Photo credit: lifebeginsat50mm / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA
As you probably know I’m a HUGE proponant of BHRT or bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, having been on it myself for the past year. I’ve written about it many times before and using the hormone creams has really given me a new lease on life. I had the opportunity to get Dr. Hotze, founder of the Hotze Health & Wellness Center, and author of “Hormones, Health and Happiness which I’ll be reviewing for you later in the month to give us the answer to a few common questions that he often hears about hormone replacement.
Champagne Living: Is hormone replacement therapy dangerous?
Dr. Hotze: We hear plenty in the media about how the therapy is linked to breast and prostate cancer, but what is not mentioned is the distinction between synthetic and bioidentical hormones. The latter have the same molecular structure as the hormones that are found naturally in the body, which means bioidentical hormone treatments cannot hurt patients. Counterfeit hormones – those that do not perfectly match the molecular structure of hormones in one’s body – can be dangerous.
Champagne Living: I’ve had many tests and tried many treatments for my problems. If they were hormone-related, wouldn’t have that been discovered before now?
Dr. Hotze: Physicians can’t and shouldn’t rely solely on lab tests for diagnoses and pharmaceutical drugs for treatment. A very thorough patient history and evaluation of symptoms, in addition to standard diagnostic tests, can reveal an underlying hormonal problem.
Champagne Living: My blood test indicated nothing irregular, but I suffer symptoms including fatigue, anxiety and weight gain; what’s going on?
Dr. Hotze: Blood tests can lie – patients do not. If you have symptoms, but your physician tells you your blood work came back “normal,” specifically regarding your thyroid, you should realize that 95 percent of people tested fall within a range considered normal. However, that doesn’t mean it is normal for you! Also, remember, you can send the same blood to two different labs and get two different results.
Champagne Living: Are women more prone to hypochondria?
Dr. Hotze: My physician cannot link my symptoms to a cause … No, it’s not “all in your head.” Women tend to be more attentive to their body for good reason – the menstrual cycle causes women to experience different hormonal states almost on a daily basis. Women can also experience dramatic physical effects during menopause, when hormones drop significantly. The dramatic physical changes can occur at multiple points. After childbirth is increasingly common, as well.
“A lot of the symptoms we normally associate with aging – muddied thinking, weight gain, tiring easily – are actually occurring because of diminished hormone production,” Hotze says.
“Hormone replacement therapy using bioidentical hormones can actually make some patients feel young again!”
Dr. Steven Hotze is the founder and CEO of the Hotze Health & Wellness Center in Houston, Texas. He’s a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy and the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and is the former president of the Pan American Allergy Society. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas. Dr. Hotze and his wife of 44 years have eight children and 16 grandchildren.
nichole says
Hello!
This is a great post…I have been diagnosed with Hashimitio’s disease after many results which were “normal” and have been struggling with very similar symptoms. I am on a non synthetic hormone but it has not fully helped all symptoms. I look forward to your review of “Hormones, Health and Happinesss” I am going to see if I can check it out as well.