Understanding Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy
As we get older, our body’s naturally produced hormones — which are essential for a healthy lifestyle and for preventing disease — begin to diminish. In fact, by middle age, most of us (women and men alike) find ourselves with up to 10 percent fewer hormones than when we were younger. And that’s up to 10 percent each year!
The diminishing returns of natural hormones most often result in sleep disorders, loss of energy, mood changes, declining muscle strength, inability to lose weight, and a reduction in sex desire and performance. They can even result in the onset of depression.
Now, thanks to a relatively new approach to treating hormonal imbalance called bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, you no longer have to suffer from living with fewer hormones. What we’re really talking about here is something called Hormone Pellet Therapy. This innovative therapy is ideal for people who want the benefits of a natural hormone without the drawbacks of a synthetic. Pellet therapy uses hormones that are found in organic plant life, and the doctors here at Restoration Healthcare utilize these found-in-nature plant sources to boost hormones that are produced in lower numbers as we get older.
Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is far superior to today’s synthetic hormones that are often injected into the bloodstream, slapped on in the form of a patch, or ineffectively smeared over the body as a cream.
Shots, skin patches and creams infuse an increased hormone level for a limited time, often causing erratic up and down physiologic and mood changes. It’s an unhappy scenario where hormone levels are up for a short while and then decline and disappear. In addition, synthetic methods require daily or weekly treatments with inconsistent results and are plagued by numerous side effects, including an increased risk of stroke, heart attack or breast cancer.
Not so for hormone pellets. By implanting a tiny (the size of a grain of rice) pellet under the skin, hormones are released in small, measured doses — replicating the body’s natural hormonal delivery system. These implants, which are unobtrusively inserted in the hip above the buttocks during a short office visit, offer the least intrusive, most effective hormone therapy available.
These pellets we speak of feature estrogen and testosterone from natural plant sources, and as they are released into the blood stream, they mimic healthy ovaries and testicles. Best yet, the procedure provides a continual supply of hormones to the body for up to five months.
Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy may reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis, leaving you with more energy, strength and a much-improved lifestyle. So if you suffer from any of the following and want to know if Hormone Pellet Therapy is right for you, just ask the next time you’re in the office:
- Difficulty sleeping at night
- Lack of energy and fatigue during the day
- Reduced mental focus and memory
- Moody, anxious or depressed
- Weight gain, including increased fat around the midsection
- Inability to lose weight regardless of healthy diet and exercise
- Decreased muscle strength
- Muscle and/or joint pain
- Reduced sexual desire and performance
