Every time I read about an environmental endocrine disrupting chemical, a medication or even sometimes actual endocrine research, I am amazed, dumbfounded by the lack of up-to-date information about how hormones and receptors work. Indeed, much of the research still operates on what is called the ‘classical’ view of hormone-receptor activity. And while, those functions […]
Reproductive senescence, the period of time in a woman’s life marked by the slowing and eventual cessation of reproductive function, frequently coincides with an increased risk of a host of neurodegenerative disorders from memory impairment to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers have long postulated that the loss of ovarian hormones were responsible; estradiol, in particular, […]
Canada is electric right now in the era of cannabis legalization, and the cultural shift this historic event ushers in is profound; however, for over 250,000 medical cannabis patients, it’s business as usual (though still a reason to celebrate!). Many of these patients are women with endometriosis who have found healing solace in the myriad […]
Hormones Matter received an email from a mother of a 10-year-old girl. The medical history that she wrote is so complex that it is hardly surprising that it has confounded all of the physicians that have been consulted. I decided that it was so typical of many “mysterious” illnesses in America, that I would write […]
From its title, Mitochondrial Myopathy in Follow-up of a Patient With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I doubt anyone would ascertain the importance of this case study, but a quick read of even just the abstract tells an entirely different story. A deeper dive into the full article reveals just how remarkable this case really is. A […]
Do We Really Understand Stress?Sometimes, we use a relatively meaningless phrase when we say that a given person “is all stressed out”. I came to the conclusion that the word “stress”, as used in medicine, needed to have some discussion and explanation, even though I have addressed the subject previously. I turned to the 1946 […]
As part of my work here, I am regularly confronted with desperately ill individuals who have seen dozens of physicians over the course of many years only to have their health continue to decline. Among the more frustrating aspects of this work is the failure of these physicians to assess and address the most basic […]
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. Common signs and symptoms include fever, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, and confusion (note confusion). What few people realize is that brain function is really in control of the situation. Notice that fever, […]