Hormones and Glandulars

Hormones are not nutrients: they’re drugs. As such, they should be prescribed by a doctor. But events have taken a curious, albeit encouraging, turn, for a certain few hormones are now avail- able over-the-counter, sold as vita-nutrients at pharmacies supermarkets, and health food stores. Thus it is important to know about them – not only because they’re there, but because they are potent controllers of many body functions.

Although these prescription-free supplements can satisfy some of the body’s most fundamental needs, they are among the substances that your doctor is least likely to recommend. In many respects, figuring out which hormones are right for you may be of greater importance than determining the right doses of vitamins and minerals. Let’s face it: hormones are much stronger modulators of health than nutrients. While having this kind of increased power within easy reach is exciting, it also means that you must be more responsible in using them.

As we proceed, keep in mind the one important difference between over-the-counter hormones and other supplements- Vitamin C, vitamin E and almost all other nutrients are safe for  virtually everyone in a vast dosage range. lier with hormones. They require specific, individual dosages based on ‘before’ and ‘after’ blood measurements. Even though they are relatively free of risk, their safest use requires the expert guidance of a doctor – one familiar with their benefits, indications and dosages, as well as with your particular needs. I offer my own guidelines only because such practitioners are not in plentiful supply.

The three readily available hormones:

1. DHEA,
2. Pregnenolone,
3. Melatonin

Share one noteworthy feature: their natural levels in your body peak during your early twenties, then drop steadily and dramatically as you grow older. Their decline is closely associated with a number of the health-related changes that occur as we age. Indeed, some of these changes might be reversed by restoring the hormones to what I call their ‘prime levels’ – the amounts your body generated during your prime, which is about the age of thirty. Careful, measured supplementation may achieve this; megadoses will not.