At Meliora Integrative Medicine, we understand how hormonal balance affects the lifestyles of our clients. We hope to give you valuable information about all our treatments, including hormone optimization. Through education, we empower clients to make more informed decisions about the benefits of hormone replacement therapy. But what is hormone replacement therapy?
How Hormones Fall Out of Balance
A hormone is any chemical messenger the body produces that dictates bodily functions. Hormones affect every aspect of daily life, from digestion to energy to temperature and movement. They connect disparate organs and systems and allow them to work together.
Fine-tuned hormone levels optimize your body and, with it, your quality of life. Without optimal hormone levels, both men and women experience symptoms that damage their overall well-being.
Age
An age-related decline in hormones is natural. Hormone decline begins around age 30 and accelerates until the age of 50. The average person experiences a 50% decline in hormone levels after five decades, which profoundly impacts well-being in the latter half of their life.
Stress
However, anyone of any age can experience hormone decline. Stress accelerates the natural pace of hormone reduction. The pituitary gland, buried deep in the brain’s core, regulates hormone levels. When under severe stress, the brain manufactures cortisol, the stress hormone.
Cortisol surges increase energy, boost memory, and lower pain sensitivity, which helps you manage crises. However, cortisol production has a cost: It consumes the natural materials necessary to construct other hormones. Until the body can replenish these resources, younger patients can experience the effects of aging.
Other Sources of Hormone Imbalance
Chemicals called “endocrine disruptors,” which are often found in plastics and industrial pesticides, can contribute to suboptimal or unhealthy hormone levels after long-term hazardous exposure. Diets high in refined sugars, unhealthy fats, and nutrient deficiencies can create vitamin and resource shortages that reduce the body’s ability to produce these vital chemicals.
Much like stress, both over- and under-exercise can lead to the overproduction of certain hormones. Physical strain on the body from either sedentary or hypermobile lifestyles can create a feedback loop of physical strain and imbalanced hormones. Other potential causes of hormone imbalance include:
- Endocrine conditions
- Genetic predisposition
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Sleep deprivation
- Thyroid disorders
Though hormone disruption has many origins, the symptoms are generally similar.
Signs You Might Need Hormone Replacement Therapy
As the endocrine system regulates bodily functions, a medical examination can find many signs of potential hormone imbalance. These signs vary in intensity and impact, and they may include these common symptoms:
Low Energy
Hormone issues frequently lead to a noticeable reduction in energy levels or fatigue even after adequate rest. They can also produce a form of mental exhaustion called “brain fog.” This difficulty concentrating can be caused by hormone disruption and related sleep deprivation.
Sleep Disruption
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep (insomnia) can indicate hormonal imbalances.
Mood Swings
A hormone imbalance can cause otherwise-unexplainable depression, anxiety, irritability, and other unhealthy changes in emotions and attitude.
Temperature Irregularities
Some classic and unmistakable symptoms of menopause — hot flashes and night sweats — come from a decline in proper hormone levels.
Joint Pain
An inability to produce regular repair signals can lead to discomfort, stiffness, and pain in joints.
Decreased Sexual Performance
A reduction in libido, issues with sexual performance, or an inability to climax can all originate from hormonal imbalances. Hormone replacement therapy for women or men can treat this issue.
Candidates for Hormone Replacement Therapy
One or more of these symptoms demonstrate an ongoing issue that requires correction. We often provide hormone replacement therapy for menopause and age-related hormonal issues. We recommend hormone replacement therapy for women who find the symptoms of menopause too disruptive to continue their daily lives.
The benefits of hormone replacement therapy primarily involve reduced or alleviated symptoms. In hormone replacement therapy for menopause, patients experience a smoother transition into their life’s next phase.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
At our Meliora Integrative Medicine, our primary focus is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, a treatment approach that tailors to individual patient needs following the principles of integrative medicine. The bioidentical hormones we use are derived from vegetarian sources, ensuring their natural origin. In order to produce minimal disruption as your body returns to normal hormone levels, we utilize hormones with chemical structures identical to those naturally created within the body.
Pellet Treatment Process
Our preferred treatment method involves implanting tiny subdermal pellets. Smaller than a grain of rice, these pellets deliver a steady hormone flow to the bloodstream and don’t require any special aftercare. We customize each dose based on the patient’s needs and place the pellet with a tiny incision in the hip or similar area of fatty tissue. The pellet interacts with the endocrine system to provide a balanced dose of hormones regardless of current production.
Other Options We Offer
For patients uncomfortable with or otherwise incompatible with subdermal therapies, we offer hormone replacement therapy alternatives in the form of oral hormones and topical creams.
Embrace the Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy With Meliora Integrative Medicine
You never need to resign yourself to the symptoms of hormone changes outside your control. At Meliora Integrative Medicine, we offer hormone replacement treatments in Evanston, IL, to give patients a new lease on life. You could overcome brain fog, reduce the discomfort of hot flashes, and combat the lasting damage caused by stress, thanks to our treatments.
With three to four quick pellet implant procedures each year, we’ll help you find the healthy baseline everyone deserves to live in. Reach out to schedule a consultation whenever you feel ready to begin.
