Serotonin, or rather its deficiency, frequently steals the spotlight in conversations regarding depression. Initially discovered as a component of serum in 1948 to regulate vasoconstriction (serotonin = serum + tone), the role of serotonin in depressive disorders wasn't implied until a few years later. Since then, much effort has been dedicated by scientists and clinicians alike to understand the…
Tags: Menopause, Neurotransmitters, Depression
Not quite menopause. Throwing blankets off at night, keeping awake. Fatigue and irritation punctuated throughout the day by heat dissipating from every pore, clouding thoughts, reinforcing forgetfulness. Hair falling out so stubbornly fast. Clothes choosing when to fit. Flooding periods coming sporadically, unexpectedly. They call it “the change of life” – but I feel like a different person…
Tags: Menopause, Neurotransmitters, Estrogen, Progesterone
The diversity of the microbiome has profound implications for metabolic health. The micro-organisms that we host in our gastrointestinal tract maintain our gut integrity, break down complex carbohydrates to improve energy extraction from food, produce vitamins and minerals, aid in digestion and absorption, ferment dietary fibers and protect us against pathogens. Maintaining a delicate balance in…
Tags: Menopause, Estrogen Dominance, Metabolic Health, Weight Management, Microbiome
One of the primary objectives of the Women's Health Initiative was to see if postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) improved long-term risk of coronary heart disease, among other chronic diseases. However, the combined estrogen/progestin (Prempro) arm was halted in 2002, citing that the participants’ risk of cardiovascular disease outweighed any potential benefit of HRT in the prevention…
Tags: Hormone Balance, Menopause, BHRT, Research
Providers routinely call ZRT for support in addressing low libido for their patients during the menopausal transition. Busy lifestyles, everyday stress, not enough or poor quality sleep and many other factors can all contribute to putting sex at the bottom of the to-do list, well after laundry, scrubbing the floor, and taking the dog to the vet. Low libido is a multidimensional issue that can have a…
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…
Estrogen. We've heard Dr. Zava call it the "angel of life, and the angel of death." Too much can be hazardous. Too little can be problematic also. Not many people realize this, but estrogen plays a role in more bodily functions than just reproduction. In fact, estrogen has many important functions in the brain. Studies show that decreasing levels of estrogen can cause two of the most common…
Tags: Menopause, Neurotransmitters, Estrogen, BHRT
When a patient says that she wants “natural” hormone therapy, does the term mean the same thing to you as it does to her? Let’s explore that question further by dissecting the terminology most commonly used by patients (and even some experts) when discussing hormone restoration therapy: “natural,” “synthetic” and “bio-identical.”NaturalThe term “natural” cannot be used to describe hormones or…
Tags: Hormone Balance, Menopause, BHRT, Patient Education, Dosing, Bioidentical Hormones
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…
Tags: Hormone Balance, Menopause, BHRT
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…
Tags: Hormone Balance, Menopause, BHRT
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