If you are a man over 40 years old and want to try DHEA, start out with 25 mg daily. If you are a woman, take 5 to 10 mg daily. Men can take up to 50 mg daily, but if you’re taking that much, please get your blood or saliva levels tested at least every six months to make sure you’re not overdoing it.
Because the end products of DHEA in women are primarily androgens (male hormones), women should monitor themselves carefully for any masculinizing effects of supplementation. If you notice loss of hair on the head or growth of hair on the face, acne, or weight gain around the midsection, cut back significantly on the dosage. Chances are good that if you are experiencing these side effects, you will also begin to develop insulin resistance, a first step toward adult-onset diabetes. In men, DHEA has the opposite effect, actually improving insulin uptake. Women can experience benefit from DHEA supplementation with doses as low as 5 mg a day.
One of the reasons the medical establishment may be so cautious about DHEA is because in many of the studies, the doses given were quite high. The likelihood of negative side effects is much greater with higher dosing.
You should avoid DHEA altogether if you have or have had a hormone-sensitive cancer such as breast, ovarian, testicular, or prostate cancer. DHEA is a precursor to estrogen and testosterone, meaning that the body can manufacture those hormones from DHEA. Reproductive cancers in women seem to be largely driven by estrogen, so it makes sense not to boost levels of this hormone when you have this type of cancer.
Keep in mind that these recommendations are based on research, theory, and guesswork and are derived from what seems to be common sense and logic. In truth, we have a long way to go before we really understand how the steroid hormones interact with each other and their effects on cancer.
DHEA is not recommended for people under the age of 40, unless your levels are measurably low, as it can suppress your own natural hormone production. (Remember, more isn’t necessarily better when it comes to hormones.)
For anyone using DHEA, a check of salivary levels of this hormone plus estradiol and testosterone every six months is a good idea.
Please don’t take supplements derived from Mexican yam (Dioscorea mexicana) or wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) thinking that you’re getting DHEA, progesterone, or any other hormones. These products are often billed as DHEA or progesterone “precursors,” which is patently false information. The reason that some manufacturers use diosgenin instead of the actual hormone is that it’s much cheaper than the hormone.
While it is true that pharmaceutical-grade steroid hormone drugs are made from the diosgenin extracted from wild yam or soybeans, this all goes on in the laboratory, not in your body. Our bodies simply do not have the enzymes necessary to break down diosgenin into the steroid hormones. Many studies have been done trying to prove that diosgenin raises steroid hormone levels, using both blood and salivary hormone level testing, and not one has shown an effect. Don’t waste your money on these products. If you want DHEA, take DHEA. If you want progesterone, take progesterone. It’s also wise to purchase DHEA that says “pharmaceutical-grade” DHEA on the label.
Estrogens
Estrogens are the female hormones produced in the ovaries, adrenal glands, and fat cells of women and in much smaller amounts in the adrenal glands and fat cells of men. There are three predominant types of estrogens: estriol, estradiol, and estrone. These are the only natural estrogens on the market. Accept no substitutes! They come in oral, cream, and patch forms. Currently no commercial brand of estriol is available, but you can get it by prescription from a compounding pharmacist. Please read Dr. John Lee’s Hormone Balance Made Simple for details on using estriol.
Estradiol and estrone stimulate the growth of breasts and the maturing of a girl’s other reproductive organs. They are central to the menstrual cycle and stimulate the growth of tissue in the uterus each month. In excess, or without progesterone, they can cause weight gain, fluid retention, mood swings, depression, and can block thyroid function. They increase the risk of strokes and the risk of reproductive cancers. In postmenopausal women, androgens (male hormones) made by the ovaries and adrenal glands are converted to estrogen in the fat cells.
Women who are having menopausal symptoms such as night sweats, hot flashes, and vaginal dryness may benefit from some estrogen, but again it’s only needed in small amounts. Taking small amounts of estrogen right around the time of menopause can also help prevent the large drop in bone density seen around that time, so if you are at risk for osteoporosis, it might be worth supplementing it for a few years. Please don’t think of estrogen as a long-term replacement hormone unless you’re very thin. Your fat cells and adrenal glands will make what you need, and you’re getting dosed with it every time you’re exposed to pesticides and plastics, which for most of us is many times daily.
There is a myth among physicians that women who have had their ovaries removed don’t need progesterone along with their estrogen. What they don’t realize is that estrogen alone frequently makes women feel as if they have permanent PMS. You’ll feel dramatically better if you use both or even just progesterone cream. We now know that estrogen alone can increase your risk of breast cancer.
Estrogen is available by prescription only. If you decide you need some estrogen, use the smallest dose possible that will alleviate your symptoms.
Testosterone
This steroid hormone is produced in relatively large amounts in the testes of men and in much smaller amounts in the ovaries of women and the adrenal glands of both sexes. The typical secondary sex characteristics of men (deeper vocal tone, more abundant body hair, thicker skin, greater muscle mass, higher metabolism, and pattern baldness) are attributable to testosterone. There is a significant drop in both male and female testosterone levels in late life.
Studies of testosterone replacement in elderly men have shown increased libido and musculoskeletal mass and strength. In men, testosterone builds bone. Men who have had their testicles removed or who are using anti-androgenic drugs to treat prostate cancer have a much higher rate of osteoporosis and heart disease.
Testosterone replacement is worth trying in men if levels are measurably low or if there are symptoms of deficiency such as muscle wasting. In cases of unexplained weight gain, thinning skin, fatigue, or loss of muscle tone with aging, testosterone replacement could help. All forms of supplemental testosterone are only available by prescription. Ask your physician to give you a natural form, which can be taken as a pill, patch, cream, or sublingual drops. Please avoid the synthetic forms of testosterone such as methyltestosterone, as they have unpleasant and potentially dangerous side effects. Stick to the natural form, which means that the testosterone molecule looks identical to those produced in your own body. Take it in small, physiologic doses that mimic what your body would be producing on its own, which in men is about 5 mg daily, and in women 1 to 2 mg daily.
It is becoming increasingly evident that women, too, can benefit from natural testosterone replacement. Women who experience a dramatic downshift in their libido, including loss of sexual sensation in previously sensitive areas, difficulty in reaching orgasm, and drying and thinning of the vaginal walls that doesn’t improve in response to natural estrogens, may want to try testosterone. Other possible symptoms of female testosterone lack are low energy, decrease in sense of well-being, thinning of pubic hair, skin dryness, and osteoporosis. Testosterone may often be the missing link in building bone in a postmenopausal woman.
Since testosterone is available only by prescription, you’ll need to talk with your doctor about whether it is right for you. Testosterone is a very potent hormone that can cause undesirable side effects in doses that are even slightly elevated. Do not use testosterone if you could become pregnant.
It would be a mistake to try to achieve the testosterone levels you had as a young man or woman. The body of a 50-year-old is simply no longer equipped to handle such a hormone load. The goal is to have the symptoms of testosterone deficiency go away, not to feel like
a 20-year-old again.
Thyroid Hormone
In every cell in your body, thyroid hormone plays a major role in regulating metabolic rate, your body’s rate of energy production. The thyroid gland is located in the neck, with half of its 20-gram mass lying on each side of the trachea (windpipe). Lack of thyroid hormone causes a precipitous drop in your ability to expend energy, while too much of the hormone expends more energy than is necessary.
More thyroid tells the body to speed things up, causing you to breathe faster, use more oxygen, raise body temperature, have a faster heartbeat, have more blood pumping through the circulatory system, have quicker burning of calories, and have a higher production of enzymes. Symptoms of too much thyroid (hyperthyroidism) include rapid heartbeat, intolerance to heat, headache, irritability, nervousness, and sweating.
Symptoms of low thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) are low energy, cold intolerance, especially cold feet and hands, unexplained weight gain, depression, dry skin, recurrent infections, headaches, and constipation. Although excess thyroid is relatively rare, thyroid deficiency affects up to 25 percent of American adults. Aging is one explanation, as the thyroid gland shrinks and becomes less active with age. Ten to 24 percent of cases of thyroid deficiency are missed by the blood test commonly used to screen for it. This is because blood tests measure thyroxine, or T4, which makes up 90 percent of thyroid gland secretion. Another form, triiodothyronine (T3), is a derivative of T4 and is the most active form. There are many people whose thyroid function would appear normal according to blood tests but who have trouble making the T4 to T3 conversion. Functionally, these people are thyroid deficient and their symptoms clear up when they are given thyroid supplementation. Sometimes a deficiency that doesn’t show up when T4 and T3 are measured will show up when thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is measured. Elevated levels of TSH may indicate hypothyroidism.
Thyroid hormones, like many of the hormones made in your body, are important players in both physical and psychological health. Even slight imbalances in the production or activity of these hormones can have powerful adverse effects on emotional well-being. The physical symptoms of thyroid imbalance, in and of themselves, are often enough to cause depression and anxiety, which are then compounded by the fact that the hormonal imbalance itself can cause these psychological problems. Many thyroid patients report disturbing changes in their bodies, emotions, relationships, and ability to cope, even in instances of mild thyroid imbalance. Once they are properly diagnosed and treated, a whole constellation of emotional and physical issues may be resolved at once.
Thyroid problems quite often masquerade as other health problems, including depression, anxiety, PMS, menopausal symptoms, obesity, and high cholesterol. This is especially true when the problems are low-grade, because most physicians aren’t trained to spot subtle signs of thyroid disease. Some patients with thyroid imbalances end up getting Prozac, antianxiety drugs, or HRT. Estrogens are believed to have an aggravating effect on autoimmune thyroid disease, and drugs for anxiety or depression can cause symptoms of thyroid imbalance to worsen rather than improve.
Natural Methods for Increasing Thyroid Production. Deficiencies of zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and the amino acid tyrosine can prevent the thyroid from functioning properly. The absence of these nutrients also causes problems with the T4 to T3 conversion. Tyrosine is found plentifully in soy and in chicken, fish, and beef, or you can take it in supplement form, following directions on the container.
Chronic high cortisol levels due to excessive stress block the conversion of T4 to T3.
Iodine is an essential component of the thyroid hormones. Goiter, a disease that was once common in people living too far from the ocean to get fresh fish, manifests itself in the form of a swollen thyroid gland. This swelling occurs due to lack of iodine. Today most salt is iodized, and saltwater fish are readily available. You can also get iodine by eating sea vegetables (seaweed) such as dulse, wakame, kombu, and nori. You can take supplemental iodine (no more than 1,000 mcg a day should be used without a physician’s prescription) if you think your thyroid gland needs extra help.
If stress relief and nutritional interventions don’t work to relieve your symptoms or raise your basal temperature, see your physician. Thyroid hormone replacement may be necessary and can only be done by prescription. The closest thing you’ll find to a natural thyroid is USP thyroid (e.g., Armour), which is a combination of T3 and T4 from cows or pigs in the ratios naturally found in the body.
Hydrocortisone (Natural)
This hormone is another classic example of drug company profits taking precedence over your health. When prednisone and the other synthetic, patentable, and much more profitable cortisone-type drugs were invented some 50 years ago, hydrocortisone was all but forgotten, and research on it came to a standstill.
Prednisone and the other synthetic cortisones are renowned for their nasty, life-destroying side effects. Yet, for many people who need them, low doses of cortisone or hydrocortisone, the natural forms of glucocorticoids, cause few or minimal side effects. If you are taking a synthetic cortisone and want a wonderful source of good information on cortisones, read the book The Safe Uses of Cortisol by William McK. Jefferies, M.D., FACP (Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 1996).
Cortisone and cortisol are important glucocorticoid adrenal hormones that regulate dozens of functions in the body, but especially inflammation and immune response. They are widely used to treat autoimmune diseases such as lupus and arthritis, because of their immune-suppressing properties, and severely inflammatory diseases such as Crohn’s disease and psoriasis. They are also used to treat adrenal insufficiency, a condition of “tired” adrenal glands that aren’t producing enough hormones. People with transplanted organs usually take cortisone-type drugs for life to suppress their body’s rejection reaction.
A lot of low-level adrenal insufficiency, especially in women, is diagnosed as chronic fatigue. It’s not severe enough to show up as Addison’s disease, a severe deficiency of cortisone, but it is enough to cause chronic fatigue, low blood pressure, and chronic allergies. Again, if you think you might fall into that category, read Jefferies’s book.
Taking hydrocortisone drugs can suppress your own adrenal function if you take too much over a long period of time. They should be used with great care, in the smallest possible dose to alleviate symptoms, over the shortest possible period of time.
Chronic stress over a long period of time is what usually causes tired adrenal glands, and rest is the best medicine. Licorice root in a tea or tincture form can also be helpful, as it supports glucocorticoid function. Some of the nutrients important to adrenal function include vitamin C, vitamin B6, and vitamin E.
For more information on glucocorticoids, see the section “Replacement Hormones” earlier in this chapter.
Human Growth Hormone
The use of human growth hormone (HGH) as an antiaging hormone is very controversial and very expensive.
The pituitary gland lies at the base of the brain. One of the many hormones it secretes is somatotropin, more commonly known as growth hormone. Some of its effects are:
• Increase in lean muscle mass
• Decrease in fat mass
• Increase in size and functional capacity of organs
• Growth of endplates of bones, increasing their length (this is how children grow to adult stature), and with it the growth of collagen, a component in skin and other tissues
• Synergistic stimulation of thyroid hormone and DHEA
The physical transformation of tiny infant to small child to adult happens in large part due to plentiful growth hormone stimulation of the body’s tissues. In the years since growth hormone was isolated, it has been used to help children with malfunctioning pituitary glands grow to normal size. Adults who are growth-hormone deficient because of pituitary tumors or other diseases have been helped a great deal with growth hormone replacement.
For each decade of adult life, growth hormone secret
ion drops 14 percent. People over the age of 60 are, for all intents and purposes, deficient in this hormone relative to youthful levels. As a result, as we age, organs shrink and work less effectively and lean mass is replaced by fat. Thyroid and DHEA production dwindle. It’s no wonder scientists have begun to think that supplemental growth hormone might be one key to eternal youth.
Excess cortisol (due to stress) and excess insulin (seen in most cases of adult-onset diabetes) hamper growth hormone production. Lack of quality sleep also robs us of growth hormone’s benefits: the most pronounced surge in growth hormone production occurs during deep sleep.
Giving growth hormone, growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) to older adults has been shown to restore growth hormone blood levels to those of younger people. The expected positive changes in body composition are seen. In people with growth hormone deficiency caused by pituitary disease, administration of growth hormone had beneficial effects on bone, heart, thyroid, and psychological health. However, there is some indication in the research that the positive effects of growth hormone supplementation wear off after about two years.
At high doses, growth hormone can cause side effects, including fluid retention, carpal tunnel syndrome, worsening of adult-onset diabetes, and increased risk of heart failure. Since tumors use growth hormone to fuel their growth just as other cells within the body do, there is some concern that supplementation might increase the rate of growth of cancers. On the other hand, the evidence that growth hormone stimulates and strengthens the immune system may mean it can help fight cancer.
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