Central Compounding Center                       Central Compounding Center South

1921 Northpointe Drive                                                                6224 Fayetteville Road

Durham, NC 27705                                                                      Durham, NC 27713

919-471-8327                                                                                919-484-7600

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www.centralcompounding.com


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www.centralcompounding.com

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Central Compounding

Center South is

PCAB 

 

Now offering
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Rx Solutions uses specially formulated, concentrated blends of pharmaceutical-grade ingredients to correct the signs of hormonal aging.

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Central Compounding
Central Compounding South
Greetings!
Jennifer Burch
We care about our patients and want to provide you with quality information about your health. If you ever have questions or would like more information, please feel free to ask. We look forward to caring for you and your family.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Burch, Pharm.D.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks? 

women

   The debate about the benefits versus the risks of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has raged for a decade, since data from the Women's Health Initiative was first published in July, 2002. Now, several articles published in the June 2012 issue of Climacteric, the journal of the International Menopause Society, have concluded that the benefits of hormone replacement therapy outweigh the risks for women who begin HRT near menopause. 
 
    The Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a large government-sponsored trial, studied only conjugated equine estrogens ("CEE", derived from the urine of pregnant horses) and the progestin medroxyprogesterone acetate ("MPA", a synthetic derivative of the natural hormone progesterone). CEE and MPA are non-bio-identical hormones-they are not the same as hormones made by the human body.  Also, the average woman in the WHI study was 12 years past menopause when hormone therapy was initiated.
 
    Unfortunately, the lay media and even medical professionals extrapolated the WHI results to include all forms of estrogen and progesterone. Headlines incited panic, and frightened women were advised to discontinue all forms of HRT. Use of manufactured hormones dropped by about 50%, drug companies lost billions of dollars, and women began to seek alternate therapies to relieve the life-changing symptoms that many women experience pre, post, and during menopause.
 
   Since the WHI, hundreds of articles have discussed the risks of using "estrogen" without stating that the study dealt exclusively with CEE. And, reviews still continue to use the terms "progestin" and "progesterone" interchangeably, while in fact, the two hormones are very different. Progestin and progesterone have both been shown to decrease the risk of endometrial hyperplasia, which is the medical term for overgrowth of the lining of the uterus, a precursor to uterine cancer. This is the reason why a progestin or progesterone is prescribed concurrently with estrogen therapy in women who have a uterus. However, there are multiple other ways that women can benefit from progesterone therapy. Many of the body's organs and tissues - such as the brain, heart and bones - have progesterone receptors, and when progesterone levels decline as a result of aging, the body suffers: women experience memory loss, cardiovascular disease, and bone fractures. These are problems that synthetic derivatives of progesterone, i.e. progestins, do not help.
 
   When hormone therapy is needed, we recommend the use of bio-identical hormones: estrogens such as estradiol, progesterone, testosterone or DHEA, and natural thyroid hormones.  Bio-identical hormones have been prescribed in Europe since the 1950s and have been widely used in North America since the 1990s, and many studies have described the benefits and advantages of bio-identical hormones.
 
    Researchers at Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, report that when HRT is initiated before 60 years of age and/or within 10 years of menopause and continued for 6 years or more, the benefit is greatest for reduction of coronary heart disease and overall mortality, and risks are minimized. Their study showed a substantial increase in quality of life (adjusted for age) over a 5 to 30-year period in women who initiated HRT in close proximity to menopause, supporting HRT as a highly cost-effective strategy for improving quality of life in menopausal and post-menopausal women.
 
   For optimal wellness throughout all of life's stages, we also recommend a healthy lifestyle, natural organic foods free of additives like high fructose corn syrup, and regular exercise. In addition, professional-quality adaptogens and herbal and nutritional supplements can offer many benefits.
  

Contact our professional staff today to discuss your unique needs, and begin your journey to optimal wellness.


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At Central Compounding we offer bio-identical hormone therapy for men and women. Contact us to schedule a private consultation or visit our website. We also provide ZRT saliva tests to help us customize the therapy specifically for you.