Physiologic Hormone RestorationBioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Peri-menopause and menopause, or hormone decline, affects so much more than the obvious symptoms of hot flashes and night sweats. Our sex hormones shape brain function, cardiovascular integrity, metabolism, bone density, sleep, inflammation, and how a woman feels in her body overall on a daily basis!
This is why the typical treatments that are under-dosed or symptom-only treatments fall short, and leave women feeling like something is still not right. This is why Dr. Miller is so interested in the difference between being managed, and being hormonally optimized.
Most hormone and menopausal care is designed to make women more comfortable, without truly addressing the issue of helping women get well, and restore optimal function of their bodies.
Dr. Miller is interested in helping women regain their lives though hormone restoration, so that they can live their life to its fullest potential- To look and feel amazing.
“I’ve had doctors explain away some of my symptoms, attributing them to menstruation or aging or young children. I’d been rushed through appointments with doctors overwhelmed by new patients after Covid. What I hadn’t had was a doctor take their time to listen to me and approach me as a partner in the treatment plan vs a patient with some broken piece that needed fixing.”
Dr. Miller focuses on all body systems that play a role in hormone synthesis and metabolism, not in just trying to mitigate the uncomfortable symptoms that many women experience such as hot flashes and night sweats.
Dr. Miller combines vast knowledge and experience in:
- gastroenterology
- the estrobolome- or estrogen microbiome
- how digestive health impacts hormone function directly
- and being one of only a handful of doctors that are certified by the Women’s Hormone Network in Physiologic Hormone Restoration Therapy
This combined experience dictates her decision-making process in optimizing a patient’s hormones.
Whether you are 23 being told your PMS is normal so “just take the pill”, or, you are 45 and told that “menopause is a normal part of life and all women have to deal with it” – Dr. Miller is here to listen to you and your unique story. She will develop a customized, comprehensive hormone treatment plan that is unique to you and your goals and concerns.
Most hormone care is designed to only suppress symptoms – symptoms such as hot flashes or PMS.
At Nutima Integrative Medicine, Dr. Miller is interested in restoring your optimal hormone function by supporting your natural physiology. The goal shifts from simply making hot flashes disappear or for irritability to go down, to mitigating long term diseases such as:
- cognitive decline
- heart disease
- osteoporotic changes
- as well as metabolism changes, sleep, and inflammation
These are important factors that influence longevity, quality of life, and comfort for all women across decades of life.
To learn more, please call our office at 408-664-0404 to schedule a visit!
Static HRT Versus Physiologic HRT
Current conventional hormone replacement therapy models are prescribed in a static method: a steady, daily dose of estradiol paired with continuous or semi-cyclic progesterone.
This can be effective for reducing symptoms like hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and bone loss. But what about all of the other symptoms or concerns?
The female body was designed around rhythms. Hormones are not meant to exist as a flat, static level. In a healthy cycling female, hormones are designed to rise and fall throughout the month in patterns that help drive many important physiologic processes in the nervous system, immune system, sleep/wake cycles, and beyond.
Physiologic hormone restoration can be life changing for many women- the missing piece to their hormone care!
What is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy?
Bioidentical hormones are hormones that are molecularly identical to the hormones your body produces. The hormones are made from plant extracts and they come in very small particles (“micronized”) to allow for better absorption.
At Nutima Integrative Medicine, the providers use screening lab work, your unique health history and physical exam, and your individualized preferences on the various formulations to develop a customized treatment plan for you. You get:
- longer visits
- deeper interpretation
- thoughtful follow-up
- careful monitoring
- and a relationship that develops over time and changes with your unique needs
Because your journey is unique to only you, and one size fits all medicine does not have a place in hormone care.
How will bioidentical hormone therapies help you?
As you age, your testicles or ovaries gradually produce less and less sex hormones.
For male-bodied individuals, decreased testosterone leads to:
- the loss of muscle mass
- increased fat tissue
- lowered energy and sex drive
- less erectile function
- more sleep issues
- and increased risk of certain diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and dementias
For female-bodied individuals, less estrogen, progesterone and testosterone leads to:
- hot flashes
- night sweats
- lowered sex drive
- atrophy of the pelvic tissues (which leads to fragile vulvar skin, painful sex, increased urinary tract infections, incontinence and organ prolapse)
- mood swings
- insomnia
- lowered energy
- and an increased risk for heart disease, depression, dementias and certain types of cancer
Addressing hormonal needs can help alleviate these impacts and lesson long term risks.
How is bioidentical hormone therapy different from conventional hormone preparations?
For many years, synthetic hormone preparations (such as progestins and conjugated equine estrogens) were believed to be equivalent in their benefits and risks when compared to natural, bioidentical counterparts.
While more research is needed to fully understand each of the various preparations, the data is accumulating that there are important differences.
Synthetic progestins are now mostly understood to be inferior to bioidentical progesterone. Synthetic progestins are more associated with many of the negative side effects associated with hormone replacement therapy, including increased risks of cardiovascular disease, dementia and breast cancer (1).
Individualized bioidentical hormone replacement therapy allows customized formulations that fit the needs of the patient, not the convenience of drug manufacturers.
What symptoms can hormone replacement treat?
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Brain fog
- Pain
- Dementia
- Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia
- Libido- Low desire and arousal
- Erectile dysfunction (ED)
- Painful sex
- Vaginal dryness and atrophy
- Urinary incontinence
- Organ prolapse
- Recurrent urinary tract infections after menopause
- Cystitis
- Andropause- Testosterone/male hormone decline
- Lost muscle mass and exercise endurance issues
- Osteoporosis and osteopenia (Bone density loss)
- Increased fat tissue
- Menopause
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- Menstruation issues- painful, heavy, or irregular periods
- PCOS/PMOS
- Moodiness/PMS
- Weight loss issues
- Thyroid conditions
I am interested in learning more! What’s next?
To learn more, please call our office at 408-664-0404 to schedule a visit!
Call today to schedule your consultation!
408-664-0404