The Inflammatory Side of Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is very complex in presentation and in causes, but one study demonstrates that there is a link between fibromyalgia and the inflammatory process.

Lucas et al. found that hormones and other biological markers associated with inflammation were found to be present where they normally were not, or higher than normal in the cerebro-spinal fluid, blood and skin of fibromyalgia sufferers.  They do not say that fibromyalgia is an inflammatory disorder, but that inflammation plays a critical role in its onset and progression.

So what does that mean to patients with fibromyalgia?  It means that keeping your body's pro- and anti-inflammatory processes balanced, may help limit flare-ups and prevent some of the fibromyalgia related inflammatory disorders, such as migraines, cystitis and irritable bowel syndrome.   

A huge part of this is proper nutrition, supplementation and exercise.  If you suffer with fibromyalgia and have not found someone to help guide you through this process, find a functional medicine provider that can find out what your specific needs are and start the journey to restoring your health.

Are Your Hormones Causing Your Hair Loss?

Thinning hair and hair loss can be a major concern for men and women alike.  It can affect confidence and self-image.  One very common but often ignored cause can be the balance of your body's hormones.

When your hormones are in their optimal balance and you have proper nutrition healthy hair growth is promoted.  Women tend to be more susceptible to hormonal imbalances than men due to the many different stages that their bodies go through such as the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and menopause.

As you can see from the picture, the pituitary gland controls all of the other hormone producing parts of your body, including the thyroid, the adrenal glands, and sex hormone producers.  This is important to know because each of these areas can influence the quality of your hair.

Both over-active and under-active thyroid can lead to hair loss.  Hyperthyroidism is often also associated with weight loss, increased anxiety, sweating, sensitivity to heat, and difficulty sleeping.  Hypothyroidism symptoms include fatigue, sensitivity to cold, dry skin, depression, and puffiness around the face. 

It has long been known that stress can lead to hair loss.  If the adrenal glands are overworked, due to excessive stress, the increase in cortisol can lead to hair loss, but also increased facial hair in women.  The parathyroid hormones are associated with your ability to manage stress and can lead to thinning hair, muscle cramps and alterations in skin pigmentation.  

Testosterone is often associated with balding in men, so it stands to reason that if a woman's balance between estrogen/progesterone and testosterone is off it could lead to similar symptoms.  One common such cause for this imbalance is use of birth control pills.

For further investigation of what your cause might be do not hesitate to contact us.

Beware of This "Healthy" Protein Source

This post is a warning especially for the guys out there.  In recent years well placed advertising and poor understanding of hormones has taught many that soy is a healthy choice, if not a superfood.  In reality it is leading to a feminizing of males.

In 2009 Men's Health told the story of a retired U.S. Army officer, James Price, who started developing unusual symptoms.  Always in good health and active, Price started to develop painful lumps under each nipple, loosing hair from his beard, arms, chest and legs, and other symptoms associated with an imbalance in hormones.  When tested he was found to have blood levels of estrogen (the primary female sex hormone) eight times higher than normal.  In fact they were even higher than levels found in healthy women.

The mystery though was "Where was the estrogen coming from?"  He was tested for estrogen producing tumors and found to be in the clear.  The fourth doctor that Price worked with finally started asking the right questions and dug into his diet and lifestyle.  What was discovered is that in an effort live healthy Price was consuming about 3 quarts of soy milk a day. 

"Why is this a problem, I thought soy was the new health food?" you might be saying.  The problem with soy products is that they contain phytoestrogens, which are compounds that structurally look like the female sex hormone estrogen, and can mimic the effects of estrogen.  So in men, soy has the effect of increasing estrogen levels and feminizing men.  No women are not immune to negative effects of too much soy, but I will have to address that later.

Action steps:
Avoid soy based product (weight lifters check your protein source)
If you suspect a hormone imbalance, get tested at our clinic or another functional medicine clinic

To check out the article from Men's Health follow this link:
http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/soys-negative-effects