When Your Doctor Dismisses Your Symptoms, Could It Be Your Hormones Out of Balance?

When one goes to their doctor with symptoms such as fatigue, foggy brain, irritability, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, depression, decreased sex drive, or in men, erectile dysfunction, the only answer your MD usually has to give you is lose weight, exercise, or give you a sleep aid, an antidepressant or Viagra.  But what is the real problem?

Could It Be Your Hormones Are Out of Balance?

Most people are only aware of hormones being out of balance when women go through menopause.  In actuality,  hormone imbalance in our current environment can happen at any age, and to either sex.

You know your body better than any provider and maybe you have been feeling something is “off.”  This could simply look like fatigue especially in the afternoon or evening, not sleeping well, feeling bloated, or hair loss.  Have you wondered if you might be experiencing hormonal imbalance?  Are there signs and symptoms that might cue you into the problem being hormonal imbalance?  Have you asked your doctor to test your hormone levels only to have them say it’s not necessary?  Or the doctor gets the hormone level and the result is low normal or even below normal, and you are told to focus on diet and exercise which you have already been doing.  This blog will reveal symptoms that may be warning signs of hormonal imbalance, proper testing, and what to do about it!

Miraculously Powerful Hormones and Assessment

Hormones are miraculously powerful messengers in the body regulating most of our organ systems.  Hormones regulate your neurotransmitters, sleep, body temperature, mood, appetite, metabolism, skin health, cognition, bone health.  The list goes on!  With that said, even if one hormone is slightly off, the trickle effect can produce significant symptoms and cause you to feel terrible!  As seen in the following table from The Hormone Solution by Thierry Hertoghe, MD, each hormone impacts various systems and functions in the body.  It also shows there are more hormones to be assessed than estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and insulin.

Since this chart was first published, it has also been established pregnenolone is anti-inflammatory and can be instrumental in controlling anxiety, PTSD symptoms, helping sleep and linear thinking.

While the physical symptoms can be debilitating, untreated hormonal imbalance can lead to health complications and chronic disease such as obesity, cognitive decline, joint pain, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.

Proper Testing

The reason your doctor may not test your hormone levels or only look at a few hormone levels is because most are not properly trained in assessment and treatment of hormonal imbalance.

A comprehensive assessment of hormonal imbalance includes the history of symptoms, many of which can cue you into the specific hormone(s) affected.

You can identify your personal hormone pattern by questionnaires, blood work, and/or doing a one day or month-long, at-home urine hormone test called the DUTCH Test.  Saliva testing can be done but is not reliable when on hormone replacement.  Inito is an advanced hormone tracker for women used to monitor hormone levels.  It was created for fertility purposes but can be used to coincide and track other symptoms of estrogen-progesterone imbalance such as cyclical migraines.

Signs and Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance

As pointed out above, there is a significant range of symptoms you might experience as a result of hormonal imbalance.  Having a comprehensive assessment and work-up is essential to determining the problem.

You may be dealing with hormonal imbalance if you experience the following signs and symptoms.  Many various signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalance overlap between men and women whereas others are specific as shown in the following graphic:

Addressing Underlying Causes of Hormonal Imbalance

Once the hormonal imbalance is identified, the underlying cause of the imbalance should be determined.  What is causing it?  Hormones are in balance with each other.  If one hormone is off, it disrupts the balance and symptoms occur.  Your body will let you know what hormone is off by your symptoms.  Underlying causes of hormone imbalance can include:

• Inherited
• PCOS
• Endometriosis
• Poor nutrition
• Environmental toxins
• Bacterial or viral infections
• Gut health: dysbiosis, leaky gut
• Poor liver health
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Excessive alcohol use
• Tobacco use
• Trauma such as TBI or emotional
• Diabetes type I and II
• Age-related decline
• Menopause
• Andropause
• Poor diet
• Chronic stress
• Medication use: steroids, birth control pills, antidepressants, blood pressure medications, statins, THC
• Autoimmune conditions
• Tumors

Identifying the hormonal imbalance and the cause will direct your personalized treatment to get your hormones back in balance.  Lifestyle changes are at the heart of hormone balance starting with eating a clean diet and implementing an exercise routine.  Strength training and high interval intensity training can positively affect hormone levels.  Additionally, reducing toxins, reducing stress and getting quality sleep are at the foundation of hormonal balance.

In addition to implementing lifestyle changes, your personalized treatment plan may include bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, supportive nutraceuticals or homeopathics.

Hormonal balance is not only imperative for the prevention of disease.  When hormones are balanced, we are happier, healthier, more productive, creative, and have more energy to do the things we love.  The word hormone originates from Greek and translates directly into “putting in motion.”  Hormones also create emotion within us.  When hormones are out of balance our emotions seem to have no boundaries and we react in ways we would not react when they are balanced.  Reaching and sustaining hormonal balance sets you in motion to a harmonious life of vitality.

Conclusion

Many people are suffering with hormonal imbalance without knowing that is the cause of their daily symptoms.  These symptoms can be truly debilitating.  Many patients end up at RMC in frustration having been to many providers with inadequate work-up and no improvement.  Identifying their hormonal imbalance, the cause of the imbalance and implementing an individualized plan has been life-changing for many.  If you are suffering with any of the aforementioned symptoms and suspect you have a hormonal imbalance, there is hope for you at RMC.

Have an Awesome Day!   Dr D and Drew Chernisky, PA-C