The ZRT Laboratory Blog

5 Tips to Being a Balanced Menopausal Mom

Wed, 21 Sep 2016 10:46:00 -0700

How well I remember the dismaying shock of menopause storming into my life...I was in my late 40s then and had just moved back to the States from England – a culture clash and-a-half. My daughters were still pretty young, 9 and 6 years old, and having a hard time adjusting to new schools on top of coping with an older mom whose hormones were suddenly in full revolt.

As I recall, Christmas was fast approaching but with hot flashes hitting me every 20 minutes, and mood swings in between, no amount of holiday cheer could cheer this mama up. In the dead of winter I kept cranking the windows wide open, and G’awd help anyone who complained of frostbite. “Try putting on another sweater,” I’d bark at my husband and shivering little ones. Needless to say, my family was beginning to hate me.

A Winter's Night Wake-Up Call

I guess I should have built an igloo in the back yard and moved in. That might have helped. But when it came to helping me, I was my own worst enemy…drinking endless cups of coffee, eating all the wrong things, and never getting enough sleep! Forget hitting the pause button – I was in full-throttle menopause and letting it get the best of me.

The night before Christmas, the only creature stirring all through the house was I; woken by the sound of night sweats dripping on the floor (well it was almost that bad). Around 2am, I went outside to stand on the deck (in minus 10 degrees…ah sweet relief) when I heard a noise behind me. Was I about to meet the jolly man himself? Would he wag his finger in my face for scarfing all his cookies and being a mostly naughty, not so nice, peri-menopausal person? He would have been perfectly within his rights to do so.

I could expect my hormones to significantly shift as my ovaries started to wobble off in mid-life, but how steeply or severely that shift occurred was in large part down to lifestyle.

But no, it was Ryan, my little one, too excited to sleep. “Mommy, has Santa been here yet?” she asked looking over at the tree and then up at me, telltale crumbs trailing down my pajamas.

“Mommy, did you eat all the cookies we made for Santa?" she wailed, in horror. “Now he'll never come because of you, mean mommy!” Yep. A mean (hot, sweaty, flabby, crabby, itchy, bitchy) mommy, that’s what I was. But I didn’t want to be that person. And I didn’t ever want to see that look on my child’s face again! That was the beginning, the eve of my journey back to balance.

Imbalance Amplified by Poor Lifestyle Choices

I hit the books, starting with What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, by Dr. John Lee – still the Holy Grail for women in menopause. A few pages in, I was in tears…he was speaking to ME! Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, weight gain, the dreaded belly fat, impatience, irritability, i.e. behaving like the wicked witch of the west to those you love best in all the world? I could blame it on my hormones!

As I drilled down into the physical, mental and emotional power of hormones, I learned that the extent to which I was out-of-sync with my moods, my sleep, my very sense of self, was all tied up with the extent to which my hormones were out of balance. Yes, I could expect my hormones to significantly shift as my ovaries started to wobble off in mid-life, but how steeply or severely that shift occurred was in large part down to lifestyle: how I chose to eat, drink, sleep, exercise, and handle stress – or not. Through trial and error, I found out how to get off the rollercoaster. I found that I could stop the madness to find my way back to balance AND to my family, who were only too happy to have mom back.

"Menopause Moms" Are on the Rise

The fact is that being a menopause mom has much to recommend it. In her book, Ready: Why Women Are Embracing the New Later Motherhood, Elizabeth Gregory, director of the Women's Studies Program at the University of Houston discovered that older mothers are usually more emotionally ready to cope with parenting. Gregory says that "many older mothers have met their career and personal goals so they can and want to focus on family."

In fact, over the past three decades, skyrocketing numbers of women have chosen to start their families in their late thirties and early forties. In 2005, ten times as many women had their first child between the ages of 35 and 39 as in 1975, and thirteen times as many had their first between 40 and 44. But with that comes the challenge of moving into menopause just about the time your children are hitting their tweens or like me, getting their period the day you turn 50!

If like me, you had your children later in life and never again want to see that scared or perplexed look on their face when you're in a menopausal meltdown, read on for the answers you need to feel like yourself again.

5 Tips to Being a Balanced Menopausal Mom

Buy Dr. Lee’s book (above) and read it cover to cover. Then buy Christiane Northrup's, The Wisdom of Menopause, and read it cover to cover.
Get your hormones tested to determine whether and to what extent your hormones are out of balance.
Find a provider to partner with for prescribed hormone therapy
If testing reveals imbalances requiring hormone support insist, on bioidentical hormones (HT).
Support your adrenal glands! They have to manage your stress response, energy levels, and immunities and take over all hormone production in mid-life, so these mighty little glands need all the help they can get: optimal nutrition, exercise, stress control, sleep and pursuit of meaningful work and ME time.

More about Menopause

ZRT Docs Share Their Favorite Healthy Eating Summer Recipes

Fri, 29 Jul 2016 11:15:00 -0700

Now that the summertime bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables is in full swing, our clinicians at ZRT Laboratory have whipped up some super-healthy eating options for you from their personal recipes. I'm already hooked on the honey quinoa salad but it's a toss-up between that and the other scrumptious, easy to make dishes our Docs share with you here. I could live on these for the rest of the summer, they’re so darn delicious and simple to make.

The Healthy Eating Connection to Hormone Balance

Speaking of living on these fabulous fruits of the earth, it strikes me that the recipes our Docs have chosen to share are all meatless, so before we begin, let's take a moment to consider the benefits of the plant-based diet.

A 2013 Nutritional Update for Physicians "Nutritional Update for Physicians: Plant-Based Diets." The Permanente Journal (Kaiser Permanente). 2013 Spring; 17(2):61-66 states that "Healthy eating may best be achieved with a diet that encourages whole, plant-based foods and discourages meats, dairy products, and eggs as well as all refined and processed foods." The paper goes on to say that research shows plant-based diets to be cost-effective, low-risk interventions that may lower body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and risks for diabetes and heart disease. Another major benefit mentioned for those who decide to start a plant-based diet is the possibility of reducing the number of medications taken to treat a variety of chronic health conditions.

Pretty impressive! Now that we are fully informed about the awesome health benefits of the following recipes, let's dig in!

Alton Brown's Roasted Edamame Salad

"Here in the Pacific Northwest, summer evenings are magnificent. The sun does not set forever; the air does not get too hot. My family and friends sit around a dinner table outside, surrounded by an abundance of greenery. That moment of sharing brings us together. Stories, music, wine, and food. Food that is simple, delicious, pleasing to the taste buds and to the eye. The roasted edamame salad is one that makes me close my eyes and savor the bite. Earthy edamame, fruity corn, sweet tomatoes, bright vinegar and basil… In that bite, the element of surprise is the harmony of flavors, the richness of simplicity. In that moment time stands still. My heart is full." – Kate Placzek, PhD

You will need:

2 cups shelled edamame
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
1/4 cup finely diced scallion or red onion
1 clove garlic minced
1 tbsp olive oil
Pink Himalayan salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into small ribbons
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the edamame, corn, scallion, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper into a 13 by 9 metal pan and stir to combine.
Place on the middle rack of the oven and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, just until the edamame begins to brown.
Remove from the oven and place in the refrigerator until completely cool, approximately 30 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, basil and vinegar to the edamame mixture and toss to combine.
Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Black Bean Salad

“A rainbow of veggies in a bowl with avocado – what else do you need? Great for potlucks and the leftovers are really versatile. Plus, I can make it the day before which is key for a mom on the go.” – Alison McAllister, N.D.

You will need:

2 cans (15 oz.) black beans rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz.) whole kernel corn drained (can reverse proportions with the back beans if you prefer more corn than beans)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 avocados – peeled, pitted and diced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced (or 2 tbsp of juice)
½ cup Italian salad dressing
½ teaspoon garlic salt
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional – if using jalapenos best to prepare the night before to mellow the flavors)
Cherry tomatoes

Instructions:

Mix all the above ingredients together in one large bowl.
I have added onions in the past, used diced whole tomatoes, added broccoli and cauliflower.
This is great with chips, but is also a great side dish with chicken or sausages and I have also used it as a topping for green salads.

Honey Lime Quinoa Salad

“Living in Oregon with the abundant variety of fresh fruit, how can I not be drawn to this recipe. Honey Lime Quinoa Fruit Salad intermingles the summery whisper of berries and tropical tang of mango with the nuttiness of quinoa. Dressing the berries with the sweet tartness of honey and lime compliments the fruit. And the tri-color quinoa not only incorporates a yummy texture but intensifies the colorful fruit combination. Finally, garnishing with basil leaves lends a “pop” of eye-catching green while adding to all the other complex flavors.” – Sherry LaBeck, N.D.

You will need:

1 cup uncooked quinoa (I used tricolor)
1½ cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries
1 mango, diced
Honey Lime Glaze:
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil for garnish

Instructions:

Rinse and prepare the quinoa according to package.
Let quinoa cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, combine quinoa, strawberries, blueberries, and mango.
To make the glaze: In a small bowl combine the honey and lime juice. Drizzle over the fruit salad and toss to coat.
Garnish with fresh basil.

Grilled Corn Fiesta

"This is one of those great summer recipes that offer a low degree of difficulty and a high degree of “wow!!” Add this one to your repertoire and get creative adding your own twist. I’ve added diced crunchy fresh jalapenos and am thinking of seeing what a little basil would do. Have fun!" – Allison B. Smith, N.D.

You will need:

4 shucked and rinsed corn on the cobs
2 tbsp salted Butter
¼ cup shredded pepper jack cheese
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Optional: chives or cilantro

Instructions:

On a high heat grill, cook corn on the cob for about 20 minutes turning and buttering frequently.
Once corn is soft, remove from grill and let cool for a few minutes.
Use a knife to cut the corn off the cob and collect the corn in a serving bowl.
While it’s still warm, incorporate the pepper jack cheese and the crumbled feta. This is where you would add your chives or chopped cilantro.

We hope you enjoy these dishes as you're soaking up Vitamin D!

Dig into more healthy and delicious recipes from the ZRT Docs

3 Case Studies Reveal Perspectives on Mental Health And Hormones

Thu, 21 Jul 2016 09:35:00 -0700

An eye-opening discussion and review of mental health case histories with Alyssa Burns-Hill, PhD in the webinar Perspectives on Mental Health And Hormones takes practitioners through the hormone looking glass for a deeper understanding of depression and mental illness.

From Burns-Hill's perspective, mental health is not just the preserve of mental health professionals, but a global health problem that all specialists – from family practitioners and psychiatrists, to neurologists and social workers – ought to be concerned about.

She points to the 2010 Global Burden Disease Study that identified the most predominant mental health problems as depression and anxiety, which are symptoms physicians see in practice every day. Yet many people remain untreated or locked into a standard medical approach that focuses on the illness rather than the individual.

As a practitioner of holistic medicine, Burns-Hill believes the conventional medical model has become so reliant on technology that diet, stress, lifestyle and relaxation are routinely ignored. When patients say they can't sleep, or are dealing with job stress, anxiety or depression, providers should be looking at the whole person, she says, including their physiology – and hormones in particular.

When it comes to mental health, stress factors
cannot be emphasized enough…and a holistic approach can make a big impact.

Following the strength of her convictions, she is a long-time proponent of salivary and blood spot testing to detect sex, adrenal and thyroid hormone imbalances. These three major hormone systems are absolutely vital to mental and emotional health and yet generally overlooked by mainstream medicine.

Burns-Hill advocates documenting lab levels in concert with patient symptoms to provide "both quantitative and qualitative test results" that help her tailor treatment to patient needs with impressive results.

The benefits of this approach are clearly in evidence in three compelling case histories drawn from her UK-based patient practice. Rejecting old-school approaches that isolate the disease from the patient actually living it, she presents her patient histories from within a framework of mind-body perspectives:

Body-Mind as defined by "alterations in endogenous hormone levels resulting in mental health issues."

Mind-Body as defined by "mental health issues caused by hormone- related illness."

Body-Mind as defined by "behavioral/mental health issues as a result of hormone therapy or treatment."

For example, in the first Body-Mind case history, we meet Rebecca, a 46 year-old IT manager with "really bad PMS," terrible mood swings, irritability, anxiety and severe sleep issues. She’s already got thyroid problems and a raft of symptoms like dry skin, water retention and allergies.

Burns-Hill lets us in on her intuitive thinking process around the patient herself, a consideration of needs and priorities, and which hormone tests to run on Rebecca. Test results are shown to reveal imbalances of all three major hormonal systems with estrogen dominant and progesterone low, adrenal stress hormones high, and thyroid levels down despite medication.

Burns-Hill outlines her treatment approach in generous detail. In every case it is the holistic natural approach that looms large, specifically:

Stress reduction techniques like yoga and meditation
Improved diet bolstered by individualized vitamin, mineral and amino acid supplements
Lifestyle changes as fine-tuned as switching to toxin free laundry detergent and fluoride free toothpaste
Suggested use of bioidentical hormones as needed

Six weeks later Rebecca reports none of her usual symptoms: "mood perfect," just a tiny bit of water retention and no more dizziness. After changing her soap products, she has woken for the first time without dermatitis on her face. In addition, the 5HTP and meditation is helping her sleep, and she hasn't felt this good in ages!

The other two case studies presented here: a mid-life male who has been on antidepressants since he was seventeen, and a menopausal woman whose complete hysterectomy is shown to be a big contributor to her chronic depression, round out this essential tutorial on the hormonal links to mental health and wellness.

The not-to-be-missed recorded webinar conversation on Perspectives on Mental Health And Hormones challenges providers to consider mental health conditions from a fresh viewpoint – through the lens of hormone balance.

Andropause: Real Men Go For Balance

Fri, 17 Jun 2016 14:30:00 -0700

The first thing a man entering andropause generally notices is a subtle downward shift in strength and energy as hormone levels taper off. Muscle tone and stamina are the first to go and he starts to gain weight and that "spare tire." He may also develop a voracious appetite and food cravings he never had before. As symptoms kick in at mid-life, hormone testing can identify hidden imbalances that complicate symptoms of andropause and contribute to rapid aging.

The 2006 HIM Study found that nearly 40% of US males over 45 years old had low testosterone levels (an estimated 13 million US males), however the majority of men in the study did not recognize that the weight gain, sore muscles, lack of libido, insomnia, and burnout they were experiencing could have something to do with andropause and hormone imbalance – instead they put their symptoms down to "just getting old."

Getting old was the recurrent theme at a recent 50^th birthday party I attended where non-stop over the hill jokes and "low-T" lamentations were heaped upon the birthday boy. All that talk of testosterone reminded me of an article in Atlantic magazine a few years ago that slammed the drug industry’s promotion of supplemental testosterone as "god's gift to men," and questioned whether every modern man really needs testosterone?

One way to begin to answer that question is to start with physiology and understand that the androgens (primarily testosterone and DHEA) in their natural state bestow the heavier bone and muscle mass, deeper voice, drive and virility we associate with the male of the species. And that when they start to decline around the age of 45, the average Joe will experience some of the following symptoms:

Decreased strength/stamina/endurance
Decreased muscle mass/sore muscles
Weight gain in the hips, thighs, waist, and/or breasts
Increased body fat
Poor recovery from exercise
Burnout and fatigue
Lack of mental clarity
Decreased sex drive and/or competitive drive
Prostate problems

The natural decline of hormone levels in aging men also poses an increased cardiovascular risk which is where the controversy over replacement therapy comes in: whether it can hurt or help healthy men, and those who already have heart disease. It's an important question, particularly in light of the skyrocketing numbers of men using testosterone products to feel better and to increase muscle mass and energy. According to the FDA, the use of testosterone therapies increased from 1.3 million patients in 2009 to 2.3 million patients in 2013, a doubling of prescriptions in less than five years. In light of these numbers and that the risks vs. benefits of androgen supplementation in men have not been clearly identified, the Atlantic article raised some important questions, for which recent research has some good answers.

Replacement has its place

In a 2015 study of 1472 generally healthy men between the ages of 52 and 63 with no history of heart disease, researchers found that those who received testosterone supplementation to achieve normal levels did not increase their risk of heart attack stroke or death but actually showed a reduction of risk compared to patients not on testosterone therapy. Even more good news came in a follow-up study this year (2016) of 755 male patients between the ages of 58 and 78, all with severe coronary artery disease. Researchers found that the men who received testosterone therapy as part of their follow-up treatment fared much better than those who didn't. In fact, the non-testosterone therapy patients were 80 percent more likely to suffer an adverse event.

Its always about balance

Aging is inevitable and dropping hormone levels go with the territory, but what is not inevitable, is how rapid or steep the decline in hormones needs to be. Whether men age well, or rapidly, depends a great deal on their stress levels, diet, exercise, alcohol intake, weight gain etc. For example, the more overweight the man, the more estrogen he will churn out in his fat cells, creating a surplus in relation to waning testosterone, and a raft of estrogen related symptoms, like moodiness, depression, and female pattern of weight distribution in the hips, thighs, and breast tissue. (A fact that should not be lost on those concerned about prostate health is that estrogen is a growth hormone linked with the development of prostate cancer.)

Experts in the field of hormone testing and balance, like Dr. David Zava, owner of ZRT Laboratory will tell you that where the need is clearly established and monitored through testing, supplementing with testosterone can be beneficial, particularly, when used in tandem with a healthy lifestyle.

Men in balance do these things during andropause

*Test their hormone levels to detect and correct imbalances linked to symptoms.
Follow up with a natural hormone friendly physician
Lose weight as needed. Fat cells contain aromatase, an enzyme that robs the male body of available testosterone by converting it into estrogen.
Stick with a program! A low glycemic Mediterranean style diet that's high in protein and fiber and low in fat and carbs can help rebalance hormones and assist weight loss
Throw out testosterone robbers like caffeine, alcohol, cigarettes, and unnecessary stressors like burning the candle at both ends day in and day out etc.
Take up strength training or weight bearing exercise to boost testosterone and DHEA levels naturally by building up lean muscle mass
Counteract stress (the higher the stress levels, the lower the testosterone) with regular exercise – 45 minutes is optimal but even 10 mins. 3x a day adds up to 30 minutes and that is GOOD
St-r-e-t-c-h and breathe deep to release tension held in the muscles and lower stress hormones that deplete T levels
Hit the sack earlier – less than 7 hours of sleep disrupts appetite hormones to increase cravings and feelings of hunger
Take time to do the things you enjoy! Stress reduction is the key to normalizing cortisol and T levels

*Topical supplements rubbed into the skin (gels, creams) do not always show up in a serum test and can lead to possible OVER supplementation. This is why so many physicians test hormone levels in saliva or dried blood spot sampling to track and adjust dosage as needed.

The Good Andropause

I encourage you to read the Atlantic article with the awareness that hormone balance never boils down to just one hormone! Getting to the land of optimal health and aging is about getting ALL key players – estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, cortisol, thyroid – working together in sync! Just like the symphony orchestra, if one instrument is out of tune, so goes the melody…hormones are your internal symphony. Replacement has its place as long as it is in tune with your body’s natural rhythms and need for proper care, feeding and rest during andropause!

More About Andropause

Are Heavy Metals in Lipstick Making Us Sick?

Fri, 20 May 2016 14:00:00 -0700

Practical Takeaway:

Studies have found toxic heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, mercury and other toxins deemed hazardous by the CDC in a random sampling of lip products used by women of all ages.

For millions of women the world over, this casts a pall on the transformative promise of cosmetics to make us look and feel more beautiful.

FDA Doesn't Regulate Cosmetics

Like most women I had always assumed that any beauty product on the shelves has undergone testing to verify its contents are safe - so much for assumptions! Once I did a little digging into the subject, I found out that unlike pharmaceuticals or pesticides, chemical ingredients contained in cosmetics do NOT have to be tested or approved before they are put on the market.

You can read it right there on the FDA website: "Under the law, cosmetic products and ingredients do not need FDA premarket approval, with the exception of color additives."

And to add insult to injury, the main law we've got that attempts to monitor safety, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), doesn’t regulate cosmetics either.

That’s worrisome given the fact that heavy metals like lead, arsenic, mercury, aluminum, zinc, chromium and iron have been found in numerous personal products, from teeth whiteners and skin creams to eyeliners and lipsticks that millions of people use every day.

Take Lipsticks for Example...

Studies have been finding lead – a heavy metal that the CDC warns humans should avoid exposure to entirely – in lipstick for years. The first serious investigation of lead in lipsticks was in 2007 when the nonprofit Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested a range of products and found traces of lead in 61% of name brand lipsticks. The list of toxic lip care products even included a tinted chap stick made by Burt's Bees, a company (now owned by Clorox) that touts "truly natural products that have a positive effect on both you and the world you live in."

So much for truth in advertising! We know that elevated lead levels in adults can lead to a host of health problems from miscarriages to seizures and that exposure is also linked to:

Learning, language and behavioral problems
Hormonal disturbances
Delayed onset of puberty in girls and development of testes in boys

Under pressure from consumers the FDA released a follow-up study in 2010 that found unsafe lead levels in all 400 samples of lipstick tested – researchers found levels four times higher than those found in the 2007 Campaign study.

Researchers found that women who applied lipstick from two to 14 times a day were ingesting significant quantities of heavy metals.

Lead Isn't the Only Toxin Lurking in Lipstick

A study by University of California researchers (Environmental Health Perspectives) found nine toxic heavy metals, including cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, manganese and other toxins deemed hazardous by the CDC in a random sampling of 32 lip products used by young women aged 14-19 years old. Toxin levels varied widely depending on the brand, but researchers found that women who applied lipstick, whether frequently at fourteen times a day down to just twice a day, were ingesting significant quantities of heavy metals—20% or more of the daily amount considered safe in drinking water.

Heavy metals are often used in mineral dyes, which give lipstick its pigment, and are also found in soil and groundwater. Some are downright dangerous, such as cadmium, a carcinogen that has been shown in breast cancer biopsies and in lab experiments to cause cancer cells to multiply. Mercury, a particularly nasty toxin found in many imported skin creams can build up in body tissues causing tremors, memory loss, vision and/or hearing problems and other lethal aspects of mercury poisoning.

A Deadly Dose

At this point you may be asking, so how concerned do I need to be? According to the CDC there is no safe level of lead exposure in children, and in adults lead is dangerous even in tiny doses since it accumulates in the body and wreaks havoc over time. This is of particular concern according to some experts who estimate that the average woman eats 10 pounds of lipstick in her lifetime! And as we have now learned, more than half are contaminated with lead, making lipstick a leading cause of lead toxicity for women. (FDA, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics).

Other reasons to be concerned:

Skin is not the most efficient filter of toxins, absorbing up to 60% of what we put on it.
Some toxins bio-accumulate, taking their toll over time.
Scientists now talk of babies born "prepolluted" with hundreds of measurable toxins in their bloodstream.

When you're dealing with chemicals that are carcinogenic, interfere with hormones, or are even toxic to your nervous system, the goal is to minimize exposure as much as possible.

But first we need to know how much exposure we've had in the first place. Fortunately a simple blood and/or dried urine test can determine whether we carry an unsafe body burden of potentially lethal heavy metals.

The big question then becomes how to avoid exposure to hidden heavy metals that don't show up on ingredient labels. Ultimately its up to us to do our own research and find safer alternatives (check out online resources below). For women in particular that might mean parting with our favorite lipstick, which rather than making us beautiful could be making us sick.

Resources

Environmental Working Group

EWG Skin Deep Database

FDA Consumer Updates – Is It Really FDA Approved?

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics - a list of toxin-free products

Think Dirty app – allows you to scan product safety as you shop

Related Resources

Clinical Pearls on Fertility, Infertility & Hormones

Wed, 27 Apr 2016 17:27:00 -0700

In this engaging and wide-ranging discussion of Fertility, Infertility and the Role of Hormone Testing, Dr. Alison McAllister, lead clinical consultant at ZRT, shares her considerable knowledge about the challenges of infertility and the heartbreak of those struggling to have a baby of their own.

Sadly, it is a growing problem that affects 1 in 8 couples and millions of people around the world. As a naturopath who looks at all aspects of infertility: physical, mental and emotional, McAllister aims not only to help couples become pregnant, but stay pregnant for the 9 months until a healthy baby is delivered into their arms.

Infertility is commonly defined as the inability to get pregnant within 1 year of unprotected intercourse, or within 6 months in women over 35, or 3 months in women after the age of 40. But infertility is not just an affliction of women: 30% of all cases are due to female factors, another 30% are linked to male factors, and the remaining 40% can be traced back to both.

Yet, despite the equal-opportunity nature of the problem, far fewer men than women in couples trying to get pregnant have ever had a workup.

"I see it all the time and its one of my biggest pet peeves," says McAllister. "The women are out there getting invasive procedures, and even laparoscopic surgery, while their spouse hasn't had a sperm count!" This is an oversight couples can’t afford to make, she warns, especially given the good news that almost all male infertility can be overcome. "A man can have no sperm whatsoever," she says, "but if his tissue can be biopsied and they find even a trace, that couple can ultimately have a biological child."

Screening for hormonal causes is one of the first recommended steps because simple adjustments can result in fertility.

Thus she strongly advises patients in opposite-sex relationships to get both a female workup and male workup to determine the cause of their reproductive woes. When a couple under the age of 35 has been trying for over a year, (or 6 months over the age of 35) screening for fertility hormones as a cause is one of the first recommended steps. This is because even simple adjustments to thyroid and/or progesterone can sometimes result in fertility.

Leaving no stone unturned in this webinar, McAllister takes providers through the ins and outs of infertility and what is needed to help overcome the problem. Some of the highlights of her presentation include but are not limited to discussion of:

Structural and functional disorders from faulty sperm and anatomical problems in men, to anovulation and pelvic factors in women: for example in men the lack of an intact blood/testes barrier due to trauma or infection can trigger antibodies against his own sperm; in women, endometriosis, fallopian tube defects or fibroids to name but a few common causes, can disrupt ovulation, fetal development in utero and/or successful delivery
Key labs to detect underlying issues, from the all-important ovarian assessment of day 3 FSH levels and LH surges, hormone testing to rule out PCOS, estrogen/progesterone and cortisol imbalances, thyroid, iodine and Vitamin D testing (often missed in fertility workups), to evaluate heavy metal exposure
Pros & cons of conventional and complementary treatments e.g. Clomid, Vitex, Inositol, EFAs, natural progesterone
Dietary and lifestyle improvements to reverse insulin resistance, Vitamin D deficiency, elevated cortisol
Avoidance of Environmental toxins (cadmium, lead, arsenic, mercury) and xenoestrogens: BPAs, plasticizers etc., disrupt egg development and increase miscarriage recurrences

There are plenty of clinical pearls here for providers to ponder: from a consideration of "smart sperm" to cervical mucus (is it there and is it stretchy enough?), to lower global sperm counts (what’s now considered normal may be too low and should be double checked), and the number of babies born with thyroid problems to mothers who take too much iodine (question the right amount of iodine during pregnancy).

As a naturopath many patients ask McAllister if she’s against using fertility medication. The answer is "no," however she does have concerns that too many women are being set up to fail these treatments. What does she mean by that? "A fertility specialist will generally 'allow' approximately 3 tries with oral medications before recommending IVF, which is great, but very expensive. So, of course you want to see people have success within those 3 tries."

"Our aim should be to generally optimize her body for health & fertility, then use oral medications or IVF, knowing that success rates are going to be much higher per cycle." - Dr. McAllister

But rather than rushing into IVF treatment, McAllister feels strongly that women be allowed a period of at least 3 months on average, so that everything that can be done, is done, to identify silent conditions undermining infertility, like undetected TSH levels over 2.5, or low iodine (the ovaries actually have the second highest level of iodine content in the body), associated with a dramatic drop in fertility rates.

Conditions like these, if unrecognized and left untreated make it much less likely that patients will be able to become pregnant with IVF, and also more prone to miscarrying once pregnant. "Our aim should be to generally optimize her body for health and fertility," says McAllister, "then use oral medications or IVF, knowing that success rates are going to be much higher per cycle."

For example, women with PCOS (associated with 70% of all cases of infertility) are all too often told they won’t be able to have a child, but "nothing could be further from the truth," says McAllister. In fact, these women often have plenty of eggs, and 80% of them can get pregnant – especially with complementary care to balance the diet, blood sugars and insulin levels.

There is plenty here for clinicians who also want to use complementary therapies to support fertility treatment. McAllister shares some of her favorites for restoring normal cycles and ovulation: Vitex, the "natural version of Clomid," an herb used for centuries by women to regulate periods; she is a big fan of Inositol: "follicle studies show that the best eggs have higher inositol levels," and adequate progesterone to "make the endometrium work."

She often finds herself reminding patients stressed about stress that if women can get pregnant during wartime, "you can get pregnant too." She conjectures that one day we’ll find out that our own natural endorphins that trigger happiness and feelings of well-being have the biggest impact on reproductive skills, more so even than stress relief.

Fertility being a multi-generational phenomenon will always keep providers and researchers guessing to some extent, but there are many answers here, and a world of practical information that providers can use to assist patients in the successful creation of their own little miracle.

Related Resources

National Nutrition Month: Finding our Way Back to True Foods

Fri, 18 Mar 2016 10:20:00 -0700

Every year in March, National Nutrition Month focuses our attention on how and what we eat, exhorting us with awareness-raising campaign slogans to "bite into a healthy lifestyle," or as in this year’s theme, to "savor the flavor of eating right." Appealing and important as the messaging is, it does beg the question that what tastes good to us, may not necessarily be good for us.

Too many of the flavors we savor are artificial and too many of the foods we have become accustomed (or addicted) to are loaded with hidden sugars and additives. Add to that the over processed, hormone-fed, genetically modified "fake foods" that have infiltrated our food supply, and one can argue that the standard American diet has lost its power to nourish us.

Consider that 56% of our calories, according to David Servan-Schreiber in his riveting book Anti-Cancer, come from three "food" sources that were once nonexistent:

refined sugars (cane, beet, high fructose corn syrup)
bleached flour (white bread, pasta)
Trans fats and vegetable oils (soybean, sunflower, corn)

"It so happens that these three sources contain none of the proteins, vitamins, minerals or omega-3 fatty acids needed to keep our bodies functioning," he writes. "On the other hand they directly fuel the growth of cancer."

From Staff of Life to Stuffed for Life

In the last 20 years, bread and its carbohydrate cousins, cereals, pastas, pastries etc., have been hybridized into insulin/fat raising foods that have engulfed us in a tide of obesity and diabetes. Books like Wheat Belly, by William Davis, M.D., go a long way towards explaining how today’s wheat is not the wheat we once knew, but a high-yield, gluten-boosted variety that undermines intestinal health. Nothing attests to this more than the explosion of gluten-free foods catering to those who can so longer eat wheat without serious repercussions. After reading this and also Grain Brain, by David Perlmutter, MD., one comes away with the conviction that not just obesity but common health problems, from fatigue and foggy thinking to headaches and anxiety, may originate with that innocent bowl of cereal or slice of toast in the morning.

So how do we learn the lessons of good nutrition so that we don’t end up obese, insulin resistant, gluten-intolerant or diabetic?

Colliding with the hybridization of wheat was the publication of the 1992 USDA Food Guide Pyramid that instructed Americans to eat more grains than ever – a whopping 9 to 11 servings a day - compared with a paltry 2 to 3 servings of fruit and vegetables. Nutritionists working on the project warned at the time that making grains the basis of the pyramid would cause obesity and diabetes rates to skyrocket, but their words fell on deaf ears.

It's no coincidence that since then, both obesity and diabetes have become epidemic in this country. And while the good news is that the food pyramid has morphed into MYPlate elevating vegetables to the largest plate portion, grains are still a close second. (Much to the dismay of some nutrition experts and critics who view this as a concession to the corn and wheat industries.)

Finding our Way Back to True Foods

So how do we learn the lessons of good nutrition so that we don’t end up obese, insulin resistant, gluten-intolerant or diabetic? By finding our way back to "true foods," suggests Andrew Weil, who has written a great cookbook by that name. Described as fresh, local, sustainable, organic produce in sync with an anti-inflammatory diet, Dr. Weil talks about true foods being not just for vegans and vegetarians, "but also for people who want a good meal that happens to be good for you. The first point was always that it has got to taste right."

That brings us right back to the message of National Nutrition Month - that we can learn to enjoy the taste of eating right. And if blind taste tests are anything to go by, there are those researchers who would tell you that our taste buds can be taught to recognize what is good for our bodies.

Start with SUPERFOODS

These are the nutritional powerhouses, rich in fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and plant nutrients that will restore taste buds that had long forgotten natural flavors - always best when organic of course. Reject those sprayed with herbicides and pesticides that bankrupt their nutrient stores.

low-fat plain yogurt
eggs
nuts
kiwis
quinoa
beans
salmon
broccoli
sweet potatoes
strawberries and blueberries

Pair Superfoods with Phytonutrients for Hormone Balancing

These standouts among food sources also make great nutrition partners with plant-based phytonutrient-rich foods known to support hormone balance. These in order of amount include:

flax seed and breads
beans and legumes
soy milk, yogurt and tofu
sesame and sunflower seeds
multigrain (in moderation and or gluten-free alternatives) and flax breads
hummus
garlic
mung and alfalfa bean sprouts
dried apricots and dates
olive oil
almonds
green beans
blueberries

For more information about eating right for your lifestyle check out the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Related Resources

Got SAD? Got ODD? Here's News You Can Use

Wed, 10 Feb 2016 09:35:00 -0800

On Nov. 24, the sun set in the tiny Greenlandic town of Ittoqqortoormiit. For the next three months, the Inuit inhabitants of this isolated, icebound landscape will take their children to school in the dark, work in the dark, and pick them up in the dark.

And though townspeople admit that, "it can get depressing for people who weren't born here, especially in December," the local mindset is that living in darkness is just a normal part of life. Isn't there something they do to stay happy in the absence of the sun? Not really. "We just deal with it! Polar People don't mind!" (Hersher, 2016).

But if you are not one of the "Polar People" and looking for a solution to flagging mood and energy—especially if it occurs during the fall and winter months—you probably do mind, very much. In that case, the possibility that you are deficient in Vitamin D should be a top consideration. (Consider that the Inuit diet is very unusual compared to ours, given that they eat plenty of fatty sea food that is super rich in vitamin D.)

Reported levels of D deficiency are soaring, with an estimated three-quarters to 85% of US adults and teens falling short of this vitamin, which is not actually a vitamin, but a pro-hormone, that is converted into Vitamin D in the body.

As many as 20% of Americans are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) each winter.

Decades ago most people worked outside in the sunshine and absorbed approximately 10,000 – 20,000 IU of Vitamin D in 15 minutes, many times more than the current FDA requirements of between 200 and 400 IU. Now the great majority of us work AND exercise indoors, missing out on that vital synergy of sun upon skin that creates Vitamin D, the so-called "sunshine vitamin."

Our health and mood is intricately tied to exposure to sunlight. It's no coincidence then, that as many as 20% of Americans are thought to be affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) each winter, suffering from the blues, fatigue, and in some cases, more serious depression as the days begin to darken and sunlight grows scarce. Suicides also tend to be highest during this time of year.

For the last 30 years we've been warned that sunshine is hazardous to our health, so just when we could be soaking up the summer rays and making plenty of Vitamin D, we are instead covering ourselves under hats and excessive amounts of sunscreen. As summer wanes, many of us will live under gray skies from September to mid-April, making it nearly impossible to get enough sunlight for optimal production of Vitamin D in the body.

Contributing to the problem is what some medical observers are calling "outdoor deprivation disorder" (ODD), described as a lack of physical activity out of doors and a growing disconnect with the natural environment. While most adults work inside every day, children aged 8 to 18, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, are spending more time than ever—seven and a half hours a day—using electronic media indoors, and less time outside. Case in point: when the No Child Left Behind law went into effect, 30% of kindergarten classrooms eliminated recess to make more room for academics.

The Importance of Vitamin D & Melatonin Testing

Besides the evident shortfall of Vitamin D with the advent of autumn and winter, levels of melatonin, the hibernation and sleep promoting brain chemical, also rise and fall (inversely) with light and darkness. When it's dark, melatonin levels increase, which is why we may feel tired when the sun starts to set, and as those who live in northern climes know all too well, that can be as early as 4pm in mid-winter.

If you know or suspect that YOU suffer from the winter blues a combination of bright light therapy, exercise and supplements, such as Vitamin D3, have been found to be helpful in relieving symptoms. Testing is the first step to detect and correct deficiencies or imbalance.

Test your Vitamin D levels: Any reading below 30 ng/ml in a bloodspot test is a clear sign of D-deficiency. For all-around health, you want to be in the optimal zone between 50-80 ng/ml year-round. In the summer, getting plenty of sensible sun exposure is the way to go. In the winter, supplementing between 2000 and 5000 IUs of Vitamin D3 can raise levels into this optimal zone, resulting in a "sunny" mood, increased energy and decreased feeling of stress, sadness and depression. Always retest within 3 months to make sure you're staying within the zone.
Test your Melatonin levels: dried urine testing measures the peaks and troughs of melatonin production at critical time points to determine average overnight production and whether levels are where they should be (e.g. high at night, low in the morning) in relation to cortisol, the master stress hormone.
Bright Light Therapy during the day not only improves your emotional outlook, it also helps your sleep. Bright light in the morning decreases your daytime levels of melatonin, but it will raise nighttime levels, helping you to sleep well. Poor sleepers with SAD respond best of all to light therapy. A total of 30 to 60 minutes a day under a lamp something close to natural daylight, without glasses or contacts on can help you feel the benefits right away.
Ecotherapy involves exercising outdoors instead of inside a facility. A research study done with 20 people who each walked outside and at an indoor shopping center rated feelings of self-esteem, depression, and tension after both walks. Improvements were greater when walking outdoors as compared to walking indoors (self-esteem: 90% vs. 17%, depression: 71% vs. 45%, and tension: 71% vs. 28%, respectively) (Mind, 2007).

It is late January in Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland. The moon is pink, reflecting the red of the sun now just a few degrees below the horizon. Right before noon, all the kids in town don snowsuits and mittens, and climb to the top of a nearby hill. Here they gather in a circle and sing a song for the sun as it prepares to rise again for the first time in 58 days: "Welcome back, my dear friend. Welcome back the sun." (Hersher, 2016).

Related Resources

References

Hersher, R. (2016, Jan 25). In The Arctic Circle, The Sun Will Come Up After 58 Tomorrows. Web article. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/01/25/464282974/in-the-arctic-circle-the-sun-will-come-up-after-58-tomorrows

Mind Ecotherapy: The green agenda for mental health (2007). Retrieved from
https://www.mind.org.uk/media/273470/ecotherapy.pdf

How Hormones are Key to the Top 10 New Year's Resolutions

Sat, 09 Jan 2016 09:30:00 -0800

As we roll into 2016 what is it that YOU hope to change, reinvent, reconsider, move towards or away from in the coming year?

New Year’s resolutions are often among the most noble of ideas, centered on self-improvement, education, health, lifestyle and relationships. Yet statistics show that only eight percent of us successfully reach our aspirations.

Experts tell us that the more specific the goal, the better the chance of achieving it. So what if this time 'round we tackle our New Year’s resolution-making strategically? What if by making a single fundamental change we could tackle all our best laid intentions at one fell swoop?

I’m talking about kicking off this New Year by taking stock of our hormonal health. Sound far-fetched? Not really. Silent hormone imbalances are all too often the culprit behind the fatigue, foggy thinking, overeating, lost libido and depression that dogs our days and sabotages our best efforts year after year.

If this sounds like an exciting new premise you are ready to wrap your arms around, read on. Here’s how hormone balance could well be the key to having all our Top 10 Resolutions for 2016* fall into place:

Lose weight - Hormone imbalances can program us to put on the pounds.
Many women, especially those in menopause and the years approaching it (peri-menopause), have an estrogen dominance problem. As ovulation wanes and less progesterone is produced, this leads to weight gain in the hips, thighs and bottom. An imbalance of cortisol stress hormones is another roadblock to losing weight, with high levels fueling appetite, sugar cravings and the accumulation of belly fat. Low thyroid hormones and/or deficiencies of elements like selenium or iodine crucial to active thyroid conversion can also slow metabolism, making it easy to gain weight and harder to lose.
Get organized - Hormone imbalances can run interference on getting your house in order. If for example you have low testosterone it can be tough to think straight. Out-of-whack cortisol levels can make us unfocused and easily distracted, while estrogen lows are linked with foggy thinking and difficulty putting things in order. Not particularly helpful if you're aiming to finally get organized this year.
Save more, spend less - Stress hormones in particular can trigger feelings of being overwhelmed, impulse behaviors, and lack of control: this in effect can lead to OVERdoing it in more ways than one: overeating, overworking, overspending, etc.
Enjoy life to the fullest - Hormones can play havoc with our zest for living. Estrogen/progesterone fluctuations are famous for unleashing a rollercoaster of moods and emotions, androgens (DHEA and Testosterone) high or low can cause us to feel on or off the edge, while those darn stress hormones can send us spiraling 'round the rabbit hole. Hardly a formula for achieving this most lofty of resolutions.
Stay fit and healthy - Hormone fitness is a must. That means that all the hormones in our body need to be in the right proportions with one another: estrogens, androgens, adrenals and thyroid hormones work closely together to protect the health of our heart, brain and nervous system, muscles and bones, skin and hair.
Learn something exciting - Learning about hormones and the essential role they play in governing our physical, mental and emotional functions throughout life IS exciting!
Quit smoking - Reduce stress hormones to reduce the smoking urge. Having a smoke is synonymous with curbing anxiety, a bad habit time out that is better spent doing exercise, deep breathing, meditation, yoga, etc., all of which are deeply rebalancing when it comes to our hormonal health.
Help others in their dreams - To sleep, perchance to dream; this too is a hormone matter. To dream day or night we must first sleep. Balanced levels of melatonin in tandem with cortisol regulate the rhythms of sleep and waking. A well-rested mind and body provides the inner calm and tranquility needed to help invest our own dreams, and those of others, with purpose and meaning.
Fall in love - When looking for love we don’t want our hormones playing out of tune. Hormones are often compared to a symphonic orchestra; the string, woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments all playing in perfect harmony. So too must the hormones of our internal orchestra play in tempo; otherwise we can find ourselves out of sorts, out of libido, and out of love.
Spend more time with family - "Once I got my hormones balanced my family wanted to spend more time with me!" Quality family time is often rationed by our impatience, irritability, or stress levels - all hallmark signs of hormone imbalance. When we can’t understand why we say things we don’t mean, or make so little time for the people we love most in all the world, it’s a good idea to consider the state of our hormones.

Hormone testing can identify hidden imbalances that put us at odds with our own resolutions for self-improvement in the New Year.

*Source: University of Scranton. Journal of Clinical Psychology
Research Date: December 27th, 2015

Related Webinars

Brassicas for Healthy Hormone Holiday Feasting

Tue, 22 Dec 2015 09:22:00 -0800

During this holiday season, the docs at ZRT Laboratory have whipped up some healthy hormone eating options from their favorite recipes. Try out these scrumptious dishes for your family and tell us what you think!

The Cruciferous Connection to Hormone Balance

Before you dig in, you may be tempted to ask how it is that the humble Brussels sprout et al., are empowered with such healthy purpose?

The answer boils down to biochemistry: when crucifers are added to one’s daily diet, their active ingredients (indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and 3,3'-diindolylmethane, or DIM), favorably affect estrogen metabolism – which in turn may reduce the incidence of certain cancers. DIM for example works its magic by multiplying the chance for estrogens to be broken down into “good” vs. “bad” metabolites.

Most of the benefits attributed to estrogen – protection of our breasts, skin, bones, blood vessels, heart and brain against the diseases of aging – are known to come from these good estrogens.

Most undesirable effects such as heavy periods, weight gain, mood swings, and risks for breast cancer come from a buildup of the bad metabolites of estrogen. All the more reason to deck the halls with boughs of broccoli and eat brassicas this holiday and every day of the year!

Holiday Brussel Sprouts - Lindsay Nyre, Lab & Clinical Consultants Coordinator

You will need:

2 tbsp olive oil
Sprouts, cleaned and cut into halves
½ red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 rashers bacon, chopped
(that’s 2 pieces for us in the USA. Lindsay’s originally from the UK!)
¼ cup dried cranberries
Balsamic vinegar
Pinch of cayenne
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat olive oil over medium heat in skillet. Add red onion, garlic and bacon; cook until onions are translucent, about 3 mins.
Add sprouts, cut side down. Turn heat up to medium-high, allow sprouts to brown a little and then stir; cook for around 10 mins before adding dried cranberries.
Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne to taste. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Marinated Brocco-lay! - Dr. Allison Smith

You will need:

1 head broccoli
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
1 tbsp dill
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic

Instructions:

Cut broccoli into florets (and I like the stem cut up in there too – crunchy and yummy)
Add everything else to the broccoli in a bowl and mix up
Cover and put in the fridge
Overnight is best but great even after an hour

Cauliflower Mash - Dr. Alison McAllister

You will need:

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tbsp ghee
Head of garlic
Fresh chives, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb, then cut off the very top of the head of garlic to expose the individual garlic cloves. Place in aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil, then seal the foil around the garlic. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cloves are soft. Allow garlic to cool, then squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the skin.
Meanwhile, place a couple inches of water in a large pot. Once water is boiling, place steamer insert and then cauliflower florets into the pot and cover. Steam for 12-14 minutes, until completely tender. Drain and return cauliflower to pot.
Add roasted garlic, milk, ghee, and salt to the cauliflower. Using an immersion blender or food processor, combine ingredients until smooth. Top with chives and freshly ground pepper.

Mandarin Sautéed Kale – Dr. Alison McAllister

You will need:

1 1/2 pounds of young kale
3 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Mandarin oranges
Walnuts
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Toss kale in olive oil or coconut oil to coat
Heat oil in a large frying pan
Add kale to pan
Sauté until wilted – approximately 5-7 minutes
Add the vinegar
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Toss to combine
Top with mandarin orange slices and walnuts
Also great with goat cheese, collard greens, and cranberries!

Bok Choy with Ginger & Garlic - Dr. Sherry LaBeck

You will need:

1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1-2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
3-4 cups bok choy, coarsely chopped
Sesame oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Combine oil, garlic and ginger in skillet
Cook 1 minute
Add bok choy and soy sauce tossing quickly to coat with oil mixture
Cook 3-5 minutes until stalks are crisp-tender and greens are wilted
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Drizzle with sesame oil before serving

Enjoy! From all of us at ZRT Laboratory, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!

Dig into more healthy and delicious recipes from the ZRT Docs

Preventing Breast Cancer: How Hormone Balance Can Help Save Your Life

Tue, 17 Nov 2015 08:50:00 -0800

When was the last time you thought about your personal risk for breast cancer?

Even though it’s no longer National Breast Cancer Awareness month, it’s never too late to start thinking about this important topic.

Don’t let the disappearance of pink ribbons rob us of the greater message of our hard won awareness: that despite all the money raised and the billions spent, we still have no guaranteed treatment or cure for breast cancer. In the meantime, the continuing war on cancer with the latest designer drugs or procedures is big business. Sometimes it works and we survive to race for the cure. But breast cancer keeps catching up and overtaking too many of us. One in eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, and in North America one woman dies of breast cancer every 12 minutes.

Still no cure. But we can take steps to prevent breast cancer.

Not every breast cancer is inherited. In fact, the majority manifest as the end result of risks we knowingly or unknowingly, take with our health every day: the overworked, overfed, overstressed, toxic lifestyle that over time becomes a breast cancer waiting to happen. Many of us are living this way. Many of us are at risk. So what do we do about it? Is it too late to reduce our odds? Can we do something, right now?

Two Steps You Can Take Now

Yes we can. As it turns out, two of the most important actions women can take to reduce breast cancer in our lifetime turns out to be losing weight and balancing hormone levels.

Two of the most important actions women can take to reduce breast cancer in our lifetime turns out to be losing weight and balancing hormone levels.

We know that the most common type of breast tumors are estrogen-driven, and that aromatase conversion in fat cells – the more fat cells we have the more estrogen we churn out – fuels their growth. A recent study published in Cancer, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society (Dec 2012, vol. 118), found that extra pounds—even within the overweight but not obese range—are linked to a 30% higher risk of breast cancer recurrence and a nearly 50% higher risk of death despite optimal treatment.

We know too that users of hormone replacement therapy, (synthetic HRT) have increased rates of breast cancer following the landmark Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) which studied the health impacts of HRT use among women in menopause. When the results were published in 2002, HRT use plummeted by almost 50%, and for the first time in two decades breast cancer rates began to decrease. Between 2002 and 2003 they dropped by almost 7% in tandem with declining use of HRT.

No Coincidence

Dr. John Lee, M.D. and David Zava, Ph.D. in their groundbreaking book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer were among the first to hammer home the connection between lifestyle, environment, hormone imbalance, and breast cancer.

“Experts agree that environmental risk factors, such as diet and exposure to toxins, account for about 80% of breast cancers, and genetic factors account for about 20%. Even those who happen to have a genetic predisposition can improve their chances of dodging a breast cancer diagnosis with hormone balance and a healthy diet.”

Tips to Help Dodge a Breast Cancer Diagnosis

First test your hormone levels. Undetected hidden imbalances such as estrogen dominance or high cortisol stress hormones are associated with higher risks for breast cancer. If for example, estrogen dominance is identified through testing, take steps to correct it ASAP. An estimated 97% of breast cancers are driven by estrogens that have become excessive in the absence of adequate progesterone, the hormone that keeps estrogen in check.

In case you haven’t heard yet, ZRT recently introduced two innovative test profiles that can assess breast cancer risk and help correct the silent hormone imbalances that seriously undermine breast health. Ask your doctor about ZRT's Hormone Metabolites and Weight Management tests.

If testing reveals hormone imbalances and a need to supplement, talk to your provider about natural bioidentical hormones. If you are already using synthetic HRT, ask to be switched over to BHRT.
Fill up on high fiber, cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts that promote proper estrogen metabolism and help rid the body of accumulated toxic estrogens (see xenohormones below).
Get your “good fats” from avocados, olive/coconut oils, nuts and seeds to reduce inflammation, boost immunities, and help inhibit tumor growth.
A daily dose of 64 oz. of water can flush out free radicals and toxins that invite cancers.
Avoid bad “xeno” hormones by choosing hormone-free meat/dairy/poultry. Always microwave in glass or ceramic vs. plastic containers, drink from stainless steel or BPA-free water bottles, and go “green” with household, garden and personal care products.
Lower chronically high stress hormones, blood sugars and insulin levels that are the perfect storm for tumors to thrive. Prioritizing time to de-stress, eat right, get enough sleep, and exercise are HUGE when it comes to boosting your immune reserves against cancer.

By taking steps to balance our hormones we are turning awareness into action for breast cancer prevention. Not just in our own lifetime but in our children's and grandchildren’s as well.

Related Resources:

Learning the Nuts & Bolts of BHRT

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 05:42:00 -0700

In the 13 years since the landmark Women’s Health Initiative (WHI 2002) revealed greater risks for heart disease, stroke and breast cancer among women taking Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), the dialogue around women’s health has changed dramatically.

Back in 2002 when the bad news about hormones hit the headlines, millions of menopausal women stopped using HRT overnight and big-Pharma profits plummeted dramatically.

We've Come a Long Way - But Not Far Enough

But that was nearly 40 years after Feminine Forever, the 1966 bestseller written by Robert Wilson, a Brooklyn gynecologist, who redefined the natural state of menopause as a “disease,” that would rapidly age women and rob them of their femininity.

"Many, many clinicians no longer prescribe hormones, or know how to prescribe...patients are going to have trouble finding clinicians who can help them make the most informed decisions."

Unless they started taking estrogen replacement every day for the rest of their lives, Wilson warned, women were doomed to become “dull and unattractive crones that husbands would find difficult to live with.” Despite a lack of research to back up his claims, women and their doctors were persuaded that HRT was the cure to the “living decay” of menopause, and a billion dollar business was born.

So it came as something of a shock decades later, when WHI investigators revealed that Prempro*, the most trusted brand of HRT used in the study and by millions of menopausal women at the time, could not be trusted…that it was, in fact, putting women at risk for the very diseases of aging they’d been promised it would protect them against.

Inexplicably, hormone formulations of this kind had never been subjected to rigorous clinical trials of safety and efficacy until the WHI began investigating their health impacts in 1991.

(*a combination of Premarin, estrogens derived from the urine of pregnant mares, and Provera, a synthetic progestin)

One-Size-Fits-All Prescribing No Longer Fits

In the wake of the WHI revelations, many women found themselves out in the cold, not knowing which way to turn for relief. Providers too were caught between a rock and a hard place: if they continued to recommend synthetic forms of HRT in the "one-size-fits-all" doses they were trained to prescribe, they’d be putting their patients at risk.

In the ensuing years, this has meant that many women still go untreated. “Many, many clinicians no longer prescribe hormones, or know how to prescribe,” says Dr. JoAnn Manson, director of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), and one of the WHI’s lead investigators.

“This isn’t a good situation for women who are having severe menopausal symptoms; these patients are going to have trouble finding clinicians who can help them make the most informed decisions.”

A New Program is Born

Fast forward to Dr. Paul Savage, a physician on the frontlines of integrative medicine who’s made it his mission to train doctors in the art and science of natural hormone balancing. As a former ER doctor at one of Chicago’s largest trauma centers, he transitioned into integrative medicine after job stress took a toll on his health. He had ballooned to 257 pounds, a heart attack waiting to happen, but when he finally went to the doctor, diet or exercise or a plan for reducing stress never came up.

“All he did was hand me a prescription for Lipitor and anti-depressants…and I remember thinking, I just can’t believe this is the way I’m going to get healthy.”

Dr. Savage's BHRT curriculum places great emphasis on the “how to” of appropriate dosing, delivery systems, and which labs are best for different types of treatment.

It was a defining moment in his health and medical career. After quitting his practice in trauma care Dr. Savage connected with Dr. Pam Smith, a leading hormone expert and functional medicine doctor with whom he trained intensively. Working together, they developed one of the first national curricula to certify health care providers in Bioidentical Hormone Restoration Therapy (BHRT), an advanced model of care that eschewed synthetic hormones and “one-size-fits-all” prescribing for natural treatments tailored to need.

As one of the first physicians to graduate the program and after having certified hundreds of his fellow doctors, Dr. Savage is still driven by concerns that most doctors aren’t getting “the nuts and bolts of BHRT” they need to manage female patients effectively. Too many providers are still prescribing without testing, he says, “going by symptoms alone, or using the wrong lab tests which can lead to overdosing.”

His BHRT curriculum places great emphasis on the “how to” of appropriate dosing, delivery systems, and which labs are best for different types of treatment. Today, with 15 years of BHRT practice under his belt, Dr. Savage is committed to sharing his expertise with fellow physicians.

“If I had known when I entered this field what I know today, I could have helped my patients get better much faster. That’s why I do what I do.”

In his webinar, Dr. Savage reviews his most complex case study with participants and passes along a few Dr. Paul’s Pearls such as: “When she has symptoms and you do not know if the dose is too high or too low, then have her stop the hormones for a day. If she gets better give her less hormone; if she gets worse, she’s not getting enough!”

There’s plenty more to learn, so be sure to take advantage of this practical, hands-on webinar that will also address:

How to get your patients better faster
Identifying presenting factors that determine the best outcome for hormone balancing
From creams to patches - how to choose the right therapy first
Learn which labs are best for different types of treatment

View the Webinar

Banishing the 7 Dwarves of Menopause

Wed, 16 Sep 2015 09:00:00 -0700

September is Menopause Awareness Month, but if you listen to certain talking heads in the media you’d think we were in the midst of Menopause UNAWARENESS month!

Just the other day on a woman’s talk show, a so-called menopause expert was warning about the perils of using progesterone cream for symptom relief “because it can cause cancer.”

This is the type of misleading information that makes my blood boil because it confuses the facts and scares women away from the benefits of natural hormone balancing during menopause.

It's Important: Progesterone vs Progestin

Evidently, our erstwhile TV expert was herself confused about the crucial difference between progesterone – a naturally occurring hormone that actually protects women against cancers of the breast and uterus – and progestin, its synthetic evil twin, known to have serious side effects. The first landmark study (Women’s Health Initiative 2002) of the health impacts of HRT use among menopausal women found increased risks for breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke in those using HRT preparations that contained progestins (e.g. Prempro).

Bioidenticals...help keep cancers at bay, promote deeper sleep, and bring sweet relief from the hot flashes endured by a good 80% of menopausal women.

On the other hand, there is scant evidence that plant-based bioidentical hormones made to mimic the body’s own naturally occurring hormones carry similar risks. When used appropriately and in accordance with hormone test results, they can help keep cancers at bay, promote deeper sleep and bring sweet relief from the hot flashes endured by a good 80% of menopausal women.

Meet the Dwarves

More often than not, the extent to which we suffer from the itchy, bitchy, sweaty (let’s not leave out flabby and crabby) dwarves of menopause is the extent to which our hormones are out of sorts, out of sync and out of balance! In fact, undetected hormone imbalances are responsible for most of the symptoms that peri- and post-menopausal women experience.

If you feel like one (or more) of the “seven dwarves of menopause,” you might be walking around with a hormone imbalance:

ITCHY – your estrogen and/or testosterone levels are likely to be less than optimal
BITCHY – your cortisol and testosterone levels are out of control, and…
SWEATY – your estrogen is probably running low and your progesterone even lower causing hot flashes or night sweats or both!
SLEEPY – your master sleep hormone melatonin may be low and those night sweats can seriously interfere with a good night’s sleep
BLOATED – sounds like your estrogen is dominating, while out of balance cortisol stress hormones have you hardwired to overeat
FORGETFUL – (no way no how can you keep a number or name in your head for more than 2 seconds) your estrogen, testosterone and stress hormones may have gone AWOL…along with your memory
ALL DRIED UP – your supplies of estrogen and testosterone may be running thin, along with thinning drying skin inside and out

What to Do Next

How do you find out how seriously out-of-whack your hormones really are? By asking your provider to test your hormone levels for specific imbalances, or by ordering a home test kit online from ZRT Laboratory. With test results in hand you can then set about exploring your options for rebalancing your imbalances with a qualified provider.

Breathe. Relax. This is natural. Most women are well aware that – like hot flashes, turning 50 and discovering our first chin hair – menopause is normal, natural, inevitable. But when it starts to turn into your very own fractured fairytale and the wicked witch is staring back at you in the mirror – this is NOT normal – and it is most decidedly NOT the menopause you were meant to have.

Take steps to make yours a “good menopause.” How we eat, exercise, take stress in stride and expose ourselves (unwittingly or not) to toxins that wreak havoc on hormones can have a major affect on menopause symptoms. It means getting your hormones tested and, if needed, using only bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) that mimics mother nature with few side effects. It’s about finding that work/life balance, and making sacred the time we spend with ourselves and those who matter most to us in all the world.

This is the GOOD Menopause. A time of life when you can find yourself feeling stronger, back in the swing and better than ever!

Recommended Webinar:

Everything You Wanted to Know About Menopause - But Were Afraid to Ask!

Recommended Reading:

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, by John R. Lee, M.D.
The Wisdom of Menopause, Christiane Northrup, M.D.
Are You Feeling Fat, Fuzzy, and Frazzled?, by Richard Shames, M.D.

Recommended Websites:

Heat Waves & Hot Flashes in Perimenopause

Fri, 14 Aug 2015 09:08:00 -0700

I remember the uncertain winter of my entrance into perimenopause so well. It began in my late 40s, with hot flashes that came on like heat waves every half hour.

In the dead of winter, I found myself flinging open windows to let in the freezing air; I soon found out that having hot flashes in winter was nothing like having them in summer, when the added heat and humidity made them feel more like mini-meltdowns.

How to Cool Down without Melting Down

Perimenopause is a hormonally challenged transition during which the ovaries gradually begin to make less estrogen and progesterone; it lasts up until menopause, when the ovaries stop releasing eggs altogether. For some, perimenopause spans just a few months, but for others, it can last as long as 10 years. Regardless of its length of time, no one likes being plagued by hot flashes, night sweats, or other common symptoms such as foggy thinking, fatigue, and mood swings.

Fluctuations of female hormones, particularly progesterone and estrogen, are largely responsible for hot flashes and night sweats . . . 80% of women with shifting and declining estrogen levels will experience hot flashes.

During this transition, it’s important to realize that the extent to which we suffer from persistent symptoms has much do with the extent to which our hormones are out of balance.

To help you picture that in your mind, imagine several synchronized swimmers all pointing their toes in perfect petal formation at the exact moment. Suddenly, one swims off in a different direction (let’s call her progesterone), another dives to the bottom of the pool (call her testosterone), and a few more splash up and down (diurnal cortisols) while the last of the swimmers (call her estrogen) starts making waves that disrupt the whole routine.

It is these fluctuations of female hormones, particularly out-of-sync progesterone and estrogen levels, that are largely responsible for hot flashes and night sweats. In fact, 80% of women with shifting and declining estrogen levels will experience hot flashes at some point in their progression toward menopause (which is officially defined as 12 sequential months without a menstrual cycle).

To find out if you have a hormonal imbalance, hormone testing is the way to go. Test results can provide answers by identifying specific imbalances and matching them up with the symptoms you are experiencing. The comprehensive evaluation serves as a guide to natural hormone rebalancing and prescribed treatments tailored to individual need.

What You Can Do

Avoid alcohol (especially sweet white wines), caffeine, sugars, spicy foods, and hot soups and drinks that actually trigger or worsen hot flashes.

Avoid unnecessary stress, one of the biggest causes of hot flashes and night sweats. Your body reacts to constant stress by raising cortisol levels, which alters the normal balance of hormones in the body. Vow not to let stress take center stage in your life. Start to banish it now by breathing deeply to get oxygen to the brain; this is an instant stress reliever. Make time to read, relax, soak in the tub, go for a 20-minute walk, or take a 10-minute nap. Cancel appointments that aren’t top priority. Identify what is top priority; do whatever it takes to lower stress hormones and quell the hot flashes.

Reset the thermostat in your house to 68 degrees. Sleep researchers observe that sleeping in a cooler room can lead to deeper, more restorative sleep. Night sweats can also be triggered by changes in room temperature, so if you start off cool and use minimal covers you are less likely to awake in a sweat as your body warms up through the night.

Exercise daily to release tension held in the muscles, which will allow your body to truly relax. Exercise also triggers endorphins: the “feel good” hormones that help you feel calmer and increase your overall sense of well-being. Experts tell us that women who make exercise a part of their daily routine have fewer hot flashes, night sweats, and other symptoms of imbalance.

What You Can Take

Bioidentical progesterone is known to dramatically reduce the strength and frequency of hot flashes by keeping estrogen and progesterone balanced and less prone to erratic fluctuation. Studies have shown up to 80% relief from hot flashes in women using bioidentical progesterone in a “Goldilocks” dose—no more, no less than the body needs to mimic natural physiology.

Many find that hot flashes worsen when they switch from synthetic to natural hormones, so it’s important to use test results for appropriate dosing, and to retest levels in three months to track progress and make adjustments. For example, women whose test results repeatedly show low estrogen levels may need to supplement bioidentical estrogen in concert with progesterone.

Anti-stress multi-vitamins and trace minerals include vitamins like C, B-complex, and E to help quell hot flashes and get you through the night without breaking a sweat. Trace minerals such as zinc and selenium may also help.

Essential fatty acids balance estrogen production and may help reduce hot flashes.

DIM, or dindolylmethane, is the active ingredient in cruciferous vegetables; it promotes proper hormone metabolism and helps improve estrogen/ progesterone equilibrium to steady the hot flashes and related symptoms. Try eating plenty of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale, and/or taking additional DIM in supplement form.

Soy protein (non-GMO) in moderation has been shown in studies to relieve hot flashes and night sweats. Asian women with soy-rich diets are famous for their lack of hot flashes and menopause symptoms. The best sources are naturally fermented tofu, tempeh, miso, tamari, etc., vs. processed versions such as soy milks, cereals, chips, and bars.

Phytonutrients such as magnolia, red clover, dong quai, black cohosh, and rhodiola, among other plant-based herbs with mild estrogenic effects, can be used as teas, tinctures, and/or supplements to cool hot flashes and help you refocus. Flaxseed (grind your own and sprinkle on salads, oatmeal, in smoothies, etc.) contains a phytoestrogen known to help diminish hot flashes by providing natural plant-based estrogenic nutrients.

Most women are well aware of perimenopause and menopause symptoms as they approach their 40th and 50th birthdays; they discover with hot flashes or night sweats that there is no “getting out” of menopause.

However, what is not inevitable is a perpetually perspiring, red-faced woman staring back at you in the mirror. Remember that whatever the time of year, hot flashes are not forever! With a little research and help from your health care practitioner, you can find relief during this period of transition.

Related Resources

Book Review: A Practitioner’s Guide to Physiologic Bioidentical Hormone Balance

Fri, 10 Jul 2015 08:19:00 -0700

A Practitioners Guide to Physiologic Bioidentical Hormone Balance is that much needed hands-on guidebook you’ve been needing. In every chapter of this long overdue guide, you're reaping decades of experience from a compounding pharmacist and educator known to many as a ‘walking encyclopedia’ of best practices in the clinical use of BHRT.

Watch the Webinar: A Practitioner's Guide to Physiologic Hormone Balance

Jim Paoletti, FAARFM, FIACP, has consulted with scores of practitioners and has also lectured internationally and published extensively on all aspects of bioidentical hormone therapy. Now in his first book, he shares his expertise in the art and science of natural hormone balancing.

It is the “how-to” on every page of this first working guidebook to BHRT that makes it so indispensable. A thorough understanding of the complexity of hormones makes Paoletti the perfect guide through the intricacies of hormonal interactions, receptor response, individualized dosing, proper testing and how to convert a patient from conventional hormones to BHRT.

“I felt there was a strong need to provide a knowledge base for practitioners…to help them understand the 'how to' of hormone balance from a physiological approach in order to optimize patient long-term benefits.”

The Appendices offer important protocols that practitioners can use to properly assess the need for BHRT, and how to appropriately administer it. Among the highlights:

basic BHRT Protocol
hormone evaluation forms
symptom charts
dosing guidelines
thyroid hormone evaluation
thyroid gradient levels
approaches to autoimmune reactions
iodine testing and supplementation guidelines

A Practitioners Guide to Physiologic Bioidentical Hormone Balance as the name implies is rooted in the principles of physiology, and the conviction that bioidentical therapies in their very form and function, when used appropriately, come closest to achieving balance with few side effects. This not just your ordinary handbook but a brain-trust of knowledge and a lifeline to current and future practitioners of BHRT.

BIO:

Jim Paoletti is an independent clinical consultant for patients and healthcare practitioners. He has over 30 years of experience with bioidentical hormone therapies in clinical practice, both in retail pharmacy and as a consultant and educator. Jim served previously as Director of Provider Education for ZRT Laboratory, and as consultant and Education Director for Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA). He is a graduate and former faculty member of the Fellowship of Anti-aging and Functional Medicine.

Continue the discussion:

The Ultimate Hormone Balancing Guidebook Review

Sun, 22 Mar 2015 17:14:00 -0700

As scientific researchers, practitioners and patients bear witness to the increasing evidence of hormone dysfunction in today’s society, Dr. Cobi Slater’s Ultimate Hormone Balancing Guidebook couldn’t come at a better time.

Her premise throughout this illuminating book is that the real cause behind the plethora of symptoms plaguing modern adults of all ages can be linked to imbalances within the hormonal cascade.

This is a book loaded with research-based evidence pointing to a surfeit of hormonal symptoms of imbalance particularly among modern women today. Her point that many women in North America experience endless stress, have poor dietary habits resulting in liver toxicity, and are exposed to more endocrine disruptors (chemicals with the potential to disrupt the hormone systems of humans and animals) may be obvious.

By the time the average woman has completed her morning routine, she has exposed her face, body & hair to over 126 chemicals from 12 different products.

Less so is the revelation that, “By the time the average woman has completed her morning routine, she has exposed her face, body, and hair to over 126 chemicals from 12 different products.” Who knew it was that bad? Dr. Cobi reminds us that experts have been warning for decades that, unless the environmental load of synthetic hormone disruptors is abated and controlled, large-scale dysfunction at the population level is possible.

This is one of the main reasons she believes that we suffer from a level of hormonal dysfunction far exceeding other cultures. A telling example is that women in more indigenous cultures often have no word for hot flashes (or for that matter any other menopausal symptoms) in their language. These women when they cross into menopause take on the status of “wise women,” or spiritual leaders, and hold a place of power in their communities.

In stark contrast, western medicine has medicalized these stages and deemed them pathological in nature, writes Dr. Cobi. As a case in point she refers to menopause, “which is treated very much as a medical condition, rather than a natural phenomenon of a woman’s life.”

Slater concludes that exposing the many underlying causes of disparity within the hormonal systems of North American adults is the first step toward healing. To that end The Ultimate Hormone Balancing Guidebook provides abundant food for thought while every chapter is packed with traditional and natural solutions we can use on the path to hormone healing. Some highlights:

Endocrine Overview – is a discussion of how every biological process in the body relies upon the hormones produced within the eight endocrine glands (hypothalamus, pituitary, parathyroid, thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, ovaries, and testes), and the interconnecting feedback systems that control and regulate their function.

Epidemics Uncovered – identifies the connection between exogenous chemicals with estrogen-like effects and the high rate of hormone disorders in modern populations. A complete list of the endocrine disruptors in our midst, from DDT to the linings of canned foods and plasticizers in shower curtains is a real eye-opener!

Liver Toxicity – an inside look at the ‘great laboratory’ of the liver and its major role in proper metabolism of hormones; lists foods, herbs, and nutrients that help detoxify the liver to improve hormone metabolism

The Stress Effect – details the hormone disrupting properties of stress overload and gives a working list of herbal adaptogens to support and repair adrenal health

Nutritional Factors – gets into the nitty-gritty nutrients that negatively and positively influence hormone balance

Testing Procedures – describes best test methods for “real life” hormone evaluation in saliva, serum and/or urine

Biodentical Hormone Replacement Therapy vs. Synthetic HRT – makes the distinction between bioidentical and non-bioidentical forms of hormones, the benefits vs. the risks

Hormonal Conditions – handy, well-designed charts make it easy to determine symptoms, causes, which tests to run, and traditional and natural approaches to addressing hormone imbalances linked with:

Anxiety, depression, adrenal fatigue, thyroid imbalance, estrogen dominance, Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), fibroids, endometriosis, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), ovarian cysts, menopause, andropause, weight gain

Her book is an invaluable everyday guide offering safe approaches and working solutions to everyday symptoms. It is one you will relish reading but never quite finish, as you find yourself referencing it time and time again.

Dr. Cobi Slater grew up with a mother who was ceaselessly searching for natural remedies to heal herself from a life threatening disease. As a witness to her mother’s dedication to bring herself back to health through natural means, Dr. Cobi recognized that one’s health is not exclusive to the physical body; that there is far more within. Once you dig into this ultimate hormone guidebook you will find the same is true.

Related Resources

The 5 W's of Menopause

Fri, 06 Mar 2015 11:25:00 -0800

Who

There are approximately 40-50 million menopausal women in the US today with about 3,500 to 5,000 more entering menopause every day.

An estimated two million women in menopause have been seeking more natural treatment solutions after a major study (WHI 2002) found greater risks of heart disease, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer among hormone replacement therapy (HRT) users.

What

Menopause is not a disease but a natural process, resulting from diminishing hormones and the end of ovulation as women age. This is the ovaries’ final act: lacking eggs and female hormones, they can no longer perform their reproductive role.

Menopause plays out over time. In the years prior (peri-menopause), troublesome symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings, clue us in to the fact that we are entering a new phase of life.

When

The official start of menopause by the calendar is 12 consecutive months without a period – occurring on average around the age of 51. But it’s not uncommon to see symptoms much earlier.

Acute and/or prolonged stress, for example, can negatively impact ovarian function and can precipitate premature menopause in vulnerable women as early as their mid to late 30s. Women can wind up in "surgical menopause" through oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries), and can also be triggered by hysterectomy, radiation, or chemotherapy.

Where

The ovaries are the main producers of the female sex hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone with a helping hand from the adrenals. The pituitary gland produces Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing hormone (LH) to control egg-ripening and ovulation. Measuring levels of these hormones can be useful in determining fertility and/or menopausal status.

Why

With the approach of aging and the end of fertility, key performers in the hormonal symphony begin to play out of tune. The waning of ovarian hormone production leads to imbalances and the onset of symptoms that change the way we feel from the inside out.

From hot flashes that disrupt sleep, to mood, memory and libido issues, menopause is a challenge best met through maintaining the right balance of hormones. The knowledge that hormones work in tandem with a healthy mind and body are the keys to menopause relief. Once their reproductive role is over, the protective benefits of hormones governing bone, muscle, brain, and heart health become all the more important for optimal aging and disease prevention.

Hormone balance and the knowledge that hormones work in tandem with a healthy mind and body are the keys to menopause relief.

If you need help locating a healthcare practitioner who can further assess hormone imbalances you may be experiencing, go to ZRT's Find A Provider Locator or you can Order a Test now.

Related Resources

Hormones And Weight Gain - Your Questions Answered

Tue, 17 Feb 2015 09:06:00 -0800

During the Balance Your Hormones to Balance Your Weight Webinar, many questions were asked that we couldn't get to during the one hour presentation. We followed up with Candace Burch, and she took a few minutes to respond to your questions below.

Ever since I went into menopause I feel like I’m living in a different body…and have a much harder time losing weight…is this the new normal?

Menopause is a new normal for women but it need not be a nightmare! The extent to which you are gaining weight and feeling like a stranger in a strange body, is very often tied to how far your hormones are out of whack. Shifting, declining hormones along with a slowing of metabolism are to be expected at menopause, but their effects are made worse by lack of sleep, chronic stress, and exposure to endocrine disruptors (pesticides, BPA, growth hormones in milk, etc.) in the environment.

At the same time additional burden is placed on the adrenal glands as they take over hormone production from the ovaries at menopause. That can lead to tired adrenals that cannot keep up with demand, so this is prime time to start taking better care of ourselves with improved nutrition, sleep, and stress management. We know that cortisol rises when stress rises, triggering us to refuel by eating more. If stress stays high, blood sugars and insulin will stay high with continued overeating, and inevitably, weight gain. It bears mentioning that the belly fat we women love to hate happens to be the body’s favorite depot for storing energy reserves, which is why doctors often refer to belly fat as the body’s answer to stress.

I think I may be deficient in Vitamin D but I take a multivitamin every day…isn’t that enough?

If you are overweight you will want to make sure that you are not D-deficient, given what researchers are finding is a strong association with increased body fat and obesity onset. The so-called ‘sunshine vitamin’ is actually a ‘prohormone’ made in the body by the action of sunlight upon the skin. So those of us who live in the grayer, northern altitudes are typically low in D, but deficiency occurs even in sunny climates where you would least expect it, attributed to overuse of sunscreens and covering up against the D-enriching rays of the sun. As humans increasingly spend more time indoors in front of computers, and less time working or exercising outside when the sun is shining, the problem is taking on epidemic proportions. Sensible sun exposure, from15 minutes to a half hour a day can help boost D levels as nature intended.

To circle back to your question about supplementation, the amount of D3 contained in the average multivitamin may not be enough to raise D levels into the healthier ranges. If testing your D levels reveals a deficiency (30 ng/ml or below) talk to your provider about increasing your daily D intake. Supplementing between 2000 and 5000IUs of Vitamin D3 is generally suggested to bring levels into the optimal (50-80 ng/ml) range.

Could an imbalance in Estrogen/Progesterone cause low cortisol? I have low cortisol across the board.

This is certainly to be considered, particularly when there is too much estrogen relative to too little progesterone, an all too common imbalance known as estrogen dominance. This often shows up in the test results of women in menopause and perimenopause, when waning ovaries no longer make estrogen and progesterone in balanced proportions. This is also not atypical in younger women on birth control, with anovulatory (lack of ovulation), or erratic cycles.

Progesterone being high up in the hormonal cascade is also a precursor (source) of primary adrenal hormones, so if it is in short supply, DHEA and cortisol, the key arbiters of adrenal health will also be down with some level of adrenal fatigue to follow. So your question is a good one: imbalances of estrogen and progesterone can and will negatively impact cortisol levels down the line. If you feel this is what’s going on with you consider testing your hormone levels to identify hidden imbalances and work with a provider to restore balance naturally.

If a patient is on birth control pills, can a saliva test be accurate?

Hormones levels tested while ‘under the influence’ of the pill will reflect its’ contraceptive effect and test at lower levels than would be the case in the absence of contraception. To get a true baseline level of hormones, it is suggested that birth control be suspended for four to six weeks before collecting hormone samples. Having said that, women who do test their hormones while taking contraceptives may use the results of testing to guide decision making about hormonal vs. non-hormonal birth control methods.

I am estrogen dominant, taking lots of supplements, I do bioidentical progesterone the last 2 weeks of my cycle; I’m perimenopausal, periods now 6 weeks apart, I have really high cortisol in the morning and in the evening, I do yoga, exercise and all the supplements -what else can I do?

Sounds like you are doing many things right, but if you still have depression, weight gain, and stress demands high enough to spike your cortisol levels morning and evening, look to your adrenal glands. These master stress responders need extra support especially during perimenopause when hormonal shifts and fluctuations trigger imbalances that can amplify stress demands upon the body.

Supplements like Vitamins C, B-complex, adaptogenic herbs, and natural progesterone, etc., when taken in the right amounts are essential adrenal supports, and the practice of yoga with its stretching and deep breathing is known to help lower stress hormones. All good, but if as you say your cortisol levels are still high, you may have to drill down a bit more and ask yourself how you are dealing with stress. If you’re overworked, overbooked, over-caffeinated, or feeling overwhelmed in general, it’s time to take stock of your stress, figure out where it’s coming from and how you can alleviate it at the source. That may be as simple as turning off your cellphone after 8pm and going to bed earlier, or as complicated as switching careers and walking away from the ‘dream job’ that drained you dry.

Lack of sleep by the way is one of the biggest contributors to cortisol imbalance, and a serious disruptor of appetite hormones, leading to sugar cravings and increased hunger. Getting by on just 5 or 6 hours a night will undermine your best efforts to stay healthy and balanced and a number of studies show that ‘short sleepers’ are more prone to weight gain. Aim for 7 to 8 hours a night at minimum, and “sleep in on the weekends whenever possible,” says Dr. James Wilson in his must read book: Adrenal Fatigue, The 21^st Century Syndrome.

Do you feel saliva over blood tests is better?

If you want to test active bioavailable hormone levels that correlate more closely to the symptoms you are experiencing, saliva testing can be a better way to go. That’s because this method (see also blood spot collection) captures the ‘free’ fraction of hormone that has left the blood stream to become active in the target tissues of the body; in contrast the standard blood test measures inactive hormones still bound by their carrier proteins in the blood stream. Saliva testing has another big advantage: collection is non-invasive, that is without needles, so all one has to do to collect hormone samples is spit into a tube – a painless change from the stress of a blood draw that can skew results.

My doctor did a blood test and said my hormones are fine and that I’m just depressed. Now I’m on Prozac, and gaining more weight!

I have a one-line response to your comment: Depression is NOT a Prozac deficiency. (see question above regarding blood tests.)

What is the call to action?

In a nutshell; become aware of, and determine your own symptoms of hormone imbalance, test your hormone levels to identify imbalances that match up with the symptoms you are experiencing, and last but not least find a natural hormone friendly provider who will work with you to rebalance your hormones.

A savvy practitioner will test, not guess using hormone test results as a guide to individualizing treatment. After all, each of us has a unique body chemistry, so what works for one woman does not necessarily apply to her friend, sister or next-door neighbor. Today’s more enlightened and effective approach to a woman’s hormones and weight gain is bound to include lifestyle and dietary improvements, stress lowering techniques, key vitamins, minerals, herbs and/or bioidentical hormones as needed, to replenish and restore balance.

Are You Among the 80% of Americans Who Experience Adrenal Fatigue?

Thu, 12 Feb 2015 15:21:00 -0800

Practical Takeaway: When adrenal glands become fatigued – typically as a result of prolonged, repetitive stress – the output of key regulatory hormones, like 'master stress hormone' cortisol, is diminished.

Following my recent re-reading of Dr. James Wilson’s 2001 pioneering book, Adrenal Fatigue: the 21^st Century Stress Syndrome, I took his advice and for the first time in months slept in on a Saturday morning. That day there was such a difference in my energy I decided to go with another of his suggestions and took a short nap on Sunday. Again I felt much better; after a 15 minute doze I was energized without the usual evening crash.

As a health educator I know better than to subscribe to the ‘you snooze you lose’ approach to life, but catnaps or sleeping in have been a rare indulgence. I guess I always figured that as long as I slept 6-7 hours most nights, ate healthy, worked out and took plenty of vitamins, that I had nothing to worry about.

But upon my second reading of this eye-opening book, the wide ranging symptoms, causes and effects of adrenal fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks: I’m one of them; one of the estimated 80% of adult Americans who at some point in their lives will experience some level of adrenal fatigue.

A Condition that Can Wreak Havoc with Your Life

When the adrenal glands become fatigued typically as a result of prolonged, repetitive stress, their output of key regulatory hormones, particularly cortisol, 'the master stress hormone,' is diminished. Taxed adrenals may still function, says Dr. Wilson, but well below optimal level. That makes it tough to meet the demands of their job, and undermines the body’s ability to adjust to stress, stabilize blood sugars, and muster immune defenses against disease.

Dr. Wilson’s Symptom Checklist: Do Any of These Sound Familiar?

As a cause of what ails us, these telltale symptoms of adrenal fatigue are more often than not overlooked or misdiagnosed:

Difficulty getting up in the morning
Not fully awake until after 10am
Need caffeine to get going
Energy low from mid to late afternoon
Better energy after 6pm until around 9pm
Second wind from around 11pm to 1am
Snacks on salty or sweet foods and caffeine to keep going
Feels run down
Harder to bounce back from illness or other stresses
Difficulty concentrating and thinking clearly
Lower libido
Poor sleep

The more of these symptoms you have, and the more persistent they are, the more likely you are to be walking around with undetected adrenal fatigue. To turn that scenario around the resource section of the book points you in the direction of saliva testing to detect and help correct the problem.

People Vary Greatly in Their Ability to Respond to and Withstand Stress

An illness, life crisis or difficult, unresolved situation can drain the adrenal resources of even the healthiest person. Readers at risk will learn that certain factors including poor diet, substance abuse, too little sleep and rest, social, emotional, or physical pressures, injury, chronic pain, and/or exposure to environmental toxins can overwhelm the adrenals making us more susceptible to long term illness.

But you won’t be left hanging there, wondering "what next?" After reading Dr. Wilson’s book you will come away feeling like you just earned an honorary PhD on the adrenal glands and their life-preserving role in the body. You will be totally clued in to the symptoms, causes and effects of this ubiquitous disorder and what it really feels like to suffer from adrenal fatigue. And you will learn to recognize whether you are one of the 80 per cent, and what you can do to turn that equation around and stay healthy.

“Adrenal fatigue remains one of the most under-diagnosed illnesses in the U.S.; many physicians are still not familiar with it. That is why I wrote this book, because once recognized, adrenal fatigue can be treated. You can get better.” Dr. James L. Wilson, ND

Related Resources:

Does Hormone Imbalance Contribute to Weight Gain?

Tue, 13 Jan 2015 22:08:00 -0800

If you cannot figure out why you are gaining weight or can no longer shed pounds easily like you used to – despite your best efforts to eat right, exercise, and take your vitamins every morning – you might be walking around with a hormone imbalance that has you hardwired to put on pounds.

Even when we think we’re being healthy, hormonal triggers to unwanted weight gain are too often neglected or overlooked. Testing can help you find the answer. But in the meantime, let’s boil this down to the collective wisdom on eight big culprits behind unwanted weight gain.

1. You have an estrogen to progesterone imbalance.

Many women – especially those of childbearing age – have an estrogen dominance problem. If you exercise strenuously, you could be making less progesterone and estrogen is dominating, leading to weight gain in the hips, thighs and bottom. Other causes of estrogen dominance include disrupted ovulation (meaning no progesterone is produced), and supplementing with estrogen alone, in the absence of its balancing partner, progesterone. Or environmental factors such as pesticides, plastics, industrial waste products, car exhaust, meat, soaps, and chemicals in furniture and carpets could be part of the problem.

Diet, most importantly making sure you eat “hormone-free” (the label should clearly read “these animals were raised without hormones or antibiotics), environmental avoidance of xenoestrogens, and taking supplements can bolster your natural progesterone production and decrease estrogen dominance. Check out the Environmental Working Group for the full revelations and actions you can take!

2. You’re not getting enough vitamin D.

Possibly due to our awareness of skin cancer and the use of sunscreen, our levels of vitamin D are lower than they were decades ago. Not to mention that we are spending more time working indoors in front of computers, or exercising inside vs. in the great outdoors. Vitamin D, synthesized by the action of sunlight upon the skin, is converted to a vital hormone in our bodies, and deficiency has been linked to allergies including food allergies, asthma, weight gain, fatigue, diabetes, and even cancer. Vitamin D levels can be tested through your provider with our Weight Management Profile and if testing uncovers a deficiency, supplemental vitamin D is cheap and readily available.

3. You have high cortisol levels.

High levels of cortisol (our “stress hormone”) are another big reason we tend to store fat and keep weight on, particularly in the abdominal area (that dreaded muffin top) until the stressor is minimized or resolved. One of the naturopaths we work with talks about how she used to wake up very early to do a spin class or intense run, then race home to get ready for work, deal with her young kids and then after work tackle dinner and endless chores. These stressors increased her cortisol levels and worked against her goals of having a lean body.

If you can relate, and feel like you need to be on a caffeine drip at all times, it means you’re having too many highs and lows with cortisol as a big culprit. High cortisol is associated with increased appetite, cravings for sugar, and weight gain, belly fat in particular. You need to unwind every day with whatever it is (deep breathing, meditation, yoga, walking), that shuts off your hyper-vigilence – even if it’s for 10 minutes per day.

4. You’re eating processed “healthy.”

Excess salt and sugar are often hidden ingredients that are both inflammatory and causes of excess weight gain. Just because it’s at a health food store and it’s “gluten free” or “low fat” or “natural,” DOES NOT mean it’s good for you. It can take a long time to get over this, because packaging with the words “natural” and “healthy” can be very persuasive – and misleading.

5. You’re eating too much fat.

Paleo and other higher-fat diets work for some people, but keep in mind that it's easy to get too many calories with foods that are high in fat. Fat is a nutrient, and our bodies need some essential fatty acids – especially the “good fats” found in nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, etc. (even more nutritious when added to greens) – but be careful not to go overboard if you want to lose weight.

6. You’re skimping on quality sleep.

This still remains tried and true – your hormones need sleep. Your brain needs it, your muscles, bones and every cell in your body needs it for repair and restoration. The two hormones that are key in the relationship between sleep and weight loss are ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is the so-called ‘hunger hormone’ that tells you when to eat, and leptin its counterpart, the ‘satiety hormone’ tells you when to stop. But when you’re sleep-deprived (defined 7 hours or less a night), you have more ghrelin and thus more appetite.

At the same time you have less leptin, so you never get the signal that you are full, and continue to feel hungry all the time. These key appetite hormones operate on the sleep-wake cycle, so anything that disrupts that cycle, such as a high night cortisol (the stress hormone) level can upset the balance leading to overeating and cravings. Testing your melatonin (the sleep hormone) in concert with cortisol stress hormones can reveal an imbalance that can ultimately impact weight.

People having sleep disturbances or jet lag often use melatonin and magnesium (an all too common mineral deficiency associated with sleep disturbances AND chocolate cravings) as supplements to get back on the right track, but dealing with the stress that is disrupting your sleep and eliminating sources of light in your bedroom that can interfere with natural melatonin secretion are good places to start.

7. You’re not eating your cruciferous vegetables.

Cruciferous vegetables are in the Brassica vegetable family and include Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, bok choy, broccoli, and other similar green vegetables. Not only are they good for you because of the feeling of fullness you get from the fiber, but they’re also good for estrogen metabolism through a compound called indole-3-carbinol (I3C). It is a natural source of DIM (3,3-Diindolylmethane) that helps promote estrogen balance AND helps clear the body of the toxic xenoestrogens we pick up from the environment. This is one of the cheapest, easiest ways to get your hormones and your weight in balance.

8. You’re not strength training or getting enough exercise.

Moderate exercise lowers stress hormones, which in turn reduces the body’s tendency to store fat, and increases calorie burning. Stretching exercises like yoga and Pilates, etc. also help to release tension in the body. Additional strength training or weight bearing exercise (e.g., 2-3 workouts a week) builds muscle, increasing anabolic hormones like testosterone and DHEA that rev metabolism.

In a nutshell, eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep are essentials that help keep hormones in balance, weight under control, and belly fat at bay.

Consider testing to identify existing imbalances that could be thwarting your best efforts to lose weight. It is simple, pain-free and convenient. The test results could reveal hidden imbalances and provide helpful information about what to do next. This is news we can all use.

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Give the Gift of Balance

Tue, 09 Dec 2014 23:05:00 -0800

The holiday rush is upon us and like everyone else you probably find yourself in a frenzy of shopping, parties, and the round of Christmas craft fairs, concerts, and happy hours with friends.

Actually, I’m having far too much fun this season, but on top of work and chores, aging parents, aging dogs (who have lately forgotten they’re house trained), aging knees, and an empty nest (which is about to fill back up to overflowing)...well it takes it’s toll.

But far from complaining, oh no, ho, ho, I am simply stating a fact: Christmastime can be a stressful time!! Mostly GOOD stress, one hopes, but stress none-the-less.

So my challenge this season is to stay cool in the midst of all the holiday chatter and cheer, to keep Jingle Bell Rock from getting stuck inside my head, and to find gifts for my favorite people that rather than cluttering their closets may help to unclutter their lives.

In mulling this over, I keep arriving back at one essential truth: It’s about BALANCE. That’s it. That’s all that stands between me and overeating, overworking, overspending, and overdoing the Yuletide.

So, with mantra in mind, I hereby resolve that the only gifts I will give a moment's consideration to this Christmas are those that give the gift of balance. Gifts meant to calm, soothe, enlighten, and rebalance the hormones, health and lives of those I love best in all the world.

Thus follows the "Speak to Me of Balance" Christmas Gift List:

Massage – a gift certificate for a one-hour massage, or even a 15 minute chair massage 2x a week, which studies tell us can calm the sympathetic nervous system and lower stress levels significantly.
Yoga – the essentials of stretching and deep breathing release tension, lower stress hormones, and among other things boost lung function. More oxygen translates to relaxed muscles with fewer aches and pains, better mood and memory. The Bikram version performed in 100+degrees is a form of "hot" yoga that has a legion of followers, my own husband among them!
Gift certificate to Aveda Hair Salons – among the rare few I’ve found that use natural plant-based hair dyes and products sans ammonia and harmful chemicals. It’s about time! We need to give ourselves a break from the xenotoxins in most chemical hair dyes that turn into bad estrogens and throw our hormones out-of-whack.
Arbonne’s Instant Lift Gel – (my secret weapon for looking the best I can for my age) and any of the RE9 line of anti-aging, plant-based, toxin-free, cosmetic and skin care products from this visionary Swiss company. Find a consultant in your town.
A year’s membership to the Sierra Club – starts at only $15 and can be found at www.sierraclub.org. Check out their awesome range of outings: day hikes, peak scrambles, bicycling, cross-country skiing, bird-watching, conservation-walks, or forays into the remaining natural areas of our major cities. What better way to stop living in your head and start living in your body!!
Walking gear – warm hat with ear-flaps and a must-have brim (for those of us who wear glasses), waterproof pants and anorak, so there is no excuse not to exercise in the great outdoors no matter what the weather. A growing disconnect with the natural environment has been linked in a host of studies to obesity and related “diseases of indoor living.”
Dance classes – my daughter Jess just told me that she and her husband recently signed up for lessons after realizing how out of step they were on the dance floor at a friend's wedding…from the waltz to the rumba they are now learning to move in synchrony. Just like hormones in balance! www.arthurmurray.com
Meditation – this could be an Intro class, how-to book, resource list of local groups, sitting cushion, tapes, retreat, etc. Anything to inspire someone to begin a regular practice. Once begun it’s free, can be done anywhere, anytime, and is a skill you have for life.
The gift of time to enjoy the best life has to offer, especially at Christmas! Time to go pick up the kids from school or offer to make lunch for someone 2 days a week. One ZRT employee has been bringing in meals 2 days a week for a coworker (who is attending night school) so they can eat nutritiously.

Hopefully this growing hodgepodge of favorites will speak to YOU of balance or help spark your own ideas. Here's to a wonderful, balanced holiday season!

Related Resources

Dr. Lani’s No-Nonsense Bone Health Guide

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 23:44:00 -0800

Read this book even if you don’t have Osteoporosis….

It was 1994 when Dr. Lani Simpson decided to accept a colleague’s offer to try out his new DXA* scanner, the latest, greatest technology for bone density testing. As a chiropractor and osteology instructor, Lani had been teaching others about bone and joint health for years. So when her own bone scan came back as osteopenia (low bone density), she was stunned. Her diet and exercise regimens were great, she was physically strong and she had never broken a bone. Something didn’t seem right.

But the results of a second scan a week later were even worse, placing her in the osteoporosis category. Now, at the relatively young age of 45 she was labeled with a disease she had always associated with old age.

A fracture waiting to happen.

She remembers driving home, sobbing all the way. “I was terrified, and this new diagnosis made me feel physically weak.” To make matters worse Lani had no idea how serious her condition actually was, or what it meant on a practical level. Would she have to give up tennis, biking, and rollerskating? Was she nothing more than a fracture waiting to happen? The consequences to her life and sense of self were dire, but at the same time she had doubts about the diagnosis.

It just didn’t add up.

Yes, DXA scanning was considered to be the gold standard of bone density measurement but it was evident from the difference between her own two scan scores of a good ten percent, that the procedure itself could be inaccurate. It was then that Lani resolved to learn everything she could about bone health, osteoporosis, and DXA testing.

The result of her discoveries make compelling reading; among them:

Bone testing errors are extremely common (Not all states require bone density technicians to be trained, and no states require training in interpretation of results!)
Osteoporosis medications tend to be overrated and overprescribed
Nutrition and Gastrointestinal health are essentially omitted from most osteoporosis treatment plans

In a nutshell, Lani concludes that the standard approach to osteoporosis assessment and treatment is “woefully inadequate,” but the book does not undermine the value of testing or treatment. Rather its aim is to give readers the information they need to get more accurate test results and more integrative treatment options than medications alone.

The bone building lifestyle.

Some risk factors for osteoporosis like age, height, and skeletal frame size cannot be changed, but a great many more can be mitigated with proper nutrition, GI health improvement, and bone building exercises. Dr. Lani’s book, as the title promises, is an effective “no-nonsense guide” for putting these essential pieces of a ‘bone-building lifestyle’ into place.

The "Healthy Bone, Healthy Hormone" connection.

A major area of concern for integrative practitioners who specialize in bone health is the hormone connection to bone growth and maintenance. From HGH (human growth hormone) and calcium regulating hormones to the key sex and adrenal hormones (estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, testosterone and cortisol), the book emphasizes how testing hormone levels can help to detect and correct imbalances linked to bone loss. Click here for the Male/Female Saliva Profile III.

Of particular interest to mid-life adults prone to shifting hormone levels, the attentive reader will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of hormonal balance—and how the lack of it can make or break bone health.

For anyone with a skeleton.

This book is not just for readers with osteoporosis. It is not just for the elderly or those reaching the end of middle age. It is a book for people of all ages, “for anyone with a skeleton,” as Dr. Lani puts it, “because the lifestyle choices we make throughout our lives have a direct impact on how healthy our bones will be when we’re older – and because it is much easier to prevent osteoporosis than to reverse it.”

Watch Dr. Lani's Hormones & Healthy Bones webinar by clicking here.

Dr. Lani’s No-Nonsense Bone Health Guide: The Truth about Density Testing, Osteoporosis Drugs and Building Bone Quality at Any Age, Lani Simpson, DC, CCD, Hunter House, Turner Publishing 2014.

*(dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry)

The Good Menopause

Tue, 09 Sep 2014 00:14:00 -0700

Return to Balance and a GOOD Menopause

No one likes being out of balance, especially when the hot flashes, foggy thinking, and mood swings of menopause leave us feeling like a pale reflection of our former selves. During this hormonally challenged time it’s important to realize that the extent to which we suffer from troublesome symptoms has much do with the extent to which our lives – and our hormones – are out of balance.

Picture if you will synchronized swimmers all pointing their toes in perfect petal formation at the exact same moment. Suddenly, one of the swimmers takes off in a different direction, let’s call her progesterone, another dives to the bottom of the pool (call her testosterone), a few more decide to make waves (call them cortisols) while the last but not least of swimmers (call her estrogen) takes over the whole routine. All that beautiful synchrony - gone.

Key hormone players achieve balance through synchrony

And so it goes with us. When our hormones are out of sync, we are out of sync – physically, mentally, and emotionally. And because hormones are so mutually dependant (a deficiency of one creates a surplus of another), there are countless opportunities for imbalance. As Oprah put it at the opening of her show on women and menopause, “You could be walking around with a hormone imbalance and not even know it!”

Knowing the signs and symptoms of a hidden hormone imbalance during menopause is your first big clue. Testing your hormone levels is the next necessary step. But before we go any further, let me explain what a hormonal imbalance is. It’s what happens when one or more of the key hormone players: estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA and/or cortisol, fall out of balance and proportion to each other. These unwelcome but inevitable shifts in hormonal milieu can be handled, but until we learn how to make the necessary adjustments (including but not limited to: dietary, exercise, sleep and supplements), they can seriously disrupt our moods, memory, mojo, and zest for living.

It happens to the best of us. During my own early menopause I would describe myself as addled, exhausted, impatient and unloving – in short, a basket case. That was in the bad old days, before I read Dr. John R. Lee’s life changing go-to book on the subject, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, and got smart.

With Menopause Awareness Month upon us now, there’s no time like the present to learn about the symptoms and imbalances common to this life passage so that we can turn awareness into action:

Estrogen Dominance (flabby, crabby and fed-up) – this mother of all hormone imbalances – an excess of estrogen relative to inadequate progesterone – is all too common during menopause, after a total hysterectomy (particularly if estrogen alone is prescribed post-surgery), and with exposure to environmental toxins, the so-called “xenoestrogens” that disrupt hormone operating systems. It typically begins at Perimenopause in our mid-40s, when hormones wax and wane, and ends with menopause usually in our early 50,s when cycles cease and the ovaries stop making hormones for good. A state of estrogen dominance feels like mood swings, unwanted weight gain, low thyroid symptoms, lost libido, lost pizzazz, lost YOU.

Estrogen Deficiency (hot, sweaty, weepy) – Declining estrogen levels at menopause can trigger that hot flash in the middle of an important meeting, or night sweats in the middle of the night, as well as other bedevilments like vaginal dryness, thinning skin, brittle nails and bones, heart palpitations, fragile emotions, muddled mind….

Imbalances of Testosterone/DHEA and Cortisol (no longer lean, just mean) - are a bad combination that can lead to depleted energy, strength, metabolism, mental clarity and libido. When for instance, the stress hormone cortisol goes up and stays up, testosterone and DHEA go down, along with our stamina, drive, and zest for living.

Adrenal Imbalances (tired, wired, burned out and bummed out) - Lows or highs of cortisol resulting from unresolved stress, junk food, sleep deprivation, and inactivity, can cause rapid aging and belly fat big time – not to mention allergies, insomnia, and chronic fatigue. This under-recognized imbalance tends to manifest in mid-life when the adrenal glands have to pick up the slack in ovarian hormone production. The once and future energizer bunny no longer hops but plops, her sunny mood submerged under a black cloud.

Fluctuating Hormones at Perimenopause when ovulation becomes erratic, are usually behind the hair-raising symptoms most women know as the “emotional roller coaster.” That’s when all hell breaks loose and we’ll do anything for relief!

Fortunately we have a lot more control over the ups and downs of menopause than we might think.

Here are the Top 10 Tips to return to balance and a GOOD MENOPAUSE.

1. Determine your own symptoms of hormone imbalance: www.zrtlab.com or www.womeninbalance.org

2. Test your hormones: to detect hidden imbalances. You can order the Comprehensive Female Profile I here: ZRT online store

3. If testing identifies imbalances that require hormone therapy, insist on bioidentical hormones! Made to mimic natural physiology – they are better and safer than synthetic hormone combinations. You can find a natural hormone friendly physician with ZRT's Find A Provider tool.

4. Support the adrenals: with optimal C, B-complex, D3, and herbal “adaptogens” such as Dong Quai, Astragalus, Ashwagandha, Maca, Rhodiola, that nourish the adrenal glands ability to adapt to stress. Adrenals remember are the main source of hormone supplies during this time of life, so supporting them is key to a healthy menopause.

5. Avoid xenoestrogens: eat “hormone free” foods, go GREEN with home, garden, and personal care products; microwave/heat/store foods in ceramic or glass, never plastic; reject synthetic hormone replacement (HRT) and any products with unpronounceable ingredients.

6. Counteract stress by releasing tension: stretching, deep breathing, yoga, Pilates, zumba, walking, swimming. Exercise in the open air whenever possible.

7. Strength train to boost anabolic hormones naturally (the kind that build and maintain) muscle, bone and libido. (Work with a trainer to avoid injury.)

8. Get your vitamin Zzzs: at least 7 to 8 hours a night and if you can’t get it all in, never underestimate the power nap (5 to 15 mns. max)!

9. Prioritize ME time: to unwind, enjoy life, and soothe stress hormones

10. Act the way you want to feel: research shows it works! (Read: The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin).

Related Resources

Is Your 3-Legged Hormone Stool Out of Balance?

Tue, 02 Sep 2014 00:21:00 -0700

Of the dozen organs in the endocrine system, there are three that rule when it comes to maintaining hormonal and metabolic health. The BIG 3 are the thyroid, the adrenals and the sex glands (ovaries and testes). Much like the symphony of sound an orchestra creates when every instrument is played in tune, so too must these glands work in harmony to keep body systems in balance and humming along.

Another way to think about this is to picture your thyroid, adrenals and sex glands as a three-legged stool upon which rests the stability of your entire metabolic system. If one leg becomes too high or another too low, the stool slants – making it tough to maintain balance and to function effectively.

Now the stress we used to be able to take in stride seems insurmountable. Our emotions start to wobble. Mentally, we feel slow and fuzzy-headed much of the time. Our energy level is nil, sleep becomes erratic, and the pounds are beginning to pile on.

1 in 10 Americans Affected

According to researchers, one in ten Americans – an estimated 33 million people – are suffering from thyroid, adrenal or reproductive hormone-related problems. If you are one of the estimated half of those who remain undiagnosed or poorly treated, you may well have forgotten how good you used to feel.

Compounded by environmental pollution and the abundant stress of daily life, it’s not easy to maintain synergy between these crucial energy-regulating glands. If left untreated, imbalances can lead to severe menopause or andropause symptoms, memory loss, depression, obesity, diabetes, heart disease or infertility.

Finally, Some Answers

If you worry that you or a loved one are among the 33 million affected, then listen to Dr. Richard Shames as he explains how natural strategies can help you right the balance of your three-legged stool. You will also learn:

How to identify your "endo type," the specific gland causing most of your symptoms
The most common endocrine disruptors and means of avoiding them
How to rebalance and restore metabolic synergy with nutrition, lifestyle and natural hormones

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Uncovering the Truth About Sleepless Nights - Webinar Q&A

Thu, 28 Aug 2014 00:50:00 -0700

The “Uncovering the Truth About Sleepless Nights,” webinar covered the key symptoms of sleep hormone imbalance, long term consequences of sleep deprivation and how 4-point measurement of sleep-wake cycle hormones provide a true 24 hour sleep-wake pattern. In case you missed it, click here to view the recording.

Many great questions came in during the webinar. So many, in fact, that I wasn't able to get to all of them within the scheduled time. I've put the questions in a convenient, printable document for you. Questions are arranged in categories: Melatonin, Getting Restful Sleep, and ZRT Sleep Balance Profile.

Download the Sleepless Nights Webinar Q&A

Answers to melatonin treatment questions were supplied by Allison Smith, ND, ZRT clinician and practicing naturopathic doctor.

I hope you find it to be a useful tool, and that you have some new ideas on how to acheive more restful sleep.

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The ZRT Laboratory Blog

5 Tips to Being a Balanced Menopausal Mom

A Winter's Night Wake-Up Call

I could expect my hormones to significantly shift as my ovaries started to wobble off in mid-life, but how steeply or severely that shift occurred was in large part down to lifestyle.

Imbalance Amplified by Poor Lifestyle Choices

"Menopause Moms" Are on the Rise

5 Tips to Being a Balanced Menopausal Mom

More about Menopause

ZRT Docs Share Their Favorite Healthy Eating Summer Recipes

The Healthy Eating Connection to Hormone Balance

Alton Brown's Roasted Edamame Salad

Black Bean Salad

Honey Lime Quinoa Salad

Grilled Corn Fiesta

3 Case Studies Reveal Perspectives on Mental Health And Hormones

When it comes to mental health, stress factors cannot be emphasized enough…and a holistic approach can make a big impact.

Andropause: Real Men Go For Balance

Replacement has its place

Its always about balance

Men in balance do these things during andropause

The Good Andropause

More About Andropause

Are Heavy Metals in Lipstick Making Us Sick?

Practical Takeaway:

Take Lipsticks for Example...

Researchers found that women who applied lipstick from two to 14 times a day were ingesting significant quantities of heavy metals.

Lead Isn't the Only Toxin Lurking in Lipstick

A Deadly Dose

Resources

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Clinical Pearls on Fertility, Infertility & Hormones

Screening for hormonal causes is one of the first recommended steps because simple adjustments can result in fertility.

"Our aim should be to generally optimize her body for health & fertility, then use oral medications or IVF, knowing that success rates are going to be much higher per cycle." - Dr. McAllister

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National Nutrition Month: Finding our Way Back to True Foods

From Staff of Life to Stuffed for Life

So how do we learn the lessons of good nutrition so that we don’t end up obese, insulin resistant, gluten-intolerant or diabetic?

Finding our Way Back to True Foods

Start with SUPERFOODS

Pair Superfoods with Phytonutrients for Hormone Balancing

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Got SAD? Got ODD? Here's News You Can Use

As many as 20% of Americans are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) each winter.

The Importance of Vitamin D & Melatonin Testing

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References

How Hormones are Key to the Top 10 New Year's Resolutions

Brassicas for Healthy Hormone Holiday Feasting

The Cruciferous Connection to Hormone Balance

Holiday Brussel Sprouts - Lindsay Nyre, Lab & Clinical Consultants Coordinator

Marinated Brocco-lay! - Dr. Allison Smith

Cauliflower Mash - Dr. Alison McAllister

Mandarin Sautéed Kale – Dr. Alison McAllister

Bok Choy with Ginger & Garlic - Dr. Sherry LaBeck

Preventing Breast Cancer: How Hormone Balance Can Help Save Your Life

Two Steps You Can Take Now

Two of the most important actions women can take to reduce breast cancer in our lifetime turns out to be losing weight and balancing hormone levels.

No Coincidence

Tips to Help Dodge a Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Learning the Nuts & Bolts of BHRT

We've Come a Long Way - But Not Far Enough

"Many, many clinicians no longer prescribe hormones, or know how to prescribe...patients are going to have trouble finding clinicians who can help them make the most informed decisions."

One-Size-Fits-All Prescribing No Longer Fits

A New Program is Born

Dr. Savage's BHRT curriculum places great emphasis on the “how to” of appropriate dosing, delivery systems, and which labs are best for different types of treatment.

View the Webinar

Banishing the 7 Dwarves of Menopause

It's Important: Progesterone vs Progestin

Bioidenticals...help keep cancers at bay, promote deeper sleep, and bring sweet relief from the hot flashes endured by a good 80% of menopausal women.

Meet the Dwarves

What to Do Next

Heat Waves & Hot Flashes in Perimenopause

How to Cool Down without Melting Down

Fluctuations of female hormones, particularly progesterone and estrogen, are largely responsible for hot flashes and night sweats . . . 80% of women with shifting and declining estrogen levels will experience hot flashes.

What You Can Do

What You Can Take

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Book Review: A Practitioner’s Guide to Physiologic Bioidentical Hormone Balance

“I felt there was a strong need to provide a knowledge base for practitioners…to help them understand the 'how to' of hormone balance from a physiological approach in order to optimize patient long-term benefits.”

The Ultimate Hormone Balancing Guidebook Review

When it comes to mental health, stress factors
cannot be emphasized enough…and a holistic approach can make a big impact.