Help us understand why you are not sleeping – how do I know if I have a sleep problem? If you often have trouble getting to sleep or if you often wake during the night, then you may not be getting enough sleep. Some of the tools or quizzes used to assess sleep are shown […]
Are you getting a good night’s sleep?
Sleeping well directly affects your mental and physical health. If you don’t get enough sleep it can take a serious toll on your daytime energy, productivity, mental health and even your weight. Why do we sleep? There are lots of theories but the consensus is that sleep gives the brain time to tidy up from […]
DHEA the anti-ageing, anti-stress hormone
(With thanks to my late colleague and good friend Mike Cushman from Pharmaceutical Compounding New Zealand) Dehydroepiandrosterone The most abundant natural hormone that males and females share is DHEA. The adrenal glands are small prune shaped structures which sit on the top of the kidneys. The adrenals are described as endocrine glands and provide humans […]
HORMONES: General information and questionnaires
(With thanks to my late colleague and good friend Mike Cushman from Pharmaceutical Compounding New Zealand) Hormones are the major influencers in the development and future well-being of both men and women. Most of the hormones we recognise as being important are known as steroid molecules. A question for many women on life’s journey is […]
BLOOD GLUCOSE & DIABETES
Glucose is to human beings as petrol or diesel is to our motor vehicles i.e. it is the fuel or energy on which our bodies run. When we eat the carbohydrates contained within that food will ultimately be reduced to their simplest form, which is glucose. Our body has the option of either utilising the […]
ANTI-AGING
(With thanks to my late colleague and good friend Mike Cushman from Pharmaceutical Compounding New Zealand) Growing older is as inevitable as the sun rising in the morning each day In response to our concerns about how we age the medical community has focused its attention on the link between the age-dependent decline of certain hormones […]
PREGNENOLONE
(With thanks to my late colleague and good friend Mike Cushman from Pharmaceutical Compounding New Zealand) Pregnenolone has been described as the ‘Grandmother’ or the ‘Feel good’ hormone. It is produced in the human body from cholesterol and from pregnenolone all the other steroid hormones such as progesterone, DHEA and testosterone are produced. During the […]
Melatonin – The Sleep Hormone
There are a number of hormones in the body that influence sleep, but only one carries the nickname “the sleep hormone.” That’s melatonin. Melatonin is central to sleep, to our daily cycles of rest and activity, and to the regulation of the body’s biorhythms. Melatonin plays an essential role in keeping our bodies functioning on […]
Hormones and the brain
Cortisol – the ‘stress hormone’ is essential for life. Cortisol is essential for life: but it (and stress) can also damage the brain. Levels of cortisol in the blood fluctuate. They are highest in the morning; there is a further surge about 30 minutes after a person wakes, but then a steady decline throughout the […]
Dopamine & Serotonin
Dopamine and serotonin are both neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are released from the nerve cells and serve to transfer impulses from nerve cells to other body tissues like other nerve cells, muscles, and organs. If you have you ever been addicted to a behaviour, such as shopping or gambling, you’ve lacked focus or motivation […]