Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Compounding pharmacists at Janzen's can create customized HRT that closely mimics individual patients’ optimum natural hormone levels. With natural, customized HRT, patients can mitigate the symptoms associated with menopause and other hormonal imbalances, while minimizing side effects and risks associated with synthetic hormones. With bio-identical hormones, doses can be easily adjusted and fine-tuned to control symptoms and provide long-term health benefits.
Hormones perform a vast array of complex functions in the body. When hormone levels are deficient or imbalanced, people can suffer unpleasant symptoms. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has many benefits for women (and men) suffering from hormone imbalances and deficiencies. For example, HRT can help:
- Relieve dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation)
- Relieve pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)
- Control mood swings
- Treat infertility
- Relieve fibrocystic breasts
- Control weight gain/water retention
- Relieve hot flashes and night sweats
- Improve sleep quality
- Improve concentration and memory
- Improve skin elasticity
- Restore vaginal lubrication
- Aid in bladder control
- Increase energy and vitality
- Decrease incidence of urinary tract and vaginal infections
- Guard against heart disease
- Decrease bone loss (osteoporosis)
- Raise good cholesterol (HDL)
- Improve blood flow
Western medicine has tended to treat hormone imbalances and deficiencies with doses of synthetic hormones. Although they are similar to the hormones that occur naturally in our bodies, synthetic hormones are chemically and structurally different than human hormones. For these reasons, synthetic hormones can cause undesirable side effects (such as fluid retention, nausea, breast tenderness, blood clots, headaches, leg cramps, irritability, depression). The body may also take longer to eliminate them.
Bio-identical hormones, on the other hand, are derived from plants and are chemically identical to the hormones produced by the body. For this reason, they produce few unwanted side effects when taken in appropriate quantities and ratios. They are also easily eliminated from the body.
Why don't more physicians prescribe bio-identical hormones? Because they are naturally occurring, bio-identical hormones can't be patented. Therefore manufacturers have no incentive to fund research and development costs to market these substances. As a result, physicians receive little information on these hormones.
For more information on bio-identical HRT, and specifically the Wiley Protocol please contact Darlene Gregory at our pharmacy, and click here.
