Did you know hormones impact your mental health?  Well, they do.  Mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia can be devastating and painful to live with. I know, because I once lived with schizoaffective disorder, but now I’m in remission because I take progesterone.

Progesterone, along with estrogen, regulates our moods and thoughts. Imbalances in these hormones can cause symptoms of mental disease.

Most of us know more about hormones than we realize.  Have you ever seen the physical and emotional changes that occur during puberty (in young boys and girls), during menopause and andropause, and during the two weeks before a woman’s menstrual cycle (PMS, PMDD)?  Sure, we all have.  We all know hormones are involved in these instances.  So why wouldn’t hormones be involved with mental disease?

Now, I know there are exceptions to this rule.  There are instances where people can develop symptoms similar to those seen in mental illness after sustaining a head injury, undergoing brain surgery or after binge drinking or drugging.  I’m not sure if hormones will help in these cases or not, but they may.

But then there are some of us, who have these diseases because of hormone imbalances and we can be helped through hormone balance.

Estrogen and Progesterone are two hormones our brains use to function properly. They keep our brain cells healthy and allow our brains to function as they should. Deficiencies in progesterone can lead to mood swings, depression, mania, anxiety, hallucinations and delusions.

If you have ever suspected your hormones are involved in your mental health, now is the time to explore hormone balance as a treatment option. There are board certified medical doctors who can help you achieve this.

If you want more information on how to find a doctor or if you want to know the regime I followed to get well and continue to follow to sustain my health, click this link: http://update.dorisking.net/?p=126.

*Please understand that most doctors will not prescribe progesterone based on your mental health diagnosis alone, it’s more likely you will be prescribed progesterone based on a combination of both your mental and physical symptoms.

So, what are you waiting for?  Get out there, educate yourself and reclaim your health!

Good luck to you!

Doris

I will be attending the Women’s Mental Health Symposium at FAMU’s New Pharmacy Building located at 1415 South Martin Luther King Blvd. in Tallahassee, Florida.

When:  Saturday, May 15, 2010 from 9:00am – 3:30pm.

I will have books on hand and I will be there to answer questions regarding hormone balance and mental health.

This event is free and open to the public.  Registration is required.  To complete a registration form click here.

I hope to see you there!

It’s Psych Week over at Discovery Health (May 2-7).

Here’s the line-up: Anxious – Sunday @ 9 p.m., Enraged – Sunday @ 10 p.m., Woman w/ 15 Personalities – Monday @ 9 p.m., Born Schizophrenic – Tuesday @ 9 p.m., My Strange Addiction – Wednesday@ 9 p.m., Bipolar Mysteries – Thursday @ 9 p.m., and Hoarding: Buried Alive – Friday @ 9 p.m.

To learn more about the shows, click here.

I hope you are able to catch some of the shows.

Best regards,

Doris

I followed the Dr. John Lee’s 3 Rules of Hormone Balance to get well.  Dr. Lee wrote the best-selling books, “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause” and “Dr. Lee’s Hormone Balance Made Simple.”

Below are Dr. Lee’s Rules of Hormone Balance:

Rule #1: Take Progesterone Only if you Need It (If you have clear symptoms or your levels are measurably low). *Click here for Dr. Lee’s low progesterone symptoms list.

Rule #2: Take Bioidentical Progesterone Instead of Synthetic Progestins

and

Rule #3: Take Progesterone in Physiological Amounts Only.

I discovered I needed progesterone based on my symptoms. I read through Dr. Lee’s progesterone deficiency list and I realized I had most of the symptoms! Headaches:  check.  Fibrocystic breasts:  check.  Fatigue:  check, check, check!  It was clear my body needed progesterone.

I also have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), this is a syndrome where ovulation doesn’t occur regularly.  If there is no ovulation, progesterone isn’t produced.  So taking progesterone made sense to me.

You don’t have to have PCOS to have a progesterone deficiency.  You could have luteal insufficiency.  Luteal insufficiency is a condition where you ovulate, but progesterone production is still inadequate.  If you have PCOS or luteal insufficiency, you may experience heavy menstrual cramps and/or heavy menstrual bleeding.  Fertility problems are also common.

So how can you tell if you need progesterone?  Take a look at the “progesterone-deficient” symptom list found here. And discuss these symptoms with a doctor who has experience correcting hormone imbalances.

If you don’t know a doctor who does this type of work, try contacting your local compounding pharmacy.  Many compounding pharmacies keep an associated list of doctors who use their pharmacy.  Ask your local compounding specialist to refer you to a doctor who prescribes progesterone and specifically to one that works with people with mood disorders.

To find the compounding pharmacy nearest you, contact the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacies at www.iacprx.org or you can call their toll free referral line at 1-800-927-4227.

If you are taking medications, keep taking your medications as prescribed and work on getting your hormones balanced at the same time. Only your prescribing doctor can wean you off of your medications if and when appropriate.

Continue to educate yourself about hormone balance.  Read all you can.  The more you know, the more confident you will feel when you approach your doctor.

Best of luck to you!

Doris

There are many types of bipolar disorder:  bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia (cyclothymic disorder), mixed bipolar, and rapid cycling.  All types of bipolar disorder include some degree of mania and depression.

Bipolar I disorder is the most severe form of bipolar disorder.  Some days you may feel extremely high (mania) and other days terribly low (depression).  These feelings usually interrupt your everyday life.

Bipolar II disorder is a milder form of the illness.  The mood swings are not as severe as bipolar I.  Those with bipolar II are said to experience periods of hypomania (mild mania) and depression.

Cyclothymia has even milder mood changes than bipolar I and bipolar II.

If you have symptoms of mania and depression at the same time or one right after the other, this is called mixed bipolar disorder.

If you have four or more episodes of mania or depression within a year, this is called rapid cycling.

Doctors diagnose bipolar disorder looking at the length, severity, and frequency of one’s symptoms.

If you suspect you have bipolar disorder, please share your symptoms with your health care provider.

I’m always searching for articles that show the importance of hormone balance to mental health.  Today, I stumbled on a jewel.

Dr. Janice R. Stevens of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon noted that the onset of schizophrenia occurs during the reproductive period (puberty) in 80% of those affected.

Could the increase of steroid hormones during puberty have something to do with schizophrenia’s onset?  I think so.  And Dr. Stevens does too.

In her article, “Schizophrenia: Reproductive Hormones and the Brain,” Dr. Steven’s explains how the brain is flooded with high amounts of estrogen and testosterone throughout the reproductive years.  She says that if these excitatory hormones aren’t counterbalanced they can cause hyperexcitability and seizures.  Both of these symptoms are very common in schizophrenia.

One of progesterone’s roles in the brain and body is to balance the effects of estrogen.

And yes, men have estrogen too!

An enzyme in the male brain converts testosterone into estrogen, for the male brain to use.

Estrogen isn’t a “bad” hormone, but it’s extremely toxic when not properly balanced by progesterone.

I’m not trying to shake the mental health system up, but preventative treatments need to be explored.  Why shouldn’t we explore steroid hormones as a viable treatment? We already know that healthy brains need them and we know through articles like Dr. Steven’s that they are unbalanced in mentally ill people.

If you are interested in reading Dr. Steven’s full-length article, please click here.  In order to open the article, you will need to click on the link that says “Begin manual download.”

Good luck to you!

The symptoms of bipolar disorder are dramatic and unpredictable mood swings. The illness causes you to experience two different phases:  mania and depression.  Mania is the part of the illness that can cause high energy surges and racing thoughts.  Depression is the total opposite.  During depression, it’s common to have low energy and difficulty concentrating.

Below are common symptoms of mania and depression.

1) Symptoms of bipolar mania or hypo-mania

• euphoria or irritability
• excessive talk; racing thoughts
• inflated self-esteem
• unusual energy; less need for sleep
• impulsiveness, a reckless pursuit of gratification (shopping sprees, impetuous travel, more and sometimes promiscuous sex, high-risk business investments, fast driving)

2) Symptoms of bipolar depression/major depression

• depressed mood and low self-esteem
• low energy levels and apathy
• sadness, loneliness, helplessness, guilt
• slow speech, fatigue, and poor coordination
• insomnia or oversleeping
• suicidal thoughts and feelings
• poor concentration
• lack of interest or pleasure in usual activities

If you suspect you have bipolar disorder, please talk with your family and friends, and especially your health care provider.

We all know hormones impact our mental health.

Take a look at the emotional and behavioral changes that happen during women’s menstrual cycles and before and after pregnancy. And look at the changes that occur in men and women during puberty.

So doesn’t it seem logical that an imbalance in hormones would be involved in emotional and mood disorders?

I’m not telling everyone with a mental health diagnosis to run out and take progesterone.  I’m encouraging people to educate themselves on the importance of hormone balance.  And if one finds they have imbalance, I’m encouraging them to have the courage to correct it with the help of their doctor.

I’m confident hormonal imbalances are causing a large percentage of mental illness cases.

Steroid hormones (such as progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone) are essential to proper brain and adrenal gland function. So doesn’t it make sense that diseases of the brain and adrenal glands are linked to steroid hormones?

The late Dr. John Lee was a pioneer in the field of hormone balance. He found a cluster of symptoms linked to low progesterone levels. These symptoms can be found here: Progesterone Deficiency List.

I work as a mental health worker. Part of my job is visiting state mental institutions (hospitals). Many of the hospital residents have symptoms on Dr. Lee’s list.

They have thyroid disorders, digestive diseases, autoimmune diseases, fibrocystic breasts, cystic ovaries, migraines, blood sugar problems, gallbladder disease, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, allergies, menstrual irregularities, and excessive abdominal fat.

Dr. Lee said that once one learns what a progesterone deficiency looks like, it becomes very easy to recognize.

I lived with one my entire life, so it’s easy for me to see it in others.

Many of the people I’ve met, with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, have the symptoms on Dr. Lee’s list. I feel confident in saying at least 80% of the people I’ve met have the deficiency. And I have seen hundreds of mentally ill people.

That’s startling.

In my book, I don’t suggest that people take progesterone based on their mental health diagnosis. I encourage them to take progesterone only if they need it ( if they are showing symptoms or if their levels are measurably low).