All About Hormones

There is a new perspective on what hormones are and how they affect our lives.  The very definition of a hormone has changed since most of us learned about them in high school biology.  We once defined hormones as more or less single-purpose substances produced by a specific gland then delivered through the blood stream to specific areas.  We then discovered that hormones are manufactured not just in the endocrine glands but also in a variety of places throughout our bodies.

We have all heard of estrogen and testosterone, right?  If you're like most people, you probably think that estrogen is produced in the ovaries and testosterone in the testicles.  Well, you are only partially correct. Women has testosterone. Men in their 50s could have as much estrogen as a woman at the age of 25.  This may sound strange, but it is very true because hormones are produced in a variety of places, have a multitude of responsibilities and a variety of functions. 

Nerve cells have specific receptor sites for chemicals and endorphins, which are filled with both critical and non-critical hormones.  Some hormones are actually produced in the brain and some are sent there from other locations.  Ongoing hormone research reveals that there are many different kinds of hormones produced by many different glands, and this new research is working to discover their affect on our physical and mental health

How often do you hear someone saying one of the following statements: “I sure get tired easily."  "I feel old!"  "My hair is thin and falling out."  "My skin is dry and rough."  "I don’t feel like I used to or have the endurance I once had."  "I’m cold all the time."  "My libido is shot!"  "I cant’ lose weight like I used to."  "My joints hurt."  "My body aches."  "I hate these horrible hot flashes."  "Whatever happened to that feeling of well being I used to have?”

Here is how aging has affected me: since I hit my thirties; I just wasn’t the same person that I used to be.  My energy was down, recovery time from colds and the flu became extended and my body couldn’t keep up with what my mind thought it could do.  These aging symptoms got progressively worse during my thirties, and I eventually developed a problem with chronic pain, which became so debilitating that I barely had enough energy to crawl out of bed in the morning.

I saw a doctor at least once a week, with little or no results.  I also underwent numerous tests and scans with several different specialists, and took an unbelievable amount of prescription drugs, all to no avail.  One doctor even suggested that I should be taking an anti depressant.  I was appalled!  These issues were not just in my head.  If I was depressed, it was because I didn’t feel well and saw no end in sight.  I thought that if I felt this bad in my mid-thirties what was it going to be like at 60 or 70?  The thought of aging and feeling worse as the years went by was unbearable!

Eventually the doctors did some exploratory surgery for my chronic pain, removed my mastoid bone behind one ear and within 12 months performed a partial hysterectomy, removing my uterus.  Still…I didn’t feel much better.  Worse, I was tired of being a guinea pig under the surgeon’s knife.  I began to search for alternatives.

My breakthrough finally came when I met Dr. Nick Delgado, who had been researching anti aging therapies and medicine.  The first thing he did was recommend that I have all of my critical hormones tested, and lo and behold, the results indicated a serious deficiency in several hormones.  My medical doctors never even bothered to look in that direction. 

As I began to study and understand the major functions of hormones, especially the critical ones, I realized that all of my symptoms, including the chronic pain I had been experiencing were a direct result of hormone decline. 

Let's take a peek at the major hormones.  While many different glands produce hormones, they all have a common root: pregnenolone, which controls memory and joint function.  But pregnenolone isn’t considered the Master Hormone.  Growth hormone, which controls growth and communication between all the cells of the body, has earned that distinction.

DHEA is considered the Mother Hormone because it controls feelings of well-being.  Seems like macho science to me, but the fact is DHEA also monitors nerve function as well as immune response.  DHEA also produces pheromones, which are the attraction hormones.

Thyroid is the major metabolism hormone that controls body weight, heat regulation, nerve function and skin and hair growth.

The primary reproductive and memory hormone, estrogen, enhances skin, body shape, and sex reproduction, and testosterone, the strength hormone contributes to muscle firmness, sexual response, healing rate and heart function.

The stress hormone, cortisol helps us deal with stress and energy needs.  Progesterone deals with bone density and balance of estrogen, and melatonin is the sleep and rejuvenation hormone.

Now lets talk about how the hormones influence our behavior.  Do you know that publishers of romance novels have built a multi billion dollar business by stirring up your hormones?  "Oh the pleasure of it!  The exquisite wonder of his hot, wet mouth moving over the tip of her breast, taking in the distended nipple, suckling it like a babe.  She felt a shaft of excitement shoot down her thigh where his hand had taken up residence once again.  As he kissed and suckled and nibbled, she arched her back pressing her breast against him in wanton abandon…"  Well, you get the picture.

Check your breathing.  Do the words move you, provoke you, transport you?  Maybe your pulse is faster and you're taking a deeper breath or perhaps breathing an involuntary sigh.  Did you know that there are specific hormones that create our scent, that keep men from making a commitment, that bond partners to each other and parents to children, or cause love at first sight?  There are even clinical studies that have been done proving how the influence of hormones can prolong life.  

Colleen Kelly, 44 years; Bob Kelly, 84 years; Kelly 73 years

While environment and culture go a long way in explaining our behavior, our hormones behave the same way no matter our race, religion or color.  They don’t know what your mom told you to do, or whether or not you should be out late at night.  They just follow their own chemical imperative!  The words "hormone replacement" strike fear in some people, but seeing it from this new point of view should release that fear.

If you have occasional or even chronic headaches, it doesn’t mean that your body is deficient in aspirin or Tylenol.  If a man is suffering from erectile dysfunction, it doesn’t mean that his body is deficient in Viagra.  What it does mean is you are more than likely to have some sort of hormone decline, which can be alleviated.

Physical decline is not a requirement of growing older.  We were given multiple hormones to carry out a multitude of functions and they all work synergistically with one another.  By simply supplementing your diet with hormones that are safe and biologically identical to what your body produces naturally, you can expect to experience the following benefits:

Vivid dreams, more sound sleep, improved stamina, increased energy, optimistic attitude, increased muscle tone and strength, better skin tone, faster nail and hair growth, better digestion, reduced fat, enhanced sexual function, less PMS, thickening of the skin, greater skin elasticity, fewer wrinkles, increased productivity, improved mental process, improved resistance to colds and flu, less aches and soreness, improved body contour, less cellulite, faster recovery or wound healing…just to name a few!

Putting all of this into perspective, taking care of our bodies in this way will impact our bodies and our environment.  Sick days from work can be reduced, we can become more productive throughout the day and we will feel like spending more quality time with our families and friends.  A recent statistic stated if admission into a nursing home could be delayed by just one month the US healthcare system would see $3 billion dollars in savings within a year.  This can certainly be accomplished with the proactive approach of anti aging.

Many years ago, I saw a movie on television about people in search of the fountain of youth.  It was supposed to be this magical, mystical place that would transform a person and after drinking from the fountain, they would live forever.  Well, I’m here today to tell you that the fountain of youth does exist, although it is not magical or mystical, it is simple, practical common sense.  I'm sure there are many reasons why this simple, practical hormone replacement therapy has not been mainstream information in the past, but thankfully, today it is becoming so.

God created our bodies to be magnificent machines, complex in nature.  Every day, advances in science allow us to know more and more about it and science is "rediscovering" many things that ancient people have always known.  The American Indians believed that nearby every toxic plant there was an antidotal plant - we just have to look to find it.  We have used these natural plants and foods to help create the fountain of youth in our Grow Young and Slim program, and although it may not let us live forever, we can definitely live a more productive, enriched, disease-free life.  We can feel the same vim and vigor of our younger years when we're 80, 90 years old and beyond.  It’s all about Hormones!

We encourage you to go on a journey for the fountain of youth.  Take the hormone analysis, read the articles on our website, and get familiar with all of our anti aging products.