Is It Me or Is It Hot in Here?: Balancing Your Hormones - Take Back Your Life!

By Dr. Stephanie King DC RN

Dr. Stephanie King, chiropractor, registered nurse, educator and trainer brings 20 years of expertise to the filed of nutrition and diet education. She is familiar with both conventional and complementary therapies and has put together a unique protocol to help patients achieve their lifestyle goals with the safest, most natural methods possible.

After a car accident that left her severely injured, Stephanie was exposed to chiropractic care and fell in love with the hands-on and natural approach of the field. She completed her Registered Nurse License, adding certifications in Advanced IV Vitamin Therapies, Functional Medicine, and Cosmetic Procedures. She is also currently obtaining a Family Nurse Practitioner degree.

Stephanie King helps patients who have faced the challenge of not only poor health but also poor body image due to struggles with genetics, lifestyle, and weight management. Her patients -- ranging from celebrities and athletes to judges, doctors, and people from all walks of life -- say on a daily basis, "I know Stephanie will have the answer," and she does!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543955279

Book preview

References

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The Basics of Female

Hormone Dysregulation

Countless women walk through my doors each month facing agonizing symptoms that range from unexplained weight gain to mood imbalance, fatigue, infertility, abnormal periods, unwanted hair growth or loss, inability to regulate temperature, lost libido, and more. Most of them have seen multiple health care providers and have tried myriads of ineffective treatments such as birth control, antidepressants, infertility drugs, hair loss medications, and painful laser treatments for unwanted facial hair.

These women feel like no one understands their journey or how to help, but the truth is that they are far from alone. In fact, their symptoms represent many different forms of female hormone dysregulation, a condition that over 13% of women in the US suffer from, often in isolation and shame.¹ Unfortunately, this ever-growing problem is not being addressed effectively in most health care settings, and women are left to endure mounting symptoms without any hope of regaining the health and confidence they once had. But it does not have to be this way--there are better and more effective answers for female hormone dysfunction. However, we must be willing to do the hard work of uncovering what is at the root. Once we dig deep enough, we can heal women from the ground up.

What is female hormone dysregulation?

Many of my patients are convinced that they suffer from a hormone imbalance because friends or family casually toss around comments like, you’re so hormonal, or Geez, you must have PMS. Other patients blame hormones for unexpected weight gain, bloating, discomfort, change in sex drive, fatigue, and more. It’s true; female sex hormones can affect mood, pain, weight, and fluid balance, making you and the people around you feel on edge and frustrated.

Sex hormones like testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone can become imbalanced and cause frustrating symptoms, but these hormones are not the only ones involved in the many conditions that fall under the umbrella of hormone dysfunction. While sex hormones are the most popular fall guy for not fitting in your jeans or feeling moody, there are other chemicals that are also involved in directing the complex functions of your body.

The Basics

Before we get into the intricacies of female hormone dysfunction, let’s start with the basics and clear up any misconceptions about gender specifics and the variety of hormone functions. While this can get a little sticky, it’s critical to understand the inner workings of your hormone system so that you can begin to make connections between what you are feeling and what might be brewing underneath the surface.

Hormones are chemical communication molecules that direct functions throughout the body. Every person--male and female--has a network of glands throughout the body that make up the endocrine system, and these specialized glands produce hormones that are released into circulation. Hormones have unique shapes that make them specific for triggering different tasks. Think of hormones as keys that can only fit into certain locks. A variety of differently shaped keys are transported around the body until they find a lock to fit into, which we call a receptor. All the cells throughout your body have receptors, but not all cells have a receptor for every hormone. This, by design, allows some cells to get certain hormone messages while other cells cannot.

Imagine a key fitting into a lock on a cell. As soon as that happens, a process or function in the cell is unlocked or stimulated. In that moment, the hormone delivers a message to the cell, and the cell should respond by carrying out the command. This is the basic communication system of your body, and it coordinates countless processes just like a conductor directs an orchestra.

The healthy functioning of your endocrine system is critical for health and wellbeing. Commands from messenger hormones influence everything from heart rate to growth, metabolism, and reproduction. Imbalanced or dysfunctional hormone function can increase one’s risk of developing a host of disorders such as diabetes, heart disease, low or high thyroid activity, sexual and reproductive dysfunction, and more.

Before we get any deeper into the range of female hormone dysfunction, it’s important to have a general view of all female endocrine glands and the hormones they produce. You will soon realize that each one can affect the other and create unwelcome symptoms. This is a great resource to refer to throughout the book as we dive into symptoms and conditions you may be experiencing.

Hypothalamus

This gland is located toward the lower midbrain and acts as a director of the nearby pituitary gland, signaling it to release hormones when needed.

Pituitary gland

This master gland influences all the other glands and is located at the base of the brain, just behind the sinuses. Because this gland is involved in the processes of all other hormones, I want to spend a bit more explaining its function because I will refer to it throughout the book. The pituitary is split into two sections: the anterior and posterior (front and back).

The anterior pituitary gland secretes growth hormone and prolactin. Growth hormone stimulates growth, hence the name. Prolactin signals milk production after childbirth.

The anterior pituitary also produces a family of hormones called tropic hormones, which are responsible for stimulating other glands that produce hormones.

Tropic hormones include

•thyroid-stimulating hormone (AKA thyrotropin) stimulates the thyroid gland

•follicle-stimulating hormone stimulates the ovaries

•luteinizing hormone stimulates ovulation in women and testosterone production in men

•adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulates the release of cortisol (stress hormone) from the adrenal gland.

We can’t forget the posterior pituitary gland, which doesn’t produce hormones but instead stores and releases hormones--vasopressin and oxytocin--that are made by the hypothalamus area of the brain.

•Vasopressin regulates fluid balance and blood pressure

•Oxytocin is involved in sexual reproduction and bonding

As you can imagine, problems with the pituitary gland can affect metabolism, stress response, bone growth, menstrual cycles, blood pressure, sleep, and more. ²

Pineal gland

The pineal gland resembles a pine nut, hence the name. This small gland in the center of the brain releases melatonin, which regulates sleep cycles.

Thyroid

The butterfly-shaped thyroid gland is located in the front of the neck. This gland directly controls metabolic functions like fat storage, energy, temperature regulation, and it even affects mood, heart rate, and stress levels.

Parathyroid

The parathyroid is comprised of four tiny glands in the neck, just behind the thyroid gland. They help to control calcium levels in the blood and bones.

Thymus

The thymus is located in the upper chest and is involved in the production of white blood cells and the development of the immune system early in life.

Islet cells in the pancreas

Pancreatic islet cells control the production and release of hormones insulin and glucagon, which work together to regulate blood sugar. Insulin lowers blood sugar while glucagon increases it.

Adrenal gland

The adrenals are two glands that are positioned on top of the kidneys. They release a stimulatory hormone called cortisol, which is involved in stress response, mood, motivation, blood sugar regulation, and metabolism.

Ovaries

The ovaries are female reproductive organs that store and release eggs and also produce sex hormones.

The slightest shift or disruption of the endocrine glands can disrupt the delicate balance of hormones in your body, causing devastating symptoms that eventually lead to endocrine disorders and disease. There are countless factors that influence the endocrine system each day, beneficially and to your detriment. By having a deep understanding of these factors, we can better balance and support the endocrine system.

The Specifics of Sex Hormones

Female hormone changes can involve or be exacerbated by imbalances in almost every other hormone, but many of the obvious symptoms of female hormone dysfunction will surely involve the sex hormones. So, let’s get clear on how these hormones function in our bodies and why it’s so important that they stay in balance.

Estrogen is a critical hormone for female development. There are a few forms of estrogen, mainly produced by the ovaries, which drive female characteristics like breasts, pubic hair, widening of the hips, menstrual cycles, and reproductive functions. Girls begin to produce much more estrogen around puberty when these features become distinct. It should be mentioned that men also produce estrogen, but in much lower levels. The three forms of estrogen include:

Estrone (E1)

Estrone is the most plentiful form of estrogen in women after menopause and is the weakest form of estrogen. The body can convert estrone to estradiol, estradiol back to estrone, and small amounts of estrone are stored in many tissues throughout the body, especially fat and muscle.

Estradiol (E2)

Estradiol is the strongest steroid form of estrogen and is produced by the ovaries. Estradiol should be degraded to estriol by the liver and other tissues once it does its job, and when that does not happen effectively, it is thought to contribute to a range health issues such as endometriosis, fibroids, and female cancers such as endometrial cancer.³

Estriol (E3)

Estriol is primarily a waste product from metabolized estradiol and is the weakest of the estrogens. While estrone and estradiol can convert back and forth, once estrogen is in the form of estriol, it cannot move back to either of those more active forms.

Estrogen is crucial to the reproductive function and cycle of a woman and fluctuates throughout the menstrual cycle, spiking around the midway point, which triggers the ovaries to release an egg. The body then increases progesterone, which helps to maintain pregnancies and implants the egg within the uterus. However, if the egg is not fertilized, both hormones drop and menstruation begins. I should add that testosterone is also involved in this cycle at much lower amounts with a small boost around ovulation.

Some other interesting ways that estrogen affects women is its ability to increase insulin sensitivity, which regulates blood sugar, fat storage, and how much lean muscle a female can develop. Estrogen is also behind women’s hair being finer and less likely to thin on the head. We can thank estrogen for our smaller voice boxes and subsequently higher voices, as well as our lower chance of developing acne.

Imbalances in estrogen also affect the brain’s ability to balance body temperature, regulate the sexual development, and influence the neurotransmitters like serotonin, GABA, and dopamine, which influences mood regulation. Bones benefit from estrogen’s ability to build bone and prevent bone loss, and estrogen also improves collagen in the skin, which prevents signs of aging. The liver and heart rely on estrogen to help regulate cholesterol production, protecting the heart and arteries. Imbalanced estrogen levels are also linked to cardiovascular disease because the hormone is involved in vascular health.⁴

Causes of Endocrine Disorders

Endocrine disorders that result in a hormone imbalance are typically grouped into two categories:

Hormone Imbalance, which usually is caused by an endocrine gland that is producing too much or too little of a hormone.

OR

Glands that are affected by lesions or tumors, which may or may not affect the hormones they are producing.

Although conventional medicine leaves it at that, in functional medicine, we take a more comprehensive look at endocrine disorders. There are many underlying factors that can trigger a gland to produce too much or too little hormone. For instance, autoimmune disorders can cause the immune system to attack and destroy gland tissues, or toxins may interrupt the functioning of a gland; the list is long and complex.

It is common for conventional medicine to direct its attention (and often drug therapy) at the gland or the hormone, but that approach ignores the real cause of the disease. Symptoms of hormone imbalance might be caused by direct problems with the gland, but maybe not. Not only could the gland be the victim of another unseen imbalance but also remember that the hormones that act as a key are limited to the lock they fit into. That means that problems with the hormone receptors can also be the root of the problem.

Take, for instance, my lovely patient Mona. Mona came to my clinic distraught after over a decade of insufferable symptoms that had affected every facet of her life. Mona was formally diagnosed with PCOS or polycystic ovary syndrome. At the time, Mona was 38 and had recently been divorced after years of infertility frustrations. She had endured over seven years of depression, uncontrolled weight gain, hair loss, acne, and poor sleep.

Within moments of sitting down in my exam room, she burst into tears and cried with exasperation over the hopelessness she could not shake. As time went on,