored around the organs and under your skin. Research shows that overweight people have too much leptin in their system. The more ‘fat’ in your body, the more your body produces Leptin. A vicious cycle.
If Leptin levels are low, you most likely are malnourished and have a very low body fat. Some research shows high Leptin levels are linked to high sugar and high insulin levels. High levels of Leptin show to be associated with obesity, stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease, high cholesterol, increased inflammation, constant hunger, diabetes, elevated thyroid hormones and more.
GLUCAGON affects your food metabolism and has the opposite function of insulin in that in melts fat. If there is an absence of sugar in your system, glucagon is released and pulls sugars out of storage (since your tissues need sugar and energy) and it pulls them out of the liver and from fatty tissues to raise your blood glucose level. When your body has too little glucagon, you will gain weight and become fat. It’s when glucagon metabolized your fat into energy that you will lose weight.
As long as you continue to eat throughout the day, never giving your body a break – you will never lose weight. Why? Because when you eat, insulin is released and insulin and glucagon cannot be in the bloodstream at the same time because they have opposing functions. If you are constantly eating, there will constantly be insulin in your bloodstream. If you give yourself a break, insulin will leave and glucagon can be released and do it’s job of melting fat!
MELATONIN is a major sleep hormone and has a lot to do with our long term health and is controlled by light, heat and food. You could call it the ‘hibernation’ hormone. Melatonin improves your sleep, can lessen feelings of anxiety and can also reduce signs of aging in the face, makes you sleepy and cools your body. If your levels of Melatonin are low, you will have sleep problems. Your sleep is light and if you wake up – you have a hard time falling back asleep.
Melatonin also is connection with many other areas including supporting your immune system, lowers cortisol levels, is an antioxidant and increases the levels of your sex hormones as well as your growth hormone (HGH).
Some symptoms of too much Melatonin include insomnia, palpitations and vivid and/or unpleasant dreams.
Some symptoms of too little Melatonin include premature aging, problems falling asleep, depression, feeling unrested in the morning, overactive mind while falling asleep, waking up suddenly in the night – and then not being able to fall back asleep easily, anxiety and memory loss.
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So, there is the list of the hormones I will be discussing. As you can probably see – you may have many of these symptoms yourself. I will go over how our hormones become unbalanced and what you can do naturally, through food, to bring them back into balance!
OTHER ARTICLES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN:
Feeding Your Hormones: Thyroid & Insulin
Glowing Mama: Safe Skin and Body Care
{DISCLAIMER: Please remember that I am not a medical doctor and I am not making any diagnosis for anyone. I am just passing along information as a ‘third party’ that I think you will find beneficial. Always consult your physician before starting any supplements, vitamins or exercise programs.}
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“In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Author Unknown
The section on insulin and thyroid was very eye opening. The symptoms of too much insulin were spot on; right down to the facial hair. I’m hypo thyroid and have been on increasing doses of Synthyroid since I was in my 30′s.My doctor must be looking at someone else because he can physically see the signs not too mention I have blood tests every 3 months.If I read this right my hormone levels are really out of wack.Looking forward to reading more. Great research job.
Karen, have you ever asked your doctor to do a hormone panel? Since you’re getting bloodwork anyway, you should ask to have one done. It could answer a lot of quesitons for you and let your doctor see something he is obviously missing. Good to hear from you
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