Crohn’s Disease and Colitis

Chronic inflammatory conditions of the digestive tract cause daily agonies and premature deaths for countless people. Dr. Lichten has found that those suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases are routinely deficient in testosterone, growth hormone and digestive enzymes.

While it may seem illogical to prescribe digestive enzymes to those afflicted with a severely irritated and inflamed digestive tract, Dr. Lichten has found that the inability to properly digest food contributes to the chronic inflammation inherent in those suffering from colitis or Crohn’s disease.

In addition to a comprehensive nutrition program, Dr. Lichten has found that the proper use of growth hormone and testosterone has eliminated the need for bowel resection surgery and enabled those who previously suffered from chronic inflammatory bowel diseases to resume a normal life.

The Overlooked Adrenal Glands

Many chronic illnesses can be traced back adrenal gland malfunction, yet mainstream medicine does not even consider this part of the human anatomy when prescribing treatments.

The chronic fatigue, immune dysfunction, and stress that so many people are stricken with often emanates from the adrenals. Dr. Lichten has developed protocols to diagnose and treat these conditions that the medical establishment has all but ignored, even though the natural hormones needed were long ago discovered and documented in the published medical literature to be effective.13-18

Natural Estrogens

One of the most controversial health issues today is how aging women should replace their declining estrogen levels.

Most physicians still prescribe a “one-size-fits-all” estrogen drug and fail to prescribe the natural progesterone that virtually all menopausal and postmenopausal women require. The regrettable result is that most women taking estrogen drugs have too much or too little estrogen in their bodies, and lack the progesterone balance needed to protect against many estrogen-induced cancers.

Like most of the progressive therapies Life Extension recommends, Dr. Lichten carefully balances each maturing women’s total hormone profile according to individual need.

Eliminating Menstrual Pain and PMS

The monthly cramps and psychological changes suffered by pre-menopausal women are dismissed by mainstream doctors as a phenomenon that females are just supposed to “live with.”

Instead of carrying the party line, Dr. Lichten investigated various hormone modulation approaches and was able to alleviate menstrual cramps and the emotional disorders associated with premenstrual syndrome by optimizing hormone balance in women of varying ages.

Likewise, Dr. Lichten participated in the development of specialized therapies for women suffering from uterine fibroids and endometriosis that drastically reduced the amount of invasive medical intervention required.

A Hormonal Solution for Migraine

Over the past four years, Life Extension has published findings about natural hormonal approaches to significantly reduce the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches. Many of these findings were based on original research Life Extension had conducted.

It was therefore a pleasant surprise that Dr. Lichten had independently achieved similar clinical successes in treating migraine by naturally re-balancing hormone profiles.

Both Life Extension’s and Dr. Lichten’s approaches are based on peer-reviewed published studies.19-24 It is gratifying to see that when clinically implemented, restoring optimal hormone balance is a safe and effective method to treat migraine.

For migraine sufferers who do not respond to hormone modulation, Dr. Lichten’s book outlines other novel methods that he has found provide significant relief.

Osteoporosis Treatment

Health-conscious people are aware of the wide range of nutrients and hormones that can help prevent osteoporosis from ever happening to them.

For too many aging humans, however, a lifetime of neglect, a genetic predisposition, or a serious medical disorder creates a serious loss of bone density.25

With the knowledge that osteoporosis reversal requires more than just calcium and vitamin D, Dr. Lichten implements an aggressive program involving testosterone, growth hormone, DHEA, and other hormones designed to restore density to aged bones that have lost their youthful structure.

Male “Andropause”

As men age past 35, their natural production of testosterone slowly declines, while much of the testosterone they do produce is converted (aromatized) into estrogen.

The undesirable conversion of testosterone is so severe, that some doctors have reported that the average 56-year-old man has more estrogen than the average 56-year-old woman. The outward signs of free testosterone deficiency and estrogen overload in men include abdominal obesity, loss of muscle mass, and the appearance of enlarged breasts.

The inner symptoms of male andropause include depression, impotence, quality of life deterioration, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, lack of energy, and metabolic syndrome.

Ten years ago, Life Extension recommended several methods by which men could restore their free testosterone to youthful ranges while suppressing excess estrogen. Dr. Lichten has developed different approaches to treating male andropause that may work better for certain men.

Whether following Dr. Lichten’s or Life Extension’s protocol, virtually any aging man (who does not have prostate cancer) can achieve significant systemic health benefits by restoring sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen) to the ranges enjoyed in their youth.

Conclusion

The Textbook of Bio-Identical Hormones presents a wealth of information on hormone therapy drawn from decades of Dr. Edward Lichten’s real-life clinical experience. Written in an accessible and conversational format, this timely book is recommended for anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the complexity of the human body and its many hormone-driven functions.

If you have any questions on the scientific content of this article, please call a Life Extension Health Advisor at 1-800-226-2370.