The area of hormonal health is becoming central to the practice of medicine and managing the health for an increasing segment of our population. This is just not due to an aging population. Environmental, diet and lifestyle issues are having and have had a significant impact on the development of endocrine-based diseases across all age groups.
“There is strong evidence from animal models and indirect data from epidemiological studies that suggest: 1) early life exposures [to toxins] are correlated with changes in pubertal timing and 2) altered pubertal timing or reproductive organ development relates to several disease states.”
(Environmental Impact of Reproductive Tissue Development, Puberty, and Endocrine-Based Diseases; Hypotheses Submitted to NCS Study Design Working Group and Federal Advisory Committee; 6/17/02)
Examples of endocrine-based diseases include:
- Breast cancer;
- Prostate cancer;
- Inflammatory diseases (endometriosis);
- Infertility; and
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
Creating hormonal health takes the form of tailoring the patient’s environmental and lifestyle factors to restore and create sufficient hormonal balance. Specific hormone therapy in addition to environmental and lifestyle modifications may be necessary to achieve desired outcomes.
Diet and Lifestyle Management
What we eat and how we live impact how well we feel individually as men and women. The proper balance of hormones is crucial to good health. Poor diets, a patient’s particular needs for certain nutrients, stress and lack of proper exercise and sleep can work to disturb the production and ratios of our hormones. Sleep, mood, weight gain, bone and muscle tissue are examples of what can be negatively affected and cause patients to feel overall unhealthy. Knowledge regarding the right nutrition and quantity of nutrients to provide patients at each stage of their life and considering the demands of their life style allows the clinic to support healthy and productive lives and reverse the negative influences of hormonal disregulation.
Hormone Therapy
Direct supplementation with certain hormones may be the best course of treatment for certain conditions. This is not undertaken without comprehensive diagnostic testing that indicates the current level of hormone production.
Examples of conditions treated include the following:
- Fertility;
- PMS;
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome;
- Hypothyroidism; and
- Menopausal symptoms
