Excessive levels of estrogen can be dangerous to a woman’s health and, believe it or not, a man’s too! Over and over these days we hear doctors and then the media tell us we need to check our hormone levels.  Most of the time we think we will discover what hormones we are missing, but here’s the great exception:  at The Renewal Point, we are observing an epidemic in men and women who have excess estradiol levels. Estrogen imbalances, while usually considered a female problem, can be responsible for increasing the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer in both sexes.

A current study in the Journal of American Medical Associates (JAMA), found that men with the highest estradiol levels were 133% more likely to die from heart disease. In another recent study, Dr. Morgenthaler, a Harvard urologist, found that men with low testosterone levels and high estrogen levels had a 40% higher rate of prostate cancer than men with normal levels.

“Why?” you wonder…Well, Aging men can develop too much aromatase enzyme. This aromatase enzyme converts testosterone to estrogen.  Aromatase is found to be most prevalent in the skin and fat tissues just under the skin. We find this condition especially in men who use testosterone patches and gels, because these are applied directly to the skin (as opposed to testosterone injections which bypass the skin).

Females in the perimenopausal ages will commonly have high Estradiol and Estrone levels; a condition called Estrogen Dominance, which steals their health by causing weight problems, irritability, sleep disorders, and breast cancer.  We find this condition also in women who are overweight or have PMS or polycystic ovaries.

Excess Estrogen Can Cause:

In Males:

• Erectile dysfunction
• Moody/grumpy
• Over-sensitivity
• Benign prostatic hypertrophy
• Breast/hip enlargement
• Prostate cancer

In Females:

• Weight gain
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Breast tenderness
• Breast cancer
• Fibrocystic breast

In Both Sexes:

• Early death
• Atherosclerosis
• Cancer
• Stroke
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• High Cholesterol

At The Renewal Point, we specialize in bio-identical hormone balancing. Simple blood tests can be run to determine estrogen levels and other possible hormonal issues. The good news is that if there are hormonal imbalances, together, we can correct them.

At The Renewal Point, our goal is to help you maintain the highest quality of life for as long as possible, by monitoring safe and effective hormone levels that give you optimal results.

References:

1. Lord RS, Bongiovanni B, Bralley JA: Estrogen metabolism and the diet-cancer connection: Rationale for assessing the ratio of urinary hydroxylated estrogen metabolites. Altern Med Rev 7:112-129, 2002.
2. Kabat GC, O’leary ES, Gammon MD, et al: Estrogen metabolism and breast cancer. Epidemiology 17:80-88, 2006.

There is no secret that males and females are different – it’s obvious to the eye. Lesser known is that the difference between genders extends beyond what the eye can see. Accord­ing to author, John Grey, it is as if we were from different planets, ‘Men are from Mars – Women are from Venus.’

While the notion of brain dissimilarity between the sexes has been widely criticized by neuroscientists throughout the ages, recent brain imaging techniques, studied at The Uni­versity of Pennsylvania by Dr. Ragini Varma, confirm that the brains of men and women are indeed “hard-wired” differently.

In fact, scientists have discovered approxi­mately 100 gender differences in the brains of men and women and the importance of these differences cannot be over-stated. While there will always be exceptions to these differences, the good news for us is that understanding these gender differences can open the door to a better appreciation for male and female relationships in both our business and personal lives, for example:

• Improving intimacy and romance

• Working better as a team

• Cooling arguments, especially when gender defenses flare. (“My way or the Highway”)

• Learning new skills

• Understanding why women have more than twice the depression, anxiety, sleep issues and self-doubt as men, and more importantly, what to do about it

In order to get a better perspective of these dif­ferences, let’s take a look at three of them:

1. White and Grey matter—Women have 10x the white matter as men, while men have 7x the grey matter as women. White matter handles and processes information, while grey matter is tied to task-orientation and action centers.

This difference may explain why women are usually better at multi-tasking, social logic, and memory of words and faces. Men, on the other hand, have a stronger connection to spacial/conceptual activities and gross motor skills.

This may also be the reason why women tend to like romance novels and movies which involve relationships, while men usually enjoy action movies or sports. Even at an early age, whereas girls and boys use “smart technology” equally, girls do more texting and talking, while boys do more gaming.

2. Cingulate gyrus—In The New York Times best seller, “The Confidence Code,” authors, Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, research the science of why women, even successful business women, struggle with feelings of self-doubt. They found that the Cingulate gyrus, a structure of nerves in the brain which helps us weigh options and recognize errors, often called the ‘worry wart’ center, is actually larger in women!

A useful art for women is to cultivate how to turn this “worry center” on or off at will. A little worry can be beneficial in helping plan and manage a busy schedule at work or home, while too much worry is stressful and damag­ing to one’s health, interrupting sleep, relation­ships, and overall well-being.

3. Neurotransmitters (N.T.)—N.T.s—of which there are approximately 200 identified—are the chemicals in the brain related to “self-talk” between neurons.

The principle N.T. of women is serotonin, the hormone of feel-good, joy, having fun, and sex. Unfortunately, in the course of over-nurturing, taking care of family and friends or over-worry, women can use up their serotonin. This depletion may often lead to being overly sensitive, avoiding risk, developing depression; i.e. becoming weepy, sad and obsessed.

Men, on the other hand, primarily use dopamine – the hormone of competition, risk-taking and motivation – “Go kill the Wooly Mammoth”. Unfortunately, in the course of over-competing and over-driving, men can use up their Dopamine causing them to feel grumpy, curmudgeonly and in the ‘grey zone’. Often times, if depleted of Dopamine, men will try to raise this neuro-chemical by engaging in high risk activities such as motorcycles, airplanes, fast sports cars, fast women/affairs, and mid-life crises.

While there are a number of other differ­ences, the important thing to take away, is that if you are bothered by any of the above symptoms, there is something that can be done about it. At The Renewal Point, we do integrative testing for chemical and hormone imbalances, which helps us to develop an individualized treatment and care plan.

Through mechanisms such as reestablishing proper serotonin and dopamine levels, as well as calming the “worry-center,” we are able to help our patients gain a better sense of balance in their lives.

Stomach cramps, bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, or anything else for that matter? You don’t need to suffer in silence! Dealing with tummy troubles can be a painful, stressful, even embarrassing ordeal for a lot of people, yet people don’t actually realize just how common these digestive issues are. In terms of our general health and well-being, gut health actually plays a key role in our overall physical and emotional well-being. Put simply, this basically means that if your gut health is off, even slightly, you yourself will feel ill and may suffer from numerous other ailments.

The good news is that you can make positive changes and you can do something about your digestive issues. With the type of testing that we use at The Renewal Point, we can quickly, and precisely, make a diagnosis of what may be troubling you; then we can address the issues from a holistic perspective, which means getting to the root of the problem.

Sonia’s Story – I’d like to begin by taking a look at Sonia, one of our patients. Sonia is a 42 year old woman who works as a realtor, is married, and has two healthy and happy children. On paper, Sonia was living the American dream and you’d think her life was great, but it wasn’t. You see, if Sonia was to make plans, she would have to plan her entire day around her tummy troubles. Typically, she would suffer from bouts of diarrhea, and would often have to go at least 8 times per day, sometimes more. Needless to say when out and about, this was very embarrassing and worrying, especially if there was no bathroom in sight. Even her private life suffered as a result of her bowel troubles. She ate right, tried to keep fit, and visited doctor after doctor who sadly could not help. Sonia is not alone, as around 74% of all people in the US suffer with GI issues. That means that only 26% of the populace can pretty much eat what they like, when they like, and not have to worry about stomach issues.

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome? – Irritable Bowel Syndrome, better known as IBS, is basically a collection of ailments and afflictions that affect a person’s bowel habits and can cause things such as bloating, gas, constipation, cramps, or diarrhea. While not a life threatening condition, it can make life miserable for those suffering from it. Around 30 million US adults suffer with IBS. Typically your healthcare practitioner will make a diagnosis by ruling out other pathological conditions.

What causes IBS? – Perhaps most frustratingly of all, is the fact that experts are still not 100% clear on what exactly causes IBS. Some experts believe that bowel motility is a cause, where the muscles in the bowel fail to contract as efficiently as they should. Others believe that it is caused by changes in the nerves of the colon. There is also evidence to suggest that the condition could be down to hormonal imbalances as the condition typically affects twice as many women as it does men. Also, interestingly, is the fact that women have found that symptoms have been exasperated around their menstrual periods.

Integrative medicine for IBS – If you think you may suffer with IBS, it may be worth speaking to an Integrative Medicine expert who will look at things from a holistic standpoint. An Integrative Medicine expert will do testing focused on:

• Physical activity
• Emotional well-being
• Nutrition

They will pay close attention to all three of these areas to help make a clear diagnosis. As IBS is such a complex condition, this approach be especially helpful in finding the root cause.

Intestinal health and the nervous system – The nervous system of the intestines is highly complex, and many people actually refer to it as the ‘second brain’. This is actually where sayings such as “I have a gut feeling about…” actually comes from. Because of the complexity of the intestinal nervous system, often when people are going through anxiety, stress, etc, they could easily suffer with IBS-like symptoms.

Testing for IBS – To begin with, when testing for IBS, we begin by looking at your eating habits, including mastication (how you eat and chew your food). We will also look into digestive function, activation of enzymes, and how well a person is able to absorb both micro, and macro nutrients from their food.

Potential triggers – In order to understand a condition, often it pays to understand what triggers it in the first place. Common triggers for IBS include:

Food intolerances – One of the most common IBS triggers worldwide, is actually food intolerance. Commonly you will find that symptoms can often be triggered by specific foods including:

• Glucose
• Lactose
• Fatty foods
• Fiber
• Sugar

When it comes to food intolerances, we will often perform food sensitivity testing to determine which specific types of food the patient could be the most sensitive to. Once they have been identified, they can then be removed from the diet, which will normally provide a vast reduction in the symptoms of the condition. Gluten sensitivity is one of the more common intolerances, often resulting in celiac disease. Therefore by going gluten-free, IBS triggers and symptoms can be managed a whole lot easier. Fructose and lactose intolerances are also common triggers – affecting around 35% of all IBS patients.

Fiber – Some people find that fibre can trigger IBS but in a lot of cases fiber can actually be hugely beneficial. We actually recommend the use of soluble fibers such as inulin and psyllium, as well as modified spectrum. These actually function as prebiotics for probiotics found in the digestive tract. Probiotics are healthy bacteria living within us, whereas the prebiotics, which in this case would be the fiber, basically act as food and nutrition for the bacteria.

Treating and improving IBS – Finally, we’ll finish on a high note as we look at a few ways of effectively treating and improving IBS symptoms. These include:

• Exercise
• Getting enough sleep each night
• Supplements including probiotics and prebiotics
• Improving pancreatic enzyme counts with supplements
• Botanical medicines such as peppermint oil, ginger, and Aloe
• Mind and body therapies
• Stress management
• Hypnosis, CBT, and psychotherapy
• Pharmaceuticals such as Cromolyn
• Leading a healthy and balanced lifestyle

If you suffer from any of the symptoms that we’ve mentioned in this article, and are looking for an integrative approach, we suggest that you contact us for a consultation.  You don’t need to suffer any longer!

References:

Rakel, David. (2017). Integrative Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.

Exercise is just as good for the brain as it is for the body.

“Back in the day, the majority of exercise studies focused on the parts of the body from the neck down, like the heart and lungs,” says Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “But now we are finding that we need to go north, to the brain, to show the true benefits of a physically active lifestyle on an individual.”

How does exercise work to increase brain function?

“Exercise likely improves brain health through a variety of ways. It makes the heart beat faster, which increases blood flow to the brain – a good thing, since the brain is the biggest consumer of oxygen in the body. Physical activity also increases levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which is also known to help repair and protect brain cells from degeneration as well as help grown new brain cells and neurons,” says Okonkwo.

“Considering exercise can also reduce the risks associated with common lifestyle diseases that impact the brain, such as high blood sugar and hypertension, it is further motivation to try to incorporate exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle,” Says Joe Northey, a PhD candidate at the University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise in Australia.

So – Which is the best, aerobic or resistance training?

For now, experts recommend a combination of both aerobic and resistance training. Combining both is ideal for all of the other benefits exercise bestows on the body. In addition to improving your brain function, you should expect to see improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength, as well as reducing the risk of obesity, diabetes and hypertension amongst other diseases.

Brain Facts

• BDNF is increased with exercise. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a key protein in regulating maintenance, growth and even survival of neurons. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor also influences learning and memory, and brain tissue from patients with Alzheimer’s disease and clinical depression exhibit low expression of BDNF.
• Researchers found that a combination of aerobic and resistance training, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) at 150 minutes per week decreases Alzheimer’s risk 30%. – No medication can even approach that!
• MRI scans of people who exercise regularly show a statistical increase in the hippocampal region of the brain (the memory center).

Brain Health at The Renewal Point

Here at The Renewal Point, we offer high intensity interval training, good not only for the body but also the brain!  While Physical Conditioning has always been one of our foundational 4 Cornerstones of Health, we are excited to offer it in-office, in the form of this breakthrough and efficacious fitness model!  Designed by Dave Luedeka, MS, DPT and carried out in our office by Matt Jones, ACSM/CPT, the CKC Fitness Program is a state-of-the art strengthening and conditioning program that can help the average person, the injured, and/or the athlete.

To learn more about the groundbreaking program, we encourage you to schedule an appointment, call us at 941-926-4905, or visit our website at TheRenewalPoint.com.

The Renewal Point 4 Cornerstones of Health

1.     Hormone Balance                    3.    Physical Conditioning

2.     Nutrition                                   4.    Toxin Elimination

References:

1. Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, Charles Hillman. The Influence of Exercise of Cognitive Abilities. Compr. Physiol. 2013 Jan: 3(1): 403-428.
2. What Type of Exercise is Best for the Brain? http://time.com/4141790/exercise-brain/.
3. Evidence for a release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor from the brain during exercise. DOI: 10.1113/expphysiol.2009.048512.
4. Exercise, brain, and cognition across the life span. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3220305/.

♫ Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la– la la la la!

That’s right, soon we’ll be donning our gay apparel and getting ready for holiday fun, songs, and gifts.  And let us not forget the bountiful feast: pecan pie, honey-baked ham, sweet potato casserole with marshmallow topping and candy cane truffles – Yum-yum! It causes me to pause and think of all the fun, family, and friends of holidays past.

Sweet treats and rich meals can be landmines for health-conscious people. Yet, no one wants to feel deprived during the jolliest season of all.  I confess, even as an expert in nutrition and metabolic medicine, I have a long history of letting the holidays get the better of me too.

Fear not – Read on. I promise, you’ll not be asked to lock yourself in a closet for the month or be made to eat a dinner of iceberg lettuce. There are more sensible and fun ways to navigate this territory and come out January 2nd even healthier.

1. Nix the guilt. – Feeling guilty after eating foods you don’t usually allow yourself to eat can breed more unhealthy behaviors. So, abandon those negative voices in your head and remember to get back on track with your healthy eating routine as soon as possible.
2. Three bites and good night. – Stick to the three-bite rule for desserts: The first bite is the best, the last the grand finale, and every bite in between is the same. In three bites, you get the full dessert experience, so really focus on savoring those three and you’re less likely to overindulge.
3. If you drink alcohol, alternate the alcohol with sparkling water and stick with a 2 drink maximum. Alternating between an alcoholic beverage and a sparkling water can help you avoid pouring on the pounds. Plus, sparkling water keeps things festive and, bonus, you’ll avoid entering the hangover zone, a not-so-happy holiday tradition side-effect.
4. Stay physically active. – If you are not a gym or sports buff, make a holiday tradition of walks or bike rides around the neighborhood or park with friends, family, or pets.
5. Get enough rest. – Between holiday traveling, work schedules, and shopping, it can be easy to skimp on sleep in order to get your to-do-list done, but getting a consistent seven to nine hours of sleep every night helps regulate hormones, promotes recovery from workouts, and prevents daily fatigue. Plus, it keeps you from face-planting directly into that apple pie. There’s really no such thing as “catching up” on sleep, so the key is consistency.

To Your Good Health,

Dr. Dan Watts

Dr. Watts, MD, ND, MSNM and Lynne Streitmatter, APRN, MSN are experts in Bio-identical Hormone Balancing and Integrative Medicine.  With over 25 years experience in hormone balancing, a Board Certification in Integrative Medicine, a Post-doctoral Certification in Metabolic Endocrinology, and a Fellowship in Anti-Aging, Regenerative, and Functional Medicine, Dr. Watts has put together a number of programs that have helped thousands of people over the years.