6 Reasons to Get More of the “Love Hormone”
The Beatles famously sang that “All you need is love.”
Yes, love can make you feel confident, secure, and even giddy.
But could love also be the answer to your health problems?
You might be surprised, but I believe the answer is yes.
You see, feelings of love, touch, and togetherness produce a chemical in your body that most people call the “love hormone”—but in the medical community, we call it oxytocin.
Technically, oxytocin is a nine amino acid peptide that acts as a hormone and a neurotransmitter.
It’s released during childbirth and lactation (it’s what allows mothers to bond with their babies and aids in reproduction functions), and it is also released during sex.
Studies show that people also have higher levels of oxytocin when they are in a new relationship (it’s what makes you “fall in love.”). Hugging also increases oxytocin. And we know that oxytocin helps boost feelings of trust, optimism, and self-esteem.
Oxytocin was originally FDA-approved for use during childbirth to improve uterine contractions, and it is still used today for this purpose.
And currently, Big Pharma is pouring an enormous amount of money and research into developing drugs that act on the oxytocin receptor because of its impact on many disorders.
But as a natural hormone, oxytocin is one of the least understood—and least utilized—cure-alls out there.
I hope that’s about to change.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of the conditions oxytocin can help improve.
- Stress/Anxiety
Oxytocin lowers the stress hormone cortisol, which makes it a beneficial tool against anxiety. Research shows that, when people were in a stressful situation, they experienced predictable feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression. But after they received an injection of oxytocin, those negative feelings completely MELT AWAY.
- Mood
Studies show that oxytocin can improve self-perception in social situations and increased personality traits like warmth, trust, altruism, and openness.
- Chronic Pain
Oxytocin is particularly effective for chronic pain treatment. Pain specialist Dr. Forest Tennant finds that one dose of oxytocin is equivalent to 30 mg of oxycodone in responsive patients.
In our country where opiate overdose deaths are epidemic, this could be a safer alternative for many chronic pain patients.
- Sexual Disorders
This feel-good hormone helps with sexual issues in both men and women. Oxytocin is commonly used to treat female sexual arousal disorders and to treat delayed orgasm in men. It can also increase intimacy.
- Bone Health and Fat Loss
Animal studies show that oxytocin can improve bone density and reduce fat accumulation after the ovaries are removed. NIH funded clinical trials are in progress administering oxytocin to obese men and women.
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Oxytocin appears to increase the release of prostaglandin E2 in the intestinal lining of the gut. This helps gut cells repair and protects them from injury. It’s why it may help conditions with gut inflammation such as irritable bowel syndrome.
If you want to consider using sublingual or nasal oxytocin to improve a medical condition for which oxytocin might benefit, I recommend finding a practitioner skilled in its use.
One possible source is the American College for the Advancement of Medicine (acam.org), which has a directory of functional medicine providers across the country.
Another possible source is the American Academy of Antiaging Medicine (A4M.com).
P.S. Is sex after 60 SAFE for your heart? What about if you’re living with a heart condition? I’ve got the ANSWERS you need right here.
Source:
“Oxytocin,” The Cleveland Clinic, clevelangclinic.org
