As a medical provider, we can help “flatten the curve” of the Coronavirus by ensuring that patients build up their immune systems. This approach starts with optimizing hormones to ensure that the body is working at optimal levels. Hormones, like testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone, help modulate various components of the immune system by acting on the cells themselves and helping them communicate. Ensuring that the body has hormone support can help promote its ability to function at optimal levels, reducing strain on essential processes, like the immune system. Once hormones are optimized, this is a great time to boost the immune system using supplements and nutraceuticals.

Testosterone and Immune Function 

Testosterone plays a well-documented role in regulating the immune response. Just like estrogen enhances the immune response, testosterone is essential in keeping this response in check. Without sufficient testosterone, many men are susceptible to overactive immune responses aimed at trying to fight infection. This response, termed a “Cytokine Storm,” can have disastrous effects on an already sick patient and may be fatal in some cases. A recent study conducted on 45 patients in Hamburg, Germany, discovered a link between low testosterone and patient susceptibility to COVID-19.
Testosterone is further important to the body’s ability to fight infection through its role in managing stress and promoting sleep. Imbalances in estrogen and testosterone may affect a patient’s emotional state, which can have a negative impact on the immune system. Moments of high stress can increase anxiousness and can make it difficult for patients to fall and stay asleep. Insufficient sleep can drastically weaken the immune system and undermine patient health. On the other hand, sufficient sleep can increase infection-fighting antibodies and other health-promoting cells.
As we age, andropause in men and menopause in women can cause hormone imbalance and make sleeping soundly a challenge. In men, balancing testosterone levels using Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) may help promote restfulness. During sleep, the body releases pro-inflammatory cytokine proteins, which are essential for fighting infection. Studies have shown that sleep plays a role in how these proteins promote the interaction between antigen-presenting cells and T helper cells and may play a role in the formation of immunological memory.
Estrogen, Progesterone, and Immune Function 

Women have been shown to have a heightened immune system as compared with their male counterparts. This difference in immune response may be tied to estrogen levels. Estrogen interacts with immune cells, mostly through estrogen receptors. These receptors affect multiple aspects of immune cell function, including T cell activation and multiplication. T cells are especially important because they help the body fight infection. Estrogen is also responsible for helping to regulate and boost other cells in the immune system, including neutrophils and natural killer cells. Estrogens can also alter the function of macrophages, the white blood cells that help remove foreign particles, bacteria, and viruses from the bloodstream.

While vitamin D has long been known to be essential to immune response, there may also be a relationship between progesterone, vitamin D, and the immune system. Within the immune system, vitamin D helps regulate protective T cells. Progesterone may increase T cell reception of vitamin D. This increased sensitivity to vitamin D may boost the production of these protective cells, thus creating a more robust immune system overall.

Next Steps

As a BioTE Certified Provider, we understand that optimizing hormones is necessary to create a strong foundation for long-term health. Providing the body with the right tools is an essential step in building a strong immune system, allowing the body to fight off infection, and perform well in stressful situations. Once hormones are balanced, patient health can be further optimized using our clinical-grade nutraceuticals and supplements.

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Birmingham, AL 35209