Age Happier, Live Healthier with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
What Are Hormones?
Hormones are chemicals made by glands throughout our bodies that act to control certain actions of cells and organs. They are messengers and control communication from cell to cell and tell the body what to do. Hormones are necessary for homeostasis, disease prevention, health management, and overall vitality.
The main hormones we look at are Testosterone, Estradiol, Progesterone (in women), Thyroid Hormone, and Vitamin D (yes, Vitamin D is a hormone!)
The problem is most doctors do not check our hormones and if they do, they are only checking certain ones and not a comprehensive profile of all your hormones together.
Hormone imbalance can happen when we have too much of, or become deficient in certain hormones. This can be caused by aging, lifestyle factors, diet, stress, or environmental toxins.
Common Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance:
Reduced mental focus & memory
Fatigue, lack of energy
Difficulty sleeping
Feeling down, mood swings, feeling on edge
Muscle and or joint discomfort
Weight gain
Reduced sexual desire and performance
How often have we heard these symptoms are “normal” or it’s just because we are getting older? The truth is we can improve our health, energy, sleep, and overall risk for disease by balancing and optimizing our hormone levels!
Testosterone Deficiency
Testosterone deficiency is on the increase due to the reasons above. Both men and women need testosterone. It is the most abundant hormone in men, and is also the most abundant hormone in women! Women need testosterone just as much as men do, just in smaller doses. Women and men have testosterone receptors all over the body. Men lose 1-3% of testosterone production per year starting at age 30. Women lose half of their testosterone production by age 40. As our testosterone levels decrease, our risk for chronic diseases increases.
Optimized Testosterone Can Help Prevent:
Heart Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease
Depression and Mood Disorders
Sexual Dysfunction
Osteoporosis
Diabetes and Insulin Resistance
Memory and Cognitive Decline
Acute and Chronic Pain Syndrome
Prostate and Breast Cancer
Why Are We Deficient?
Declining hormone levels are a natural part of aging for both men and women, especially after age 40. There has also been a significant decline in the natural hormone levels in our bodies in recent years due to our lifestyle, decreased food quality, changing diets, and the presence of many endocrine disruptors. These endocrine disruptors are present in chemicals in our foods, water, personal care products, perfumes, laundry detergents, cleaning products, air fresheners, some plastic storage containers, pesticides, and so much more. It is impossible to avoid all of these endocrine disruptors, but being aware and avoiding what you can along with living a healthy lifestyle can help keep your hormone levels healthy and balanced. Eating a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, healthy fats and proteins is helpful. Eating less sugar, processed and packaged food can help decrease inflammation, and increase hormone levels naturally. Exercise and managing stress can also help maintain healthy hormone levels.
Normal vs Optimal Lab Values
Normal is not optimal! As already mentioned, hormone levels are way below what they were 10, 20 or 50 years ago. Labs get reference ranges (the normal lab ranges) from a range of people’s results in that geographical location. Since everyone has experienced a decline the reference ranges have shifted to lower numbers over the years. We want to work on optimization of these hormones, which could be different levels than what is normal on a lab test and depending on the hormone, may even be above the reference range to help you feel your best!
Bioidentical vs Synthetic Hormones
We only use bioidentical hormones at Beauty Bar & Wellness. Bioidentical hormones are identical to what is naturally produced and circulating through the body. Even though bioidentical hormones are not naturally made in the body, we still recognize and use them like our own hormones. Some of the side effects of bioidentical hormones can be oily skin, acne, or hair growth and are usually dose dependent.
Synthetic hormones are chemically different from what we produce in our body and may have different effects than our natural hormones. Synthetic hormones have greater risks of side effects. These are in birth control pills, testosterone injections, and some creams and oral forms. Synthetic hormones can increase your risk of cancer, blood clots, heart attacks, and stroke. Common synthetic hormones are ethinyl estradiol, mestranol, quinestrol, diethylstilbestrol, progestin, prempro, Depo-Testosterone, androgel, and many more. These were the hormones used in the Women’s Health Initiative study that gave a bad reputation to hormone therapy back in the early 2000’s.
Bioidentical hormones on the other hand can decrease the risk of many chronic diseases. Men and women can benefit from bioidentical hormone replacement (BHRT). It is a natural and effective way to age healthier and improve your quality of life.
Benefits of BHRT
Short Term Benefits: better sleep, more energy, less brain fog, improved mood
Long Term Benefits: heart health, weight loss, muscle gain, improved sexual function, protecting your bones, protecting your brain and cognitive function, less joint/muscle pain, improved cholesterol and metabolic function, cancer prevention.
BHRT Pellets
There are different forms of hormone replacement therapy including injections, oral, patches, or creams. We like hormone pellets because they provide steady hormone levels continuously for 3-4 months for females, and around 6 months for males. Pellets have been around since the 1930s. They are the longest studied route, plant based, and mimic the hormones naturally produced in our bodies. Pellets are also easy, they are injected subcutaneously and you don’t have to worry about taking a medication every day, taking an injection every few weeks, or using a cream everyday. When hormones are taken orally they can have an effect on your liver. Also, with oral, injection and topical routes levels can increase and decrease which can cause you to be on an emotional rollercoaster. Creams can also rub off on family members and can vary in actual absorption so you have to be really careful when using a hormone cream.
Dosing is also more customizable when using pellets. Everyone is different and may feel better at different levels. We want to find a dose to help you feel better, decrease your symptoms and improve your health! We take into account your lab levels, symptoms, weight, age, lifestyle, medical history, and stress level to determine dosing for you.
Just to recap, hormones play vital roles in our bodies and can help us live longer, healthier lives. As we age and because of our lifestyle factors our hormones can decline or be imbalanced.
Normal isn’t optimal so it is important to discuss your labs with a practitioner who can interpret your lab values. Bioidentical hormones are the safest and that is what we use at Beauty Bar & Wellness. Come in and get your levels checked to see how bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can improve your life!