Many people suffer from hormonal symptoms that are not readily attributed as a hormone imbalance. It is common for women having hot flashes or night sweats to realize that they have a hormonal imbalance. However, women and men without the typical symptoms tend to have their symptoms ignored by their primary care doctors.
When they are in balance and meeting the needs of your body, hormones help the body prosper, but small difficulties with hormones can cause serious and life-changing medical issues if not addressed and treated in a timely manner.
Hormone Imbalance Therapy will help bring your hormone levels to an optimal level and improve your overall vitality and energy levels. The experience you will have at An Optimal You will be unlike any other doctor or hospital visit you have had in the past. Our staff is well trained and extremely knowledgeable in regard to all facets of health, especially when it comes to hormones and the roles they play within the human body. Over time our bodies start to experience small changes, which can occur as early as your mid 20’s. Unfortunately, when you visit your regular doctor these small changes may be overlooked or considered a natural function in the aging process. Our staff at An Optimal You will accurately asses your health by analyzing previous lab work and listening to all the symptoms you describe during your visit. Once we have this information, we will be able to properly bring your hormones to their normal levels by creating a regimen designed on your body’s specific needs. This regimen can be taken by pellets, pills, injections or any way that you are comfortable with. An Optimal You is California’s #1 Hormone Replacement center and we cannot wait to show you what we are all about. Call us today to schedule your appointment, 951-461-3021.
Hormones function as carriers between your body’s internal systems to help manage your biology and behavior. Digestion and metabolism are two major functions of the body that are regulated by hormones. They also help control your respiration, tissue function, sleep, stress levels, growth, movement, reproduction, mood, weight gain and weight loss. They can also help determine whether you are hungry, sleepy or stressed, but also tell your body when to stop all of those functions as well.
Hormones are created by glands, which are part of the endocrine system. The main hormone-producing glands are:
The human body is comprised of nearly 50 different hormones all with a unique function to help you sustain a healthy life.
The body has many different hormones, but specific types have a more significant role to play in the body’s health and well-being. Understanding these roles is important for those looking to protect and manage their health.
For women, estrogen (or estradiol) is the main sex hormone. It causes puberty, regulates the menstrual cycle, and also prepares the body and uterus for pregnancy. During menopause, women become uncomfortable due to the estrogen level changing in their bodies.
Progesterone is comparable to estrogen but is not recognized as the main sex hormone. Similar to estrogen, this hormones function is to assist with the menstrual cycle and play a role in pregnancy.
We believe in balancing your hormones as safely as possible–we want you to feel and look your best, while at the same time minimizing any potential side effects. Anytime we introduce anything into your body there is always a slight risk of side effects. However, in today’s world, surrounded by things that disrupt your hormones, it is almost impossible to feel and look optimal without the use of hormone replacement. In order to minimize any issues we utilize bio-identical hormones. Bio-identical hormones are biologically the same as the hormones made by your body.
Your body knows how to work with these hormones–your body was designed to react with the chemical structures of bio-identical hormones. Synthetic hormones (this is what we call the non bio-identical hormones) are not biologically identical–they have a different chemical structure than the hormones made by your body. Thus, there is a potential for more adverse effects and even a potential increased risk of cancer. Utilizing hormones is always a personal choice made by you. Choosing to use bio-identical hormones simply makes sense to people who adequately research this subject. This type of treatment is customized to you and your specific needs, which is why it is done outside of insurance.
There are many possible causes for a hormonal imbalance. Normally, a cause will be directly related to the gland that has been affected, unless there are other underlying health issues that have not been properly addressed.
Common causes of hormonal imbalance include:
Hormonal imbalances can start as early as your 20’s in today’s toxic, hormone-disrupting, environment. However, it is more typical to see a hormonal decline in your early to mid 30’s. Most patients notice the symptoms becoming apparent in their late 30’s and early 40’s. Although we do see patients in their 50’s and even 60’s who are starting to see a decline as well. This process all depends on each individual person, the environmental factors they have been exposed to, and their family health history.
The symptoms of a hormonal imbalance can include: decreasing energy, inability to lose weight despite making the right lifestyle changes, loss of overall vitality, brain fog, decreased memory, dry skin or hair, decreased focus, inability to gain muscle, increasing aches and pains, loss of libido (sex drive), vaginal dryness (women), decreased morning erections (men), depression, anxiety, irritability, decreased ability to recover from exercise, sleep problems (trouble falling or staying asleep), period irregularities (for women), and more. Unfortunately, the symptoms vary for each person and extend far beyond what has been written above.
For a full list of signs and symptoms, we encourage you to schedule an appointment with one of our fully trained physicians. They will help identify what hormones are starting to cause problems with your health and find the right way to manage these symptoms.
To schedule your appointment, please give us a call at 951-461-3021
Naturally, you may start to feel small changes occur in your body. Unfortunately, your primary care doctor may overlook these changes as signs of aging or insist that you need to start taking unnecessary medicines that could, in fact, harm your body in the long run.
Trust your instincts, you are the only person who can determine how your body is feeling. If you feel or know something is not quite right with your body, it is always worth getting your hormones and symptoms evaluated by a medical professional trained in hormone balancing.
Your optimal hormone balance is unique to your body and your needs. When you have any of the signs or symptoms listed above, your body’s hormones are off and should be addressed by a trained medical professional. It can be your thyroid, estrogen production, progesterone, testosterone levels, cortisol, growth hormone, etc. These imbalances are often missed by general medical practitioners because the doctors often forget to look at you and your symptoms and instead will rely on the lab results that may not necessarily pertain to the symptoms or signs your body is showing. On the surface, this way of thinking may make sense to those who are not trained in hormone balancing, but to those who are trained and know how lab values are determined it ultimately does not make sense and should result in further testing.
Essentially, a traditional doctor will take a random sample of people from the community and draw their blood. The doctor will then take the average values from that randomly selected group of people and determine the “normal” values for the population as a whole. For some blood testing values, this can be helpful. However, hormone levels fluctuate based on the health and needs of the patient. Also, environmental factors play a role in hormone imbalances, which can also alter the blood tests. If they tested people who were feeling optimal, then the lab values would help with receiving the correct values. However, because they test the general population to get the “normal” values these tests ultimately are inconclusive and should not be used to determine values for an entire population.
Each person has a unique makeup of hormones that are specific to their health and bodies. Take a look around the next time you are out in public –is the average person in optimal health? Or, is the average person tired, overwhelmed, overweight, etc.? We know that you do not want to feel average. That’s why at An Optimal You, we help bring you to your most Optimal state of wellbeing.
It is easy to notice that the system of measuring is flawed. We do like to get blood values to see how your body is operating currently, however, we do not look at the “normal” population values that the labs use. Instead, we utilize “optimal” values–these are the lab values that we see in patients who feel and look optimal. In addition, how you feel and respond is more important than the lab values. This is a very different way of practicing medicine – looking at and listening to you, the patient. We put our patients in the driver’s seat of their health.
We believe in balancing your hormones as safely as possible. At An Optimal You we want you to feel and look your best, while at the same time minimizing any potential side effects. Anytime we introduce anything new into your body there is always a slight risk of side effects. However, in today’s world, surrounded by things that disrupt your hormones, it is almost impossible to feel and look optimal without the use of hormone replacements. In order to minimize the potential side effects, we utilize bio-identical hormones.
Bioidentical hormones are biologically the same as the hormones made by your body. Bioidentical means they have been drawn from natural substances then biochemically designed to replicate human hormones. Your body already knows how to work with these hormones because your body was designed to react with the chemical structures of these bioidentical compounds. Synthetic hormones are not biologically identical, they have a different chemical structure than the hormones made by your body.
Thus, there is a potential for more adverse effects and even a potential increased risk of cancers and other dangerous diseases. Utilizing hormones is always a personal choice made by you. Choosing to use bio-identical hormones is a subject matter that most patients spend time researching before making a decision. This type of treatment is customized to you and your specific needs, which is why it is done outside of insurance. For more information about services done outside of insurance, please give us a call.
When you start a bio-identical hormone treatment program, it begins with you sitting down in our office so that we can go over your symptoms and lab work that was previously taken. We provide all of our patients with a questionnaire to help us understand you and your health a bit better. It is important that you fill out the extensive questionnaire that we have on our website and bring that to your visit, so we can adequately assist you. Once we know your concerns and medical issues we can design a program that works best for you.
The treatment program you specifically receive will be discussed with you to ensure you fully understand the program. The goal is to go at a pace you desire and to use the forms of treatment that will work best for you. The forms of treatment can be in creams, pellets, pills, injections, or other various ways. Each person has unique needs and desires which is why we try our best to provide you with all of the knowledge regarding our treatments. We will go over what you need and the treatment options that are available so that you can decide on the best path for you. We also work with you to adjust the treatment if we find that the path we start is not the right path for you.
Often, there are a few supplements that we will recommend in order to work with your bio-identical hormones. We strive to keep the number of supplements that you take to a minimum. We do offer high-quality supplements at our office and we also will tell you what you need if you prefer to shop for them on your own. At an Optimal You, we care that you take high-quality supplements that we know and trust. The supplements do not have to be the specific brands we carry in our office, which is why we will provide you with a list of supplements you can shop for on your own. We simply offer the supplements in our office because most of our patients do not want the hassle of researching, shopping around town, and spending more money out of pocket for supplements that may not work for their individual needs.
We ask our patients to communicate with our office by phone or e-mail once you start your personalized program. We like to hear from you in between your follow up visits so we can stay updated on your progress and can make any necessary adjustments to your treatment as needed. Our goal is for you to have your hormones balanced within the first several months.
We strive to have our patients at least close to 80% by their second month of treatments. Most people achieve this goal, however there are more complex cases that take a bit more time. We will always keep you informed of what you should expect throughout your personal journey. It is important to us that you are patient with yourself and the program, as well as communicate with our office during this amazing process. Your health and well-being are more than worth it and we guarantee to be with you every step of the way.
Balancing your hormones is one piece of the puzzle when it comes to achieving wellness and optimal health. When you have your hormones properly balanced you will feel better inside and out. Your energy levels will be higher, you will notice your sleep cycles changing for the better, and your mood will be better regulated as well. This is not the whole answer to all of your health problems, but it is a great start! Once your hormones are balanced and you are taking the right supplements, you are better able to get the other pieces needed to achieve optimal health. These other pieces are: eating a healthy whole food diet, drinking water, avoiding toxins, getting a good night’s sleep, exercising regularly, and getting your mind in the right state. We have staff available to assist you with all of these other areas as needed and desired by you. Our office is just a phone call away!
Your health is just as important to us as it is to you. An Optimal You is California’s #1 Hormone Replacement center. We will provide you with the utmost customer service, treatment plans designed for your individual needs, the knowledge to select the best treatment plans, and more! Our office is filled with amazing medical trained professionals who are ready to help you achieve your optimal health. Give us a call today to schedule your appointment, 951-461-3021. We look forward to providing you with the best treatment option possible!