Healthy Living looks at the downswing of an imbalance of hormones

elizabeth lee vliet

An imbalance of hormones can offset the normalcy of daily life and cause significant mood swings. It occurs either when there is too little or too much of a particular hormone. If treatment is not secured, serious medical conditions can spring up.  The issue of hormone imbalance will be discussed this week by a visiting expert. Healthy Living met Dr Elizabeth Lee Vliet who explained that sometimes it can result from a disorder.

Marleni Cuellar, Reporting

The only time we seem to take notice of hormones is during puberty, PMS and menopause when we dub it the perpetrator of all negative changes that occur. In reality, though, the delicate balancing act of hormones is a constant process. Any upset to this process has serious repercussions in our daily living. Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet is currently in Belize, courtesy Belize Medical Associates, to present on this topic.

Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet, Author/Founder of HER Place

“Hormones are your  marvellous chemical communicators and they are produced by different organs in the body, the thyroids, the ovaries, the pituitary, the adrenal glands and they effect functions throughout the brain and body.  Everything from your hair to your eyes to your bones, your skin, your sex drive, mood energy level, weight; all of these things are affected by our hormones.”

Balanced hormones are what contribute to the normal day to day functioning of women and men. This is why it only attracts attention when they are acting up or out of balance. Some of this happens as a part of a normal bodily process and other times it is a part of a disorder.

Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet

“The hormone imbalances can have a very significant effect on moods and I like to tell women you’re not crazy, you’re not imagining it, it’s a chemical affect of these hormones acting on the brain path waves that regulate mood and sleep and weight and appetite and thirst and sex drive. So the moodiness that comes often the second week of the menstrual cycle is related to an imbalance between estrogens progesterone and testosterone. Look for things that always happen at the same time of your menstrual cycle because that gives you a clue that it is a chemical, hormonal endocrine change, not something that you’re imagining. If the hormones are not balanced, normally it can cause a lot of problems. Young women, fro example, with PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome have excess male hormones and too little estrogens and they don’t produce progesterone. They have body hair, acne, they lose their facial hair and they gain weight around the middle of their body and they have trouble getting pregnant and then what happens as they get older if it hasn’t been properly diagnosed or treated then they are higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease.”

Unfortunately PCOS is underdiagnosed and the symptoms are treated on an individual basis. But with the potential long term ramifications of the hormonal disorder; early detection is vital.

Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet

“It really helps reduce the risk of serious health problem. Young women with PCOS are sixty percent more likely to have diabetes by their 30’s and diabetes sets you up for heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure  and we now know that women with diabetes and heart disease have the same risk factors that increase their risk of breast cancer later in life.”

Dr. Vliet has diagnosed women as early as within their teenage years. This often happens when parents detect abnormal changes during puberty.

Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet

“For young women, teenagers, one of the things parents often bring in their daughters to see me is for severe mood swings or anger outbursts or they’re suddenly gaining a lot of weight, they’re started developing a lot of facial hair or they’re losing hair on their scalp. The sudden weight gain is the biggest thing. One mother brought her daughter because she had gained sixty pounds in a year. Her mother was very worried about it and yet she ate a healthy diet.”

The symptoms for women are no different. If you experience unwarranted anxiety attacks, sleeplessness, low sex drive, thinning hair, dry eyes, waking for no reason and unexplained weight gain, then it’s best to check in with the doctor.

Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet

“If a woman has really bad PMS then there is something wrong and we can help her feel better and not suffer with that because it really very distressing to feel like an alien has taken over your body and somebody else  is controlling your moods; its really very upsetting. So I like women to understand that you’re not imagining this, you’re not crazy; it’s a chemical change that happens when the hormones are out of balance and it affects the brain and it affects the pathways that regulate mood. You’re not a bad person because it happens, it’s a chemical change and just like other chemical changes we can help prevent it from being a problem.”

Dr. Vliet offers more information on PCOS and related topics on her website at www.herplace.com.