Hormones are chemical messengers that control almost every aspect of your body’s functions. Although you may associate hormones with puberty — when your body ramps up growth hormones and sex hormones — they affect you throughout your life.
Whether you’re a woman or man, as you approach your 30s and 40s, sex hormones begin to decline. Without estrogens and androgens, you may start experiencing unwanted physical and mental changes, such as:
Jake Schmutz, NMD, Joshua Hersh NMD, and our team at Integrative Medica in Salt Lake City, Utah, offer a type of hormone replacement therapy that’s structurally bioidentical to your natural hormones. Could you benefit from bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT)?
Your endocrine system, composed of tissues and organs, produces your hormones. Those hormones travel through your bloodstream and dictate how tissues and organs should function. Hormones control:
As you age, you start producing fewer hormones. For men, testosterone declines about 1% every year after the age of 30. For women, estrogen plummets around perimenopause and menopause, which is generally between the ages of 40-55. While some people aren’t bothered by this normal part of aging, others seek BHRT to feel their best.
Unlike earlier forms of hormone replacement, which were completely synthetic, most BHRT is now produced from yams and other plants. These are then synthesized so their molecular structure is the same as the structure of your own hormones. For men and women, this may include estrogen, testosterone, and/or progesterone.
Most of the time, we recommend pellets, which we insert in a fleshy part of your body, such as the upper arm or buttocks. The pellets release just the right amount of hormones that you need, based on blood tests we take that determine your hormone levels.
The pellets last for months. We then replace them with a new pellet, so you maintain your good results without a gap. Bioidentical hormones help improve symptoms like:
BHRT can also protect you from diseases often associated with aging, such as osteoporosis and cognitive decline. They can even improve joint pain and arthritis.
At this point, you might be wondering if BHRT is right for you. Undergoing any treatment is a completely personal decision, but BHRT is generally considered safe as long as you’re in good health. You may be a good candidate if you:
If you’re interested in BHRT, contact our office today to schedule a consultation to find out if you’re a candidate for this revolutionary natural treatment.
