Healthy Aging Programs
A healthy lifestyle combined with Hormone Optimization can help men and women age well. Hormones play an indispensable role in maintaining your health as you age. When hormones become imbalanced or decline below lower than normal levels, health problems and illness is more likely to occur. By replacing low or lost hormone levels, you can live a better quality of life.
Hormones are produced by the major endocrine glands including the pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenals, and pancreas, as well as within the sex organs. Hormones are your body’s chemical messengers. They travel throughout the bloodstream to specific tissues and organs, where they work at varying speeds, inducing many different physiological processes including growth and development; metabolism; sexual functions; reproduction; immune system and mood.
Testosterone and Estrogen
Testosterone Replacement and Estrogen Replacement. The male testes and the female ovaries produce gender-specific hormones which perform an broad range of functions in the body including reproduction, maintenance and repair. These powerful substances are required in only small amounts, yet stimulate major changes within cells, tissues, and organs throughout the body. The addition of too much or the secretion of too little of a certain hormone can have health consequences. For this reason, hormone replacement therapy or HRT should only be conducted under careful physician supervision, and only after laboratory tests have been used to accurately measure your current hormonal levels to help diagnose a deficiency.
Human Growth Hormone
Human Growth Hormone (GH), also known as somatotropin, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. During childhood and adolescence human growth hormone is secreted at its highest rate to fuel growth, but over time growth hormone production declines with age. Adults need sufficient amounts of HGH in order to maintain and repair the body’s tissues and organs and for overall bodily function and health.
HGH is sometimes called the master hormone because it regulates many other hormones that comprise the endocrine system. Human growth hormone helps to regulate metabolism, body temperature and mood, sexual desire, build lean muscle mass, burn body fat, maintain bone density, and foster bodily repair and healing. It is also considered a stress hormone that raises the concentration of glucose and free fatty acids. It also stimulates production of IGF-1 or growth factors in the body, and the effects of growth hormone on the tissues and cells are considered anabolic or that of “building-up”.
A recombinant form of HGH called somatropin produced using rDNA technology in the laboratory, is used as a prescription drug to treat children’s growth disorders and adult growth hormone deficiency or AGHD. In the United States, it is only available legally from pharmacies, by prescription from a doctor. Anti-Aging Doctors and Naturopaths may prescribe growth hormone in HGH-deficient older patients help to increase energy, vitality, build muscle and strengthen bone to prevent osteoporosis.
Hormone Deficiency and Replacement.
After puberty androgens, specifically testosterone, play a role in the regulation of the sex drive in both men and women. Deficiencies in testosterone or estrogen, as well as progesterone and DHEA can cause a drop in sexual desire, whereas excessive amounts of these hormones may heighten sexual interest. HGH or Human Growth Hormone also plays a role in promoting libido in both sexes. In addition to low or lost libido, hormonal imbalance, especially during menopause in women, and Adnropause in men, can cause many age-related hormonal symptoms.
Male-Specific Hormones
Testosterone is a hormone produced within the testicles via a joint process, which also includes the endocrine system and the pituitary gland. This system is collectively known as the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Testicular axis (HPTA).
Testosterone serves as the male body’s primary natural hormone, and is largely responsible for the proper development of male sexual characteristics. Although often referred to as a sex hormone, testosterone actually governs several areas within the body including a man’s development from birth onward with responsibility for initial gender differentiation, pubertal changes, male potency, libido and sexual function.
Testosterone also works with HGH Human Growth Hormone to build muscle mass, larger bones and proper fat distribution. Androgen is also an integral component in men’s sense of well-being, playing a major role in male physiological, biological, and sexual health, while influencing motivation, drive, stress coping capacity, sperm production, mental acuity, memory, concentration & focus.
Testosterone also plays a main role in bone density, immune system support, and red blood cell production. Testosterone is present in both males and females; however, males typically produce between 4-7 mg per day, which is approximately ten to twenty times more than women.
Female-Specific Hormones
Estrogens are the sex hormones produced primarily by a female’s ovaries that stimulate the growth of a girl’s sex organs, her breasts, pubic hair, and other secondary sex characteristics. There are three basic estrogens, namely estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3), however progesterone which is another essential female hormone, is often considered an estrogen as well.
These estrogens combined regulate a diverse array of chemically induced processes within the female body among which are the menstrual cycle, intercourse preparation and during intercourse functions, as well as impact mood, sleep quality, body fat levels, water retention, etc.As with testosterone, estrogen is present with both genders; women produce appreciatively more at approximately 0.5 mg daily. Aging, illness, and certain cancer treatments can adversely affect the body’s delicate hormonal balance, causing changes in sexual interest and functioning. The most familiar of these changes occurs when a women go through menopause. Estrogen production drops throughout this process as women exit their child-bearing years.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is a regimen of physician prescribed testosterones used to treat hypogonadic (low testosterone) symptoms. Similarly, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a physician prescribed regimen of any type of hormone including Human Growth Hormone, Thyroid, DHEA, oxytocin, pregnenolone and other important hormones to treat hormonal deficiencies. Many endocrinologists and age management physicians prescribe “natural” or bio-identical hormones for HRT.
Purely natural hormones are those which are produced by a living organism be it human, animal, or plant. Endogenous hormones are those produced within the human body; and synthetic hormones are man-made hormones.Synthetic hormones made by pharmaceutical companies have side chains added to allow the companies to patent the hormones. Side chains may be added to a natural substance to create a synthetic product. These structural differences are believed to be responsible for the side effects that are experienced when synthetic hormones are used in replacement therapy.
The key to natural versus synthetic is the molecular structure of the hormone. In order for a replacement hormone to fully replicate the function and bodily acceptance of naturally produced and present in the human body (endogenous) hormones, the chemical structure must precisely match that of the original. Hormones that have the exact same chemical structure as endogenous hormones, are known as Bio-Identical.
Another source of confusion, both within the general population and the medical community, is encountered when reviewing studies of efficacy, safety, and side effects of various forms of hormone replacement therapy. Without distinguishing between bio-identical vs animal-derived hormones, many studies may group all forms of estrogen for example, under the blanket category of ‘estrogen replacement therapy’, ‘progestin replacement therapy’ and ‘progesterone replacement therapy’. In fact, medical studies of bio-identical hormones have shown that they may be even more effective as well as safer than animal derived chemical alternatives.
Restoring Hormonal Balance
Bio-Identical HRT replaces deficient hormones with those that are chemically identical to those that the body naturally produces, but which have declined due to aging or illness. HRT has improved the quality of life for millions of women and men who suffer from hormonal imbalance. The ideal process for achieving hormonal balance includes: an assessment of hormone levels by use of a blood test, urine test or saliva test; complete medical evaluation of signs and symptoms; and replacement of the deficient hormones in the lowest possible dose by the most effective route of administration. Physician monitoring is required to make needed adjustments to the dosage prescribed for therapy. Estrogens, progesterone, human growth hormone and androgens are the main hormones used in HRT and for achieving hormonal balance. Thyroid, lipid, liver and adrenal function, as well as weight, nutrition and diet, should also be evaluated and treated when medically indicated.
The uniqueness of each patient makes it incumbent upon health care professionals and patients to work together to customize an effective hormone therapy program. Through this cooperation, hormones can be prescribed, ordered and if needed, compounded in the required strengths and dosage. Administration can be achieved by office visits or via self-administration to best meet each individual’s needs.
To learn more about Age Management Solutions, Advanced Regenerative Medicine Techniques, Stem Cell and PRP Treatments, or Compounding Pharmaceutical Solutions, contact our Medical office at (877) 783-7331