Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Is Considered Ideal By Many

Women experience many transformations throughout their lives. The pre-teen and teenage years present many challenges, both physical and emotional. Over time, bodies change. In what seems to be a blink of an eye, a girls grow into women. As life progresses, falling in love, pregnancy, and raising a family dominates. While busy earning a living and raising a family, menstruation ceases and perimenopause begins. Thereafter periods cease and women are considered to be in menopause. The next challenge is deciding whether to take on bioidentical hormone replacement or stick with synthetic hormones.

While many women may say, or may have said, that menopause is welcomed with open arms, there are other physical changes that may not always be so pleasant. This is when physicians may introduce the idea of estrogen replacement. During menopause, the body stops producing estrogen and progesterone, leading to a variety of changes that may not always be viewed as satisfactory.

A woman is said to be in menopause after she has not had a period for one straight year after the approximate age of forty-five. This stage of life may lead to hot flashes, moodiness, susceptibility to osteoporosis, heart palpitations and more. Symptoms vary from woman to woman. Traditionally, hormone replacement therapies were given to alleviate these symptoms. However, other unwanted symptoms and conditions arose as a result. Specifically, breast cancer, stroke, and heart disease increased. In an effort to find a better alternative, a system that was more suited to each woman's chemistry and less likely to cause unwanted effects was introduced.

In an effort to be open and fair, there are individuals who oppose this treatment and believe there is not enough evidence in support of it. On the other side of the coin, just as many people have benefited from it. Staying on the positive side, this form of natural hormone therapy makes use of hormones that are identical to those naturally produced by the human body. The alternative option, the traditional stand-by, is taking synthetic hormones which are made from horse urine.

During the past decade, the use of natural hormone therapy has become center stage though it has been around for much longer than ten or fifteen years. Television talk shows, books, and radio programs have highly advertised this topic as true pioneers are interested in sharing what they have learned.

Natural hormones are made in a laboratory. They are only administered after a hormone panel is done. Depending on the results, a certain amount of progesterone, estrogen, and DHEA or testosterone will be given. The most easily used form comes in a cream. With each pulse the topical hormones enter the bloodstream, circulating until next dosage time.

The processes of the human body are inter-connected. Following a healthy diet and lifestyle supports natural hormone treatment plans. A healthy lifestyle supports the endocrine system which in turn helps the replacement hormones work at their best.

Understanding menopause is a necessary step as it goes hand-in-hand with understanding how bioidentical hormone replacement therapies work. In many women, memory becomes sharper and energy levels increase. There are standard formulations available made by drug companies for doctor's to prescribe just as there are certified offices that will customize ingredient dosages to match a woman's exact needs. This is very exciting for women who do not do well with the synthetic version.

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Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Now Proven Safer Than Synthetic HRT

You Are What You Eat

With the media frenzy going on about artificial ingredients and flavors in the food we eat and the resulting negative effects it can have on our health, it would seem to be a given that synthetics are never as good as natural remedies. However, women suffering from the hormonal imbalances of menopause continue to receive synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at an alarming rate, despite the side effects connected with them. If we know better than to fill our diet with synthetic chemicals and compounds, why is it any better to receive injections or supplements with them?

Bioidentical Research is Overwhelmingly Positive

In a recent Worldhealth.net report discussing the benefits of natural hormone replacement therapy, the results of a meta-analysis of over 200 studies all showed the same results: Natural hormone replacement therapy works better than its synthetic counterpart. A list of celebrities, including Suzanne Somers and Oprah Winfrey, have touted bioidentical HRT as a miracle cure for menopausal symptoms. According to the article, bioidentical HRT relieved the hot flash and sweating symptoms in 71% of the patients researched - an overwhelming improvement to the often-disappointing statistics and side effects of synthetic HRT.

So What's So Wrong With Synthetics?

With the expansive list of negative side effects of synthetic HRT, the easier question to answer would be what's right with them? That answer is: nothing. While there is a small percentage of women who experience some relief from their menopausal symptoms due to synthetic HRT treatment, the pros definitely do not outweigh the cons.

Vision problems, chest pain, shortness of breath, breast lumps, dizziness, and depression are all common side-effects from taking synthetic HRT, and can often be more severe and life-altering than the actual symptoms the therapy is meant to relieve.

Horse Urine? Really?

Another problem is that synthetic HRT uses compounds taken from the waste products of animals. Two popular synthetic hormones used in HRT actually contain horse urine from pregnant mares. In contrast, bioidentical HRT contains compounds taken from plant matter, and is completely natural. Our bodies do not see these hormones as foreign matter and adapt much easier (and more naturally) to the compounds.

For more information about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, please visit http://www.genesysinstitute.com To contact the author, or to find out more about the content of this article, call (801) 685-2730 or email me personally at DrMoore@genesysinstitute.com. We serve clients throughout the United States and would be happy to discuss any concerns or questions you might have concerning bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, and whether it is the right choice for you.

Why Choose Bio-identical Hormones Over Traditional Hormones?

Any woman interested in bio-identical hormones should know the difference between natural hormones (bhrt) and synthetic hormones (hrt). Bio-identical hormones are derived from yams or soy and are the chemical replicates of the exact hormone found in the human body. Synthetic hormones such as Premarin and Provera are drugs made and patented by drug companies. Some of these hormones are derived from pregnant horses urine. The chemicals used are similar to our hormones but have been changed slightly in order to be patented.

Bio-identicals cannot be patented because the drugs have been available for over 15 years. Since bio-identicals can't be patented there is no way for the drug companies to make large amounts of money on them.

Many drug studies have been preformed on synthetic hormones.

The Women's Health Initiative study (WHI) was preformed in 2002 and was stopped early because of the findings. The study involved thousands of women from multiple sites all over the country. The research was done on diet, exercise, calcium supplements, and synthetic hormones. The results were that these drugs should not be given to prevent heart disease, strokes, venous thrombosis, or breast cancer. The findings showed they may increase a woman's risk of developing these problems over time.

The problem with most studies is that the drug companies are funding the study. Therefore, if bio-identicals can't be patented, then the drug companies are not going to spend money on a study.

If you research bio-identical hormones, you can find drug studies on them.

Breast cancer and BHRT

Androgens and Mammary growth and neoplasia

Antiestrogen action of progesterone in breast tissue

Cancer and Hormonal balance

Epidemiology of breast cancer

Hormones in the etiology and prevention of breast and endometrial cancer

This is only 5 examples of the hundreds of studies found on Dr. Rebecca Glaser's website, hormonebalance.org. Dr. Rebecca Glaser also has studies on other topics (not just breast cancer) such as cortisol, estriol, dosage delivery, testosterone and progesterone to name a few.

My belief is that bio-identical hormones bring the menopausal or pre-menopausal woman back to the hormone levels found in a youthful woman. By doing this, the drugs have shown an improvement in heart health, skin, hair, and memory.

Two other benefits are they slightly lower cholesterol and they will keep bone density from decreasing further. Other than relief from the normal menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, etc.) I believe bio-identical hormones can also help with heart, bones, memory and cholesterol. I do not think they will decrease the risk of breast cancer, but taken in the correct dosage amount I think they do not increase the risk of cancer.

In other words, if you are on the correct strengths of hormones there will be no increase or decrease in cancer risk.

BHRT can be a much safer alternative for menopause symptoms treatment. For more information on bio-identical hormones, visit http://www.bhrt-resource.com

Women Over 50: Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Most women suffering from menopause know that treatments for the condition are often worse than the symptoms they are suffering. Hormone replacement therapy may slow the hot flashes and short tempers, but it is a leading cause of female cancers. With this risk in mind, many women opt out of taking hormone replacement therapy and choose instead to suffer through their menopause without treatment. However, a side consequence of suffering through their menopause is that they also inflict on spouses and others around them much grief and negative reaction. That is what is so exciting about a new form of menopausal treatment.

The new form of treatment that is now available poses little risk to the women who use the product. Bioidentical hormone therapy is a therapy that works with identical forms of female estrogen, allowing the body to ease menopausal symptoms without the danger of causing of cancer.

Identical hormones have an identical makeup to naturally occurring female hormones. Previously, hormone treatments surprisingly used estrogen products that were harvested from pigs. It is the belief of many in the medical industry that the type of hormones that were being used from pigs was the cause of the high incidences of cancer, not the fact that hormones were being replaced in the therapy.

Hormone therapy can ease many of the symptoms of menopause as well as provide additional health to the heart. Another problem occurring at the age when menopause sets in is bone loss. This is also slowed when Identical hormone replacement therapy is used.

This is why most doctors will now offer identical hormone replacement automatically. Some, however, will only offer it if the risk of cancer seems very high. Women should consider requesting bioidentical hormone replacement therapy so that any risk of cancer might be reduced from treatment.

Menopause is a terrible time for most women. In addition to the effect it has upon the body with increased risk of cancer, heart disease and bone loss, it is also a difficult time for the peace of mind of their spouses and others around them. Many marriages have dissolved during the menopausal period because of the strain that menopause has put upon the spousal relationship.

That's why bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is the right treatment to safely get through this difficult experience, both for the women involved as well as their spouses.

Sandra Tiffany is taking bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and wants to share her experience.

The location offers articles, books, medical comments, cost information, and covers thyroid effects of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Also check out "Deal of the Day" opportunities.

http://www.bestbioidenticalhormonereplacementtherapy.com

Side Effects Of Bioidentical Hormones

Bioidentical hormones are often synthesized from plants, and processed to make them resemble, or become entirely identical to the hormones within our bodies. Bioidentical hormone preparations are often compounded by pharmacists, with respect to the quantity recommended by the doctor.

We have a conflict of interest here with the pharmaceutical industry, because they are unable to patent human hormones that are molecularly identical to actual substances in the body. Therefore everything that you hear about bioidentical hormones must be viewed with a skeptic eye, because of the pharmaceutical companies massive influence over the health industry.

These hormones are mainly used by females, to alleviate the signs and symptoms of menopause. A scientific study compared the usage of bioidentical progesterone cream to placebo, and learned that women using the cream experienced a massive decrease in symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats. The cream had no effect on bone mineral density though.

Bioidentical hormones are generally prescribed as a healthier replacement for regular hormone replacement therapy, which has been proven to have serious adverse effects. Many people have voiced their criticism about this kind of treatment because it hasn't been analyzed extensively enough in clinical studies.

However, some scientific studies have demonstrated that these hormones are indeed healthier and also bring less risk of adverse effects than the synthetic versions. This includes significantly less risk of blood clots as well as cancer, the two primary issues concerning conventional hormone replacement therapy.

It's imperative that you realize that these types of hormones haven't been studied as extensively as the standard, artificial ones. This is very understandable because the main sources of research funds are the drug companies, and they have absolutely no interest in studying a substance that can not be patented or marketed for massive price tags.

Unfortunately, because scientific studies are missing, it is not easy to find details about the side effects of bioidentical hormones in the literature, but it appears obvious how the side effects tend to be less severe than with regular hormone replacement therapy.

I'm not really thrilled about individuals playing around with the hormones in their bodies, because this might have unpredictable consequences. If the symptoms of menopause are leading to big problems in that case bioidentical hormones can be a safe alternative to standard treatment.

I would personally also suggest using as little of them as possible, for as brief a time as possible. Menopause is really a natural occurrence that happens with getting older, and even though treatment methods are possible, doesn't mean they're always the right thing to do.

Make sure that if you are undergoing any kind of hormonal treatment, to do it under supervision by a physician who has knowledge of these matters, hormones are nothing to play around with.

Kris is a medical student from Iceland and runs the very popular health oriented website Kris Health Blog at http://www.kriskris.com/

Go to bioidentical hormones side effects to view the original article.

For Menopause Symptoms Treatment, My Wife Is Now Undergoing Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

After several visits to her physician, and two blood tests for Thyroid function my wife was very frustrated. She has almost every symptom of Hypothyroidism. Her tests both came back in the normal range for Thyroid. But very low in the normal range. These symptoms that she has would also indicate that her hormone levels have really gone out of wack the longer she has been perimenopausal. We have researched the Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT) pros and cons and the Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Treatments (BHRT) being used today by specialists groups, and we have questioned why her physician did not test her for hormone production levels in her body.

We have decided that many primary care physicians do not want to get "out of the box" concerning treatment of menopausal women, unless the situation is dire or dysfunctional. So, women are not getting the attention that they probably need to live a life more normal and similar to the way they were before starting the menopausal cycle.

She made two visits to a medical group that specializes in BHRT. The first was to do blood testing for hormone levels. She was way out of the range in all but one of 7 hormone categories. A series of capsules were prepared to be placed under her skin, in order to give her body a "time release" supplement of the hormones designed to balance her hormonal levels out. The very small capsules were placed under the skin of her buttocks. These capsules are designed to last one month. She will visit the clinic in one week to look for problems and then return for another round of treatment after the month is up.

We are researching now, what her levels show on the range of this medical group, and what it means. We are also going to research, what other medical groups consider "normal" and how these numbers all compare. Of course, we are also going to see if there is a good, bad or no reaction to how she feels and performs.

I plan to write weekly articles in EzineArticles over the next eight weeks to let women who are interested in this subject know how this treatment appears to be working for her. I will also tell you the costs of the program and how much of the cost, if any, is covered by our health insurance.

If you have wondered about the details of this treatment and how it might help you. Watch for the weekly reports under my name in EzineArticles.

Danny Hammond is an author, who writes articles dedicated to helping couples communicate, research and cope with the devastating effects that menopause symptoms can have on relationships of marriage, family, friends and co-workers. He is currently working with others on a website featuring these subjects. Please visit this website for advice on strategy and products dealing with menopause.

http://www.mymenopausehormones.com/

Alternative Hormone Replacement Therapy For Women - Are Bio-identical Hormones Safer

If you are looking for alternative hormone replacement therapy for women, then you are probably at or nearing the age of menopause. Many women are interested in alternatives because of the health dangers of hormone replacement therapy. The good news is that there are alternatives. Different things work for different women. A lot depends on lifestyle, diet and exercise, as well as your overall physical health.

Lately bio-identical hormones have been suggested as alternative hormone replacement therapy for women, but in actuality, no one knows if bio-identical hormones carry the health dangers of hormone replacement therapy, or not. They are called bio-identical because the molecular structure of the hormones is identical to a woman's own. Doctors and compounding pharmacists create a mix that is designed specifically for an individual woman. It is probably safer than conventional HRT, but no studies concerning long-term use have been done. The therapy was made popular by a book written by Suzanne Somers, in which she states that she will take them for the rest of her life.

According to reports, Ms. Somers did not have issues related to lifestyle, diet or exercise and she was in generally good health, but was devastated by the symptoms associated with menopause. Other women have felt the same way. While doctors and major pharmaceutical companies have focused on estrogen replacement, bio-identical HRT takes into account levels of all hormones, and replaces those that are lacking. For example, low testosterone levels in women can cause women to have difficulty reaching orgasm, among other things, but traditional hormone replacement therapy does not include testosterone, only equine estrogens and synthetic progesterone.

The better women's clinics evaluate a woman's lifestyle, diet and exercise regimen before recommending treatment, mainly because of the dangers of hormone replacement therapy, but also because HRT is not necessary for all women. There are many lifestyle factors that can aggravate menopausal symptoms. Smoking cigarettes, excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyles, poor diet and inadequate vitamin intake are some of them. Studies have shown that excess stress also increases symptoms and that stress reduction therapy reduces them. Menopause can be a very stressful time in a woman's life and the amount of stress that women are under continues to increase.

When lifestyle is not a factor and a woman's diet is well balanced and includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, vitamin supplementation may be necessary, particularly calcium, vitamin D and magnesium. A supplement that contains soy or red clover isoflavones (a type of plant estrogen), as well as calcium, vitamin D and magnesium may help prevent osteoporosis. Studies have shown that estrogen, as well as vitamin D and magnesium, improve the body's ability to absorb calcium.

In fact plant hormones, like those found in soy, red clover and wild yam, is considered alternative hormone replacement therapy by some. In addition there are botanicals that effectively reduce hot flashes. One is black cohosh.

There are plant components that reduce mood swings and depression, like 5 HTP, which is used by the body to create serotonin, which, in turn, is important for regulating mood, appetite and sleep cycles.

There are botanicals that the body can use to create hormones, such as tribulus terrestris. Contrary to what some people think, not all of a woman's hormones are produced by the ovaries. Some are produced by the adrenals. Some are produced from cholesterol. Some are created from other hormones. If you believe that the body can create what the body needs, if it has the proper "ingredients", then you may see that taking synthetic hormones can actually reduce the body's ability to create its own. Particularly if the standard dosage contains more of one or the other than the body needs.

The alternative hormone replacement therapy for women that consists of bio-identical hormones may have shortcomings in that hormonal levels can vary from day to day and week to week. So, while the compound created may be correct on one day, it may not be on the next.

The known dangers of hormone replacement therapy, according to the Women's Health Initiative include blood clots, which can lead to stroke and heart attack. The longer a woman uses HRT, the greater her risks of developing breast and other types of cancer. Once thought to reduce the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, the Women's Health Initiative showed that the dangers of hormone replacement therapy outweigh the benefits. As previously stated, no one knows if bio-identical or other alternative hormone replacement therapy for women is any safer than conventional HRT.

For more information about menopause and hormone replacement or to learn about natural products that can relieve menopausal symptoms and improve overall health, please visit the Menopause and PMS Guide.

Patsy Hamilton was a health care professional for over twenty years before becoming a freelance writer. Currently she writes informational articles for the Menopause and PMS Guide. Visit us at www.menopause-and-pms-guide.com.

Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement - Is it For Everyone

Everyone has different genetic make ups and therefore everyone has different health issues. Some people are lucky enough to go through their lives without having one health issue, or only having minor problems while others seem to be in and out of treatment for most of their lives. No matter which type of person you are, when you do need medical treatment, you might be feeling scared that you will not find the right treatment to fix the problem that you are experiencing. However, if you are working with an experienced doctor, they will likely be able to find a treatment that will get you on the road to recovery

If your doctor has told you that you need to have bio-identical hormone replacement you might have not heard of this type of treatment before and may be wondering if it is for everyone, or if yours is a rare case. The fact is that this type of treatment is actually used for many different purposes and can be used in both men and women.

Bio-identical hormone replacement has been known to be used for such things has easing the effects of menopause as well in testosterone treatments in men. You might even have a unique case where this type of treatment is not often.

Of course, bio-identical hormone replacement will not be the right option for everyone and it really depends on what type of health issue or period in your life that you are going through to determine is this is the right option for you. You doctor will likely make this decision based on a variety of factors that they will discuss with you before moving forward with treatment. If you have any questions along the way, do not hesitate to ask your doctor so that you will not be left feeling in the dark and worried about that is going to happen throughout the treatment process.

Justin suggests that you visit Dr. Maddox's site for Anti-Aging Portland or for more information and on natural energy boost with Bioidentical hormone Replacement in Portland, Oregon