Hormone Therapy – Page 2 – New Leaf Wellness

The Truth About Your Night Sweats

Waking Up Drenched in Sweat?

If you wake up drenched in sweat, think of your armpits as evidence. You do not have to do sleuthing to figure out what is prompting your perspiration. Night Sweats. Therefore, we are uncovering the truth about your night sweats and what your body is really telling you.

Firstly, night sweats are common. In a study published in Annals of Family Medicine, one-third of primary care patients reported night sweats during the past month. Your body is signaling to you, are you listening?

“However, no one knows exactly how common the condition is, because most sufferers of night sweats never report the symptom to their doctor”, says study author James Mold, M.D., a professor of family medicine at the University of Oklahoma. Think of night sweats as smoke detector going off in the home, it means time find the root of the alarm.

Could Night Sweats Be Hormonal?

In a literature review published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, Dr. Mold and his colleagues revealed that several factors increase the likelihood of night sweats including: panic attacks, sleep problems, fever, numbness in hands and feet, anxiety and stress, and trouble breathing at night. Night sweats may also be a symptom of unbalanced hormones.

Much like hot flashes, low estrogen effects the hypothalamus is often specifically what causes night sweats in women. The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that controls appetite, body temperature, sleep and sex hormones.

“No night sweats or hot flashes anymore. More energy!”

– Rhonda S., New Leaf Wellness Patient, see more testimonials >>

So, it’s important to us to live your best life. We provide a variety of health and wellness services personalized to your body’s deficiencies.

Not Just Women Experience Night Sweats…

It is a common misconception that only women experience night sweats. When men experience low testosterone levels like andropausal, it commonly causes false signals to the hypothalamus producing night sweats. Additionally, men with high cortisol (stress) levels, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle which can contribute to night sweats.

“It is putting me in balance, and I am becoming active again.”

– David B., New Leaf Wellness Patient, see more testimonials >>

Conclusively, if you wake up in a pool of sweat almost every night, you should give us a call at New Leaf Wellness to get your hormones checked.

Try our free assessment to check for your own hormonal balance. Click the appropriate link below to take the assessment and your results will be shown immediately!

Hormone Health Assessment For WOMEN

Hormone Health Assessment For MEN

Testosterone Pellets for Men and Women

We live in an imperfect world that has chemicals in our food, water, personal care products, cleaning products, etc. We are under stress from living in today’s rushed and “connected” world. We eat more processed foods and consume more sugar and gluten than past generations. All of this contributes to a hormone imbalance. Today, we want to explain the “why” of Testosterone pellets for men and women.

First, You Need To Know

Replacing your deficient hormones is one part of feeling optimal. Testosterone in particular is often found to be low in both men and women. Testosterone helps you to think more clearly, sleep better, have focus, be in a good mood, and recover better from exercise; among other things. When your Testosterone is low you may feel moody, grumpy, have more aches and pains, feel tired, have brain fog, etc. It is not just the “sex” hormone.

How Bioidentical Testosterone Pellets Can Help

Bioidentical Testosterone pellets are a great way to replace Testosterone for both men and women. They are about the size of a thin tic tac. The pellets are placed in the fatty area of your buttock area–somewhat near your hip in a simple procedure in the office. The Testosterone is released in small amounts on a consistent basis: just like your body should be doing but is not. When you have increased blood flow (from increased activity) your body will draw more Testosterone for its increased needs.

“My strength and overall health has improved, sex life with my beautiful lady has been great. I sleep better and not [having] night sweats.“

– Ken D., New Leaf Wellness Patient, More Testimonials

Bioidentical Testosterone pellets provide you with the Testosterone that your body needs in a manner that closely resembles what your body should naturally be doing but is not because of all of the hormone disruptors surrounding us. Proper hormone balancing is an important part of feeling optimal and getting out of the “rabbit hole” of not feeling good.

Don’t wait for symptoms to keep you from living your best life. Take our free and easy Hormone Health Quiz. Click the matching link below.

Hormone Health Quiz for MEN

Hormone Health Quiz for WOMEN

Part 2: How Do Bio-Identical Pellets Work?

Bio-identical pellets are made of an inert substance that holds it together along with either bio-identical Testosterone or Estradiol. If you require Estradiol it is one small pellet. Men, and also women, require Testosterone. There are different dosages (mg) of Testosterone pellets (25 mg up to 200 mg) and which mg pellet and how many Testosterone pellets you receive depends on the end dose that you require. This dosage is based on whether you are a man or woman, your weight, your baseline Testosterone level, and your activity level; among other things. A hormone specialist can determine what you require after your consultation. Want to learn more about how do bio-identical pellets work?

The Bio-identical pellets release a small amount of the hormone that they contain into the blood stream at a fairly constant level–a lot like your glands would do if they were functioning properly. When you have an increased cardiac output (I.e. with exercising) then you will get an increased amount of the hormone. This helps you to recover better from exercising.

The bio-identical hormone pellets give your body what it needs in as close to physiologic doses as is possible. Your body uses up the pellets at an individual rate and most people require a re-pellet after 3-6 months. Over time most people end up being able to have their pellets last 5-6 months.

Are you ready to check your hormone health? Take a short quiz to recognize what to look for when considering if you would be a good candidate for bio-identical pellets.

For MEN

For WOMEN

Read Part 1: What are Hormone Pellets?

Declining Hormones

Imagine moving around and being able to do the things that you love to do. Perhaps, you are already feeling vital and strong, but perhaps you are like the majority of people out there who yearn for a body that serves them better. Are you feeling tired, achy, moody, flabby or just feel that you have passed your peak?? Declining hormones? Men and women both can feel this way and it is not the way that you have to age. Having a slow decline in your health is not your destiny—you can live with vitality and when it is your time to go, leave this earth quickly and not after a slow deterioration over 30, or more years.

Improving the Quality of Life As We Age

With modern sanitation, medicine, and an abundance of food we are living longer lives. Unfortunately with longer lives we are seeing a marked increase in the number of chronic illnesses and the number of years that an individual is alive but is in a deteriorating state. We can not avoid dying but we can shorten the dying process and increase the number of years that we live feeling younger. If you are all about the quality of life then continue reading.

Declining hormones, along with poor lifestyle choices, are largely responsible for the slow deterioration that we are seeing all around us. The good news is that we have the capability to prevent this slow deterioration, and even reverse some of it . This gives us the ability to live long AND vital lives, not just long lives.

What You Need To Know About Reversing The Years

Decreased levels of Testosterone, Thyroid, Estrogen (women only), Progesterone, and Growth Hormone are often experienced for years before a person seeks medical attention. The decline can be subtle, especially for men, and is often misdiagnosed as depression, anxiety, the normal aging process, or simply that nothing is wrong with the person. The problem lies in the fact that the majority of doctors are not specially trained in detecting hormone imbalances as they are taught to look at normal values and they are not allowed the proper time to get to know you and your unique needs. Let’s face it–you do not want to be average, you want to be above average, right?? The “normal” values do not represent optimal.

Symptoms of Declining Hormones can Include:

Emotional changes
Depression
Anxiety
Loss of muscle strength
Loss of skin elasticity
Increased wrinkles
Loss of focus
Increased body fat
Decreased muscle mass
Loss of vitality
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Osteoporosis
Brain fog or decreased memory
Increase in body aches/pains
Loss of sex drive
Decrease in morning erections for men

Can You Replace What’s Lost?

Replacing your declining hormones with bio-identical hormones is the best form of hormone replacement since it replaces your hormones with a man made bio-equivalent hormone. This means that your body sees these replacement hormones as if your body made it on its own. There is no chemical difference between what your body makes and the bio-identical hormones given to you. This is different than man made “synthetic” hormones that have chemical differences from the hormones that your body makes. These differences are so that the “synthetic” hormone can be patented. These chemical differences can result in dangerous side effects. Doesn’t it make sense to replace your hormones with bio-identical hormones that are exactly the same chemically as the ones that your body naturally makes?

Bio-Identical Hormones Explained

Pellets, capsules, creams, and gels are different ways that you may get your bio-identical hormones. Which form you use depends on the hormone(s) that you need as well as your personal preference. You can only decide this after an informed discussion about the pros and cons of each form.

Taking bio-identical hormones are an important piece of the optimal wellness pie, it is also important to make lifestyle changes that enable your body to function optimally. A healthy organic whole food based diet that is low in sugar, devoid of gluten (as much as possible), and with no (or very little) processed food is also an important piece. Regular exercise and regular sleep are two other very important pieces. Living a full and vital life is within your reach. You first have to decide that you wish to go down that path and then obtain the personalized guidance that you require. You can reach your goals one step at a time with the right guidance.

If you’re ready to add some quality back to your years, and you want to do it with bio-identical hormone therapy, call us!

Testosterone and Fatigue

Learn More about Testosterone and Fatigue

“Mark”, a 48 year old gentleman came to my office complaining of fatigue, an increase in aches/pains, an increase in irritability, and a decreased ability to build muscle. He still has a good libido but had noticed a decrease in morning erections. “Mark” had seen his regular doctor who told him his labs were normal and that he needed to exercise more but he was too tired to do that. He knew there was something else going on. When NLW doctor reviewed his symptoms and lab results, we both agreed that he suffered from low Testosterone. At first, “Mark” was concerned about the risks associated with replacing Testosterone based on recent news releases. We went over the study that the news was citing. The news reports were telling men that Testosterone replacement increased heart disease risk.

However, the study being cited had tested older, high heart disease risk men whose Testosterone level was never in an optimal range and they were treated for too short a time to even show a benefit. Optimal Testosterone levels are around 600-1400 depending on the male, men in this study were averaging levels in the 300 range. This was a poorly done study, and it is a shame that it was used to scare men away from seeking help.

More on Testosterone Studies

In fact, there are many studies showing that when Testosterone levels are optimized and given enough time to work, that Testosterone actually is protective for the heart as well as the brain. Remember that the normal Testosterone lab values are not optimal–they are simply the expected values based on testing the male population—both ill and healthy. You want optimal levels if you want a life of vitality.

Optimizing a man’s Testosterone level involves replacing his Testosterone along with starting healthy lifestyle changes. Testosterone is best replaced with bio-identical Testosterone–biologically identical to what your body is designed to respond to. Mark was given the choices on replacing his Testosterone. Creams which are applied twice a day. There are synthetic gels and patches on the market but they are not bio-identical-using them can cause unforeseen complications since they are chemically different from what your body is designed to work with. A compounding pharmacy makes the bio-identical Testosterone. You can not buy it at a regular pharmacy. A quality compounding pharmacy offers safe and effective bio-identical creams.

What Are Other Options?

Creams are painless but you do need to remember to apply them daily and there can be a pulse like absorption after application. In addition, you do need to be careful about getting the Testosterone cream on others. Testosterone injections are another possible form of Testosterone replacement, and they tend to be more effective than creams but your liver has to process it into a bio-identical Testosterone. There is also a pulse like absorption, and you need an injection once to twice a week. This mode of replacement requires the most monitoring by lab work.

Testosterone pellets are bio-identical and are absorbed on a more constant level with a natural increase when your cardiac input increases–similar to your natural physiology. They work very effectively. Testosterone pellets have been well documented to protect the heart, bones, and brain as well as resolve symptoms. It does involve an in office procedure where the pellets are inserted in the fatty tissue of your buttocks and it is the more costly of the three choices. Which form of Testosterone replacement a man chooses depends on the individual.

What about “Mark”?

“Mark” chose Testosterone pellets, and after about 2-3 weeks he felt better- he has energy, is able to build muscle, feels mentally balanced and can pole vault out of bed again. He also has the focus to get back into the gym and fine tune his diet to include more vegetables (organic) and less processed foods.

Do you have symptoms similar to Mark? Take our hormone health quiz for a quick, overall checkup! Click here > Hormone Health Test for Men

We also offer a Hormone Health Test for Women!

Sleep without Medication

Want to know how to sleep without medication?

Do you ever have trouble sleeping?? Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?? You are not alone! Lack of quality sleep is a big problem and it is a cause of many other problems.

There are prescription medications that can help you, but they can be addictive and have side effects. If you want to avoid prescription medications and still get good sleep, you can!

What first…

First, you want to try to figure out why you are not sleeping. If it is something that is on your mind then you will want to seek the help of a counselor. Daily journaling and regular exercise has proven to help calm your mind. If you are drinking caffeine limit your intake to 1 or 2 cups a day and no later than 1 pm. Be sure that you are eating small meals throughout the day and keeping your blood sugar balanced. If it is hot flashes or night sweats that wake you up, then get your hormones checked. Balancing your progesterone, testosterone, and estrogen definitely help hormonal symptoms.

Take a quick Hormone Health Quiz to check!

For WOMEN

For MEN

Please note: If you think that you have any underlying medical concern affecting your sleep, you should get a medical evaluation.

What’s safe?

There are several natural supplements that can help you to sleep. Melatonin, kava, and valerian are the most effective. It also helps to take slow deep breaths when lying in bed and keeping your bedroom dark and quiet. With a little effort on your part, you can get great sleep without medication!

We offer a free consultation to discuss these symptoms and figure out if you are in need of hormone balancing. Contact us to get started!

Slow the Effects of Menopause and Andropause Naturally

We often hear about menopause, and it is frustrating symptoms for women, but did you know that it can happen to men too? Male menopause, or andropause is real, and like in women, it can cause symptoms that range from uncomfortable to life-altering, even increasing your risk for diseases and other serious health issues. We are sharing 5 helpful tips to slow the effects of menopause and andropause naturally to better help you live your best life.

Did You Know?

Both types of menopause can cause the person to stop feeling like themselves. In women, these symptoms can start in the 30’s and 40’s and/or last until the 60’s. In men, by the age of 60 most will have hormone deficiencies, particularly in testosterone.

5 Natural Weapons to Fight Male and Female Menopause Symptoms:

1. Bio-identical Hormone Therapy
Natural Hormone Therapy is the most effective treatment for relieving symptoms and preventing age-related diseases. Individualized testing by a hormone therapy expert is necessary to safely and effectively restore the proper balance of all your hormones.

2. Remove Inflammatory Foods
We all know we should eat healthy to get healthy. But you may be eating “healthy” yet consuming foods that cause inflammation in your body. Pay attention to how you feel after you eat certain foods, or even better, take a food sensitivity test to know for sure.

3. Exercise
Regular strength exercises can help both men and women alleviate certain symptoms, build muscle and bone strength and reduce stress.

“They help me get my life back- play, work, sex and to feel great again! I feel young again!”

– Rodney W., New Leaf Wellness Patient

4. Try Meditation
The slow movements, focus on breath, and meditative nature of practices like yoga, tai chi and qi gong can help relieve symptoms like hot flashes and improve mental focus.

5. Reduce Stress
Everyday, chronic stress is toxic and leads to elevated cortisol levels and in turn, serious health issues and symptoms. Slow down, don’t sweat the small stuff, and make changes to remove stress-inducing triggers from your life.

Find out how you can take control of your menopause and andropause symptoms and what your personalized treatment might be at New Leaf Wellness, West Des Moines, IA!

Do you know where your hormone levels are now? Know more about your hormone health with our simple quiz that provides immediate results.

Hormone Health Checker- for Women

Hormone Health Checker- for Men

Bio-identical Hormone Pellets

When replacing your hormones with bio-identical hormones you have several options: capsules, creams, troches, and pellets. Pellet therapy is not well known but has been around for decades. It is a safe and effective way to get Testosterone (for men and women) and Estrogen (for women). The dosage that you receive is customized based on your age, sex, weight, activity level, symptoms and lab work. Bio-identical hormone pellets are not a one size fit all solution.

Personalized Medicine

Bio-identical pellets are about the size of a tic-tac (but thinner)and are placed in the fat in the upper outer quadrant of your buttocks. This is done in an office setting after local anesthesia is applied. The procedure takes a mere minutes and is very well tolerated. The area is slightly sore for a few days for women and about a week for men. It is easily tolerated and the incision site is so small no sutures (stitches) are needed.

Message for Women…

For women, it is advised that for four days to avoid exercise that works the buttocks muscles and avoid baths and jacuzzi tubs. Basically, you are not to immerse your incision site in water or heavily work your buttocks for four days after the procedure. Walking and showering is fine.

For Men…

For men, we advise the same restrictions but for seven days. Men get more Testosterone pellets than women do which can be a little bit larger incision for additional pellets. So again, you are not to immerse your incision site in water or heavily work your buttocks for seven days after the procedure.

Could your hormone levels be off? Is that what is causing YOUR SYMPTOMS?

Find out now with our Hormone Health Test that provides immediate results!

Hormone Health Test- for Men

Hormone Health Test- for Women

For Everyone

The hormones in the pellets are released over time and most closely resemble the body’s natural hormone production. With initial pellet therapy, it may take one to three weeks to feel the effect of the hormones and then the results are maintained over a period of three to six months. If there is no effect four weeks after the initial pellet insertion then consult with your physician. Most individuals can start to feel a difference in a week. **Lab work and a possible booster may be in order if you are not seeing bodily changes after a month.

We have had the pleasure of working with thousands of individuals who like you are just searching to find something to feel better or on the verge of accepting these aging symptoms as the new quality of life, and we are here to share with you the thousands of people have chosen not to accept this as good as it gets. To read our testimonials from our patients, click here!

Testimonials from Men

Testimonials from Women

Once your hormones balance, your physician will work with you individually to come up with an optimal time for you to re-pellet. This is dependent on your body’s needs and usage of Testosterone and/or Estrogen. Bio-identical hormone replacement is a customized therapy that is individualized to you! To schedule a complimentary consultation, please contact us today and start living a better life!

Sugar and Memory Connection

We should all be able to live a long time and with a good memory. Losing your brain function is not normal, nor should it be accepted. It is time that we all realized that we are meant to live vibrantly and not slowly deteriorate for many years. So, let’s talk about the relationship of sugar and memory.

Sugar and Memory

In today’s society, many people lose brain functioning as they age and there are many causes. Of course we all know about Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease but did you know that stress, nutrition, and hormonal imbalance all can cause a bit of brain fog? I have seen a lot of patients get evaluated for memory loss, only to find out that it was one of those three things.

Sugar and Gluten

Sugar and gluten are two of the big culprits I see in a person’s diet that can affect memory. Excess alcohol/caffeine and artificial sweeteners are other things that can impact memory. Also a lack of certain nutrient can cause you to have an issue with memory. Low testosterone is often a cause and rarely checked for by doctors. If you are having memory issues that no one can figure out for you, then I advise a full nutritional evaluation, hormonal evaluation, and an evaluation of how you can manage your stress. You will be surprised how easy it can be to fix your brain when you appropriately find the problem.

Tired of Being Tired?

A common symptom we see in first-time visitors is brain fog or fatigue. Most patients say something to the tune of, “I am tired all the time” or “I am so tired of being tired“. Feeling energetic is also one of the first after effects of being a NLW patient. Like Kim and other NLW patients, they enjoying life much better!

“More energy, weight control, better sex drive, sleep better, no hot flashes or night sweats anymore.”

– Kim S., NLW Patient

More Testimonials from Women >

“Before [NLW] therapy, I was always tired and lethargic, not much get up and go, not much interest in sex, low exercise tolerance, irritability and mood swings. lack of sleep. All around not too happy. Now since [treatment], sex drive sky rocketed, more energy, better nights sleep, much much happier person and happy wife.”

– Dan H., NLW Patient

More Testimonials from Men >

To learn more about NLW services, visit our service page:

NLW services for MEN

NLW services for WOMEN

Need Optimal Testosterone Levels?

Both men and women need optimal Testosterone levels. Testosterone surprisingly effects more than we realize. When we review lab work, patients are always interested in understanding how hormones effect their issues with sleep, concentration and other psychological factors. Truth be told, sometimes we can just get a little “off” and it can throw a lot of our daily body functions out of whack. We see a lot of men and women for testosterone therapy, and here is why:

“It is putting me in balance and I am becoming active again.”

– David B. New Leaf Wellness Patient

Benefits of Testosterone:

Decrease joint and muscle pain.
One of the best anti-depressants around. It helps to elevate your mood naturally and enable you to feel balanced.
Helps you to reduce fat and increase muscle mass (appropriately for your size).
Helps to improve your focus, concentration, and memory.
Aides you in getting a better night’s sleep.
Increases your energy and motivation.
Increases your libido (sex drive), if a low Testosterone level is the source of a lessened libido. (libido has a lot to do with psychological factors as we)
Improves your endurance and ability to recover after exercise.
For men–Testosterone is important for having healthy erections. (please note that men can have sub optimal Testosterone levels and yet still have a decent libido and erections–do not be fooled into thinking that your Testosterone levels are great just because you still have a libido and erections.)For Women–Testosterone decreases or eliminates your night sweats and overall feeling of “being too warm”.
Testosterone enhances your overall well being.

“I started New Leaf in November of 2014. I weighed 285 pounds. New Leaf treatments gave me the energy to start working out again and over 18 months I lost 95 pounds through exercise and healthy eating, NOT DIETING, I’m too old for that. During my 18 months I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, I was told I would miss several weeks of work and take months to recover. I missed 10 days of work and returned to the gym 2 weeks after my treatments which I attribute to my hormone therapy at New Leaf.”

– Van P., New Leaf Wellness Patient

Testosterone is a needed hormone and when your body is at optimal levels, it makes it easier to bounce back from whatever lies throws your way.

Testosterone is a hormone that is present in both men and women. Optimizing your Testosterone level by utilizing the Natural Hormone Therapy at New Leaf Wellness is an important part of your overall wellness as you age in today’s world.

Interested to know more? Take our quick hormone assessment and get immediate results!

For MEN

For WOMEN