Why so many people feel tired
Have you ever heard the question: Are you tired of feeling tired? It is not uncommon in our present-day society, to encounter individuals that do not feel at their best, they lack the energy to carry on with their daily lives and they literally need to push themselves to go through with the daily chores.
The answer to why so many people feel tired is multifactorial, but having an optimal level of hormones is paramount to have a good level of energy.
What are hormones? Are hormones good or bad for you?
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines hormone as “a product of living cells that circulates in body fluids to produce a specific effect on cells”. In simpler terms, hormones are natural molecules that act like messengers promoting or facilitating proper body function. Hormones are essential for proper function and good health. It is important to understand that hormones are natural substances. All living creatures from plants to animals have hormones.
Think of a hormone as the key that opens the door lock. Once the door is open, people can go through (function can be accomplished). Hormones are produced in organs called “glands”.
As expected, hormonal levels decrease as we age, and in general our functionality decreases. Sometimes hormonal levels decrease more than expected for age. When hormonal levels decrease, symptoms develop, even before reaching a clearly abnormal value. This is why Dr. Saporta refers to having optimal versus sub-optimal levels of hormones, as a person can have normal hormone levels, (in range), but low enough to produce symptoms. The affected person often feels tired, has no or low energy, weight often increases and there is an overall decrease in health. Click here for a list of symptoms that suggest female hormonal imbalances and click here for a list of symptoms that suggest male hormonal imbalances. If you find that you have many of these symptoms you may be a candidate for hormonal replacement, knowing that this is a completely natural treatment.
Why it is so common to have “fear of hormones”
Statements like “hormones are bad” or “hormones are dangerous” appear to be counterintuitive but the truth is that such statements are common not only in the general population but also in the medical community. Hormones are natural substances. It is logical to infer that natural substances produced by the body cannot be bad, yet many people are scared of the word “hormone” and react with fear with the belief that hormones can “produce cancer” or that hormones are “not good for health”. This “fear of hormones” emanates from a study called “The Women’s Health Initiative” (WHI). The WHI was a long-term health study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The study evaluated the effect of what was called female hormones in a large group of women. It began in the early 1990s and concluded in 2005 (even though the WHI has continued as Extension Studies). The main areas of research were: development of cardiovascular disease, cancers, and osteoporotic fractures.
For an excellent review of the fallacies of this study, and how it promoted a “fear” to the use of hormones, fear that affected not only the general population but the medical community at large, please read the book “Estrogen Matters” by Avrum Blooming, MD and Carol Travis, PhD.