Hormones

Hormone Therapy: Is it Right for You?

We are seeing a distressing number of patients who are very concerned that female hormone replacement therapy is not safe.  Unfortunately there is an abundance of misinformation about HRT and TRT that lingers from early studies that were looking at synthetic and equine or horse hormones. NOT the bio-identical human hormones which is what we use at Biltmore Restorative.

There is no question that those early horse hormones and synthetic hormones did cause terrible problems in the women who took them. In fact, I was one of these doctors who initially said no to hormone replacement, before I did an extensive fellowship and certification where I learned the true benefits of properly prescribed bio-identical hormones!
The truth of the matter is, that is is all too easy to listen to what our mothers, aunts, best friends have to say about female health. And of course those “urban legends” are all over the internet so it really behooves you to do some research before making a decision for or against seeking a physician's opinion on this very important health care issue.

Menopause

Did you know that prior to menopause women have relatively fewer heart attacks compared to after menopause, when estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone decline and become nearly nonexistent?

Osteoporosis

Do women change their diet as they age? Do they stop absorbing calcium in their 40's and 50's and onwards? NO!! They lose their optimal estrogen levels. One of the biggest reasons the FDA approved estradiol or human estrogen was to combat osteoporosis. Estrogen, along with other hormones, diet, and exercise, plays a pivotal role in preventing and treating osteoporosis.
If you just looked at the protection hormones play in heart and bone disease, I feel the argument could be made that proper replacement of these hormones should be considered.

Long Term Studies

But what about the argument that “there are no long term studies using bio-identical hormones”? Well, that's true, but that's because we haven't been able to get these hormones for much more than a decade. But then these are exact replicas of the hormones women produced from the age of puberty until menopause. What we at Biltmore Restorative Medicine & Aesthetics are trying to achieve is to put the air back in the tire, essentially just replacing what your body used to have, at optimal levels, tailored towards each woman's unique needs.

Why aren't more physicians doing this?

There are many reasons. Many haven't learned of these recent benefits. Some professional societies that they are members of have position statements against bio-identical hormone use for reasons we can discuss at your visit. And most insurance companies fail to classify “menopause or low hormone levels” as a disease and thus they simply don't reimburse patients or physicians for services devoted to treating this eventual problem all women face. And if insurance does pay, it's usually only for a once a year visit, which makes it nearly impossible to fine tune a hormone replacement therapy for each individual woman who has her unique needs and optimal levels that we at Biltmore Restorative Medicine & Aesthetics seek to find.
Make your appointment today! Begin feeling better and preventing many of the problems optimal hormone levels provide.