Tag: natural hormone therapy

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

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!

Bio-identical Hormone Pellets

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!

Male Menopause?

Male Menopause? What’s that?

Even though there is more public talk about women and menopause, men also encounter a hormonal imbalance as they age (andropause). Because women tend to have a more abrupt hormonal change they are more likely than men to realize that their symptoms are from a hormonal imbalance. Men tend to have a more gradual change–with symptoms slowly appearing over 20 year period. Often the symptoms are not seen as a hormonal decline.

Male menopause (called andropause) has many different symptoms. These symptoms come from a drop in Testosterone.

Andropause (male menopause) Symptoms:

  • depression
  • irritability
  • decreased morning erections
  • longer recovery time from workouts
  • stiffness and pain in joints and muscles
  • decreased concentration
  • decreased ability to build muscle
  • lowered mental acuity
  • loss of the competitive edge
  • overall loss of vitality
  • fatigue
  • sleep disturbances
  • and more

A man may still have a good libido (sex drive) but be suffering from a decrease in his Testosterone levels because he does not realize that Testosterone performs many functions in the body. Testosterone is not just a “sex” hormone.

“I feel back in balance. I have more energy and feel more focused.”
– Charlee P., New Leaf Wellness Patint

Strong associations between low Testosterone and…..

  • bone loss (osteoporosis)
  • dementia
  • type 2 diabetes
  • elevated LDL cholesterol
  • arthritis

There is a lot of incorrect information about the negative side effects of Testosterone and when you research the studies you will find that when bio-identical Testosterone is prescribed and monitored by a hormone specialist, Testosterone is a benefit to the overall health and vitality of men and has not been shown to cause cancer or heart disease. Proper hormone balancing for men results in a man who feels great, thinks clearly, moves easier, and enjoys life better.

We at New Leaf Wellness like to help you live life better. To get started, contact us for a complimentary consultation.

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:

  1. Decrease joint and muscle pain.
  2. One of the best anti-depressants around. It helps to elevate your mood naturally and enable you to feel balanced.
  3. Helps you to reduce fat and increase muscle mass (appropriately for your size).
  4. Helps to improve your focus, concentration, and memory.
  5. Aides you in getting a better night’s sleep.
  6. Increases your energy and motivation.
  7. 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)
  8. Improves your endurance and ability to recover after exercise.
  9. 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”.
  10. 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

How To Naturally Better Your Sex Life

Increase Your Sex Drive

A decreased sex drive can arise for many reasons and it can affect both women and men. A healthy sexual relationship with someone that you love is important. It is sometimes too easy to ignore this fact and let this part of your life slip away. But we want to help you learn how to naturally better your sex life!

Balancing your hormones is one part of having a healthy libido. Without a proper balance of Estrogen, Progesterone, and Testosterone it is difficult to have a healthy sex drive. Our hormones get out of balance for many reasons and utilizing bio-identical hormones helps to fix that problem. Balancing your hormones is like putting gas into your car.

Just like there are many other parts to your car to make it run, there are also other things that affect your libido. Stress can greatly diminish your desire. Being unhappy in your relationship or being unhappy with yourself has a definite impact with sex drive. Medications can also have an affect.

I love New Leaf because it gives me more energy, my sex life is so much better. I could tell my joint pain in my shoulders does not hurt like it has before. All is so much better now. – Joyce D., Patient of New Leaf Wellness

Yoga + Your Partner

It is important to take time out to unplug and relax. Yoga is a great way to learn to relax and keep your body limber. Turn off the phone, TV, and computer and breathe deeply and clear your mind. Transformational breathing is a perfect to aide you in any relationship issues–with your partner and with yourself.

1. Get comfortable.

2. Let go of negativity.

3. Keep your mouth open at all times.

4. Don’t hold your breath.

5. Practice often.

6. Change positions…Once you’ve mastered lying down, try sitting up

7. Perfect the technique

Yoga alone and even with your partner can relax your body enough to deeper connect with your partner. The deeper connection allows for growth in your closeness and increasing your sex life.

No more hot flashes, enjoying making love to my husband what could be better. – Becky S., Patient of New Leaf Wellness

Having a healthy sex drive can make you feel better about yourself and can enhance your relationship. With a balanced Natural Hormone Program at New Leaf Wellness and a desire on your part to increase your libido, you should be able to regain your libido!

To learn more about our Natural Hormone services, contact us today at 888-728-7555 or email us.

Replenishing the Essentials

Welcome Kristin Dwyer, Pharmacist In Charge at New Leaf Specialty Pharmacy, today for her guest blogging for New Leaf Wellness.
IV therapy is the most efficient method of delivering vital nutrients and vitamins to the body.  When they are given via an IV, there is 100% absorption and they are immediately available in the bloodstream for use.
Dr. John Myers was the pioneer of intravenous micro-nutrient therapy, which he started studying in the 1950’s.  He used the “Myer’s Cocktail” to treat a wide variety of medical conditions, including (but not limited to!) fatigue, depression, chest pain, palpitations, asthma, fibromyalgia, and migraines.
The version of the Myer’s Cocktail specially formulated for New Leaf Clinic contains a combination of magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, and multiple B-vitamins.  It is a 45-minute infusion that hydrates the body and leaves most patients feeling refreshed and energized. It is a great introduction to IV micro-nutrient therapy for patients who are new to IV treatments.
The Liquid Health Cocktail contains a blend of magnesium, B-vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, and folic acid. It contains higher concentrations of nutrients than the Myer’s cocktail, so it requires a longer infusion time.  This IV therapy results in even greater cellular hydration and nutrition and may assist with flushing out toxins from the body.
The Super Immunity Infusion is made up of high dose vitamin C, magnesium, B-vitamins, and calcium.  Supplementation with vitamin C has been shown to improve various functions of the immune system.  When people are stressed or ill, the concentration of vitamin C in the plasma and white blood cells declines, so this IV assists in replenishing the body with vitamin C. Vitamin C can also shorten the duration of respiratory infections and colds.
I would like to invite you into New Leaf Wellness to try one of these amazing IV’s, as a Pharmacist, I have personally approved of all of them.  The benefit you will get of repairing, rebuilding and vitamin nourishment at the cellular level is 100% that will last weeks possibly months depending on which IV you choose.

Testosterone Series: Men & Hormones

Men are more likely to have their hormonal imbalance under diagnosed than woman are. New Leaf Wellness has provided a simple questionnaire that you can use to determine if you (or the man you love) may have a hormonal imbalance.

Man and woman on couchINSTRUCTIONS: Please answer the following questions with none, mild, moderate, severe, or extremely severe. Your answers will help you to better understand the severity of your hormonal imbalance if an imbalance exists.

Are you experiencing the following symptoms?

  • Decline in your feeling of general well-being (general state of health, subjective feeling)
  • Joint pain and/or muscle aches (lower back pain, joint pain, pain in a limb, general increase in aches and pains)
  • Excessive sweating (unexpected/sudden episodes of sweating, hot flushes independent of your activity level)
  • Sleep problems (difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep, waking up early and feeling tired, poor sleep, sleeplessness)
  • Increased need for sleep, often feeling tired
  • Irritability (feeling aggressive, easily upset about little things, moody)
  • Nervousness (inner tension, restlessness, feeling fidgety)
  • Anxiety (feeling panicky)
  • Physical exhaustion/lacking vitality (general decrease in performance, reduced activity, lacking interest in leisure activities, feeling of getting less done or of achieving less or of having to force oneself to undertake activities)
  • Decrease in muscular strength
  • Depressive mood (feeling down or sad, on the verge of tears, lack of drive, mood swings, feeling nothing is of any use)
  • Feeling that you have passed your peak
  • Feeling burnt out, having hit rock bottom
  • Decrease in beard growth
  • Decrease in ability/frequency to perform sexually
  • Decrease in morning erections
  • Decrease in sexual desire/libido (lacking pleasure in sex or desire for sexual intercourse)

How To Determine Results:

After answering the above questions, look at how many you answered with mild or more severe symptoms. This will give you an idea of the severity of your hormonal imbalance.

If this questionnaire has shown you that there may be an issue with your hormones, then the next step is to get your hormone levels evaluated by your New Leaf Wellness provider who specializes in hormone balancing.​

Contact us to get started!

Call 888-728-7555 or e-mail us.