You will have to attend my Seminar on Hormones and the human body (at First Security Trust Bank in Florence on August 18th, 2007) to hear the rest!
...
What an intriguing topic hormones is! How many people here are completely confused by the information available on hormones? How many people here are completely confused by how their body is behaving presumably because of hormones?
Is it reasonable to expect that anything you don't understand will cause you to feel afraid of it? How many of you experience fear because of the symptoms you are experiencing?
The greatest asset of the education I have received is related to the understanding of how the human body works. My great passion is to pass this information on to the people in my practice and anyone else who will listen—knowing how your body works is your greatest tool to loving and appreciating yourself and being able to take care of yourself.
There are no maps to the territory of hormone replacement therapy. All we have to go on is clinical experience or guessing. The only way to actually have a map to know what to do to help your body back to health is to use the maps we do have. The best way to know is to use what we do know as the basis for what to do next. By going back to basic, NORMAL, physiology it is possible to then honor and support how the body actually works instead of guessing your way through unknown territory and using female patients experimentally.
The cycling woman has a number of different phases she passes through during a typical cycle of approximately 28 days. The beginning of the cycle is called the follicular phase.
We begin by using a natural health approach. To change the body you have to change the situation. But changing the situation doesn't mean declaring war on the body. Wellness is in you—in fact it is your birthright. To wait for disease to happen, then declare WAR on it is like turning out the light, then getting donations to fight the darkness. BETTER TO JUST TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON!
So we always start by just supporting your natural right to health, because at any age and in virtually any condition the body can come through and regenerate a healthier self. As we get older, we are designed to change—but we are not designed to fall apart.
I cringe when I hear Doctors quoted in my office who have said to patients, “what do you expect? You're getting older!”
In a natural health practice, we are not doing something to you, we are doing something with you. You don't drop your body off on Tuesday with a pick-up receipt for Friday. “Here's my body doc—fix it and I'll be back for it when you are done!”
Natural health correction is a participation sport, you must be willing to participate and make some changes—mental and physical. You are receiving messages via symptoms from your body that it is doing the best it can under the current situation, and in order to help it do better and make the symptoms go away, you will probably need to make a few changes in the current situation.
The first situation to change is energy. You must increase the energy available to the body. Nothing happens without energy. If you first improve energy pathways you will enable the body to use the tools such as hormone replacement therapies that you are giving it.
What is the source your body gets energy from? Food. Does anybody here feel guilty when you eat? Has anyone ever explained the energy pathway of food to you? No wonder the hormone system is so confusing to you. Feeling guilty about eating, but needing to know how complicated systems work in the body is the equivalent of wanting to drive somewhere, but being unable to put gas in the car until you understand how the entire engine system works!
We are not going to go into a detailed discussion about food today (that's another full day entirely), and when we talk in depth about food, we need to talk about how badly food is being changed today, but let's start our talk about hormones by a basic understanding about the one most important thing your body needs to be able to make hormones...
Call 859.331.2800 to make your reservations for my lecture. The cost is 15$ for an individual, 25$ for a pair. Call or email if you would like to be informed of our upcoming lectures and events by email or snail mail. visit NWHIC.com for details and more about us.
Showing posts with label women health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women health. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Hormones--a little information for y'all
(Entry taken directly from my lecture notes for this month's Weston A. Price meeting--Northern KY chapter) Visit nwhic.com or call 859.331.2800 for more information on how you can be involved in this wonderful organization.
What is a hormone?
Hormones are biochemical messengers that exert profound and specific metabolic influences throughout the body.
The endocrine system produces a multitude of hormones that work together as a synergistic whole.
The gastro-intestinal tract is a key producer of brain hormones. We now know that all currently known brain hormones are also produced in the GI tract.
Hormones are very tightly controlled by body because they are so powerful. Tiny amounts of hormones are released directly into the bloodstream and exert profound effects on body processes. Hormones are not food. Hormones are not nutritional supplements. Hormones are not like vitamins or minerals. Hormones are not herbs and hormones are not nutriceutical products. Hormones are chemicals that cause cellular changes that enter the deepest internal workings of your body cells and effect the growth and development of human tissue and the necessary physiological changes that will be needed to support the cellular changes.
Hormones levels in the body are measured in parts per billion or nanograms and parts per trillion or picograms. One part per billion is like putting a pinch of salt in 10 tons of potato chips. One part trillion is like putting one drop of water in a train that is 660 tank cars long stretching out over six miles of track!
Hormones work with nerves as the body’s control system . Together they coordinate all adaptation to the world around as well as integrating every physical, mental, and emotional function.
They govern, among other things:
All metabolism--this is the building up, and the breaking down of the body and the extraction of energy from food.
Development and reproduction. The ability not only to desire sex, but to be successful is under hormonal control.
Mental, emotional and behavioral processes. The way you act, think and feel is a hormonal function.
Growth, repair and maintenance. A single hormone can function in many ways. For example, testosterone is the great building hormone for muscle and strength, but only in very small amounts. Testosterone is actually a catabolic hormone which will cause a breakdown of body tissue in improper amounts.
Many of the processes of fetal development including brain and nerve tissue.
Where are we exposed to hormones?
Until recently, all human exposure to hormones was simply to those we made in our own body, termed endogenous hormones, and those that naturally occur in plants termed phyto-hormones.
In the last 60 years, 87,000 new man-made chemicals have been introduced into our food, water and air.
Many, many of these 87,000 chemicals are now known to be hormone disruptors.
One category of this special class of hormones is termed Xeno-hormones or Xeno-estrogens.
Xeno comes from the greek word for foreign.
Estrogen is a female hormone.
Today we have 10’s of thousands of xenoestrogens which easily enter the human body, attach themselves to receptor ports on cells and start overriding the normal hormone controls of all biochemical processes.
Unlike normal hormones, a Xeno-hormone is forever. Your human hormones are produced in very small amounts with opposing hormones to control and prevent abnormal and destructive cellular events.
For example, progesterone is an opposer to estrogen but is no match for the powerful xenon-hormones. Normal hormones are easily metabolized and then broken down by the liver. Xeno-hormones bind permanently to the cell receptor site, accumulating in fat tissue, and ultimately disrupting normal biological processes.
Such normal processes under hormonal control include:
The proper amount of acid to digest food--not too much acid, not too little acid. Gastrin is the group of hormones that actually control normal and appropriate acid production. Nexium and other meds seem to be necessary now to perform this vital role.
Normal sleep and waking pattern. Melatonin is the “sleep” hormone. It is interestingly, also an estrogen opposing hormone, easily used up by xenon-estrogen overload. Lunesta and other sleep aids seem to be absolutely necessary today.
Sugar handling is done by normal insulin production. Insulin is a hormone. We have an explosion of diabetic disease and pre-diabetic disease that is out of control and shows no sign of slowing down.
Normal reproductive interest and capability. Pre 40 infertility clinics and post 40 sexual performance are common parts of our lives today.
Depression is affecting nearly everyone. Mood is definitely under hormone regulation--seratonin receptor sites are the target for SSRI medication .
And don’t even get me started on PMS!!
Just exactly how harmful are the consequences of these hormone disrupters?
…to pregnant women
…to children
…to adults
No one knows for sure.
…to normal intelligence
…to behavior
…to the health of future offspring?
No one knows for sure.
…the cumulative affect of many pollutants building up in the body over time?
No one knows for sure.
What is a hormone?
Hormones are biochemical messengers that exert profound and specific metabolic influences throughout the body.
The endocrine system produces a multitude of hormones that work together as a synergistic whole.
The gastro-intestinal tract is a key producer of brain hormones. We now know that all currently known brain hormones are also produced in the GI tract.
Hormones are very tightly controlled by body because they are so powerful. Tiny amounts of hormones are released directly into the bloodstream and exert profound effects on body processes. Hormones are not food. Hormones are not nutritional supplements. Hormones are not like vitamins or minerals. Hormones are not herbs and hormones are not nutriceutical products. Hormones are chemicals that cause cellular changes that enter the deepest internal workings of your body cells and effect the growth and development of human tissue and the necessary physiological changes that will be needed to support the cellular changes.
Hormones levels in the body are measured in parts per billion or nanograms and parts per trillion or picograms. One part per billion is like putting a pinch of salt in 10 tons of potato chips. One part trillion is like putting one drop of water in a train that is 660 tank cars long stretching out over six miles of track!
Hormones work with nerves as the body’s control system . Together they coordinate all adaptation to the world around as well as integrating every physical, mental, and emotional function.
They govern, among other things:
All metabolism--this is the building up, and the breaking down of the body and the extraction of energy from food.
Development and reproduction. The ability not only to desire sex, but to be successful is under hormonal control.
Mental, emotional and behavioral processes. The way you act, think and feel is a hormonal function.
Growth, repair and maintenance. A single hormone can function in many ways. For example, testosterone is the great building hormone for muscle and strength, but only in very small amounts. Testosterone is actually a catabolic hormone which will cause a breakdown of body tissue in improper amounts.
Many of the processes of fetal development including brain and nerve tissue.
Where are we exposed to hormones?
Until recently, all human exposure to hormones was simply to those we made in our own body, termed endogenous hormones, and those that naturally occur in plants termed phyto-hormones.
In the last 60 years, 87,000 new man-made chemicals have been introduced into our food, water and air.
Many, many of these 87,000 chemicals are now known to be hormone disruptors.
One category of this special class of hormones is termed Xeno-hormones or Xeno-estrogens.
Xeno comes from the greek word for foreign.
Estrogen is a female hormone.
Today we have 10’s of thousands of xenoestrogens which easily enter the human body, attach themselves to receptor ports on cells and start overriding the normal hormone controls of all biochemical processes.
Unlike normal hormones, a Xeno-hormone is forever. Your human hormones are produced in very small amounts with opposing hormones to control and prevent abnormal and destructive cellular events.
For example, progesterone is an opposer to estrogen but is no match for the powerful xenon-hormones. Normal hormones are easily metabolized and then broken down by the liver. Xeno-hormones bind permanently to the cell receptor site, accumulating in fat tissue, and ultimately disrupting normal biological processes.
Such normal processes under hormonal control include:
The proper amount of acid to digest food--not too much acid, not too little acid. Gastrin is the group of hormones that actually control normal and appropriate acid production. Nexium and other meds seem to be necessary now to perform this vital role.
Normal sleep and waking pattern. Melatonin is the “sleep” hormone. It is interestingly, also an estrogen opposing hormone, easily used up by xenon-estrogen overload. Lunesta and other sleep aids seem to be absolutely necessary today.
Sugar handling is done by normal insulin production. Insulin is a hormone. We have an explosion of diabetic disease and pre-diabetic disease that is out of control and shows no sign of slowing down.
Normal reproductive interest and capability. Pre 40 infertility clinics and post 40 sexual performance are common parts of our lives today.
Depression is affecting nearly everyone. Mood is definitely under hormone regulation--seratonin receptor sites are the target for SSRI medication .
And don’t even get me started on PMS!!
Just exactly how harmful are the consequences of these hormone disrupters?
…to pregnant women
…to children
…to adults
No one knows for sure.
…to normal intelligence
…to behavior
…to the health of future offspring?
No one knows for sure.
…the cumulative affect of many pollutants building up in the body over time?
No one knows for sure.
WOW!
Our shop-hop was a fantastic success! We had so much fun and have the folks at Kroger, Healthy Alternatives and Wild Oats to thank. Kroger greeted us with a very informative tour and gave us all HUGE tote bags filled to the brim with awesome free stuff! (Thanks Kroger!) Healthy Alternatives sent us on a scavenger hunt and awarded over 50 dollars in gift certificates to the lucky winners. Wild Oats cooked up quite a scrumptious organic feast for the hoppers (most had seconds of that divine spinach-strawberry salad with poppy seed dressing).
We all learned so much about organic foods. We can't wait for the next shop-hop (date TBA) this fall. Call us at 859.331.2800 for more information or to make your reservations. Bring a friend or make a new one, and get out there and shop with us!
Check out our website nwhic.com for photos of this event (go to "calendar" and scroll down for the link).
We all learned so much about organic foods. We can't wait for the next shop-hop (date TBA) this fall. Call us at 859.331.2800 for more information or to make your reservations. Bring a friend or make a new one, and get out there and shop with us!
Check out our website nwhic.com for photos of this event (go to "calendar" and scroll down for the link).
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Bones: Your Mineral Warehouse
Today it seems that every woman is concerned about bone health. Recently, on a commercial for a popular osteoporosis medicine, the actress stated that one morning a month was plenty for setting aside time to take something for bone health. If you choose your foods with bone health in mind, you may not have to set aside any time to think about it at all.
What is the # 1 reason you have bones? Would you answer "To hold you up and help you move"? That is actually the # 2 reason.
The primary reason for the bones in your body is to provide a massive warehouse of calcium and other minerals to support life. There is more calcium in the body than all other minerals combined. When blood calcium levels go up, your body can immediately store the extra in this bony warehouse. When blood calcium levels drop, your body can go right to that warehouse and liberate calcium to stabilize the blood.
Calcium supplements are sold more than any other mineral, but there is so much more involved in getting calcium from the gut to the bones than simply taking a supplement. Calcium is absorbed and stored in a 3-part process:
The first step is to put good calcium and mineral rich foods in your body. Minerals come from the earth. Your best source of nutrition is from nutritious foods grown and produced in earth that is fertile and not laden with chemical pesticides and other artificial soil support.
When calcium enters the stomach, it can either be absorbed, or not. The key ingredient to absorption is stomach acid. A person using acid-blockers and antacids may be unable to absorb the minerals they need. Many people believe that because they have to take antacids, they have too much stomach acid already--this has been shown quite often not to be the case.
Once the calcium has been absorbed by the GI tract, vitamin D steps in and puts the calcium into the blood. Like a truck delivering and receiving goods at the warehouse --Vitamin D is responsible for transportation in both directions. When calcium is needed in the blood, it will activate the transportation. If there is none available in gut from food, it will take it from the body tissue to get what the blood needs.
The third part of the process is almost always missed in any discussion of bone health, and that is the role that fats play. You cannot transport calcium into body tissue without essential fatty acids. They do the work of the final step. Specific fats, known as Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly those found in cod liver oil, are important in building strong bones. Cod liver oil also has vitamin D needed to transport calcium.
Your diet should include all the nutrition you need for good bone health. If it does, then you can think about your summer holiday, rather than worrying about osteoporosis, or taking medication.
nwhic.com
What is the # 1 reason you have bones? Would you answer "To hold you up and help you move"? That is actually the # 2 reason.
The primary reason for the bones in your body is to provide a massive warehouse of calcium and other minerals to support life. There is more calcium in the body than all other minerals combined. When blood calcium levels go up, your body can immediately store the extra in this bony warehouse. When blood calcium levels drop, your body can go right to that warehouse and liberate calcium to stabilize the blood.
Calcium supplements are sold more than any other mineral, but there is so much more involved in getting calcium from the gut to the bones than simply taking a supplement. Calcium is absorbed and stored in a 3-part process:
The first step is to put good calcium and mineral rich foods in your body. Minerals come from the earth. Your best source of nutrition is from nutritious foods grown and produced in earth that is fertile and not laden with chemical pesticides and other artificial soil support.
When calcium enters the stomach, it can either be absorbed, or not. The key ingredient to absorption is stomach acid. A person using acid-blockers and antacids may be unable to absorb the minerals they need. Many people believe that because they have to take antacids, they have too much stomach acid already--this has been shown quite often not to be the case.
Once the calcium has been absorbed by the GI tract, vitamin D steps in and puts the calcium into the blood. Like a truck delivering and receiving goods at the warehouse --Vitamin D is responsible for transportation in both directions. When calcium is needed in the blood, it will activate the transportation. If there is none available in gut from food, it will take it from the body tissue to get what the blood needs.
The third part of the process is almost always missed in any discussion of bone health, and that is the role that fats play. You cannot transport calcium into body tissue without essential fatty acids. They do the work of the final step. Specific fats, known as Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly those found in cod liver oil, are important in building strong bones. Cod liver oil also has vitamin D needed to transport calcium.
Your diet should include all the nutrition you need for good bone health. If it does, then you can think about your summer holiday, rather than worrying about osteoporosis, or taking medication.
nwhic.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)