HORMONES: A Guide

Hormones

Hormone DHEA

What does it affect?

A steroid hormone synthesized from cholesterol, which the body converts into male and female sex hormones. Testosterone and estrogen are derived from DHEA. This hormone affects your mood, immunity, cardiovascular and nervous systems, libido, metabolism, and skin quality. DHEA production peaks at around age 20 and gradually declines thereafter, which also reduces the production of other sex hormones. Thus, its level directly determines your biological age, influencing both mental and physical health.

What happens when it's deficient?

A DHEA deficiency can lead to muscle loss, increased body fat, and dry, aging skin for physical health. Mentally, it may cause decreased stress resilience, mood swings, and depression. A drop in libido and difficulty achieving orgasm are also signs of low DHEA. Long-term deficiency not only results in exhaustion, impaired sexual health, and external aging but also increases the risks of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, arthritis, and diabetes.

How to maintain it?

Restoring DHEA levels can be achieved through a healthy lifestyle, supplementation, and hormone replacement therapy (microdoses of modern bioidentical hormones in sublingual, transdermal, or tablet form).

Hormone Testosterone

What does it affect?

The most well-known male steroid hormone—it is also critically important for women's health. It is responsible for mood, sexual desire, and an attractive figure. Testosterone plays a key role in the immune, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. It has an anti-carcinogenic effect and regulates reaction speed, brain productivity, sexual function, body strength, and endurance. From the age of 35, its levels rapidly decline, especially without sufficient physical activity and under stress, leading to weight gain and increased risks of osteoporosis and atherosclerosis.

What happens when it's deficient?

Testosterone deficiency leads to weight gain and obesity, a decline in sexual quality (lower libido and sensitivity), muscle loss, cellulite formation, hair loss, and skin sagging. Low testosterone can cause weakness, frequent illnesses, menstrual cycle disruption, gum recession, varicose veins, and hemorrhoids. Cognitive function declines, reaction time worsens, and depressive moods, tearfulness, apathy, loss of endurance, and sleep problems may arise.

How to maintain it?

To maintain testosterone levels, regular physical activity focusing on large muscle groups, a balanced diet, and supplementation are necessary. Hormonal therapy (sublingual, tablet, injectable forms, or pellets) is used to compensate for testosterone deficiency, though modern microdoses of bioidentical hormones in cream form are highly effective.

Hormone Cortisol

What does it affect?

Known as the “stress hormone,” cortisol causes problems not only when levels are high but also when they are low. It regulates energy balance, immunity, and the body’s ability to handle stress. Cortisol participates in metabolism and nervous system regulation, helps control blood sugar levels, and balances adrenaline. When out of balance, individuals may become irritable and gain weight. Cortisol should be high in the morning and decrease by evening, but stress and unhealthy habits often reverse this cycle, leading to nighttime energy bursts and morning fatigue.

What happens when it's deficient?

A key marker of cortisol imbalance is chronic fatigue. Common symptoms include morning weakness, daytime drowsiness, nighttime hyperactivity, difficulty falling asleep, shallow sleep, and frequent nighttime awakenings. Cortisol imbalance is also harmful to mental health, contributing to anxiety, irritability, aggression, memory issues, and concentration problems. Insomnia and exhaustion may lead to increased coffee consumption, overeating, and sugar cravings, often resulting in burnout, obesity, diabetes, weakened immunity, neurological problems, allergies, autoimmune diseases, and even premature death.

How to maintain it?

Cortisol balance is primarily regulated by stress management and a healthy routine. To normalize cortisol levels, follow a healthy lifestyle, practice good sleep hygiene, avoid alcohol and caffeine, and take appropriate supplements. Additionally, bioidentical hydrocortisone may be prescribed alongside vitamins and herbal adaptogens.

Hormone Thyroid

What does it affect?

Thyroid hormones are essential for maintaining energy balance and youth. They regulate mitochondrial function (the "power plants" within cells), metabolism, blood pressure, brain activity, heart function, digestion, productivity, immunity, reproductive health, and the onset of aging signs. Thyroid hormones T3 and T4 contain 3 and 4 iodine atoms, respectively, so imbalances are often due to iodine deficiency. T3 and T4 levels are controlled by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, making stress the main enemy of their healthy balance.

What happens when it's deficient?

Symptoms of thyroid hypofunction include fatigue, fluid retention (swelling and “bags” under the eyes), morning weakness, weight fluctuations, hair loss (including thinning eyebrows), digestive problems, and dry skin. Cold hands and feet, even in summer, and sensitivity to cold are clear markers. Hormonal imbalance also affects mental health, leading to mood swings, fatigue, low energy, memory and concentration problems, and depressive states.

How to maintain it?

Maintaining thyroid health requires a balanced diet, quality stress management, and monitoring iodine, iron, and amino acid intake. Depending on the degree of imbalance, hormone replacement therapy (best in microdoses of bioidentical hormones in oral form) may be recommended alongside lifestyle modifications and supplementation.

Hormone Pregnenolone

What does it affect?

Pregnenolone is the starting point in steroidogenesis—the process of hormone synthesis. Its proper level is essential for producing male and female sex hormones, which regulate virtually every process in our bodies. Pregnenolone also acts independently as a neurotransmitter—crucial for healthy neural transmission, mood, stress resilience, and productivity. It regulates excitation and inhibition in the nervous system, sleep, memory, and cognitive functions. Levels decline significantly with age, stress, and poor nutrition, as cholesterol is needed for its production.

What happens when it's deficient?

A drop in pregnenolone levels directly leads to lower levels of other hormones, particularly sex steroids (testosterone in men and estrogen in women). The physical effects of deficiency often appear later, only becoming noticeable after the onset of diseases related to long-term sex hormone deficiencies (e.g., libido issues, weakened immunity, cardiovascular diseases). More immediately noticeable symptoms include weakness and mental health issues such as mood swings, anxiety, memory and concentration problems, sleepiness, and loss of confidence.

How to maintain it?

To slow the age-related decline of pregnenolone, a balanced diet and the intake of healthy lipids (including in orthomolecular supplements) are essential. Hormone replacement therapy (with microdoses of bioidentical hormones in sublingual or oral forms) may be used to correct levels.

Growth Hormone

What does it affect?

Contrary to popular belief, growth hormone is not just for children during growth spurts. It is vital for maintaining youth throughout the body, regulating repair processes, protecting the brain, nervous system, and internal organs from aging, and keeping skin tone, muscle mass, and bone density intact. Its secretion decreases with age and unhealthy habits, affecting the body’s ability to handle emotional and physical stress. A lack of growth hormone causes the face and figure to lose attractiveness, increases the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer.

What happens when it's deficient?

Growth hormone is an "anabolic" (promotes muscle and bone strength) and an "antidote" to insulin. Deficiency affects carbohydrate metabolism and worsens body composition—leading to insulin resistance or diabetes, weight gain, loss of muscle mass, and increased fat percentage. Muscle atrophy, facial changes, and loss of skin elasticity are also caused by growth hormone deficiency. Mental health issues such as anxiety, fatigue, nervousness, and sleep problems are similarly linked to its decline.

How to maintain it?

Growth hormone is synthesized between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., so insufficient sleep drastically reduces its production. Preventing its decline requires healthy sleep habits, stress management, and supplements (such as amino acids). Bioidentical growth hormone therapy may also be prescribed.

Hormone Melatonin

What does it affect?

Widely known as the “sleep hormone,” melatonin has a broader range of properties. It aids adaptation, rest, and recovery, supports cognitive functions, boosts immunity, regulates growth hormone synthesis, balances other hormones, and helps combat stress. Melatonin also regulates blood pressure and protects against cancer. Moreover, it is a natural "antidote" to cortisol—the most destructive stress hormone that harms both physical and mental health. Optimal melatonin levels ensure healthy sleep, which in turn promotes a normal metabolism and protects against infectious, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases.

What happens when it's deficient?

Melatonin imbalance is easy to spot: dark circles under the eyes, a tired appearance, sleepiness, puffiness, and a worried look. People who don’t sleep well are easy to identify. Irritability, insomnia, and disordered eating often follow, as the body tries to compensate for chronic energy deficits by overeating. Ultimately, melatonin deficiency and lack of sleep lead to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, accelerated aging, weakened immunity, and a cascade of related diseases.

How to maintain it?

Melatonin levels are critically reduced by the habit of going to bed late, stress, excessive lighting, and blue light from TVs and gadgets. To normalize levels, focus on a healthy routine, avoid screens before bed, and work on stress resilience. A healthy lifestyle and restorative supplementation are essential. Bioidentical melatonin may also be prescribed orally.