Hormone therapy can be traced back over 2200 years when the Chinese isolated sex and pituitary hormones for medicinal purposes. In Ancient Greece, it is estimated that at least 50 percent of women died by the age of 34. Additionally, they believed that women were inferior to men and that a woman’s value was based on fertility, so menopausal women were not the focus of much literature or study.
By the Victorian era, Physicians believed that there was a link between the womb and the brain, making all women susceptible to insanity. This was thought to be especially true of women in menopause. As a result, they believed the only logical treatment was to lock up these women in asylums.
As medical science advanced and the workings of the endocrine system were discovered, ovarian hormones were isolated, giving physicians a more realistic perspective on menopause. Gradually, the belief that menopause was a sign of madness was replaced by the theory that a woman’s “lost femininity” could be restored by hormone treatments.
It is sad to think that women from centuries ago were treated as if they were insane. Fortunately, we have made immense progress in our culture’s attitudes about menopause, its symptoms, and treatments. No longer is it something to fear, but a time in life when a woman can move forward with a sense of newfound freedom from menstruation, cramps, unplanned pregnancy, and more.
What is Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT)?
BHRT is a natural alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapy. Hormones used in traditional hormone replacement therapy are usually made of synthetic materials or the urine of pregnant horses. In contrast, Bioidentical Hormones are created from plant chemicals found in soybeans and yams, a more natural alternative. The body knows how to best use the hormones because they are identical to the body’s molecules produced.
BHRT can come in oral, topical, and pellet forms. BHRT uses Pellets (which are smaller than a grain of rice and are placed in the fatty tissue underneath the skin), offers a consistent release of the hormone, and may help address rollercoaster-like effects. The body is given what it can no longer produce. Hence, treatment is tailored and individualized for every patient.
In the long term, men and women will have a reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and osteoporosis. Also, multiple studies have shown a long-term reduction in breast cancer. Testosterone and estradiol also improve lipid profiles, reduce triglycerides, and increase HDL cholesterol, which can positively benefit the cardiovascular system. Therapeutic testosterone levels can also protect the body from diabetes and prostate cancer.
Gloria Bachman, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Rutgers’ Robert Wood Johnson, medical school, wrote in the International Journal of Fertility and Menopausal Studies in 1995 that Hormone therapy improves the look of the skin, breast, and muscles, among other things, and it, therefore, it plays an important role in boosting a woman’s self-image and self-esteem. Live your life with zest, energy, youth, and happiness.
Of course, this is not just one-sided for women. Men also have many unrealized symptoms and can also greatly benefit from BHRT.
Dr. Thangavelu is a BioTE certified physician at the Wellness Medical Clinic. The office specializes in Anti-Aging, Aesthetics, Wellness, and Weight-Loss. WMC also offers physician-guided weight loss, Morpheus8 Facial Microneedling, Vaginal Rejuvenation, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), PRP hair loss treatments, IV fluid treatments and immunity boost, and Botox, among others.
Dr. Thangavelu practices the highest standards of care and is constantly assessing services that could best benefit her patients. The office is a welcoming place that, from the front desk to the patient rooms, ensures a positive and compassionate experience. For more information visit, www.mymedicalwellness.com. You can also reach Dr. Thangavelu on FaceBook @mywellnessmedical and Instagram @mywellnessmedical, by phone at 850-518-4325, or email at anewme850@gmail.com.