Hormones-Blossoming Hormones

Men and women are reading and hearing a lot about natural hormones these days. Increasingly, women ask their physicians for guidance, but most physicians do not have the answers. Replenishing and balancing hormones re-infuses health and youthfulness. Hormones primarily help to repair damage from the past, alleviate present symptoms, and replenish the body so that one experiences heightened vitality. Modem medicine consistently attempts to help people extend their lifespan, yet they have not solved the problem of chronic disease. The U.S. government has reported that babies born this year statistically will live five years less than their parents' generation.

In my work as an emergency room physician, I am faced with life and death health concerns every day, yet one of the underlying causes of many of these problems is often hormonal imbalance set off by one's own biochemistry or inappropriate lifestyle habits. Over the years this became so apparent to me that I began to study hormones and their connection to human health and eventually became an expert in this emerging field. Natural bio-identical hormones are derived from a plant molecule called diosgenin, found in wild yams. After diosgenin is extracted from yams, it is converted into bio-identical progesterone. In turn, progesterone can be converted by knowledgeable chemists into estrogen. Because natural progesterone and the estrogens are biologically identical to the hormones produced in one's body, the cells respond to them in exactly the same way that they respond to naturally produced hormones. Because these hormones are organically generated, they cannot be patented and thus are unappealing to -the pharmaceutical industry. As you know, pharmaceuticals are patented only if they are chemically unique after being manipulated in a laboratory. This is the reason drug companies rarely produce or promote natural hormone preparations. Many of the people that I counsel were previously prescribed chemical hormones. It finally became apparent to researchers, as a worldwide study on such drugs was being conducted, that they have major side effects including increasing one's risk of certain cancers, predominantly breast cancer. Cancer is a complicated issue without simple answers or magic bullets. Prevention is the name of the game. Competent physicians immediately removed these noxious chemical hormones from their patients and often left them feeling helpless. There is also a major emotional impact stemming from the trust issue after patients had believed such drugs were safe and effective. Today there are many who suspect that any hormones spell trouble. This is why it is critical that hormones be addressed first through saliva diagnosis, which reveals the exact deficiencies that can be restored with the perfect extracts. It is safety and life enhancement that should be our first priority, rather than theory and profit.

By the time the average person reaches the age of 50, there is typically a 30% drop in estrogen. Between the ages of 35 to 50, there is a 75% loss of progesterone, which continually declines. Between the ages of 25 and 50 most people lose half of their DHEA and testosterone, followed by a 50% loss of the remaining DHEA and testosterone by the age of 75. Each of these depletions can wreak havoc on one's strength, stamina, mental acuity and appearance. As a matter of fact, the fountain of youth is filled with abundant hormones. It is not only youth we are seeking, but ongoing capabilities, energy and, ultimately, vitality in our unfolding years. I feel privileged to offer my counsel and tailor programs for interested Hippocrates guests and those living in South Florida. I am a part of the Active Aging Team because there is no doubt that hormones are the fuel for future growth.

If you are interested in being evaluated, tested and treated with natural hormones, contact Diane Lahoski to make an appointment with Dr Blossom at 561-471-8876 ext. 122.

Dr. Blossom Kunnel is an ER physician at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Palm Beach and also practices Active Aging Medicine at a local health and wellness center Blossom grew up in India until the age of twelve at which lime she relocated to Michigan. After high school, she attended Wayne State- University in Michigan earning a B.S. in Biology. She did a post-baccalaureate program at the University of Pennsylvania before going to medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She did her residency in emergency medicine at St. Luke's Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Dr Kunnel served as an associate faculty member for The University of Pennsylvania Hospital emergency department and worked as an emergency room doctor in Pennsylvania before moving to Florida.

Vol 25 Issue 3 Page 31