Natural Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy

What are Hormones?

Hormones are chemical substances that are produced in one location and travels to another location to create a response.

Testing Hormones in Saliva Reveals the Inner You

Who Should Test Hormones?

• Hot Flashes
• Migraines
• Night Sweats
• Hair Loss
• Insomnia
• Fibroids
• Water Retention
• Endometriosis
• Acne
• Depression
• Muscle Loss
• Gum Disease
• Craving for Sweets

• Vaginal Dryness
• Prostate Problems
• Low Sex Drive
• Osteoporosis
• Impotence
• Osteopenia
• Dry SKin
• Irritability
• Weight Gain
• Oily Skin
• Anxiety
• Low Energy
• Dry Skin

... one or more of your hormones could be high, low, or out of balance

Your sex steroid Hormones and their biological effects in the body

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Available Tests

Estradiol - main, most dominant estrogen. Should be tested for cycle irregularities, PMS, hot flashes, fibroids, endometriosis, depression, migraines and prostate issues.

Estrone and Estriol - for women supplementing with these forms of estrogen

Progesterone - balances estrogen. Test when experiencing sleep disturbances, anxiety, water retention, weight gain, fibroids, and Endometriosis.

Testosterone - low sex drive, low energy, hair loss, unwanted facial hair, acne, oily skin, impotence, and osteoporosis

DHT - most potent androgen. Associated with sex drive, male/female hair loss, prostate enlargement and cancer.

DHEA - related to the immune system, energy and stress. Available over the counter so should be tested to insure the dose is appropriate for each individual.

Cortisol - adrenal hormone that indicates how your body is handling stress. Test if you have concerns about stress, chronic fatigue, autoimmune issues and osteoporosis.

Adrenal Function Panel - 4 cortisol collections over a 24-hour period. Used to diagnose and treat adrenal insufficiency, chronic fatigue and adrenal stress. Often ordered with DHEA.

Melatonin - regulates sleep patterns and often declines with age. Test if you have chronic insomnia or are supplementing with melatonin.

Circadian Panel - 4 melatonin collections over a 24 hour period. Ordered to evaluate sleep disturbances and Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Peri-Panel - five collections of estradiol, progesterone over a monthly cycle with one testosterone. Used to pinpoint problems and individually tailor treatment. Additional hormones may be added.

Dpd - urine collection that measure the rate of bone loss. Used to determine your risk of osteoporosis or to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.
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Why Saliva?
A small but potent portion of the body's circulating hormones enters saliva-the bio-available or free-fraction. Testing in the saliva provides the best indicator of your body's need for hormone replacement.

• Saliva measures the bio-available or "free-fraction" of the hormone.
• Non-invasive, economical, can be collected at home with no special handling requirements.
• Collections are precisely timed to correspond with cycles and daily hormonal patterns.

Understanding Replacement Hormones

The best way to take replacement hormones is to take the ones that most closely resemble the ones your body makes for itself, in the amount your body needs to function optimally - like it did when you were in your hormonal peak of health.

Natural hormones are identical in the molecular structure of your own hormones. That is why they are called natural hormones.

The Best and Safest Delivery System:

The Skin
Creams and gels are applied directly to the skin. The skin delivery system mimics our own hormone releasing pattern very closely, and provides very even, constant hormone levels.

Cream/Gel (Transdermal)
Advantages

1. Hormones are absorbed rapidly and efficiently
2. Enter as free hormones (they go to work right away)
3. As much as 10 times lower dosages used since the hormones do not go through a first pass of the liver.
4. The natural hormone fits exactly into the receptor like a lock and key.

Compounding Pharmacist
The prescription is made by hand, on an individual basis, and the dosage is individualized to meet your specific needs.

Compounding pharmacies specialize in formulating and preparing prescriptions that are designed specifically for you.

Dr. Speciale has been using and recommending Pine Pharmacy for the past 12 years with excellent results. Dr. Speciale works closely with the compounding pharmacists to implement a treatment plan designed specifically for you. We have an excellent working relationship with all the compounding pharmacists.

Recommendations

Unsupplemented Women
Test a baseline of Estradiol, Progesterone, Testosterone, DHT, DHEA and Cortisol. Peri and Postmenopausal women should also be regularly monitoring their bone turnover with the Dpd assay.

Currently Supplementing?
Monitor the hormones you are using to measure hormone absorption-allowing your Health Care Provider to adjust your dose if necessary.

Men
Testosterone, DHT, DHEA, Cortisol, and Estradiol.

How Often Do I Need to Test?
Unsupplemented Pre-menopausal women and men should test yearly to identify hormone changes that may warrant supplementation.

After beginning HRT, you should test at 2-4 weeks after you begin therapy to ensure the dose and delivery meets your individual needs.

Once your HRT dose has stabilized, test yearly to identify possible shifts in metabolism that may warrant a dose adjustment. Follow the advice of your doctor.

Peri-menopausal women may need to test every 6 months since this is a rapidly changing phase.
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