Explore the Link Between Sex-Hormones and Mental Health | CEU Webinar

Unlimited CEUs $59 AllCEUs.com Addiction Counselor Certification Online $399 @AllCEUs.com hey there everybody and welcome to today's  presentation on sex hormones and mental health  I'm your host Dr Dawn-Elise Snipes in today's  presentation we'll be discussing the effects of   estrogen progesterone and testosterone levels on  mood cognition and neurotransmitter levels we'll   explore the effect of cortisol the stress hormone  on your sex hormones and your mood and I identify   causes of sex hormone imbalances and we'll  talk about some possible interventions let's   start out with estrogen it gets a bad reputation  but estrogen has a lot of beneficial properties   to it when it's in balance and with all of our  hormones and neurotransmitters they operate on   the Goldilocks principle too little is bad too  much is bad it needs to be just right not only   that but it needs to be just right for that person  in balance with all of their other hormones and   neurotransmitters when one gets a little wonky the  other the others tend to need to be adjusted when   I was little My grandmother used to bake with me  a lot and one of the things that she taught me was   when you're cooking when you're baking um when  you have sugar if you add salt it salt actually   enhances the flavor of the sugar it makes it more  robust or whatever ever you want to call it so if   it something tastes too salty one thing you can do  is add a little bit of sugar if something tastes   too sweet you may be able to add a dash of salt  now the American Heart association's probably   freaking out about what I'm saying but ultimately  it's about balance because you don't want them to   one to dominate the other our hormones and our  neurotransmitters are very similar estrogen is   linked to mood disruptions in women um including  premenstrual syndrome premenstrual dysphoric   disorder and postpartum depression now I have  asterisks after postpartum depression because men   do get postpartum depression too men do undergo  hormone changes in the postpartum period as a   result of psychological as well as physiological  stress and genetic programming I I don't know what   you want to call it that automatically reduces  testost tone levels in the early postpartum period   and we can talk about all of the reasons why that  might be beneficial for survival in other videos   that are focused on testosterone but suffice it  to say and I'm going to say it a couple of times   today uh people who are biologically male can  get postpartum depression too throughout this   presentation when I say male I'm talking about  someone who was assigned a male gender at Birth   when I talk about female I'm talking about someone  who was assigned a female gender at Birth we are   talking about their wiring we're not talking about  their um gender identity estrogen levels in women   with PMS or pmdd post uh Prem men premenstrual  dysphoric disorder are almost always normal right   we always thought that they were way high um but  ultimately they're finding in a lot of these women   the estrogen levels are normal the problem May  instead lie in the way that estrogen talks to the   parts of the brain involved in mood likewise it  may alter the way the estrogen talks to uh parts   of the brain that are involved in mood which  impacts levels of other hormones like cortisol   and serotonin we know that when serotonin gets  too high people tend to experience more anxiety   more irritability so saying that estrogen is the  culprit greatly and grossly oversimplifies what   we're talking about when we're talking about  hormones and neurotransmitters and I know I'm   going to go off on a little diet tribe here it's  important to remember that we can have not enough   or too much of any of those things because  our body can't make it because our body's   not releasing it because when our body releases  it it gets broken down too quickly because when   our body releases it The receptors on the other  side don't pick it up or because somewhere down   the line The receptors pick it up but there's  a blockage so they can't communicate it to the   next set of receptors so there's a lot of reasons  why somebody's hormones or neurotransmitters may   be out of whack and it oversimplifies it to say oh  you don't have enough enough estrogen or serotonin   so let's give you a pill to increase it no matter  how much serotonin you give someone if the problem   is in this um serotonergic system the what I just  talked about if it's in one of those other four of   the five areas um then increasing the level of  Serotonin may not do any good if it's not a if   the body is not able to receive the impulses and  communicate them down the line so back to what   we were talking about um simply saying that  someone has too little or too much estrogen   oversimplifies it and it could be a dysfunction in  the estrogen system during perimenopause up to 10%   of women experience depression that may be caused  by unstable estrogen levels as we age regardless   of your sex as we age the production of of gonadal  hormones decreases and during per menopause up to   10% of women may have really unstable estrogen  levels and I have another video that talks about   estrogen in particular and explains the  differences between the different types of   estrogen but for the purposes of this presentation  just recognize that as the ovaries uh start to   shut down there are going to be little spurts  and fits of estrogen someday the ovaries will be   like okay we can make it and other days they're  like yeah we're not going to work today um some   studies suggest that using a transdermal estrogen  patch by itself May improve depression during per   menopause not everybody is down with hormone  replacement therapy I get it not everybody's   down with psychotropics it's an individualized  decision however the research does indicate that   as opposed to oral estrogen transdermal estrogen  patches seem to keep the estrogen levels a little   bit more stable so let's talk about the mood  related functions of estrogen we assume that   estrogen is the bad guy and it may make us  feel irritable and anxious well it can but or   when our estrogen levels go up it can within our  normal range um when our estrogens let starts dis   starts communicating with those parts of the brain  differently during different phases of our cycle   we may have some irritability estrogen increases  serotonin and the number of Serotonin receptors   in the brain remember I said high levels of  Serotonin we know is associated with anxiety and   irritability and all of those things modifying the  production and effect of endorphins are feel-good   chemicals is another aspect of estrogen estrogen  is actually also neuroprotective in uh in our body   it can help buffer against some stress related  damage that may occur when we're under chronic   stress I digress estradiol the predominant  form of estrogen is essential for modulating   libido erectile function and spermatogenesis or  the creation of sperm in men when and I talk to   people and I talk about estrogen the responses  they give me and even when I do Google searches   and stuff the responses I get are always for  biological females and it's so important to   understand that men and women people of both  assigned Sexes have estrogen have progesterone   and have testosterone and if you think that it  is irrelevant the estrogen in men is irrelevant   you're wrong now estrogen does seem to have a  greater impact on women and testosterone tends   to have a greater changes tend to have a greater  impact on men why because in both in each gender   in each sex they are wired for that particular  hormone to be the dominant hormone and again when   testosterone changes in a female it's only a small  change here when testosterone levels change in a   male it can have it can be big because there's  a lot of testosterone as testosterone decreases   with age poring use or illness chronic or or even  chronic stress estrogen levels tend to increase   which can make older men more vulnerable to mood  disorders like depression and and I know it you're   like we're talking about estrogen but now you're  talking about testosterone because they go hand   in hand um and you can't separate one from the  other we're going to a lot of what we talk about   today you're going to see the biral nature and  it's important to pay attention to that and when   we get down to testosterone we'll talk more more  about porn use and in a minute we're going to talk   some about chronic stress and Trauma there are  some disorders that mimic premenstrual syndrome or   premenstrual dysphoric disorder mood and anxiety  disorders someone may have generalized anxiety   that gets worse when they're in certain phases of  their cycle because either their estrogen levels   are increasing but still within the normal range  or the estrogen is communicating differently with   the uh serotonin system we don't exactly know why  but it is important not to dismiss someone as just   having PMS uh because that's invalidating and a  horrible thing to do we need to acknowledge the   impact and the intensity of these symptoms and  how um it how these symptoms impact all areas   of their life but also look outside of that cycle  window and say are there other times during the   month when this person also has anxiety because  there's going to likely be a different treatment   protocol if the person has generalized anxiety  versus PMS or pmdd postpartum is another time   when hormones are just in flux and can be all  over the place and and that's because the body's   healing and the body is adjusting to not growing  a little peanut anymore um also when people quit   breastfeeding it's important to recognize again  that there are significant hormone um changes   that happen when the mamory glands don't have  to produce milk anymore and for a lot of people   there is a an upsurgence of their PMS or pmdd or  even postpartum depression during those times so   immediately after the baby is born as well as when  the mother finishes lactating is important during   menopausal transition we've already talked about  that one thyroid disorders thyroid disorders will   alter levels of estrogen in the body and estrogen  availability they also alter levels of Serotonin   and cortisol all of those things can contribute  to symptoms similar to PMS or pmdd by the way I   believe the stat is like 20% but don't quote me  on that but I think it's about 20% of w women May   develop hypothyroid in the postpartum period it's  important if you're seeing someone who is in that   postpartum period and and I use that term pretty  liberally to 6 months after they discontinue   lactating um and that's not the traditional  definition I realize but postpartum depression   can set in during you know a pretty wide range and  the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology   is finally starting to recognize that we need  to look at the first two years so if someone   has given birth within the first two years we must  consider not only postpartum and generalized mood   mood and anxiety disorders um and one thing I  don't have on here is trauma but I'll get to   that in a minute we also need to consider thyroid  disorders because the person may have developed   postpartum hypothyroid that is going to explain  a lot of symptoms and no am of talk therapy is   going to make that to make that thyroid kick in  again substance use is another thing if someone   is abusing stimulants they're going to be more  agitated when they're withdrawing they're going to   be more flat and depressed when they are abusing  stimulants they are more likely to um experience   psychotic symptoms when they are withdrawing from  alcohol or depressants they are a lot more likely   to be very agitated irritable have low energy so  we need to recognize the symptoms of substance   abuse and some medical disorders can worsen before  menes including migraines irritable bowel syndrome   and um myotis uh we we need to recognize that  chronic fatigue chronic fatigue syndrome CFS uh   is an autoimmune condition and a lot of autoimmune  conditions also worsen before menes because as   irritability goes up irritability is a sign of  stress and we know that stress is a trigger for   autoimmune issues there are some things that  we can do biologically or that the person can   work with their doctor to do biologically to  address these things but then there are other   things we can help them work on cognitively  environmentally interpersonally during this time estrogen can increase serotonin synthesis  and release as well as enhance serotonin receptor   sensitivity and function remember I said the  estrogen levels may be in the normal range but   during certain times of the month that estrogen  may actually do something to irritate or make the   serotonin receptors even more sensitive  serotonergic neurons in the brain also have   been found to contain estrogen inducible progestin  receptors so we need to recognize as well that   estrogen as estrogen goes up it can trigger the  development of or development release of other   hormones estrogen modulates serotonin transmission  by finding and Metabolism in the brain regions   involved in regulating mood and cognition remember  our our serotonin availability is dependent not   only on how much our body makes but how quickly  it is metabolized how quickly it's broken down   in that synapse and how effectively it binds to  The receptors is it a problem with not enough   serotonin and this is where I get frustrated where  Dr just start throwing ssris at people because   that oversimplifies that's really first order  thinking some of the physical effects attributed   to estrogen include changes in pain perception  serotonin is very well known to help regulate our   pain perception and when people have low serotonin  they have more pain they feel more pain their   pain threshold is lower however you want to say it  estrogen also inh in inhibits the enzyme monoamine   oxidase or MAOI and the first generation I think  anti-depressants were MAOI Inhibitors these were   drugs that people took that when the serotonin  was released into that synaptic space they went   in there and prevented um that drug prevented the  MAOI from being released and breaking down the   serotonin so it could be reabsorbed um phenoline  or nle are two examples most people because of   all the side effects most people are not on maois  anymore however it is interesting to recognize how   estrogen serves the same function um if you will  uh it it it inhibits the MAOI so it PR vents the   breakdown of Serotonin chronically elevated levels  of estrogen can induce depression by causing   functional H hypothyroidism not only can that  happen during the postpartum period but anytime   if somebody has chronically elevated levels of  estro estrogen this can be genetic this can be   due to some other physiological issue this can be  due to taking supplements that increase estrogen   levels overthe counter supplements estrogen  increases tbg which decreases the amount of free   thyroid hormone available to the body triggering  symptoms of underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism   um and I just put that in there so you have the  clinical explanation the take-home message too   much estrogen can suppress the thyroid chronically  elevated levels of estrogen and low progesterone   can contribute to anxiety progesterone is your  buffer it is sort of like Gaba to glutamate   um progesterone buffers the stress response or  buffers against the estrogen and estrogen tends   to be more associated with the stress response  estrogen enhances the release of cortisol our main   stress hormone dopamine our main motivation and  norepinephrine our main attention go go back to   that Goldilocks principle not enough estrogen then  you're not going to have as much stimulation and   release of cortisol dopamine and norepinephrine so  you're going to feel pretty crappy right in that   sweet spot you're going to feel good too much  estrogen or too much activity of the estrogen   system in whatever way it's communicating can  cause the release of too much cortisol releasing   our stress hormones certainly going to make us  feel anxious dopamine which motivates us to try to   make that stressor stop so we're in fight or flee  and we are really focused on getting the heck out   of there estrogen decreases the release of Gaba  our main calming hormone and promotes increased   glutamate our main excitatory hormone and dopamine  transmission so as we stop relaxing and get more   excitable and more motivated to do something again  in in the perfect combination in the perfect ratio   that's great and I don't want to be unmotivated  and sitting on the couch all day long but I don't   want to be so excited so stressed out and so you  know focused in that fight ORF flight stage that I   can't function estrogen reduces the fear response  and I know you're like excuse me haven't we been   saying that it increases ear IR itability yeah  it increases stress it increases motivation and   focus when we are trying to fight or flee from  that angry lion um being scared is not going   to be really productive we need to fight we need  to move we need to get out when estrogen is low   people may be more likely to startle and have an  exaggerated fear response and increased anxiety causes of low estrogen age I said it declines  as we age just the way it is premature ovarian   failure which can happen in people uh in  their 20s in their 30s that's why they call   it premature postpartum I mentioned that before  stress as a result of not getting enough sleep   as a result of hormone changes whatever  is going on during that postpartum period   can contribute to reduced estrogen levels and  when the woman is pregnant the main source of   estrogen for that pregnancy is in the placenta so  when the placenta is delivered after the baby is   born there's a dramatic drop in estrogen which can  be really shocking for people who are sensitive to   alterations congenital conditions like Turner  syndrome thyroid disorders so estrogen can   cause thyroid disorders and thyroid disorders can  cause low estrogen if someone is presenting with   pmdd PMS depression get their thyroid screened it  really it's not difficult for a doctor to do being   SE severely underweight having poor nutrition or  poor nutritional absorption for example people   who've had bypasses who have leaky gut or who are  under chronic stress and they pretty much whatever   they eat just kind of shoots through their system  without getting absorbed very well those people   don't have the nutrients needed for their body  to make the hormones and one of the things that   the body needs in order to make your gonadal  hormones and any of your steroid hormones is   cholesterol again whoa wait a minute we've been  told cholesterol is bad not all cholesterol is   bad we need some in order for our body to be  able to manufacture uh the steroid hormones   and then chemotherapy chemotherapy just really  screws up the entire system including the gut microbiome let's talk about trauma for a  second someone who has experienced chronic   trauma somebody who's experienced trauma and  it's gone unresolved even if it was an acute   trauma and they have now have PTSD or cptsd  they are in a chronic state of stress we've   talked in other videos about how stress is not  just mental stress is physical when you overe   exercise when you don't get enough sleep when  you're malnourished when you're sick when there's   inflammation when you are cognitively overwhelmed  or emotionally stressed or overwhelmed all of   those are stressors and stress triggers the HPA  axis it triggers the stress response and which   is good I mean it's our body saying Hey I want  to protect you I want to give you some energy   so you can do what you need to do to get safe  under conditions of chronic stress though just   like The receptors in the brain become resistant  to dopamine in addictions The receptors in the   brain start becoming resistant to cortisol over  time eventually the brain goes there's no point in   getting upset over anything right now um  which is when people go from being stressed   out and irritable to just flat they're we talk  about the stress response there's fight flight   Fawn do whatever you can to make it stop freeze  and forget about it or the other FW uh and when   people experience GL glucocorticoid resistance  they're at that forget about it stage they just   they don't have the energy it has to be  something big for their body to actually   respond glucocorticoid resistance can also  extend to other hormones like the thyroid   hormone and progestogen progesterone estrogen  and testosterone why because the hypothalamic pituitary areas of the brain have three  axes of import an in this the hypothalamic   pituitary adrenal axis the HPA axis that's  our stress response the hpg axis which is   the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis and  that's what we're talking about today and then   there's the hypothalamic pituitary thyroid or  the HPT axis whenever one of those is activated   the other two are always activated whenever one  starts getting out of whack the other two start   also becoming resistant and outof whack when  estrogen sensitivity is reduced as a result of   glucocorticoid resistance so your body is  resistant to cortisol as well as estrogen   adding estrogen therapy may not alleviate estrogen  deficiency syndrome symptoms instead it can lead   to side effects like weight gain water retention  and mood swings which are signs of estrogen excess   remember what I said earlier it's not always about  your body not having enough or not making enough   in this particular situation there's plenty of  estrogen there but the receptors aren't receptive   they're like no we're not opening the door to move  this along so when you add more estrogen that just   floods the synapse and you start getting side  effects low-functioning pituitary gland is also   associated in decreased production of sex hormones  like estrogen and testosterone and gut microbiome   dysfunction gut microbes can build hormones like  estrogen progesterone and testosterone through   the action of various enzymes just like how they  build neurotransmitters and when we don't have   the right enzymes when we don't have the right  worker crew in our gut to break down what we're   eating we're not going to produce the stuff that  we need disruptions to the gut microbiome such as   through antibiotic use have also been linked  to alterations in estrogen levels why is this   important if somebody has lyme disease or has  just taken a two-e course of some antibiotic   and their mood has been altered this could be  part of the reason until their gut microbiome   gets back in sync they may have more symptoms  I in here in Tennessee uh Lyme disease is a big   issue and I've been on a course of doxic cycling  more than once to um as a preventative measure   and that just when you take doxy a lot of people  my experience and and my daughter's experience is   you are exhausted you've kind of feel feel like  you've got the flu and like You' been been hit   by a Mac truck um and that goes on for actually a  couple weeks after you finish the doxy why because   it takes that long for your gut microbiome to get  back in syn high estrogen can be caused by leaky   gut thyroid dysfunction thyroid can be too low too  higher just right stress can disrupt the balance   between estrogen and other hormones pralon which  is a precursor to cortisol is also a precursor to   Progesterone remember progesterone buffers against  estrogen well if you're under too much stress and   your body's going well I need to use the pralon  to make the cortisol to survive from this angry   lion then there's not enough pralon left over  to make the progesterone so estrogen is just   running off and not being rained in by anybody  pharmaceutical drug use can change gut flora   and digestive function and obesity especially  in the abdominal area and this is true for all   of the hormones obesity in the abdominal area  is associated with higher cortisol but we also   know that um visceral obesity and uh fat cells in  general increase the production of estrogen people   who are clinically obese uh have more systemic  inflammation than people who are not I'm not   fat shaming I'm just stating a fact progesterone  has anti-anxiety and neuroprotective effects in   the brain it can influence cognitive function mood  and behavior when you're stressed out when you're   in fight or flea your brain is not using those  higher order or cognitive processes that just   ain't happening so in order to get into your wise  mind the serotonin has to go down a little bit the   estrogen the norepinephrine we need to get into  our wise mind we need to downregulate so we can   think clearly and it actually buffers progesterone  can help buffer against the damage that glutamate   does when the brain is exposed to it for too long  progesterone can antagonize the effects of the   stress hormone cortisol so that it works against  cortisol helping to mitigate the negative impacts   of stress When people's progesterone is too low  they may experience more anxiety more irritability   aha so let's go back to that meny cycle when  people are in that phase of their cycle where they   develop PMS it's often because their progesterone  levels are dropping their estrogen levels are   increasing so when somebody starts feeling um  irritable it could be not serotonin it could   be not estrogen it could be that progesterone  dropped too low so the ratio of progesterone   to estrogen to serotonin is out of balance for  that person and Gaba and glutamate progesterone   activates the Gaba receptors are natural calming  receptors in the brain and can modulate glutamate   the major excitatory neurotransmitter actually  Gaba is made from glutamate so when someone   gets stressed their body releases glutamate when  it's time to relax the glutamate is broken down   into Gaba which is great it's great recycling  um but it's important to maintain a balance   too much Gaba and you're going to feel depressed  unmotivated in addition to having physiological   symptoms too much glutamate you're going to feel  very very anxious progesterone can be converted to   testosterone can't get rid of the interaction  progesterone may also modulate the effects of   testosterone in the brain and body and notice  I'm not identifying any sex here because it   impacts both sexes cortisol and progesterone are  both made from pralon progesterone is generally   anti-anxiety in nature estrogen is generally  anti-depressant estrogen generally because it   stimulates norepinephrine dopamine and uh cortisol  tends to give us more energy when it's not when   it's not too much in out of balance progesterone  typically helps us calm down too much of either   however can produce an on-edge feeling the higher  estrogen levels go the more cortisol is released   making us less able to adapt to stress that is a  statement from one of the Articles that's cited on   here but it's also important again to realize  that it may not be the estrogen itself it may   be the way the estrogen is communicating or the  other hormones and neurotransmitters the estrogen   is triggering to be released high estrogen levels  can contribute to subclinical hypothyroidism so   somebody starts feeling depressed which  decreases Gaba release gabas are natural   calming now you've got somebody who has no energy  no motivation and they're anxious wow in terms of   the stress response estrogen can activate the  HPA axis our main stress response and increase   cortisol release it increases dopamine synthesis  well when we're in fight or flight we need some   dopamine in order to get motivated to get away  from that angry lion progesterone modulates the   effects of estrogen on the dopaminergic system  when it is time to relax when you're safe proest   Prestone comes in and goes okay dopamine you can  you can go away now everything's cool we can all   just relax for a minute testosterone can have a  significant impact on mood lowd do testosterone   has been shown to improve depression symptoms  including fatigue anxiety and sexual function in   both sexes testosterone Administration in people  or biologically female in women is still a very   um debated topic however there are a lot of um  doctors now that are recognizing the importance   of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and  these Studies have proven that for some people   with treatment resistant depression lowd dose  testosterone can be a GameChanger depression   anxiet and anxiety are well-known symptoms of low  testosterone in adolescent males but not females   remember in people who are male testosterone is  the dominant hormone so when the dominant hormone   has changes it's going to be more profound  than when some of the sub hormones have some   changes so in adolescent males so they're going  through puberty their hormones are all over the   the place oh wow um there's a decline in salivary  testosterone throughout the day due to circadian   flux and this is correlated with an increase in  anxiety and depressiv like measures in the evening   the Adolescent male W May wake up in the morning  and be attentive and focused and in a decent   mood and whatever and as the day goes on they  lose their attention they have more difficulty   uh tolerating Life On Life's terms they may  become more irritable and depressed or have   lower energy we want to recognize that that  testosterone follows a very similar path to   our cortisol levels in the morning our cortisol  levels are highest get out of bed do your daily   stuff as it go through the day it decreases same  thing is true with testosterone if you're working   with adolescent males remember that's up to age  24 but especially in that high school age uh when   the hormones are really just starting to figure  out what's going on some of the mood symptoms   especially if they are in sync with circadian  flux may be due to those tadian rhythms and   the youth will have to figure out how can they  work their day in a way that's meaningful based   on what their body's doing they're not going to  be able to fight the circadian rhythms very much   um they may be able to alter their circadian  clock a little bit but ultimately getting the   brunt of their thinking stuff done earlier in  the day is going to be more important because   later in the day it's going to be harder to  learn surgical removal of the ovaries increased   mood disturbances and depression in females  obviously because only females have ovaries   uh this is an effect reversed by testosterone  H so you think ovaries you think estrogen but   testosterone is also made in the ovaries Androgen  including testosterone are essential for the   production of estradiol by the ovaries and for  people who have premature ovarian failure that   means not only are they not making estrogen to the  same level that they need to they're not making   testosterone and that throws multiple systems out  of whack testosterone has organizing effects on   brain development and several psychological  traits and behaviors in both sexes at proper   levels it helps with one's sense of wellbeing and  self-confidence which are important aspects of   mood numerous clinical studies in postmenopausal  women and men in andropause showed improvements   of learning learning and memory after testosterone  supplementation let's think about this we've got   estrogen that tends to increase norepinephrine  and dopamine which are important for learning   but if you have too much dopamine and norep  epinephrine too much activity in that estrogen   system then it's going to be hard to focus  because you're in stress you're in fight or   flight if you've got to little progesterone then  that's not going to balance or buffer the estrogen   now we bring in testosterone if you have  too little testosterone this is also going   to make it harder to learn and remember things  thinking about again those ad adolescent males   and even adolescent females hormones all over the  place it makes sense why some days they just have   difficulty learning things and remembering  things uh High cortisol can have a direct   inhibitory effect on testosterone production which  impacts learning memory and aggression and this   is another one that I made sure to hyperlink  because there are some people that are going   to say Well when men are under stress their TOS  testosterone goes up so they can fight or flee   well that's actually not what they're finding  so much High cortisol can impact testosterone   production testosterone is also a reprodu  productive hormone and when someone is under a   lot of stress the brain goes yeah now is not the  time to reproduce it it's just not practical to   reproduce so testosterone levels may actually drop  there's a positive relationship between cortisol   and free testosterone during exercise recovery so  during this particular event c as cortisol goes up   testosterone also goes up that's a head scratcher  this may be due to the concurrent production of   both hormones from the same precursor in the  adrenal gland and they're thinking that there's   also growth hormone that is being created to  help the body recover from exercise which also   may impact the cortisol testosterone relationship  in the body there are so many different functions   and so many different interactions that we  can't make super sweeping statements we need   to recognize and say in most cases just like with  human beings in different scenarios when I am   interacting with my husband I act a certain way  when I'm interacting with a stranger I interact   a certain way in different settings in different  contexts I will add act and react in different   ways and our body is the same way our uh serotonin  system our dopamine system our stress response   is going to react differently under different  conditions acute stress can temporarily suppress   testosterone levels while chronic stress can  have long-term negative impacts on testosterone   production what they found is that acute stress  temporarily says okay not the time to reprod   when it's when we're all clear then we'll ramp  up testosterone again under chronic stress the   body says you might as well just not worry about  making that testosterone anymore because it ain't   never going to be safe to reproduce anymore um  overgeneralized I know but ultimately that's   what they believe is going on people also develop  glucocorticoid resistance under those conditions   of chronic stress we talked about that earlier  where they start becoming resistant to cortisol   the stress hormone so cortisol is not coming out  to inhibit the testosterone but testosterone's   also not there the person's going to start  feeling pretty crappy the relationship between   testosterone and Status seeking behaviors what we  identify as leadership and aggression is moderated   by cortisol levels H now this is especially true  in men because testosterone is their um dominant   hormone so let's think about this as testosterone  goes as cortisol goes up testosterone goes down   as testosterone goes up cortisol goes down when  people have more testosterone they tend to um   have less stress they tend to be less anxious  about going into these environments they feel   more impa powered so that testosterone goes up  as the cortisol goes down makes sense in terms of   Serotonin testosterone is associated with improved  serotonin receptor binding and a reduction   of depression and anxiety in people estrogen  increases serotonin receptor sensitivity serotonin   binding and production we know this in both SE and  testosterone does the same thing testosterone has   to do it as the predominant gatal hormone in men  and estrogen being the predominant in women kind   of takes that role so we see how testosterone and  estrogen have very similar roles in the different   Sexes um and then you know when testosterone when  we're talking about testosterone in women it also   has some similar factors but it is not as much of  a driving feature just like estrogen is is not as   much of a driving hormone in men testosterone  modulates serotonin receptor activity in a way   that directly affects aggression fear and anxiety  it impacts the emotion processing areas of the   brain just like estrogen does and it can increase  fear and anxiety um and by increasing serotonin   the central fatigue hypothesis suggests that an  increase in the ratio of Serotonin to dopamine is   linked to fatigue and reduced performance uh and  and that's important because as serotonin goes up   um and dopamine goes down people are going to feel  more fatigued think about people who are an on   antis pycho medications they struggle with fatigue  dopamine helps us have energy so as serotonin goes   up and dopamine goes down people may start  experiencing um more fatigue therefore high   levels of testosterone may also be associated with  depression because the high levels of testosterone   are stimulating that serotonin system which is  also potentially reducing dopamine Gaba function   and transmission is also enhanced by testosterone  Gaba is our main calming hormone so that's a good   thing glutamate is reduced so our main stress  hormone reduced good thing low testosterone is   associated with decreased Gaba levels and function  which may contribute to symptoms of anxiety and   depression low testosterone and we're talking  out of the range will means that less serotonin   is binding because testosterone increases  serotonin binding so we don't have enough   serotonin binding to help us feel okay and we  don't have enough Gaba so we don't have either   one of our you know predominant calming hormones  higher testosterone levels may increase dopamine   which is associated with reward and motivation  testosterone can affect dopamine re receptor   density and sensitivity just like estrogen does in  women resulting in increased mood motivation and   cognition increased dopamine can also increase  cause increases in testosterone and possibly   aggression when people are engaging in addictive  behaviors what do we generally attribute to what's   going on in their brain dopamine they're flooding  their brain with dopamine so if somebody is   engaging in addictive behaviors whether it's drug  addiction gambling porn whatever their dopamine   levels are just being through the roof which may  also increase testosterone and possibly aggression   which may explain part of the disinhibition uh  hypothesis when people get Under the Influence   they're more likely to do stuff that they wouldn't  do if they were sober adolescent males have an   increased risk of developing psychotic disorders  and again remember testosterone is p predominant   in males which is why this is male Focus not both  genders um this implicates testosterone basically   testosterone overload in the precipitation of  dopamine related psychopath pathology and this   is a really interesting article that talks about  how as adolescents go into puberty and the body   starts producing copious amounts of testosterone  and it's kind of all over the place sometimes it   can over basically overwhelm the brain circuitry  which may lead to damage in the dopaminergic   system which can in some cases um contribute to  psychotic symptoms nor nephrine can be increased   by testosterone remember norepinephrine is  our Focus chemical and can stimulate the   conversion of testosterone into estradi well  there we go now the estrogen is coming back   full circle low testosterone levels trigger  symptoms such as anorexia fatigue decreased   libido which also impact mood testosterone has  been shown to have anti-depressant effects in   women with dysfunctional pituitary glands and  low testosterone and again that people with   SSRI or treatment resistant depression this is  another Avenue that we can explore instead of   just kind of throwing up our hands here's an  example A 55-year-old Man Named John has been   experiencing fatigue low mood decreased libido for  several months due to low testosterone levels we   don't test blood we're not going to be making  these calls about whether it's too low but for   the purposes of this he came to your clinic  he had these symtoms you said hey John you   know I'd love to see you let's get a blood  work up done on you let go see your doctor   to make sure there's nothing going on underlying  that can be addressed found out his testosterone   levels are low as a result low testosterone led  to high serotonin which was contributing to his   fatigue and mood changes they hypothesize that  low testosterone levels lead to an increase in   serotonin levels as a compensatory mechanism um so  when testosterone goes low the brain says well we   need to put something in its place increased  Gaba May further exacerbate his fatigue and   low energy as his testosterone goes low his  Gaba goes up decreased dopamine low dopamine   low testosterone low testosterone low drive low  motivation you can think about it that way also   when our dopamine is low we have low energy and  low cognitive functioning that doesn't mean our   IQ drops it means it's harder to think we've got  more brain fog and the low testosterone is was   also associated with increased norepinephrine one  of our Focus chemicals but it's also a stimulatory   or excitatory chemical which also contributed  to his anxiety and other mood disturbances just   low testosterone in this 55y old man which  his testosterone may have been low to begin   with because of his age um or other factors like  gambling or something else um whatever the case   his tea is low and it caused all of these other  things to get out of whack the same thing is true   in females when one one gets one of the hormones  gets out of whack all of his buddies follow suit   causes of low tea just like with estrogen obesity  fat cells make estrogen the more estrogen in ratio   to the testosterone the less healthy testosterone  um signals are sent so it's important to recognize   the Obesity increases stress obesity increases  estrogen obesity increases systemic inflammation   and obesity may cause a reduction in testosterone  when testosterone levels decline in men so does   estrogen all right well since your body converts  some free testosterone to estrogen we also may   see low testosterone when testosterone levels  are declining um even even though the body can   um convert free testosterone to estrogen the  testosterone is is declining and the estrogen   isn't declining as quickly insulin resistance and  diabetes elevated insulin and blood sugar create   issues with testosterone signaling this is true  in both sexes low testosterone levels correspond   with higher insulin resistance more problems with  diabetes in men in particular because testosterone   is their dominant hormone porn just like other  addictions can disrupt testosterone levels partly   um because the body develops a tolerance or  a resistance to the testosterone and the uh   dopamine leading to a lack of stimulation or  arousal by women in real life um they found   that it's called the Andro accelerator hypothesis  in sex and porn addiction when the addiction is   related to sex uh the combination of dopamine  with testosterone intensifies exponentially   the impact of the reward and the damage on the  dopaminergic system sick guts gut uh microbiome   not healthy then it's going to impact the L gut  impact the body levels of all your hormones and   all your neurotransmitters endocrine disruptors  and this is true again for all of the um hormones   especially your gatal hormones but we're just  talking about it under tea chemicals in our   air food and water can act as anti-androgenic  compounds that can damage testosterone receptors   BPA we all have heard about getting stuff that's  BPA free thiolates which are used to make plastic   more flexible and pfas which used to be used in  non-stick cookware um are all endocrine disruptors   and fluoride which is in a lot of our toothpaste  and a lot of our water in excessive levels   can also be an endocrine disruptor and it was  actually declared so it's not just me coming off   some uh Fringe sight with that hypertension also  can cause low testosterone the thought is that   mental stress might suppress the HPA gonadal  axis to decrease testosterone levels when   someone is under chronic stress they may develop  hypertension we already talked about how chronic   stress leads to glucocorticoid resistance and the  body reducing testosterone levels cortisol's high   testosterone's low estrobolome is a collection  of microbes capable of metabolizing estrogens   hormone production takes place in your gut among  other places so when your gut is leaky when your   body is not able to metabolize these estrogens and  these other products you can start to get systemic   inflammation and a leaky gut means that the the  stuff is being made in the digestive system but   it's actually able to leak out of the walls a  little bit which causes an inflammatory response   and an increase in cortisol both men and women  have testosterone and estrogen and progesterone   estrogen testosterone and progesterone impact  serotonin Gaba dopamine nor epinephrine levels   you can't extricate the gatal hormones from the  neurot transmitters they work in concert cortisol   reduces the amount of sex hormones cuz your body  says Ain not not it isn't the time to use energy   for sex or reproduction too much estrogen  or testosterone can contribute to anxiety   um too little can contribute to depression that  is grossly oversimplified it could be that it's   poor functioning in one of those symptoms in  systems where you have plenty of estrogen or   plenty of testosterone but the system itself  is not working progesterone balances estrogen   cortisol is made from prelone which is the  same hormone that progesterone progesterone   is made from if you're too busy making cortisol  you're going to use up all the prenolone and then   you're not going to have enough basically to make  the progesterone to balance out the estrogen too   much cortisol means too little progesterone and  estrogen dominance leaky gut also contributes to   estrogen dominance and excessive cortisol and  systemic inflammation and hypertension obesity   diabetes and stress all impact the leaky  gut as well as hormone levels the take-home   message is a lot of our mood and cognitive  symptoms can be caused by or exacerbated by   hormone imbalances and a lot of our mood and  cognitive symptoms can also exacerbate those   hormone imbalances so it's essential that we work  in Tangent with a medical doctor in order to make   sure we're addressing the mind and body to help  people reach their maximal level of recovery

Channel: Doc Snipes

Views: 3,526

Keywords: yt:cc=on, doc snipes, testosterone, counselor education, CEUs, webinar, CE 4 Less, counselor, counselling, sex hormones, progesterone, depression relief, anxiety relief, hypothyroid, closed caption, NAADAC, Florida Certification Board, LPC CEUs, AllCEUs, DocSnipes, LCSW CEUs, Estrogen, hormone replacement therapy, HRT, LIVE webinar, Pesi, online CEUs, integrative behavioral health

Id: zqv4_ypn1Vo

Length: 60min 52sec (3652 seconds)

Published: Wed May 08 2024