Letter from a happy patient

I originally became a doctor because I enjoy helping people feel healthy and happy. Recently, I was able to send one of my patients, Rene’ Tate to a spa getaway with her husband. (The package was the final patient appreciation prize from our Fall Spectacular.)

Rene’ and her husband enjoyed the weekend so much, she wrote us this wonderful letter and sent us a picture. I just had to share it with you here.

Dear Dr. Goodyear,

Wow – what a blessing! I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful and relaxing weekend at the Alluvian Hotel and spa in Greenwood Mississippi. We, my husband and I, began our visit with each of us receiving a 90-minute custom massage together in the couples’ room. The massage was excellent and would have been worth the trip. We also enjoyed the Italian restaurant, Guardini’s, adjacent to the hotel both evenings where they offered first class dining and atmosphere.

As one who likes to cook, I had the pleasure of observing the Viking cooking class one evening (the classes were already booked full when we booked our stay) and I had a ball shopping in the Viking kitchen store!

We had ample time for relaxation and exploring the area. Having a get-away weekend was rejuvenating for both of us.

Your extremely generous and unexpected gift is deeply appreciated. Most of all, however, I would like to express my appreciation for you and your staff for being a first class medical team. While I’ve enjoyed a marked increase in my feeling of wellness, I know the many friends I’ve referred to you are equally as impressed with you and your office. It’s so refreshing to find a Doctor who will really listen to his patients and give personal, caring medical attention.

Phillipians 1:3 says, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you” & Ruth 2:12 says, “May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord…” (NIV). These scriptures best expresses my thoughts and feelings about you and your staff.

I’m attaching a picture of us at Giardini’s; feel free to share it or this letter in part or in entirety with anyone you would like.

Sincerely,

Rene’ Tate

Hormone Symphony

Have you ever heard a great symphony play under a great conductor in a great symphony hall? I have. The music is beautiful.

Of course, it doesn’t matter how good the conductor is or how good the acoustics are—if the orchestra is not good. If the symphony’s tempo is off, or the pitch, or the key, or the volume, then it doesn’t even matter who wrote the music. Beethoven, Mozart, or Bach will just sound like noise to the audience.

Symphony comes from a Greek word meaning “agreement or concord of sound.”

Your hormones are like a symphony. When everything works together, then and only then can you appreciate the beauty of the music.

When your hormones are out of balance, your body will experience symptoms that wreck the music—hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain. Like a symphony, your hormonal balance is more complicated than any individual part. It is not just about your estrogen and thyroid as many would have you believe. Your hormonal symphony requires the balance of all hormones: all estrogen types, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, cortisol, thyroid, and melatonin. One hormone out of balance can start a ripple effect that results in total hormonal imbalance.

When your hormones are not balanced, your body feels like a bad symphony, just making noise. However, when all hormones are balanced, your body can make beautiful music. If we reduce your diagnosis to estrogen problems or thyroid problems only, we will miss the mark. When we evaluate and treat your hormones as a whole system, your body can be a symphony.

Menopause is not a disease

“First do no harm.” This is from the Hippocratic Oath that every physician takes prior to graduating from medical school.

“First do no harm.” Here’s what that means for me: First, work with the body to prevent disease.

Often, we see patients after they already have a disease. At that point, we begin treatment and intervention—which typically involves introducing a drug not normally present in the body. This is why drug companies have to do so much testing to measure the effects/side effects of any new drug. When I prescribe treatment and intervention, I’m always weighing the benefits of a drug versus the risks associated with that drug. Medical training does a great job of helping doctors understand how to treat disease.

But PMS, perimenopause, and menopause and all the symptoms that go along with them aren’t the result of a disease. They are the result of hormone imbalances. Having imbalanced hormones is not the same as having a disease—and doctors should not treat a hormone imbalance as if they are treating disease.

Instead of medicating with synthetic drugs, doctors can seek to rebalance the patient’s hormones.

Bio-identical hormones represent the essence of this approach. (Dr. Dixie Mills has some good thoughts about Bio-identical hormones at Women to Women.) There is no rocket science or voodoo behind Bio-identical hormones as some may suggest. In fact, if you look at the scientific literature, the support is all for Bio-identical hormones. The rest of the world is way ahead of the US on this one.

Then why are so many physicians still focused on the disease model, instead of the health and prevention model? I can’t answer that question. But I can treat my patients differently—using methods supported by scientific literature as being more healthy and effective.

Bio-identical hormones merely represent understanding how the body works and working within the body’s framework. It makes a lot of sense. Patients receive hormones that are structurally and functionally identical to those produced in your body.

Hormone imbalance is not a disease. But doctors can treat the imbalance with Bio-identical hormones to give you better health and help prevent future disease.