Sunday, September 27, 2009

Hormones and Quality of Life

As we age our hormones decrease. This can be a problem for many of us. Our body and mind just doesn't seem to work as well without proper hormone levels.

Both women and men can have this problem although the symptoms may differ.

Hormone deficiency can make us frail, decrease our libido and make us more dependent on others. Then there are the hot flashes and mood swings that make us uncomfortable and wreck havoc in our lives.

Besides that, hormone deficiency can cut years from our lives.

When our hormones are balanced then we can live a longer, happier and more satisfying life. Our moods improve and so does our mental and physical health. We can enjoy life again.

There are some ways to improve our hormone levels without prescriptions. This may not always be the case but it is worth the effort to give it a shot. These are basically ways to become healthier anyways, so why not?

Nutritional supplements can help as can exercise, diet, lifestyle, relationships and how we control stress in our lives. Keeping our minds and bodies healthy will improve our hormone balance.

If you decide that you need hormone replacement therapy then you need to understand more about them and your choices. Be sure to do intensive research so that you can make informed decisions.

Most doctors will want to prescribe synthetic hormones. This is just the way our world works these days. With the FDA and the drug companies wanting to make huge profits, your health isn't always their main concern.

These prescriptions are pretty much one-fits-all. They don't focus on the individual.

Many believe that synthetic hormones have more side affects than natural ones. It doesn't take a genius to understand why. But using synthetic drugs are the only way that the drug companies can patent them.

Synthetic hormones are not identical to humans. In fact they are made from pregnant horse urine. Isn't that a pleasant thought?

There are a handful of doctors that are now turning to bioidentical hormones. More are coming around to this option daily.

Bioidentical hormones have identical makeup as human hormones. They also seem to have less side affects.

If you decide on bioidentical hormones then be sure you have a reliable doctor that is experienced in this area. You should perform a blood test to determine the exact formula for you. This custom formula will be produced by a compounding pharmacy.

You may have to do some homework to find such a doctor in your area that will work with you and understands bioidentical hormones. This doctor can point you to a compounding pharmacy in your area where you submit your prescription.

It may not be wise to use any hormone therapy indefinitely, but it may help you get through a rough transition in your life.

There haven't been many studies on bioidentical hormones because the drug companies aren't interested. Hopefully more will be done soon.

Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands.

By Lambert Klein

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