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Surprising Hormone Truths

Hormone imbalance is often an upstream root cause in many of our patients’ challenges.  We know this.  Our challenge is that so much practitioner education overly simplifies hormone dynamics.  Sure, distilling information down to core pearls is a worthy goal (one I am very passionate about).  But many times, information is simplified to the point of losing the truth and promoting misleading myths or (worse) counterproductive remedies.

This week, I invite you to check out one of the most interesting and pearl-packed videos I’ve ever seen on the interconnected dynamics of hormones.  Plus, there’s no fluff; this is crisp, succinct detail I believe all practitioners need to know.

Dr. Carrie Jones ND, medical director of Precision Analytical (the company who makes the DUTCH test) is being interviewed about the most powerful pearls she’s learned after viewing thousands of tests and supporting patients.  I encourage you to check it out below.  Just to whet your appetite, did you know?

  • Body fat makes its own hormones – including cortisol and estrogen.  Yes, fat is endocrine tissue!  (For the geeks out there like me, check this out!).
  • The phrase “adrenal fatigue” is really a misnomer.  Sure, people can (and often are) exhausted due to low cortisol.  But that’s not because the adrenal gland is “broken” or unable to perform.  The body is actually trying to *help you* by limiting your access to cortisol.
  • A low cortisol level in labwork often does not mean low adrenal output.  It’s just that the body is converting most cortisol to cortisone.  Learn why this happens.
  • A high-insulin-producing diet can increase the level of enzymes in women that produce the most potent androgen:  dihydrotestosterone (DHT).  This can promote PCOS, hair loss, and other dynamics. You probably already know this.  But did you know that this same enzyme (5-alpha-reductase) will also accelerate the breakdown (thus reduction!) of both progesterone and cortisol.  A lot of patient puzzle pieces can start to make more sense with this one.
  • There are many lifestyle choices that can suppress the brain’s trigger to our glands to produce hormones (specifically in the hypothalamus), including cortisol and sex hormones.   A surprising one is the use of Accutane (and the effect can last a long time after one stops the drug!).
  • What we do in the hour before bedtime matters more than you ever may have realized!  By far, one of the most powerful concept we can explain to our patients.  I call this “sleep hygiene”, and our students talk about it all the time.

I hope this serves you and your patients and clients!  Your follow-up questions or sharing below are welcome.  In particular, I would love to know:  what single concept in the video most inspired or surprised you?

With love and gratitude to you for sharing your gifts with the world,

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Elaine
Elaine

Thank you for the great video. Very informative. Dr. Jones is great. Very helpful! Thank you. 🙂

Jacqueline Gang
Jacqueline Gang

She mentions that chastberry is not for menopausal women? Don’t menopausal women need progesterone support as well???

Kathleen Ronzio

Dr Jones recommended Chase Tree Berry as the #1 Female support herb – while still menstruating. She mentioned it wasn’t the go to herb for post menopausal women. What would be the #1 herb support for post menopausal women.

Kathleen Ronzio

This was a fascinating video. So many pearls! Thank you for sharing. I am inspired to do the DUCTH testing for myself and recommend to a few of my clients. Does SAFM offer a class on how to read the DUTCH test results or do we have to refer out to ND?

Kristina Cole

Does Chaste Tree help balance out progesterone/estrogen? Dr Jones mentions it being good for women that are style menstruating.

Deborah Beaumont

I found it really informative to think about the circadian rhythm cycle underpinning all hormones and how this makes a difference in whether the Cortisol is produced in the natural rhythm from the adrenals or if cortisol could be consistently elevated with fat generated cortisol.

Sue Rapley
Sue Rapley

Wow that interview was fantastic. On the heals of the live webinar with Dr Jones tonight it really helped me to start to make some sense of hormones and how powerful the DUTCH test really is. I have had both saliva and urine testing done before and this gives so much more info. I’ve struggled with hormones all my life and am seeing it again as I approach menopause. It is crazy how many friends are being put on anti-depressants. Seeing this also with my teenage kids friends too and it literally breaks my heart. I know so much of it is hormonally driven. This test makes me so hopeful that I can start to make sense of this very complex subject one day so I can help others. Also was stunned at the effects of Acutane. That is scary! I know several people that went on Acutane for really bad acne.

Deborah Beaumont

wow, this was a powerful video with so much in it I listened to it several times. Of the many ?’s I had mine is about aromatization. Dr. Jones talked about how it effected men. This is a big factor for women being treated for estrogen mediated breast cancer). It is standard to prescribe aromatase inhibitors for post-menopausal women to prevent recurrence. Is it the aromatization pathway the same in women?

Sharon
Sharon

This was an informative video. I learned several pearls. Thanks for sharing.

I am not a tea drinker. Dr. Jones mentioned she drinks a caffeinated green tea. Can anyone recommend brand names of healthier teas that you like or recommend to clients? Thanks

Laura

The DUTCH test was a huge help for me! In fact, I took my results to my Nautropathic Doctor and he was so impressed with the information it revealed that he now is a DUTCH test practitioner.