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Weight loss research shows that, because of shifting hormone production, the average person will add one to two pounds around their middle each year between the ages of thirty-five and fifty-five. As long as the body's cellular metabolism is compromised by untreated hormone imbalances - most particularly estrogen dominance - those extra pounds around the middle will be next to impossible to lose no matter what diet you try or how much you exercise.
What is Estrogen Dominance?
Most women don't realize that as soon as they enter their early to mid-30’s the balance of hormones within the female body begins to shift. Progesterone is the first hormone whose production declines. In fact, progesterone production declines 120 times more rapidly than does estrogen production. It is this downward shift in progesterone production that causes the body to become estrogen dominant.
Contrary to popular belief that estrogen is a "female" hormone, men can also be estrogen dominant. In men, progesterone is produced in the adrenal and testicular tissue. According to the late John R. Lee, M.D., author of Hormone Balance for Men, A man's progesterone production will decline with age. Falling progesterone levels lead to a fall in testosterone levels. As both the progesterone and testosterone levels decline, the male body becomes estrogen dominant.
We also carry the easy-to-read book Hormone Balance Made Simple, a primer book on balancing hormones and increasing quality of life.
It is important to understand that a condition of estrogen dominance does not imply that the body is producing too much estrogen; rather it means that the body's estrogen production is not balanced by progesterone production. Estrogen dominance occurs when the natural ratio of estrogen to progesterone is upset. In other words, the body' internal estrogen-to-progesterone seesaw becomes tilted.
How Estrogen Dominance Causes Weight Gain
When the body is not producing sufficient progesterone and is consequently estrogen dominant, a host of metabolic disturbances ensue. First, the body is unable to effectively use fat stores for energy. Second, without enough progesterone, the body is compromised in its ability to metabolize calories or to distribute weight evenly. Finally, water retention and fat deposits on the abdomen, hips and thighs are external signs that the body's internal hormonal ratio of progesterone to estrogen is disturbed.
The thyroid gland is best known for its metabolic function affecting weight. Estrogen dominance causes an increase in thyroid binding globulin resulting in a condition of hypothyroidism. When this occurs, the thyroid hormones are bound in such a way that they become dysfunctional. Because a primary function of the thyroid is to run the body’s metabolism, hypothyroidism causes the body's metabolism to slow down.
Too much estrogen also causes tissues around the abdominal area to retain water, or bloat. In younger women, this bloating is most noticeable around their menstrual cycle when their progesterone levels naturally drop to precipitate menstruation. As women age and their progesterone levels do not cycle back up during the month, then the resulting estrogen dominance causes the bloating to be a constant issue.
Changes in the blood sugar levels that occur with age and as a result of hormone imbalance are also linked to weight gain. As the body's production of progesterone decreases and the circulating estrogen becomes dominant, insulin is released more rapidly and more often. When fluctuating hormones unnaturally stimulate insulin release, the body craves sugar. Food cravings can sometimes be uncontrollable. Persons who are estrogen dominant tend to consume more sweets even when they are not truly hungry. As a result, they ingest more calories than their bodies require and pack on even more pounds.
What Can You Do?
How awful if your only choice was to become resigned to getting fatter with each passing year? The good news is that I can offer you a better option for losing those pounds and keeping them off. If you are a woman over 30 or a man over 40 and you want to lose weight while also improving your overall health and wellbeing, it is essential that you address your body' progesterone deficiencies.
When you boost your body's progesterone levels, you take an important first step towards neutralizing your underlying condition of estrogen dominance and finally losing those extra pounds. Here's what happens when the amount of progesterone circulating within the body is elevated to a level that sufficient to neutralize the condition of estrogen dominance:
- First, the hypothyroid condition is eliminated. In other words, progesterone triggers a metabolic response allowing weight loss to occur.
- Secondly, when progesterone is added back into the body to eliminate an underlying condition of estrogen dominance, it acts as a natural diuretic, thereby reducing the bloating.
- Finally, when progesterone and estrogen levels are re-balanced, insulin release is tempered. The result: normalized blood sugar levels and reduced food cravings.
While it may sound overly simple, the bio-chemical reality is that when bio-identical progesterone is used to neutralize the body's underlying condition of estrogen dominance, weight loss is catalyzed at the cellular level.
If you are ready to re-balance your hormones and finally get those pounds off, your first step should be to order topical Progesterone cream compounded right here at Murray Avenue Apothecary. Now, don't think you can use the cream and go out and eat a double cheeseburger and fries. It doesn't work that way. But, for those of you who have started putting on pounds without changing your eating or exercise habits or for those who have been doing everything to lose weight with no success, giving your body back the progesterone, it is missing will allow your cells to respond and help you melt those pounds away.
The best way to know your hormone levels is to TEST your HORMONES! We offer an at-home Salivary/Blood Spot test kit that is easy to perform in the privacy of your own home!
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I am available for scheduled Zoom consults and these have been extremely helpful, plus it’s nice to “see” my clients!
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Balance your hormones…feel better, feel balanced!
Susan Merenstein
Pharmacist/Owner
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