It is estimated that about one in ten Americans are affected by a sluggish, or slow thyroid. Have you had cold hands or feet? Cold and/or dry skin and hair? A gain of five or so pounds or difficulty losing weight despite a healthy diet and exercise? Joint aches and pains? Muscle cramps and/or weak muscles?

These are all signs of low thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormones control your metabolic rate. This is the rate at which your body’s cells break down the food that you eat and use it as fuel.

A low thyroid can cause heavy periods, brain fog/decreased mental clarity and an overall lack of energy as well. These symptoms can be confused with an Estrogen imbalance. And, your estrogen imbalance can not be properly solved if your thyroid imbalance is not solved. It is important to look at your thyroid hormone when evaluating your Estrogen, Testosterone, and Progesterone levels.

Standard labs often measure the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). This hormone stimulates your thyroid to produce thyroid hormone. Thus, a higher TSH level means that your thyroid levels are low (what we call a reverse hormone). A person’s TSH level can be read as “normal” by the lab values and yet still have a low thyroid. It is important to correlate your symptoms with optimal ranges of TSH.

I give thyroid hormone to people with the appropriate symptoms with mild deficiencies (i.e. TSH in “normal range”) to allow them to achieve optimal range. This can only be done through a prescription and the guidance of an integrative medicine specialist (a physician who has been trained in treating patients to optimal health, utilizing bio-identical hormones among other things)

When I treat patients with bio-identical hormones I like to share with them natural ways to ensure that their body processes estrogen correctly. Your body has several different metabolites of estrogen–some help to prevent cancer and others help to promote it. Obviously you want your body to metabolize estrogen in a way that does not promote cancer and helps your body to prevent cancer formation.

I3C is a naturally occurring compound that is derived from cruciferous vegetables (brussel sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage). I3C actively promotes the breakdown of estrogen to the beneficial metabolite (2 OH Estrone).
According to a fairly recent study in both men and women, supplementation with I3C (500 mg men and 400 mg women) resulted in a significant improvement in the production of 2 OH Estrone.

I3C not only helps to promote a healthier estrogen metabolism, it also appears to be able to help the body detoxify against xenoestrogens (false estrogens).

You can get I3C by eating a large amount of the cruciferous vegetables and you can also use a supplement form of I3C. Whether or not you are on bio-identical hormones, I advise that you follow this advice. You want your body to properly process the estrogen that your body naturally makes as well as the hormones that you give it.

Having a low sex drive is unfortunately a common complaint that I encounter daily from female patients, but luckily it can be fixed. Some people think that a low sex drive is a normal thing and they choose to do nothing. But the smart people realize that a low sex drive is unhealthy, both mentally and physically. When you are in a relationship, having a healthy sexual relationship is important to the health of your overall relationship. A healthy sex life leads to an improved closeness with your partner and a better self image.

What can you do to improve your sex drive?? First and foremost you must feel good about yourself. Make sure that you exercise on a regular basis. If you are not used to exercising, start small. The important thing is to get moving. Exercising helps to give you a positive self-image. If you are having difficulty with your weight than you should be sure that your thyroid hormone is optimized. Eating a balanced diet full of vegetables helps your body and your mind. If you are finding that no matter what you do, you have negative thoughts towards your body; then I advise working with a counselor or someone who does bio-feedback or energy work.

The second thing that is critical for a healthy sex drive is to take time for you. Yes, take time out to relax and enjoy life. I understand that life gets busy, but you are the most important reason that you are alive. You can not take care of anyone else in your life if you do not take care of you. Schedule it into your calendar and dedicate some time every day for you, even if it is just a few minutes of deep breathing. It is also important to schedule get away vacations with your partner. Stress diminishes the sex drive so do whatever it takes to better handle the stressful world that we live in. Deep breathing exercises, yoga, regular exercise, doing hobbies, taking vacations, reading, getting a massage, etc are all ways to relax.

Continue reading →

Did you know that you get exposed to hormones on a regular basis? This contributes to hormonal imbalances.

You can find hormones in animal products given hormones to grow. This includes beef and dairy products. There are also environmental toxins that mimic the function of estrogen in your body. You can find these chemicals in pesticides, herbicides, plastics, refrigerants, and industrial solvents. They are structurally similar to estrogen and can fool your body into responding to them as if they were estrogen.

Environmental factors influence your hormone balance. It is important that you eat organic food and minimize toxin exposure. Sometimes Chelation of toxic build up is even necessary. Bio-identical hormone specialists look at all of these factors when balancing your hormones.

The process of getting Testosterone pellets for men and women is easy. First, you decide that you do not feel hormonally balanced. Second, you contact the office for a lab prescription and you get the lab work to determine if you do have a Testosterone deficiency. When the lab work results are in, you are contacted to schedule your consultation and pellet insertion. You print and fill out the patient forms, bringing them to the appointment.

At your consultation, after a thorough review of your symptoms and lab work, you decide upon the Testosterone pellets. This is done in an out patient setting.

The pellet procedure: you lay on a table, laying on your side. The top outer part of your buttocks is cleaned with betadine. A local anesthetic is placed in the area, there is a slight sting to this part of this procedure. You are now numb, the Testosterone pellets are then gently placed in the numbed area. Women can also get an estrogen pellet if needed. It is a very easy procedure. A bandage is applied and you can go about your day.

After the procedure women are asked to limit exercise to walking for the next 4 days and men for 7 days. Both men and women are asked to avoid baths/jacuzzi use/pools for 4 days. Showering is fine. This helps to ensure that the pellets stay in place. After that, men get to enjoy 4 to 6 months of worry free hormone balancing and women get to enjoy 3 to 5 months of worry free hormone balancing.
Easy, effective optimization of your hormones!

Here is a common story: a woman has little or no sex drive (libido). She feels tired and may even notice her muscle tone is less than before. She might have some moodiness or irritability. She could even have hot flashes and/or night sweats. Sleep may or may not be an issue.
These are all signs of Testosterone deficiency. Even if the woman does not care about her symptoms, long term Testosterone deficiency can lead to bone thinning (osteoporosis), dementia, heart disease, diabetes, etc. The unfortunate thing is that Testosterone deficiency is often overlooked in women and not recognized by insurances.

Healthy life style changes combined with Testosterone replacement can greatly enhance your well being and long term vitality.

Using bio-identical Testosterone cream is one way to replace the deficient hormone. It is painless and easy to use but it does take some time to see the benefits and some women do not absorb creams effectively. Bio-identical Testosterone pellets are the most popular effective way to replace low Testosterone, especially when it comes to enhancing libido and overall energy. They work fairly quickly and do not require remembering to take something daily.

Testosterone pellets involve a simple outpatient procedure and the pellets last anywhere from 3 to 5 months. The pellets release a low level of Testosterone, naturally bringing your body to the levels that it requires to function optimally.

Optimizing your health and feeling great about your body is easy to do. Why shouldn’t you feel your best??

Testosterone Replacement and Men

Here is a commonly seen story: a guy feels that he is passing his peak. His muscles strength is harder to build and maintain. His brain does not function as sharply as it used to. He finds that he gets more irritable and seems to be more moody. He may even find that his morning erections are going away.

These changes are often ignored but they are a sign of low Testosterone. Low levels of Testosterone not only affect how you feel/function, but over time it can lead to heart disease, dementia, diabetes, etc. It is important to balance your hormones so that you can live a full and vibrant life.

Combining a healthy life style with Testosterone replacement is the path towards optimal health. There are several ways to replace Testosterone. Injectable Testosterone is popular but does come with an increased risk to your liver and must be injected once or twice a week. Bio-identical cream is easy to apply but many men do not like having to use a daily cream.

Bio-identical Testosterone pellets are the most popular effective way to optimize your Testosterone. Pellets are the perfect answer for men who want to safely optimize their Testosterone levels. A simple office procedure gives you your own storage of Testosterone that lasts 4 to 6 months.

Optimizing your life means optimizing your health. Why shouldn’t you feel your best?

The Miracle of Hormone Pellets

I just wanted to say what a God send bioTE has been to me. About 2 years ago I started to notice my hair falling out, my skin drying up, massive mood swings (never had those before), lack of concentration, poor sleep, weight gain (I run 6 miles a day 5 days a week plus do weights 5 days a week, I eat REALLY healthy/balanced), very unfocused, low libido and starting to feel depressed.

After seeing more than 4 doctors in a 2 year span nothing was changing, I kept gaining weight and feeling more depressed. I was about to give up and accept the fact that I was a 49 yr old woman and this is how it was supposed to feel. Then I found a doctor who took the time to speak with me and educate me on bioTE. My doctor inserted the pellets in her office on 4/29/2013 in a 15 minute procedure (talking took most of that time).

It has been a week and I can not only feel the difference but see it. I am more alert, have great concentration, more energy, mood swings are lessening, in general, I feel like I know I should be feeling. Can’t wait to see my health in general improve.

Thank you for bioTE, you have a lifetime patient/client!

Estrogen has several metabolites (break down products). Evidence is accumulating that certain metabolites are directly responsible for the initial genetic damage that can lead to cancer formation. Other metabolites actually protect against cancer.

16alpha-OH and 4-OH are the two main metabolites that have been associated with cancer formation. In contrast with 2-OH, a metabolite that appears to inhibit cell proliferation, and thus help stop cancer formation. Cancerous cells are simply cells that do not stop replicating.

A recent study of over 10,000 women found that pre menopausal women who developed breast cancer had a higher percentage of 16-OH than 2-OH estrogen metabolites. And, women who had more 2-OH metabolites had a 40% less likely chance of getting breast cancer.

Not all estrogen metabolites are created equal. The important take home message is that Estrogen is not evil, just certain estrogen metabolites are potentially cancer causing. The good thing is that you can help your body to metabolize towards the anti-cancer metabolites and create less of the cancer causing ones.

Decrease your pesticide exposure and keep a healthy weight. Increase your consumption of cruciferous vegetables (kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage) and phyto-estrogen rich foods such as flaxseed. You can even take a supplement called DIM or I3C (concentration of cruciferous vegetables)

These are good tips for everyone, not just the women on bio-identical hormones.

Bio-identical Hormone Replacement

A lot of terms get thrown around these days and as a result, there is a lot of confusion. I want to clarify what we are actually talking about when we say bio-identical hormones.

First, what is a hormone? A hormone is basically a chemical structure that your body makes in one organ, it gets transported to another organ and tells the receiving cells a message. It is essentially the body’s version of a letter–holding a message that causes the receiving cell to take an action. What action the cell takes depends on the exact hormone. Each hormone has a specific message that it sends.

Bio-identical simply means biologically identical to what your body naturally makes. It has the exact duplicate of the chemical structure of the hormone. It can come from a plant source, it can be made in a compounded pharmacy; it simply is an exact replica of the hormone. This means that your body understands how to deal with it, it acts as if your own body made it.

Non bio-identical hormones have some extra chemicals added to it. This is usually done in order to patent a product. The extra structures may or may not have an effect on how the hormone acts in your body. Often, the non bio-identical hormone will do some of the same things as your own hormone but has side effects that your own hormone would not have.

There are those in the medical community who state that bio-identical hormones have no advantage to non bio-identical hormones. Just like soda as a drink is like water?? Interesting thought, isn’t it?? Doesn’t it make sense that if your body is missing an ingredient (a hormone), that you would want to replace exactly what it is missing. Why would you replace it with something “close enough”?? Why risk your health for the unknown side effects of using non bio-identical hormones?