Dr. Stanton’s debut book, Hormone Harmony, was just named an award winner in the Independent Publisher’s 2011 Living Now Book Awards, which honor the year’s best books that help readers attain healthier, more fulfilling and productive lives. Hormone Harmony received the silver award in the health/wellness category.
 
Read more about the awards and see the full list of category winners here.

Been dealing with dry skin and hair recently? You may be able to blame it on menopause — but these tips will help you restore your luster.

(EverydayHealth.com article by Jennifer Acosta Scott with information provided by Dr. Alicia Stanton)
August 31, 2010
Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH
http://www.everydayhealth.com/menopause/treating-dry-skin-and-hair.aspx

If you’re a women in your middle years and you find that you have dry skin and dry hair for the first time, your first inclination may be to blame your beauty routines. But the fact is, these changes can also be caused by menopause.

“Dry skin and hair are very common in menopausal women,” says Alicia Stanton, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Hartford, Conn., and the author of  Hormone Harmony. “Estrogen helps keep things hydrated and plump and youthful-looking. When estrogen levels drop during menopause, the skin gets more wrinkled and dry, and in some women, it can even be itchy.” This is because oil glands in the skin shrink after menopause, and less is secreted.

911 for Dry Skin and Hair

Nourishing your skin and hair from the inside and protecting them on the outside will go a long way toward easing these menopause symptoms.

Have your thyroid checked. Levels of thyroid hormone can decrease in menopausal women, which can also contribute to dry skin and hair. In fact, Dr. Stanton says, women who begin developing dryness should consult their doctor about having their thyroid function tested. Dry skin is a symptom of hypothyroidism, a potentially dangerous condition caused by low levels of thyroid hormone in the body.

Boost your intake of vitamins and minerals. Once medical causes for dry hair and skin have been ruled out, a few simple changes can often help relieve the dryness. Getting adequate levels of nutrients through a well-balanced diet and a multivitamin (or supplements that are approved by your doctor) may just give your body the boost it needs to get your hair and skin back on track.

Ban the tobacco. Tobacco use also reduces estrogen levels in a woman’s body, so quitting smoking may have a positive effect. “If you need another reason to stop smoking, that could be a good one,” Stanton says.

Baby your complexion. Topical treatments for dry skin and hair abound, but you don’t have to splurge on expensive brands. The key is to look for certain ingredients on the label. Skin products containing vitamins A and C, for example, can improve skin due to their antioxidant effects, while creams with collagen (a naturally-occurring substance that keeps skin firm) may help keep skin youthful-looking. For severely dry skin, seek out moisturizers with lactic acid or urea. “You don’t have to spend a ton of money,” Stanton says. “Many of my patients do fine with over-the-counter treatments.”

Soothe your scalp. If dry scalp is a problem, consider using a shampoo that contains zinc or selenium, ingredients that reduce dandruff for some people. Dry hair may also get a boost from a deep conditioner. Be sure to limit how often you shampoo and use your blow dryer and other damaging heat appliances. Whenever you’ll be spending a lot of time outdoors, treat your hair to a protective leave-in conditioner with zinc oxide and wear a hat; both will help your hair retain moisture.

Protect your hands. If you plan to be outside in cold weather, make sure you wear gloves — dry winter air can rob your hands of even more moisture. In the summertime, wear sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher — overexposure to the sun can make you more prone to dry skin, not to mention wrinkles and age spots.

Relax. If you really want to go the extra mile to combat dry skin and hair, try relaxing. Stress can lower your body’s levels of estrogen and thyroid hormone, Stanton says. Take time out of every day to unwind, and you may just be rewarded with a better complexion and healthier-looking hair. “Yoga and tai chi can relieve stress, and that can help your estrogen and thyroid levels,” Stanton says. “Things that allow you to decompress a little can provide some benefit.”

Hydrate from the inside. Finally, drink more water. Your skin can’t get hydrated if the rest of you isn’t. It’s an easy enough thing to do, but something that many women neglect during their busy day.

NHIOnDemand, a health and wellness trade site, recently posted an article citing a study published in the journal Ophthalmology claiming that postmenopausal woman are at risk for cataracts after HRT – Hormone Replacement Therapy. The study said it determined the risk of cataract removal was increased by 14 percent in women who had ever used HRT and by 18 percent in current HRT users, compared with women who never used HRT. Current HRT users who reported having more than one alcoholic drink per day had a 42 percent increased risk compared with women who used neither HRT nor alcohol.

This certainly sounds alarming, but when you dig deeper there are two important points to note about the women who experienced a higher incidence of cataracts following HRT therapy. 

The first point is that the women in the study were taking synthetic hormones, such as progestin, and not bioidentical hormones. My book, Hormone Harmony, discusses the difference between synthetic and bioidentical hormones at length, and specifically addresses some of the dangers associated with progestin. 

The second point relates to alcohol consumption.  Daily alcohol consumption has long been recognized as a contributing factor in a woman’s increased risk of developing cataracts.  The correlation between alcohol and HRT in this report does not result in a smoking gun in my opinion, since the alcohol is a major cataract contributor on its own.  However, women of all ages who wish to maintain optimal health should limit alcohol consumption to no more than 2 – 3 drinks per week.

You can take back control of your hormones and restore harmony with these habits.

1. Give yourself a recess at least once a day.
2. Drink filtered water and green or other herbal teas instead of soda.
3. Stay away from sugary and/or starchy foods, especially in the mornings and after dinner.
4. Eat small meals frequently, with ample vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and legumes, and some raw nuts and fresh fruit.
5. Choose organic versions of your staple foods and beverages, and others as much as possible.
6. Keep your home well ventilated and avoid air fresheners with “fragrance.”
7. Avoid synthetic fragrance and antibacterial ingredients in soaps, beauty, grooming, laundry and household cleaning products.
8. Engage in enough physical activity, of the right type, for your body.
9. Take a good quality multivitamin, CoQ10 and fish oil.
10. If necessary, take additional supplements for specific situations.

Visit http://www.hormoneharmony.org/checklist/ to download a copy of the HH Habits Checklist so you can track your progress.

Our sex hormones – estrogen, progesterone and testosterone – work together to build us up, giving us our strength and resilience, however, as we age, these key hormones start to decline. Other factors besides our natural aging cycle can also cause a decrease in levels. Those factors pertain to our lifestyles, such as, eating the wrong foods, living in a state of chronic stress, being overweight, getting too little exercise and being exposed to too many environmental toxins.

Sex hormones play many important roles in our bodies. Estrogen performs more than 400 functions in the female body, such as maintaining memory, mood and muscles, maintaining bone and protecting against osteoporosis and protecting against heart disease. Progesterone has a calming effect and enhances mood, balances blood sugar and thyroid function and rebuilds bone. Testosterone builds muscle, increases energy and libido, enhances sense of well-being and strengthens bone.

This situation of declining sex hormones can be addressed with bioidentical hormones, but in order to sustain long-term health and well-being, certain lifestyle requirements must be followed. Changes in the way we live can be difficult at first, but once it becomes routine, it becomes the new way of living and can be done naturally, without much thought.

Proper nutrition and getting essential nutrients is key. Then comes stress management. We can’t live in a constant state of stress. It is important to stop and evaluate what the major stressors are in life and address ways to control and respond to this stress, not react to it. Taking part in physical activity also helps build up our hormones by eliminating excess weight, which is one of the biggest robbers of testosterone.

Adopting a way of life that fosters optimum functioning of our hormones will lead to a healthier, happier and longer life.

 

Dr. Stanton discusses her book, Hormone Harmony, on the lifestyle show Connecticut Style.

If you’re not a fan of exercise, getting started can seem like a huge obstacle. However, to achieve hormone harmony, exercise is vital. It is also a big help to improve your mood and overcome some of those other annoying symptoms you may be experiencing.

Physical activity plays a key role in reversing insulin resistance, the main trigger in creating a hormone imbalance. Cells tend to shut down when hit with an overdose of blood sugar from too many sugary and starchy foods. Exercise helps the body build new muscle cells and wakes up older ones and opens their doors for more fuel. To reap the full benefits, you need a combination of strength training for your muscles and aerobic exercise for your heart.

More on the physical pros of exercise in a later post, for this one I want to focus on how physical activity can boost your energy and mood. If you’re a woman, or a man, approaching midlife or experiencing a hormonal imbalance, some of the main symptoms you might be experiencing are depression and mood swings. You might also feel like you have lost your “edge” or don’t have as much zest for life. Sound familiar?

Exercise triggers the production of endorphins, feel good chemicals. And, research shows that it both prevents and alleviates depression at any age and also stabilizes mood swings. Aerobic exercise also helps our bodies to take in and use oxygen, which generates more energy for us.  And let’s face it, when we start to lose weight and feel better, our self confidence improves, along with our mood.

 

Dr. Alicia Stanton discusses what’s next for Hormone Harmony at Book Expo America in New York City.

 

Dr. Alicia Stanton discusses what’s next for Hormone Harmony at Book Expo America in New York City.