Dr. Ícaro, good evening!
Searching the internet about hormone modulation, I came across your site and found it very interesting, especially the articles and guidelines. So I took the liberty of sending you this e-mail.
I'm 47 years old and live in Brasília. A year and a half ago, I decided to change my lifestyle to improve my health and, consequently, my aesthetics. I stopped being sedentary and went to see a nutritionist. I started daily aerobic exercise and, in the first month, I lost 4 kilos. In the second month, I started weight training interspersed with running, a sport I fell in love with. I now take part in almost all street races.
I continued to lose weight, but I felt very tired after exercising. I lost 10 kg and became flabby, so I went to a sports nutritionist. The aim was to gain muscle mass. I've been followed by her since June 2011 and I consider myself disciplined. I've incorporated foods such as soy milk, oats, wholemeal products, teas and low-fat products into my diet, and I rarely eat sugar. I go to the gym from Monday to Friday and run on Sundays, resting only on Saturdays.
Even with less aerobic exercise and more weight training, as well as supplementation (protein and carbohydrates) and a diet of almost 3,000 calories, I found it difficult to gain lean mass. I didn't gain more than 200 grams a month and often lost fat and lost weight.
I used creatine, tribulus terrestris and pre-workouts under nutritional guidance. As a result, I gained three kilos, two of which were lean mass. My rates are all in the “good” or “excellent” range.
However, like many women, I still haven't reached my goal. I want to reduce my fat percentage and gain more lean mass, as well as more disposition, physical strength and improve my sex life. When I heard about hormone modulation, I heard that it could help me. Is it true?
I've never had my hormones checked because I menstruate normally and I've always heard from gynecologists and endocrinologists that there was no need. But reading about hormone modulation, I realized that the situation could be different.
I'd like your opinion and to know if it's worth trying this treatment, obviously if the laboratory tests indicate that I can use hormones without harming my health.
Thanks, ZZZ.
ANSWER:
Hello ZZZ,
After reading your report, I believe that hormone modulation could be beneficial for you, although I must be honest in saying that no professional in the world can guarantee that the use of any medication, hormone or not, is always 100% safe. So far, in my practice, I have never had a case of a serious side effect. Why do I believe that? Let's analyze:
To lose fat and gain muscle, the steps are: first, to improve your lifestyle habits, which it seems you've already done; second, to compensate for deficiencies and detoxify, which a healthy diet helps with; third, to promote hormonal rebalancing.
Cases like yours are common. Even if we do everything right, the body sometimes “stalls” on a specific goal. In these cases, complete examinations are more than desirable, and correcting the disorders they indicate (always in association with the patient's clinical analysis and history, which is the most important thing), including nutrients and hormones, is essential.
Therefore, I suggest you read all the articles in the hormones section of my website (since you seem to have read the others) and only after a consultation will I be able to give you a more valid and safe opinion, appropriate to your case.
Cheers,
Icarus.
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