Your A-Game, Part III: The Key Players

Let's keep talking hormones and how they can help you stay healthy. In the first of this series, I explained how I got started on a path of bioidentical hormone use and how I've come to understand its benefits. And in the second installment, we debunked a few hormone-related myths—first, that "natural" and "bioidentical" do not mean the same thing. Just like Cinderella and her glass slipper, your hormones should be an exact fit for your body (aka bioidentical). Second, we cleared up the misunderstanding that hormone therapy leads to an increased risk of cancer and stroke. (We actually see protection against these events, not an increased risk.) And now we approach another:

Myth #3: Bioidentical hormones refer specifically to sex hormone replacement therapy for women during menopause. 

Not true. There are actually other key players which offer both men and women sustained health and vitality. The sex stars—estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone—get a lot of play, and I’ll cover them in a separate post. But the non-sex hormones, are equally as crucial for vitality.* Here they are: 

NON-SEX HORMONES FOR HEALTH OPTIMIZATION 

Thyroid hormones (T3 and T4): These Energizer-bunny hormones are motivating energizing activating substances. They boost metabolism and clear the brain. They tend to make us (especially women) feel good mentally, emotionally, and physically. Supplementation of thyroid hormone to high normal levels can lower cholesterol, help restore hair loss in women, help with depression, and help us maintain an ideal body weight. 

DHEA: An age-gauge of emotional and physical health, stamina, immunity, and muscle mass, DHEA can help suppress inflammatory conditions such as lupus and psoriasis. There is a lot of hype in the body building community about DHEA because of its muscle building abilities. When used properly—in a sustained release formula with doctor supervision—this is a very safe and effective health booster and mood booster. 

Melatonin: This restorative sleep elixir helps you get to Stage IV sleep, which is where you repair your adrenals and immune system. We make plenty of melatonin as babes and teens, but many of us stop making it as we get into adulthood. If you take melatonin nightly, you’ll notice that not only do you adjust more easily to jet lag, but you also don’t get that cold that is being passed around. It works with the darkness to make you sleep deeply and restfully, which kicks the body’s repair mechanisms into action.

Cortisol: Think of it like a credit card of stress response, financed by your adrenals. You can spend, spend, spend, but if you don’t repay with sleep and restoration, you will bankrupt your body. Cortisol levels tend to go higher and higher and then collapse. So an early sign of adrenal trouble is actually a high morning cortisol level. 

Oxytocin: Meant to stimulate bonding and relaxation, this hormone is released with nipple stimulation and after orgasm. It is a “love hormone” and may be responsible for the term “pussy-whipped” as it applies to sexually satisfied men.  

Human Growth Hormone: Much maligned and over-priced, this hormone may be better named the Human Healing Hormone as its effects on healing and regeneration are profound. If I had severe arthritis or degenerative disease, I would definitely consider taking this hormone.

Pregnenolone: the Mother-of-all hormones, this precursor molecule is a boon to all the hormone pathways and is a known memory aid. When taken as a supplement, its effects are less noticeable than some of the others.

*Everything I’ve learned about the effects of bioidentical hormones occurred after leaving my formal medical training, during a process of seeking my own health. Though clear support for their use is found throughout the medical literature in reputable journals (such as JAMA and NEJM), it is not yet mainstream medical practice to prescribe them to optimize health. Doctors, like any group of individuals, tend to disagree amongst themselves. If you mention to your doctor something you’ve read here and it is met with derision, keep that in mind.

Coming up next week: The love triad: estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.