Naturally produced estrogen may protect women from Parkinson's disease

February 26, 2009

Women who have more years of fertility (the time from first menstruation to menopause) have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease than women with fewer years, according to a large, new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

"These findings, involving nearly 74,000 women, suggest that longer exposure to the body's own, or endogenous, hormones, including estrogen, may help protect the brain cells that are affected by Parkinson's disease," says lead author Rachel Saunders-Pullman, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., assistant professor of neurology at Einstein and attending physician in neurology at Beth Israel Medical Center, an affiliate of Einstein's in Manhattan.

An abstract of the study was released today by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). Further study details will be presented at AAN's 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 - May 2, 2009.

After Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease. About 1.5 million Americans currently have Parkinson's, characterized by symptoms that can include tremor (shaking), slowness of movement, rigidity (stiffness), and difficulty with balance. The condition typically develops after the age of 60, although 15 percent of those diagnosed are under 50. There is no cure for Parkinson's, although medications or surgery can ease symptoms of the disease.

Parkinson's disease is almost twice as common in men as in women, and researchers have long hypothesized that sex hormones might play a role in the disease.

In the current study, researchers analyzed the records of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study and focused on those women who developed Parkinson's disease. The study involved about 73,973 women who underwent natural menopause.

The study found that women who had a fertile lifespan of more than 39 years had about a 25 percent lower risk of developing Parkinson's compared with women who had a fertile lifespan shorter than 33 years.

In addition, the data showed that women who had four or more pregnancies were about 20 percent more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than were women who had three or fewer pregnancies. "One explanation for this finding is that the post-partum period, which is typically one with lower levels of estrogen, subtracts from a woman's total fertile lifespan," says co-author Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology and population health and the principal investigator of the WHI study at Einstein.

"Overall, our findings might lead one to assume that hormone therapy would make sense as a neuroprotective agent," says Dr. Saunders-Pullman. "However, we also found that women who were taking hormone therapy did not have a lower risk for Parkinson's. Thus, our data does not support a role for treatment with exogenous hormones, that is, hormones that originate outside the body, to prevent Parkinson's."

In fact, hormone therapy can have harmful neurological effects. "Earlier studies in the Women's Health Initiative demonstrated that hormone therapy increases one's risk for both stroke and dementia," says Dr. Wassertheil-Smoller. "Clearly, we need to conduct more research into estrogen's effects on the brain."

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

The Miracle of Bio-Identical Hormones, 2nd edition
by Michael E. Platt (Author)

The 2nd edition of Michael E. Platt, M.D.'s ground-breaking health book, The Miracle of Bio-Identical Hormones, How I Lost My... fatigue, hot flashes, ADHD, ADD, fibromyalgia, PMS, osteoporosis, weight, sexual dysfunction, anger, migraines., provides many answers to common medical problems, and explains how balancing your hormones can contribute to your well-being and your long-term health. Outstanding praise has been received for this intelligently written book by wellness colleagues, book reviewers, and patients from around the world for its new ideas and unique perspective on hormones and preventive medicine.Dr. Platt explores how natural (non-synthetic) bio-identical hormones can have the power to heal many maladies often considered "incurable." "This is the most important health...

Dr. John Lee's Hormone Balance Made Simple: The Essential How-to Guide to Symptoms, Dosage, Timing, and More
by John R. Lee (Author), Virginia Hopkins (Author)

The authors of the classice books on menopause andpremenopause bring women an easy-to-use guide on balancing hormonelevels safely and naturally

The Hormone Solution: Stay Younger Longer with Natural Hormone and Nutrition Therapies
by Dr. Thierry Hertoghe (Author)

America’s perceptions about the inevitable effects of aging are about to be completely rethought, thanks to groundbreaking new information from an internationally known expert on hormones and antiaging medicine. Thierry Hertoghe, M.D., has an important message to share: people are aging unnecessarily.

Based on thirty-five years of scientific studies, The Hormone Solution: Stay Younger Longer with Natural Hormone and Nutrition Therapies is the first book that offers a prescriptive program to counter memory loss, weight gain, wrinkles, shrinking muscle mass, impotence, hair loss, and a host of other signs and symptoms of aging. Dr. Hertoghe offers an effective program of hormone replacement therapy using safe, low doses of natural hormones—in conjunction with a healthy diet and...

The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Bioidentical Hormones
by Ricki Pollycove M.D. MHS (Author), Nancy Faass (Author)

A scientific solution to women's health issues and concerns.

The Pocket Idiot's Guide(tm) to Bioidentical Hormones provides essential information on the molecules that are animal derived and identical to those found in the human body, which offer women another way to meet the needs of aging. This book presents a wide range of options for supplementing hormones, covering such topics as:

?What bioidentical hormones are (and are not) and how they work

?The safety issue-which bioidenticals work, which don't really help much, and which may be harmful

?Bioidentical hormones and their effect on the heart, bones, and brain

?Creating an individualized health plan-which hormones, in what combination, how much, and how...

Natural Hormone Replacement For Women Over 45
by John Morgenthaler (Author), Jonathan V. Wright (Author)

A book showing that natural hormone replacement offers a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of menopause.

Natural Hormone Balance for Women: Look Younger, Feel Stronger, and Live Life with Exuberance
by Uzzi Reiss (Author), Martin Zucker (Author)

A pioneering gynecologist and antiaging specialist with a successful Beverly Hills practice, Dr. Uzzi Reiss shows the way for women who want to turn back the effects of time through natural hormone therapy, but who wonder: is it safe? Does it work? Is hormone therapy right for me? NATURAL HORMONE BALANCE for Women is Dr. Reiss's breakthrough, step-by-step program for women who want to take control of their lives by restoring hormonal balance. This revolutionary, commonsense natural hormone replacement program is designed to meet the individual needs of most women looking to rejuvenate body and mind -- and offers astounding benefits for women of all ages: More energy and stamina * Improved memory * Healthier, more youthful skin * Balanced moods * Less depression and anxiety *...

Outliving Your Ovaries: An Endocrinologist Weighs The Risks And Rewards Of Treating Menopause With Hormone Replacement Therapy
by Marina Johnson MD (Author)

The comprehensive work entitled “Outliving Your Ovaries: An Endocrinologist Weighs The Risks And Rewards Of Treating Menopause With Hormone Replacement Therapy” provides break-through, new menopause research explaining why pharmaceutical topical bioidentical hormones are safer than the most commonly used hormones. Dr. Marina Johnson gives poignant, clinical stories from her29 years of clinical experience during which she has managed over 100,000 female patient visits. These stories depict the tragic consequences of estrogen deficiency and the joy of transformation that occurs when a woman is made whole again. This book will give a woman a guidebook that helps her evaluate the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in clear, easy-to-understand terms so she can better...

The Estrogen Alternative: Natural Hormone Therapy with Botanical Progesterone
by Raquel Martin (Author), D.C., Judi Gerstung (Contributor)

"Any woman who is considering synthetic hormone therapy or wishes to get off it owes herself the reading of this densely informative book. The simplicity and safety of the solution is almost shocking." (World Health News )

Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life: Achieving Optimal Health and Wellness through Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine, and Western Science
by Claudia Welch (Author)

Tired? Overworked? Stressed? Out of balance? Welcome to the twenty-first century, where women's stress levels have reached unprecedented heights. Between myriad responsibilities, women burn through even the energy gained from sufficient sleep and a healthy diet. The result? Hormonal havoc.In clear, accessible language, internationally renowned doctor Claudia Welch explains hormones from A to Z, specifically how they relate to each other, how and why they become imbalanced, and how women can restore that balance. Welch includes simple diet tips, stress-management techniques, and natural sleep secrets. Using the principles of Ayurveda (popularized in the West by Deepak Chopra) and the holistic sensibility of Dr. Christiane Northrup, Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life gives women the...