May 19, 2025
If you’ve ever had a concussion or a more severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), you know how tough the recovery process can be. Symptoms like exhaustion, brain fog, or mood swings can linger, making it hard to feel like yourself again. At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we’ve seen firsthand how TBIs, even mild ones like concussions, can throw your hormones out of whack, adding to these challenges. This condition, called post-traumatic hypopituitarism (PTHP), is more common than most people realize, yet it often flies under the radar. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through how concussions and TBIs disrupt your hormones, explain how our team supports you, and offer hope for feeling better. At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we consider ourselves ministers of health. God is the great healer and physician, and our medical team and team of professionals are HIS agents of healing. Our goal is to empower you, sharing our knowledge and expertise as well as practical steps to support your recovery journey.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur when a sudden jolt, blow, or injury disrupts how your brain works. Concussions, the mildest form, are incredibly common—think sports mishaps, car accidents, or a bad fall. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 2.9 million TBIs occur in the U.S. each year, and concussions make up most of them. While many people recover quickly, others struggle with symptoms for months or even years.
Here’s why: your brain is a delicate organ, and trauma can cause inflammation, bruising, or damage to key areas like the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. These tiny structures act like the control center for your hormones, which regulate everything from energy to mood to metabolism. When a TBI impacts them, it can lead to hormone imbalances that make recovery more difficult. The good news? Recognizing and addressing these imbalances can make a big difference.
Your hypothalamus and pituitary gland are like the conductors of your body’s hormone orchestra. They tell your thyroid, adrenals, and other glands what to do. A TBI, even a mild concussion, can throw this system off by damaging these areas or disrupting their communication. Studies show that 15–50% of people with TBIs develop PTHP (Post-traumatic hypopituitarism – a disorder in which the pituitary gland fails to produce one or more hormones due to head injury), where one or more hormones are out of balance. The most common issues include low growth hormone, testosterone, thyroid hormone, cortisol, or problems with water balance.
These imbalances can show up directly following the injury or sneak up months later, which is why they’re often missed. For example, you might feel wiped out and assume it’s just the concussion, when low thyroid or cortisol could be part of the problem. At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we’re passionate about getting to the root cause and identifying these issues early to help you feel your best.
Let’s break down the main hormone problems we see after TBIs and how they might affect you:
Growth hormone isn’t just for children—it helps adults stay strong, sharp, and energized. Up to 40% of TBI patients have GHD (Growth Hormone Deficiency), which can leave you feeling sluggish, foggy, or down. It can also slow your recovery.
Why It Matters: Checking for GHD may help boost your energy, clear your mind, and lift your mood, giving you a better shot at recovery.1
Low sex hormones, affecting up to 40% of TBI patients, can zap your energy, kill your drive, or mess with your mood. Women might notice irregular periods, while men may feel less “alive.”
Why It Matters: Addressing this may help you feel more vibrant, balanced, and physically strong.2
Low thyroid hormone, seen in 2–33% of TBI cases, can cause weight gain, fatigue, and trouble focusing.
Why It Matters: Supporting thyroid health may improve your energy, mental clarity, and metabolism.3
Your adrenal glands produce cortisol, which helps you handle stress and stay energized. Up to 50% of severe TBI patients have low cortisol, leading to exhaustion or feeling overwhelmed.
Why It Matters: Supporting your adrenals may help you feel steadier and more resilient.4
Some TBI patients (15–51%) have issues with antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which controls hydration. This can cause excessive thirst, frequent urination, or fluid retention.
Why It Matters: Managing ADH issues may keep your body balanced and hydrated.5
At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we’re all about helping you feel like you again. We take a personalized, whole-body approach to address hormone imbalances after TBIs and concussions. Here’s how we support you:
We start by digging deep to understand what’s going on. Our expert medical team listens to your clinical symptoms and runs comprehensive blood tests to check hormone levels. For TBI patients, we often suggest testing soon after the injury and again at 3, 6, and/or 12 months (depending on severity and need), since hormone issues can pop up later. This helps us spot imbalances that might be dragging you down.
If we find hormone deficiencies, our doctors may recommend bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Bioidentical hormones, as opposed to synthetic hormones (which we do not recommend), are designed to match what your body naturally produces, so they’re gentle and effective. For example:
We customize every plan and keep a close eye on how you’re doing, adjusting as needed. An important note here is this is why we also do not recommend pellet therapy for our patients. Pellet therapy does not allow you to “tweak” the dosing and this is very important as needs differ for every individual and needs also change. Pellet therapy does not allow for this personalization that is critical for balancing hormones. There are often times when a dosage may need to be lowered or increased. Utilizing sublingual tablets, capsules, and creams allows you and your provider to partner on your health and personalize your body’s needs.
Hormones love a healthy foundation. We help, coach and guide you to build a healthy eating plan packed with brain- and hormone-friendly foods—think colorful veggies, healthy fats, and nutrient-rich proteins. For example, foods high in omega-3s and B vitamins can support brain health and energy levels. Additionally, we encourage physical activity tailored to your recovery stage, such as light walking or strength exercises, to boost circulation and vitality. These steps complement hormone therapy, helping you feel stronger and more balanced, including in areas like sexual function.
Recovery isn’t a straight line, especially after a TBI. We stay with you, checking in to tweak your plan and answer questions. We also love teaching you about your body and natural resolutions, so you feel confident taking charge of your health.
Hormone imbalances can make TBI symptoms worse, slowing your progress and dimming your quality of life. For instance, low thyroid can pile on fatigue, while low testosterone might sap your motivation. Research shows that untreated hormone issues after TBI can raise your risk for long-term problems, like heart issues or depression.6 By addressing these imbalances, we aim to help you feel more energized, focused, and emotionally balanced, which can give your recovery a big boost.
Hormone issues can look a lot like TBI symptoms, so they’re easy to miss. Keep an eye out for:
If these sound familiar after a concussion or TBI, give us a call. We’re here to help you figure out if hormones are part of the puzzle.
Hormone problems can show up weeks, months, or even years after a TBI, so staying proactive is crucial. Sadly, a 2020 study found that most TBI patients don’t get routine hormone checks, often because doctors and patients are not aware of this critical and possible link.7 At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we’re working to change that by encouraging early testing and ongoing care. Catching issues early can prevent them from becoming chronic, especially for concussion patients.
If you’re dealing with the aftermath of a concussion or TBI, Hotze Health & Wellness Center is here to support you. We begin with a complimentary consultation to listen to your story and clinical symptoms, followed by comprehensive testing to check your hormones. From there, our team of medical professionals and talented staff create a plan that might include BHRT, nutrition tips, and lifestyle changes—all designed to help you feel your best. Call us at 281-698-8698 or click HERE to schedule a complimentary wellness consultation. Our team is ready to walk this journey with you, with care and compassion.
A concussion or TBI can shake up more than your brain—it can throw your hormones off balance, making recovery feel like an uphill battle. At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we’re here to help you tackle those imbalances by listening first, then by treating using comprehensive testing, bioidentical hormones, and holistic support. By addressing the hormone connection, we aim to help you feel more energized, clear-headed, and ready to take on life. If you’re ready to explore how we can support your recovery, reach out today by calling 281-698-8698. We are here to assist, and it would be our privilege to serve you.
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Since 1989, Hotze Health & Wellness Center has helped over 33,000 patients get their lives back using bioidentical hormones that restore hormones to optimal levels, strengthen immune systems, and increase energy levels. Our treatment regimen addresses the root cause of hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, menopause, perimenopause, low testosterone, allergies, and candida.
Led by best-selling author, radio host and leading natural health expert, Steven F. Hotze, M.D., our medical team has over 100 years’ combined medical experience backed by a staff of nearly 100 caring professionals who provide an environment of hope and extraordinary hospitality for each of our patients, who we call our guests. It is our deepest desire to help you obtain and maintain health and wellness naturally so that you may enjoy a better quality of life, pure and simple.
Do you want to live a healthy, happy, purpose-driven life? Do you want to restore your health so that your loss of energy, weight gain, joint pain, depression and lack of drive or motivation won’t hold you back from achieving your personal and professional goals?
Dr. Steven Hotze wants that for you, too. In fact, in his powerful and passionate video entitled, “What I Believe”, Dr. Hotze shares how his Christian worldview and pivotal experiences have ignited a deep desire to offer the message of hope and optimal health to all who need to hear it.
At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, our doctors are changing the way women and men are treated through the use of bioidentical hormones. Our natural treatments have helped over 33,000 individuals with hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, menopause, perimenopause, low testosterone, allergies, candida, detoxification and nutritional deficiencies.
Meet our doctors"I went from feeling tired and foggy to to getting my energy and vitality back!”
Holistic, functional medicine doctors in Houston, Texas specializing in bioidentical hormones, hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, menopause, perimenopause, low testosterone, allergies and LDI treatment, candida, detoxification, nutritional deficiencies, longevity and aesthetics.
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