The stress level in our lives today is very high, and extremely stressful situations are becoming more frequent. The result is that we all experience chronic stress to some degree. For many, severe stress can be an underlying cause or aggravating factor for a wide range of medical conditions − from hypertension to heart disease to cancer − that may lead to serious illness and premature death.
Another important health impact of chronic stress is accelerated aging at the cellular level, meaning your body can age faster than it should simply because you’re under stress most of the time. Hormone replacement therapy can help balance the body’s hormone levels, which provides relief from stress and offers many health benefits.
In the past, doctors prescribed hormones to relieve symptoms of menopause like hot flashes as well as other symptoms that were aggravated by stress. More recently, clinical research studies have indicated that when hormones are replaced regularly in postmenopausal women, they also reduce the effects of chronic stress on endocrine glands and organs such as the heart, kidneys, adrenals, and thyroid gland. When these organs are stressed due to prolonged periods of high demand placed upon them (due to events like high blood pressure or toxic load), their function is reduced, and it takes longer for your body to recuperate. It then takes longer for hormones within these organs to be produced, affecting the production of other hormones in your body.
When you are chronically stressed, your hormone levels fluctuate frequently and rapidly throughout the day instead of being stable. When this happens, your body is more vulnerable to immune system breakdown. Many studies have shown that when stress-related changes occur in hormone levels due to severe chronic stress or trauma (like a car accident), the immune system becomes weakened, leaving people susceptible to disease − even after their stressful event is over!
What is Hormone Replacement Therapy?
HRT is a medical treatment that uses hormones to relieve or prevent symptoms of menopause. Testosterone hormone levels diminish as men age, but it isn’t until the 40s and 50s that their bodies begin producing lower testosterone amounts. When this happens, the body must compensate for the deficiency by increasing other hormones like estrogen and progesterone. When men experience low levels of testosterone, they can have difficulty sleeping or suffer from depression or irritability; low estrogen can cause hot flashes and insomnia; low progesterone causes high blood pressure, frequent urination, headaches, and extreme sensitivity to cold weather or drafts.
To provide relief for these symptoms, many doctors will prescribe hormone medication which is available in a number of different forms. One popular type used to treat symptoms syndrome-like symptoms is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). In BHRT, the hormones are manufactured synthetically in a lab and are identical to human hormones − this means the body can use them just like natural hormones would be used.
Can Hormone Replacement Therapy Help with Stress?
Since hormone levels diminish as you age, it’s very common for people to experience the symptoms of menopause. Typically, this occurs between ages 40 and 60; however, some women begin experiencing symptoms in their 30s, and many others do not have any noticeable symptoms until their later years.
In addition to relieving the symptoms mentioned above caused by low testosterone (and other hormonal deficiencies), BHRT can be an effective treatment for stress. Hormones derived from bioidentical sources can repair damage caused by chronic stress and provide relief for its effects, including memory loss, anxiety, and depression.
The Vital Health Benefits of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy:
When hormones are replaced through BHRT, it is possible to reduce stress-related changes in the immune system and the functions of organs responsible for managing stress. However, since hormone levels diminish as you age, this can lead to chronic inflammation throughout your body which is a common response to stressful events. When your body’s inflammatory response is activated frequently, it does not have ample time to fully recover between bouts of inflammation caused by different triggers − this leaves you vulnerable to diseases such as heart disease or cancer.
If you’ve been experiencing symptoms related to aging, such as hot flashes or memory loss, BHRT may help relieve these symptoms while providing a host of other health benefits that can boost your quality of life. If you are interested in learning more about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), call us today at 205-352-9141.
