Wednesday, September 21, 2011

New Blog Link

I invite you to follow my blog, "The Hormone Makeover News" from my website:

http://www.donnawhitehormonemakeover.com/blog/

Blogs are posted monthly.  I also invite you to take advantage of the other resources available on my website such as:

  • Free podcasts of "The Hormone Makeover Chat" weekly telecall,
  • Read the first 2 chapters of my book, The Hormone Makeover - 7 Steps to Transform Your Life with Bioidentcial Hormones
  • Review detailed lists of symptoms of each type of hormone imbalance, and
  • Sign up for my complimentary newsletter to keep up with new and all my classes and public events.
Blessings!
Donna White

Friday, June 17, 2011

Introducing the Hormone Makeover Free Weekly Chat

Do you want to learn more about hormones? Are you interested in learning how to overcome hormone imbalances so you can have more energy, better sleep, improved mood and libido, increased brain function, loose weight, get rid of PMS or menopausal symptoms?

Now you can learn about these challenges that women face at no charge!  Join Donna White each week for The Hormone Makeover Chat, a FREE weekly teleconference designed  for women of all ages wanting more information about hormones and issues related to hormone imbalance including PMS, perimenopause, and menopause.  The Hormone Makeover Chat is held every Tuesday at 12 noon Eastern Standard Time.  Calls last 30 minutes including time allowed for listener questions at the end of each call. 

How to Join in on the Fun!
  
Listening in on the calls is easy.  No registration required and no fees.  Simply call the conference dial-in number: (712) 432-0900 just before 12 noon Eastern Standard Time.  Use the Participant Access code: 920928.  (Please note: your regular phone long distance charges or cell phone minutes apply.)

Conference Phone Number: (712) 432-0900
Participant Access Code: 920928

You are welcome to submit your questions prior to the call on The Hormone Makeover Fan Page. You may also ask questions on the call as time permits.  If you cannot join at noon, simply listen at your leisure.  All calls will be recorded and available for replay at www.donnawhitehormonemakeover.com and posted on The Hormone Makeover Fan page.
(Please note that the host, Donna White, BHRT Clinical Educator, cannot give medical advice.)

There is no need to sign up ahead of time. Just call in just before 12 noon, EST.  If you would like an email reminder the morning of the call, simply reply to this email.

Topics of discussion will include the hormone connection to:
  
·       Weight gain and metabolism
·       Fatigue
·       Insomnia and sleep disturbances
·       Low sex drive
·       Bone loss
·       Hair loss
·       PMS
·       Heavy or irregular periods
·       Hot flashes and night sweats
·       Anxiety and depression
·       Many more frustrating symptoms

Women will learn:
  
·       The causes of hormone problems and when they    typically occur during the course of a woman's life
·       The difference between synthetic hormones, over-the-counter herbal products and bioidentical hormones
·       The role each hormone plays in the body
·       How to find and work with a physician
·       How physicians use bioidentical hormones to correct hormone imbalance
·       The research supporting bioidentical hormones
·       Hormone testing
·       Thyroid hormone problems
·       Stress (adrenal) hormone imbalances
·       Nutrients that affect hormone balance and bone building
·       And much more including the solutions for hormone imbalances!

Schedule of Topics: 
  
We want your feed back. Tell us the topics you are interested in learning about and submit your questions.  We will plan our weekly schedule based on listener input.  Please share all topic suggestions and questions on the Facebook fan page. 

June 21 - The Symptoms Associated with Hormone Imbalance and When They Typically Occur
June 28 - Options to Addressing Hormone Imbalances (over-the-counter products, medications, natural/bioidentical hormones)
July 5- Should You Test Your Hormones?

About the Host: 

Donna White
BHRT Clinical Educator, Author and Speaker

Donna has helped thousands of women with Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy  over the past 18 years by working along side physicians including Dr. Dino Kanelos, in Charlotte, NC, Dr. Larry Webster and Dr. Julius Torelli in High Point NC and currently with Deborah Matthew, MD, at Signature Wellness Center for Optimal Health in Charlotte, NC.  Donna has traveled across the U.S., training medical practitioners in how to prescribe and implement BHRT in their medical practice. She has spoken at numerous medical conferences on BHRT for physicians and compounding pharmacists. Donna is nationally known women's conference speaker and author of the book, "The Hormone Makeover-7 Steps to Transform Your Life with Bio-Identical Hormones".


More Events and Specials to Come!

I am also excited to annouce that in the very near futre I will be hosting ELearning Workshops and an ELearning Series all about hormones!
  
If you have not read my new book, "The Hormone Makeover - 7 Steps to Transform Your Life with Bioidentical Hormones", I invite you to go to my website and down load the first 2 chapters for free.

Sincerely,

Donna White
Donna White Hormone Makeover




Monday, April 19, 2010

Could It Be Your Hormones?

(This blog was published on 4/19/2010 on http://www.proverbs31.org/, a daily devotion sponsored by Proverbs 31 Minitries.)

Hormones are powerful and so are the symptoms of imbalance!


I am so thankful to Melanie for sharing about hormones on your devotion blog. Hormones are very powerful substances. They have actions in every single cell of our body, not just our reproductive system. Hormones absolutely do affect our physical health, weight, skin quality, bone health, brain function, quality of sleep and most definitely our mood and emotions. God created these potent chemicals called hormones for our good, to give us energy, vitality and the power to walk in divine health. But He intended that we have balanced hormones.

We all know that hormonal changes occur during various phases of our lives and that is normal. However, God did not create PMS or plan for peri-menopause or menopause to be turbulent. We do live in a fallen world and there are many factors that can lead to hormone imbalance and its accompanying symptoms. Stress, nutrition, genetic factors, thyroid problems, blood sugar imbalances and certain medications can all trigger imbalances in our hormones.

Hormone imbalance even affects mighty women of faith and power.

I have to say that hormonal imbalance directly impacts Christian women on a spiritual level. Too many times, I have sat across the desk from a sister-in-the-Lord and heard her agonize over the way her monthly pre-menstrual moods are impacting their children or listened as they beat themselves up for feeling depressed. They assume that they are just not reading the Bible enough, praying enough or walking in the fruit of the Spirit. Sometimes, these emotional flare ups are simply due to hormones. Trust me; hormone levels do affect our relationships with each other and with God. He created our bodies and He intended that certain biochemical hormone processes take place in order to walk in health.

I saw first hand the impact of hormones on Christian women globally last year at the “She Speaks” Conference. It is so evident that God is launching women into their ministries and callings like never before. I believe that God confirmed to me that His women need to feel good to fulfill their destinies. We as Christian women do put our faith and trust in God. However, we do live in this physical world and have a physical body governed by God ordained metabolic processes. We need our energy levels to be good, our sleep to be refreshing and our moods stable to accomplish His purposes. Of course there are many aspects of physical health, but sadly most women do not even realize that issues they face could in fact, be related to hormone problems. My calling is to make sure that God’s precious daughters know about the symptoms of hormone deficiencies or excessive levels of hormones and how to correct them so that God can launch them into their purposes.

Is it you or your hormones? (Signs or Symptoms related to hormone imbalance)

So how do you know if you are experiencing symptoms due to a lack of balanced hormones? First let me point out that hormonal imbalance can occur at any age, from young teens to post-menopausal or elderly women. Symptoms can range from reproductive/gynecological problems, physical health problems and yes, emotional or mood challenges. I should know. I got into this field 18 years ago due to my own severe case of PMS. In Christian terms, that means Pretty Mean Sister. God took my “mess” and turned it into my “message” of His hope and being hormonally healthy.

Here is a check list to help you determine if you should have your hormones evaluated:

Physical Symptoms:
 Weight Gain
 Hot Flashes
 Night Sweats
 Fatigue
 Headaches
 Migraines
 Hypothyroidism
 Hair loss
 Allergies/Sinusitis
 Bone Loss
 Insomnia
 Low body temp
 Foggy thinking
 Heart Palpations
 Dry Skin/ Hair
 Elevated Cholesterol
 Elevated Triglycerides
 Thinning Skin
 Fibromyalgia
 Acne/Oily Skin
 Facial Hair
 Constipation
Reproductive Symptoms:
  Breast Pain
 Breast Cysts
 PMS
 Fibroids
 Heavy Cycles
 Irregular Cycles
 Spotting
 Endometriosis
 Cramps
 Vaginal Dryness
 Breast Cancer
 Yeast Infections
 Urinary Tract Infections
 Water Retention
 Thinning Pubic Hair
 Incontinence
 Infertility
 Miscarriage
 Ovarian Cysts
Emotional Symptoms:
 Anxiety
 Depression
 Irritability
 Stressed Easily
 Low Sex Drive
 Mood Swings
 Over Reacting
 Easily Alarmed
 Confusion
 Mood swings
 Nervous/Jittery
 Food Cravings

We can gain victory and overcome hormone challenges.


The first place to start is to get wisdom and truth. This involves education and in many cases testing. There are very specialized tests that can definitively determine hormone levels. Hormones do not have to be confusing nor should we be afraid of hormones. God made them to bless us.

Secondly, get help. Do not just put up with hormone imbalance and live a life less than you deserve. There are well-trained experts in the field of hormone balance and quality science based educational resources for women. You may need to restore deficient levels of hormones with natural, bio-identical hormones. These hormones are the same hormones that God created and our bodies produce. They are exactly the same. Not that we need to prove that the hormones God created are effective and safe but of course the medical community operates from scientific research. There is a large body of published medical studies on bio-identical hormones. In fact, 1/3 of my book is just that, a bibliography of the studies on bio-identical hormones. (Synthetic hormones, such as in Hormone Replacement Therapy, HRT, or in birth control pills have been clearly proven to cause side effects. We should not be surprised. How can we improve on the hormones that God created?) You may also need to take certain supplements that help address stress hormone imbalance or to help balance blood sugar. Many women do need some form of thyroid treatment. Regardless of whatever type hormone imbalance or symptoms you may have, you do not have to live with hormone problems! There is hope and there is help.

In Christ,

Donna White
BHRT Clinical Educator, Signature Wellness
Speaker
Author, “The Hormone Makeover- 7 Steps to Transform Your Life with Bioidentical Hormones”

Resources
http://www.donnawhitehormonemakeover.com/
http://www.facebook.com/TheDonnaWhiteHormoneMakeover
hormonemakeover.blogspot.com
http://www.signaturewellness.org/

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Hormone and Weight Gain - The Progeterone Effect

To begin our series, “Hormones and Weight Gain,” I would first like to mention that whether you have a few pounds to lose, many pounds to lose or perhaps you just want to maintain your figure through peri-menopause and beyond; it can be done! You can manage your weight. However, if you have struggled and fought with your weight and not been successful, well I am so sorry that you have had to go through that experience. My heart goes out to you. I have sat across the desk from countless women and seen the discouragement and frustration on their faces. Excess weight impacts our self-image and self-confidence. I do wish our culture would not glorify skinny figures and magazine beauties. Where does that leave us normal girls? Oh well, I can’t solve that or address the deep seated emotional wounds some of you have due to weight issues though I wish I could do so. I can certainly say - it is just not fair. It is not fair how women are treated by some physicians or so called well meaning friends with their (inaccurate) comments such as, “you just need to push away from the table” or “you just need to exercise more”. Also not fair is the metabolism changes that occur with peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause. The margins do change; we just can not get away with eating the same way we did in our younger years. I personally cannot fix the emotional scars and society’s biases, but I can share with you the science and physiology related to metabolism and how to address them.

Hormone Imbalance Prevents Weight Loss

What causes the underlying metabolic problem that we all face? Imbalances in ANY hormone will directly affect your metabolism triggering two mechanisms; number one weight gain and secondly block weight loss efforts. Optimal levels (not just normal or barely enough) of well-balanced hormones regulate everything from reproduction, affect emotions, promote general health and the rate at which we burn calories or store fat. Hormonal imbalances begin to occur when women reach their mid-thirties and increase in severity through menopause. According to the American Census Bureau in 2003, there are 57 million women in the US between the ages of 35-65. An estimated 75% of women in this age range have some form of hormone imbalance. Since hormone imbalance directly affects metabolism, you can be eating right and exercising and not successfully lose or maintain your weight.

Before we continue, I would like to clear up a myth. Some women have been led to believe that taking hormones make you fat. This simply is not true. Taking hormones or I should say correcting hormone deficiencies by using bio-identical hormones does not cause weight gain. (I do mean in appropriate doses of course.) Research studies such as the PEPI Trial, have demonstrated the effect of taking replacement hormones on weight in addition to other health related issues. None of the groups of women on hormone replacement in any of the published articles of the PEPI Trial gained weight. Another study found that post-menopausal women NOT taking hormones have a higher percentage of body fat than women who do take hormones.1

In summary, it is the lack of hormone balance that can cause weight gain. Additionally, excessive levels of certain hormones, such as cortisol or insulin, cause increase in weight. Hormone balance helps you loose excess body fat more readily.

Declining Progesterone

Since each and every type of hormone imbalance affects our metabolism, we will cover each hormone one by one. The best place to start is with progesterone since progesterone is the first hormone that becomes out-of-balance. Progesterone deficiency typically begins around age 35. This can lead to physical, gynecological or emotional symptoms related to progesterone deficiency such as:

Physical symptoms or related conditions:
• Weight gain
• Low body temp
• Headaches
• Hypothyroidism
• Hair loss
• Fluid retention
• Allergies/Sinusitis
• Bone Loss
Gynecological symptoms or related conditions:
 • Breast pain/cysts
 • PMS
 • Fibroids
 • Heavy cycles
 • Irregular cycles
 • Endometriosis
 • Cramps
Emotional symptoms or related conditions:
 • Anxiety
 • Depression
 • Irritability
 • Tendency to be stressed easily

Progesterone Deficiency Slows Metabolism

Specifically related to weight gain and metabolism, progesterone plays several crucial roles.

1. Progesterone works with thyroid hormone; it helps carry thyroid hormone into the specific thyroid hormone receptors in order to be utilized. We all know that our thyroid controls our metabolism but with out adequate progesterone we may not use our thyroid hormone effectively. The result is storing the calories we eat as fat versus burning them for energy.

2. We need progesterone to help keep our estrogen in balance. With progesterone deficiency estrogen dominance occurs. This is called a low progesterone-to-estrogen ratio on lab tests. Why should we be concerned about estrogen dominance? In regard to weight, when you have estrogen dominance, insulin can be released more rapidly and more often. This in turn can lead to food cravings and fat storage.

3. Estrogen dominance from a lack of adequate progesterone inhibits the conversion of thyroid hormone, T4, into T3. This is really important because we need our T4 to convert to T3 because T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone that gives us effects of the wonderful properties of the thyroid hormones. Specifically, we need optimal T3 levels to keep our metabolism revved up to a normal level, not slowed down.

4. Women that tend to gain a lot of water weight before their period are progesterone deficient. This is because progesterone is a diuretic and without optimal progesterone we can bloat and accumulate premenstrual water weight gain.

5. Progesterone is also thermogenic, which means that it raises the body temperature and slightly increases metabolism.

Beyond our discussion of weight, progesterone is truly an amazing hormone that helps protect against heart disease and breast cancer, addresses many menstrual cycle problems, improves mood and sleep, is a bone building hormone and is a powerful weapon against PMS. Since progesterone plays important roles in our metabolism, we need to have optimal levels and to make sure that our estrogen and progesterone are nicely balanced. As with any hormone, a deficiency creates symptoms while an excessive level causes symptoms as well. Too much progesterone may impede weight loss while normal levels enhance weight management. Women make an average of about 15-25 mg of progesterone during the 2nd two weeks of their cycle. Most physicians that prescribe progesterone typically start with 20mg of progesterone cream. It is important to know your hormone levels. Hormone testing, such as saliva testing can take the guess work out of hormone balance.

Key Points Regarding Progesterone and Metabolism

In summary, I truly hope you are beginning to understand some key points in regard to losing and managing your weight. Here is what we have learned so far:

• An imbalance (excess or deficiency) in any hormone interferes with metabolism.
• Balanced hormones facilitate weight loss and control.
• Taking hormones does not cause weight gain.
• Progesterone is the first sex hormone that declines and does so in our thirties.
• Progesterone deficiency triggers numerous symptoms including weight gain.
• Excessive progesterone levels may slow metabolism.
• The solution is to have a normal progesterone level and proper progesterone balance with estrogen.
• Hormone testing can identify hormone imbalances.

I do hope you will join me next week at http://hormonemakeover.blogspot.com/ as we continue this discussion focusing on the role estrogen plays with our metabolism.

Donna White
http://www.donnawhitehormonemakeover.com/
BHRT Clinical Educator, Signature Wellness
http://www.signaturewellness.org/
Author, Speaker

1 Kritz-Silverstein D, Barrett-Connor E. “Long-term postmenopausal hormone use, obesity, and fat distribution in older women,” JAMA 1996 Jan 3;275(1):46-9.

The material in this blog is designed to provide information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is not intended to substitute for personalized medical advice from a licensed medical doctor and is only intended as general information and should not be used in any way to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Hormones and Weight Gain

Weight gain can be so frustrating to women of all ages, especially as they approach peri-menopause and menopause. Even worse is the struggle to lose a few pounds and keep them off! Just this week the “Journal of the American Medical Association” published a study showing that middle-aged women must exercise 1 hour a day to maintain their current weight.1 I don’t know about you but most of the women that I work with on a day-to-day basis at Signature Wellness want to lose weight. Moreover, it is not just middle-aged women that struggle with weight; many of our younger patients with hormonal imbalance also fight the weight loss battle. My guess is that this study may be a bit disheartening for some women. Sure we all know we need to exercise and eat right. But what about the women that are eating right and do exercise but can’t seem to make the scale budge an ounce? This can be so discouraging that some ladies just give up and don’t even bother trying any more. Even worse, there are some women who have such fatigue that they don’t even feel like exercising at all. When you are doing everything that you know to do but not reaching your target weight you deserve some answers. If you are so tired that even a walk around the block sounds overwhelming there just has to be a reason. Your hormones may be the culprit.

Here is what you need to know! Hormone imbalance directly affects your weight. In fact, every hormone affects our weight and metabolism in one way or another. Follow the brand new blog, called, The Hormone Makeover Blog at http://hormonemakeover.blogspot.com/ each week as we discuss how each hormone relates to your metabolism. (This same information will be posted in the Signature Wellness newsletter.) We will cover: estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, cortisol, insulin and thyroid hormones. We'll be sure to discuss ways of addressing hormone imbalances with bio-identical hormones (BHRT), supplements and nutrition. Balanced hormones work with your metabolism – not against it. You can look and feel good too while taking the stress, frustration and struggle of weight management out of your life. It just takes a better understanding of what can go wrong with your hormones and how to correct imbalances.

Donna White
http://www.donnawhitehormonemakeover.com/
BHRT Clinical Educator, Signature Wellness
http://www.signaturewellness.org/
Author, Speaker

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/303/12/1173

I-Min Lee, MBBS, ScD; Luc Djoussé, MD, DSc; Howard D. Sesso, ScD; Lu Wang, MD, PhD; Julie E. Buring, ScD. Physical Activity and Weight Gain Prevention. JAMA. 2010;303(12):1173-1179.

The material in this blog is designed to provide information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is not intended to substitute for personalized medical advice from a licensed medical doctor and is only intended as general information and should not be used in any way to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.