Happy February! I think we are all ready for spring! But I hope you have used the past 6 weeks to put yourself back on your own list and focus on better health! Hormone balance, eating right and having an exercise regimen where you get your heart rate up enough to sweat, at least 3 times a week is key! Check out our latest testimonials from our women who have invested in themselves and the huge impact it has made on their lives.

   I've come to realize over the past year and a half that what we do isn't for everyone. I'd love to be for every woman, but I know I can only do so much. My clients who have the greatest success are the ones who are educated in natural hormone balance and have done the reading and research. They are ones who are most assertive and have the strength to converse with their doctors and intelligently dialogue with them about their body and their health needs. These are the women who realize that dosing for the masses and using a one-size-fits-all drug that has become the standard of care in our country, doesn't have to be the only answer.

   I get emails all the time from women who aren't as fortunate. Let me give you an example of what NOT to do:

    We had a client come in for a consultation at our new West Chester location and get the "skinny" on what we do and the procedure for getting tested, treated and better. She went home and called her doctor to see if he would sign off on our recommendation for her hormone balance when her test results came back. His response was not favorable! He said, "he would not sign off on our BHRT because it isn't FDA approved, but he would take care of her and prescribe something for her that her insurance would cover." I felt my blood pressure spike after I read that email! This is wrong on so many levels! Let's count the ways:

1. The FDA approves drugs that are dosed for the masses and are one size fits all. Our customized BHRT is dosed for just one, so the FDA isn't allowed to approve us. We are strictly regulated by the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy. It's not like we are pushing crack cocaine! This is BHRT (bioidentical hormone replacement therapy) that is customized for you after we check your hormone levels and then your informed practitioner works with us to get you back in balance.
2. Our therapy is often covered by insurance, and in fact, our cash price is often lower than your copay and we do honor HSA accounts.
3. Prescribing hormone replacement can mean anything from the synthetic drugs masking as hormones with high health risks (Women's Health Initiative 2002) to the one-size-fits-most estrogen patches. The problem with the estrogen patches is the dosing can not be adjusted; doctors who prescribe these often do not check hormone levels first; and often the need for progesterone is disregarded. So these estrogen patches can increase the risk of breast cancer (unopposed estrogen increases risk of breast cancer), weight gain, brain fog, etc. Those doctors who DO recognize the importance of progesterone, often prescribe the drug company made Prometrium®. As discussed previously, Prometrium® (a capsule) comes in only two doses, is dissolved in peanut oil, and you can't make adjustments.

    Let's talk about the uterus for a second. I have had several doctors tell me they don't give progesterone to women who don't have a uterus. Our response is we don't give progesterone for the uterus. We recommend it for its protective benefits for the breast tissue, brain and heart. Interesting, huh?

    So our response to our client whose doctor told her he wouldn't work with her and us is to get educated! Read (Natural Hormone Balance by Dr. Uzzi Reiss is a great place to start); attend Happy Hormone Hours or a Happy Hormone Coffee Hour; and keep asking questions! These are the clients we enjoy the most, the ones who are curious and won't just take their doctor's word for it. In this area, self motivation, self education and commitment are critical.

    We recently heard from a 36 year old hysterectomy client who had met with us a year ago, but decided against our program because her doctor wasn't familiar with what we do. She just decided to come on board because she is tired of feeling miserable and her doctor's plan isn't working for her.

    I also want to address the group of older (post menopausal) women who simply do nothing, because they think the word "hormone" is a bad word. Because they are not educated, they don't know the skinny on natural bioidentical hormone balance. They just think all hormone therapy is the same. They hear "HRT" and lump that together with customized BHRT because they don't know the difference. (HRT is all hormone replacement and is used to mean the synthetic drugs masking as hormones.) My biggest worry for these women is the fact that without natural bioidentical hormones to protect them, they are ripe for disease: breast cancer, osteoporosis, dementia, and heart disease. Since February is "Healthy Heart" month, be sure to read the information below about heart health and topical bioidentical hormone therapy.

   So which group are you? Are you of the group that has the courage to step up and get informed to get better? Or are you going to go to your doctor with a sleeping issue, depression or anxiety and get a prescription for a sleeping aid and an antidepressant because it's the current standard of care, it's easy or you aren't informed of healthier alternatives and neither is your doctor? Or are you of the group to just do nothing at all with hormone balance and let the chips fall where they may?  If your answer is the first group, we look forward to meeting you and furthering you along on your journey to living your best life naturally.