Hormones: The Magic Bullet Program for Aging

Before delving into the descriptions of our essential hormones, I would like to give you a brief taste of the sweet possibilities they offer an aging body. This overview will only wet your appetite as you begin your own quest for healthy aging. We live in an era which fortunately offers access to hormones. These options were not available to previous generations. They were simply left to suffer in silence. Science and medicine now offer you this opportune moment. I encourage you to seize it now.

DHEA:
This is the most abundant hormone in the human body and has become a celebrity of the hormone regimen. Varying opinions either boost its reputation as a multifunctional, age-defying hormone or decry its status, saying it's more hype than reality. DHEA has been found to affect the body in its own right, but also by way of conversion into testosterone, estrogen, or progesterone. Clinical studies have revealed that DHEA has a profound effect on the immune system, sex drive, metabolism, and one's emotional stability. Its effect on the immune system via regulation of stress hormones and by its function as a powerful antioxidant illustrates one of its age-resisting capabilities. Other health-related benefits include its ability to alter cognitive decline, help the body cope with stress, and its healthy influence over the heart by way of cholesterol modulation. Unfortunately, these benefits decline with age. Proven studies keep DHEA in the news and in the interest of people who strive to remain healthy in their later years. As a quick side note, the FDA has shown signs of approval of DHEA as a drug to treat serious illnesses such as lupus and connective tissue disease.

Estrogen:
This is the genesis of hormone replacement therapy, and has been prescribed for more than 40 years for women suffering the symptoms of menopause. Because estrogen went above and beyond just staving off the bothersome symptoms of menopause, women opted to continue this therapy. Researchers began to explore the other therapeutic realms of estrogen. Physically speaking, women have seen favorable changes in muscle tone, wrinkles, hair texture, and libido. Medically speaking, study after study illustrates that estrogen should not be used as a treatment of a phase, like menopause, but rather as a life-long therapy for the determent of age-related diseases. The history of estrogen replacement showing the beneficial effects has been documented in over 50 years of medical studies.

With estrogen therapy, it's not whether you should be supplementing, but rather what estrogen you should be using. The estrogen chapter will open your eyes to a new concept of "natural" hormone replacement. Compounding pharmacies now have the capability to formulate and dispense hormones which exactly match the hormones your body naturally produces. As you read more, you'll understand why it only makes sense to replace something in your body with an exact replica.

Progesterone:
Another female hormone which works synergistically with estrogen is progesterone. While this hormone is commonly overlooked, it is used to eliminate estrogen's ability to stimulate uterine growth and bleeding. Because of this synergy, progesterone should be viewed as a life-long partner of estrogen. Progesterone further enhances estrogen's beneficial effects on bone, cholesterol, plaque formation, mood disorders and urogenital atrophy. Recent medical research also demonstrates the protective effect of progesterone against breast cancer. Many women who have had hysterectomies are not prescribed progesterone, and therefore lack the general make-up of their more youthful years. Natural progesterone works with estrogen by keeping the prevalent diseases of age, like osteoporosis, heart disease and depression at bay. Progesterone has a mild tranquilizing effect and enhances an overall sense of well being. Studies have shown it to be truly a feel-good hormone.

Testosterone:
Although testosterone is the primary male hormone, women also benefit from its supplementation. Levels of testosterone decline in both men and women, and as a result, both gain visceral fat, experience a loss in energy, undergo mood swings, and hopelessly watch as their libido goes out the door. At optimal levels testosterone increases bone density and bone formation, enhances energy and sex drive, decreases body fat, increases muscle strength and size, lowers blood pressure, and positively affects the levels of LDL and HDL. What women may not know is that testosterone keeps their skin soft and supple. What men may not know is it keeps the prostate healthy. Testosterone supplementation is a cost-efficient and emotionally effective tool in curbing the euphemistically termed "midlife crisis". With all of the life benefits testosterone offers, it's a hormone both men and women should not venture into their fifties without.

Thyroid:
This metabolic hormone secreted by the thyroid gland regulates temperature, energy, metabolism, and cerebral function. At optimal levels it breaks down fat, resulting in weight loss and lower cholesterol. The thyroid hormone wards off heart disease and memory impairment. Insufficient thyroid levels result in fatigue, slowness in speech and action, depression, and immune dysfunction. Smaller but still perceptible changes also include thinning hair and brittle nails. Many of these characteristics sound suspiciously like symptoms of getting old. They are, yet they don't have to be. The supplementation of a natural thyroid hormone can alter what is termed "normal" changes seen with aging. Hallmark studies have shown that, even when a patient tests normal for thyroid levels, supplementing a natural source of thyroid can greatly enhance overall well-being. I consider the thyroid one of the most misunderstood and underused hormones in the entire replacement program.

Melatonin:
This hormone is produced by the pineal gland, the gland some scientists believe to be the source of our body's aging. It controls the activities of virtually every cell in the body. Melatonin regulates the circadian rhythm as well as the deep stages of sleep. Within these deep stages of sleep the immune system is stimulated. In a January 1997 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, melatonin was extolled as a powerful antioxidant, a potential anti-cancer agent, and a perfect candidate to put on the list of essential hormones. Studies using mice have shown the addition of Melatonin can return 24-month old mice to their more youthful, active state. In light of the hundreds of studies showing melatonin can scavenge free radicals, fight cancer and induce youthful sleep patterns, it's a shoe-in for everyone's hormone regimen.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin:
In the male, hCG injections are used to stimulate the leydig cells to synthesize testosterone. The intratesticular testosterone is necessary for spermatogenesis from the sertoli cells. Typical uses for hCG in men include hypogonadism and fertility treatment.

Anastrazole:
Anastrozole operates by blocking the aromatase enzyme, the primary enzyme for the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. A steroid that is altered by this enzyme is referred to as an aromatizing steroid.