Hormonal Disorders

Common disease conditions involving hormonal dysfunction are:

Menstrual Syndrome:

These are uncomfortable to downright debilitating symptoms experienced before, during or after menstrual periods in women. These have become so common that they are considered to be normal, although they are not. Severe symptoms indicate a hormonal imbalance in need of treatment. Most women resort to taking painkillers or other symptom management chemicals and over time suffer from their side effects. What is actually needed is to identify the health imbalance and correct it.
Some common symptoms that are assumed to be normal and part of menstruation, but can be treated are:

• Severe pain in abdomen, lower back or legs
• Headaches and migraines
• Nausea or vomiting
• Excessive weakness
• Mood swings, anger, irritability or emotional instability
• Sleep disturbance

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis / Hypothyroidism (lack of or excess of thyroxine produced by the thyroid gland. In most cases this is due to an autoimmune activity against the thyroid gland) The common symptoms with low thyroid function are:

• Tiredness
• Weight gain
• Dryness of skin
• Hairfall
• Excessive sleepiness

Overactive thyroid function:
This can lead to the following symptoms:

• Tremors
• Restlessness
• Anxiety
• Excessive hunger
• Weight loss
• Palpitations
• Sleeplessness

Diabetes mellitus (lack of insulin or insulin not being effective leading to high blood sugar levels)

Low testosterone:
Lack of this reproductive hormone can lead to the following:

• Low sex drive
• Fatigue
• Reduced lean muscle mass
• Irritability
• Erectile dysfunction
• Depression

High testosterone:
An excess of this hormone can lead to the following:

• Excessive facial and body hair
• Aggression and anger
• Infertility

Progesterone and Estrogen:
These reproductive hormones work in sync with each other and their levels influence each other.

Low progesterone levels may cause irregular periods and difficulty getting pregnant. If there is a lack of this hormone release, the body cannot prepare to be pregnant or support developing fetus. If a woman becomes pregnant but has low progesterone levels, there may be an increased risk of pregnancy loss.

Signs of low progesterone include:

• Abnormal bleeding from the uterus
• Irregularity or delayed periods
• Spotting or abdominal pain during pregnancy
• Recurrent abortions (loss of pregnancy)

Since estrogen and progesterone work together to regulate fertility and the menstrual cycle, low progesterone levels may cause estrogen levels to rise.

Someone with high estrogen may experience:

• Decreased libido
• Weight gain
• Gallbladder issues

Follicle stimulating hormone:
This is responsible for pubertal development and stimulation of follicles in women. Low levels lead to the following:

• Incomplete development during puberty
• Infertility due to no stimulation to follicles to produce eggs

Luteinizing hormone:
Plays an important role in sexual development and regulating the menstrual cycle. The levels rise at the time of ovulation, facilitating conception.

Human growth hormone:
This hormone regulates the protein, fat and cholesterol levels in the body.
A person who has too little adult growth hormone will have symptoms that include:

• Accumulation of body fat, especially around the waist
• Anxiety and depression
• Decreased sexual desire and function
• Tiredness
• Feelings of being isolated from others
• Increased sensitivity to heat and cold
• Loss of lean muscle mass
• Reduced muscular strength, stamina and ability to exercise without taking a rest
• Reduced bone density and proneness to fractures with older age
• Changes in blood cholesterol numbers

Prolactin:
This hormone causes breasts to grow and produce milk. This rises after childbirth. Excess of this hormone can cause milk production in men and also in women who are not pregnant.

Anti Mullerian hormone:
This hormone reflects the growth of follicles and low levels of these indicate a reduced ability to conceive.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome:
Excess production of male hormones in a female leading to various health disturbances like:

• Insulin resistance (leading to a greater risk of developing diabetes)
• Irregular menstruation
• Weight gain
• Excess facial hair growth
• Acne
• Mood disorders

Adrenal fatigue:
A condition due to prolonged stress and anxiety leading to the following common symptoms:

• Excessive tiredness with fluctuations in energy levels
• Unusual food cravings
• Dizziness on rising from sitting
• Inability to handle stress
• Lack of motivation
• Brain fog
• Recurrent illnesses and infections
• Unrefreshing sleep
• Poor concentration and memory
• Decreased sex drive
• Dark under eyes, tired expression
• Irregular menstrual cycle
• Sleeplessness despite being tired
• Poor digestion

Insufficient milk during breastfeeding:
Although factors like delaying to start breastfeeding or not feeding often enough causes a reduction in milk production, in some cases it is due to a systemic dysfunction and needs treatment.

Menopausal Syndrome:
Permanent stoppage of menstruation in women is a process that begins many years before the actual cessation and involves many changes in the body. This transition causes many distressing symptoms in women who do not have a healthy and balanced hormonal function. To avoid menopausal symptoms, it is important to improve general health years before menopausal age. The following are the common symptoms associated with distressing menopause:

• Mood swings, sadness or emotional instability
• Irregular periods
• Weight gain
• Flushes of heat
• Excessive and random episodes of sweating
• Tiredness
• Loss of sex drive
• Dryness of skin and vagina
• Hair loss
• Sleeplessness or disturbed sleep
• Urinary incontinence
• Breast tenderness

Factors causing hormonal disorders that are often overlooked:

• Food and Environmental Toxins
• Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis
• Immune System Disorders
• Poor quality or lack of sleep
• Side Effects of Chemical Medications
• Stress
• Wrong diet

Conventional treatment of hormonal disorders:

In case of a deficiency of a hormone:
Supplementing the body with a synthetic version of the hormone in approximate quantities needed.

In case an excess of hormone is being produced or released:
Surgical removal of the gland or an overgrowth causing overproduction, after which the person is put on synthetic supplementation of that missing hormone.
Chemicals are used to interfere in the process of production or release of the excess hormone.

In case the hormone is ineffective:
Assisting the body chemically and managing the symptoms of hormone resistance.

Since hormones are needed in precise amounts and at specific times by the body, it is nearly impossible to achieve normal hormonal balance by substituting with synthetic hormones. The person supplementing nearly always goes through a roller coaster of hormonal highs and lows with this treatment approach.

The STEPS Program© approach to treating Hormonal Disorders:

This approach focuses on improving the general health of the person and encouraging the body to produce the right amount of the needed hormone. When the body does it, it does so in the right amount and at the right time. By encouraging the body to produce the hormone naturally, there is no need to take management medications over the long term. Having said that, not all hormonal imbalances can be treated or reversed. Only when the body is able to reverse the factors causing the hormonal imbalance, there is a benefit with this holistic approach.