What You Might Not Know....

What you might not know, could be affecting your health in ways that you don't even realize.  If you have symptoms, concerns, or just want to know where you stand on certain healthcare matters we can help you.

Did you know? 
Our team provides so many options when it comes to addressing all of the needs that can come up in Health-care and Wellness.  I italicize healthcare because in America it seems that disease care is where most of the attention is focused.  You know....wait until the disease happens, and then respond to it.  Yikes! Never good.

 But.....the tide is changing back to true health-care. (sigh of relief)

Preventative, Functional, Integrative,, Longevity...(whatever name you want to call it "medicine"), is on the rise and I'm seeing trends in people wanting to take charge of their care long before a physician and medical team has to get involved in disease management. It's something I have spent over a 20 year career to see happen and I'm delighted that our team is trained, ready, and 'in the vein' (so to speak) of where healthcare is going.  Our patient base continues to climb and it's mostly based on referral, after referral, after referral.  We've had calls in the last week from Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Oklahoma, and of course Missouri.  That's a far reaching distance, but it's because we provide so many great options to Assess and Address problems.   Even well known and famous celebrities are reaching out to our team for care.  Sometimes I pick up the phone and can't believe who's on the other end of the line.  That's life in the personalized medicine lane.....  It's what people want! So awesome!

What options are available? 
Todays blog is to give you a list of all of the options and interests that might help YOU in your quest to have better health and wellness.  The list is not fully comprehensive, but it should give a pretty good understanding of the most common requests that come our way. 

Hormone Testing-if you haven't tested your hormones, I would encourage you to do so.  We provide testing for both men  and women.   It's very easy, convenient, and affordable to test your hormones.
Adrenal Testing-worn out, fatigued, sleepy, foggy, not sleeping.  It could be adrenals?
Thyroid Testing-losing hair, unable to lose weight, tired.  I would suggest thyroid testing
Fertility Testing-If you have had difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term, please give us a call.  We can provide some testing that will help to set the stage for a safe and successful pregnancy.
*I can mail a saliva testing kit, blood spot testing kit, or put in a blood work order to a laboratory near you. The fees will be 100% known before you test.  No surprise and shocking bills in the mail from labs and facilities.

Erectile Dysfunction-If you are a man with Erectile Dysfunction give our team a call. If you are a man that gets up in the night multiple times to pee, give our team a call.  We have a compounded option that can help with sexual and urinary dysfunction.  It's VERY affordable and worth trying for these needs.

Private Consultations-my favorite.  Let's sit down one-on-one.  Call Providence MedSpa for an appointment. 417-334-4032. We'll go over all of your history, concerns, and future goals. ($50)

Personalized Regimens-You probably have that stock of vitamins and supplements that you bought from the last round of get healthy and skinny peddlers and you're not sure if it's the best thing to use. If so, bring them with you upon your visit and we will go over the ingredient list to make sure.

Blood Work-If you are a personal and connected client, I can order blood work for just about anything you want to know.  (thyroid, hormones, nutritional status, cholesterol, glucose, insulin, etc.)

Food Allergy Testing-Are you noticing that certain foods just don't seem to agree with you?  Noticing skin rashes or flares?  Feeling bloated or swollen?  I can provide an at-home testing kit to find out if you have an inflammatory response to the 95 most common foods that Americans eat. 

Customized Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy-Once we see hormone levels from your saliva or blood work, we can discuss a plan for YOU as an individual.  None of this cookie-cutter medicine stuff right? Right!   Hormone testing and treatment are so important in anti-aging care.

High Quality/Highly Effective Supplements- Are you taking the right supplements for your symptoms?  Are you taking the right things to prevent certain diseases and problems in your family genetics?  Lets sit down and talk. 

Customized Pain Therapies- Where do you hurt?  What are you other medical needs?  What things have you tried to alleviate your pain?  We can help design a customized therapy for you which might include many different agents to control your pain and inflammation.

Autoimmune Disease- Sadly autoimmune disease seems to be on the rise.  Psoriasis, Hashimoto's, Crohns, Rheumatoid and other autoimmune conditions often require strategic regimens to combat inflammation. 

Hemorrhoids and Fissures - That's right! It's a common need that we get requests to provide custom therapies for.  We can help you with these discomforts.

Diaper Rash-There's nothing quite so disturbing as to try to comfort a baby with a sore bum.  Give us a call and we can direct you on a proven and effective therapy to relieve the burn and rash for your sweet little babe.



Thanks for reading todays BLOG.  It would be hard to include everything that we are able to provide because of our growing list of patient care offerings. So, if I missed something of interest to you on this list, please don't hesitate to reach out.  Chances are, that we have some great options and direction for you in navigating your health and wellness needs.
email: drsonjaobryan@gmail.com

To your good HEALTH-CARE!
Dr. Sonja O'Bryan

Fertility Testing

Struggling with Infertility?  It's important to know what to test.                                                                                                                         

This blog explains what hormones are tested in ZRT's Fertility Profile and why each one is important.
LH & FSH are pituitary hormones, which means they affect the brain. Their communication with growing egg follicles in the ovaries is one of the only positive feedback loops in the body. On day three or four of the menstrual cycle (day one is the first day of the period) LH & FSH are at their lowest level. This relationship is normally a 1 to 1 function, but some women have LH levels that are two or three times greater than their FSH levels on day three or four of their cycle. This is a sign of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and occurs in approximately 50% of PCOS women. The opposite problem can also occur - high FSH and LH levels.

Daily Migraine Headaches-A Personal Patient Testimony

Hi Sweet Sonja!

I am over-the-top excited to tell you that I went through a full cycle, a full month without one migraine! God is faithful, and His timing is perfect.

In 2015, I had a migraine almost everyday. In retrospect, it was probably due, partly, to some very serious medicine I was on for the trigeminal neuralgia I developed in 2013. There were, also, many things that triggered the migraines, i.e. certain foods, not eating enough, not eating for long periods of time, bright light, loud sounds, not enough sleep, not good, deep sleep, etc. 

One of the main things, that seemed to be like an umbrella, over all these symptoms, however, were my hormones. 

In 2016, I was off the serious medicine, and the trigeminal neuralgia pain was beginning to subside. The migraines became less, but continued in a cycle. One, in the middle of the month around the 15th, and four to five, in the last two weeks of the month. Sprinkled with one here and there due to the other triggers. 

I met you at the 2017 Women of Purpose Conference on the heels of my asking the Lord for wisdom, direction, and discernment concerning my health. He was opening up many opportunities for me to minister His love to women, and the migraines were a huge interruption! 

I was blessed to attend your workshop, and your message and expertise spoke directly to my heart. You were so very personable and available to me. Your advice for my medical doctor. to order a full hormone panel, and a full thyroid panel were received. My results came back pretty good, as you know, because you were so gracious to read them. 

You recommended some key things that I should start taking and I breezed through the 15th, and only had a tension headache on the 28th, and NO MIGRAINE through the entire month!!! 

I am most grateful for you and your work. You are a sweet blessing from God. He has used you in a miraculous way. Anyone who has suffered with a migraine knows how debilitating they can be. God answered my prayers through you, and now that my health is better, I'm even more excited to see how He will use me in 2018 to share Jesus' love. It's all for His glory! 

I'm so very grateful for you!

Many blessings,

Lisa

Still on a journey with the Lord Jesus Christ, Lisa Dorr tries to live her life yielded to the work of the Holy Spirit. She loves to encourage women to know who they are in Christ with Ephesians as her favorite book of the Bible. Blessed to have had opportunities to speak at MOPS and other Women’s Ministry events, she has led Bible studies, worshiped on the worship team, and is a contributing author and editor for God Stories. Lisa is the author of Every Little Detail, which is her story written to encourage women to find God in the details of life. DASH Girls is a group of women she enjoys ministering with, as they travel together and share the love of Jesus. DASH stands for Destinies. Aligned. to Soar. Higher. She lives with her husband, son, and two cats in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania.

Food Allergy Testing NOW Available

I was asked the question this week, "Dr. O'Bryan, what diet plan do you suggest I follow? There are so many options out there and I'm not sure what to choose."

Often this question comes from a person wanting to shed a few pounds, but in this case, it was someone wanting to combat foggy brain, fatigue, and joint pain.  This person could not help but notice that certain foods seemed to be triggering an inflammatory response.  I assured her that she was on to something and gave her guidance on an easy, affordable, and convenient option to more clearly identify if this was the case.   She was delighted to know that she could test food allergens and become more strategic with her dietary habits. Makes sense that if you don't know the basic frameworks of what a persons body is doing from within, it becomes difficult to give an answer to such a question about diet plans right? And we all know that certain things work for some people but not for others. My research shows that elimination of food allergens can play a significant role in the realm of healthcare and even in weight loss. 

 Here's how I like to guide people on knowing what to eat, and especially what NOT to eat for better health. 

Consider FOOD ALLERGY testing!
Testing immunoglobulin antibodies to indicate food allergens can be such a helpful tool to a person.   Did you know that your body will raise antibody titers to indicate your immune response to certain foods, which if high, can lead to health problems?  Plain and simple, what you eat can cause many symptoms and, my oh my, do we live in an environment of food allergens. Don't believe me?  Take a look at this in regards to food allergies and symptoms.  Do you notice anything affecting you?  Have you been suspicious of certain foods causing your problem?  Have you considered testing to find out?  You might want to... 

Indications for FOOD ALLERGY TESTING

Fatigue
Constipation
Diarrhea
Irritable Bowel
Suspected Celiac
Acid Reflux/GERD
Dermatology/Skin Diseases
Asthma
Rhinitis
Ear Infections
Headaches/Migraines
Autism Spectrum Disorders
ADHD
Depression
Anxiety
Weight Gain
Joint Pain
Blood Sugar Problems
Autoimmune Disease!!!!  (a big one)
Fibromyalgia
Menstrual Pain
PMS
Incontinence
Fluid Retention

  Is your problem dairy, meats, eggs, grains, gluten, fruits, nuts, vegetables, coffee, or even candida (yeast) overgrowth?   It's very possible!

I provide a consultation/testing kit that will give Low, Moderate, and Avoid criteria for foods that are the biggest offenders when it comes to creating an inflammatory response, symptoms, and reactivity from the 95 most commonly eaten foods.  That's right!  95 'yes' or 'no' foods that you should or should not eat.   I already have patients signing up left and right to find out their personal food allergen profile.  It's wonderful to be able to provide this option in the mix of everything else that we can offer in functional medicine.

Food allergy testing is a great start to making your health a priority. Give our team a call today and we can share all of the details and pricing information to help you succeed in achieving that goal.

All the Best!
Dr. Sonja O'Bryan

Are You Practicing Sleep Hygiene? Some Insight Into A Good Nights' Sleep

Improving Sleep For Healthier Patients

Nov 17, 2017                      

Meredith Murray, ND
In today’s society where “being connected” and always “doing” is encouraged, getting inadequate sleep can sometimes be worn as a badge of honor. One-third of Americans report getting an insufficient amount of sleep^[1]. When I started to prioritize sleep in my own life, I was surprised at how other aspects of my life drastically improved—physically, mentally, and emotionally. When I shifted my clinical practice to really focusing on sleep as a crucial and non-negotiable first step that needs to be improved for my patients, I saw similar outcomes for them. After implementing simple interventions to improve sleep, issues previously difficult to treat seemed to lessen or resolve.
Although it is known that sleep is as necessary as food, water, and oxygen, the intricacies behind it are still mostly unknown. Sleep can be broken down into two systems: sleep-wake homeostasis and the circadian rhythm (or cycle). Sleep-wake homeostasis is the accumulation of sleep-inducing substances in the brain which alert the body that sleep is necessary after a period of time since the last period of sufficient sleep^[2]. The body’s circadian cycle is governed by the circadian clock, which is regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus and reacts to the body’s exposure to light and dark. While one is sleeping, there are two different cycles and stages: REM and Non-REM (NREM). NREM sleep makes up a majority of the portion of times sleeping and is mainly parasympathetic activity resulting in lowered heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, etc. REM sleep is often thought of as the “dream period”; however, a study released in 2017 showed that dreams can occur in NREM sleep as well^[3]. An author of a study that came out of University of Rochester in 2013 likened sleeping to a dishwasher cycle for the brain where it cleans itself of toxic metabolic byproducts^[4]. That alone should be a reason to encourage your patients to obtain the best sleep possible.
In daily practice, many of us face patients dealing with chronic diseases. The connection between chronic diseases and sleep health is astounding. The associated health consequences of sleep deprivation include hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety.
It is now known that lack of adequate sleep is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, with length of sleep acting as a predictor of HbA1c. Sleep apnea, a common but often poorly diagnosed condition, has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. To screen for sleep apnea, it is important to ask patients about snoring and refer them to a sleep study if they have multiple risk factors. Obesity has been linked to sleep apnea as well as short sleep duration.
The other health consequence of sleep deprivation that needs to be discussed more regularly is drowsy driving. The effect of driving after 18 hours of wakefulness is equivalent to a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05% and after 24 hours: a 0.10% BAC (0.08% is considered legally drunk^[5]).
Sleep deprivation can also affect a person on a genetic level. Gene expression is altered with insufficient sleep and influences inflammation, brain function, and neural plasticity. It also changes gene transcription responsible for regulating the circadian rhythm thus compounding the effects of sleep deprivation^[6],[7].
Sleep is something our body should do naturally, yet 50-70 million Americans suffer from some form of sleep disorder, resulting in the pharmaceutical industry for sleep aids being a multi-billion dollar industry^[8]. The use of sleep aids is 1 in 8 adults with reported ‘trouble sleeping’ and 1 in 6 with a diagnosed sleep disorder^[9]. These medications, such as the popular Ambien, are not without serious side effects. There are very effective and simple ways you can work with patients every day to improve their sleep and avoid taking these medications (or help them resolve the need for them).
Discussing Sleep Hygiene
At this point in time, it’s safe to say that a majority of the people seen in clinical practice are looking at some sort of screen the majority of the day. They are also likely working long hours and neglecting sleep in order to take care of other life responsibilities.
It is so incredibly important to discuss sleep hygiene patterns with patients. Most people will agree these are things they should do, but it is the responsibility of the practitioner to encourage these as if they were a prescription. These habits can positively affect the sleep-wake cycle and return patients to a normalized sleep pattern, resulting in adequate amounts of sleep. It is also important to counsel patients and their families on regularly reaching the recommended amount of sleep for optimal health (see table).

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
• Have a relaxing nighttime routine (that does not involve screens).
• Do not eat or drink within 2 hours of going to bed.
• Stop screens (phones, laptops, television) for 1-2 hours before bed.
• Keep bed for sleeping and sex only. Encourage patients to leave their bedroom if having delayed sleep latency.
• Try to avoid alcohol or smoking or using stimulants in the evening.
• Get regular exercise and have regular exposure to natural light.

 Nutrients and Herbs to Support Sleep
While trying to implement these sleep hygiene habits, herbs, nutrients, and nutritional supplements can offer support. Below are a few of the most common and popular ingredients in sleep products. They are often combined to work synergistically.

• Neurotransmitters and hormones:
  1. Melatonin – This is one of the most widely used natural sleep aids. Melatonin is a hormone of the serotonin cascade and naturally increases during nighttime/darkness when it is secreted by the pineal gland. Supplemental melatonin for sleep is non-addictive, has a short half-life, and helps people fall asleep. It is beneficial because it does not have a negative feedback to the natural production of endogenous melatonin. It is recommended to start with a small dose similar to what is naturally produced, 1-3 mg, and dose this 30-60 minutes before bed^[10].
  2. Tryptophan (and 5-HTP) – Tryptophan has shown to help improve sleepiness and decrease wakefulness. It has also been demonstrated that acute tryptophan depletion inhibits REM and prolonged REM sleep. Supplementing with tryptophan can modify serotonin levels, with serotonin being a precursor to melatonin^[11]. The average dose of tryptophan is 500 mg. Similarly, 5-HTP is used because it is the derivative of tryptophan and the direct precursor to serotonin and subsequently melatonin. 5-HTP is generally dose at 50-100 mg.
  3. L-theanine – This is a naturally occurring amino acid and has been shown to counteract the effects of caffeine, reduce stress response, and promote relaxation at a dose of 250 mg^[12].
• Herbs
  1. Magnolia – Traditionally used to treat anxiety and depression, it affects the GABA_A The compounds honokiol and magnolol have both been used successfully for insomnia. Honokiol can shorten sleep latency to NREM sleep. Magnolol can also have similar effects and has shown to increase the number of REM and NREM sleep cycles^[13].
  2. Valerian – This is a very familiar herb used as a sedative and relaxant. It also binds to GABA_A receptors and has a similar mechanism to benzodiazepines, though weaker. The volatile oils can also inhibit degradation of GABA. It is indicated for nervous excitement to improve quality of sleep and also has been shown to be successful in women with menopausal insomnia^[14]. It can be used throughout the day for anxiety as well as in a higher dose (300-500 mg dried root capsules) before bed. This may make people groggy upon waking, so use caution.
  3. Passionflower – A wonderful gentle herb for sleep issues, though best used as a synergist. It is another herb that binds to GABA_A It is indicated for people feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities that are affecting their ability to sleep. It also has an anti-spasmodic effect, which can be helpful for people who have muscle spasm as a result of anxiety. Dose of 200-500 mg; crude herb extract nightly.
  4. Adaptogen/stress support
     1. i) Utilizing herbs that are commonly known as adaptogens (such as Ashwagandha, Reishi and cordyceps) can be beneficial for addressing the HPA-Axis and subsequently sleep.

Overall, in addition to considering someone’s diet, activity level, and mental health, one should also always focus on ways to improve sleep. Sleep, often overlooked, is one of the pillars of health and well-being.

Recommended amount of sleep per age group^[15]

Age:
4-12 months	12-16 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
1-2 years	11-14 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
3-5 years	10-13 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
6-12 years	9-12 hours per 24 hours
13-18 years	8-10 hours per 24 hours
18+ years	7+ hours per night

^[1] CDC – Data and Statistics – Sleep and Sleep Disorders. Cdcgov. 2017. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/data_statistics.html. Accessed July 30, 2017.
^[2] HOW SLEEP WORKS – THE TWO-PROCESS MODEL OF SLEEP REGULATION – HowSleepWorks. HowSleepWorks. 2017. Available at: https://www.howsleepworks.com/how_twoprocess.html. Accessed July 30, 2017.
^[3] Siclari F, Baird B, Perogamvros L et al. The neural correlates of dreaming. Nature Neuroscience. 2017;20(6):872-878. doi:10.1038/nn.4545.
^[4] Xie L, Kang H, Xu Q et al. Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance from the Adult Brain. Science. 2013;342(6156):373-377. doi:10.1126/science.1241224.
^[5] Dawson D, Reid K. Fatigue, alcohol and performance impairment. Nature. 1997;388(6639):235-235. doi:10.1038/40775.
^[6] da Costa Souza A, Ribeiro S. Sleep Deprivation and Gene Expression. Sleep, Neuronal Plasticity and Brain Function. 2015:65-90. doi:10.1007/7854_2014_360.
^[7] Moller-Levet C, Archer S, Bucca G et al. Effects of insufficient sleep on circadian rhythmicity and expression amplitude of the human blood transcriptome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2013;110(12):E1132-E1141. doi:10.1073/pnas.1217154110.
^[8] Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: an unmet public health problem. Choice Reviews Online. 2007;44(10):44-5682-44-5682. doi:10.5860/choice.44-5682.
^[9] Prescription Sleep Aid Use Among Adults: United States, 2005–2010 – Products – Data Briefs – Number 127 – August 2013. Cdcgov. 2017. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db127.htm. Accessed July 30, 2017.
^[10] Ferracioli-Oda E, Qawasmi A, Bloch M. Meta-Analysis: Melatonin for the Treatment of Primary Sleep Disorders. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(5):e63773. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0063773.
^[11] Jenkins T, Nguyen J, Polglaze K, Bertrand P. Influence of Tryptophan and Serotonin on Mood and Cognition with a Possible Role of the Gut-Brain Axis. Nutrients. 2016;8(1):56. doi:10.3390/nu8010056.
^[12] Dodd F, Kennedy D, Riby L, Haskell-Ramsay C. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the effects of caffeine and L-theanine both alone and in combination on cerebral blood flow, cognition and mood. Psychopharmacology. 2015;232(14):2563-2576. doi:10.1007/s00213-015-3895-0.
^[13] Shi Y, Dong J, Zhao J, Tang L, Zhang J. Herbal Insomnia Medications that Target GABAergic Systems: A Review of the Psychopharmacological Evidence. Current Neuropharmacology. 2014;12(3):289-302. doi:10.2174/1570159×11666131227001243.
^[14] Alschuler L. Sleep Well, Sleep Safely: An Exploration Of The Importance Of Sleep And Botanical Alternatives To Conventional Hypnotics. Gaia Professional Solutions; 2014:1-15.
^[15] Paruthi S, Brooks L, D’Ambrosio C et al. Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2016;12(06):785-786. doi:10.5664/jcsm.5866.

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.

Email thehormonemaven@gmail.com if I can answer your questions and my advice is, don't put testing off any longer.  I can offer saliva, urine, or blood testing to get your levels evaluated and from there develop an action plan with you.


To your good health,
Dr. Sonja

Does Your Probiotic Contain the Secret Sauce?

One of the top recommended products that I suggest to a patient for a core daily regimen is a probiotic.  If you're not already taking a probiotic, then do your body a favor and get started on one right away.  But listen....all Probiotics are NOT created equal and I'll get to that point in this very important blog. 

Probiotics are essential in so many processes throughout our intricate physiological system with hormone metabolism being near the top of the list.  Probiotics also provide wellness in terms of gut metabolism, in bolstering the immune system, fending off candida overgrowth, and in helping to overpower and eradicate other toxins from our system.  Again, I can't stress the importance of using a probiotic enough.  But what probiotic is best?  I'm glad you asked. (smile)

Here's an important back story:
In the 1920's a French microbiologist named Henri Boulard was in Southeast Asia studying yeast and wanted to find a heat-resistant option that he could use in wine making.  Little did he know that a massive Cholera outbreak would take place in 1923 pointing him to a key ingredient that was unknown until that time.  He noticed that the locals would chew on the skin of the lychee and mangosteen fruit, or make teas with the skins to help in relieving their diarrhea from the Cholera.  An AHA moment took place for Mr. Boulard and the microbial analysis began for what he was witnessing in these very ill patients.  Saccharomyces, it turns out,  was the secret sauce in the plant helping to alleviate the gut disturbances leading to diarrhea. He named the 'strain' after himself and today we see it included as "Saccharomyces Boulardii in the BEST probiotic products.  Does your probiotic contain S. Boulardii?  If not, I would suggest another product option over what you are using.

I carry one of the best Probiotics you can find that does NOT have to be refrigerated making it great for daily use, travel, and convenience.  It is a one-stop shop blend and it is especially a great option for those with irregular bowel movements and those that are prescribed antibiotics. This multi-ingredient blend contains a patented technology that increases it viability and effectiveness through expiration.   Something that is also very important.  You might be using a Probiotic, but is it fully effective, or is it waning over time?  For those that have GI and inflammatory challenges, I can raise the bar a few notches and provide a suggestion on something even more powerful for a rapid immune response, inflammatory control, and microbiome restoration.  Don't struggle through another day with GI disruptions.  Give my team a call and we can guide you.  We only provide the BEST for YOU and YOURS.  Hand selected and personalized medicine!  That's what it's all about.

To your good health,
Dr. Sonja