Bioidentical Hormone Replacement
Hormone Optimization and Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BIHRT) or (BHRT)
Hormone optimization is one of the key components of our Anti-Aging and health improvement program. The importance of hormones for our proper functioning could not be overestimated. Every day researchers reveal more and more aspects of our appearance, health and behavior that are regulated by the hormones. Take a look at the following common conditions. Which one is primarily caused by hormonal imbalance?
- Depression, pessimistic outlook, mood swings
- Fatigue and Lack of energy
- Joint pain
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Sexual dysfunctions, lack of sexual desire
- Anxiety
- Obesity
- Allergic reactions
- Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS
- Cognitive decline and memory loss
The correct answer is: All of the above. Yet the underlying hormonal problem is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood in so called “conventional” medicine which tends to treat these symptoms separately as if they are unrelated.
If we would take a comprehensive blood test from one person, repeat it every five years during his lifetime and later compare them – we will notice how different hormone levels are changing. Some doctors claim that by knowing one’s hormones they could tell how this person looks, feels and what health issues he may have now or in the future. That’s because younger people tend to have higher levels of “desirable” hormones and lower levels of “undesirable” hormones than the older ones. Healthy people have different hormone patterns than do those with diseases and so on.
The opposite is also true – if you want to be healthier and look younger – you need to change your hormone levels, bring it back to where it were when you were in your 20-s and 30-s in fact, some researchers even think that a biological age doesn’t really matter – what counts is the “hormonal” one.
Taking vitamins alone may not make a change if you suffer from hormone imbalance. Anti-Aging physicians agree that a proper bioidentical hormone replacement for restoration of hormone balance is critical for maintaining health in women and men over age 35. Aging men and women are often hormone deficient. Men over age 40 often have too little free testosterone and less than optimal estrogen levels. Aging women need to balance their progesterone and estrogen levels.
An alarming trend is that the rate of decline of “desirable” hormones have accelerated among the middle-aged people in the USA and other developed countries. High physical and mental levels, along with a growing exposure to toxic chemicals and GMO food are the main factors to blame.
Specific blood tests can provide the data needed to design an individualized hormone modulation plan. If doctors checked their patients’ blood levels of estrogen, testosterone, thyroid, and DHEA – instead of prescribing drugs to treat symptoms, they might be surprised to find out that many problems could be eliminated by adjusting hormone levels to fit the profile of a healthy 25-year-old male or female. However, treating the hormone imbalances properly is a more complicated task than it may seem. Without the adequate evaluation and monitoring, commonly practiced bioidentical hormone replacement therapy may cause more harm than good. Direct hormone supplementation may or may not do the job – it depends of many other factors and intricate physiological mechanisms which we take into consideration when we create comprehensive customized health solutions for our patients.