I’m questioning everything I’ve been taught about health and hormones.
Even why suddenly all these docs are pushing hormones made by big pharma that contain known endocrine hormone disruptors like parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate and titanium dioxide.
It’s fishy.
And yes, I prescribe bio-identical hormones yet give my clients all the info before they choose between compounding pharmacy hormone therapy or ready made pharmaceutical hormones.
A quick online search will have the top medical websites saying the items I listed above are not endocrine disruptors.
Scroll down and a few pages in and you will see actual research studies stating otherwise.
Confusing and frustrating.
This is why I question everything and encourage everyone to do the same.
Same goes with lowering cholesterol to incredibly low levels.
Has the medical system forgotten what makes hormones?
Cholesterol is used to make hormones so why would you want to completely avoid foods with cholesterol?
Ancient Chinese medicine texts all describe hormones as coming from the digestive system and then being moved to the liver.
Makes sense to me – you eat the foods with fats to then absorb them and move them to the liver to be assembled into hormones.
What fats make hormones? Cholesterol.
Cholesterol is the building block of hormones and it’s made in the liver.
Does it make sense to you that you’d want to suppress your cholesterol with a medication and then use synthetic hormones to counter the effects of that medication?
In modern medicine this is done all the time.
One med to do one thing then the other to counter the effect of the 1st medicine.
Seems counterintuitive to me.
So what if you made a point to get in the good fats that your liver wants to make estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA?
What if you helped support your liver in general with foods like beets, carrots and the cabbage family?
And bonus – what if you supported your digestive system to work optimally to move the foods from the gut to the liver optimally?
Because sex hormones aren’t the only players in the signaling game in the body…
…it’s key to think about things like: thyroid hormones, adrenaline, and insulin.
These hormones need protein.
Most adults over 30 suck at breaking down proteins.
Stress reduces digestive enzyme production in the stomach and the pancreas.
Less hydrochloric acid made in the stomach the harder it is to break down proteins into amino acids and peptides.
Proteins are the building block to peptides.
Insulin, adrenaline and thyroid hormones are non-steroidal hormones with building blocks coming from proteins.
Insulin was the first peptide discovered back in the 1920’s and peptides like the GLP-1’s are just one of many peptides that have been researched.
In Chinese Medicine non-steroid hormones are considered heart qi (energy) hormones.
While that may seem abstract – ponder this…
…the digestive system absorbs the fats, proteins and carbs and sends all of it right to the liver.
The liver has a direct connection via the superior vena cava (a big vein) directly to the right atrium of the heart.
So when the liver is done doing it’s magic it sends it’s goods to the heart.
Adrenaline has a direct effect on the heart.
Thyroid hormones have direct effect on circulation and the heart.
While insulin doesn’t have a direct effect on the heart, having insulin resistance will cause elevated blood sugar which in turn leads to cardiovascular disease when not managed.
I love the simplicity of old school medicine.
The heart and liver are physically connected via blood, the most important fluid for hormones.
Blood is how hormones and peptides are transported through the body.
Poor circulation = poor hormone and peptide flow.
You can see this in real time by looking at your labs.
If you have low levels of the proteins, albumin or globulin you will not be carrying hormones well.
Eating a low protein diet or not being able to digest proteins well can lead to poor circulation of hormones.
Combine that with poor circulation in general and you have some work to do.
If you have high levels of albumin or globulin your blood is sticky and flowing like molasses, another form of poor circulation.
This is a sign of inflammation in the body.
Same goes for elevated hemoglobin a1c (blood sugar levels), while this marker is known for showing elevated blood sugar it’s also an indicator of inflammation and sticky blood.
I see normal fasting blood sugars and low triglyceride levels with prediabetic 5.5-5.9% hemoglobin a1c levels in highly inflamed and likely cortisol or adrenaline dominant stressed folks.
How do you improve your heart and liver qi to enhance your circulation?
- Movement
- Using a rebounder, or vibration plate
- Heat, hot and cold exposures, breath work
- Stress management
- Laughing, playing and getting outside
- Sitting down to chew your food and savor it
- Eating foods closest to nature and making sure you’re getting in protein and good fats
- Drinking 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces of water a day
- Consuming electrolytes via Celtic or Redmond’s real salt with potassium in the form of fruit or pistachios
- Taking digestive enzymes if you notice food isn’t digesting well (gas, bloating, acid reflux)
- Acupuncture or other energy moving modalities
- Herbs to support the liver – schisandra berry, milk thistle
- Herbs to support the heart – Hawthorne berry, motherwort, Dong Quai (Angelica Sinensis), ginkgo
I believe going back to basics is crucial in medicine right now.
Question everything and look at the trends.
Enhance your circulation and feel the benefits!
Here’s to getting your circulation on point,
Dr. Jannine Krause
