Category: Progesterone

By Brenda Lee Herrod, APRN, MSN, WHNP-BC

PART II

Some people think of estrogen as the female hormone and testosterone as the male hormone. The truth is that testosterone is very important to women too. Testosterone is important for men and women as it protects every organ and body system. Your overall well-being and life quality are maintained by testosterone. It is a source of youth, longevity, and vitality. By age 40, a woman has lost half of her testosterone production. In today’s environment, we also have a lot of endocrine-disrupting chemicals that reduce our testosterone too. They are found in personal care products that we use daily, like lotions, make-up, nail polish, soap, pharmaceuticals, and plastics.

By having your hormone levels optimized, you can feel your energy increase, enjoy better sleep quality and mental clarity, be able to achieve your goal body composition, increase your sex drive, and protect your bones, brain, heart and lower your breast cancer risk as a woman. You will be able to gain confidence, feel stronger and be more vibrant to enjoy life more. Isn’t that what life is all about?

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) using pellets is the best way to optimize your testosterone levels to achieve energy, longevity, and wellness. The hormone powder of wild yams is compounded in a special pharmacy and pressed into a tiny pellet, the size of a grain of rice. Lidocaine is injected into the fatty tissue of the upper buttocks and the pellet is inserted using sterile technique and secured with steri strips and a small dressing. The gradual release of pellets simulates the body’s natural hormone release of testosterone and estradiol. The pellets are released slowly over three to six months according to your cardiac output. They are conserved when you are sleeping, as you don’t need high levels of hormones while you are in a state of rest and relaxation.

Pellets are more convenient than other methods of HRT such as using daily types of hormones like messy creams, gels, sublingual troches, or getting weekly injections. Another important benefit is that your hormone levels do not fluctuate with pellets like they do with other forms of HRT. Pellets mimic the natural release of estradiol and testosterone and levels stay steady much longer, avoiding the ups and downs of your hormones. Hormone levels are allowed to rise higher because they are placed subcutaneously and not metabolized in the liver such as injectable testosterone or oral forms.

At New Leaf Wellness, we will work with you to set expectations, closely monitor your labs and symptoms to help you safely achieve the full benefits of hormone optimization. We want to improve your outcome so you can have an improved sense of well-being and outlook. This stage of life can be very fulfilling and rewarding when you feel amazing again! You deserve this!

Schedule a FREE consultation to learn more about bioidentical hormones and how they can help you
FEEL AMAZING AGAIN!

REFERENCES
Gray, Stephanie. Your Longevity Blueprint, Advantage Media Group, 2017.
Donovitz, Gary, and Cotten, Mandy. Breast Cancer Incidence Reduction in Women Treated with Subcutaneous Testosterone: Testosterone Therapy and Breast Cancer Incidence Study. European Journal of Breast Health (2021): 17, 2. 150-156.
Donovitz, Gary. Testosterone Matters… More! The Secret to Healthy Aging in Women, Wheatmark Publishing, 2020.
Sieman, Robert S. Live Life Better with Natural Hormone Therapy, New Leaf Wellness, 2017.

Moving forward and finding joy or connecting to the feeling of joy gives us hope. Having a healthy lifestyle helps us heal and move forward!  Some tips to move forward from the point that we are at:

MOVE FORWARD WITH A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE…
• Eating a balanced diet. Choose a variety of colorful fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Limit processed foods, caffeine, and alcohol.
• Drink water!
• If you are a smoker, try to quit. Smoking can trigger hot flashes, weaken bones, and irritate the bladder.
• Incorporate regular physical activity into your daily routine. Exercise improves bone density, reduces weight gain, and elevates your mood.
• Stress management techniques like meditation and yoga improve coping skills.

ANOTHER TIP TO HELP MOVE FORWARD…
Balance your hormones! Hormone therapy is an option for men and women. Your New Leaf Wellness health provider will help educate you regarding the benefits and together you will decide on a treatment plan that is right for you.

Schedule an appointment to review your symptoms, medical history, family history, and lifestyle. Your provider will work with you to tailor a treatment to meet your needs to reduce symptoms, improve your quality of life!

When you are busy with your own emotions – worrying about the future, regretting the past, thinking about what others have done wrong – you are missing what this moment has to offer.

What is really important right now is living life with JOY. But you cannot fill a cup that is already full. You have to empty the cup to let new energy come in. Follow the tips above to empty “your cup”! If you are open, you can find joy, things to be grateful for, and move forward.  However, if you are filled with all types of stress and negative emotions it is challenging to move forward.

Let lifestyle changes and balanced hormones help you move forward and better yet…move forward with JOY!

Schedule a FREE Consultation to start moving forward with Joy!

Please join me in the celebration of the opening of New Leaf Wellness, Omaha. My name is Brenda Herrod and I am a nurse practitioner with an incredible passion for overall wellness! Please come for a free consultation at New Leaf Wellness to find out how we can support you in your journey for a healthier lifestyle! You deserve to feel confident, strong, and healthy. Self-care is very important and YOU are the only one who can do it for yourself. We have so many personalized services to offer.

FOR A LIMITED TIME, RECEIVE…
• Free B-12 injections with Free consultations
• Free Express Back Facial with Hot Stones! Enjoy the relaxing, relieve your stress treatment!
• Free Revision samples with a skin analysis
• Free samples of Myers Immune Boost
• 50% off one area for Plasma Pen – new clients
• 50% off Microneedling with PRP – new clients
• 50% off Lash Lift – new clients
• 25% off Dermaplaning – new clients
• $9.00 Botox with the Glow Plus package
• Free tours through the new facility

GIVEAWAYS!*
• Plasma Pen Treatment (valued at $600)
• Microneedling with PRP (valued at $349)

*Giveaways will be drawn after the final event. Must meet with a consultant to confirm eligibility!

By Brenda Lee Herrod, APRN, MSN, WHNP-BC

PART I

Do you suffer from brain fog? Do you complain of anxiety and have endless nights without sleep, resulting in a lack of energy, fatigue, and mood swings? Are you frustrated from gaining fat around the midsection and losing muscle, no matter how well you are eating, or how hard you are working out? How is your libido? Many women (and men too) suffer from these symptoms, as well as hot flashes, incontinence, vaginal dryness, accelerated skin aging, and joint pain. They are discouraged when told that it’s just “midlife changes” and to deal with it.

You don’t have to live with it and continue to suffer. There are options available. If you have decreased hormone production and some of the before-mentioned symptoms, I strongly recommend checking into bioidentical hormone therapy to optimize your hormones. Age-related decline in hormone production is one the most common causes of hormone imbalances. Poor nutrition, lack of sleep, stress, and lifestyle choices can also cause hormonal issues and make you feel like “crap.” In our early 30’s our hormones start diminishing and continue to plummet as we age, especially by the time we are in our 50’s and 60’s. Chronic disease can develop if left untreated. Restoring your hormones can actually slow down the aging process and prevent issues like cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of death in men and women. Other health issues that can result from low hormones are Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and likely breast cancer.

Often the biggest fear that people have is that hormones can cause cancer. Cancer is not caused by hormones. The elderly have the greatest risk for cancer and they have the lowest level of hormones, while twenty-year-olds have the highest levels of hormones and a much lower risk of cancer. The important part is the type of hormones, the safest dose, route of administration, and having a provider closely monitor your labs, as well as the patient’s individual symptoms. It is essential and the best practice to treat patients on symptoms they are experiencing, as well as doing frequent lab work to monitor blood levels.

Bioidentical hormones are structurally identical at the molecular level to those naturally produced by our bodies and are made from wild yams. Synthetic hormones are derived from animal parts or urine and have a different molecular structure than what our body produces. Biodentical replacement therapy can be a part of a personalized health management program, but only when administered by providers specializing in natural hormone replacement therapy. These hormones include estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 OF THIS ARTICLE COMING IN JANUARY!
In the meantime, you can use the form below to…
Schedule a free consultation to learn more about bioidentical hormones and how they can help you!

REFERENCES
Gray, Stephanie. Your Longevity Blueprint, Advantage Media Group, 2017.
Donovitz, Gary, and Cotten, Mandy. Breast Cancer Incidence Reduction in Women Treated with Subcutaneous Testosterone: Testosterone Therapy and Breast Cancer Incidence Study. European Journal of Breast Health (2021): 17, 2. 150-156.
Donovitz, Gary. Testosterone Matters… More! The Secret to Healthy Aging in Women, Wheatmark Publishing, 2020.
Sieman, Robert S. Live Life Better with Natural Hormone Therapy, New Leaf Wellness, 2017.

Are you experiencing symptoms like WEIGHT GAIN, DIFFICULTY SLEEPING, or DECREASED ENERGY?
Frequently related to these symptoms is…hormones!

HORMONES
Hormones play an important role in our overall wellness. They are part of the endocrine regulatory system and secreted by endocrine glands acting as messengers to trigger or subdue parts of our body. Hormone-sensitive target cells in tissues and organs make changes when exposed to hormones. The hormones are broken down or metabolized slowly, but function in very powerful ways. Even tiny amounts cause big changes, controlling and coordinating activities throughout cells, organs, or even our whole body. These changes control most major bodily functions from basic needs like hunger to complex systems like metabolism, growth and development, reproduction, and even emotions and mood.

Major endocrine glands: pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries, and testes.

Hormones you may have heard of: thyroid, insulin, cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

HORMONE IMBALANCE
Starting as early as age 25-30, our hormone levels can start to change becoming imbalanced and producing effects like weight gain, insomnia, fatigue, lack of energy, mood fog, anxiety, and depression. Often a hormone imbalance goes unrecognized. We might just identify the symptoms and chalk it up to getting older or being stressed and might possibly take medications to treat individual symptoms. These symptoms and more are why too much or too little of a certain hormone can be serious.

Schedule a free consultation if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.