Healthy Hormones
Hormones are chemicals produced by the body for the purpose of communication between different organ systems. The human body has about fifty known hormones and they are all made in different glands throughout the body. When our body produces too much or too little of a particular hormone we see dysfunction and various symptoms arise. Hormones are critical for our bodies to function and perform optimally.
Naturopathic medicine takes a whole body approach to your health. Depending on your current symptoms and past health history it may be beneficial to test your hormones. We not only look at how much of one hormone you have, but how well are you reacting to your hormones and if they are in balance with each other.
Below are the common hormone systems and various symptoms telling you that there is an imbalance. Once we determine what hormones are causing your symptoms through comprehensive testing, we use nutrition, lifestyle modifications, botanicals and acupuncture to restore balance in the body. When appropriate, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can be prescribed.
-
Thyroid Hormones
Symptoms*
- Fatigue
- Weight gain or difficult to lose weight
- Hair loss and dry brittle hair
- Constipation
- Dry skin
- Cold intolerance or cold hands/feet
- Sweet and carbohydrate cravings
Testing**
- TSH
- T3
- T4
- Free T3
- Free T4
- Reverse T3
- Thyroid Antibodies
-
Women's Health
Symptoms*
- Acne
- Weight gain
- Painful periods
- Irregular periods
- Hot flashes
- Insomnia
- Mood swings
- Low libido
Hormones to Investigate**
- Estrogen (E1, E2, E3)
- Progesterone
- Testosterone
- DHEA-S
- Cortisol
- 17-OH progesterone
- Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG0)
- FSH/LH
-
Stress Hormones
Symptoms*
- Fatigue
- Trouble sleeping
- Poor focus
- Low mood
- Tired and wired
- Sugar/salty cravings
- Poor recovery from stress or physical exercise
Hormones to Investigate**
- 4 Point Cortisol
- DHEA-S
- 17-OH progesterone
- Fasting insulin
-
Metabolic Hormones
Symptoms*
- Fatigue
- Energy crashes
- Depression
- Obesity
- Headaches
- Night sweats
- Increased thirst
Hormones to Investigate**
- Fasting blood sugar
- Fasting insulin
- Cortisol
- DHEA-S
- Leptin
-
Men's Health
Symptoms*
- Fatigue
- Poor focus
- Low libido
- Erectile dysfunction
- Depression
- Loss of body hair
- Difficulty sleeping
- Gynecomastia
- Decreased sperm count
- Loss in muscle mass
Hormones to Investigate**
- Testosterone
- DHEA-S
- Cortisol
- Estrogen
- Progesterone
- SHBG
*Not all symptoms need to be present for there to be an underlying hormone imbalance.
**Specific hormone tests are only run when indicated based on symptom presentation and health history.