Since working around hormones and in the endocrinology, wellness and fitness space for years, we’ve been thinking a lot about just how much hormones really do matter. After all, we’re all only alive because of hormones when you get right down to it. Yet, most of us give very little thought to our hormones or why they matter until we’re forced to do so for some reason.

As maturing adolescents, we’re taught with limited insights in school that hormones trigger our bodies to develop into those of men and women. We learn that underarm and pubic hair growth is tied to hormones. Boys' voices deepen and girls develop breasts. New sexual attractions and feelings start to come about as our bodies and mind start to change. By nature, we desire with a purpose to connect and express ourselves sexually.

There is a lot of information about how hormones influence sex and reproduction. Sadly, the education seems to end there.

Most have heard of hormones like insulin, thyroid, estrogen, testosterone, human growth hormone, cortisol, and vitamin D. There are dozens of others with indispensable roles in maintaining health. Many are made by endocrine glands, such as the thyroid, whose only job is to produce and secrete hormones. Other organs, such as the stomach, intestines, heart, and skin, produce hormones, in addition to performing other critical biological functions.

The process of maintaining all your body’s vital functions within the range needed for survival is called homeostasis, and a magnitude of hormones play a major role in making sure these requirements are met, which is no easy feat. All hormones matter, and are critically important if we want to have optimized wellness. 

Hormones; The Lock and Key Messengers

Hormones circulate in your blood, but they don’t act on all cells. Specific hormones can only target cells that have a receptor that “fits” that particular hormone. This is often compared to a lock-and-key system: the receptor is the lock, and the hormone is the key. Once a hormone binds to its receptor, the targeted cell responds by taking action, making some change indicated by the hormone.

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Excess Can Be Toxic

A common misunderstanding of how our body functions is that if a little is good, more is better. The actual truth in most cases however is that a little is good, and excess is often toxic.

Hormones illustrate this principle perfectly. Because hormones have such a deep influence on physical function, your body typically only secretes them in minute amounts. These itsy bitsy quantities of hormones are active only for a short time, and most are soon metabolized naturally by the body. A hormone may also be carried in the blood in an inactivated form or bound to another chemical that keeps it from reaching target receptors.

Prolonged, excessive levels of some hormones can often have dreadful consequences. Additionally, hormones sometimes team up to regulate crucial body functions and maintain homeostasis. If the level of one hormone is off, others may get disrupted, and unhealthy effects then cascade.

3 Ways To Screw Up Your Hormones

Wellness experts have stated that more than 50% of the westernized world develop and/or face a hormone related problem or disease at some point in their lives. Examples would include diabetes (type 1 and 2), andropause (low T for men), polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and hypothyroidism.

Our bodies are designed to precisely regulate the exact amounts of hormones and receptors it needs. However, hormone-related disease occurs for many reasons, and sometimes cannot be avoided. Preventing these life altering hormonal challenges may not be avoidable. Other times they are, especially if you avoid messing them up with poor life choices. Here are a few of them to avoid below.

1. Over Indulging In Damaging Modern Lifestyles

Examples include staying indoors all day, every day while sitting for hours at a time, not getting enough exercise, stressing out and arguably the biggest culprit - frequently eating manufactured foods.

2.) Supplementing Incorrectly With Hormones

As mentioned here already, your body closely fine-tunes the hormones it produces and how it deploys them. Artificially introducing the wrong kinds of hormones or - incorrectly, can cause harm and disrupt your endocrine system.

Supplementing with hormones should be a thoughtful decision made by a fully informed patient in partnership with a knowledgeable health team, and only after considering all options for treatment.

3.) Excess Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors

Regular contact with fragrances, herbicides, pesticides, and thousands of other man made chemicals can disrupt your hormones. Parabens, Phthalates and other known harmful substances included in some cosmetics, are used by millions daily and many over expose their bodies to them. Phytoestrogens, MSGs, pesticides and more are all too often found in our food supplies.

These are all things that with a little bit of attention and knowledge, can be avoided while choosing healthier alternatives in their place.

Best Ways To Optimize ALL Your Hormones

The best way to optimize your hormones - because they all do matter, lie with a few basic principles.

Stop throwing flammable materials on the fire you’re trying to put out. In other words, get familiar with endocrine disruptors to avoid in your diet and daily lifestyle. You can’t expect to optimize your endocrine system with any HRT program if you’re working against your body’s desire to create and maintain homeostasis and balance from within.

Prioritize and carve out time for your exercise each week. Two to four 30-45 minute sessions each week can really make a significant difference in so many ways.

Make time to prepare healthy meals for your work week ahead of time. Having a plan in place to feed your body appropriately goes a long way in supporting a healthy endocrine system, cognitive health and your body.

Understand the basics of your hormones. A good starting point is getting a thorough blood draw and test done to check all the relevant biomarkers that pertain to this. Discuss them with your qualified healthcare provider or wellness expert to help identify where improvements may need to be addressed and take any necessary action if need be from there.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6422548/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1369102/
https://academic.oup.com/endo/article/157/3/979/2351146
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.physiol.62.1.947
https://transcare.ucsf.edu/article/information-estrogen-hormone-therapy
https://transcare.ucsf.edu/article/information-testosterone-hormone-therapy
https://www.jwatch.org/na51690/2020/06/09/hormones-depression-and-hormone-therapies
https://www.rushcopley.com/app/files/public/2162/pdf-rcmg-environment-amd-hormones-presentation.pdf