HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE RESEARCH & NEWS

The Connection Between Low-T and Infertility

Why Does Testosterone Deficiency Cause Infertility?

One of the most sure-fire signs of Testosterone Deficiency is lack of libido. Everyone knows that sex drive is tightly connected to Low-T. Even though there are many other symptoms of Testosterone Deficiency, this is the single symptom that most people understand and recognize. Most people also know that Low-T is one of many causes of Erectile Dysfunction, although there are a few other common causes as well.

Who Should Use Testosterone HRT?

For men that are experiencing trouble in the bedroom, whether that be the result of lack of sex drive, lack of functional ability, or both, Testosterone Hormone Treatments are an amazing tool for restoring normal sexual function in a large segment of aging males.

There is one potential problem involved in regard to Testosterone HRT, however, and every man should be made aware of it, no matter the age. Testosterone Replacement has the ability to put energy back into your love life, but it can also reduce your fertility while you are using it.

Infertility and Testosterone Replacement

According to urological specialists, Testosterone HRT has a significant impact on the ability for a man to bear children effectively. There have even been studies which have explored the potential of Testosterone Replacement Therapy as a form of birth control. Research has shown that long term Testosterone Supplementation can cause men to lose one hundred percent of their sperm production while using the treatment. Long Term Low-T Treatment has this effect in nine out of ten men.

Although Testosterone is fantastic for your bedroom experience, it may prevent you from experiencing the fruits of your labor. Many (or even most) men will be perfectly happy with this. By the time most people need Testosterone Replacement Therapy, there is a high likelihood that they have already had all of the children that they plan to have.

Even if circumstances change, suspending Testosterone Treatments can restore Sperm Production (although Erectile Dysfunction issues will return).

How does Natural Testosterone Contribute to Fertility?

Testosterone is one of the most vital components of sperm production. The connection between sperm genesis and Testosterone can be most simply described as a positive-feedback loop. Let us further explain exactly how this works:

Before either Testosterone or Sperm can be created, the testes must receive signals from the brain to authorize production. The hormones that trigger the production of Sperm and Testosterone are known as Gonadotropin-releasing Hormones, also referred to as GnRH. The term Gonadotropin signifies that the hormones are responsible for the production of sex hormones by the Testes and Ovaries.

The two primary hormones related to healthy sexual function in both sexes are known as Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone. In order for sperm to propagate, both hormones must be available in constructive amounts.

In a healthy man with normal Testosterone Levels, this system is in perfect equilibrium, and will work without a hitch. As Testosterone Levels in the blood drop, the brain gets signals to increase production of both hormones to compensate.

Why does Testosterone Hormone Replacement Therapy Reduce Fertility?

Testosterone Replacement Therapy is a simple concept. In order to restore proper function and health, a physician will prescribe a Testosterone Treatment that restores Hormone Balance by introducing an outside source of Testosterone. Unlike Human Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy, which can only be delivered via injection, there are numerous, effective ways to effectively deliver Testosterone to the human body.

Testosterone Hormone Replacement Therapy can be administered the following ways:

Testosterone Gels

Testosterone Injections

Testosterone Patches

Testosterone Sprays

Testosterone Dermal Implants

All of these methods can restore Testosterone Levels effectively, restoring function over time. The problem is that, when you introduce outside sources of Testosterone, you confuse your body just a little bit, which causes the positive feedback loop to turn into a negative feedback loop.

Your body senses the increase in concentration of Testosterone, and signals to the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to limit or suspend Testosterone Production. Because of this lack of natural Testosterone Secretion, your brain does not send signals to the testes to produce sperm either.

Over time, Testosterone Replacement Therapy will continually diminish your sperm production. As sperm production drops, this slowly reduces your ability to conceive until sperm production either completely shuts down or drops to a point to which fertilization becomes incredibly difficult.

If you are planning to conceive a child in the near future, it is recommended that you turn to another source of Erectile Dysfunction Treatment, such as Cialis or Viagra. There are other treatments which can increase sex drive and sexual function while not limiting your fertility.

Why Choose Testosterone Replacement Therapy?

Although Testosterone HRT limits fertility, by most other measures, it is far more beneficial to your body and overall health than other forms of ED Treatment if you suffer from Low-T. There are numerous symptoms of Testosterone Deficiency that are not treated when using other forms of Erectile Dysfunction Treatment.

For example, Viagra increases Erectile Function by restoring blood flow to the penis and inducing the release of nitric oxide which promotes the vasodilation vital for an erection to form. Viagra was actually originally conceived in 1991 as a treatment to promote healthy blood pressure. Over the next few years, researchers noticed that the drug had the side-effect of promoting the formation of erections, leading to it's eventual approval as an Erectile Dysfunction medication.

This doesn't treat the root cause of Testosterone Deficiency however, it only treats a limited pool of symptoms associated with the disorder. Choosing Testosterone Replacement Therapy means that you can resolve a number of other symptoms associated with Low-T, including:

Loss of Muscle Mass

Decrease in Body Fat Metabolism

Loss of Bone Mass

Fatigue and Energy Depletion

Depression

Unless your ultimate goal with therapy is to conceive a child, the benefits from Testosterone Replacement Therapy often far outweigh the loss of fertility and other risks.

Does this Negative Feedback Mechanism lead to other health issues?

It does not. Testosterone delivered to the body from an exogenous source provides all of the other necessary benefits of Testosterone Naturally Produced by the human body. The system of bio-feedback involved with natural Testosterone release only has an effect upon the production of natural Testosterone and the production of sperm by the testes. Because of this, Testosterone Hormone Replacement Therapy has no negative effect upon processes vital to male health.

In order to properly stimulate fertility, it is vital to both ensure that Natural Testosterone Production and Luteinizing Hormone production remain sufficiently elevated to encourage the healthy production of sperm. Testosterone Replacement Therapy alone is not capable of achieving that goal.

How to Increase Fertility in Men Experiencing Testosterone Deficiency

If you are a man with Low-T, one of the most effective means to increase Sperm Production is with the use of Gonadotropin Injections. Gonadotropin Injections contain Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone. They achieve Sperm Production through bypassing the feedback mechanism associated with Testosterone Replacement that discourages the release of Gonadotropins.

What is the Basic Protocol for Diagnosing Infertility

Generally, when a man comes into a clinic to learn about his fertility status, the first step is for the man to provide a sample in order to establish his sperm count. If he is producing an abnormally low amount of sperm, the next step is to perform blood testing in order to establish his T-Levels.

If the patient produces an abnormally low level of Testosterone, but still retains sexual function, the next step is simply to administer Gonadotropin Injections in order to promote enhanced fertility.

Although it may be fine to go to a general practitioner in order to establish Testosterone Levels and Sperm Count, the next step should be to talk to a reproductive specialist. Reproductive Endocrinologists are trained specifically in order to diagnose and treat Hormone Issues which lead to fertility problems.

Natural Ways to Increase Fertility

Although Gonadotropin Injections have a positive effect on fertility, there are other ways that you can naturally choose to enhance your fertility. If you would like to try your hand at natural procreation, you can try these steps before you visit a doctor, but these same steps can also further enhance fertility in combination with medical treatment.

Anything that you can do to positively influence your natural production of Testosterone will benefit your fertility. We recommend the following three steps to increase fertility

Eat Better- Body Fat Percentage has a significant effect upon Testosterone Production. Adipose fat, which pools around the stomach, hips, and midsection, has a negative effect upon Testosterone Levels. This form of fat has the ability to absorb Testosterone and convert it into Estrogen. By losing weight, you can eliminate the negative influence of Estrogen and promote healthier Testosterone Utilization.

Exercise More Often Another way to increase Testosterone Production is to engage in healthier exercise habits. Physical activity helps promote Testosterone Production in two important ways. First, it increases metabolism, burning off excess fat. Second, Testosterone Secretion increases as a direct result of intense physical activity. The combination of these two benefits can enhance fertility significantly for some men.

Get a Full Night's Rest Testosterone is also released in significant amounts during sleep. If you don't get the proper amount of sleep that you need, or you have environmental or medical issues which prevent you from sleeping soundly through the night, your Testosterone Production will likely suffer. By enforcing good sleeping habits, you promote a healthier and more natural release of Testosterone throughout the day.

What is Wellness?

The phrase "Health and Wellness" is tossed around a lot these days, but what does it actually mean? Health is the simpler to answer of the two. Health refers to keeping oneself in a physiological state of normal function. It means that the human body is doing exactly what it is supposed to do, running properly. Health can also be thought of as an absence of disease or lack physiological distress.

Wellness, on the other hand, is a bit more complex. Wellness refers to a state of mind in addition to a physiological state. It refers to a different state of function, above simply well-enough. Wellness is a specific state of being which is a homeopathic balance of body, mind, and soul.

What is the Difference between Health and Wellness?

Health is an important aspect of optimal well-being, but we are right to treat it as a separate entity from Wellness. Wellness is a combination of a health of the consciousness, as well as a state of peak performance for the body and mind.

There are many tools available in order to promote enhanced Wellness, although these tools often require supplementing routine medical programs with homeopathic therapies and techniques designed to improve the state of the entire person. It is important to acknowledge that medical treatment and therapy is a vital aspect of promoting greater health, but to really get the most out of treatment, you would likely benefit from a little more.

Wellness is a Personal and Active Choice

Wellness is more than just being healthy, it is an active choice made by those that want to live a better life. The path to Wellness takes effort to tread, but it is immensely rewarding to quality of life. Part of it is the way that we work as human beings. We like to talk about work and effort as things that take away from happiness, but, with introspection, it is clear that most people are driven by far more than simple hedonism. Like the old proverb, the Body is a Temple, and Wellness is the means by which that temple is preserved and maintained.

In keeping our bodies and minds strong and our souls happy, we allow our inner light to shine outward more effectively, allowing the person that we've always wished we were to become the self that we are. Wellness is different than health because it represents taking steps with oneself to move toward self-actualization rather than pleasure or preservation.

How Can I Enhance my Personal Wellness?

There are numerous steps to increasing one's sense of Wellness, and you will notice that many of these steps coincide with those that provide optimal health. Exercise, diet, and stress adaptation all contribute to both health and Wellness. In addition to this, Wellness also relies on being wise with the way one interacts with others, maintaining and cultivating positive relationships and keeping oneself in a proper frame of mind.

By balancing all aspects of the self and living in a way which promotes balance, it helps us live a longer, happier, and more productive life. Below are a number of simple steps that you can take to promote your overall Wellness.

Steps to Mental Wellness

Keep Your Mind Open

One of the biggest obstacles to Wellness is a closed mind. One of the ways you foster a stronger and healthier self is to allow yourself to accept others as they are. Although we live in a world of opportunity, we prevent ourselves from recognizing it by limiting ourselves. When you see someone that lives their life differently than you, don't shut them out, but see what you can learn from them. Perhaps you can apply certain aspects of their lives to your own.

Stay Curious and Keep Learning

They say that curiosity killed the cat, but a lack of curiosity kills your sense of wonder. Don't let yourself get caught up in the idea that you know everything. There is a great big world out there and you have to realize that there is always something out there that can help you expand your mind. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by it. Allow yourself to become consumed by it. By always trying to learn new things about the world, and seeking out new ideas, you strengthen both your mind and your spirit.

Stay Fluid and Adaptive

Don't let yourself get stuck in a rut. Never allow yourself to feel mentally trapped. Remember. You are always in ultimate control of yourself, and it is up to you to promote the sense of wonder and joy within yourself. Also, it is important to remain adaptive to outside pressures. Although you are in control, don't be afraid to let your perception of yourself and the world around you evolve as a result of the things that you learn and experience.

Resolve Stress in Your Life

Stress is one of the biggest factors which prevent people from improving themselves and cultivating an enhanced state of well-being. Although stress was a powerful motivator for our ancestors, it is much more detrimental to us in the modern age. Stress can shave years off your life and it can prevent you from attaining happiness and enhanced well-being.

Take yoga classes, exercise to blow off steam, or just talk your problems out in a relaxed atmosphere with someone you can trust. By resolving issues of stress in your life, you strengthen both your body, mind, and immune system.

Physical Wellness

 

Avoid Illness

One of the most important steps that you can take to preserve your physical health and Wellness is to safeguard yourself from illness. This doesn't mean that you should live in a bubble, but you should take smart and conscientious steps to staying healthy. Make sure that your long term physiological indicators of health are in order. Work to maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Don't be afraid to visit the doctor when you're sick. Don't be afraid to visit your doctor occasionally when you aren't sick. Routine checkups are a great way for you to keep a good relationship with your doctor and make sure that you don't have any medical issues which are more severe than you would have predicted.

Work to be Physically Fit

Exercise is one of the most important aspects of Wellness. Although it is possible to be relatively healthy without engaging in much physical exercise, by working out your body, you can increase your overall strength, happiness, and quality of life.

Exercise changes the way that your body functions in numerous ways. For example, physical exercise promotes optimal hormone balance. Both Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone are produced at high levels during exercise, increasing the effectiveness of your workout and improving your health long after the workout is completed. Exercise also improves your body-fat ratio, burning away calories and strengthening your body.

Eat Well

Proper nutrition is a vital part of Wellness. The body has a long list of nutrients which helpyour body to perform at its peak. Without a good diet, every aspect of your very self will suffer as a result. Having a poor diet appeals to our sense of pleasure, but it ignores the fact that such a diet will have negative consequences for both short term and long term health. Obesity leads to countless problems which not only put your physical health at risk, but even put your mental and cognitive health at risk.

Obesity and poor diet are linked to hormone imbalance both within the brain and the body at large. Fat cells encourage the production of Cortisol and the breakdown of Testosterone. Poor nutrition also hinders your brains ability to appropriately release dopamine and serotonin, important chemicals related to psychological well-being.

Sleep Well

Although we all recognize that diet and exercise produce significant benefits for health and Wellness, most people probably don't realize that good sleeping habits are just as important as diet and exercise for maintaining optimal health and Wellness. Sleep is the period of our day when the body, mind, and soul rests and rehabilitates. Without sleep, we are unable to repair and rejuvenate ourselves, and after even a short period of unhealthy sleeping patterns, we can greatly hinder our ability to maintain ourselves in peak condition.

Sleep is intricately related to hormone balance, and is the most important period with regard to healthy Human Growth Hormone Production. Our body produces the highest levels of HGH when we are in the deepest phases of sleep. Bad sleeping habits can either limit these deep phases of sleep, or even eliminate them from our sleeping pattern entirely. Sleep keeps the mind focused, and helps us maintain our desire to stick to our plans and be positively productive within our own lives.

Social Wellness

 

Respect Others

Part of living a happy and productive life is learning to respect the ideas, beliefs, and rights of others. Doing so helps us associate with others more freely and allows us to make more and various social connections. Without respect for others, respect for self will inevitably suffer. Respect is also a crucial aspect of keeping an open mind.

If you aren't respecting others, you aren't keeping your mind open to new ideas which can help you improve and advance your own life. Disrespect also breeds limited social relationships which prevent you from reaching a greater level of self-actualization and consciousness.

Learn to Work Effectively With Others

We, as humans, are innately social creatures. From the beginning of our existence we have persisted due to our amazing ability to work together to build things greater than ourselves. No matter how strong and powerful you feel as an individual, there is always a limit to what you can achieve as a single person. By communicating your ideas and dreams to others, you can find like-minded individuals that can help you do things you never though were imaginable.

Productivity toward goals that we set for ourselves are a vital part of self-actualization and Wellness, and by enlisting the aid of others, or just helping others in their efforts, we can bring ourselves closer to that ideal, both through collective effort and breeding positive and useful social connections with others.

Become Comfortable with the Idea of Leadership

Although it is important to work well with others and defer to the authority of others when appropriate and necessary, one of the most vital aspects of Wellness and Self-Actualization is to recognize when you need to take the reigns as a leader. By promoting respect for others within yourself, it should not be terribly difficult to recognize when you're skills and knowledge are valuable, but you have to develop the inner courage and cultivate the desire to put yourself in a position of power and responsibility when necessary. It is important to recognize the power that you can potentially have in a situation and be able to wield it effectively and responsibly.

Spiritual Wellness

 

Don't Shy Away from Self-Actualization

Improving yourself is difficult. Self-actualization is a constant battle against yourself for self-improvement. Don't let yourself give in to temptations to take the easy way out, or simply resign yourself to a station in which you are unhappy and overqualified. Constantly be searching and seeking for a new and better you. Always think about what you can do to improve yourself, and constantly keep your heart and mind open for new opportunities to further yourself. Remember that happiness is far more than simply the pursuit of pleasure.

Give Up Control in Healthy Ways

Happiness is also not just the pursuit of power. Letting go of yourself and your preconceived notions is an important part of experiencing greater levels of Wellness. Part of growing more comfortable with yourself and attaining greater levels of happiness is figuring out when to allow others to lead and take charge. This is also important with regard to your spiritual self, as well.

Taking efforts to give up control of yourself in order to relax and free your mind is so important. How you do this is up to you. Many people turn to yoga. Others turn to prayer. Perhaps just a relaxing day at the park would be enough, just figure out how to give yourself to the moment rather than trying to wrangle it for yourself.

Respect Yourself

For some people, this is one of the hardest goals to accomplish, learning how to love and respect yourself. Self-respect is one of the most vital aspects of self-actualization because it is the recognition that you actually have value within yourself that you can contribute to the world around you. A lack of self-respect can cause so many easily avoidable problems. It can cause you to give up too easy. It can make you give in to the demands and requests of others despite the opposition that you hold within your heart.

Self-respect is the lynchpin of Wellness and self-actualization. Take time each day to recognize what it is that you have within yourself that is valuable, and work every day to cultivate that into something better.

Live in Harmony with Yourself, as well as the World Around You

This is connected with both your ability to give up control and your ability to take leadership. Living in harmony with yourself simply means to follow your heart. Follow that small, still voice within yourself and use it to direct your actions toward self-fulfillment. If you move against that voice, you will eventually find yourself in a place where you are in a position of strife with your very own soul.

It's also important to keep yourself in harmony with the greater environment around you. This means that you should work to find your place in the world. This doesn't mean just your immediate environment, but the entire universe around you. By keeping your heart and mind open and keeping yourself physically healthy and fit, you put yourself in a position where you can recognize both your power and your place, and it's simply up to you to answer the call.

Strengthen your Sense of Self

Get to know exactly who you are. Until you recognize exactly who you are and what you represent, you will ultimately either be helping someone else fulfill their dreams, or simply following your own selfish and unhealthy desires. By learning more about yourself, you actually give essence to your direction. Some people live their entire lives without engaging in enough introspection to truly learn what is within their own heart.

Don't be afraid to confront your own issues. We, as humans, have this terrible ability to build walls within our own minds and hearts, preventing us from becoming something better, because of our inability to tackle our own inner demons. Take time every day to evaluate yourself, your values, and your ideals, and figure out things you can do to get yourself more in touch with your inner light.

Progression toward a stronger sense of purpose, personal values and meaning of life

This is the ultimate journey of self-actualization and cultivating Wellness Strengthening everything within yourself that is good and valuable. Wellness is so much more than health. It's the ultimate quest for a new and better you. We like to think about self-actualization as a destination, but in reality, it is a long journey. Never think that you can't be something better. There is always something within yourself or your environment that you can change for the better.

Don't think of this as a struggle, think of it as your mission. Every day, you should be clarifying what it is that you live your life for. Why do you do what you do? You should also constantly work to improve your sense of what is valuable to you and your life. Don't be afraid to question yourself and let your values evolve. By doing all of this, and following all of the preceding steps, you can bring yourself to a point where you more intimately know and understand what this world holds for you and what you actually live your life for.

One Step at a Time

After reading through this list, go back and find one aspect of your life that you think you can improve. Over time, start working on other aspects of yourself that you want to change for the better.

By starting slowly, you benefit yourself in multiple ways. By focusing on a single aspect at a time, you prevent yourself from being overwhelmed. Change is an exciting prospect, but if you pile on too much, then you increase the risk that you will fall back to your previous ways. This style of development also encourages you to reflect on the way that you are changing your life, one step at a time, in order to more fully understand yourself and your innermost needs and desires.

Estrogen Hormone Replacement Therapy and Alzheimer's Disease

Hormone Replacement Therapy can do a lot of amazing things. In the early twenty-first century, scientists are just exploring the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of various hormone treatments, including Estrogen, Testosterone, and Human Growth Hormone.

Although research has shown no evidence that Estrogen Replacement Treatments can alleviate the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, there is promising evidence that Estrogen Therapy can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease in women, even women that are otherwise healthy.

Menopause Problems

As we all know, Menopause is a period of great Hormone Imbalance. From puberty to menopause, women experience a fairly predictable pattern of hormone levels, and their body ultimately benefits from this stability. Upon Menopause, however, hormone levels start to change significantly. Primarily, Estrogen Levels drop like a rock as the Ovaries greatly reduce their production.

There are multiple symptoms associated with Menopause, and they all have a negative impact on both life and health. Among these symptoms are:

Cold Sweats

Hot Flashes

Memory Loss

Emotional Instability

Loss of Sexual Desire and Ability

These are the symptoms that women experience explicitly during the period of Menopause. For the most part (with the exception of sexual issues), these symptoms of Menopause dissipate slowly over time.

Long Term Symptoms of Hormone Deficiency

In recent years, however, researchers are discovering that there are many issues related to Hormone Deficiency that put women at risk for the rest of their lives. One risk that seems highly correlated with Estrogen Deficiency after Menopause is Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's is a disease which is much more common among women than men. The risk for a woman to develop Alzheimer's is almost double that of a man. Of course, part of that increased risk is due to the fact that women, on average, have a longer lifespan than their male counterparts, but that only explains away a small portion of the difference.

Why do Women Get Alzheimer's More than Men?

In recent years, there have been a limited amount of studies conducted regarding the connection between Estrogen Deficiency and Cognitive Decline, but the research has been illuminating, to say the least. This research suggests that the administration of Estrogen Hormone Replacement Therapy can have a stimulative effect upon mental health in women, both assuaging Age-Related Cognitive Decline and even postponing or reducing the risk of Alzheimer's Disease.

For many patients, especially those that are experiencing Estrogen Deficiency before Menopause, Estrogen Replacement Therapy can be combined with Progestin in order to maximize the effectiveness and safety profile of the treatment.

How Many People Struggle with Alzheimer's in America?

Alzheimer's is one of the worst medical issues plaguing modern American society. It is estimated that four million men and women are afflicted with Alzheimer's today. Considering that twice as many women as men will experience Alzheimer's in their lifetime, this is a significant portion of aging women.

Nearly every person in America intimately knows someone that has struggled with Alzheimer's, whether they had to take care of an immediate family member, or were simply an acquaintance. A few years ago, several research teams sought to answer once and for all, if Estrogen Replacement Therapy could be a legitimate treatment option for women that are at risk of Alzheimer's.

Can Estrogen Treat Alzheimer's?

As a result of their research, they found that Estrogen was ultimately not effective as a means to directly treat Alzheimer's Disease. Although they were unable to establish Estrogen as a potential Alzheimer's treatment, their research still strongly suggested that Estrogen Therapy could reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's for women across the world.

Can Estrogen Prevent Alzheimer's?

There is potential that Estrogen Replacement could significantly delay the onset of Alzheimer's Disease, or, at a minimum, postpone the onset of the disease. Even if Estrogen only postpones Alzheimer's, it could still be an amazingly useful tool in combination with other treatments that would all but eliminate the risk of Alzheimer's Disease someday in the future.

The Benefits and Risks of Estrogen Replacement Therapy

There are countless women across America that have turned to Estrogen Treatments as a means to relieve the symptoms of Menopause. Every woman experiences Menopause in a different way, and some women are either more sensitive to the changes that take place, or produce lower baseline levels of Estrogen after Menopause.

Decades of research have proven the effectiveness of Estrogen at reducing the potential tempest associated with Menopause, and medical researchers have discovered powerful links between Estrogen Replacement Therapy and a reduced risk of Osteoporosis.

Cautious links have also been made between Estrogen Replacement Therapy and reduced risk of heart disease, although this link has not been confidently established. For some women, however, Estrogen Replacement Therapy can increase the risk of breast cancer, although the exact level of risk is not fully discerned. Although there are certain risks involved with Estrogen HRT, for a huge number of women, it seems likely and clear that the benefits far outweigh the costs.

Before new research regarding memory and cognition, this was essentially the state of play in regard to the potential benefits and risks of Estrogen Deficiency and Estrogen Replacement. Today, researchers are becoming keenly aware of the way that Estrogen and Estrogen Deficiency affect the brain and mental health.

Estrogen and Acetylcholine

In research utilizing both laboratory animals and cultivated brain matter, there is evidence that supports the notion that Estrogen has the ability to protect and support the health of neurons in the brain. One means by which it accomplishes this is by boosting resting levels of Acetylcholine in the brain.

Acetylcholine acts as a protective force in the brain, which safeguards against the breakdown of brain tissue associated with Alzheimer's disease. One of the physiological symptoms of Alzheimer's is that Acetylcholine Levels drop significantly among patients that suffer from the disease. In addition to this, Estrogen Replacement Therapy also seems to be able reduce the rate at which Beta-Amyloids form in the brain.

What are Beta-Amyloids?

Beta-Amyloid is the primary actor which leads to the physiological deterioration associated with Alzheimer's Disease. Although you have probably never heard of Beta-Amyloid, you probably know what it is whether you realize it or not. Beta-Amyloids are proteins which, when produced in the brain, lead to the clumps of tangled Amino Acids which are referred to as Plaques.

Estrogen Research in the 1990s

Before the turn of the century, there were only a small set of studies regarding the connection between Estrogen Supplementation and Alzheimer's. These studies suggested that Estrogen Replacement Therapy could restore some memory and cognitive ability in women suffering from Alzheimer's.

The problem with these studies is that they were for the most part small studies, and they also only evaluated patients over a short period of time. Although the studies showed some promise, they were not powerful enough to establish a significant link between Estrogen and the improvement of Alzheimer's.

In the years following these initial studies, however, three new studies were conducted which intended to explore these potential benefits in a way that could more firmly establish the potential effects of Estrogen Treatment on Memory and Alzheimer's. The biggest and longest of these studies was released in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Testing the Hypothesis: Estrogen and Alzheimer's

This study was conducted by Ruth Mulnard of Cal-Irvine, a representative of the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia. This study had a participant pool of 120 patients, half of whom had been discovered to have Alzheimer's disease. Half of the women in both groups were treated with Estrogen Replacement Therapy, the other half of both groups was treated with a placebo.

All patients received treatment for twelve months, and were regularly tested for alterations in language ability, mood, memory, and other cognitive abilities, in order to monitor any symptoms of cognitive decline. If Estrogen Replacement Therapy were able to improve the function of patients with Alzheimer's disease, then the treatment would cause women taking Estrogen to decline more slowly than the patients that did not receive the treatment.

Estrogen Ineffective at Treating Alzheimer's

Sadly, results showed that Estrogen has no effect upon patients that were already experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer's. Among the ninety-seven women that finished the study, the women with Alzheimer's taking Estrogen did not experience any improvement greater than placebo.

Two other studies displayed similar results, no conclusive evidence that Estrogen could relieve Alzheimer's. Dr. Henderson, a medical researcher from USC Los Angeles, said that he felt the studies were fairly conclusive, and that Estrogen Therapy alone probably doesn't have any significant benefits in regard to patients currently experiencing Alzheimer's Disease.

Estrogen May Benefit Alzheimer's Patients in Combination with other Treatments

Although these studies appear to put that aspect of the Estrogen-Alzheimer's Care debate to rest, that does not mean that Estrogen Replacement Therapy does not have other beneficial effects. Even Dr. Henderson feels that there may be a place for Estrogen Treatments when combined with other forms of therapy.

There are researchers that feel that Estrogen HRT may have beneficial effects when combined with a common Alzheimer's treatment known as Aricept (scientific name: Donepezil). Estrogen shares an important aspect in common with these common Alzheimer's medications: They all have the effect of increasing Acetylcholine in the brain, and there is strong reason to believe that Alzheimer's may have the ability to increase the effectiveness of these other forms of treatment.

Today, there is a limited amount of data supporting this hypothesis, but the data is promising. There have been two studies thus far conducted with regard to Estrogen's ability to supplement existing Alzheimer's treatments. Data-analysis after the studies were completed showed that a small segment of participants were taking Estrogen Treatments in combination with other forms of Alzheimer's medication. Although there were not enough women to lend significance to the results, it does show a certain level of potential, although we should be cautiously optimistic, perhaps.

Using Estrogen to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

Although no studies today are able to confirm Estrogen Replacement as a means to alleviate the effects of Alzheimer's, there are a number of studies which provide evidence that Estrogen may be able to postpone Alzheimer's in women that do not suffer from the disease. There is even some hope that it may be a tool in Alzheimer's prevention.

In one of the most recent studies, 472 women were monitored over the course of sixteen years of their lives in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Although this study was not intimately concerned with Hormone Replacement Therapy as an Anti-Aging Treatment, the study was performed in a way which allowed a broad scope of analysis to be conducted.

Among the 472 subjects, there were a number which chose Estrogen Hormone Replacement Therapy, while many others went without such treatment. Looking back at the data, researchers found that women that chose to utilize Estrogen during and after menopause experienced Alzheimer's disease at half the rate of women that did not.

Small Pool of Participants Still Provides Promise

Although this research shows an immense amount of promise, more work needs to be done in order to more accurately assess the viability of Estrogen to Prevent Alzheimer's. At this point, the findings of the BLSA study amount simply to an exciting observation: Estrogen may be one of the most powerful tools that women have against both Alzheimer's and general Cognitive Decline.

Although we should be excited at such a prospect, we must also realize that there are other factors which may be at play. Women that choose Estrogen Replacement Therapy may experience these benefits for other reasons not fully associated with treatment, including genetics or nutrition. In addition to this, the reduced risk of Alzheimer's could also be the result of other factors which help them live a healthier life.

In general, women that choose Estrogen Replacement tend to be more conscientious about their health. Women that take Estrogen also tend to have stronger health care plans which allow them access to better treatments and health and wellness programs.

More Estrogen-Alzheimer's Studies Underway

Today, there are three more studies being conducted in order to more clearly show the benefits of Estrogen Replacement Therapy in regard to Alzheimer's. Of these three studies, two are being conducted by scientists in the United States, and a third by researchers in Great Britain.

Because these studies were designed specifically to uncover the potential benefit of Estrogen Replacement for Alzheimer's, they will be able to declare, once and for all, the Effect of Estrogen on Alzheimer's Patients.

All three of these studies will be placebo-controlled and double-blind in order to maximize the predictive value of the data. At random intervals, the patients will be tested and analyzed for cognitive ability. Researchers hypothesize that the combination of Estrogen and modern Alzheimer's care will slow down the rate at which the disease progresses.

As we all well know, Alzheimer's is a dreadful disease for which there is no known cure. If it indeed does have the ability to benefit women with regard to Alzheimer's risk or treatment, then it will completely change the way that we think about Estrogen Replacement Therapy in the future.

The Potential of Hormone Replacement

Even if Estrogen simply delays Alzheimer's or slows down the rate of decline associated with the disease, it will likely become a recommended treatment, especially for women that have a high risk for the disease as a result of genetics or other factors. Even if the link between Estrogen and Alzheimer's Prevention is weak, it will still significantly broaden our knowledge of the disease and how it should be most effectively treated.

Who Should Consider Estrogen Replacement Today?

Until the benefits of Estrogen for Alzheimer's can be fully proven, women should consider Estrogen Replacement Therapy in regard to other benefits that are more concrete, including cardiovascular health, Osteoporosis prevention, and to relieve the harshness of Menopause.

Although conclusive evidence regarding Alzheimer's and Estrogen Treatment are still years away, there are numerous reasons to consider Estrogen for Your Health.