Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) involves restoring deficient hormones to optimal levels with plant-based hormones that are molecularly identical to those produced naturally in the human body. Treatment aims to alleviate troublesome signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalance and help patients feel their best, while focusing on the root physiological cause.
Unlike conventional hormone therapy, bioidentical hormones have the same chemical structure as the hormones produced by humans. This allows the body to recognize and utilize BHRT more efficiently. The individually-tailored customized approach corrects hormonal deficiencies and excesses to reach optimal balance.
Bioidentical hormones offer several key advantages:
In contrast, synthetic hormones often do not replicate natural hormone activity well, increasing the chance of therapy causing new problems due to improper receptor binding and activity.
With greater flexibility to find the optimal hormone levels and combinations unique to each patient, BHRT offers improved safety and efficacy over conventional cookie-cutter approaches. The aim is to help patients feel their best by optimizing hormones based on their needs.
Imbalances in hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid, cortisol and others can cause wide-ranging signs and symptoms:
The wide variety of possible symptoms illustrates why a thorough evaluation of hormone levels along with a review of symptoms is needed to determine the best course of treatment.
Patients choose bioidentical hormone therapy for a variety of reasons:
By replacing deficient hormones, many symptoms caused directly by the missing hormones can be reduced and even eliminated. Patients report major improvements in areas negatively impacted, allowing them to get back activities they enjoy.
Along with physical changes, many patients also experience better emotional health and well-being from having hormones in balance.
In addition to immediate symptom relief, balanced bioidentical hormones offer protective long term health effects throughout the body.
Some examples include:
* Protects bone density * Lowers heart disease risk * Prevents onset of neurodegenerative disease * Reduces risk of metabolic disorders
* Guards cardiovascular function * Lessens anxiety and depression * Protects brain health and cognition
* Develops lean muscle mass * Boosts red blood cell production * Maintains bone density * Fights fat gain
Along with protecting long term health, maintaining youthful hormone levels can prevent or delay chronic disease.
For example, normalized testosterone levels in men are associated with significantly lower incidence of obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart attack, and stroke.
Similarly, many age related conditions are accelerated by declining hormones. Optimizing estrogen, thyroid and other hormones to healthier ranges can help slow development of osteoporosis, sarcopenia, dementia and other disorders.
By addressing the root hormonal triggers early, progression to more series disease can potentially be delayed or avoided.
Relieving disruptive symptoms while feeling healthier and avoiding disease allows many patients to enjoy an improved quality of life from hormone therapy.
Activities such as exercise, travel, socializing, intimacy and hobbies become more pleasurable. Simply getting through daily tasks feels less burdensome. With life less of a struggle, relationships and outlook often improve as well.
The renewed zest for life and heightened engagement resulting from treatment is for many the most significant change of all.
Beginning bioidentical hormone replacement therapy involves testing, assessment, choosing delivery methods, creating a treatment plan, follow up and modifications. Here is an overview of the basic process:
Determining which hormones are out of balance requires testing key hormones using either blood tests or dried urine tests. Common hormones evaluated include:
Testing may reveal excess hormones in some cases in addition to deficiencies. Both require adjustments to reach optimal ranges.
Along with objective lab testing data, a detailed history of current symptoms and health conditions helps determine specific areas to target. Troublesome symptoms are matched against likely responsible hormones to address.
Health history also informs areas to focus on. For example, a premenopausal woman with high stress might also test cortisol and DHEA levels. Someone with sleep disturbances would test melatonin.
Together lab results and reported symptoms guide development of a customized treatment plan.
Bioidentical hormones are available in various forms allowing flexibility to choose optimal delivery methods based on each patient's needs:
Transdermal and sublingual delivery avoid first pass liver metabolism which may improve absorption for some hormones. This allows quick adjustment of doses based on frequent follow up testing.
Considering symptoms, physiology, hormone levels, activities, preferences and convenience guides selection among these options.
After compiling lab work, history, exam findings and delivery method decisions, hormones to target are determined along with optimal doses and combinations unique to that patient.
Follow up testing and modification remains pivotal - hormone therapy requires an ongoing process of adjustment to continually optimize the doses and hormone balance.
Frequent testing allows catching excess or insufficient hormones early. Levels are then tweaked to reach desired ranges based on symptoms and lab results. This responsive fine tuning over months helps patients feel their best long term.
The essential key to successful long lasting treatment is frequent follow up testing and treatment plan modification. Testing follows this approximate schedule:
Some patients require more frequent testing and adjustments especially early on when finding optimal levels. Therapy is catered based on the real time feedback of reported symptoms and changing lab results rather than blindly following set protocols.
This high touch testing and modification provides greater safety, efficacy and consistency than conventional approaches allow.
Bioidentical hormones are not necessarily safer or more effective than synthetic hormones for menopausal symptoms. Though marketed as "natural," the risks and benefits of bioidenticals are still being researched. More studies are needed to determine if they truly differ from conventional hormone therapy in terms of heart disease and breast cancer risk.
Just as a fever signals active infection, ongoing disruptive symptoms often indicate underlying physiological imbalances in hormones that vitally impact health. Ignoring persistent symptoms risks acceleration to more advanced disease.
However, correctly deciphering root causes among many possibilities based on subtle or confusing symptoms proves challenging. Evaluating key hormones using lab testing provides objective clarity impossible to achieve by guesswork alone.
Once hormonal deficiencies or excesses are identified as the source of troublesome complaints, restoring balance rapidly improves both symptoms and long term health outlook if treatment begins promptly.
Put another way - identifying and addressing reversible hormonal deficiencies causing symptoms early is key to preventing progression to chronic disorders that prove far less responsive to therapy once developed.
Optimal timeliness involves:
This responsive approach provides the greatest opportunity to avoid preventable decline into harder to reverse disease states. The twin pillars of therapy become lab measured hormone optimization guided by reported symptom improvement.
At Renew Hormone Institute, promptly restoring hormonal balance by accurately assessing deficiencies through testing combined with continual fine tuning of treatment plans using consistent patient feedback helps many people feel their best while protecting future health.
As a leading bioidentical hormone therapy clinic serving Mt. Juliet and the surrounding areas, Renew Hormone Institute stands out by providing:
Our practitioners focus exclusively on hormone balance, possessing specialized training in:
You benefit from our advanced expertise in the nuances of optimizing hormones for improved patient outcomes. We stay updated on the latest research and developments in the field.
Testing key hormones is streamlined using fast and convenient processes:
We make testing as quick and easy as possible while ensuring high quality results.
Renew Hormone Institute provides flexible custom compounded bioidentical hormones in a variety of formulations not available commercially.
You receive treatment plans catered to your unique physiology and needs for greater responsiveness.
We continually assess new compounded hormone research for potentially beneficial additions to our offerings.
Our staff appreciates the courage required to seek help getting to the root of health issues. We respect your time and priorities while supporting you each step of the treatment journey with compassion.
Ongoing patient education empowers better understanding of the role various hormones play across all body systems. We answer questions thoroughly so you feel fully informed.
While bioidentical hormone therapy provides enormous benefits correcting deficiencies, optimal results depend on complementary lifestyle factors. Key areas to focus on include:
Ensuring adequate intake of key micronutrients and antioxidants supports the beneficial effects of balanced hormones:
Eating nutritious whole foods or targeted supplementation fills common gaps.
Getting adequate deep restorative sleep allows the body to properly regulate hormones impacted by circadian rhythms:
Focus on consistent bedtimes/waking times in a cool dark quiet room.
Excessive or prolonged stress disrupts delicate hormonal feedback networks:
Daily relaxation practices like meditation, yoga, massage therapy or nature walks counteract excessive stresses. Consider evaluating adrenal saliva testing.
Along with supporting heart health, lean muscle mass and bone density, appropriate exercise regulates metabolic and sex hormones:
Aim for 30-60 minutes daily of gentle cardio, strength training and flexibility exercise.
Adjusting these key areas reinforces gains made from bioidentical hormone therapy. Our staff can offer further specific guidance on useful lifestyle changes to consider.
If you have struggled with unresolved symptoms or want to take a proactive stance safeguarding future health through precision hormone balance, we invite you to explore how Renew Hormone Institute can help you on your personal wellness journey.
