Sacred Truth Ep. 72: Essential Hormonal Truths

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Sacred Truths - Natural Health And Beyond

Health & Fitness


What few people know is that the body's natural hormones are far more powerful than drugs. They can even alter the expression of our genes. When you have good hormonal control this leads to experiencing the very highest capacity for human health.   Your body contains more than 100 different kinds of hormones. These amazing powerhouses pour into your bloodstream and supply your body with literally thousands of billions of units each day. When they are in good balance they help control heartbeat, encourage good sleep, manage blood pressure, maintain strong firm muscles, lubricate your joints, and even build good bones. Of course they influence the menstrual cycle as well as countering stress, relieving depression, and preventing fatigue. They can even help protect you from infections and allergic reactions. However, knowledge about what the body’s natural hormones offer and how important they are for high-level health has long been marginalized and hidden from popular view by information that is largely controlled by pharmaceuticals.   In last week's Sacred Video I tried to introduce you to bio-Identical hormones. We examined how the body’s natural hormone levels decrease with age and what effect this has upon our vitality, and what can be done to counter this. Now let’s look deeper into the wonderful mysteries of bio-identical hormones, where they come from, and how, with guidance from a practitioner well versed in their use, they can be used to restore strength and balance to the body regardless of age. We will also begin to explore how they can help improve all sorts of chronic ailments, including thyroid issues, menstrual problems, fibromyalgia, PMS, autoimmune disorders, and heart disease. And there’s a lot more to come.   But first, let me share with you some information about the huge health study identifying the failure of conventional HRT, which opened the doors to exploring natural, bio-identical hormones not long ago. A randomized, placebo controlled study conducted by The Woman's Health Initiative (WHI) involved 40 large medical centers in the United States and 16,608 women. It was designed to find out the benefits and risks of using conventional hormone replacement. Half of the women in the study were given HRT in the form of Prempro (Provera and Premarin) and the other half received no active drugs, only a placebo. Researchers wanted to find out if there would be increases or decreases in heart disease, stroke, cancer, hip fractures, and death due to any cause. The study was intended to last for 8.5 years. However, researchers were forced to halt it at 5.2 years. Why? Because it became evident that the overall risks of giving conventional HRT far outweighed the overall benefits and it would have been completely irresponsible to continue the study. For example, they discovered that there was a 29% increase in coronary heart disease in women given conventional HRT, a 41% increase in the incidence of stroke, and an incredible 2,100% increase in pulmonary embolism—blood clots in the lungs. Women in the synthetic HRT group also experienced a surprising 26% increase in risk of breast cancer.   In short, results from the WHI showed that the use of conventional hormones could be seriously harmful. This outcome rang a death knell for synthetic, pharmaceutical drugs, which have been aggressively promoted for 30 years and are still being promoted. It also helped vindicate the doctors who are well trained in the use of natural bio-identical hormones rather than their synthetic counterparts.    Here’s the bottom line: Natural hormones are not only safer in the hands of practitioners who are knowledgeable in how to prescribe them but also more effective. This is why they are on their way, slowly but surely, to becoming a first choice in the treatment of patients who have need of hormonal help.   Now let's take a quick look at some of your body's major hormone glands and the natural hormones they produce. If some of the names seem foreign to you, don’t worry—in the next couple of videos they will become familiar to you. Here are some of your most important glands and a sampling of some of the natural hormones that they make:   •  Your brain makes three very important natural hormones: DHEA, pregnenolone, and ACTH. •  The anterior pituitary gland within the brain makes growth hormone, TSH, and ACTH, while the posterior of your pituitary gland produces another important natural hormone named vasopressin. •  Your pineal gland is where your body makes melatonin, a hormone infinitely valuable for good sleep and to help protect your body from premature aging. •  Your thyroid gland in the throat area is where vital thyroid hormones are made, which are so important for metabolism throughout the body. •  Your adrenal glands make DHEA, pregnenolone, cortisol, and aldosterone. •  In a woman, ovaries make estrogens and progesterone in addition to some androgens (male hormones), which are also important to a woman. •  In men, testicles produce testosterone, which is a hormone absolutely vital for men to be men but, in smaller quantities, equally essential to every female body.   In the earlier part of our lives, provided we have been eating well and looking after ourselves, we can enjoy hormonal abundance. Then, bit-by-bit, each one of us experiences some degree of glandular deterioration. With it comes an inevitable decrease in hormone secretions. There are other factors involved that influence this degenerative process too; for example, we live in an increasingly polluted environment. These things can cause a buildup in our glands, which causes damage to them.   Our blood vessels in which hormones are carried all over the body can gradually deteriorate. Blood circulation becomes more problematic. Instead of oxygen and nutrients being delivered in a steady stream they begin to arrive drop by drop. This deprives our glands of what is needed for them to function well. So can infections, and the presence of parasites, bacteria, and other microbes in our bodies. Probably the most important cause of decreased natural hormone production is the inevitable aging that takes place in the glands themselves.   For young people in optimal health of say, between 18 and 28 for women and 21 to 34 in men, hormone levels can benefit from being regularly monitored. Most of us begin to accumulate more obvious shifts in hormone levels between 35 and 45. This is a good time to begin testing levels of all the natural hormones in the body in order to find out where in our glandular system the hormones being made are no longer at optimal levels. This can be done with blood tests and 24-hour urine tests. And, with the help of your health practitioner who is well trained in the use of bio-identicals they can be used to support your glands and enhance the levels of your natural hormones so you are able to live at the highest level of wellbeing possible for you.   There are all sorts of things that can place extreme stress on the glands and cause a drop in natural hormone production. Overeating is one. So is the regular consumption of alcohol, drug use, smoking, intense athletics training, illness, infections, and exposure to pollution. These things place enormous strain on the body, which makes it susceptible to poor hormone production.   OK, where do we go from here?   Next week we we’ll look deeper into the body's natural hormone system and how important it is when correcting hormonal imbalance not to try doing this using only a single bio-identical hormone. It’s important to use "physiologic doses" of several natural hormones. This way your body will not cause a gland or several glands to cease producing hormones naturally. Learning this stuff can be a lot of fun. It can also be life changing—when after following a well-conceived program of bio-identical hormones you discover it has brought you to a place where you look and feel a good 20 to 30 years younger.