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Estradiol is
the primary reproductive hormone in nonpregnant women. This
steroid hormone plays an important role in normal fetal development
and in the development of secondary sexual characteristics
in females. Estradiol influences the maturation and maintenance
of the uterus during the normal menstrual cycle. Levels of
estradiol steadily increase during the follicular phase of
the menstrual cycle in association with the growth and development
of the ovarian follicle. As the follicular phase proceeds,
estradiol exerts a negative feedback control on the pituitary,
resulting in a drop in FSH levels. Near the end of the follicular
phase, there is a dramatic increase in estradiol levels.
At this point, the feedback of estradiol on the hypothalamus
becomes positive and produces the midcycle surge of LH which
immediately precedes ovulation. After ovulation, estradiol
levels initially fall abruptly, but then increase as the
corpus luteum forms. At the end of the cycle, levels fall
off in anticipation of the initiation of the next follicular
phase. During pregnancy, the placenta produces estradiol.
Estradiol levels are generally low in menopause due to diminished
ovarian production.
A small amount of estradiol is
produced by the male testes. Elevated levels in males can
lead to gynocomastia. Increased estradiol levels in males
may be caused by increased body fat, resulting in enhanced
peripheral aromatization of androgens. Levels in men can
also be increased by excessive use of marijuana, alcohol,
or prescribed drugs, including phenothiazines and spironolactone.
Estradiol levels can also be dramatically elevated in germ
cell tumors and tumors of a number of glands in both men
and women.
Estradiol levels are routinely used
to monitor ovulation induction to stimulate follicle development
in patients being treated by assisted reproductive techniques. Estradiol
levels can be used to calibrate the exogenous gonadotropin
administration and have been found to correlate with follicle
size. The pattern of estradiol secretion during the cycle
can be used to predict the outcome of the ART protocol.
Estriol - To evaluate
fetal distress and placental function in the management of
patients facing complications such as preeclampsia, fetal
growth retardation, diabetes, Rh immunization, choriocarcinoma,
and hydatidiform mole. May be elevated in hydrops fetalis
in the presence of a dying fetus. May be low in the presence
of a living anencephalic fetus.
Estriol, E3,
is synthesized in the placenta from 16--hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone
of fetal origin. Thus, normal production can serve as a measure
of the integrity of the fetoplacental unit. Sequential monitoring
of estriol in high risk pregnancy has made possible early
intervention and fetal salvage. Chronically low estriol values
are found in intrauterine growth retardation but also are
sometimes seen in normal pregnancy. A decreasing trend is
indicative of fetal distress. The sensitivity and specificity
of this test for detecting fetal distress are very poor;
thus its use for this purpose has been largely abandoned.
Combined evaluation of unconjugated serum estriol, maternal
serum hCG, maternal serum AFP, and maternal age has value
in predicting risk for fetal chromosomal abnormalities during
pregnancy. The use of maternal serum AFP, hCG, and estriol
predicts 65% of Down syndrome, as opposed to 28% if only
serum AFP is used.3,4,5
Limitations: Single
values are almost impossible to interpret; trends in a series
of measurements are much more important. May be low in case
of placental sulfatase deficiency in the presence of a healthy
baby. Other causes of decreased estriol levels include subjects
living at high altitudes, anemia, severe liver disease, and
a variety of drugs. Estriol
may be increased with multiple pregnancy and
with oxytocin. It is not
reliable in the presence of renal disease.
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) For
men and women who fear hair loss at some point, what they
should actually fear is dihydrotestosterone or DHT. This
is the hormone responsible for pattern baldness. Everyone
has at least a little bit of this, but those who have it
in excess will likely experience hair loss.
Dihydrotestosterone is essentially a male hormone. It plays
a big role earlier in life, helping young boys to grow facial
hair. It also assists in the development of male reproductive
organs. This hormone is also present in women, just as men
have small amounts of estrogen. Since women do not typically
have as high an amount of DHT as men do, they do not experience
baldness to the same degree as men. However, women are usually
the last to go seek any treatment, if they do so at all.
Basically, what happens with DHT is that it attaches itself
to the hair follicles and begins to cut off the blood supply
to the hair. Eventually, the follicle shrinks, making it
impossible for hair to grow back again. There is good news,
though. The hair follicle is not dead at this stage, only
shrunken. Therefore, there is a possibility that, with
proper treatment, hair growth could be stimulated once
more.
The body will not naturally reverse the effects of balding.
When dihydrotestosterone attacks, it will not stop on its
own. Excess amounts of DHT are genetic. You get this from
someone in your family. So, if you have a lot of bald relatives,
don't be shocked when it starts happening to you. You can,
though, look into hair products early and try to stop the
process from even beginning.
ADRENAL HORMONES
Cortisol is a steroid hormone made in the adrenal glands.
Cortisol's important function in the body includes roles
in the regulation of blood pressure and cardiovascular
function as well as regulation of the body's use of proteins,
carbohydrates, and fats. Cortisol secretion increases in
response to any stress in the body, whether physical (such
as illness, trauma, surgery or temperature extremes) or
psychological pressures, (such as poor marriage, unemployment,
etc.).
When cortisol is secreted, it causes
a breakdown of muscle protein, leading to release of amino
acids into the bloodstream. These amino acids are then used
by the liver to synthesize glucose for energy, in a process
called gluconeogenesis. Cortisol also leads to the release
of energy source from fat cells, for use by the muscles.
Taken together, these energy directing processes prepare
the individual to deal with stressors and insure that the
brain receives adequate energy sources.
The body possesses an elaborate feed
back system for controlling cortisol secretion and regulating
the amount of cortisol in the bloodstream. The pituitary
gland, a small gland at the base of the brain makes and secretes
a hormone known as adrenocorticotropic hormone, or ACTH.
Secretion of ACTH signals the adrenal glands to increase
cortisol production and secretion. The pituitary, in turn,
receives signals from the hypothalamus of the brain in the
form of the hormone CRH, or corticotrophin- releasing hormone,
which signals the pituitary to release ACTH. Almost immediately
after a stressful event, the levels of the regulatory hormones
ACTH and CRH increase, causing an immediate rise in cortisol
levels. When cortisol is present in adequate, or excess amounts,
a negative feedback system operates on the pituitary gland
and hypothalamus, which alerts these areas to reduce the
output of ACTH and CRH, respectively, in order to reduce
cortisol secretion when adequate levels are present.
DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is the
most abundant hormone found in the bloodstream. When the
adrenal glands are chronically stressed, your production
of DHEA can be greatly reduced. DHEA in an important regulator
of the thyroid and pituitary glands. Though the adrenal glands
produce most of the body's supply of DHEA, the gonads (ovaries,
testes) can also manufacture DHEA when the adrenals are overworked.
DHEA exerts powerful effects throughout the body. Most cells
possess DHEA receptors on their membranes. DHEA is vital
to health. DHEA also regulates many other hormones; however
it can be easily converted to estradiol and/or testosterone
and therefore needs to be monitored by testing levels of
estradiol and testosterone. DHEA is a good stress barometer,
because when stress levels go up, DHEA levels go down. Generally,
DHEA levels tend to decrease with age. DHEA peaks at age
25 then declines at a rate of about 2% per year. It is not
until the 40s that we begin to feel the effects of lower
DHEA levels.
The most accurate way to measure DHEA
is to measure it in the stable form that the body keeps it
in: DHEA-S (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate). Measurement
of serum DHEA-S is a useful marker of adrenal androgen synthesis.
Abnormally low levels have been reported in hypoadrenalism,
while high or inverted diurnal levels have been reported
in several conditions.
Adrenal Stress
Adrenal Stress index
blood testing assists
physicians in making a proper diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome & Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Even more useful than
a diagnosis, this blood test is able to tell physicians the
exact Selye phase and DHEA, or Cortisol "key"
of the patient, which allows them to institute the correct
treatment for that specific phase. By using these ongoing
testing procedures, physicians are able to ascertain which
therapy is effective for their patients.
Adrenal Stress Conditioning and Training
Adrenaline release is not a voluntary body function. It's
elicited into one's bloodstream and brain not so much by
what one may "think,"
but by what their body "perceives." It's one reason
that certain adrenal stress training methods work so consistently
and well with patients.
In RMCAT conditioning, for example, your
body will not know the difference no matter what you may
be "thinking"
in your "self aware" mind; hence, you will experience
the adrenal response. This process is essentially the key
to adrenal stress training methodology as well. In this training,
one minimizes the dysfunctional adrenal effects, learning
to make use of the very powerful and beneficial effects of
this inescapable biochemistry.
HORMONE BALANCE
Hormones exert a powerful influence over all physical, intellectual and emotional
behavior. Problems with weight, memory, sleep, digestion, blood pressure, high
cholesterol, cravings, addictions, sexual dysfunctions, and problems associated
with the immune system, are all influenced by the endocrine system. Endocrine
problems lead to a wide spectrum of symptoms that in most cases can be reversed
using natural methods.
A primary marker of the aging process
in both men and women is a reduction in normal hormone levels
which is responsible in large part for infertility, decreased
energy and muscle strength, loss of libido, depression, mood
swings, inability to cope, and an increase in the symptoms
of PMS and menopause.
Research has shown that the use of natural
hormone replacement can provide benefits for both men and
women.
STRESS HORMONES
Endocrine problems may be the result of stress. Simply put,
stress is the sum total of all mental and physical input
over a given period of time. The marker used to measure
stress is the adrenal steroid hormone, cortisol. Stress,
whether physical or emotional in origin, provokes a response
by the adrenal glands. Many hormonal imbalances are the
direct result of adrenal insufficiency. When the adrenal
glands become exhausted due to overwork, adequate levels
of the stress hormones, DHEA and cortisol cannot be produced,
this in turn plays a major role in the usage, or the misappropriation
of all the other steroid hormones.
The adrenal glands produce two primary
hormones, DHEA and cortisol. Both are considered the major
shock absorber hormones in the body. They buffer us to stress
and the negative impact it can have on both mental and physical
function. Long-term stress can have a serious impact on the
adrenal glands and cause them to shrink and reduce production.
This causes cellular damage, which sets off a chain reaction
affecting all parts of the body, as well as accelerating
the aging process.
The adrenal glands hold the key to the
hierarchy of hormones. It is necessary to establish the proper
foundation first which means you must determine the cause
of the hormonal dysfunction and treat the cause first. Our
research has shown that to cause a positive hormonal change
you must normalize adrenal activity first. It is the mainspring
in the hormonal mechanism. When the adrenals malfunction,
all other associated systems will as well. The symptoms associated
with adrenal dysfunction are diverse and can involve the
digestive, circulatory, respiratory, as well as the brain
and nervous systems. In addition, the adrenals can impact
the growth and repair of bones, muscles, hair and nails.
SEX HORMONES
Estrogen dominance is a primary cause of almost all
female health problems, including fibrocystic breast disease,
PMS, mood swings, excessive bleeding, endometriosis, fibroids,
infertility, and ovarian cysts. Peri-menopause is the time
when hormone levels begin to shift in preparation for menopause.
It is not so much the decrease in hormones that produces the
uncomfortable symptoms associated with peri-menopause, but
rather the changing ratio between estrogen and progesterone.
Chronic or episodic depression, severe mood swings, and anxiety
are frequent manifestations of these midlife fluctuations.
Estrogen refers to a group of female "sex" hormones,
produced primarily in the ovaries, and to a lesser extent
in the body's fat cells. It is important for adolescent sexual
development and for regulating the menstrual cycle. Estrogen
prepares the uterus for receiving the fertilized egg by stimulating
the uterine lining to grow. During days 10 - 14 in a woman's
cycle, the uterus is mainly under the influence of estrogen,
which begins to climb right before ovulation, which is usually
between days seven to fourteen, peaking at ovulation in preparation
for a fertilized egg. Estrogen also improves skin tone and
reduces vaginal dryness. There are three main types of estrogen
that a woman makes: Estradiol (E1), which accounts for 80%
of her estrogen, Estriol (e2), and Estrone (E3), each accounting
for 10% of the remaining estrogen.
Signs of estrogen deficiency include:
hot flashes, night sweats, dry eyes, vaginal dryness, sagging
breasts and loss of breast fullness, mental fogginess, depression,
changes in mood, decreased sense of sensuality and sexuality.
Progesterone is another female "sex" hormone,
produced in the ovaries, that prepares the uterus for a fertilized.
Its sudden withdrawal causes the uterus to shed its lining
if pregnancy does not occur. While estrogen is high (during
days 7-14 of the menstrual cycle), progesterone is at its
lowest level. Its levels climb to a peak between days 14
- 24, and then dramatically drop off again just before the
start of menstruation. Ideally, women should have five to
ten times more progesterone than estrogen in the blood and
40 to 150 times in the saliva. The lower the ratio of progesterone
to estrogen, the higher the risk of health problems. Progesterone
has the unique ability to change its structural form to become
other hormones, allowing it to be converted and utilized
by the body to the point of depletion.
Testosterone is responsible for much
more than defining sexual characteristics in men or influencing
sex drive. Testosterone is essential for life since it helps
to regulate basic metabolism. Testosterone also facilitates
protein synthesis and the building of body tissues. Testosterone
is produced by small groups of specialized cells within the
testicles and is also secreted, to a lesser extent, by the
ovaries. The production of testosterone is triggered by luteinizing
hormone (LH), produced in the pituitary gland. In the absence
of LH, testosterone production ceases. With age, blood levels
of testosterone slowly decreases. Research conducted by the
National Institute of Health has shown a 2% reduction per
year from age 30 to age 70.
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