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Video: The Role of Your Adrenal glands in Controlling Menopausal Symptoms

Hot flashes aren't the only menopausal symptom women experience. Things such as fatigue, depression, anxiety, hair loss, changes in the skin, joint pain, digestive issues, and a whole host of other symptoms can occur with the menopausal changes. In this video, Dr. Mark Stengler discusses the role of your adrenal glands in controlling menopausal symptoms.

Hi this is Dr. Mark Stengler from the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine. And today I'm going to talk to you about the role of your stress glands, your adrenal glands and controlling premenopausal and menopausal symptoms. You know in America most women, when they're going through the menopausal transition, they experience hot flashes. But they experience many more symptoms than that. Things such as fatigue, depression, anxiety, hair loss, changes in the skin, joint pain, digestive issues, and a whole host of other symptoms can occur with the menopausal changes. But one of the glands we looked at, are the adrenal glands.  And your adrenal glands which are on top of both through your kidneys they produce stress hormones. So examples would be cortisol, DHEA, pregnenolone. And so if a woman has been highly stressed before she goes in menopause, what we find is they have more severe menopausal symptoms. Now why would that be? Well when you go into menopause you're ovarian production of hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone drop, and that's normal. Your body uses other mechanisms to reduce the hormones. So for example women, fat cells produce estrogen. If you're more lean you may not produce estrogen as well. But one of the main backup mechanisms are your adrenal glands your stress glands.  They produce hormones such as DHEA and pregnenolone, which act as precursor hormones to making estrogen, progesterone and testosterone so you can see it if your adrenal glands are functioning sub optimally, or not as well as they should be. You won't be able to make these precursor hormones again to make the estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and that's why by using supplements or adrenal hormone replacement we can increase the levels of these hormones. Women will feel better they'll be more resistant to stress. They don't gain weight as easily. Better cognitive function.  Better energy levels.  Better libido. And they certainly have less menopausal symptoms like intense hot flashes and night sweats and vaginal dryness so when you're working with your provider make sure you're looking at the function of your adrenal glands and supporting them so that you don't have as intense menopausal symptoms. For a complete list of treatments offered and conditions addressed at this Stengler Center for Integrated Medicine please visit our website, call or e-mail the clinic with any questions you may have. 

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