Lecture Series · Hormones
Adapted from Dr. Patricia Sheppard's lecture on hormonal balance — what the major hormones actually do, what imbalance looks like from the inside, and why the liver and the nervous system belong in any serious conversation about hormones.
Hormones are one of the ways the body's cells talk to each other. They are made by specialised glands — ovaries, testes, thyroid, adrenals — and act as messengers to distant parts of the body.
But they are not the only messengers. Neurotransmitters relay signals between nerve cells, exist throughout the body, and are required for proper brain and body function — including hormone release itself. Serotonin increases output from the anterior pituitary; it raises prolactin, which lowers testosterone; it raises LH, which raises testosterone in men and estradiol in women; it raises ACTH, which drives the adrenals to produce more cortisol.
Which leads to the line from the lecture worth keeping: a neurotransmitter imbalance is a hormonal imbalance. Treating one while ignoring the other is why so many hormone protocols disappoint.
The Cast
Hormones of growth and sexual development: they develop and maintain female reproductive tissue, control fluid and electrolyte balance, increase protein anabolism, and keep breast tissue and skin healthy. Three matter most — estradiol, estrone and estriol.
The most active estrogen. It slows the breakdown of bone and helps preserve and regenerate nerve cells in the brain. It falls dramatically at menopause, and low levels have been studied in relation to cognitive and mood disorders.
The weakest of the estrogens, produced in the ovaries. Production rises sharply in pregnancy, where it serves as an indicator of fetal well-being.
Involved in reproduction, nervous-system health and mood — the "feel-good" hormone of the group. At optimal levels it balances and supports the other sex hormones, especially estrogen, and it activates GABA receptors, which matters for anyone dealing with pain, PMS or compulsive patterns.
Testosterone, DHEA and DHT help regenerate skin, bone and muscle. Low DHEA shows up as fatigue, low mood and reduced mental function. DHT maintains lean muscle mass and cardiovascular health in both sexes; low levels are linked to low libido and a worsening fat-to-muscle ratio.
Part of the stress-response system. Together they regulate metabolism and body weight, influence cognitive function, and affect neurotransmitter action — norepinephrine, GABA and epinephrine among them.
In women, high levels tend to produce weight gain, breast tenderness and heavy periods; low levels produce hot flashes, vaginal dryness and bone loss. In men, high estrogen is associated with prostate problems and reduced testosterone.
Low levels bring menopausal effects forward — hot flashes, disturbed sleep, irritability.
Its own recognisable cluster: decreased libido, depression, anxiety or agitation, fat gain especially around the abdomen, fibrocystic breasts and uterine fibroids, cervical dysplasia, and thyroid dysfunction.
Common, and gradual enough to be missed: irregular periods, difficulty conceiving, weight gain in an apple pattern, acne, hair loss from the scalp and hair growth on the face or chest.
Estrogenic hormones are detoxified and recycled in the liver — Phase I cytochrome P450 hydroxylation, then Phase II glucuronidation, sulfation and methylation. When those pathways run well, hormones that have done their job are escorted out. When they don't, target tissue stays exposed for longer than it should.
And the liver is not only handling your own hormones. Environmental estrogens — xenoestrogens from pesticides, municipal waste and the plastics in the food supply — are chemicals that behave like human estrogens. Wildlife reproductive disorders have been linked to them. They add hormonal noise to the system and compete for the same detoxification capacity.
Falling estrogen and progesterone are only part of it. The lecture lists the rest, and they are the parts you can actually do something about:
What Dr. Sheppard presented as the nutritional levers on estrogen metabolism and clearance. Which of these apply to you is a testing question, not a shopping question.
Alongside that, the detoxification side: supporting glutathione reserves and B-complex absorption for the liver pathways, restoring healthy intestinal flora, removing dietary antigens, and improving digestion with enzymes and adequate stomach acid. More on clinical nutrition.
Questions
A pattern where estrogen's effects are unopposed relative to progesterone. It tends to show up as weight gain around the middle, breast tenderness, heavy periods, fibrocystic breasts or uterine fibroids, low libido, thyroid dysfunction, and mood that swings toward anxiety or agitation.
More than most people expect. Neurotransmitters relay signals between nerve cells and are required for hormone release — serotonin, for example, influences output from the anterior pituitary, which in turn affects prolactin, LH and ACTH, and so testosterone, estradiol and cortisol. In practice, a neurotransmitter imbalance and a hormonal imbalance are often the same problem seen from two sides.
Because that is where estrogens are broken down and cleared, through Phase I hydroxylation and then Phase II conjugation. If those pathways are sluggish, hormones that should have been escorted out stay in circulation longer than they should.
Synthetic chemicals that behave like human estrogens — from pesticides, industrial waste and plastics in the food supply. They add to the hormonal signal your body has to process and compete for the same detoxification pathways.
Symptoms are rarely driven by falling estrogen alone — adrenal stress, blood sugar swings, thyroid function and liver clearance all contribute, and each is addressable. That is the work: find which of them apply to you. It is a conversation to have with Dr. Sheppard and with your physician, not a decision to make from a web page.
Functional testing is part of the practice at both offices, including Santa Fe at 1330 Cerro Gordo Road Unit A2. See what we test or call (415) 332-0621.
This article is adapted from Dr. Sheppard's presentation. The slide deck she delivered it from is still available to download.
This article is adapted from a public lecture given by Dr. Sheppard and is offered for education only. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for care from your physician. Nothing here is a claim to prevent, treat or cure any disease.
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