References are linked throughout the text:
Pain killing opiates are a gift from God when you have severe pain. Literally. He put opium in a bouquet of flowers, the opium poppy. But they are wolves in sheep's clothing. In as short as a week of constant use, they'll start to show their teeth. They're fiercely addicting, but they are a necessity of life for millions suffering intense pain. Did you know they can also throw a woman off her cycle, and destroy testosterone levels in both men and women? As soon as you start taking them?
Here's how it works:
The hypothalamus sits right behind your eyes in the brain, It's about the size of an almond and has a constant read on hormone levels in the body. It sends a message to the pituitary gland, right below it, signaling the release of leutenizing hormone into the blood stream. LH travels to the testes and ovaries where it signals the production of testosterone and estrogen. Opioids act on the hypothalamus and can inhibit the release of the message to the pituitary, and everything below it on the axis.
Opiates can also:
Are these affects reversible? It appears that the impact is dose and duration dependent but can be reversed after use has stopped. If it's ongoing, you get the whole cascade of systemic problems that come from low T, like obesity, sex issues, fatigue, diabetes, heart disease. So if you need to be on opioids, you're going to want to find ways to keep those hormone levels up. Go to my bio and opt in today for our new testosterone course coming soon.
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