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Understanding the Science Behind Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement

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Understanding the Science Behind Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement

You may be hesitant to try hormone replacement therapy after hearing the scary stories about how it can cause more problems than it fixes. However, research shows that hormones are safe and effective for many patients.

BHRT treats both men and women with hormonal imbalance symptoms like hot flashes/night sweats or low libido. This is typically done with bioidentical hormones.

How Bioidentical Hormones Are Made

Bioidentical hormones are custom-made by pharmacies based on a healthcare provider’s prescription. The hormones are made to match your physical body’s needs and are available in many forms, including pills, creams, gels, and vaginal suppositories.

They are derived from plant-based sources like wild yams and soybeans but must undergo significant processing before being approved by the FDA to be sold as hormones. Bioidentical hormones have the same chemical structure as the natural hormones produced in your body and are less likely to cause side effects than conventional hormones.

However, when people talk about BHRT, they refer to compounded bioidentical hormones, not FDA-approved bioidentical hormone products. Unlike the FDA-approved bio-identical hormone replacement Silver Springs, compounded bioidentical hormones have not been evaluated for safety and quality and vary in strength from pharmacy to pharmacy. Because of this, experts don’t recommend them.

Natural Hormones

While bioidentical may sound more natural, the FDA and medical specialty groups have confirmed that hormones marketed as “bioidentical” or “natural” aren’t safer or more effective than those used in traditional hormone therapy products. Bioidentical hormones can be made from extracts of plants or animals, such as conjugated equine estrogens (CEE)(Premarin), oral contraceptive pills, and medroxyprogesterone (Provera). They also can be synthetically manufactured in a lab.

Bioidentical hormones are available in various forms, including tablets, creams and gels, injections, and pellets. At Dermatology Realm, we prescribe a combination of bioidentical hormones compounded by a local pharmacist and delivered via a pellet placed under the skin. The pellets provide a more even release of the hormones. Your doctor will conduct a saliva test or blood work to monitor hormone levels and to determine whether you need to increase or decrease the dosage. You must pay out of pocket, as insurance does not cover these hormones.

Prescription Bioidentical Hormones

The bioidentical hormones are made from plant steroid extracts such as soy and wild yams, but the final products look and act much like the hormones your body produces. They can come in several forms, such as pills, creams, and gels.

Doctors talking about bioidentical hormones usually mean FDA-approved products — such as estradiol (Estrace, Vivelle, Climara) and progesterone (Prometrium). Bioidentical hormones also can be prepared in a compounding pharmacy based on a provider’s prescription. These compounded hormones aren’t FDA-approved, so their effectiveness and safety haven’t been tested.

Most experts believe that, if used properly, these hormones are safe and effective for treating menopause symptoms. These include hot flashes, vaginal dryness and loss of libido, insomnia, and depression. The key to successful treatment is a balanced regimen that includes lifestyle changes, such as exercise and dietary supplements, which can help reduce side effects. It is essential to discuss your options with an experienced practitioner.

Compounding Bioidentical Hormones

Some people use a compounded bioidentical hormone product, a mixture of hormones made in a pharmacy according to a health care practitioner’s prescription. They may be prepared as pills, creams, gels, or injections. Each person’s physical body has unique needs, so a healthcare practitioner will evaluate a patient and prescribe appropriate dosages and strengths of bioidentical hormone preparations to achieve hormonal balance.

Many people use bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to ease the symptoms of perimenopause, menopause, and andropause. These include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings, and loss of libido. Hormones can also protect against osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and dementia.

Unlike traditional hormone replacement therapies that contain synthetic estrogens, such as Premarin, which is made from the urine of pregnant horses, bioidentical hormones have the same molecular structure as the hormones your body produces. However, the Women’s Health Initiative study 2002 results raised concerns about long-term hormone therapy for women because it can increase the risk of breast cancer, blood clots, heart disease, and brittle bones.

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10 shocking health benefits of rosemary tea

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Benefits of fasting for 24 hours

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Discover the benefits of fasting for 24 hours.

24-hour intermittent fasting is often recommended for weight loss, but also its many health benefits.

In this article, I detail the benefits of intermittent fasting, and particularly its practice over 24 hours. You will also be able to find my testimonial and my advice for a successful 24-hour intermittent fasting.

24hr Intermittent fasting to live longer in good health!

This sentence comes up constantly when one is interested in the subject. Simple fashion effect or real health interest? That’s the real question.

The objective of this practice is based on calorie restriction and resting the digestive system as a whole.

When we eat too much, binge, and get too much protein, our aging process is accelerated. Our body ages faster. To counter this effect, it is, therefore, necessary to fast. You boost your production of growth hormone, a hormone of youth.

In practice, it remains very complicated. It was Dr. Valter Longo who simplified the practice of intermittent fasting to reap all the health benefits. But in reality, is it effective?

The benefits of 24 hours intermittent fasting

Many scientific studies have highlighted the following health benefits of intermittent fasting:

• Promote weight loss, maintenance, lower bad cholesterol and increase well.

• Reduce cardiovascular and cancer risks.

• Regulate blood sugar by lowering insulin production and increasing fat metabolism.

• Lower the markers of inflammation ( responsible for the aging process ).

• Stimulate growth hormone production ( 2000% during 24-hour intermittent fasting ). This molecule helps you fight to age, tap into your fat and increase your muscle mass.

• Regulate hormonal disturbances after meals.

• Diversify the composition of the intestinal flora.

• Improve the quality of sleep.

It should be noted that these benefits are mainly found in a population that is overweight or obese, sedentary, or suffering from metabolic disease. The effects of intermittent fasting in healthy, physically active, or athletic people seem small to non-existent.

Intermittent fasting and weight loss

According to scientific research, intermittent fasting is effective for weight loss.

The main reason for the effectiveness of intermittent fasting on weight loss is calorie restriction.

Indeed, skipping one or more meals considerably reduces your food consumption. You then find yourself in an energy deficit, and your body has no choice but to draw on the stock of glycogen and fats to continue to function.

Practiced 1 to 2 times a week, over 3 to 24 weeks, intermittent fasting can lead to a weight loss of 3 to 8% of the initial weight, with a non-negligible share of abdominal fat (reduction in the circumference of cut).

However, over the long term, the evidence on the effectiveness of intermittent fasting remains very weak. We don’t know if, as with all low-calorie diets, it leads to a Yoyo effect and significant regain of lost pounds.

To lose weight permanently, mainly fat, while maintaining your muscle mass, it is advisable to combine a slight caloric restriction and the practice of sport regularly.

Need to lose weight permanently?

My Sport to lose weight program has already enabled hundreds of people to lose weight, improve their health and be in better shape! It includes sports sessions in videos, tools to calculate your fat loss, tips for starting running, recipes, and much more… It’s never too late to start the sport and lose weight for your health.

Opinion on the intermittent fasting 24h

So I wanted to get to the bottom of it and test this practice. To simplify things, Dr. Longo has been testing different protocols for several years. Simpler protocols to apply daily while maintaining the benefits. For people with a healthy lifestyle, practicing 24 hours a month is very effective.

So I fasted for 24 hours. The easiest way is to start after dinner. You eat dinner normally, then nothing until dinner the next day. Hydrate well. You can also consume tea, coffee, infusions but without sugar.

I was afraid of being too hungry, of being a wreck unable to move. And not at all. I did my intermittent fast one day back from vacation, in the car. I felt good, without a stroke. What a pleasure to sit down to eat in the evening, even if the goal is to eat normally and no more than usual.

I resumed the sport the next day with a big day ( 3h30 of cycling chained to 1h of jogging ). I felt good, I didn’t have any cravings. I even recovered better. I am full faster on the meals that follow. The results are very positive.

However, here are some tips to guide you:

• No sport on the day of intermittent fasting, or a short cardio session (30 minutes).

• Take care. Get out of your house, otherwise, the day will be too long to manage unless you have plenty of tasks to accomplish.

• Don’t throw yourself on the food when you eat again. Don’t say to yourself: “it’s good, I’ve done the hardest I can let go”.

• Remember to drink well ( 1.5 to 2 liters of water ) and take hot drinks for satiety.

Be careful if you have medical treatment, do not do it. I do not know the actions of this practice under these conditions. A drug does not have the same effect in these conditions, so check with your doctor.

I await your reactions after your tests. Intermittent fasting is increasingly practiced in the United States, to fight against junk food and diseases of civilization. Its health benefits are undeniable. Live old and above all live better!

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Benefits of hibiscus tea for skin

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