Hi Everyone,

I found this article that I thought everyone would be interested in...It certainly does explain why when our estrogen levels drop...our pain increases as does our threshold to tolerate it.
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Mounting evidence indicates that members of the estrogen family of sex hormones can morph into neurotransmitters in the brain, fulfilling an unexpected role. The latest study comes from a team at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Liège in Belgium.

Researchers manipulated the amounts of estradiol (a form of estrogen) in the brains of quail by injecting a compound that suppresses estradiol production. Within minutes the birds exhibited dramatic changes in sexual activity and pain thresholds. Hormones cannot achieve signaling speeds that fast, says Gregory Ball, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins who led the work. Humans have similar molecular mechanisms in their brains.

Estrogens interact with various groups of cells in the body, such as breast and uterus tissue, and with neurons in the brain. When estrogens act as hormones, they travel through the membrane of a cell to the nucleus, where they switch genes on or off, thereby regulating protein production. The timescale for the resulting effects, such as the stimulation of menstrual cycles, lies on the order of days, months or even years. The neurotransmitter estrogen docks directly to the outer membrane of neurons, initiating direct communication among the cells. The quick firing triggers actions within minutes or seconds.

The discovery of the estrogen signaling system could adjust the prevailing model of how neurons communicate, as well as clinical interventions for certain brain conditions that involve estrogens, Ball says. He notes that estrogens act quickly on pain thresholds and therefore "might be very useful when thinking about pain-control medication."

Mamamia, you provide such valuable information and reports! Thank you for taking the time to share with us. You're very generous!

I find it interesting that the researchers used pigeons in this study on the pain-relieving aspect of estrogen. If they did a little research, by visiting and reading Power Surge, they would see what many of us already know by living in our bodies. 1) Our pain and stiffness increased as our estrogen dropped. And, 2) those of us that have used bio-identicals, soy, or some other form of estrogen replacement have consistently found that our pain either went away or was greatly reduced.

We already know, whether scientifically validated by a study or not, that we feel like hell without estrogen, and feel better with it. {sigh}

Thanks again,
T'Pow

Wow! Thanks! I wonder if this also may explain sensitivities to hormones and other things that "act" upon neurons inthe brain...for example I had a bad reaction to some thyroid drugs and bio-progesterone as well.....in both case within minutes (as with the progesterone) and with in 30 minutes (as twith the thyroid replacement) I had "head" problems....in my case became even more BRAINED FOGGED than I was prior to the medication...hmmmmm.

Well I can state with complete certainty that after a few months on Vagifem( Vaginal Estradial) even though it isn't supposed to enter the blood stream, that my migraines have subsided notably. I keep a migraine journal and my headaches were definitly related to my hormones. The estrogen has helped me in so many ways but I am concerned about it's safety even though my doctor thinks the estrogen levels of this drug is very safe. In my case the risk is worth it as I was completly miserable!