Hormones start their major increases when puberty begins. They hit their peak at around 28 years old. By the time a woman turns 35, she begins to see some downward shifts in hormone levels. The problem is that some women drop too early in life, or worse, they never have good hormone levels to begin with.

If your mother had hormonal imbalances, the chances are higher that you will, too. And if you had terrible PMS issues as a teen or later in your twenties, chances are that your daughters will inherit at least of few of those problems.

But let’s look at the real issues. What is it in today’s world that really lowers hormone levels, despite a person’s best efforts to be healthy.

The number one culprit above all the rest: STRESS. We often say that stress is like a little Pac Man, running through your bloodstream “eating” all your hormones. It particularly affects your adrenal glands. When you have lowered adrenal function, all of your body systems will be sub-functioning...and you will be fatigued and not able to handle stress as well. Often times we cannot do much to get out of chronic stress, so we show you ways of dealing with the stresses of daily living.

If you have ever taken birth control pills, that will have an affect on your hormone levels later in life. BCP’s will suppress thyroid function. Ever wonder why it is that when a woman starts on BCP’s, she will almost always gain 8-10 pounds?

Most of the cleaning chemicals under your kitchen sink will affect your hormone levels in a negative way. Things like pesticide residue on your fruits and veggies will also decrease hormones. And what about all the hormones they inject into beef and chicken to fatten them up before they go to market? Those all affect your hormone levels. They are all called “hormone disruptors” and, over time, will cause your hormone levels to drop.

In view of the above facts, we at the Center for Hormone Therapy strive to help the body compensate for these losses by replacing the hormones you are missing to create a positive, natural affect on the human body. We only use natural, bio-identical hormones and also show you the foods you can be eating to compensate for the over-exposure to the chemicalized nutrition and environment today.

"Like it or not, menopause hit me like a ton of bricks. Even though I'm a nurse, I didn't fully expect t to be that bad. I gained weight, my bladder started leaking every time I coughed or sneezed. I was tired all the time. My sex drive was gone completely. I had fluid retention, hot flashes, and I was a witch all the time.

I talked to the doctor that I work for and was so upset because he wouldn't even consider letting me try the bio-identical hormone therapy. He said there was nothing wrong with Premarin, which I knew wasn't true. I started calling all over to find a doctor that knew about the new type of healthy hormone therapy. I was finally referred to the Center for Hormone Therapy.

Then I got a real education. I couldn't believe, I'm a nurse and I didn't know half of what I now know about the importance of keeping my hormone levels up if I want to feel good for the rest of my life. i tell everyone now!"

-M. Cook, Draper, Utah