Hormone levels naturally decline with age, leading to undesirable symptoms. Bioidentical hormones can help restore optimal levels, thereby reducing deficiency symptoms and promoting wellness. This article outlines common hormone deficiencies, symptoms, and the potential benefits of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT).
Bioidentical hormones are identical in molecular structure to the hormones produced naturally in the human body. They are often derived from plant sources and customized to match a patient's hormone levels. As the name suggests, bioidentical hormones are biologically and chemically identical to endogenous human hormones.
BHRT utilizes bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and other hormones to restore optimal hormonal balance. This is in contrast to non-bioidentical versions, such as synthetics, animal derived, etc.
Key benefits of bioidentical over non-bioidentical hormones:
Now let's explore common hormone deficiencies and how BHRT can alleviate associated symptoms.
Estrogen levels decrease substantially during perimenopause and menopause. Low estrogen contributes to:
Bioidentical estrogen, often including both estriol and estradiol, can provide tremendous relief by restoring levels closer to what they were in a woman's youth. This leads to a reduction in the above symptoms.
Estrogen deficiency can be confirmed via blood tests. Once diagnosed, we customize a bioidentical estrogen treatment plan based on the patient's unique needs and hormone levels.
Note: Patients with certain medical conditions may not be candidates for estrogen therapy. Our physicians carefully evaluate patients to ensure appropriateness and safety.
Progesterone levels also decline with age. This vital hormone serves many important roles:
Deficiency manifests as symptoms like:
Our clinic offers bioidentical progesterone to restore optimal levels based on lab testing. Patients often report improvements in:
Progesterone and estrogen work synergistically. We often recommend combining into one balanced BHRT regimen.
Bioidentical hormones are not necessarily safer or more effective than synthetic hormones for menopausal symptoms. Plant-derived bioidentical estrogens and progesterone have a similar chemical structure to human hormones, but clinical evidence on their long-term safety and efficacy is still limited compared to traditional hormone therapy.
Testosterone levels decrease substantially in aging males. Low testosterone (Low T) involves symptoms like:
Male testosterone deficiency can dramatically impact quality of life. Our clinic offers testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) utilizing bioidentical testosterone to restore youthful levels.
Based on over 15 years of experience, we've seen remarkable improvements in libido, energy, endurance, body composition, mood, and more. Our protocols involve careful blood testing and truly customized care.
Note: We do not provide muscle building regimens or treatments for those seeking unfair athletic enhancement. Our focus is strictly on restoring clinically low levels to normalize deficiency symptoms and promote patient health.
Deficiencies can also occur in hormones like:
Our clinic offers bioidentical versions of these and other key hormones to restore optimal levels.
In summary, properly administered bioidentical hormone therapy offers tremendous benefits:
Prior to any treatment, we require blood testing to accurately assess hormone levels. This establishes a baseline and allows proper dosage calculations of bioidentical hormones.
We use leading specialty labs for the most accurate results. This includes testing for:
Testing also evaluates overall health to ensure safety of hormone therapy.
Key point: We emphasize testing first, customized bioidentical hormones second. No assumptions or guessing - this promotes optimal response and minimizes safety risks.
With test results properly establishing a baseline, our physicians then develop a customized bioidentical hormone regimen tailored to the patient's:
The regimen balances multiple hormones synergistically - not just estrogen or testosterone alone.
We often incorporate:
Other hormones like DHEA or melatonin may also be included as needed.
The combinations are designed thoughtfully based on considerable physician expertise with BHRT protocols. The goal is restoring youthful hormone levels for that patient as indicated by relief of symptoms and follow up testing.
This distinguishes us dramatically from protocols involving just testosterone or estrogen alone, which rarely achieves proper endocrine balance long-term.
We emphasize continuing care, not just an initial treatment plan:
The duration of treatment differs among patients but often becomes a foundational component of their long term vitality regimen.
We partner with local compounding pharmacies providing the highest quality bioidentical hormones available. This gives us extensive flexibility meeting patient needs.
In summary, our goal is maintaining bioidentical hormone levels optimized for that individual indefinitely. This sustains relief of symptoms and enjoyment of benefits over the long term. With our support, patients often report feeling measurably better throughout treatment than they have in years.
If you're experiencing low hormone symptoms interfering with wellness and quality of life, contact our clinic today to explore BHRT. Deficiencies will only worsen over time without treatment. Beginning therapy can restore comfort, vitality, and confidence lost to suboptimal hormone imbalance.
Now is the time to take charge of your health. We consider it a privilege to guide patients on that journey with carefully personalized care. Please reach out to learn more and get started with testing.
While BHRT serves as the foundation for reducing deficiency symptoms, we also emphasize key lifestyle factors important for long-term wellness:
Hormonal balance ties closely to diet and nutrition. We provide customized nutritional guidance as part of our protocols, focusing on whole, anti-inflammatory foods. Key aspects often include:
These provide vital micronutrients that support optimal hormonal processes. Deficiencies or poor food quality can disrupt delicate metabolic pathways.
Our guidance helps patients maximize nutrition during treatment.
Regular activity sustains hormonal health long-term while also promoting:
Perimenopausal and menopausal patients especially benefit from frequent exercise to reduce symptoms. The natural decline in estrogen accelerates bone loss, enhancing risk for osteoporosis. Weight bearing activity signals bones to retain density mitigating this risk.
Testosterone replacement patients also require regular activity to build metabolic capacity enabling proper testosterone processing.
We recommend custom exercise plans for patients factoring needs, preferences, and abilities. Useful local fitness centers include:
Walking trails along the LA River provide convenient outdoor options.
Excess stress disrupts endocrine function by elevating cortisol and other inflammatory hormones. These counteract estrogen, testosterone, etc.
We educate patients on chronic stress mechanisms and provide evidence-based techniques for mitigating prolonged "fight or flight" responses. Useful local resources include:
Combined with proper nutrition, activity, and hormone balance from BHRT, stress reduction sustains vitality long-term.
We're thrilled you're taking steps toward better health. Please reach out with any questions about bioidentical hormone therapy or optimizing wellness during treatment. We look forward to serving you!
