Feeling Rushed/Anxious or Feeling Sluggish/Slow?
If you read my blog regularly you know that I often say, “Hormones rule the body.” Of course, the whole body is connected, so the hormones alone aren’t the whole story, especially when it comes to our daily energy levels and mood.
It can be pretty burdensome to feel stuck either too high or too low on the seesaw of life.
Stuck too high means feeling anxious, rushed, and hypersensitive. Stuck too low means feeling slow, sluggish, and blah. Neither is in balance and neither is any fun.
It is not just the hormones causing this, although adrenals will always play a role. There is a part of the nervous system that governs the things we don’t have to think about, such as breathing, digestion, and heart rate.It is called the autonomic (or automatic) nervous system, and it interfaces with the hormonal (endocrine) system in the brain.
This autonomic system is further divided into two parts that are like the gas and brake pedals. So, some of us have our nervous system “foot” on the gas all the time, and some of us have that “foot” on the brakes.
The right balance would be to use both the gas and the brakes, and getting that balance is something that natural medicine can help you with.
If you are wondering if your autonomic nervous system could be tweaked to help you feel more in control or more energy, we can check using the Systems Survey from Standard Process. Some of you have filled this out in the past.
Here is the link to the survey. https://my.standardprocess.com/Systems-Survey Fill it out online and download it to return to me by email. We can go over the results at your next appointment. Or you can schedule a phone consultation with me. Send me an email and I will respond with the details. For those who are not current patients there will be a consultation fee and I can give you those details. You can invite friends and family to use the Systems Survey, also.
You don’t have to use stimulants or relaxation substances to help you cope. Balance your nervous system with your hormones and your body is more aligned with your life instead of careening out of control or unable to respond to the demands you put on it.
Many people are more out of balance than ever after the events of this past year. What gets us through tougher times is our resiliency. It’s hard to stay mentally “up” when your body is down, and hard to relax when your body is vibrating. If you feel a need to recalibrate, let me know.
Emeralds, Rubies, Minerals and You
More than half of all Americans take Vitamins on a regular basis. But what about minerals?
Did you know that you can arrest a cold just by taking calcium? Cancer cells can die when there is sufficient copper and zinc in the body. Manganese is needed for proper pituitary function. The pituitary is the master gland that controls the hormone system in both men and women. Zinc is vital for prostate function, immune function, and zinc is required for the production of stomach acid used for digestion.
Vitamins are co-factors that allow and assist in all the small processes that contribute to the function of each system in the body. Minerals provide the building blocks of the cells of the body, or act as escorts to other nutrients.
There is an elaborate dance that goes on at a cellular level. The foods we eat, consisting of carbohydrates (starches and sugars, vegetables and fruits), proteins (meats, fish, poultry, eggs), and fats (oils and butter), are broken down by enzymes, assisted by vitamins. Then they are absorbed into the blood system for transportation to areas where they are reconfigured into the various cells and fluids of the body.
The body is a gigantic factory that produces endless products on an hourly basis. Minerals are the building blocks used to form the structure of the cells. But remember that nothing in Nature acts alone. For example, calcium must be in a matrix with other minerals, such as magnesium and phosphorus, so just taking high levels of calcium won’t give you strong bones.
Salt and potassium are minerals used to allow nutrients to pass into cells, and cellular wasteproducts to pass out of cells for elimination. Sulfur is required for detoxification processes in the liver.
Other minerals are needed in trace (tiny) amounts, but pack a big wallop in terms of benefits. Iodine is necessary for thyroid hormone function, chromium helps regulate blood sugar, and iron carries oxygen in red blood cells. Our cells are like fish. They live in a salt sea and they need oxygen to “breathe”. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/tc/minerals-their-functions-and-sources-topic-overview
Vegetables are great sources of minerals, since they draw the minerals up from the soil, but the minerals must be in the soil in the first place. Chemical farming methods that destroy and strip the soil, along with chemical fertilizers, create the giant tasteless veggies that are sold in supermarkets.
All natural forms of foods contain minerals, including dairy, eggs, whole grains, nuts and seeds, meats and fish. Minerals are alkalinizing, but there must be sufficient stomach acid for minerals to be digested and absorbed.
Our modern diets of processed foods and sugar are woefully deficient in minerals. If you are stressed, suffer from weak bones, have difficulty sleeping, losing weight or healing from rashes or acne, you may be mineral deficient.
The quality of the mineral supplement is very important, because some forms of minerals are easy for the body to utilize, and others are not. The best minerals are those found in food sources, so this is another good reason to eat organic food from trusted sources that enrich the soil as it is farmed.
Some minerals will keep the body hydrated, so drinking water alone may not be enough in hot weather. Kids often eat the most depleted diets, when they are desperate for minerals as their bodies are growing. How much ADHD might be mineral deficiency? And a hydrated body is also a younger looking body, because the skin needs the right balance of minerals to be plump and firm.
Let us know if you are concerned about your own mineral balance. We have a zinc test you can take, and there are other ways to check your mineral balance. I have seen minerals make a world of difference when a deficiency is corrected, from improving serious conditions like Celiac (severe allergy to gluten) to improving energy or even lifting depression.
There are more than 4,000 naturally occurring minerals on earth. Some are considered precious gems, such as emeralds and rubies. But none are more valuable than the minerals that you need in your body to restore and maintain healthy body function. http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/earth/inside-the-earth/minerals-gems/
Our dreams and spirits may be not of this world, but our bodies are rooted in the ground. There is a reason we refer to Mother Earth. She nourishes us, when we let her, so we can live the dreams we make.
How Hormones Affect Your New Year’s Resolutions
What have you resolved for the New Year? To eat better and lose weight? To exercise more? To have less stress? To be happier and more upbeat? To be nicer to those around you?
All of these resolutions are affected by hormones. Hormones run the world of your body, and without hormones in balance and fully functional, a happy life and a healthy body just don’t happen.
Hormones make your body hum along, so that you don’t crave sugar and salty foods as much, so you are less stressed, have the energy to exercise more, and have the stability to handle the ups and downs of life and manage your personal and business relationships positively.
Getting hormones in balance is easy with the right natural medicine. But first you have to know what is out of balance. Blood work, Saliva Testing and Muscle Testing can all reveal where your hormones need help. I like to do Total Hormone Balancing, which means that every part of your endocrine system is working optimally, no matter your age, from puberty to old age.
The chemicals in our environment and food additives can interrupt hormones. Birth control pills, medication and pesticides can all affect us hormonally. You can take your hormones back, and regain some control over your body and your life.
So, if you are having any difficulty making your New Year’s Resolutions stick, you might blame your hormones. Make this your best year ever! Balanced hormones will help, and we can help you get there.
Keeping Men Strong- June Special
I can’t tell you how many times I hear a female patient tell me that she is worried about her man’s health, but she can’t get him to take care of himself.
Of course, there are exceptions. Some men are working out and eating a healthy diet. But many are over-weight, stressed from work, and counting on the thing that has always worked before- their strength and ability to just push through.
When that doesn’t work, the first urge may be to push through harder. If that fails there may be some mood issues, like irritability or depression. Hormones rule the body, and the adrenals are where testosterone, adrenaline and cortisol are made.
Just pushing through is a bit like driving your car with a punctured tire. You don't know how long before it shreds or blows, and it won't fix itself.
Testosterone determines the sexual characteristics and gives muscle mass and strength. Adrenaline kicks in with excitement or fear. Cortisol is the hormone that gets us up and out the door in the morning, when levels should be highest. High cortisol at night keeps the body awake. When cortisol is released during a period of stress (freeway driving, for example) but is not used up by physical activity (sitting in your car, then sitting at a desk all day) then cortisol may cause more fat deposits around the belly.
All of these hormones can be disrupted by: 1) andropause/aging 2) weight gain because fat cells produce more estrogen 3) high stress, which depletes cortisol 4) environmental toxins such as plastics and soy products, which are estrogenic 5) high carb and sugar diet, which causes yo-yo blood sugar. When there is too much sugar in the blood, the body signals the release of insulin from the pancreas. The job of insulin is to carry the sugar into the cells or send it to the liver. Continuous release of insulin makes the cells begin to resist the influence of insulin. This is the beginning of Type II Diabetes. The low fat, high carb and sugar diet of the past few decades have given us an epidemic of Diabetes.
The new epidemic caused by low fat, high carb and sugar diet is Alzheimer’s, which is now being called Diabetes Type III. High carbs and sugar also produce inflammation, which is turning out to be the highest risk factor for heart attacks.
The good news is that men have a great advantage over women in addressing these issues. Due to their greater muscle mass, which gives men a faster metabolism, just cutting down on the carbs, snacks and sugar often gives a dramatic result in a short amount of time.
The trick then becomes adopting a healthy long-term lift style so that bad habits don’t creep back in. Eating more healthy fats can reduce the urge to snack in the evening. A protein shake with fruit and coconut oil after dinner works for many guys. With long summer days, going for a walk in the evening can get you out of the house and away from the refrigerator and bags of chips.
Prostate problems, belly fat, heart disease, low libido, high blood pressure, Diabetes, GERD and other “diseases of modern civilization” are not normal or inevitable. They are all preventable or reversible with the right natural approach. This is a case when wisdom becomes power and knowing how to manage a body takes wisdom, when powering through no longer works.
To celebrate Father’s Day, we are offering hormone testing, plus body and nutritional analysis, for men. Find out your testosterone, estrogen and cortisol levels. If your hormones are out of balance, natural medicine and herbal medicine can restore them to normal levels, boost metabolism, and give guys back their stronger selves.
The June Special is Male Saliva Hormone testing plus consultation for $200, 30% off the regular price. Saliva testing tells us what hormones are left, after they have interacted at a cellular level. Blood tests tell us about the presence of hormones in the blood. But hormones must lock onto the cells, in order to carry their message.
Also in June, a new male patient consultation, without Saliva Testing, is $100, $35 off the regular price. If you have been thinking about getting on top of your health, June is a great time to do that!
Adrenals can be repaired, testosterone can be boosted, excess estrogen can be cleared out, and blood sugar can be stabilized, all without drugs. GERD is easily remedied and stress levels can be dramatically improved with herbs like Kava. Adrenals respond beautifully to nutritional medicine, weight drops off with dietary changes and detoxification and blood sugar can stabilize. We can use herbal preparations like Tribulus, which boosts testosterone in men, or we can use topical creams for Testosterone or DHEA. DHEA is another adrenal hormone that peaks at 18 and declines with age.
Men of any age can be strong, and healthy, with the right game plan.