One of Dr. Connie's Favorite Places to Muse is at the Pacific Naturopathic Retreat Center in Hawaii

HORMONE: TO SET IN MOTION

In the medical specialty of endocrinology, specialists diagnose and treat diseases of the endocrine glands and of the hormones. Patients often seek help from these specialists, but leave without diagnoses and thus without treatment. Unfortunately, you can feel quite unwell without having a diagnosable condition.

As the unwell person knows, it's not good enough to decide, simply because your numbers fall into conventional ranges on a lab test, that you're fine and that nothing can be done. Where is a person to turn in such a situation? Naturopathy and "functional endocrinology" address this type of situation by offering a wider perspective, by interpreting conventional tests in non conventional ways, by utilizing testing methods not yet in the mainstream of American medicine, and by providing integrative therapies.

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Functional endocrinology addresses glandular interrelationships, imbalances in hormones and hormonal metabolites, hormonal rhythms, developing conditions, bodily response or resistance to hormones, and optimal functioning. We consider, for example, that the thyroid, the adrenals, and the ovaries or testes are interconnected. The thyroid may have trouble converting thyroid hormone to its potent form when the adrenals are stressed. Stressed adrenals may put out inadequate amounts of the adrenal hormone DHEA, a precursor to estrogen and testosterone. And so on.

While we can sometimes solve a problem by replacing what is missing (see the discussion of bio-identical hormones in this issue), we often prefer to begin by nourishing a gland and encouraging the gland to do what it is that it is supposed to do. 

We also provide nutrients needed for favorable hormonal metabolism and for optimal conversion from one form of a hormone to another. That may mean a nutritional, botanical, glandular, or energetic (color, sound, gem or flower essence, homeopathy) nutrient. It may mean craniosacral, spinal manipulation, or other body work to free the energy flow through the gland; or yoga or energization exercises or another breath/movement practice.

It makes sense that a variety of support might contribute to your well being when hormones are involved. Glands and nerve centers are the interface between our energy bodies and our physical bodies. The hormones the glands secrete set in motion changes which impact us on all levels. It is no wonder that imbalance anywhere in such a far reaching system could cause us to feel less than well, and that an intervention on whatever level might offer dramatic benefit. A shift anywhere in the system causes a shift everywhere in the system. Functional endocrinology helps set healing in motion.

What Are 

Bio-Identical Hormones?

Connie Hernandez, N.D.

Both men and women often come to me asking for natural, as opposed to synthetic hormones. As a practitioner of natural medicine, this is not a distinction I generally make. All of the hormones we use (with the exception of hormones present in glandular products such as Armour Thyroid) are synthesized. They may be synthesized from something that exists in nature, such as a soy bean or a wild yam. But the telling question is whether they are synthesized to be identical to those which are in the human body, or whether they are synthesized to be different, so that they can be patent protected. Substances identical to those in the human body cannot be patented. We call this type of synthesized substance bio-identical.

 

A further clarification is that, though a hormone may be natural, i.e. may exist in nature, it may not be natural to human beings. Hormones found in Premarin are found in nature. They happen to be found in pregnant mare's urine. So they are natural, but they are not natural to human beings.

 

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In prescribing bio-identical hormones, there is another issue, for whichthe hormone estrogen is a good illustration. Estrogen exists in many forms (metabolites) in the human body. The metabolites have different functions and certain ratios of metabolites are favorable in protecting men and women from disease conditions related to estrogen. While it may be true that an estradiol medication, for example, is bio-identical, prescribing that estrogen metabolite alone may not be a wise, natural or healthy choice. In bio-identical hormone prescriptions, metabolites and ratios of hormonal metabolites are chosen based on an individual's unique medical needs and history, as are modes of administration... whether oral, sublingual, transdermal or transmucosal.

 

Further, hormones within the body are produced in predictable rhythms and cycles. In bio-identical hormone prescriptions, an effort is often made to mimic those rhythms and cycles. As Dr. Jonathan Wright, pioneer in bio-identical hormone synthesis and prescription, often advises "Copy nature, copy nature, copy nature!" As a naturopath, I find that the wisest and safest course of action.

 

 

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For Aging Men:  

Read This for More Energy, Vitality and Joie de Vivre!

In 1900, the life expectancy for men was 46.3 years. By 2010, it had risen to 75.7 years. There are a myriad of physiological and biochemical changes that occur between 46 and 75 years of age. These changes characterize andropause, the male equivalent of menopause. The symptoms of andropause include waning libido, declining sexual performance, decreased sperm quantity and quality, erectile dysfunction, frailty, loss of muscle and bone mass, lower energy levels, and increased abdominal body fat.

Over millennia, the human body has adapted to change. Feet, which were once able to grasp with dexterity, have slowly adapted to walking upright. Researchers tell us that toes are getting shorter and eventually may even disappear, in favor of a more rounded, pod-like form. But the110 years mentioned above is too short a time period for the male organism to adapt to the 29-year increase in life span. As a result, most men age very quickly once they hit 60 or so.

A 10-year study involving more than 11,000 men aged between 40 and 79 clearly pointed out that men with normal levels of testosterone had a 41 percent lower chance of dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer than men with low testosterone. This data was gathered even before testosterone supplementation.

Other recent studies indicate that supplementing with testosterone provides a wide range of benefits, including improved mood and cognitive function, Alzheimer's prevention, healthier body composition, more muscle, less fat, reversal of osteoporosis, and heightened libido and better erectile function. The studies also indicate that testosterone supplementation protects against insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. There was less inflammation, pain, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and fewer cases of heart disease in study participants.

Why isn't testosterone replacement therapy addressed more often by doctors? The answer is twofold: fear of change and misinformation.

It takes many years for new therapies to make it into the mainstream in the conventional medical model dominant in the United States. Most medical schools do not offer comprehensive courses in hormone replacement therapy, nutrition or alternative therapies. If a doctor doesn't know or is unsure of his/her facts, fear of litigation and high malpractice costs drive decisions towards the conservative side.

Also, many doctors mistakenly fear that testosterone will increase a man's chances of prostate cancer, even though study after study, performed with huge numbers of male participants, have proven that this is not true.

It is important to know that you cannot arbitrarily replace testosterone merely because a man is aging. Simple saliva and blood tests provide free and total testosterone levels and indicate where to intervene in the male hormone cascade to optimize testosterone production. Experience dictates how and what to supplement. If your health care practitioner is unsure of what action to take, look for a practitioner of functional endocrinology. Although more and more Mds are venturing into this area, your best choice might most likely be a naturopathic doctor.

The bottom line is that men do not have to accept vastly decreased function as we age. We can prevent or decrease the severity of age-related illnesses. We can't return to our 25 year-old selves, but we can optimize the quality of our experience and expression of life.

Find out more about Dr. Marcel's work with men at:

Rapid Pain Relief 

With Elijah Free

Elijah Free, MH, CMI, CMT  

To contact Elijah, please either call the clinic at 650-917-1121 or e-mail at [email protected].

Normal Thermographic Pattern

One of the less known benefits of breast thermography is that, by observing certain patterns in breast vasculature, we are able to determine the degree to which the breast tissue is under the influence of estrogen. This assessment is particularly important both for women who now have or have had estrogen receptor positive breast cancers or other estrogen sensitive conditions, and for women who are being treated for these conditions and want objective evidence of the efficacy of their treatments in reducing estrogen exposure to target tissues (in this case, the breasts).

The cost to you of breast thermography is $225.

Thermography at Pacific Naturopathic

Looking for a conscious, meaningful, caring gift for a birthday or special occasion? A gift certificate to a Pacific Naturopathic practitioner lets a special person know you really care about their well-being. 

Gift certificates for all practitioners and modalities offered at Pacific Naturopathic are available by phoning our front desk at 650-917-1121, or just stopping by.