This is the story of my patient Kathrine. When she first came to see me she was 61 years old and had been experiencing “Menopause” symptoms for almost 10 years. She was suffering from hot flashes, sleeplessness, anxiety, depression, low libido, fatigue, weight gain and arthritis. She felt and looked 10 years older than she really was.
These symptoms are more than mere nuisances; they put her at increased risk of osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease, stokes, dementia and cancer. We typically call this condition Menopause, but I believe we should call it what it really is; a new environmental disease of the 21st century, known as Multiple Hormone Deficiency Syndrome. This condition is assoicated with very low levels of multiple hormones, including low Thyroid, Pregnenolone, DHEA, Testosterone, Estriol, Progesterone and Human Growth Hormone (HGH).
Because Kathrine’s symptoms had been going on so long, her Gynecologist had prescribed Climara, a synthetic Estrogen (Estradiol) and Progestin (Norgestrel) patch. The patch did reduce her hot flashes, but made her more anxious and gain more weight in the tummy.
That’s because synthetic Progestin doesn’t work like natural Progesterone. Progestin blocks Growth Hormone, which is needed to keep lean muscle and prevent abdominal fat accumulation.
What bothered Kathrine most was the fact that she was suddenly looking and feeling so old. Everything was “going south” as she put it. Everything was sagging. She said, “my upper eye lids look like bags covering my eyes, my neck looks like an old chicken, my breast are sagging and my tummy and even my knees are fat.” “What’s worse,” she said, “I feel like a rusty old gate. My joints are so stiff and sore, I can hardly get up and around.”
The sagging, stiffening and fatty replacement of muscle mass is caused by a deficiency of Growth Hormone.
How do you know if your Growth Hormone Levels are Low?
GH supplementation has been found to reverse age-related symptoms including increased body fat, decreased muscle mass, increased cholesterol, decreased stamina and energy, decreased mental function, decreased collagen production, wrinkling of the skin and loss of libido.
Our bodies naturally produce GH in abundance when we are young, but its production gradually slows over time. Production of GH peaks during adolescence and falls after the age of 21 by about 14% per decade. By age 60 GH production is reduced by one-half. Healthy humans produce 500 micrograms per day at age 20, 200 micrograms per day at age 35. Between the ages of 70 and 80, the GH production can drop as low as 25 mcg per day. Individuals with higher levels of GH appear more youthful and report greater vitality and stamina.
Men & Women Should Test all these Key Hormones Annually
Kathrine was low in all her hormones except for Estradiol (E2) and Progesterone, because she had been taking those two hormones in a synthetic hormone patch. Too much Estradiol increases a woman’s risk of cancer. Too much Progesterone inhibits Growth Hormone. Hence Kathrine’s signs of aging had been greatly increased.
Everyone is different but Kathrine reported the following results after I prescribed Bio-identical Hormone therapy for her, including Estriol(E3) instead of Estradiol (E2), a lower dose of natural Progesterone (instead of the drug Norgestrel), Pregnenolone, DHEA, Testosterone, natural Thyroid and a natural Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH). I have found that when all of the deficient hormones are treated at the same time and brought up to the optimal range of a 30-35 year old, everything gets dramatically better quickly.
Kathrine’s Rejuvenation Process
So how is Kathrine doing now? Amazing! She feels wonderful. She only wishes she had found the Hansen Clinic 10 or 20 year sooner. For the first time in ten years, she is no longer having hot flashes, her energy is back, her mood if better, her mind is no longer “mush” as she called it, her sex drive came back and she no longer feels like a rusty old gate. She said the hot flashes stopped within the first 10 days and everything else gradually improved every day. She feels 20 years younger and never wants to stop taking her Bio-Identical Hormones. Her only question to me was, “Why didn’t my Gynecologist know to recommend Bio-Identical Hormones and why did she only treat two of them rather than all of them?” I told her that conventional doctors are simply not trained in diagnosing or treating multiple hormone deficiencies. They are only trained in the use of synthetic drugs and surgeries. Here’s how her treatment progressed over the first 3 months.
1st Month: Increased in mental sharpness, more interest and enthusiasm for life and less depression. More energy, better results from exercise and better sleep.
2nd Month: Improved muscle tone, enhanced sexual desire, improved nail growth, improved skin tone, better digestion and increased strength.
3rd Month: Mental function improved, including a sharper memory and easier time completing projects, and noticeable weight loss. “Everyone was saying, ‘you look great, what have you done.?’ Finally the weight was coming off and I could tell I was getting stronger and less stiff and sore.”
How Long can you take Bio-Identical Hormones?
Many patients ask me “how long can I take these hormones?” They have heard that hormones are dangerous and should be taken for the shortest time possible. That is true for the synthetic hormones that include Estrone (E1) and Estradiol (E2), which cause a significantly increased risk of cancer, but the Bio-Identical Hormones Estriol (E3) and Progesterone have been shown to prevent the risk of cancer and osteoporosis. Natural Supplements, including Naturethroid (Natural Thyroid), DHEA, Testosterone and Growth Hormone, have likewise all been shown to safe and effective without the harmful side effects, when administered in the optimal range. They can be taken for as long as you want to feel great. It is the optimization of all of the hormones that rejuvenates the body, reverses the signs of aging and reduces the risks of disease.