iHealthCast > Physicians<br>& Specialists > Heartbeats Blog - <span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold;">Supporting Your Hormone Levels

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Posted by: Dr. Chris Meletis, ND	5/10/2010 10:54 AM
When it comes to female hormones, for decades Premarin made from "pregnant mare urine" hence the name "Pre-mar-in" was used. Yet, Premarin is just Estradiol, and there are 3 hormones in the human body: Estradiol, Estrone and Estriol. So, why only use one and what does each of these do for the body? And also very importantly, what can you do to optimize your estrogen metabolism? For the men who have kept reading this far, don't stop. The information that follows applies to you directly, and definitely for the women in your life and circle of influence. ESTRIOL Lets review each of these estrogens in a little more detail, ESTRIOL is the most abundant of all the estrogens making up approximately 80 percent of the estrogen present in the female body. Men have estriol as well in their body too. Estriol possesses antioxidant properties. Though it does not have the same powerful impact as estradiol on tissues, it is has been proposed to protect breast tissue, has been used in patients with Multiple Sclerosis and has even been used in Europe with some breast cancer patients. ESTRADIOL Upheld as the strongest estrogen, it makes up approximately 10 percent of the body’s total estrogen supply. It has powerful effects on tissues in the body, it also has been shown to be necessary for: Health Cholesterol Levels by increasing HDL (good), lowering LDL (bad) and supporting normal total cholesterol. Support Bone Strength Helps support mood via normal serotonin levels Can help mitigate fatigue Delivers antioxidant protection Supports memory and cognitive performance Enhances mineral absorption such as calcium, zinc and magnesium ESTRONE In menopause, Estrone levels become predominant. High levels are believed by many researchers and clinicians to be a SIGNIFICANT risk factor for breast cancer. The heavier a person is, the higher the conversion to estrone increasing risk of estrogen driven cancers. EXCESS TOTAL ESTROGENS - ESTROGEN DOMINANCE In today's world, far too many women and men are estrogen dominant. This problem arises from our environment, the world's obesity epidemic and also herbicides, pesticides, plastic water bottles, parabens in lotions, cosmetics and contamination of our food supply. Further compounding this issue is that we are all so stressed out, and the stress hormone Cortisol is made from progesterone. Progesterone is a VITAL balancer to estrogen. Thus estrogen dominance can be overt or relative, relative estrogen dominance can exist with normal estrogen or slightly elevated levels even and a deficient level of progesterone. Some of the RISKS of EXCESS ESTROGEN Depression or Irritability Higher risk of uterine cancer Significantly increased weight gain (abdomen, hips, thighs) Fluid Retention Decreased Sleep Quality Breast Tenderness Increased Risk of Auto-immune Disease Decrease Estrogen Dominance Stop taking excess estrogen Decrease liver and colon elimination of estrogen Get plenty of exercise Poor quality diet, increase fiber and reduce animal product intake Reduce exposure to environmental estrogens and xenobiotics Monitor levels of 16-OH Estrone NATURAL WAYS TO CONTROL ESTROGEN RATIO and BALANCE It is absolutely essential to control the production of 16-OH Estrone. If it estrone goes towards 2-OH that is fine, if it goes to 16-OH, this is dangerous. You can enhance the good 2-OH-Estrone and help control the production of the bad 16-OH estrone by eating and supplements: Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Kale, Bok Choy, etc.) Flaxseed (ground) Non-GMO Soy Botanical called: Kudzu Use of DIM and I-3-C (Indole-3-carbinol) Adequate Fish Oil and other Omega 3 Oils B vitamin Complex Control Obesity Though this review has huge implications for all women, men also make estrogen and convert it to dangerous forms. The colon and prostate in particular are very susceptible to estrogen impact as well. So women and men alike need to take charge of their hormonal health. I tell my patients, never take estrogen by itself, never take just estradiol with estriol (with rare exception).
Copyright ©2010 Dr. Chris Meletis, ND
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