Bioidentical Hormones
Bioidentical hormones
If you've watched Oprah lately or answered phones at a doctor's office in the last week, you know what the hot topic is right now: bioidentical hormones. This phrase is thought by some to be a marketing term conjured up to sell unsuspecting consumers a product they don't need.
However, this term also has significant clinical and scientific meaning. Hormones made in a laboratory often do not have the same chemical structure of a hormone (the case with medroxyprogesterone acetate), but may affect hormone receptors in a similar way to get similar results. This can be OK if there aren't any downsides to that particular molecular structure. We usually don't know of the downsides until thousands of people have already been using such a substance for 15-20 years. But that time, an unsuspecting consumer could be dead. Furthermore, a single hormone may come in different molecular structures such as estrogen which presents as estrone, estradiol, and estriol. These occur in differing amounts at different times of life for different reasons and it is important to know which type should be given.
Do women need hormone replacement? Some, but not all. Doctor's see clinically that those patients who have very healthy lifestyles (exercise regularly, eat a variety of natural foods, get enough sleep, and have low stress levels) typically do well through menopause without any help. The symptoms of too low of hormone levels are very real. Doctors thought in the past that the only "real" symptoms of menopause problems were those that they could see, such as dry or atrophied vaginal tissue and hot flashes. But symptoms such as poor mood and a decreased sex drive could be explained away as a part of other issues (mental, emotional, or relational). Furthermore, opinions have fluctuated about how hormone levels affect other diseases such as heart disease and Alzheimers, and most of the scientific inquiry has gone towards these subjects.
In the past 10 or so years, the unseen symptoms of decreased hormones in menopause that truly affect quality of life have been defined. Low sex drive, anxiety, depression, lack of motivation, weight gain, irritability, and insomnia are all symptoms of low hormone levels. Sometimes when science doesn't quite understand how something in the body works, the medical establishment is slow to treat it. Think of how many drugs for insomnia and mood disorders have been marketed over the last 20 years. How many people could have been helped with natural hormones rather than a prescription drug (which may have serious side effects)?
The reason for asking for bioidentical hormones is that we respect nature's wisdom. Why put an unnatural hormone into your body and then wait 20 years only to find out that it has deleterious side effects when you could use a naturally occuring hormone to boost your naturally low levels? The other reason to ask for bioidentical is that practioners who use this phrase are more likely to be up-to-date on the best methods of delivery. Formerly, hormones were solely given in a pill form, and practitioners who adhere to generally accepted standardized protocols still use this form. However, we know that when given orally, hormones need to be absorbed in the digestive tract, get processed by the liver, and then go out to the bloodstream. This causes decreased levels of absorption, decreased levels of free hormone, and more chance of negative effects of hormones occuring--such as the raised levels of clotting factors which can contribute to heart disease and strokes. Educated practitioners will use an alternative route of delivery, such as transdermal (cream form).
Are "compounding pharmacies" the charlatans the medical establishment makes them out to be? Compounding pharmacies take a substance, such as a hormone, and put it into a delivery system such as a capsule, pill, cream or trochie (sublingual form). If you see a respectable licensed doctor, he or she will use a pharmacy that has produced good results for their patients. These pharmacies have trained and licensed professionals that follow guidelines to make their products standardized and therefore attractive to clients. The fact that the FDA does not send someone to look over their shoulder doesn't make their product inferior. In fact, many doctors use compounding pharmacies for the superior quality of products especially concerning the variety of dosages available, the alternate routes of administration, and the combining of more than one substance into one easy to take product. This results in better patient compliance and better patient outcomes. How many of you have taken a generic form of a drug only to find out that it doesn't work as well as the name brand form? Yet the generic form has the FDA stamp of approval. Apparently, FDA oversight doesn't always translate into better quality.
Do you have to take hormone replacement for the rest of your life? You know, it's funny--when someone has arthritis, they accept taking pain medication the rest of their life. When someone has diabetes, they accept taking insulin the rest of their life. But when someone takes something natural that really helps them, they always ask, "How long do I have to take this?" or "When can I go off of this?" I do understand, though, that if we want to treat naturally, we should treat the cause rather than just the symptoms. That is why you should seek a naturopathic physician who does bioidentical hormone therapy.
Naturopathic doctors not only understand how to use hormones to treat symptoms but also understand the biology and biochemistry involved in low hormone levels. At our office, we will not only help you feel better fast, but we will treat the underlying issues. Many times that involves diet and lifestyle recommendations, and other times it will involve supplements and natural medicines to increase organ health. In the case of low hormone levels, two main factors are involved: diet and lifestyle. Did you know that hormones are made from cholesterol? How many people are on low fat diets and/or statin drugs? The liver processes hormones out of your body everyday. You need the substrates to make new hormones everyday. Dietary change and supplementation with essential fatty acids (such as fish oil) may be in order. Second, stress depletes hormone levels. Initially, when you are stressed your body will shunt fatty acids and precursor hormones over to the production of cortisol (the stress hormone). This decreases the levels of progesterone, DHEA, testosterone and estrogen. Next, the adrenal glands, which produce cortisol, get tired and hormonal pathways get sluggish. We need to feed the adrenals (and potentially other glands) to increase health. This may include glandular supplements.
We can also help overall body processes by a variety of means. I like homeopathic medicines which can help the body regain balance. This is an energetic form of medicine and studies are now proving various forms of energetic medicine to be effective.
All of this might seem overwhelming, but your doctor is the one who needs to understand and oversee it all. Arm yourself with the best information possible from resources such as Dr. Christine Northrup’s book The Wisdom of Menopause, then take the most important step—see a naturopathic physician. Call and ask for Dr. Sheryl at 360-573-2273.
