Bio-Identical Hormones & Hormone Health

The medical world has recently become aware of the benefits of "bio-identical hormone" therapy. The meaning of this phrase and a contrast to medical standards will be explained here. For decades, the standard prescription for a woman with hormone imbalance has been any of a variety of "synthetic" hormones. The term "synthetic" refers primarily to the fact that these hormones used for treatment are not the same hormones the body makes in its normal metabolism. The difference between these two types of hormones has become more significant than previously thought, in light of recent research.

The body continuously makes and eliminates hormones. Estrogen and progesterone are similar to other hormones, in that, the body controls how much and when they are made. Bio-identical hormones are prescribed within this natural cycle to facilitate normal body functions. This helps the emotions, concentration, energy, reduced body fat among many other benefits.

At Greenspan Good Health Center, we have been using bio-identical hormones exclusively for 15 years. Our experience with all hormonal imbalances, including those that occur at menopause, enables us to provide individualized care that closely meets your body's needs.

Bio-identical hormones are precisely the same shape and chemical nature as the hormones made in the body. Because they are made from soy, calabar and other beans through a laboratory process, the body can easily recognize and use them. It can also easily discard/eliminate them when it is done with them.

Synthetic hormones are also made in a lab but they are chemically different than the hormones made in the body. They are harder for the body to use and harder to eliminate. The ability to eliminate hormones is especially important because when they stay in the body too long, they over-stimulate the various organs and can create hormone-related imbalances.

To understand this further, let us briefly review why synthetic hormones became so popular. First, a woman's hormone balance is vulnerable to many stress and nutritional changes. The need for hormone treatment has been apparent for many generations. When hormones were discovered in the early 20th century, it was very difficult to produce them in large enough quantities to make them into a commercial medicine.

One of the first and longest enduring hormone products is the estrogenic formula called Premarin®. It was found that the urine of a pregnant horse was rich in estrogenic compounds and, after some research, Premarin® was put on the market and remained the top selling "estrogen" replacement product for over 40 years. While it has helped many women feel better, it is known to contain over 200 different estrogen related substances, far more complex than the human body needs or can really tolerate.

Premarin, as well as other synthetic estrogens are chemically modified in the lab process to slow down their absorption into the body and their breakdown by the liver. This effect of slowing the movement of these estrogens through the body offers two considerations. First, it is convenient to use because the person using them only needs to take them once per day. However, it is believed that this slow metabolism may contribute to the risk of estrogen related conditions such as fibroid tumors, breast and uterine cancers among other conditions.

In the "Women's Health Initiative" study the use of synthetic estrogen and "progestin" (similar to progesterone) correlated with an increase in cancer and cardiovascular disease incidence. The findings were so significant that the research project was cancelled so that the people being studied would not be put at such risk.