Having a healthy balance of hormones is critical to a fulfilling life, and this is the specialty of the Utah Wellness Institute, where Dr. Jones leads the way. Their wellness program also includes nutritional analysis and modifications, whole-food dietary supplementation, personalized exercise programs, a blockbuster medical weight loss program, if needed, and education regarding your pH balance. » MORE INFO

After taking hormone supplements for two years and doing well on them, one patient all of a sudden stopped feeling any benefit from them.

She hadn’t changed anything about her daily lifestyle. She took her supplements at the same times, had the same diet and wasn’t on any new medication.

The difference? Her teenage daughter had gotten pregnant, and the patient herself was going through a divorce, all recent developments. The lesson here is that hormone levels can be thrown out of balance by stress.

In stressful situations, the body sends out a warning signal, which triggers the release of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. The body’s response to stressful situations alters the immune system, digestive system, and many other parts of the body.

Hormone levels will generally drop down to normal levels once the stressful incident has passed, but herein lies the problem. A pregnant teenage daughter is a stressful situation that doesn’t go away, just like many common problems in today's world don't go away quickly.

When it comes to hormone therapy, a specialist will try and balance the dosage of hormones with the patient’s stress levels and natural needs.

But how does someone know if stress is affecting hormone levels, which is causing problems? Part of the testing a hormone specialist will do is for adrenal function. The adrenal glands are important for fighting physical and emotional stress. These glands can become worn, meaning that they can no longer secrete sufficient hormones needed to deal with the stress of everyday life.

Addison’s disease is when the adrenal gland doesn’t produce sufficient quantities of the hormones it’s supposed to make. Symptoms include fatigue, body aches and unexplained weight loss.

Changing levels of hormone supplements isn’t the only answer when dealing with stress-induced fluctuations of hormones. It is important to learn how to deal with stress in terms of lifestyle and attitude changes, rather than just taking medication.

Stress is damaging and can have long-term health consequences on multiple parts of the body. Learning how to relax can be just as important as learning how to work and how to exercise.

But for people already on hormone supplements, for whatever reason, changes in stress levels will require change in dosage, so make sure to tell your doctor if your life has been affected by some momentous event, to protect yourself against hormone imbalance.