Horsing Around With Your Hormones

The hormone replacement pill that many physicians prescribe for menopausal and premenopausal women is a pill known as Premarin.  However, I want to interject at this point that I have a growing number of physicians (especially OB/GYN's) who are referring their patients to me like never before to get them converted to bio-identicals.  It's been amazing to watch the shift in their treatment approach with their patients.  Yay!
 
Let me break this down for you so that you understand the title of my blog a little better.  The root, "pre"gnant-mare-urine is where the medicine name Premarin comes from.  (I think I heard your gasp from here).  I'm not horsing around with you on this little known fact, so please take the time to research it for yourself.  The truth is that Premarin is literally a way to horse around with your hormones by using a non-human source and placing it into the human body as an FDA approved treatment option for menopausal symptoms.  How can that be good right? The production process involves putting horses into stalls, collecting estrogens from their urine, and giving the final product to you in a pill form.  That is likely going to make you feel a mess.  Common horse sense right?!?! Blah!!!

Now don't get me wrong, some women will benefit from this "synthetic" version of hormone replacement therapy, but many will complain that they feel "unnatural" on Premarin.  Maybe it's because women weren't born with four hooves, I don't know. 

I just received results on a patient this morning who wants to convert from synthetic hormone replacement therapy (Premarin) to bio-identical hormone therapy.  Her hormone values are a mess due to the foreign chemicals her body is trying to process.


Seriously though, these are side effects listed from the package insert on a stock bottle of Premarin:

vaginal bleeding
breast changes
abdominal bloating
nausea/vomiting
headache/migraine
fluid retention
BP elevated
mood changes
yeast overgrowth
glucose intolerance
hair growth on the face (not cool in women)
acne

For the last hundreds of years, the human female system has been running quite well on three separate estrogens: estriol, estrone, and estradiol which occur in a particular ratio, with estriol being the most abundant.  Pregnant-mare-urine (sorry I couldn't help myself) consists mostly of estrone, equilin (a nice name for horse estrogen), and estradiol.  Where is the Estriol?  Not there.  Notta.  Nill. Zilch. 

So what's the big deal about that?

Estriol plays an important role and has been used in European countries for decades.  In general, studies from Europe show that menopausal women who use natural estriol to replace their natural "human" estrogen have a reduction in typical menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and thinning of the vaginal tissue (vaginal atrophy). Estriol is also considered as an estrogen with built in cancer protection.  It tends to bind to the receptors in the uterine lining and the breast to bump off cancer producing estrogens and therefore sends them through the process of elimination from the body.  It's not just available in Europe though, we carry and use Estriol is the majority of our menopausal patients.  It's simple good medicine.

Now that you know this, what should you do?  Get to a provider that understands the physiology of a female and leave the horse work to the veterinarians.  After reading this, you should understand why more and more women are seeking the bio-identical hormone replacement route for their menopausal needs.  Who in the world wants to take a pill made out of horse urine? 

So, what should you do?
Read about hormone replacement therapy options and especially bio-identical hormones. 

Check out a few books at the library before making your move.  I enjoy when women (and men) come to my office asking questions from their own research.  Remember hormone replacement therapy is now showing benefit in cardiovascular health, cognition, osteoporosis, alzheimers, along with many other things.  And, it simply helps patients look younger and feel better. 

Hormone levels should be tested in every female before considering treatment, and an individualized therapy can be formulated to meet each individuals needs.  A family history is also of critical importance when determining how best to treat symptoms.  Using the mildest dose and a customized approach is where it's at as far as I'm concerned.  I have been providing this care for hundreds of women for over 20 years now and our services are spreading across the country to those women wanting a better option in addressing their hormonal imbalances.  This treatment option is not new.  It's been around for many years.  Oh, and it's not just celebrity (Robin McGraw, Oprah, Linda Evans, Dr. Oz) medicine, or a treatment that you have to fly to California or Florida for which could cost you hundreds of dollars.   In fact, the average cost is about $50 per month for a customized treatment. Wow!!!  A small price to pay to feel better.   Very affordable and personalized to your needs.

Call my office if I can answer your questions and don't put testing off any longer.  I can offer saliva testing or blood testing to get your levels evaluated and from there develop an action plan with you.

drsonjaobryan@gmail.com

To your good health,
Dr. Sonja

An Estrogen Drought: 1 in 2 Women May Experience This....

Vaginal burning, itching, dryness, and discomfort are usually the ways that women describe the pain they feel with deficient hormones.  Hot flashes are certainly the most talked about aging symptom, but almost 50% of post-menopausal women experience what's called atrophic vaginitis.    This can also happen in in women who have had a hysterectomy with ovaries removed. 

The decline in estrogen with aging or hysterectomy basically causes thinning and inflammation of the vaginal walls. Over time and left untreated, this nuisance can lead to other things like discomfort during sexual intercourse, recurrent urinary tract infections, and incontinence. Ooooh....Ouch!  So how is this atrophy condition treated? Often, Estrogen therapy applied vaginally 2-3 times weekly can give resolution to this uncomfortable problem.  Non-hormonal solutions should always be tried first though and would include things like vitamin E, coconut oil, or vaginal lubricating products. 


What an honor it is to provide personalized medicine unique to the individual.  Very real stuff but also very treatable. When I visit with patients one on one, it's amazing to hear the 'hidden' problems they are experiencing.   If this is something that you are struggling with, reach out! (thehormonemaven@gmail.com) 
A simple phone consultation and possibly hormone testing could bring a positive change for you in this area of health and wellness. 

Best,
~DrSonja

What Testing Can You Provide Dr. O'Bryan?

In the last 20 years I've been asked this question A LOT! 

It doesn't have to be complicated OR COSTLY to test some of the most important things in your quest for better health and wellness. In fact, because of high insurance copays and costly doctors visits, many people are flooding through our doors because they know, in the end, it will save a considerable amount of money. 

There are so many options in testing that I have available today and I thought I would give you a running list that I offer to clients in case you too might have this same question.  They say knowledge is power and when it comes to living, looking, and feeling better, it all comes down to a knowledge of where you stand with your personal and metabolic profile.  Or what about your strong family history of certain diseases?  It's important to get started in preventative care and testing key markers can be very important in helping you to ward off those same conditions.  That's Anti-Aging Medicine! Plainly stated, there's power in knowing the facts so that you can work more strategically on your personal goals.


Here is a current list of TESTING OPTIONS that I can provide to a person: 

Testing Kits _Dr. OBryan

Hormone Profile Testing (male and female)
Adrenal Stress Profile Testing
Nutrient Testing
Heavy Metal Exposure Testing
Neurotransmitter Testing 
Weight Management Testing
Infertility Testing
Thyroid Testing (including common markers for Hashimoto's)
Cardio-metabolic Testing
Vitamin D
B12 Levels
CRP and Homocysteine
Blood Glucose/Insulin Testing
Men's Wellness Testing (comprehensive lab profile)
Women's Wellness Testing (comprehensive lab profile)
Food Allergy Testing (your response to the top 95 most commonly eaten foods)
Iodine Testing
MTHFR Testing



These services are ALSO available:

~Custom Designed Creative Medicine. That's right! Specific and hand designed for the individual.

~Private Consultations-office located inside Providence Medical Spa Branson MO. $65 fee applies

~Custom Vitamin/Supplement regimens
~Autoimmune Disease protocols and treatments
~High Potency Nutraceuticals
~Laboratory Blood Work
~General Wellness Assessment and Regimens
~Customized Respiratory Allergen Toothpaste.  Why get allergy shots every week? (labwork and appointment required)

~Pain Management Therapies
~Insomnia, Fatigue, Headaches, Anxiety, Depression, ADHD tailored regimens
~Anti-Aging and Longevity Protocols
~Weight Loss/Management strategies and protocols.
~Bio-Identical Hormones

My strongest advice to a person is to TEST and ADDRESS.  If there's something on this list that you have been curious about in your own care, please send a message to drsonjaobryan@gmail.com. 

Live Well,
Dr. Sonja O'Bryan,, Pharm.D., ABAAHP