Did you know that your brain acquired a boost when you started SottoPelle® Therapy?  Research now provides abundant evidence of the vital role played by hormones (testosterone, progesterone and estrogen) in brain function, especially in aging men and women.  In fact, according to Dr. Rena Li, scientist and associate professor at Sun Health Institute in Sun City, AZ, the most common premise as to why women are at higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s is their reduced estrogen production after menopause.[1] On the reverse side, epidemiological studies have linked hormone replacement with a decline in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. All the more reason to continue to replace these important hormones when there’s a deficiency.

But something else besides your hormone levels also seriously impacts your brainpower—and that’s the food you eat. There’s good brain food and bad, of course, but saturated fat and sugar, staples during holiday food fests, are two of the biggest brain drains.

High-Fat, Low Brain Function

Research studies on high-fat diets continue to connect many diseases and health problems to eating too much ‘bad’ fat. (That’s the saturated fat found in animal products, some cooking oils or the trans fats like those added to microwave popcorn.) Scientists have also found especially strong links between what we eat and how our brains work.

Eating a meal that’s loaded with saturated or trans fat seems to starve the brain of its energy supply. Research shows that a steady diet that’s high in cholesterol and saturated fat can cause harmful inflammatory changes in the brain that are linked to a significant decline in the ability to think, learn and remember—something most of us in the 40+ crowd can’t afford to lose due to too many cheeseburgers.[2]

Ubiquitous Sugar

The foods most of us gravitate towards during the holidays are typically those that are high in sugar. Holiday stress can really add insult to injury.  During times of stress your cortisol and insulin levels go haywire and cause you to crave sweets and starch. Unfortunately, every bite raises your blood sugar and lowers your mental functioning. Remember your pre-SottoPelle brain fog? Say hello again!

Holiday Coping Strategies

There’s nothing wrong with a little seasonal indulgence, but too often holiday weight gain sticks with us. If you’re on the plus side to start out with, it’s even tougher to drop those pounds after the holidays are over. The best plan is to have a plan. Maybe these tactics will work for you, or you can invent some of your own:

•  Eat healthy meals during the week and save the treats for parties or family gatherings.

•  Don’t overindulge – keep portions small and eat a healthy snack beforehand.

•  Keep a holiday food diary.

•  Reduce stress: smile more, watch funny movies, go for a walk, breathe deeply and get plenty of rest.

•  Keep your SottoPelle® appointment! Let us keep you in a positive stress-free mode with healthy hormones.

And remember, it’s not what you eat from Thanksgiving to New Years.  It’s what you eat from New Years to Thanksgiving Day that really counts!

November has been designated as National Prostate Awareness Month. As the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. among men, almost a quarter million (approximately 240,000) will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. 

There’s a medical myth about prostate cancer that’s flourished in the U.S. for generations (since the early 1940s, in fact)—that high testosterone causes this cancer to grow.  The wisdom shared in medical schools over the decades stated that giving testosterone replacement therapy to men with prostate cancer was tantamount to “pouring gasoline on a fire.” There are many physicians today who still believe this and remain reluctant to restore testosterone to physiologic levels.   

But the theory that high testosterone is bad for you flies in the face of logic. In reality, men in their 20s and 30s never manifest prostate cancer—ages when testosterone levels are at their peak and in balance with the rest of their hormones. If high testosterone fueled prostate cancer, it would be most prevalent in young men. Rather, it’s seen predominantly in older men with low testosterone. Thank goodness research has finally caught up to the incongruent logic of previous theories.

Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, Associate Clinical Professor of Urology at Harvard Medical School and Director of Men’s Health Boston, has been at the forefront of putting the misconceptions to rest. He discovered the flaws in previous research and conducted several key studies himself, including an important review of literature published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004. His conclusion after a year-long review of the scientific literature was “that testosterone therapy did not increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.”[1]

Current evidence also supports the view that testosterone therapy is both safe for the prostate and good for the health.  Low testosterone, on the other hand, has been linked to increased risk of prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis, not to mention afflictions such as fatigue, depression, reduced sex drive, erectile dysfunction and loss of muscle mass and strength. Restoring this vital hormone to physiologic blood levels, as SottoPelle® Therapy does, has the opposite effect of supporting all of these systems and functions. [2]^,[3],[4] 

In fact, SottoPelle® Therapy has been treating men with low testosterone or hypogonadism for almost 2 decades now for exactly that reason.  After years of performing his own research, testing and analysis, Dr. Gino Tutera pioneered this remarkable method of natural hormone therapy based on the science of endocrinology and abundant research supporting bio-identical hormones and the pellet hormone delivery system.  He’s now treated thousands of patients using his system and seen remarkable results. Perhaps the best endorsement is the fact that both he and his wife, Carolann, have received SottoPelle Therapy for more than a decade.                    

OK, take a deep breath, the holidays are upon us. For women, this time of year means a lot of extra demands on their time: the planning, the shopping, the cooking, the travel, not to mention, the drama.  If you’re someone who goes into a frenzy trying to recreate those perfect holiday celebrations for family and friends, it’s time to take pause.  Stress is not necessarily your friend.

Our bodies are programmed to survive, which, of course, is beneficial. In response to stress, the heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar all rise to help us meet the physical challenge. Adrenaline, cortisol and other stress-related hormones also surge in life-threatening situations and serve important functions.  Most of today’s stress, however, tends to be from psychological threats and not physical dangers.  The stresses of work, family and an over-busy schedule can take their toll on us physically. Health issues like high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and diabetes have all been linked to the overuse of the body’s fight or flight response. It upsets the healthy hormonal balance that keeps us operating optimally.

According to The American Institute of Stress, there are 50 common signs and symptoms of stress, a few of which include: insomnia, frequent headaches, difficulty breathing, sighing, neck ache, depression and constant tiredness.

Maybe it’s time to assess your own stress levels and do something about it—before the holidays arrive. In fact, you could make your New Year’s resolutions on November 15^th.  Here are a few suggestions for reducing stress:

1)     Take more hot baths

2)     Meditate for 15 minutes a day

3)     Start your day with deep breathing and stretching

4)     Go for a walk after dinner

5)     Eat more vegetarian meals (but don’t slack on protein)

6)     Share tasks or make a cooking/baking date with family or friends

And here’s a SottoPelle reminder: when you’re under stress, your body uses more hormone in order to cope. This includes testosterone, estrogen and even the thyroid hormones. So don’t postpone your regular SottoPelle appointment around the holidays!  SottoPelle bio-identical hormones are your friends when it comes to stress.