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I had the privilege to talk to Dr. Alicia Stanton, chief Medical Officer of BodyLogicMD, and author of Hormone Harmony: How to Balance Insulin, Cortisol, Thyroid, Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone to Live Your Best Life. We had a nice discussion on how hormones effect your overall health. Hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone naturally decline with age. Dr. Stanton explains how we can restore hormone balance and achieve overall health and wellness through diet and lifestyle changes.




Healthy Moms: What are Hormones?

Dr. Stanton: Hormones are messengers that the body needs to get information to the glands and other cells.

Healthy Moms: Should both men and women be concerned about their hormone levels?

Dr. Stanton: Yes. Both should definitely be concerned about their hormone levels. If your hormone levels are not accurate it affects your body's overall balance.

Healthy Moms: What affects our hormone levels?

Dr. Stanton: Diet, how much refined carbs and sugars you consume, stress levels, environment and your stage in life can have an affect on your hormone levels.

Healthy Moms: What does the aging process do to our hormones?

Dr. Stanton: As we age we tend to produce fewer hormones that build us up.

Healthy Moms: What can we do to balance our hormones?

Dr. Stanton: Maintain a steady blood sugar level, eat a lean protein diet and complex carbohydrates. You can also eat a little bit every two to three hours. This helps keep insulin stable. The spikes and crashes of blood glucose put stress on the body which, in turn, leads to overproduction of cortisol, the "fight or flight" hormone. Stress from life situations also leads to overproduction of cortisol and is another factor that needs to be managed. However, if the insulin trigger isn't already present, the body can deal more easily with the effects of stress since they aren't being piled on top of dietary stress.

Healthy Moms: Is there anything we can do to prevent hormonal imbalance?

Dr. Stanton: Do things that will allow you to maintain the same building blocks. Stress affects our diet. If men are under a lot of stress their testosterone level will drop causing them to gain belly fat. When women are under a lot of stress their estrogen level will not be right which can lead to all kinds of problems such as breast cancer, bleeding, and endometriosis.

Healthy Moms: How can women better manage their hormones during PMS and menopause?

Dr. Stanton: If you are having problems with PMS make sure you have enough progesterone. If you have breast tenderness go and get your hormone level checked. If you are dealing with menopause you should also get your hormone levels checked especially if you are at high risk for osteoporosis an heart disease.


Alicia Stanton, M.D is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and a specialist in prevenitive medicine and hormone balance. In addition to being in private practice near Hartford, CT, she is an international physician educator. Chief Medical Officer of BodyLogicMD, a national network of physicians specializing in natural bioidentical hormone therapy, and a faculty member for the Institute of Functional Medicine and the New York Chiropractic College. You can purchase her book Hormone Harmony: How to Balance Insulin, Cortisol, Thyroid, Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone to Live Your Best Life, for $18.70 at Alibris: Over 100 million books, music, & movies. 10,000 independent sellers. Your marketplace..


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