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In my last post I explained a few reasons why estrogen dominance is a significant problem for a lot of baby boomer women when they try to lose body fat through “diet and exercise”.

Osteoporosis is another problem in both men and women which is associated with out of balance hormone levels.

There are two types of activity going on in your bones at any one time - the destruction of existing bone matter and the creation of new bone matter.

The reason why both men and women get osteoporosis is this. The growth of new bone is regulated by testosterone levels. And the destruction of bone is regulated by estrogen.

There are two types of bone - the smooth crisp stuff on the outside and the honeycombed softer stuff on the inside.

When a Doctor orders you a drug to “prevent osteoporosis” what it usually does is slow the destruction of the smooth bone. This actualy becomes crisper and more likely to break strangely enough. It’s why some women who have a bone density check of their hips show a good density -and then break a hip in a fall soon after.

For some reason the drug does nothing to prevent the loss of the honeycomb bone. And does nothing to create new bone.

And it seems to be pointless taking supplements to “prevent osteoporosis” if the hormones which regulate bone growth and destruction are out of kilter.

Research reveals the following -

• Testosterone levels are the major predictor of skeletal mass.
• Low testosterone leads to frailty and osteoporosis.
• Long term studies have shown testosterone replacement is able to improve bone density in lumbar and hip.
• The ratio of testosterone and estrogen determines the ocurrence of osteoporosis.

Testosterone is also important for a lot of other reasons. Recent research has shown that women low in this hormone have the similar risks as men for coronary heart disease, depressed mood, low libido and reduced energy.

Both HRT and estrogen dominance cause increased levels of sex hormone binding globulin which in turn causes free testosterone to reduce, and that creates an increase in aromatase which converts more of the free testosterone into estrogen in your body fat. A chain reaction of diastrous consequences.

Recall that only about 50% of pre and post menopausal women will have this problem. The rest may put on a little weight but be “normal” size. These “normal” sized women have about 50% of the testosterone they had in their 20’s.

But the obese woman will only have about 25%. Low free testosterone levels are proven to be associated with coronary heart disease.

Enough bad news - what can you do to fix it so you can get a normal life back?

Knowledgeable doctors say the first thing to do is have a hormone test to see what the free levels are.

This can only be done with a combination of blood serum and a  saliva test. The hormones measured in blood tests may not be freely available for use, so measuring blood serum hormone levels only may give incorrect results.

You then need to take these results to a sympathetic doctor who is willing to understand the problem, and they prescribe the appropriate amounts of progesterone and testosterone usually as a topical cream. The hormones used are bioidentical to your own i.e. natural and not produced by a drug company. A compounding pharmacist makes it up according to the doctors prescription.

There are a number of websites which explain in greater depth the possible dangers of artificial patented hormones.

Once you have balanced your hormones, “diet and exercise” along with your own burning desire for positive change is guaranteed to produce better results.

Why do women have these problems which seem to cascade like falling dominos?

My theory is simple. When we were hunter gatherers, people generally didn’t live past their 40’s. So women and men had a biological use by date, and weren’t designed to live past it.

Nowadays of course we do, hence the problems of deterioration. Still it’s reversible to some extent.

And that is what Fitness by Phone is all about - helping you live a quality life thru education and personal mentoring. It is my sincere desire this article will prompt you to seek more information so you can move forward.

Live long. Live well.

Rick Rakauskas