HRT – Hormone Replacement Therapy – Female

For Men see Low-T

Hormone replacement therapy is a medication containing female hormones to replace the ones the body no longer makes after menopause. It was used as a standard treatment for women with hot flashes, night sweats and other menopause symptoms.

This therapy at one time was also thought to prevent heart disease and possibly memory loss (or any problem associated with unbalanced hormones)

The use of this therapy was changed abruptly when a large clinical trial found the treatment actually posed more health risks than benefits.

Although not now recommended for disease prevention, it is still thought by medical doctors, due to clinical trials, that it may be a good choice for certain women, depending on their risk factors.

The medical doctors often prescribe both estrogen and progesterone together as they need to be balanced.

In the largest clinical trial to date, a combination estrogen-progestin pill (Prempro) increased the risk of certain serious conditions, including:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Blood clots
• Breast cancer

A related clinical trial evaluating estrogen alone (Premarin) in women who previously had a hysterectomy found no increased risk of breast cancer or heart disease. The risks of stroke and blood clots were similar to the combination therapy.

The benefits of the these medications is that it handles the symptoms.

Somehow giving hormones artificially is supposed to fix this problem.

Of course, every drug (medication) brings with it side effects as it is trying to manipulate the body into not having symptoms instead of finding the real cause of the problem.

What Bioidentical Replacement Therapy?
Is it a Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Mayo website claims “The term “bioidentical” means the hormones in the product are chemically identical to those your body produces. In fact, they are — but so are the hormones used in many FDA-approved hormone replacement products.”

If bioidentical hormones are purchased at a compounding pharmacy, a cocktail of hormones is created, uniquely tailored for each individual patient from a saliva test. At a regular pharmacy, there is a wide range of doses that tries to do the same thing.

It is thought by some that anyone over the age of 40 who begin to experience hormone imbalances should take bioidentalical hormones. A person is exposed to environmental and dietary toxins which contribute to the decline of hormones. It is believed that there is a natural decline of hormones as we age.

Is it really bio-identical?

It is claimed the bioidentical hormones are products that are chemically identical to what’s made in a woman’s body.

“There seems to be a lot of confusion around the definition of “natural” versus “bioidentical versus “synthetic” hormones. One thing to remember when making this distinction is that “bioidentical” refers to the shape of the molecule itself rather than the source of the hormone. By this, I mean that hormones can be marketed as “natural” or “plant-based,” yet not come near to being “bioidentical” to native human female hormones or performing as such in the body. Examples of this are the numerous proprietary HRT options being marketed as “plant-based” and “natural,” as well as purely yam-based creams” from Christiane Northrup, M.D

Also, whenever you are substituting something naturally made by a gland, that gland will shut down as it doesn’t think it’s needed. Does that not matter as the ovaries have shut down already as in menopause? Is there another gland that makes estrogen? Read on.

What is the problem with HRT?

The underlying, and unproven, assumption of this therapy – HRT – was that women’s lives were being improved now that they were spared the horrors of aging, menopause, osteoporosis, and the loss of femininity. Unfortunately, this isn’t always true due to this program of synthetic hormones.

HRT estrogen dosage is usually too much, and too different from normal hormones for the body to deal with. Synthetic hormones have molecular forms that do not occur in nature. They are manmade.

The main problem with HRT hormones is that they last too long. All the natural hormonal feedback loops, which are not even completely understood, are disrupted because the synthetics can’t act the same as the body’s natural hormones.

The hormone system works as messages from one gland to another and they then return messages. It is like a communication that goes from one person to another and the second person answers the first letting the first person know he’s been heard and also answering his message.

With hormones this becomes fragmented with millions of one-way orders that are supposed to have return messages. The synthetics keep coming in. The result is loss of proper communications between the reproductive, adrenal, and thyroid systems. They now all suffer.

Is it true that you need HRT?

Many factors can contribute to imbalances of hormones such as adrenal fatigue, thyroid insufficiency, metabolic syndrome, etc. The symptoms of hormone imbalance are believed to be what is known in the medical field as “classic symptoms of aging”. These include weight gain, limited energy, hair loss, low sex drive, depression, mood swings, sleeplessness, poor concentration, memory loss and fatigue.

The problem with this is it is attempting to cover up a problem in the body, an “imbalance of hormones.”

What is the real situation?

American women arguably are among the most stressed people in history, emotionally and nutritionally, as well as environmentally. It is well known that stress depletes the adrenal glands.

The hormone estrogen stimulates the release of eggs. As soon as a woman’s supply of eggs has ended, estrogen levels start to go down as the ovaries stop producing estrogen. This is what is believed to cause the imbalance.

However, the body is not constructed to lower a necessary hormone and create an imbalance. When the ovaries stop producing estrogen, the adrenals are designed to pick up the slack.

There seems to be missing information when it comes to understanding hormonal imbalances.

As we said before, environmental and dietary toxins can affect the hormones. It is the adrenals that are hit the hardest by these and creates adrenal fatigue. So, when the call comes to the adrenals to produce estrogen as the ovaries have stopped producing, there is not a good response. What happens if the adrenals are tired and not at their best? You get a hormonal imbalance.

“Menopause is not a disease. It is a natural biological process that has gone awry in some women because of less than optimum environment.”
Dr. John Lee

Why Doctors Struggle to Fix Hormones
By Dr. Martin (Martin Clinic)

Medical Doctors have a HARD time helping people fix their hormones.   If you suffer from sluggish thyroid symptoms…Then you KNOW what I’m talking about. Most hypothyroid patients have symptoms for YEARS before anything shows up in their lab tests (if anything ever does show up).

And, if something is finally ‘off’ in their blood work, the doctor has to constantly adjust the dosage of the medication.

But, as I mentioned, most people with hormonal problems never have anything really show up in their blood work. A person can have textbook hormonal symptoms and be told everything “Looks good” by their doctor. How can that be? Why are hormonal issues hard for doctors to figure out?

Why are there MILLIONS of men and women who suffer from hormonal problems and are told everything is okay?

One reason is that doctors forget there’s a hormone hierarchy. There are a couple of hormones that ultimately control or influence most of the other hormones. This means a problem with the “king” hormones will affect all other hormones. And cause all types of hormonal symptoms everywhere in your body.

So, what is this hierarchy of hormones? And more importantly, what KING hormones affect all other hormones?

If you’ve been with us for a while, then you know insulin is one of the KING hormones.

A problem with insulin affects every system and virtually every hormone in your body.
That’s why people who fix their insulin problem notice many of their hormonal problems have disappeared. There’s another KING hormone that’s often ignored…

CORTISOL.

Doctors forget that cortisol is one of three hormones that raise blood sugar levels.
This means that food not only impacts your insulin levels — but also your cortisol levels.

Doctors also forget that cortisol DIRECTLY affects your thyroid, ovaries, testosterone, estrogen levels, and inflammation.

If you have chronic thyroid problems — you most likely have a cortisol problem.

If you have chronic estrogen dominance symptoms — you most likely have a cortisol problem.

But there are more problems with uncontrolled cortisol. Uncontrolled cortisol wrecks your sleep. Too much cortisol is why you have a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep or you wake up cxhausted.

Uncontrolled cortisol can also slow your metabolism to a CRAWL (Do you ever wonder why some people can’t lose weight, even if they do everything “right”???)

Uncontrolled cortisol is also the #1 cause of anxiety in men and women over 40.

Here are a few more things too much cortisol can cause:

• Muscle wasting increases your risk of falls or disability as you age.
• Brain shrinkage (yes, your brain gets smaller) and how this increases the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
• Sluggish thyroid symptoms
• Estrogen dominance symptoms
• Low Testosterone symptoms
• Joint and Muscle pain

…and faster aging.

All of this is because your cortisol is out of whack.

To fully understand how uncontrolled cortisol can cause all these problems, you need to know a little bit about cortisol.

Most people associate cortisol with stress because cortisol is often referred to as the “stress hormone.”

Nowm I’ve often joked that when I’m wearing a tie, it feels like I’m being strangled by someone with really weak hands. For me, wearing a tie is an annoyance — but I know that wearing a tie isn’t going to kill me.

Unfortunately, most people, including medical doctors, think of stress the same way.
Stress is an annoyance. They don’t like it. But, at the end of the day, they ignore it and shrug it off as “no big deal.”

Sadly, stress is a “big deal.”

Without getting too bogged down in biochemistry, let me quickly share with you how cortisol works. Once you see how cortisol works you’ll know why uncontrolled cortisol can destroy your health.

I’m fortunate enough to get to spend some time in Florida during the winter. One of the things I love about it, outside of the fantastic weather and not having to shovel snow…
Is that the community I stay in, a “golf cart community.”

This means exactly what it sounds like. I can take a golf cart to the grocery store, tennis courts or even out for dinner. My golf cart has a switch that toggles between a picture of a turtle and a rabbit. If the switch is in the turtle position — the cart tops out at 12MPH. But, if the switch is in the rabbit position, I can get the cart up to 25MPH.

Your body also has two different operating systems and they’re kinda like the turtle and rabbit modes on my cart. One of your operating systems is called “REST AND DIGEST” and the other is your “FIGHT OR FLIGHT” system.

When you’re stressed, your body moves into the “fight or flight” operating system and your adrenal glands take over. Despite being no bigger than a walnut, your adrenals are powerful little glands responsible for creating and managing CORTISOL.

Like all hormones — you need cortisol. But cortisol needs to be balanced or controlled.
When you’re stressed…your cortisol levels go UP.

Here’s where most people (and doctors) get it wrong. Your adrenal glands can’t tell the difference between physical and emotional stress. So, even if you don’t “feel” stressed, it doesn’t mean your body isn’t loaded with cortisol.

That’s because things like chemicals – processed crappy foods, too little exercise, too much exercise, pollution, and too much sugar can all make your body think it’s stressed, and this causes your adrenal glands to produce cortisol.

If your body thinks it’s stressed all the time…then your adrenals are ALWAYS making cortisol, and this is when things get bad.

Let me end by saying… If you have a bunch of hormonal symptoms there’s a good chance you’re struggling with uncontrolled cortisol and elevated insulin.

Since cortisol and insulin are KING hormones, you’ll have a hard time overcoming all your hormonal symptoms unless you FIX insulin and cortisol.

Read about Adrenal Fatigue

Have you been trying to “fix” your adrenals and not succeeding?  Maybe you have to address your gut first.   The best food and the bet vitamins aren’t going to work unless they are utilized by the body.  Read Metabolism, what is it? How to improve it?

RECOMMENDED:

It is my Adrenals 

To Support your Adrenal Glands which is producing too much Cortisol.

Learn More About the Adrenal & Cortisol Relief Formula

Is the Body not Producing Enough Cortisol?

When the adrenals have been over producing cortisol, the adrenals become exhauted. Cortisol is at the heart of all stress responses and the Advanced Formula is designed for the person who has low cortisol and has adrenal fatigue. Here is a formula for that.

Adrenal Fatigue Advanced Formula

MCVitamins will work with you on an individual-by-individual basis to help you get the results you seek. And don’t be surprised if we contact you so we can check up on how you’re doing and to see if we can help you to get things moving faster!

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? CALL 818 252-1038 OR EMAIL AND GET YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED.