Teen Rap: Hormone Facts Adults Don't Always Know

by Dr. Loretta Lanphier

Are you wondering how to handle your body's changes, acne, mood swings, anger, or just plain stress? Here's the scoop-there's a possible solution to these symptoms of hormonal problems that is simple to determine and inexpensive, too.

Stressing Out

Teens today experience many hormonal imbalance symptoms as a result of the pressures of being a teen today. Too often you're exposed to chemicals in foods and in the environment from pesticides, plastics, beauty products, cleaners, and lawn and garden chemicals, just to name a few sources. Water alone can contain hormones. You're exposed to so much junk food, fast food, and soda. Dairy products and farmed fish have added hormones and antibiotics. Antibiotics to control yeast and acne also stress the body. Your body can be overloaded by the time you enter your teen years.

Many of you are being put on birth control pills to control premenstrual syndrome (PMS)- symptoms that occur before or at the beginning of your period--or to prevent pregnancy. Or maybe you're on medication for ADD or depression.

Then there's all the stress that a typical teenager today is under with school work, social life, dating, sports, expectations to "be the best," high achievement pressure, summer school, get into college, etc. Your home environment might be stressing you with sibling arguments, disagreements with parents, a death in the family, alcoholism, an unexpected divorce, or a parent running off. Or you're helping a friend going through some of these issues and share their pain. The list is endless.

What Happens to the Body

Adrenal glands, which regulate the hormones in your body, do a good job under normal circumstances. But too much stress creates hormonal imbalances, which then creates emotional instability. Your adrenals can get exhausted, then can cause hormone imbalances, or hormone imbalances can cause adrenal exhaustion. Regardless of the cause, the results are the same.

So to handle all of the stress, your adrenals produce a large amount of a steroid called cortisol. This over production leads to a huge reduction of the hormone progesterone. When this happens, another hormone estrogen takes over. So now two hormones are affected. They have become unbalanced.

Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance

Below are symptoms of this imbalance. These can occur anytime:

• Abdominal bloating
• Abdominal cramping
• Accident proneness, coordination difficulties
• Acne, hives
• Aggression, rage
• Anxiety, irritability, suicidal thoughts
• Asthma
• Back pain
• Breast swelling and pain
• Bruising
• Confusion
• Depression, withdrawal from others, emotional liability
• Edema
• Exacerbation of preexisting conditions (lupus, arthritis, ulcers, herpes, etc.)
• Excessive sleep patterns, fatigue, lethargy
• Fainting
• Food binges, salt cravings, sweet cravings
• Headache, migraine
• Heart palpitations
• Insomnia
• Joint swelling and pain
• Nausea
• Seizures
• Sex drive changes
• Sinus problems
• Sore throat
• Urinary difficulties

What Can Be Done

Progesterone can greatly improve overall hormone balance. Natural progesterone is safe and non-toxic. It's a natural hormone to the body with no undesirable side effects, when used as directed. It can be bought over the counter, so no prescription is needed. Progesterone helps to balance the effects of hormone imbalances, and has a calming effect on the nervous system. Some teens notice a leveling off of their emotions when they get their progesterone levels up to where they should be. Many of the symptoms listed above disappear quickly within the first couple of weeks of use.

Hormone saliva testing kits allow you to test yourself within the comfort of your own home. With test results, you and your parents and healthcare professional can determine if there is a need for natural HRT. The use of natural progesterone in combination with lifestyle changes often improves symptoms and general health and well being. Natural progesterone administered to most teens is about 1/8 teaspoon morning and night depending on the severity of symptoms.

Other Suggestions to Help Get Your Hormones in Balance

• Eat an organic, healthy diet.  Skip the fast foods and cafeteria foods at school. Begin each day with a healthy breakfast and prepare your own healthy lunch.  Try to have dinner before 6:00 PM.
• Take an organic, liquid multi-vitamin/mineral supplement every day.
• Drink lots of purified water that is NOT packaged in plastic.  Many plastics contain chemicals that act like the hormone estrogen.  Use a Wellness Sport bottle so that you have clean and pure water with you all the time. (Yes, it is plastic but the filter will take out any harmful toxins.)
• Eliminate sodas, diet sodas and all sugary drinks.
• Exercise every day. Join a Pilates or Yoga class or take a 40 minute walk every day.  You will find these to be great stress relievers!
• Get at least 40 minutes of sun on your body, every day.  This will help with the body's production of Vitamin D which is actually a hormone that is very beneficial to your body.
• Sleep.  Be in bed by 10:00 PM EVERY night.  Staying up late consistantly really wrecks havoc with your endocrine system.  Your body does a tremendous amount of repair and healing during the hours you are sleeping.  Don't deprive it by staying up late.
• Sleep in total darkness. Turn off nightlites and computer lights.
• Personal care products.  Take a long hard look at all the chemicals in your personal care products.  Many of these chemicals are proven hormone disrupters.  Use natural products on your skin and hair.
• Be aware of the dangers of chlorine and fluoride.
• Try not to eat or drink out of plastic containers.  Do not microwave food that is packaged in plastic.  In fact, getting rid of the microwave is a good step towards good health.
• Support your liver.  The liver plays a huge part in keeping hormones balanced.  PMS may suggest liver imbalance.  Use a liver support product such as LivaPure.
• For cramps I recommend a topical pain lotion called Bio-EZE which can help to relieve pain and cramping.  Call the OAW office for more information. 
• Calcium.  The American Journal of OBGYN states that calcium intake may reduce PMS symptoms. The Journal also suggests upping foods that are high in calcium such as leafy green vegetables.  Milk is not a good source of useable calcium. If your diet does not provide enough calcium, then try a calcium supplement. I recommend Calcium Orotate which contains calcium orotate and magnesium orotate.
• Don't smoke, drink or use drugs.  Smoking and alcohol consumption cause great stress on the body and contain toxins and poisons that can disrupt the hormone system.

It's never too early to learn how to take care of your body. Education allows you to understand and take control of your health. Prevention is always the best way.