The Clinic » Programs of Care » Women’s Health Program of Care
Bio-identical hormone balancing makes it easier to treat a wide range of problems. An advanced approach to breast cancer risk prediction and reduction is also available. These can be combined with powerful natural approaches to treating osteoporosis.
Some say that the differences between men and women can all be summed up with one word: hormones. When it comes to health, few things are as important to women as the state of their hormones. From their first menstrual period until well beyond their last, many women feel like they are at the mercy of estrogen and progesterone.
The overwhelming majority of health problems related to the female anatomy are related to imbalances in these hormones. This includes pre-menstrual syndrome and irregular periods, fibrocystic breasts and ovaries, cancers of the breast, ovary and uterus, fibroids and endometriosis, hot flashes, vaginal dryness and other symptoms of menopause. What’s more, complex interactions between these and other hormones can put women at higher risk of thyroid problems, autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
For years, women have been treated with synthetic hormones patented and sold by pharmaceutical companies. While these strange molecules were designed to mimic the effects of the hormones made in the body, they are very different. For example, the prescription estrogens come from horses; these conjugated equine estrogens have names like equilin and equilinin, and they are treated completely differently by the body. So-called ‘progesterone’ is actually medroxyprogesterone acetate (provera), which has its own problems.
These synthetic hormones are in wide use, but not because they are better than the hormones that your body makes naturally. The reason is that they have been patented for profit. Now that the patents are expiring and many synthetic hormones will be available as generics, doctors are being told that they are not as good as the ‘newer hormones’.
Bio-identical hormones are identical to the hormones made by the body. The three estrogens are called estradiol, estriol and estrone. There is only one progesterone, and it is simply called progesterone.
Progesterone is the most commonly used hormone, because most women in our modern world have way too much estrogen. This is due to many factors, including chronic stress, toxic chemicals that mimic estrogen (bisphenol A is just one example) and diet and lifestyle factors that affect estrogen breakdown in the liver. Many menstrual problems, including PMS, fibroids, ovarian cysts and irregular or painful periods can be effectively treated with bio-identical progesterone.
When a woman has symptoms and signs of estrogen deficiency, this can also be provided in a bio-identical form. Because estriol poses the lowest breast cancer risk, it is the estrogen that is used most commonly.
One thing that every woman should know is that there are no clinical trials proving that bio-identical hormones are safer than synthetic hormones. Most physicians prescribe them based on the belief that they are safer because they are identical to the hormones produced naturally by the body. As a general rule, it is wise to use the lowest dose of hormones that is required to eliminate a woman’s symptoms.
Our use of bio-identical hormones is based on continuous sharing of knowledge with experts in the field at symposia and conferences around the world. We add this to our own clinical experience with many women whose hormone-related symptoms have almost always improved a great deal.
In some cases it is necessary to test hormone levels to identify exactly what kind of imbalance is causing a problem. Usually the treatment required is obvious from the patient history.
We also offer breast cancer risk testing that is based on measuring levels of good and bad estrogen. This is a very new approach that is only available through specialized labs. When combined with diet, lifestyle and supplement advice to minimize breast cancer risk, it is possible to reduce your risk of breast cancer in a much more powerful way.
There is more to treating osteoporosis than calcium and prescription drugs. Our approach uses specialized testing to measure - and improve - the many things affecting the health of your bones. We can also offer individual advice about vitamin D, Strontium, vitamin K and many other natural therapies supported by clinical evidence. This is combined with diet and lifestyle advice that is second to none.
The end result is better solutions to the problems unique to women.