Brain health is so dependent on hormones and hormone balance that without them true brain health will never exist. With that in mind, this article is 100% dedicated to helping women understand their unique hormone systems and their influence on the brain. In this article we will discuss estrogen, testosterone, serotonin, dopamine, cortisol and octopamine.
It is common knowledge that women produce large amounts of estrogen and estrogen derivative hormones. These include but are not limited to, estradiol, progesterone, estrone and estriol. Estrogen and its derivatives are responsible for the female body and a woman’s ability to have children and to nurse those children. Estrogen is also called the beauty hormone because it plays an essential role in collagen production, skin health and helps women maintain a youthful appearance, BUT, too much estrogen is a whole other thing. Too much estrogen will drive a woman to madness, depression, confusion, obesity (especially in the belly), menstrual irregularity, cause sleep deprivation and contribute to the increased risk of breast and uterine cancer. Don’t let the negative symptoms scare you though, estrogen is your dear dear friend, but balance is essential.
Next is testosterone! Even though estrogen is the FAMOUS women’s hormone, women should also have an abundance of testosterone. A woman's ovaries and adrenal glands make testosterone first, and then convert some of that testosterone into estrogen and the estrogen derivatives. If testosterone is too low, either because you’re not making enough, or because you’re converting too much into estrogen, energy will decrease, brain function will be cloudy, words disappear when you’re trying to talk, libido will be weak or non existent, muscles will hurt even though nothing in the routine has changed, the belly will grow even though the diet may be scant, exhaustion will be continuous no matter how much sleep you’ve had, and it becomes nearly impossible to concentrate. The lower the testosterone, the worse these symptoms become.
Serotonin, this is our relaxed and feeling confident about life hormone. It allows us to take command of ourselves. We may have trials and tribulations, we may have to work harder than we expected and have very little leisure time, but with enough serotonin, we keep our heads high and confidently attack another day. Serotonin runs high in people who win and who commonly make their life what they want it to be.
Dopamine!!! This is our get things done and feel good about it hormone. Dopamine is so necessary for all our mental and physical functions that it’s an essential part of what makes life worth living, but only as long as it’s distributed with care. If this hormone is too high or too low, the results are catastrophic! Only those with low dopamine commit suicide. The bottomless empty feeling without dopamine is beyond description. On the other hand, too much dopamine is extremely addictive. Addicts of drugs, food, alcohol, cigarettes, etc etc are not actually addicted to the substance, they are addicted to larger than normal excretions of dopamine. The substance is just the actuator that opens the dopamine door.
These are all very productive hormones that lift us up. There are also hormones that do the opposite. Octopamine and cortisol are two of them. Octopamine and cortisol do not get along with your feel good / productive hormones. The reason for this is, they are the submissive, head down, shoulders forward, I’m hopeless, helpless and depressed, I don’t have any authority or energy, please don’t hurt me, everyone picks on me, I’m a victim, hormones. People with a lot of octopamine and cortisol also die easily from flus and other normal pathogens and they get all manner of diseases more quickly than those with less. If you are producing too much of either of these hormones, you need help.
Now that you know what these hormones are responsible for, let’s explain what you need to do to minimize the negative ones and have a quality balance of the positive ones.
Testosterone, Serotonin and dopamine are ABSOLUTELY essential for brain health, so let’s make sure those are abundant. Leg exercises and testosterone production go so perfectly together they’re like bacon and eggs. They were meant for each other! Also, the tension produced by leg exercise helps keep the muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons strong and elastic. Here is a list of quality leg exercises. Running, sprinting is even better, fast walking, squats, lunges, calf raises, box jumps, jump roping, donkey kicks, leg lifts of all kinds and stair climbing. Leg exercises are where it’s at for physically stimulating natural testosterone production.
To naturally stimulate serotonin, the first thing to do is, pull your shoulders back and your head up (no looking down, looking down all the time means you’re making too much octopamine). Looking up takes practice if you’re not used to it. You will have to remind yourself often until it becomes a habit. The next things that are good for serotonin and dopamine production are laughter and sunshine (Vitamin D), and fast response exercises. So the best thing I can suggest for those is boxing! It will wear you out so much faster than you realize, but leave you saturated in positive hormones. You’ll want 2 pairs of 16 oz boxing gloves. The 16 oz boxing gloves are extremely padded and great protection from getting hurt. They’re also heavy and quickly give your arms, shoulders and entire upper body a great workout! All these things stimulate serotonin and dopamine production, but that’s not all. They also destroy octopamine and cortisol.
Here’s a list of herbs, supplements and foods that stimulate the natural production of testosterone, serotonin and dopamine: American or Asia Ginseng, Avena Sativa (Oat Straw), Aloe Vera, Raspberry Leaf, Calamus Root, Gotu Kola, Ashwagandha, Ginkgo Biloba, Damiana Leaf, Schizandra Berry, Tribulous (goat head plant), St John’s wort and Alfalfa Leaf. Essential nutrients: Biological Calcium and Minerals, Vitamin D3 (from sun or supplement), B-Vitamins, and enzymes. Foods that are good for testosterone, serotonin and dopamine production include: Raw eggs (cooked eggs are good too, just not quite as strong)(they must also be high quality eggs. Poor quality eggs have the opposite effect), broccoli, watermelon, especially the rind (the green part), sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, cocoa or dark chocolate, any kind of fresh meat that has been raised properly. The biggest problem with meat is, most animals are raised with hormones to help them grow faster, and those hormones have the
opposite effect on our testosterone, serotonin and dopamine. High quality whole milk is also extremely good for our hormones. All hormones are made from fat and the fat in milk is perfect for our needs. The trouble with milk is the same as with meat. If the cow was given milk stimulating hormones, it will have a negative effect.
Dopamine is different, and even though it is stimulated by the same herbs, foods and exercises as testosterone and serotonin, it can still be much more difficult to control. If you struggle with depression or addiction, you’ll need specific help for those problems. We will have an article in the near future dedicated to just them. Until then, take care of your hormones and have an energetic and productive day.
