Not too long ago…in fact, not more than 20 years ago, a hormone clinic was unheard of.

But today, they’re all over the place. 

Why?

What has led to the rise of this booming new field of medicine?

Over the past 30 years, and beyond, there has been a steady decline among sex and thyroid hormone levels. 

Even the ranges, deemed to be the standard, are based on those that are tested – not what’s considered to be “normal”. So it’s a bell curve, just like in school.

Because of this, a lot of doctors won’t acknowledge, let alone treat, someone that is very symptomatic of a thyroid deficiency, or low testosterone. 

If the range is 200 to 1200 and you’re 201, then you’re “good” and no treatment is needed.

Well, many doctors have taken issue with this and have chosen the specialty of hormone replacement therapy. 

This is good and bad.

Good, because it’s badly needed for some, and in order for them to live a normal quality of life the only option is hormone replacement. 

Bad, because lifestyle has a lot to do with where our hormone levels are. If we have bad habits and are extremely inactive, then testosterone declines, thyroid output can also get suppressed. Simply improving your lifestyle would help improve a lot of your deficient biomarkers.

Why Is This Happening?

Why do so many people have hormone deficiencies? What is the cause? Is there any hope?

Dieting is a HUGE cause of sex hormone suppression and reduced thyroid output, as well as wacky ranges of ghrelin and leptin.

If you’re a normal American, then you’ve probably attempted multiple diets, and with one of the most popular diets right now (keto) also being one of the most extreme in history, it’s no coincidence that we’re facing a hormone crisis.

Every time we put ourselves through a restrictive diet, our body adapts. It views weight loss as a threat and it actually becomes more efficient by lowering energy-sucking (and calorie burning) hormone levels. 

Efficiency is a bad thing when it comes to weight loss, but a good thing when it comes to survival. 

Your body doesn’t have a “diet” mode and a “starvation” mode. It simply detects if it’s getting enough or not.

When it’s not getting “enough”, it lowers metabolic rate and hormonal output to reduce caloric expenditure so you no longer lose weight. This keeps us alive and helps in times of famine…but makes losing weight on purpose more challenging.

How Do We Fix It?

Control your controllables. There is a lot we can control that will help our situation out. 

Dieting again is not going to fix this issue.

Most need to go through some metabolic repair process to get their hormones back to healthy levels; and their energy, libido, mood, drive, brain function, and more back to a good place.

Gradually pushing your body into a slight surplus, with the right strategy, will help restore some metabolic and hormonal function. 

In some cases, pharmaceutical intervention may be needed, but should only be sought after making lifestyle changes. 

You’re not broken, but you may need to make some changes in order to feel like yourself again and get the response you’re looking for when you attempt to lose fat.

We never know what’s happening on the inside as a result of dieting. It’s not talked about and it’s rarely understood. 

We work with individuals struggling with these issues all the time, with great success.