Saliva Testing and Bioidentical Hormones

posted 02/17/2009
Thirty to fifty percent of women suffer during menstruation. An even greater number of women suffer from menopausal symptoms caused by erratic and declining hormone levels. Typical signs and symptoms of hormone imbalance:

Weight gain
Decreased or no sex drive
Hot flashes/night sweats
Migraine headaches
Insomnia
Fatigue
Anxiety and/or depression
Irritability/moodiness
Brain fog/forgetfulness

The list unfortunately goes on and can be quite overwhelming. If you have one or more of these symptoms, take heart because there help and hope ahead.

Why saliva verses blood testing? The best way to measure hormone levels is through saliva. While hormones can be measured in blood and urine, neither of these mediums are as accurate for testing active hormones as saliva, which is precise, noninvasive, easy to do at home and affordable. Also saliva testing is the only effective method for monitoring topical hormone supplementation.

We choose the comprehensive hormone test which includes:

Estradiol (one of three estrogens in our body)
Progesterone (a protector of the effects of estrogens)
Ratio of estradiol to progesterone (helps to determine if you are estrogen dominant)
DHEA (an adrenal hormone)
Testosterone (essential for sexual function, stamina, stable sugar metabolism and bone density)
Cortisol (the adrenal glands primary glucocorticoid, essential for energy production throughout the day and thyroid balance)

Once your test is analyzed by the lab, we then determine where your imbalances are and begin to correct and support them using natural supplements and bioidentical hormones. Bioidentical hormones are very effective. By mimicking your body's own hormones, they provide a natural boost to nudge your own hormones back into balance. Identically matching your body's natural hormones, bioidentical hormones replicate, at the cellular level, the action of hormones naturally produced by the ovaries and adrenal glands.

So, if you are one of the many women (or men) who feel that they are being affected or even taken over by the hormonal imbalance cycle, please consider getting your hormone levels checked through a simple saliva test, which we have available here at our office, and get on the road to feeling like yourself again. I would be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding our approach to getting your body into balance.

Yours in (hormonal) health,
Laura Holden

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