Hormones in a Nutshell
- Estrogen
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- Improves vaginal tone, decreases pain with intercourse, and enhances sexual experience.
- Protects against bone loss.
- Protects against breast cancer, if prescribed the right combination and the right route.
- Protects against heart disease and flow by enhancing blood flow, dilates small arteries, and prohibiting platelet aggregation and plaque formation.
- Reduces LDL cholesterol and increases HDL.
- Improves blood pressure.
- Maintains collagen and improves skin elasticity, decreases wrinkling.
- Helps maintain memory, increases concentration, improves mood, and sleep patterns.
- Decreases the risk for colon cancer.
- Progesterone
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- Balances estrogen.
- Protects against endometrial cancer.
- Protects against breast fibro cysts.
- Has an anti-depressant, natural calming, and anti-anxiety effect.
- Improves sleep.
- Improves concentration and memory, helping to alleviate the “mental fog” of menopause.
- Promotes bone growth.
- Helps lower blood pressure.
- Helps libido.
- Is a natural diuretic.
- Increases metabolic rate, helps the body use and eliminate fats.
- Increases the beneficial effects of estrogen on blood vessels.
- Offers some protection against breast cancer.
- Maintains secretory endometrium.
- Testosterone
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Females
- Increases sexual interest and ability to climax.
- Helps maintain muscle mass and strength.
- Helps keep the skin from sagging.
- Elevates norepinephrine in the brain, producing a tricyclic effect.
- Improves memory.
- Helps maintain bone strength.
- Helps regulate cholesterol.
- Improves fatigue.
Males
- All of the above, to a greater effect.
- Improves oxygen uptake and promotes cardiovascular health.
- Helps control blood sugar levels-significantly.
- Improves mental concentration, memory, and mood.
- Helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
- DHEA
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- Precursor to Testosterone, Estrogen, and Progesterone in men and women.
- Increases energy level and overall sense of well being.
- Improves immune system function.
- Decreases body fat.
- Increases bone growth.
- Protective against heart disease and cancer.
- Improves brain function.
- Increases insulin sensitivity.
- Decreases cholesterol levels.
- Cortisol
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- Increases blood sugar (therefore energy levels)
- Neutralizes inflammation, stimulates the immune defense system.
- Calms the stimulating effect of excessive adrenaline, enhancing mood.
- Increases stress resistance and work capacity.
- Has anti-rheumatic and anti-pain properties ( improves joint and muscle pain)
- Thyroid
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- Increases blood flow, heart rate, heat production.
- Increases metabolism, energy production, and consumption.
- Stimulates intestinal mobility, thirst, and urination.
- Improves speed of thought.
- Decreases total cholesterol and LDLs.
- Decrease diastolic blood pressure.
- Decreases edema and increases the elimination of old waste products inside the cells
- Pregnenolone
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- Is a precursor to stress hormones and adrenal hormones.
- Functions as a neurotransmitter in the area of the brain responsible for memory.
- Repairs traumatic nerve damage
- In high doses has an anti-rheumatic effect (relieves joint pain)
- Melatonin
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- Induces sleep by shortening the time it takes to fall asleep.
- Relaxes smooth muscles and nerves making sleep better.
- Calms the intestinal tract during sleep.
- Has anti-oxidant properties-protects against free radicals.
- Helps set the pace for circadian rhythms such as the sleep — wake, temperature, and hormone cycles.
- Calms excessive cortisol activity.
- Can increase serum levels of growth hormone and thyroid hormone.
HRT: The Answers by Pamela Wartian Smith M.D., MPH