“How come Grandpa looks like Grandma and Grandma looks like Grandpa?”
Since I began treating my patients with Bio-Identical Hormones, also known as natural hormone replacement therapy, I am frequently asked why I think someone should be taking hormone replacement therapy. My answer is always two-fold. First it depends on which type of hormone replacement you are talking about, and second, as we grow older as individuals or as couples, it becomes difficult to maintain a good quality of life without them.
I qualified the first reason because not all hormone replacement therapy is created equal. There are definite differences between the effect and risks of bio-identical versus non bio-identical hormones. Bio-Identical hormones (Estrogens, Testosterone, Progesterone, DHEA, Pregnenolone) have the exact same chemical structures as the hormones that your body makes. Take estradiol for example. When introduced into your system, it is immediately recognized by the body for what it is, i.e. an estrogen molecule, because your body has seen this estrogen molecule since your were tiny in your mother’s womb. And because it has a strong chemical attraction to it’s intended receptor sites, it then goes on to attach itself to that receptor site like a perfect puzzle piece, having the exact effect that is intended by the hormone and when finished, is recognized and removed by a metabolic process innate to the body, leading to the quick and natural elimination of the hormone through the urine. None of this is true for a non bio-identical hormone, which in many ways may be seen more as a hormone disruptor.
Now, for both men and women the ideal scenario would be that as one ages, you are able to maintain a good quality of life. What does that mean? It means that you are able to maintain good mental faculties, you are able to see well and you are able to remain mobile. Proper hormonal balance is critical to all three of these, as is reflected in the fact that hormone receptors are located in and affect almost every organ system in the body, including the brain, heart, muscles, bones and eyes. When their levels drop the body begins to change and age more rapidly. Just as importantly, they serve to keep those innate parts of you that make you female and male, both physically, mentally and emotionally. Viva la difference!
