TriVita Article: The Dance of Hormones in Men and Women

by Dr Brazos Minshew, Trivita’s Chief Science Officer
Hormones are natural messengers produced by our bodies. They are responsible for successful development, normal behavior, maintenance of normal body processes and reproduction.

• Estrogen
  The hormone with which you are probably most familiar is estrogen. Both men and women need estrogen to be healthy. For example, your heart needs estrogen in order for the heart valves to close properly. You may be surprised to learn that estrogen is not a single hormone; rather, it is a group of hormones. Each type of estrogen has a different function in your body.

• Progesterone
  Unlike estrogen, progesterone is a single hormone. It affects fertility and is used to make the anti-stress hormone DHEA in both women and men.

• Testosterone
  You may have associated testosterone with men, but women actually produce testosterone as well (just as men also produce estrogen). Some benefits of testosterone in men and women include maintaining muscle mass, reducing body fat, growing healthier hair and, of course, a healthier libido.

• Cortisol
  Another important steroid hormone at work before, during and after stressful events is cortisol. Made in the adrenal glands, cortisol regulates blood sugar levels, determines immune system response and provides responses to stresses of all sorts. Unfortunately, many people have very stressful lives; this leads to an overproduction of cortisol, which can result in poor immune function, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

• DHEA
  DHEA is also made in the adrenal glands, and along with testosterone, DHEA is responsible for sexual development in men. In women, however, DHEA serves as a precursor to the estrogen, estriol. DHEA imbalance can result in male pattern baldness and increased facial and body hair in women.

• Fat cells
  While they are not endocrine glands, fat cells increase estrogen levels in men and women. Fat cells store fat-soluble toxins. This deadly cargo is released during stress. Releasing stored toxins and producing inflammatory estrogen is why excess fat is associated with certain types of cancer.

Hormone Basics
These hormones are not the whole “hormone picture.” In fact, they represent broad categories of hormones that may encompass hundreds of other hormones. Also, they interact in such a way that a relative excess in one hormone may make another hormone seem deficient even though blood tests say it is “normal.”

Estrogen, progesterone, DHEA and testosterone are examples of trophic hormones. They are made of the same substance: cholesterol. If your body is unable to convert cholesterol into these hormones you may see your blood levels of cholesterol rise. You can bring your cholesterol down and your low hormones up by helping convert cholesterol to trophic hormones.

Balancing hormones is simple, though it is not always easy: We make them, use them and get rid of (detoxify) them. This is the cycle of balanced hormones. The vast majority of people using this procedure achieve balanced hormones in just a few months.

1. Making hormones
   We make good hormones from good fats. Most doctors recommend over 1,200 milligrams of Omega-3 fats for building healthy hormones. TriVita OmegaPrime^® contains Omega-3 fats. OmegaPrime also contains Evening Primrose oil to help convert cholesterol to any of these hormones that may be low. You may find that you need higher levels of OmegaPrime every day to properly convert cholesterol into trophic hormones.

2. Using hormones
   TriVita’s Balanced Woman^® (for women) and Prostate Health Formula (for men) along with Vitamin E help direct the hormones where they need to go. Once there, Balanced Woman, Prostate Health Formula and Vitamin E help the hormones complete their work: building up the body and mind.

3. Detoxifying hormones
   Finally, the hormones must be excreted from your body to prevent them from building up to toxic levels. Balanced Woman and Prostate Health Formula nourish this detoxification process.

Conclusion
One final note: imbalanced hormones can cause uncomfortable symptoms, which creates stress. Stress all by itself creates hormone imbalances. Add the insult of a toxic world to the daily traumas, nutrient deficiencies and stresses from inside and outside our bodies and we have a recipe for disaster. The 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness replenish your reserves through nutrients and nurturing. Embrace the 10 Essentials and practice them daily for a healthy mind, body and spirit.

Source: TriVita Weekly Wellness Report Jun 06, 2009.