Biomimetic Hormones | Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy

An article written by Kent Holtorf, MD, a founding director of the Bioidentical Hormone Institute and the Center for Hormone Imbalance, Hypothyroidism, and Fatigue, located in Los Angeles, Pasadena and Foster City, CA and Philadelphia, PA – reveals that the best method of testing for hypothyroidism might not be the method that is commonly used today by medical practitioners. This new thyroid research concludes that TSH is not reliable in the diagnosis of Hypothyroidism. Thyroid hormone is one of the hormones a doctor should check when he or she assesses the levels in a woman who is experiencing hormone issues during the onset of premenopause or menopause. Levels of thyroid hormone can cause such symptoms as extreme fatigue, weight gain around the waist, fibromyalgia, depression, heart failure among other problems. Hormone supplementation can replaced the hormones that are missing and the good news is that the thyroid hormone can also be replaced if low levels exist.

Studies Show That TSH Is Unreliable in the Diagnosis of Hypothyroidism

TSH testing, the gold standard in hypothyroid diagnosis, may be misleading according to the studies quoted in a new article titled Hormone Replacement Therapy in the Geriatric Patient: Current State of the Evidence and Questions for the Future. Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone, and Thyroid Hormone Augmentation in Geriatric Clinical Practice. The article, independently written and published, is a broad study of hormone replacement in geriatric patients. In the thyroid section, written by Kent Holtorf M.D., it details the difference between serum thyroid hormone levels and tissue thyroid hormone levels, particularly in cases of chronic and acute stress.

According to the study models presented in the article, physiological stress, caused by aging or illness, means patients can present with typical hypothyroid symptoms but with serum testing that shows normal TSH and even T3. “As a result, when relying on serum tests only, clinicians do not treat patients presenting with this thyroid picture assuming they are euthyroid,” reads the article. However, those same patients may be experiencing diminished T3 levels within the peripheral tissues, due to reactive changes at the cellular level. According to the authors, this leaves “a gaping hole” and misses “the opportunity to help the patients’ condition.”

The article also addresses the possible benefits of marking reverse T3 levels in serum testing as a means of determining the overall health of the “hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid– cellular axis,” and it warns of the suppression of TSH serum levels in some patients with nonthyroidal illness or who are on medication. This kind of “confusion” only serves to undermine further the reliability of standard thyroid testing.

The article concludes with a summary of treatment options, citing T3 preparations as more effective in cases of chronic or age-related stress. “Many symptomatic patients with low tissue thyroid levels with normal TSH and T4 levels may benefit from T3 thyroid replacement, often with significant improvement in fatigue, depression, weight gain and obesity, heart failure, fibromyalgia, cholesterol levels, and numerous other chronic conditions.” Additionally, some of the long-held fears of significant side effects associated with hormone supplementation may be overstated.”

Contact your medical doctor and discuss this article with him or her if you are using thyroid medication and still experiencing thyroid hormone problems.

This article first appeared on http://www.sacbee.com/

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We as women have many hormones in the body and one of the major ones for a woman is estrogen. Estrogen must be found in the correct levels for the body. Being short of estrogen is not a good thing because low estrogen will cause a number of undesirable symptoms. In opposition, having too much estrogen is not a good state to be in and will cause serious health problems for women.

Hormones must be balanced in the body in order for us to live health lives. When you are prescribed bioidentical estrogen, you must also take progesterone because estrogen will counteract the negative effects of estrogen. Without natural bioidentical progesterone, you will find yourself in a state of estrogen dominance which has its own negative symptoms which you don’t want to have.

Estrogen dominance

What causes estrogen dominance? The following is a list of things that cause estrogen dominance:

1) Synthetic hormone replacement therapy due to the excessively high doses of synthetic estrogen and the use of progestins and not bioidentical progesterone.
2) Premenopause: early onset of premenopause causes early follicle dysfunction resulting in a lack of natural progesterone production, and the loss ovulation
3) Exposure to xenoestrogens in the environment which causes early premenopause
4) Taking birth control pills which causes the cessation of natural hormone production and contain excessive estrogen in the pills composition.

Most of the diseases that are listed below, major health risks to women are caused by estrogen dominance: The risks for these diseases especially increase as a woman grows older and reaches menopause.

1) Uterine fibroids
2) Breast cancer
3) Uterine cancer
4) Fibrocytic breast
5) PMS
6) Ovarian cancer
7) Premenopausal bone loss
8. Osteoporosis in menopausal women

Estrogen dominance will cause the following side effects/symptoms:

1) Acceleration of the aging process
2) Anxiety
3) Allergies
4) Autoimmune disorders such as lupus, thyroiditis and Sjorgren’s disease
5) Breast cancer
6) Breast tenderness
7) Decreased libido
8. Depression
9) Fat gain
10) Fatigue,
11) fibrocystic breasts
12) Foggy thinking
13) Hairloss
14) Headaches
15) Hypoglycemia
16) Increased blood clotting (meaning: risk of strokes)
17) Thyroid dysfunction
18) Strokes,
19) Uterine Cancer
20) Uterine fibroids
21) Water retention, bloating

As nobody in their right mind wants to put up with these side effects and diseases which come especially at the time of menopause when you are at a greater health risk, it’s best to get your hormone levels checked regularly and use bioidentical hormones to achieve balance in the body. Make sure you are using natural bioidentical progesterone.

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