Ever since the release of the book of Suzanne Sommer entitled Ageless and The Sexy Years, there has been an overwhelming surge of interest on bio identical hormone therapy. Sadly, though, that although bio identical hormones have been around for a very long time, many practitioners have little or no experience with this kind of medication.
Start with your own gynecologist
When looking for a physician who can provide help on bio identical hormone therapy, the best place to start is with the gynecologist you can trust.
Many women find it best to trust a single doctor or gynecologist when it comes to their reproductive health. When looking for a physician who can provide help on bio identical hormone therapy, the best place to start is with the gynecologist you can trust. Often your doctor will recommend a good practitioner or a group of specialists who regularly deals with menopause or bio identical hormone therapy. If, however, you are not satisfied with this, you can browse through the internet or the Yellow Pages for alternative health or holistic health specialists who have the technical experience on the subject matter.
Most of physicians who prescribe bio identical hormone therapy are holistic doctors and naturopathic practitioners. They are specialists who have additional education and training in bioidentical hormones therapy. A holistic medical doctor is one who uses a combination of conventional Western medicine and other alternative medicines such as acupuncture, herbal therapy or homeopathy. Naturopathic physicians, on the other hand, work to restore and support the body’s systems by using medicines and techniques that are in harmony with natural processes.
What your doctor needs to know
It is usual for a doctor to ask for a patient’s primary complaint and to solicit more details about it. When visiting your doctor for consultation on bio identical hormone treatments, be prepared to give an honest personal history. Most often, questions such as when, what, how and where will be thrown at you in order to determine whether or not this kind of treatment is the truly to the solution to your health concerns. Time constraints, however, could be a problem, particularly when you have many complaints. It is advised that before seeing a doctor, make a list of all your symptoms, past medications and health history, including those of other family members. Do not hesitate to talk about your sexual history, particularly if libido is an issue. This will enable your doctor to fully diagnose your condition and to prescribe the proper bio identical hormone therapy for you.
Know what you are looking for
There is still a great deal of confusion about bio identical hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. When accepting prescription for medication of your hormonal issues, make sure you are being prescribed bio identical hormone medications and not synthetic hormone replacements.
Bio identical hormone therapy medications are formulated in laboratories from plant components. They match the exact formula of the hormones your body produces. In contrast, synthetic hormones used in hormone replacement therapy are designed by drug companies from pregnant mare’s urine. They are different and foreign to the human body. They do not function like bio identical hormones. They have many proven side effects and are the cause of many health repercussions. Generally, they are unsafe to use.
Prempro, Premarin and Provera are all synthetic hormones. Estrace, Estraderm, Estrasorb, Climara, Vivelle, Femring and Prometrium are examples of bio identical medications.
