When we talk about hormone problems, the conversation starts with what is the cause of the hormone issues? It will basically boil down to one of three things: Either the body isn’t creating enough, the body cannot use the hormones it makes, or the body cannot clear out the hormones once they are used up.
There are basically three main players when it comes to hormones: Adrenal glands, Thyroid and Reproductive hormones.
Adrenal glands are two walnut sized glands that sit on top of your kidney’s on both sides. Their major jobs inside the body is to take and coordinate the balance of over 50 different hormones. These include hormones like adrenaline (which controls energy), cortisol (which controls fat burning and sleep cycles), norepinephrine (which control digestion) and DHEA (the precursor to all the gender related hormones). These glands can become maxed out with too much sugar, caffeine, irregular sleep cycles or even emotional stress. Adrenal fatigue as it has come to be known can cause all kinds of health problems, but is typically not evaluated through a blood examination. Therefore, its effects on someone’s health are routinely misdiagnosed.
Thyroid and adrenals play right hand man to each other. Thyroid controls metabolism and a host of other significant control mechanisms in the body, including weight loss. It is now estimated that 80% of women over the age of 40 have thyroid problems, including subclinical thyroid problems, which means that the blood work comes back unremarkable. Getting the proper testing for thyroid, beyond just the typical TSH levels, is the first step to identifying a problem. Autoimmune conditions can stop the thyroid from functioning in the first place. The liver needs to convert inactive T4 to T3 for the hormones to work. And then T3 needs to be able to bind to the cell to have function at all. All of these levels need to be addressed before a persons thyroid problem can be properly managed and potentially solved.