Blog — Hormonal Imbalance in Men

The endocrine system is a series of glands that produce and secrete hormones. The endocrine system and the nervous system work together to monitor and adjust the physiological activities of the body, always striving for balance or homeostasis. When our hormones become unbalanced, it can have a dramatic effect on both our physical well being and our mental health. Irritability, depression, anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, reduced ability to concentrate, lowered capacity for learning and memory issues, can all be symptoms of unbalanced hormones. These symptoms can be a result of low testosterone or high estrogen in men, thyroid dysfunction or...

Leptin is an extremely important hormone because it has an impact on other hormones including insulin, thyroid, adrenal, pancreatic and sex hormones. Leptin restores our fat reserves when we eat. It acts as a fuel gage to let us know when to stop consuming food. When we have too much leptin our receptors get worn and the wrong signal is communicated to the brain telling us we need more fuel, when we actually have plenty of reserves. This miscommunication leads to our metabolism slowing down to preserve energy as well as overeating and excess fat storage. If you have excess...

Our bodies were built for movement. Exercise and training greatly affect hormones and encourage the breakdown of fat tissue. Intense training increases human growth hormone, which helps with muscle growth and recovery as well as tissue repair in our body. It also increases testosterone, which helps us to burn fat and build muscle tone. Shorter, intense exercise (under 45 minutes) will have this effect and indicates a good workout. If the intense exercise is too long in duration, it can have a negative effect with too much cortisol (stress hormone) being released. You can feel drained of energy after over...

Hormones affect your quality of life. There are habits that you may have that are messing with your hormone balance. Your body is always trying to maintain balance and your lifestyle influences this process of homeostasis. Here are some things that may be affecting your hormones: Lack of quality sleep Chronically high stress lifestyle Inflammation Poor diet: highly processed foods, excessive sugar, poorly timed meals and snacking Sedentary lifestyle: lack of activity, movement or exercise Excess body fat Prescription medication Focusing on improving in these areas will allow your body to rebalance your hormones and improve your health and quality...

  Our bodies have a built in survival mechanism for times when we are in danger. In response to a threat, the brain sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus, which is part of the brain that connects the endocrine system to the nervous system. From this signal, adrenaline is released and triggers the sympathetic nervous systems “fight or flight” response. This causes changes in our body to help us deal with the threat. Increased blood pressure and heart rate push blood into our muscles. Our breathing becomes rapid to increase oxygen intake. Our alertness increases and stored glucose is...