Restoring your levels can make you feel great, love great, look younger and live longer!
If your life is missing that special spark you used to have, it may be your hormones. Men & Women need Optimal levels of Balanced Hormones, including Pregnenolone, DHEA, Testosterone, and all 3 Estrogens, to achieve optimum health and vitality. Even if just one hormone is low, it can throw all the rest out of balance. Low Testosterone can cause low energy, abdominal weight gain, anxiety and depression, ruin your romance and significantly increase your risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, metabolic disease and more. To be truly healthy, you need to balance all of your hormones and raise your levels to those equal to that of a healthy 35 year old. (Source: References linked here)
Patient Files: Bart and Paige
Testosterone can restore your romance and reduce your risk of dying!
This is the story of my patient Paige and her husband Bart. When Paige first came to see me she was 52 years old and had been experiencing “Menopause” symptoms since age 34. That is when she had a Total Hysterectomy, in which her Gynecologist removed her uterus and both ovaries due to severe Endometriosis.
When Paige came to my office she was suffering from hot flashes, sleeplessness, anxiety, depression, total loss of libido, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, weight gain and joint pains. She was miserable and I was her last hope. These symptoms are more than mere nuisances; they are indicators for increased risk of female cancers.Paige’s Endometriosis had gotten so bad that it covered her ovaries and her bladder like a web. (Endometriosis is due to too much Estradiol, bad estrogen, and too little Progesterone). Unfortunately, all that her gynecologist knew to do was to cut everything out.
After her hysterectomy, Paige became depressed and gained gained weight. Before she realized what had happened she was 10 years older and 35lbs heavier. She lost some of the weight for a time then it gradually all came back.
Paige suffered from hot flashes and night sweats 2-3 times per night that made it impossible to get a good night’s sleep and she was tired all the time. A lack of Estrogen for so many years had caused thinning of her skin, bones and vaginal membranes. Her sex drive had become very low and she had very little interest or sensitivity, which was perhaps a good thing because it had all become too painful.
Paige: Age 52Paige’s Lab Test Results
Initially, Paige’s labs revealed all of her hormones were extremely low, except for Estradiol, which she was getting in the prescription drug Estrace and getting way too much. This is the estrogen that raises a woman’s risk of breast and uterine cancer if it is too high. Once I prescribed the correct balance of Bio-identical hormones Paige’s levels got back into balance over the next few months.
One month later Paige said, “Everything is better. I am feeling much better. No more headaches, my skin is much softer. Sex no longer hurts at all and I have lots of lubrication. Sleep is great. It only takes 10-15 minutes to fall asleep and I am sleeping a solid 6-7 hours per night. I feel more balanced emotionally, less tearful and more energy and my joints are no longer stiff and achy.” When I asked Paige if her sex drive was improved, she said, “Oh yes! It is way up! I have a really healthy desire now and way more sensitivity.”Three weeks after the initial visit and prescription, Paige said that her hot flashes and night sweats went away within first few days. She was sleeping better and was no longer waking in the night. She felt calmer and happier and noticed an overall improvement in her sense of well-being.Here is what Paige had to say at her 3 month follow-up visit. “I feel like a different person. I feel great. My energy is up. My sex drive is up. I’m more motivated and no longer apathetic. Even simple things used to seem difficult. Now I bound out of bed without stiffness or pain and I’m excited about every day. Now my husband is convinced. He wants to feel this good.”
Summary of Results of Paige’s Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy
“Everything’s better”
No more night sweats – gone within first week
Sleeping better, no longer waking in the night
Calmer
Happier; less apathy, more interest, motivation
Less stiffness in the morning
Skin is softer
Sex drive is higher “Oh yes!” More desire and sensitivity
No more vaginal dryness or pain during intercourse
Lost 4 lbs in 4 weeks; 12 lbs in 13 weeks
Feeling “fantastic!” “I feel like a different person”
Now her husband is convinced – he wants to feel that good
What Are BioIdentical Hormones?
Bio-Identical Hormones are hormones compounded by pharmacists from natural plant extracts. They are virtually identical to the naturally occurring hormones made by the body, including the three estrogens: Estrone (E1), Estradiol (E2) and Estriol (E3), as well as Progesterone, Pregnenolone, Testosterone, Free Testosterone, SHBG, DHEA, Cortisol, Growth Hormone and Thyroid Hormone. Because these hormones are identical to the hormones made by the body they are not associated with the severe list of side-effects associated with synthetic hormones. Because Bio-Identical Hormones are made by nature, they cannot be patented. In essence, God holds the patent to these plant based hormones. That is the only reason drug companies don’t make them. Without a patent, there is no market exclusivity and hence no financial incentive to bring the product to market.
Which Hormones Should You Take?
To know which hormones are out of balance, you need to test your blood levels. First and foremost, you want to make sure that you don’t have too much Estrone (E1) or Estradiol (E2). These hormones stimulate cellular proliferation of the uterus and breasts, which is associated with an increased risk of cancer. They also cause an increased risk of clots and strokes when too high. Estriol (E3), on the other hand, is the safe, protective estrogen that provides the healthful estrogen benefits as well as specific anti-cancer activity. To balance your hormones you should test the following hormones every year: Pregnenolone (the memory hormone), DHEA-S (the adrenal anti-aging hormone), Testosterone (for muscle, bone, mood, energy and optimal sex drive), Estrone (E1), Estradiol (E2), Estriol (E3), Progesterone (the bone building, anti-anxiety, anti-irritability, cancer suppressing hormone), Cortisol (the blood sugar regulating, anti-inflammatory hormone) and Growth Hormone (the hormone that builds healthy collagen, elastin and bone). Thyroid is your metabolic and energy hormone. If any of these hormones are out of balance, proper supplementation can restore optimal levels so that you can feel great again and reduce your risks of osteoporosis, heart disease, strokes, dementia, and cancer.
What is the Best Way to Take Bio-Identical Hormones?
The best way to take BioIdentical Hormones is to dissolve them under your tongue (sublingual) so that they get absorbed directly into the blood stream across the mucous membranes of the mouth. This area of the mouth is rich in capillary blood vessels that can readily absorb Bio-Identical Hormones. This method allows the natural hormones to go right to work to perform their function to heal and rejuvenate the body before being broken down and eliminated by the liver.
Oral pills lose are only about 20% absorbed, while 80% of the hormones will be taken up by the liver and be eliminated by the body before getting a chance to accomplish their tasks.
Creams are messy, poorly absorbed and eventually the skin stops absorbing them almost entirely, because the skin is designed to be a barrier and to keep chemicals out of the body.
Hormone pellets implanted under the skin are designed to last 3-4 month. This sounds very convenient, but that convenience comes with a price, in that it often leads to build up of hormones including the harmful Estrogen, Estradiol, which is known to cause cancer. I often see women as patients who have been on Hormone Pellets and find that their Estradiol levels are 10 times too high, and those high levels stay high for as much as a year after the last implant. This puts them at increased risk of Breast, Uterine and Ovarian Cancer, especially if they are not taking Estriol and Progresterone in the proper balancing levels. Additionally, the Pellets are required by the FDA to be sterilized either by radiation or Ethylene oxide, a potential neurotoxin. Hormone pellet implants are frankly dangerous and should be avoided.
The safest and most natural delivery method is the Sublingual, or under-the-tongue delivery. I have spent many years developing just the right combination of Bio-Identical Hormones in just the right ratios and combinations that dissolve quickly under the tongue and are free of extraneous, harmful, or unnecessary ingredients. This means that you can take your hormones every night just before bedtime and they will pass completely through your entire body’s circulation to reach all the intended tissue and perform all the necessary rejuvenating functions before being removed by the liver just in time for you to take your next day’s dose.
If your Testosterone level is below the 10 percentile, or you are male, I usually recommend that you get Intramuscular (I.M.) shots of Testosterone every 1-2 weeks to get to the optimal level. Men simply need more than can be efficiently absorbed under the tongue and some women just don’t absorb Testosterone well enough under the tongue. Most men and women find I.M injections to be relatively painless and very effective.
What does Dr. Hansen Prescribe to his Patients?
The first thing that I do for my patients with symptoms of andropause or menopause is to test their individual hormone levels. Balance is the key to optimal health and vitality. We need to know the starting level of all of the key hormones including Estrone, Estradiol, and Estriol, as well as Progesterone, Pregnenolone, Testosterone, Free Testosterone, SHBG, DHEA, Cortisol, Growth Hormone and Thyroid. Once your levels are determined the correct dose can be chosen for your individual case. It typically takes 1-3 weeks to get the hormone levels back to more optimal levels and get you feeling like yourself again. Or, better yet, some patients say Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy makes them feel better than they have ever felt before. They feel happier, healthier, stronger, clearer, sharper and more alive than they have ever felt before.
Get Your Testosterone Test
Paige’s Lab Test Results
Initially, Paige’s labs revealed all of her hormones were extremely low, except for Estradiol, which she was getting in the prescription drug Estrace and getting way too much. This is the estrogen that raises a woman’s risk of breast and uterine cancer if it is too high. Once I prescribed the correct balance of Bio-identical hormones Paige’s levels got back into balance over the next few months.
One month later Paige said, “Everything is better. I am feeling much better. No more headaches, my skin is much softer. Sex no longer hurts at all and I have lots of lubrication. Sleep is great. It only takes 10-15 minutes to fall asleep and I am sleeping a solid 6-7 hours per night. I feel more balanced emotionally, less tearful and more energy and my joints are no longer stiff and achy.” When I asked Paige if her sex drive was improved, she said, “Oh yes! It is way up! I have a really healthy desire now and way more sensitivity.”Three weeks after the initial visit and prescription, Paige said that her hot flashes and night sweats went away within first few days. She was sleeping better and was no longer waking in the night. She felt calmer and happier and noticed an overall improvement in her sense of well-being.Here is what Paige had to say at her 3 month follow-up visit. “I feel like a different person. I feel great. My energy is up. My sex drive is up. I’m more motivated and no longer apathetic. Even simple things used to seem difficult. Now I bound out of bed without stiffness or pain and I’m excited about every day. Now my husband is convinced. He wants to feel this good.”
