Seasons Wellness Clinic » BHRT

The Top 3 Answers to the Question “Why Should I Take Hormones?”

Dr. Nathan Goodyear — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:59:21 +0000

Dr. Nathan Goodyear, Overseeing Physician at Seasons Wellness Clinic

Recently during a patient’s visit, we were reviewing her most recent OB/GYN appointment. Her physician asked why she was taking hormones. Unable to offer a technical explanation, she simply stated that she felt much better than she did before she began her treatment program.

While the basic question of WHY is a good question by her physician, we actually need to answer three questions.

What are my individual hormone levels?
Are my hormones in appropriate balance?
Is my body metabolizing those hormones in the right way?

The answers to these three questions will answer the one question: “Why should a patient take hormones?”

What are my individual hormone levels?

Contrary to what most think, hormones are not just about individual numbers. Instead, hormones work collectively as a means of communication within the body. I am amazed at the answers I get when I ask postmenopausal women, “Does your body still have or need hormones?”

The answer is a resounding YES, but most people seem to think otherwise. The body must have hormones to survive. For example, those who suffer from Addison’s Disease have a life-threatening deficiency of cortisol (one of the body’s many hormones).

Far too often I hear the comment, “I’ve had a hysterectomy, so I don’t need progesterone.” The truth is having a hysterectomy does not eliminate your body’s use or need for hormones. It just means you are missing your uterus. Hysterectomy or not, millions of cells throughout the body have progesterone receptors and those cells could care less if you’ve had a hysterectomy or what your OB/GYN thinks about progesterone. [Insert laugh here!] These organ systems throughout the body have receptors for progesterone because they need progesterone.

The aforementioned patient’s hormone therapy included progesterone cream and DHEA capsules. Testing results showed her to be deficient in both progesterone and DHEA (read about how we test hormones at Seasons), and thus replacement was needed. In addition to test results, the patient’s clinical symptom history warranted the replacement of these hormones.

So why was DHEA included in her treatment program? Two reasons. The first is that her DHEA levels were low in her testing results. The second reason? This patient had Type II Diabetes and, after some additional testing, was found to have chronic inflammation throughout her body. DHEA has been shown to reduce inflammation, improve insulin function, and reduce obesity, all of which are associated with diabetes. DHEA does this through a complex interaction with the hormones adiponectin and insulin. As insulin levels rise with insulin resistance, adiponectin falls. This hormone imbalance will result in Diabetes for many people.

Additionally, Type II Diabetes has been shown to be the result of chronic inflammation. What does that mean, you ask? Chronic, dysregulated inflammation causes insulin resistance. What is the source of this inflammation, you ask? Fat cells! The obesity epidemic is the root cause of our current healthcare crisis.

Let’s go back to the patient’s hormone therapy. Her test results showed her deficient in progesterone. Because progesterone is a natural anti-inflammatory, it is currently being used in traumatic brain injuries (TBI) to reduce inflammation and improve outcomes. In addition, women with low progesterone tend to have significantly more menstrual cramps, the result of inflammatory signals called prostaglandins. Progesterone therapy has been shown to reduce those prostaglandins and thus reduce menstrual cramps.

Are my hormones in appropriate balance?

Hormones don’t exist in a vacuum, as many seem to think. Hormones exist in a delicate balance. The most well publicized imbalance is that of the estrogens and progesterone. Imbalance of estrogen and progesterone have been linked to many health problems: fatigue, weight gain, headaches, and increased risk of breast cancer to name a few.

I often tell patients that with every cause there is an effect. You can’t give one hormone without affecting many others. The addition of progesterone to the body when it has been chronically low will not only restore progesterone to an appropriate physiologic level, but will also allow estrogen signals to work better. The balance of hormones allows each hormone to work as it was intended. Mind you, we are NOT talking about using synthetic hormones which are simply not what the body is looking for and contain harmful additives. We only treat with bioidentical hormones (bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, also known as BHRT).

Is my body metabolizing my hormones in the right way?

The final key point is looking at how the body processes hormones (metabolism). Hormone metabolism is just as important as the individual hormone levels and the hormone balance.

Let’s use estrogen metabolism, for example. Estrogens (there are actually three different types of estrogen) can be metabolized three ways: 2-hydroxy estrone, 4-hyroxy estrone, and 16-alpha-hydroxy estrone. Some of the risks associated with estrogen come from the body metabolizing estrogen utilizing the 4-hydoxy estrone pathway. This pathway results in many dangerous metabolites (break down products). Think of it as turning down the wrong road as you’re driving somewhere, and you end up in a briar patch!

Think about it. Many women with breast cancer and men with prostate cancer don’t take bioidentical estrogen nor do they take synthetic estrogen. Their problem, as it relates to hormones, comes from endogenous hormone production (the body’s own hormone overproduction or underproduction), hormone metabolization, and the often undiscussed environmental xenoestrogens (from environmental toxin exposure). In lay terms, the body is metabolizing estrogen using the 4-hydoxy estrone pathway resulting in higher risk of cancer.

It has only been in the last 50 to 60 years that major hormonal imbalances in industrialized countries seem to have come to our attention. Before that, people and their hormones seemed to do just fine for thousands of years. We can attribute much of that to diminishing nutritional value in our foods and continually increasing exposure to toxins. Nutrition and toxins both have profound effects on the body, hormones included.

In conclusion, why should a patient take hormones (BHRT)?

The answer is a summary of the three points we’ve looked at here. By determining current hormone levels, restoring balance, and evaluating the body’s metabolic processes, the body can once again function as God intended it. Should a patient be on hormones? Well, only if you need them. But the truth is few of us have perfectly balanced hormones due to nutrition, toxin exposure, and prescription medication side effects.

At Seasons Wellness Clinic, we use state-of-the-art testing that reveals your body’s biochemistry. With our years of advanced training, we can carefully customize a treatment plan to restore your body, offsetting the damage of poor nutrition, toxins, and prescription drugs. Our goal is to eliminate any need for prescription medication! We want you to be HEALTHY!

WELLNESS IS POSSIBLE! You don’t have to settle for a body that is not working as it should. You can make a conscientious choice towards good health and a longer, happier life.

Get Your Body Back On Track With These 5 Points of Wellness

Dr. Nathan Goodyear — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:28:25 +0000

Dr. Nathan Goodyear, Overseeing Physician at Seasons Wellness Clinic

“What is Seasons? And what do you do?”

These are questions I am often asked. In short, Seasons breaks free from the disease model of medicine. Our focus is wellness by optimizing your health. What does this mean? Just because you are free of disease does not mean you have great health. A wellness model of medicine is the only way to prevent disease and promote healthy living.

At Seasons, we work to achieve health and wellness with balance using our 5 Points of Wellness: Nutrition, Exercise, Hormones, Inflammation, and Detoxification.

NUTRITION
Are nutrition and health related? Absolutely. We are what we eat. Hippocrates said it best, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” Your diet must be individualized to meet your metabolic needs, limit inflammatory responses, and meet your lifestyle demands.

We offer personalized nutritional counseling to develop a plan for disease management, disease prevention, and overall good health. At Seasons, your nutritional plan is individualized to meet your needs in a way that fits your lifestyle.

EXERCISE
Exercise is an important part of any weight-loss or weight-maintenance program. Maintaining healthy weight is an excellent benefit of exercise, but it does so much more for your body. Exercise builds muscle, relieves stress, and helps to detoxify, just to name a few. However, too much exercise can severely harm the body.

At Seasons, we work to maximize your calorie expenditure, while reducing the damage to your body from excessive exercise. We do this in a way to match your lifestyle and your physical abilities.

Valerie Costanza, RD will develop a nutritional plan that is created to meet your individual needs in a way that fits your lifestyle.

HORMONES
Regardless of your age, your body needs hormones to function. Hormones are a means of communication with your body. And balance of those hormones is the key. Sure, it would be great if men were just a Testosterone sponge; or women just an Estrogen factory. But, that is not the case and the key is to create a balance. When your hormones are balanced, so are you. When your hormones are not balanced, your body will let you know.

Your hormone balance is unique and will change based on factors such as weight loss, weight gain, stress, and even nutrition. The only way to determine your imbalance is to share any symptoms you may be having with your healthcare team at Seasons. This gives us information on where to look for hormone imbalance issues. Only then can we identify your particular imbalance and formulate a plan to balance your hormones. Balanced hormones = better health.

INFLAMMATION
Inflammation is the greatest obstacle to good health and is a part of the body’s immune system signaling department. Pain, redness, swelling, heat, and loss of function are common manifestations of inflammation. Inflammation is not new. The first four classical signs were described by Celsus (30 BC – 38 AD).

The source of inflammation is unique to each person. It may be due to deficiencies, such as vitamin D, poor dietary intake of antioxidants, such as resveratrol and curcumin, or even a deficiency of fish (low Omega-3 intake leads to inflammation). Your gut could also be the source of inflammation! Did you know that up to 75% of your immune system lines your gut? In many ways, your health starts with your gut.

The source of inflammation is as different as the individual. The only way to identify your unique source of inflammation is through symptom evaluation and state-of-the-art testing. At Seasons we can identify the causes of inflammation and implement specific therapy to eliminate inflammation, which can be as diverse as parasite treatment to dietary changes.

DETOXIFICATION
We live in a toxic world today. There is no way around that! According to a recent study, detectable levels of toxins were found in up to 99% of pregnant women even though many of these chemicals have been banned since the early 1970’s. This number will only rise with the approximately 1,800 new chemicals approved annually. This tidal wave of toxins are overwhelming our detoxifications systems proven by the exponential rise in rates of autism spectrum disorder and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis.

The ability to detoxify is critical to health. Every cell must detoxify. At Seasons, we evaluate your individual ability to detoxify with state-of-the-art testing and treat those areas that are dysfunctional. We focus on your major detox organs — liver, skin, kidneys, lymphatics, and GI tract — through which every cell in the body must detoxify. We provide a detoxification plan to meet your specific toxic load and to support your identified needs.

WHAT NEXT?
At Seasons, we offer individualized therapy to aggressively eliminate the obstacles to good health and maximize your body’s performance. We are not your disease doctor, we are your partners in health. We work to restore your health and then maintain that good health.

As Aristotle said, “The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” And at Seasons, our holistic approach encompasses all the body’s functions creating one plan giving you the tools you need to pursue wellness.

Questions? Spend some time on our website getting to know us and what we do. Then call 318.255.3223 and speak with one of our Patient Relations Specialists. Remember, good health is a choice. And at Seasons, we offer you that opportunity. Don’t miss your opportunity to choose a health and wellness lifestyle.

From The Doctor’s Desk: Hormone Imbalance A Contributing Factor In Breast Cancer

Dr. Nathan Goodyear — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:11:39 +0000

Dr. Nathan Goodyear

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) increases breast cancer. Have you read headlines like that? Or perhaps you were told that HRT caused someone’s breast cancer.

Do hormones really cause or lead to breast cancer? Think about this: every women continues to produce hormones, even after menopause. So, it cannot be that hormones in and of themselves cause cancer. Scientific evidence indicates that synthetic hormones and hormone imbalance do contribute to breast cancer.

The ABC’s of Estrogen.

Estrogen’s effects in the body are regulated through two different kinds of receptors: alpha and beta receptors. Estrogen-alpha receptors stimulate breast cell growth. Estrogen-beta receptors inhibit breast cell growth.

Estradiol, the most potent estrogen, equally stimulates alpha and beta receptors = growth stable
Estrone, the second most potent estrogen, stimulates alpha receptors 5:1 over beta receptors = pro growth
Estriol, the weakest variety of estrogen, actually stimulates beta receptors 3:1 = growth inhibitory

The key element here is balance of hormones. Higher levels of estrone present in your body (produced by fat cells) result in more breast stimulation. Higher levels of estriol present in your body results in less breast cell stimulation and, therefore, breast protection. Estriol = Good. Estrone = Bad. If you have heard of someone developing breast cancer after starting Premarin, there’s a logical explanation for that. Guess what Premarin is loaded with? Premarin contains (48%) estrone (estrone = bad = breast cell stimulation).

Here are some more ugly facts about Premarin, also know as conjugated equine estrogen. Premarin actually decreases estrogen beta receptors. So, if you take Premarin, then you are taking high doses of estrone (estrone = bad) and decreasing your estrogen receptors that inhibit breast cell growth. In a nutshell: you are taking more of the bad estrogen and decreasing your amount of the good estrogen. This equates to a prime set up for breast cancer. Don’t take my word for it. See the wonderful article by Kent Holtorf.

Progesterone: The Growth-Inhibitor Hormone

The confusion out there about estrogen and breast cancer is bad enough, but the confusion is even greater on the subject of progesterone.

Pregesterone is the key hormone in the second half of a woman’s cycle. Estrogen is the dominant hormone in the first half of your cycle (estrogen = growth = growth of the uterine lining to support implantation of an egg). The counteractive hormone to this growth phase is progesterone (progesterone = no growth = sloughing off of the uterine lining). It’s the amazing and fascinating way that woman was created.

Synthetic progestins, often prescribed, are NOT the same as the progesterone your body produces. Just look at the structure and you see that they are not. The one thing they do have in common is they both protect the lining of the uterus against excessive estrogen growth. But, that is where the similarities end.

While there are many differences between the two, our focus here will be on the difference in breast cancer potential. Simply stated, synthetic progestins are pro-breast cancer and bioidentical progesterone is breast protective. The Women’s Health Initiative (link) revealed a 26% increase in breast cancer as a result of taking synthetic progestin. The Nurse’s Health Study (link) found that synthetic progestins tripled breast cancer risk over that of estrogen only. The use of Provera, a synthetic progestin and component of Prempro, has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer by 800%!

The statistics for bioidentical progesterone are the opposite. Bioidentical progesterone has many positive breast benefits:

Progesterone decreases estrogen production
Progesterone moves estradiol to weaker estrone
Progesterone moves estrone to inactive (sulfated) form
Progesterone moves estrone to weakest/safest estriol
Progesterone down-regulates estrogen receptors all together
Progesterone activates the cancer protection gene, p53

The idea that progesterone is a safer alternative to synthetic progestins is not new at all. As early as the early 80’s, there has been a call for safer progesterone over synthetic progestin counterparts. In 1981, nearly 30 years ago, L.D. Cowan showed that just having low progesterone levels increases the risk of premenopausal breast cancer risk 5.4 times.

Unfortunately, progesterone-deficient states, (or estrogen dominance) are very common in women today as a result of many factors: being overweight, PCOS, environmental xenoestrogens, excessive estrogen therapy, and perimenopause. Another study, showed progesterone to have a 400% decreased breast growth rate.

The Scientific Evidence Is Clear.

The evidence in the scientific literature is clear with regards to estrogens, progesterone, and hormone balance.

Bioidentical and synthetic hormones should NOT be used interchangeably. They are not equal. They have very different physiologic effects on the breast: synthetic progestins (Provera notably) increase breast cancer (800%) and bioidentical progesterone protects against breast cancer (400% decrease breast growth rate).

Estrogen therapy is not for everybody and is definitely not a panacea drug; in fact estrogen dominance is a major contributor to breast cancer risk. But if estrogen therapy is needed, then estriol (Estriol = good) is the best.

Hormone balance is the key. Without estrogen and progesterone balance, a women’s cycles are irregular, and infertility can be a big problem.

You know, once we understand hormones and the balancing cycle between estrogen and progesterone, it makes perfect sense that imbalance would cause breast problems. And the scientific evidence indicates just that. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it’s time make sure your hormones are balanced and protect yourself from breast cancer.