Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Safe? Media has done a great job at exposing studies that show conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can lead to increased risk of cancer, stroke, and heart disease. As a result, many men and women experiencing symptoms of hormone imbalance don’t know where to turn for help. Natural BHRT provides a safe approach for effective hormone replacement therapy. So, where should you turn for help? Patients experiencing symptoms of hormone imbalance such as hot flashes, irregular and painful periods, headaches, bone loss, memory loss, difficulty concentrating , decreased libido, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, decreased muscle mass, weight gain and mood swings should seek out a practitioner who treats these symptoms using a natural method - Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). With natural BHRT, the hormones are accepted by the body and act in the body as the hormones your system naturally produces. Synthetic hormones used in conventional HRT, like Premarin, Prempro, and Progestin is not naturally accepted by the body and may cause a host of adverse side effects. What about the US Preventive Services Task Force’s (USPSTF) recent recommendation to not use hormone therapy as the prevention for chronic medical conditions? The warnings are against using Estrogen and Progestin in the prevention of medical conditions. There is a big difference between Progestin and Progesterone. Remember the previously mentioned difference between HRT and BHRT? Progestin is a synthetic hormone, one I do not use to treat my patients. Progesterone is a Bio-Identical hormone for natural BHRT treatment that not only relieves PMS symptoms, anxiety, insomnia, and mood instability in many patients, but it also has preventative factors against estrogen dependent cancers (including breast cancer), cardiovascular disease, Osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and diabetes. The USPSTF also does not recommend Estrogen for the prevention of chronic conditions in Post-Menopausal women and who have had a hysterectomy. Women have estrogen receptor sites throughout the body, not just in the uterus; therefore, there are many symptoms and chronic illnesses that would warrant the use of Estrogen Replacement. Again, Bio-Identical Estrogens (natural BHRT) should be used in treatment, and a woman should never be treated with Estrogen and not balance it with Progesterone, even if she no longer has a uterus. Natural BHRT utilizes Progesterone, which is needed to buffer Estrogen levels. Are hormones useful in the prevention of some chronic conditions? Yes, as long as they are natural Bio-Identical and they are used in the correct combination and doses. Will hormone replacement cause cancer? Natural Bio-Identical Hormones do not cause Cancer. In some cases, as mentioned above, they can be protective against cancer. If a patient already has cancer, then natural BHRT may not be the best option. Karen F. Hyden, APN-BC, MSN, MEdWellness Solutions of Tennessee, LLC.2323 21st Avenue SouthNashville, TN 37212615-673-6737
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