Fertility, Overtraining and Fat

Obesity is a buzzword in the United States everyday.  Michelle Obama has championed the anti-pediatric obesity epidemic and white sugar has become synonymous to illicit drugs.
But....NOT ENOUGH fat can lead to infertility in females.  Every woman needs a certain amount of body fat to produce hormones necessary for nerve cell regeneration and fertility (such as estrogen & FSH ).  A certain percentage of body fat tells the brain that 'the body in question' will be able to carry a fetus to maturation.  It's quite simple:  reproduction is Darwian and historically, nothing but a means to the survival of a species.  Only the strongest, healthiest women could carry a fetus to term in the past.  Now, with modern medical miracles, women who categorically would not fit into 'strong and healthy' are able to bear children.
Women who overtrain or diet to the extent that their overall BMI is below a healthy level tend to have either no menstrual cycles or poor cycles.  This is because they do not have enough fat to keep their hormonal levels optimal.  The brain sees this as an unfit body for reproduction.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Both obesity and abnormally underweight women have problems with conception.  If you are an exercise psycho who measures out every morsel before it goes into your mouth and you can't figure out why you're not getting pregnant - do yourself a favor:  don't look in the mirror; try going to a nutritionist and reliable personal trainer: together you'll formulate a plan that will work for your lifestyle and get your hormones and menses back on track.

Understanding Hormones Part 2

I was bombarded with the same question yesterday....WHAT'S a hormone?
A hormone is a naturally occurring chemical substance that your body produces.  Hormones are in charge of the body's regulation department, and is the control center for the activities and functions of certain cells or organs.

The thyroid gland in particular,  is responsible for the secretion of many hormones.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Hormones are crucial for homoestasis (to be alive!).   Hormones are responsible for growth and reproductive functions, metabolism and digestive processes and what type of mood you're in.  Tomorrow, we'll delve into the pathways of how hormones act (now that you know what a hormone is) and later on in the week, talk about some of the more known hormones and what they do!
Trivia:  did you know that acupuncture alone can help regulate hormones????