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Melatonin is a ubiquitous little hormone that comes in an indolamine package similar to serotonin, its precursor. Thanks to its unique structure, it can travel easily through the blood stream and readily crosses the blood-brain and placental barriers. It is synthesized and used all over the body to perform a number of indispensable roles. It’s the main reason our bodies know what time it is and what it’s supposed to be doing at any given moment. It signals the transcription of genes that regulate the cell cycle, neutralize free radicals, and decrease inflammation. Its claim to fame, however, is its role in promoting sleep. Melatonin's Daily...

Over 25 million women a year worldwide will enter menopause and make a decision about hormone replacement therapy. For healthcare practitioners, what dosage and what formulation these hormones take is open to debate. After many years of teaching and talking to practitioners, I’ve learned that: there are many strategies for approaching dosages, everyone thinks that theirs is the best, most of them work well for many patients but not all, and that we really, really need more research. There is very little to no research on different dosing strategies. Standard bioidentical hormones have research behind them, but they are looking at serum testing and...

Estrogen dominance refers to an excess of estrogen when progesterone levels are inadequate. This condition can occur in women during the reproductive years, but tends to be particularly symptomatic for women during perimenopause and in menopause. Estrogen dominance is worsened by women not ovulating, women being exposed to synthetic estrogens and/or women not metabolizing estrogens correctly. Estrogen dominance is a term coined by John Lee, M.D. in the book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause. The Problem Scientific studies link high estrogen or estrogen imbalance with a wide range of symptoms and conditions, from hot flashes, night sweats, low...

Hormone Test Providers should be aware that three different body fluids – saliva, blood or urine – can be used to assess adrenal gland function, and should know each method’s advantages and disadvantages, when deciding how to test patients. Inadequate or excessive production or disrupted circadian patterns of cortisol synthesis by the adrenal glands in response to stressors can eventually lead to imbalances in blood glucose levels, impaired immune response, as well as a host of different hormonal imbalances, all of which are associated with multiple adverse conditions and symptoms.    Saliva   Cortisol is synthesized by the adrenal glands and released into the bloodstream in...

When was the last time you thought about your personal risk for breast cancer? Even though it’s no longer National Breast Cancer Awareness month, it’s never too late to start thinking about this important topic. Don’t let the disappearance of pink ribbons rob us of the greater message of our hard won awareness: that despite all the money raised and the billions spent, we still have no guaranteed treatment or cure for breast cancer. In the meantime, the continuing war on cancer with the latest designer drugs or procedures is big business. Sometimes it works and we survive to race for the...