Posted by BarbaraCat on August 22, 2003, at 22:11:59
In reply to Re: BTW,what the heck of bobbles? » BarbaraCat, posted by katia on August 22, 2003, at 12:42:24
OK, here's some very interesting stuff. I had my naturopath visit today to go over the results of my tests. I did saliva tests of these hormones: estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, testosterone and cortisol. I also did a test for human growth hormone which makes all the others work. I was waaaaaayyyyyyy off on ALL of them, very, very low except for cortisol. This explains alot, my fibromyalgia, mood disorders, anxiety, weight gain, all of it. Don't forget, I'm already taking menopausal hormones (natural progesterone and estrogen) but the dear HMO folks never saw the need to test my levels. I take thyroid but not enough was getting into my cells even tho' the standard TSH blood tests didn't pick this up. I'm also taking the sex hormones orally which apparently doesn't work very well because of the liver's inability to adequately process them. I now have a different prescription for topical cream consisting of DHEA, progesterone, estriol, estradiol and testosterone. Human grown hormone is a whole other chapter of which books have been written but without adequate levels things fall apart, especially around menopause. Suffice it to say, early and ongoing stress disrupts the proper levels. I'll now be taking daily shots of it. The levels were so low that no matter how much I supplemented other hormones, they'd give up the ghost after a while. Human growth hormone is probably not an issue for y'all, but it illustrates the importance of getting to the underlying lynch-pin.
Time will tell if this will make the difference in my moods but according to my naturopath, there's no way I could be this hormonally unbalanced and NOT be one hurtin' unit. My psych meds are holding me together in the meantime and addressing the symptoms, but not the underlying hormonal imbalance. The more I research, the more convinced I am that this whole HPA-axis disregulation affects all our hormones and THIS is the place we should be looking to solve our mental mysteries. After all, hormones are our 'chemical messengers' and this means neurochemical messengers as well! There are SO MANY hormonal disrupters in our environment that it would be amazing if any of us were A-OK in that department.
So, dear friends, I lovingly and strongly suggest to you to get some really good hormonal testing done. Forget your primary care docs unless they're really really unique. They're good mechanics at broken bones and such but lousy at health. Forget endocrinologists, OB/gyn's, or pdocs. They are tunnel-visioned specialists and can't put the pieces together between hormones, moods and lasting wellness. If you know of a very GOOD naturopath, go there (many of them are inept). If you need a suggestion for a holistically oriented physician, try www.acam.org. However you find a good whole body/mind health professional who knows hormones, do yourself a big favor and make it happen.
I'm very relieved that more pieces of the puzzle are fitting together after YEARS of sleuthing but so damned PISSED at the majority of well-intentioned clueless medical professionals who think they're helping us get well. Drug companies fund the research, the scholarships, the symposiums, the education. No wonder we're taking more drugs and not getting much better.
BTW, this hormonal testing applies to men as well. We all have the same hormones, only in different ratios. - BarbaraCat
poster:BarbaraCat
thread:9730
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030818/msgs/253281.html