Immunity, Inflammation, and Chronic Disease

Hormone replacement therapy has definitely gotten the most press from it's effectiveness as a menopause treatment. But correcting imbalanced hormones appears to have other important health benefits that may be even more significant than restoring clarity and physical balance to women who are navigating the turbulent waters of menopause. Hormone levels impact the whole body. Their role in inflammatory process and immune function appears to be more important to our overall health than medical science once realized. Hormones are molecules that interact with each other and various tissues in organs throughout the body. How and what hormones actually do remains somewhat of a mystery, although research has definitely helped to pinpoint some of the actions these important chemical messengers have in the body. It is clear that hormones have an impact how quickly the body ages and how healthy it is as it ages. But of particular interest is the fact that hormones also seem to play a role in the way the body manages infection and inflammation. The role that hormones play in the body's immunity and inflammatory response has important implications for a number of chronic diseases that are associated with the aging process. Diabetes, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's all appear to be impacted by inflammation in the body, which in turn, is affect by hormone levels. Inflammation is the result of the body's natural immune response. Under normal conditions, inflammation is a good thing; a sign that the body is doing it's job to protect itself from invading organisms. Hormones play a role in facilitating the inflammatory response that occurs when the body is fighting an infection. As it turns out, hormone levels also seem to play a role in causing chronic inflammation in the body that is counterproductive (inflammation that has nothing to do with fighting infection). Chronic inflammation can occur at the molecular level in the body when hormone levels are imbalanced, causing autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis to manifest. Alzheimer's, or even atherosclerosis also appear be caused by the body's own immune response turned against itself. Autoimmune diseases like Alzheimer's, rheumatoid arthritis, and atherosclerosis all have one thing in common. They occur when the immune system malfunctions and the body actually begins to attack itself. The hormonal underpinnings of inflammation has only recently been discovered and researchers are just beginning to uncover evidence that debilitating age-related diseases may be caused by hormonal imbalances that lead to chronic, molecular level inflammation. This is an important discovery that could have a lasting impact on our society, in particular on the way we view aging. Individuals who are suffering from chronic diseases like Alzheimer's or arthritis may be able to halt the progress or even reverse the disease with proper treatment geared at reducing inflammation in the body and quelling the immune response. The role that hormones play in maintaining good health is understood better now then it ever has been in the past. Scientists and clinicians are hopeful as they study patients with chronic conditions related to inflammation. Lasting changes and renewed health have been noted by clinicians observing patients while undergoing natural hormone replacement.