Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone – One More Take On Our Sex Hormones
In an e-mail from Paul Hotze, the marketing director of , he drew my attention to the fact that the differences in all our sex hormones is one little atomic molecule. As Paul said “one little hydrogen or oxygen molecule” moved around and you come out with a completely different molecule. That is not all you come out with, what we all get to see as a result of this infinitesimal change is what makes men act like men and women act like women.
A lovely thought. Let me take that thought a little further. If so small a change makes so drastic a difference in who we are and how we act, what type of change will a completely different molecular formula create?
The truth is that no one knows for sure.
Lots of research has been done, but no one really knows what happens inside our bodies when we take medications, vitamins, supplements or even herbs. We may be able to identify defined ways, but no one can identify the whole impact. There are just too many variables.
If you take a hormone that looks like your own hormones, common sense tells you the reactions are bound to be a bit more predictable.
You will possibly react with a positive reaction if the hormone you are taking is in short supply, may enjoy better balance, or you may feel as though you are PMSing if you are taking too much.
Too much of a good thing is too much.
We live in a society where we all believe that if a little of something, anything, is good, a lot is even better.
Not quite the way it is. It’s all about balance and homeostasis, the internal balance. If you are well, the small fluctuations or reactions to taking medications, hormones, or eating the wrong foods or not exercising are minimal.
If you are not in balance to begin with, the smallest change will affect you negatively and will possibly throw you off kilter completely. The sad thing is that when we are out of balance we need the most help and thus tend to take too much medication.
So what am I getting at? I am trying to make the point that simple solutions will always be the best and natural options are less likely to lead you to trouble if used in moderation and with the help of an expert.
Now that I made the point, let’s get back to the hormones.
Estradiol, the estrogen of youth is only one simple molecule. Its synthetic counterpart, Premarin is made of 200 molecules of pregnant mare’s urine so no matter how hard the scientists try, they can never figure out which molecule works and what exactly are the ones that don’t work doing to you. Remember my point? Simplicity.
Progesterone, the natural hormone that cannot be patented and fits just perfectly into our cellular receptors for progesterone, will elicit a natural recognition from your body should you choose to use it. Progestin, the synthetically created molecule will not be able to do that. It has a few CH3 groups (a lot more serious than one hydrogen or oxygen thrown around), which change its formula to a patentable drug, so when it reaches our cellular receptors, it must squeeze itself in or just miss the mark. This situation only leads to problems in both the short and long run.
We are now told it is the bad guy. What exactly did we expect?
Testosterone may look a lot like estrogen but if we only have a little, we are women, if we have a lot; we grow beards, and like to talk about sports a lot. And that is just one small little difference. The rest I leave to you to come up with. I wonder what the long term effects of taking synthetically manufactured testosterone are?
So when you choose your hormones just like when you choose other things you do, keep in mind you have options and use your knowledge and experience to make choices that are right for you!
