TIS THE SEASON TO BALANCE THOSE HORMONES

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TIS THE SEASON TO BALANCE THOSE HORMONES

IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE COVID CHRISTMAS

As women, our hormones can normally take a beating over the holidays as a result of stress. But with all that’s going on out there, this year, holiday stress can come at you like a steamroller. It’s not visions of sugarplums dancing in your head. It’s visions of normally big and boisterous celebrations being cut down to those only in your household. It’s your kids wanting a dog, but discovering dogs are the new toilet paper.  It’s mistletoe that might be missed due to social distancing. It can all take a big chunk out of comfort and joy.

ALEXA, HOME SCHOOL THE KIDS WHILE I’M DEALING WITH MY HORMONES

Did you know that women are twice as likely to experience stress than men? More than anything else, stress derails our hormones, affecting our mood, mind, weight, and that’s just the start of the list. Actually, our overall health takes a huge hit from stress. The more your emergency stress system is activated, the easier it becomes to trigger and the harder it becomes to shut off. The most dangerous thing about stress is how easily it can creep up on you. Below are five stress-induced hormonal imbalances that can make your holidays feel far from festive.

ALL CAUGHT UP IN THE BLACK FRIDAY BLUES

CORTISOL is the Santa of stress hormones bringing a big bag of health woes. When the pressure is on, your cortisol levels can run high. This “fight or flight” hormone makes you want to get in a sleigh and fly away from it all; the tree-trimming, cookie baking, dreidel spinning, Kwanzaa candle lighting, online shopping, Zoom arranging. Unbalanced cortisol can cause weight gain, muscle weakness, headache, fatigue and difficulty concentrating.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PIES

LEPTIN is the hormone that reduces appetite and makes you feel full. Which is especially helpful when faced with holiday feasts that you’ll tend to want to gorge on since you can’t have a long table of guests to share all those gooey, fatty yummy feasts with. Leptin is our “enough already” button. When leptin levels are low, your stomach gets bigger than your eyes, your metabolism slows, fat accumulates and muscle decreases. It can also increase depression anxiety and cardiovascular disease.

DON’T GET TOO CLOSE TO THE SUGAR PLUM FAIRIES

INSULIN helps “unlock” the body’s cells so that sugar from the foods we eat can be used by the cells for energy. It also regulates carbohydrate and fat metabolism. Too much insulin can end up making you anxious, irritable, trembly, sweaty and confused. It’s enough to make your gingerbread house crumble.

WHAT THE DICKENS…

THYROID hormones, when unbalanced, can weaken or slow your heart, make you feel tired (OK, we’re going to say super tired all things considered) or out of breath. It effects your body temperature making you cold when the season should be making you feel toasty. It can also cause obesity, joint pain, high blood pressure, swelling in your ankles, as well as raise your cholesterol levels, which can increase your risk for heart problems.

OPPS, YOUR BATTERIES ARE WEARING DOWN

ESTROGEN, well you know about that. Painful periods, PMS, menopause misery, mood swings, bloating, weight gain. Estrogen levels have a domino effect on brain chemistry and affect parts of the brain that control our emotions. An estrogen imbalance can make you so crazed, you’ll be rocking around a lot more than the Christmas tree.

AND TO ALL NOT SUCH A GOOD NIGHT

PROGESTERONE is the pre-hormone of cortisol, which as we’ve said is the ultimate stress mess. It’s not a ho-ho-ho happy scenario. Low progesterone can cause low libido, sugar cravings, foggy thinking, anxiety, migraines, irregular menstrual cycles and endless nights of counting reindeer.

GOOD TIDINGS TO ALL, LADIES

Before you get all tangled up in tinsel about your hormones, there is happy news. Holidays don’t have to have your hormones roasting on an open fire. Expect “Stress” to be an unwanted house guest, but there are things you can do to cut his visit short:

  • Get some exercise
  • Get some rays
  • Listen to music
  • Dance up a TikTok storm
  • Pet a dog even if it’s not your own
  • Have a virtual ugliest sweater contest
  • Binge watch Christmas movies
  • Luxuriate in bubbles with a glass of bubbly

STAND UNDER THE MISTLETOE, GIVE YOURSELF A BIG HUG, AND CALL DENVER HORMONE HEALTH

Denver Hormone Health is at the head of the field of hormone replacement therapy. The hormone experts at DHH know hormones like no one else. And they understand just how much hormones can take the jingle out of your bells if they’re out of whack. You may feel frazzled, but the hormone specialists at DHH get it, and take the time to really listen to what’s going on. Simple tests can determine if you do have any hormone deficiencies and what they are. This allows them to create a unique treatment plan for you—one that fits perfectly, not like most gifts you get each year– to get you back to your best.  Quite the gift.  Time to make your hormones as merry, bright and balanced as they can be. Call Denver Hormone Health for an appointment now.

HORMONE STRESS STRESSING YOU OUT?

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YOU CAN’T WASH YOUR HAND OF IT

Social distance. Wear masks. Wash hands. Like all the time. Months into the coronavirus pandemic, we get daily doses of drama, isolation, boredom and stress. An ABC News/Washington Post survey found that 70 percent of people were experiencing stress as a result of the new coronavirus outbreak. But before this pandemic, we all have had stress in our daily lives. Work. Relationships. Money. Our general health. The list gets long.  Coronavirus just heaps it on.

GOOD STRESS.

Generally speaking, stress means pressure or strain. It can be physical (as in having disease), emotional (as in feeling grief), or psychological (as in being afraid). There are two types of stress; short-term and chronic. Short-term stress triggers a cascade of stress hormones that include adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine. This powerful combination kicks your nervous system into hyperdrive which is also referred to as the “fight or flight” response. Your heart pounds, your breathing quickens. Muscles tense and beads of sweat appear. This survival mechanism enables you to react quickly to life-threatening (not the Covid-19 kind) situations. After you’ve dealt with the problem, your body returns to normal.

BAD STRESS

Chronic stress? Well that’s a whole different animal. If you keep facing ongoing challenges, your body is constantly producing higher levels of stress hormones and does not have time to recover. When those hormones don’t get a break, they end up all over the place upsetting the delicate balance they’re supposed to be in. If your hormones were out of balance before, things may be worse now. And that can take a real toll on your body.

UNBALANCED HORMONES CAN MAKE YOU SICK AND TIRED

We’ll just list a few (yes, few) of the tolls unbalanced hormones can take on your body:

  • Digestive issues like diarrhea and constipation
  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Aches and pains
  • Insomnia
  • Nausea
  • Brain Fog
  • Irritability
  • Anxiety and depression
  • Loss of libido
  • High blood pressure
  • Heart disease
  • A weakened immune system, which is the absolutely worst thing you could ask for now

GET STRESS BEFORE IT GETS YOU

  • You could try coping now by taking breaks from bad new coming at you everywhere, including social media. Oh yeah, sure.
  • You could try eating especially healthy, well-balanced meals avoiding high fat. Oh yeah, sure.
  • You could try avoiding that evening hit of alcohol that you think is easing your brain. Oh, come on….

At Denver Hormone Health, we think it’s time for you to get some really good news. All the highly trained and experienced hormone specialists at Denver Hormone Health get why your stress hormones are getting to you now more than ever. But they know exactly do about it. Once they determine your exact hormone levels, they create an individualized treatment plan to harness those stress hormones and get them back in balance. To get you back to feeling your best. Call Denver Hormone Health now. When you feel better, things always seem better.

HORMONES AND HEART DISEASE; GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER

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HEART DISEASE; ENOUGH TO GET ANYONE’S TICKER TICKING FASTER

Sorry, but it’s a fact:

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men women and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. One person dies every 37 seconds in the U.S. from cardiovascular disease. But no one has to tell you how scary heart disease is. No one is immune. At almost any age.

IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT BEING HEALTHY

With the threat of heart disease ever looming, people are trying to become more informed about what they can do to avoid it. They think they get it, but do they? Yes, more fruits and veggies, fish, skinless poultry (but the skin’s the good part) lean meat, (wait, burgers are a national pastime) nuts, legumes (how many of you actually do legumes?). Yes, more fiber (who’s actually comfortable even discussing it?) No, not a lot of sugar. (But Ben and Jerry are like family). Not too much caffeine. (Name a decaf that has real taste). 30 minutes of exercise. Both aerobics and strength training. That ought to do it. Right? It’s a good start. (So start, already.)

PUMPING SOME NEW INFORMATION INTO IT          

No matter how well you eat and how much you exercise, heart attacks can attack from a number of outside influences:

  • Heavy physical exertion
  • Furious arguments or gut-churning anger
  • Weather
  • Air pollution
  • Infections
  • Sexual activity
  • Overeating
  • Grief
  • Lack of sleep
  • Mental and work-related stress
  • The use of cocaine and other “recreational” drugs
  • Even the World Cup if you’re seriously into it and lose. (Oh nooooo….)

No joke. But then absolutely nothing is funny about a heart attack.

THE LOWDOWN ON HORMONES AND HEART HEALTH

Wait. Heart? Hormones? What else don’t I know? When it comes to heart health, hormones play a leading role. The way they’re functioning in the body directly impacts the cardiovascular system, the heart and the blood vessels. What does this mean? When they’re working properly, hormones can help prevent heart disease. When they’re out of balance, they can cause it. We’ve got some 50 or so hormones coursing through our bloodstreams signaling every cell and organ as to what they’re supposed to do to keep them all doing what they’re supposed to. And many of these hormones affect how the heart functions.

DAMAGE IN A HEARTBEAT

There are hormones you’ve never-ever heard of (unless you’re a hormone expert) like catecholamines, endothelins, glucocorticosteroids, leptin and PTHrP, that when appearing in excess can increase heart rate. Then there are hormones you’ve most likely heard of like cortisol and adrenaline (fight or flight) that have confirmed ties to abnormal heart rhythms, and can contribute to vessel and structure-related conditions. Thyroid hormones which you probably think have to do with weight, also have direct effects on the heart. Hyperthyroidism increases heart rate and can cause palpitations as well as abnormal heart rhythms. One such abnormal heart rhythm is atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular beating of the heart and can lead to heart failure and stroke. Another example is insulin which too much of can cause type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems — like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease. Stop! Well, fortunately, you can do something about it.

TAKE HEART

Before your left arm shoots up clutching your heart in a death (ironic) squeeze, fear not. There is someone who has years of experience in the heart-hormone connection; Denver Hormone Health. They have infinite knowledge in the intricate balance between hormones and head-to-toe health, including the heart. Every hormone expert at DHH understands which hormones can be a contributing factor to heart disease. They also know that hormones might not be an issue with you. It could be genetics. Lifestyle. A combination of many things. But it could be hormones. DHH is the place to find out. And do something about it. With simple tests, they can tell which hormone imbalances can be problematic when it comes to heart health. And those tests also let them create a unique treatment plan. So stop stressing (which isn’t good for anyone’s heart) and call DHH for an appointment now. Be still your heart.