Dr. Sara Gottfried: Hormones control us

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Dr. Sara Gottfried: Hormones control us
Dr. Sara Gottfried: Hormones control us
Anonim

Modern women face an undeclared epidemic of hormonal imbalance. The constant stress, the expectations of them to be superwomen and the misinformation on the topic of hormones have led to a real crisis. Crash diets, sleeping pills, or anxiety medications are available. We believe it's normal to feel tired, anxious, stressed, unsexy, obese and irritable.

Only this is not normal - Dr. Sarah Gottfried assures us in her book "Hormonal Balance" (Inspiration Publishing House, 2020). American obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Gottfried has helped thousands of women deal with their hormonal problems through the use of simple but powerful techniques. The book "Hormonal Balance", from which we have included selected excerpts, is a practical guide for us women to solve our hormonal problems.

“Each woman has unique hormonal needs, and these can be met through nutrition, herbal remedies, brain chemical and hormone precursors (such as amino acids and B vitamins), ancient healing methods, and bioidentical hormones.

Growing weight, mood swings, fatigue and low libido are not diseases that can be "cured" with a quick injection or medication. Most of these problems cannot be solved permanently by eating less and exercising more. These are hormonal issues, through which our bodies signal that something is wrong.

This is why I developed the Gottfried Protocol - an integrative step-by-step approach to achieving natural hormonal healing, in which lifestyle change takes center stage, writes the author.

The Gottfried Protocol

Science has proven that while genes govern our biological features, they can be kept in constant recovery mode without drugs, but with nutrient-dense food, individually selected nutritional supplements to address deficiencies and changes in lifestyle.

Even if you are genetically predisposed to develop depression or cancer, the way you eat and exercise, as well as nutritional supplements can change the expression of your genetic code.

“Your genes are just a template. And your body has natural mechanisms for recovery and healing. When you stimulate and support these innate mechanisms, you can prevent the onset of disease and even reverse the course of suffering that has already been unleashed.

This understanding underlies the Gottfried Protocol. It has taken me over 10 years to create a methodology for assessing, supporting and maintaining hormonal balance. I have formulated, tested and refined a step-by-step and systematic approach that is repeatable and proven. In the Gottfried Protocol, I have combined the latest advances in medicine with ancient treatments confirmed by modern research, says the doctor.

Most of the remedies she recommends are over the counter. When women put serious effort into step 1 - a personalized diet, taking supplements that include the missing vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and performing appropriate physical exercises - most of the symptoms of hormonal imbalance disappear.

If this still does not happen, we move on to step 2 - proven therapies with herbal preparations. After completing steps 1 and 2, few women need step 3 - taking bioidentical hormones.

The human body has the innate ability to repair and self-regulate. But this ability is often swept away by the prolonged impact of the stressors of modern life.

“Once you rediscover your body's ability to return to homeostasis, you will find that it is easier to move into balance than to remain in a state of imbalance. Take care of your hormones and it will benefit your mood, weight, energy, libido, sleep and flexibility for decades to come,” advises Dr. Gottfried.

What do hormones do?

Endocrine glands secrete hormones into the blood, through which they reach distant organs and cells. They are the chemical messengers that deliver messages to the body. In this way, they affect behavior, emotions, brain chemicals, the immune system, and the conversion of food into energy.

For example, the adrenal glands produce cortisol, one of the powerful stress hormones. Cortisol directs the body how to respond to stress. The ovaries produce many hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. These sex hormones determine fertility, menstruation, facial hair and muscle mass.

The pancreas secretes insulin, which transports glucose into the cells, thus reducing its amount in the blood. Fat cells are the largest endocrine gland. They secrete hormones such as leptin, which regulates appetite, and adiponectin, which controls how fat is burned.

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Our hormonal balance was taken away in the 20th century

The theft of our hormonal balance happened gradually and without us realizing it. Synthetic hormones were not simply offered, but forced upon unsuspecting women, as the baby boomers can attest. The food industry changed our kitchens - instead of stocking them with broccoli, eggs and grass-fed meat, we were convinced it was he althy to eat packaged foods and convenience foods

Sugar consumption has skyrocketed. We have been exposed to hundreds of toxic chemicals, many of which disrupt the endocrine system. We sit more, which slows the metabolism and accelerates aging. There is an obesity epidemic, and 70% of the costs of the failing he alth care system go to preventable conditions

We travel more to our workplace on congested streets and highways and breathe unhe althy air. These insidious factors are at the root of hormonal imbalance, which affects not only women, but also men and children. We are more stressed and nervous than ever before - both due to our use of electronic devices and our adrenal glands failing

“It is even more painful for me that the solutions are known and proven. Reorganizing the way of life as I have described it in the Gottfried Protocol is extremely effective and based on solid scientific data

But conventional medicine doctors are not trained to correct the root cause of hormonal imbalance. I am horrified that American women are being subjected to an uncontrolled medical experiment. Pharmacy treats hormone imbalance like a business venture, and most doctors have gone down that road blindly

In my experience, excessive stress is the central element behind hormonal imbalance in women over 35. The release of adrenaline and cortisol in huge amounts under stress has a multiplier effect on other endocrine organs, such as the ovaries and thyroid gland. But few conventional medical practitioners take the female stress response seriously

If you embark on the road to recovery, keep in mind that this is a process, not a prescription. You can choose to live life to the fullest and join the hormone revolution," says Dr. Gottfried

Low Cortisol Recommendation

Step 1 - Lifestyle Changes

Take up physical exercise. A study compared mood and cortisol levels before and after attending one of three twenty-minute yoga, dance and biology classes. Dancing raises cortisol and mood, yoga lowers cortisol and raises mood, and lecture does neither.

Develop a modular mindset. Take a problem and instead of trying to solve it all at once, break it down into component parts or modules.

Adrenal Healing Nutrients. The combination of vitamin C (200 mg, three times a day) and intravenous administration of vitamins B1 and B6 restores cortisol production. But you don't need systems - take vitamin C 600 to 1000 mg a day, plus a good vitamin B complex.

Step 2 - herbal therapy

Licorice (Clycyrrhiza), also called liquorice, increases the level of cortisol in the urine. If you are planning to become pregnant, be careful with licorice because it can change the function of your baby's endocrine glands. Usually, the specialist recommends that people with low cortisol try a small dose of root extract: 600 mg.

Grapefruit juice and licorice in patients with Addison's disease increase cortisol levels. Licorice increased mean serum and urinary cortisol levels, and grapefruit juice increased serum cortisol.

Step 3 - Bioidentical Hormones

If you see an endocrinologist, you will likely leave with a prescription for hydrocortisone. But any means of supporting the adrenal glands should be accompanied by a comprehensive regulation of nutrition and a change in lifestyles.

So before you resort to the prescription drug that promises a quick fix, you need unprocessed foods, especially unrefined carbohydrates, good sleep, and supplements to fill nutritional deficiencies. Taking exogenous cortisol for more than a few months can lead to secondary adrenal insufficiency.

If your serum, saliva or urine cortisol is low, consider taking Isocort Bioidentical Fermented Plant Cortisol. The recommended dose is one or two pills, up to three times a day - not to exceed six pills daily, taken with food. Animal gland supplements are not recommended in this case.

When your cortisol level is good, you feel calm, fresh and focused most of the time. You jump out of bed in the morning because you slept well, you don't have bags under your eyes, you eat normally, no blood sugar fluctuations, your body has a good defecation rhythm, and physical and psychological stress is manageable.

• You feel cheerful, positive and optimistic.

• Eat every four to six hours without becoming shaky and irritable (with low blood sugar).

• When faced with stress, you don't shrink back in terror. You feel that everything can be made sense of and resolved.

• Sleep well at night and wake up refreshed.

• You focus on the problems that depend on you, not the problems you can't do anything about.

• Your blood pressure and fasting glucose (blood sugar) are normal - you have no cravings for coffee or something sweet.

• You have time to complete your tasks with pleasure, not with anxiety and thinking about the next task.

• You remember where you left your belongings.

• You know how to calm yourself down quickly through breathing, time with girlfriends, massages and entertainment for the mind.

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Common Hormonal Imbalances

• High cortisol makes you feel tired, tense and the body stores fat in the abdominal area

• Low cortisol (a long-term consequence of high cortisol or alternating high and low cortisol) makes you feel drained, with no energy left

• Low pregnenolone is associated with attention deficit, anxiety, mild depression, brain fog, chronic depression, and social phobia

• Low progesterone causes infertility, night sweats, insomnia and irregular menstrual cycles

• High estrogen increases the risk of breast tenderness, cysts, fibroids, endometriosis and breast cancer

• Low estrogen leads to a crash in mood and libido, the vagina is drier, the joints are inflexible, the ability to concentrate is weak, and the mental tone is reduced

• High androgens like testosterone are the main cause of infertility, unwanted hair and acne

Regime for hypothyroidism

Step1 - lifestyle changes and nutrients

The body needs several trace elements in small amounts for optimal body function and to balance thyroid hormones.

• Med. The thyroid gland is sensitive to copper and zinc, which must be in optimal proportion. Otherwise, hypothyroidism (reduced thyroid function) occurs. Meat and eggs are the best dietary sources of honey, and vegans should supplement their diet with plenty of nuts, seeds, and grains, which are other rich sources of honey. Even with enough honey in the diet, there are people who have a problem absorbing it. They can take multivitamins with 2 milligrams of honey in the composition.

• Zinc is important for the conversion of T4 to T3. Zinc supplementation has been shown to increase free T3, decrease reverse T3, and lower TSH. The best ratio is to take 20mg of zinc every day with 2mg of copper.

• Selenium is important for enzymes that protect the thyroid gland from free radical damage. Selenium supplementation reduces immune overactivity, as measured by the amount of anti-thyroid antibodies, and improves mood. The recommended amount is 200 micrograms per day.

• Vitamin A strongly influences the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. The recommended daily dose is 5000 IU.

• Iron is also key to normal thyroid function. Low iron levels lead to hair loss, weakness, fatigue, brain fog, decreased libido, and palpitations. If you don't have enough iron in your body, it affects the production of thyroid hormones by reducing the activity of the iron-dependent enzyme thyroid peroxidase. Iron deficiency also reduces the conversion of T4 to T3. The best way to measure your iron level is with a serum ferritin test - a normal level is between 70 and 90. Vitamin C increases iron absorption.

• Vitamin D should also be taken if you rarely go out in the sun or use UV protection products.

Step 2 - herbal therapies

For thousands of years, practitioners of the ancient medicine of India - Ayurveda, have prescribed plant extracts for thyroid problems. One of them is kanahanar gugulu, another is bubble seaweed.

Step 3 - Bioidentical Hormones

“When it comes to bioidentical hormones, I prescribe the lowest doses possible for the shortest period of time. I start with dried and crushed thyroid glands from animals, not synthetic T4. Desiccated thyroid contains about 80% T4 and 20% T3, plus small amounts of T2 and T1. If you are not open to bioidentical hormones, switch to T4. Assess progress and add T3 as needed. If the symptoms persist, consider whether you have thyroid resistance, the doctor describes his experience.

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