ADRENAL and SEX HORMONES

JANUARY 20, 2010.  This is an interview with my wife, Dr. Laura Thompson.  Laura’s work as a nutritional practitioner has become widely recognized over the last ten years. One of her specialties is bio-identical hormone therapy.  This interview is based on Laura’s writings and testing guidelines, and spells out some basic, but often misunderstood facts about female hormone problems.   

(JON) Q:  What are the female sex hormones? (LAURA)

A:  Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Q:  Do most female hormone problems result from ovarian imbalance?

A:  It’s more than that.  There are multiple problems in the network of sex hormones, adrenals, hypothalamus and pituitary glands. This is called the Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal axis.

Q:  So if you focus on solving just one thing, you miss the boat?

A:  Yes, that’s usually the case in dealing with any health problem.

Q:  How do hormone problems usually begin?

A: With some type of stressor: emotional, nutritional, physical, etc.

Q:  Talk a little about the adrenal glands. A:  Adrenal glands are like the body’s shock absorbers. They are the core of the endocrine stress response system. 

Two of the most important adrenal hormones are adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline deals primarily with short-term stress. Cortisol is produced as a result of both acute and long-term stress.

Prolonged stress initially results in high cortisol function, which leads to: weight gain, memory loss, high blood pressure, hot flashes, night sweats, masculinizing tendencies such as excess facial hair for women.

Overworked adrenals eventually crash, leading to adrenal exhaustion. The body is not making adequate adrenal hormones – or handling stress efficiently.  This can result in: CFS, extreme fatigue, addictions to sugar and salt, allergies, nervousness, sensitivity to the cold, headaches, depression, anxiety.

Adrenals contribute about 35% of the female hormones before menopause and about 50% of the female hormones post-menopause. You can see how adrenal malfunction or exhaustion can profoundly affect sex hormone balance.

Q:  Thyroid function can also become involved.

A:  Yes.  Overtaxed adrenals can lead to low thyroid function – hypothyroidism. This can lead to the thyroid turning down its own activity to compensate for high cortisol production – or reverse adrenal overdrive. This can lead to fatigue, weight gain, fibroids, ovarian cysts, PMS, migraines, miscarriage, infertility.

Q:  At your clinic, you do screening tests for hormone levels.

A:  The tests indicate what needs to be done to balance hormone levels.  Post menopausal women usually experience significant health changes.

Many of the conditions associated with menopause can be corrected with natural hormone replacement and/or nutritional therapies.  The key to successful supplementation is assessing the individual by performing baseline and follow-up evaluation of their hormonal status.  Only by pre-and post replacement evaluation can one accurately bring the body into “hormonal balance.”

Laura Thompson’s clinic, the Southern California Institute of Clinical Nutrition, can be reached at: 800-608-5602.  Laura works with many clients by telephone. JON RAPPOPORT
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