When your hormones are out of balance, your whole life changes — your body, your mind, and even your personality. That’s because hormones regulate many vital systems, from temperature and digestion to mental acuity and mood.
Doctors have been trying to address those issues for decades with hormone replacement therapy, but the treatment often replaced one set of problems with another.
Today, there’s a safer and more natural option — bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. The treatment aligns perfectly with our health care philosophy at OWM Integrative Wellness in Buffalo, New York. Our integrative medicine physician, Dr. Leonard Kaplan, board-certified naturopathic specialist, Dr. Kim Howes, and family health nurse practitioner, Amy Claroni, are passionate about whole-person wellness, so we embrace a wide array of evidence-based treatments, both traditional and innovative.
We personalize your treatment plan, so when hormones fall out of balance, we don’t just prescribe a one-size-fits-all synthetic replacement — we customize a blend of natural ingredients that gently restore your hormonal balance. Here’s what you can expect from bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
Bioidentical hormones vs. traditional HRT
For years, doctors have prescribed hormone replacement therapy to help women tolerate menopause symptoms and men cope with testosterone depletion. Although it’s normal for hormones to dip as you age, the consequences can be difficult to bear — hot flashes, mood swings, low energy, sexual dysfunction, weight gain, and hair loss, to name a few.
However, traditional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is derived from the urine of pregnant horses. The treatment may relieve some symptoms, but it also leads to whole-body inflammation and may contribute to breast and ovarian cancer.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, also known as BioT, or BHRT, is plant-based, safe, and effective. The natural components match your own hormones’ molecular structure, so your body recognizes them immediately and responds positively.
What to expect with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy
When imbalanced hormones disrupt your life, you can restore balance with bioidentical hormones. Here’s what you can expect when you get started.
Get your blood work
Before starting you on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, we ensure your symptoms stem from a hormone imbalance. Blood work is a good place to start, as it tells us which hormones are deficient.
It also helps us determine if you have any other issues, such as high cholesterol, high or low blood glucose, infection, or anemia.
We run a blood test specifically to check hormone levels, which shows us whether women are in perimenopause or menopause and whether men have low testosterone. The test may also indicate if thyroid disease is present.
Unlike many hormone replacement clinics, here at OWM Integrative Wellness we take extra steps to ensure that hormone replacement therapy is absolutely safe for the individual. We accomplish this by performing a genetic profile test that identifies a person’s ability to process hormones safely without increasing risk of cancer and a urine test that analyzes their hormone metabolites which ensures that the hormones are not being diverted into toxic and inflammatory pathways.
Your blood work guides us as we formulate your bioidentical hormone replacement therapy so you get exactly what you need.
Choose your delivery system
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy comes in various forms, and you may have a choice to make regarding how it’s administered.
- Estrogen: topical cream or a vaginal application
- Progesterone: oral pill, lozenge, cream, or vaginal application
- Testosterone: cream, or self-injection
Our experts discuss all your options and help you navigate your options, so you choose the format that best suits your health needs and your lifestyle.
Begin your therapy
After you choose one of the listed delivery systems, we teach you how to use the product to get the full effects of the therapy.
We discuss all your options and help you navigate your options, so you choose the format that best suits your health needs and your lifestyle.
If you get implantable pellets, they release steady doses of the hormones into your bloodstream for 3-5 months. The regulated release helps you avoid the roller coaster effect often caused by animal-based, synthetic HRT.
If you choose one of the other delivery systems, we teach you how to use the product to get the full effects.
Enjoy ongoing well-being
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy takes time to kick in. Typically, after the first round of therapy, you’ll notice significant improvements in your overall health, and your symptoms should dissipate. You’ll have more energy, lose weight more easily, focus better, and feel more like yourself.
If you’d like to learn more about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and find out if it’s right for you, contact us online or by phone to schedule a consultation with our specialists. You could be back to your old self again soon.
