Hormones are vital to your health. Hormones are a catalyst, causing reactions to happen in the body. They regulate a number of actions in your body. The pituitary gland sends messages (hormones) to your thyroid, pancreas, liver, breast, ovaries, etc. All these glands need hormones to call them into action.

Energy is created with the help of hormones. Cancer and Alzheimers are prevented when hormones are balanced properly.

Estrogen is the hormone that keeps people young. It helps the brain to function properly, helps the eyes to avoid degeneration, controls your blood pressure, protects heart health, and prevents bladder problems and cancer. Men have estrogen and their health can be compromised by the lack of estrogen. But it will be tough to convince men that they need estrogen.

Progesterone balances estrogen and is a feel-good hormone. Progesterone and testosterone increase your physical desire. Testosterone helps build muscle and decrease fat, while improving motivation and energy. Estrogen and testosterone convert the bad cholesterol (LDL) to good cholesterol (HDL).

There is also good and bad estrogen. Type E2 is a good estrogen and protects against cancer of many kinds including colon and breast cancer. Not enough good estrogen will grow fibroids in the uterus. The good estrogen also acts like an antidepressant.

The wrong/bad estrogen, as in synthetic, will cause problems such as cancer, blood clots, etc. This includes birth control pills, which give you synthetic hormones to make your body think that it is pregnant for 3 weeks, then not pregnant for a week, which is when you get your period, though it's a false one that is really like the bleeding that takes place after child birth.

The newer birth control pill that goes in 3 month cycles just holds the pregnant phase longer and gives your body less often to flush out the uterus and vagina.

E4 and E16 are two types of bad estrogen and will cause cancer. This is the type of estrogen given in synthetic medications for hormone replacement. These should be avoided. If you are currently taking these, talk with your doctor about alternatives, or find another doctor.

The brain loses cells when estrogen is low. This can be reversed. The brain can heal and regenerate, if given the right nutrition and hormones. An example is a woman who had Alzheimers at age 70 and is now driving at age 90. This is a documented case, by Dr. Nasr, where nutrition and hormones were used to regain health.

Calcium without estrogen will not work to prevent osteoporosis. Sometimes only 10% of the calcium consumed is absorbed into the bones. Estrogen helps get the calcium into the bones. If no egg is released in the middle of a woman's menstrual cycle, no progesterone will be produced. This gives an overabundance of estrogen, which can cause problems. This is very common in women with PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) involving bloating, night sweats, being easily irritated, and mood swings.

Men make their own progesterone, so they rarely have a deficiency. That's why men don't have PMS and mood swings. Women use lots of progesterone and are often deficient, which is why PMS is increasingly common in women.

Men and women both get low on the hormone testosterone. A woman's level of testosterone is much less than a man's level, but still vital to overall health. Symptoms of low testosterone in women are lack of motivation, extreme fatigue after exercise (tired for 2 days), and overall fatigue, loss of body hair and lack of interest in sex.

When a man has low testosterone, he may go into what society calls a mid-life crisis. In reality, age 14-20 is when males have their highest levels of testosterone. The inability to hold an erection can also be related to heart disease, so men need to talk to their doctor. Please don't look for the quick fix of erection drugs. Your body is telling you something. Fix the source of the problem.

Interferon is another substance important to health. It is produced when you are happy, exercising, laughing, during a good night's sleep and through good nutrition. This fights disease. Interferon levels go down when a person is depressed, opening them up for disease. This is the substance that was working when the now famous man cured himself through laughter while watching The Three Stooges.

So, hormones (the good ones) are vital to excellent health. And hormones (the bad ones) can set you up for some serious health problems.

How do you get the Good without the Bad and stay Vital? Balance between all of the many factors that affect your health like diet, exercise, attitude, passion, fun, family and friends for starters.