Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a form of medical treatment that is used as an alternative to synthetic hormones. Their base is made up of soy and wild yam and they have the exact chemical match of the naturally produced hormones of the body. This form of therapy is preferred by many because synthetic hormones have a molecular structure that is foreign to the body and commonly causes adverse reactions to occur.
Hormones are produced by different cells in the human body. They are responsible for carrying messages to and from cells by traveling through the bloodstream to their targeted destinations.
For women, BHRT is used for estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone replacement. Replacing these hormones helps manage symptoms that come along with menopause or excision of the ovaries. Women typically begin menopause around fifty years of age, but deficiencies in these hormones can begin many years before. Some of the symptoms that hormone replacement therapy is used to cure are headaches, joint pain, moodiness, vaginal dryness, and disturbance of sleep.
Men, similar to women, go through a period of change in their later years of life called andropause. During this time, hormone production is altered and lower levels of testosterone may be produced. This hormone imbalance can cause depression, irritability, a decline in sex drive, decreased bone density and muscle mass, and resistance to insulin.
Bioidentical hormones can be taken orally/sublingually or can be purchased as a cream and applied to the skin for absorption. Some people prefer the quickly-absorbed oral medication, while others like the cream because it absorbs into the bloodstream at a slower rate.
The main goal of using bioidentical hormones is to prevent disease and illness before the patient begins to experience life-altering symptoms and conditions. This type of hormonal management can offer people a sense of empowerment over their overall health and how they feel on a daily basis.
Replacement of these hormones can help prevent future health complications and disorders, but it is believed by some researchers that these hormone replacements are very dangerous. Possible problems that are thought to have a connection with bioidentical hormone replacement are an increased risk of breast cancer, blood clots, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.
There are many people that suffer from a hormonal imbalance that are left undiagnosed for a long time. Hormone deficiencies not only contribute to a poor quality of life, but they can eventually lead to serious disease and health problems. Simple blood tests can identify which hormone the body is lacking, and how much of it needs to be replaced. A doctor will usually start with a lower dosage and gradually increase it until a proper balance is achieved. Hormone deficiencies can be very tricky and challenging to control. That is why the most successful hormonal health management can be achieved with the help and instruction of an internal medicine doctor. There are many people that will attest to the efficiency of bioidentical replacement, but there are also many skeptics out there that would rather stick to FDA approved forms of therapy.
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