The Herb Woman

*** You’re fat and you know it! Now I’m going to tell you something you don’t already know.
You think you already know why you’re fat but you don’t. You think it’s because you just don’t have enough time and motivation to exercise. You think it’s because you love food and don’t quite have [...]

Sometimes some foods may make you feel bad. I would even say, not just bad ? but terrible. I?m sure you regret it every time, but now you would found out what is making you and I feel so terrible. Actually, it’s yeast! As far as my personal experience may be taken into account, I [...]

An infection of the sinus can be nasty. Nasal blockage, headaches because of sinus pressure, raw and painful nasal areas, and even throat pains. Besides, sinus infection left unattended can lead to additional problems like bronchitis or pneumonia in extreme cases.
An irritating fact about [...]

In a new study researchers from Clemson University found various grape extracts and their compounds to be effective at inhibiting Helicobacter pylori, one of the leading causes of gastritis in humans. Following 24 hour treatment, results showed that muscadine grape skin extract had the highest anti-H. pylori effect.

“Looking inside” the arteries of students eating a variety of foods, researcher’s visualized exactly what happens inside the body when the wrong foods for a healthy heart are eaten. They found that foods with a high glycemic index distended brachial arteries for several hours.

Omega-3 deficiency is the sixth biggest killer of Americans and more deadly than excess trans fat intake, according to a new study. The study determined that there were 72,000-96,000 preventable deaths each year due to omega-3 deficiency, compared to 63,000-97,000 for high trans fat intake.

Are Women’s Bio-identical hormones safe? Bio-identical hormones exist naturally in the human body, so it is axiomatic that these are safe. However, we are interested in a slightly different question. What is the safety of bio-identical hormones as routinely used in medical practice? Let’s try to answer this question.

This article answers the question, why are bioidentical hormones important? What do they do and why do we need them?

What is a bioidentical hormone?

First of all, let us look at the definition of a bioidentical hormone, and how they differ from the synthetic hormones offered by the mainstream medical system.

Left Image: Natural Redhead courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

How is a Synthetic Hormone Different from A Bioidentical Hormone?

Bioidentical hormones are the hormones that exist in the human body naturally. Synthetic hormones are these very same human hormones that are chemically altered.

Why Chemically Alter a Human Hormone?

The drug company hires chemists to alter the structure of human hormones in the laboratory so the drug company can obtain a patent on the new chemical structure, which is a new drug. This alteration is required in order for the drug company to obtain a patent which gives exclusive marketing rights to the drug company. The patent is necessary to protects profits. Because of a quirk in our patent laws, only chemically altered substances can be patented. Natural substances like human hormones cannot be patented, and are therefore generally not as profitable to manufacture.

It’s been said that the only sure things in life are death and taxes, but in this modern world we can add a third sure thing we’re all likely to experience-stress. Stress is just a fact of life in modern society and it has a very negative impact on our health.

While we have all experienced stress, we may not be aware of what stress is from a biological standpoint, or what we can do to prevent it from damaging one’s health.

The body is programmed to survive. When something threatens a person’s survival there is a series of reactions in the body which prepare the body to cope with the threat. Dr. Hans Selye (1936), was the first researcher to document the effects of stress on health. He conducted experiments in laboratory animals and found that stress, coupled with nutritional deficiency, plays a role in the development of every disease.

As a result of the work of Dr. Selye and other researchers, we now have a very clear picture of what happens in the body when survival is threatened. When the mind perceives danger, a series of chemical reactions, sometimes called the fight or flight response, is triggered. The brain signals the hypothalamus to secrete the adrenocorticotrophic hormone releasing factor which travels to the pituitary where it stimulates the production of the adrenocorticotrophic stimulating hormone (ACTH). ACTH travels to the adrenals causing the increased production of epinephrine (adrenaline) and cortisol.

Epinephrine is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter in the sympathetic nervous system. It heightens physical alertness and activity. Cortisol is an anti-inflammatory hormone that suppresses the immune response. There are other changes in body biochemistry as well, including alterations in enzyme systems and prostaglandin production.

The net effect of all of these changes is to prepare the body for action. The body is “tweaked” physically to be able to fight the dangerous situation or escape from it. On the following page, you’ll find a list of some of the changes that take place in the body as a result of the release of these chemical messengers.

Following are some of the physical changes that take place in the body under stress, you can sew how this coping mechanism could help the body when the danger is real and physical, such as facing a bear or a mountain lion, or charging an enemy in battle. The body is operating at peak efficiency to defend itself or flee the situation.

Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “You are what you eat?” Well, that’s only partially true. In reality, you are what you eat, digest and metabolize. You can eat the best food in the world, but if your body can’t digest and utilize it properly, it isn’t going to do you any good.

You see, your body needs to break down proteins into amino acids before it can use them. Your body can’t utilize fats, either. It has to break them down into fatty acids. And it can’t use starch without breaking it down into simple sugars first. And you aren’t done yet, because the body also has to be able to reassemble these nutrients into the compounds it needs.