The Hormone H
ormones rule our lives; it’s a simple fact of biochemistry. In their role as the body’s chemical messengers, hormones affect every hu- man biological system. Without them, nothing works correctly. Women’s hormonal systems are as complex as men’s, although vastly dif- ferent. They govern reproduction, plus every aspect of health—including me- tabolizing food, proper immune func- tion, physical and emotional responses to stress and the aging of cells.
Teens and Early 20s Puberty and the early reproductive years should be the physical peak of a young woman’s life; when she is physically active and full of energy and youthful health. It’s also the time when breasts develop, hips widen, pubic hair
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appears, menstruation begins, and she becomes capable of pregnancy. The good news is that several
studies by the National Cancer Insti- tute and the University of California, Los Angeles, have shown that regular exercise undertaken at this age results in lower estrogen levels throughout a woman’s life, greatly reducing her risk of breast cancer and other hormonal cancers. Yet, C.W. Randolph, Jr., a leading bioidentical hormone physician and co-author of From Hormone Hell to Hormone Well, reports that the ideal hormonal balance is routinely upset to- day. Culprits are obesity among young American women and the everyday presence of toxic estrogenic chemicals in today’s dairy products and meat, personal care products, plastics, food containers, pesticides and herbicides, as well as car exhaust. “These compounds often have
chemical structure similar to estro- gen and can act like estrogen when introduced into the body,” Randolph explains. “Over time, these substances can increase estrogen in the body, po- tentially causing problems.” Categorized as xenoestrogens, these hormone disruptors can cause rapid growth in breast tissue and have been blamed for the appearance of breast tissue and even milk produc- tion in girls as young as 18 months and the early onset of puberty, particularly
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among African-American girls. They are also suspected in the rising incidence of breast cancer in younger women today.
Reproductive Years Women in their reproductive years often experience extreme stress in struggling to balance family, work, relationships and a need for personal growth, along with economic chal- lenges. Women’s health expert Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of The Wisdom of Menopause, blames the stress of modern lifestyles for hormone disruptions in women in their child- bearing years. “The stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine can have long-term effects on all other hor- mones,” advises Northrup. Concurrently, many women sacri-
fice self-nurturance in order to nurture others. The first result is often premen- strual syndrome (PMS), which Northrup calls a “lifestyle disease.” “We know that this problem seems to worsen with each subsequent child. That made the connection for me,” she adds, “that with growing families and responsi- bilities, women no longer take care of
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