Yearly Archives: 2017

As contradictory as it may seem, cold weather can actually be more to blame for hot flashes than warm weather, all thanks to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. This tiny part at the base of the brain is vital to many functions in the body, including regulating your body temperature.

When the estrogen levels in the body decrease during menopause, it can cause a glitch in the hypothalamus, making it harder to accurately measure and regulate the body’s temperature.  The hypothalamus thinks that the body is too hot or too cold and begins trying to rectify this problem to get the body to a normal temperature.

In the case of hot flashes, the hypothalamus thinks that the body is too hot and needs cooling down. It then sends more blood closer to the surface of the skin, which causes you to become red in the cheeks and feel warm in your face.

Frustrating as this may be, there are some steps that help you manage your symptoms in the colder months:

Dress in layers: Multiple layers of clothing that are easy to put on and take off will make dealing with hot flashes much easier. Dressy tank tops underneath lightweight, button-down sweaters or cardigans will allow you to easily remove the warmer garments and get that much-needed cool air against your skin quickly.

Keep a fan nearby: Small, portable fans are an easy and inexpensive way to deal with hot flashes. Tuck one under your desk at work, rather than trying to cool off the entire office.  Getting the air flowing in your own personal corner may help you survive the next hot flash without annoying your co-workers.

Dress lightly for bed: Rather than going to sleep in flannel pajamas, wear something lightweight and breathable to bed. Keep the bedroom cool and layer on smaller blankets that are easy to remove if hot flashes and night sweats kick in.

Keep holiday stress to a minimum: Colder months are also packed with shopping lists, holiday parties, and an endless list of to-dos. Stress is a common hot flash trigger so cutting your list this winter may help reduce the number of hot flashes you experience.

If you’re needing a little bit of extra help managing your hot flashes, call our office at 201-225-2525 to schedule a free consultation.  Our Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy can help get your internal thermostat back on track.

The holidays are meant to be a joyful, happy time.  Too often the season devolves into a time crunch with a seemingly endless list of tasks to complete, gifts to purchase, and unreasonable expectations.

We’ve put together a list of 5 simple, easy-to-do ways to help manage that stress this season so maybe, just maybe, you get to enjoy the festivities with your family.

1: Take a sunny day hike!

Sunlight stimulates the production of serotonin and helps relieve the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Spend time outdoors or near a sunny window.  If you need even more, look into phototherapy, a treatment using a box that emits a full-spectrum light.

2: Take a deep breath!

Citrus fragrances have been found to boost feelings of well-being and alleviate stress by raising levels of norepinephrine.  Dab a little lemon or orange essential oil on a handkerchief and keep in in your pocket for an all-day pick-me-up.

3:  Walk away from your worries!

Much like the sunny hike mentioned above, the rhythm of walking in any weather has a calming effect on your brain and can decrease anxiety and improve sleep.

4:  Just a little pinch!

There’s a fleshy spot between your index finger and thumb.  Applying pressure for 30 seconds can reduce stress and tension in your upper body.  Give your hand a squeeze and take a deep breathe.

5:  Dip into some honey!

Honey has a myriad of health benefits, including giving us an instant kick when we need it.  It’s antioxidant and antibacterial properties may improve immunity.  Remember, the darker the honey, the more powerful the punch.

Following the steps above can help prevent stress and depression that can accompany the holiday hustle and bustle.  With a little planning and some positive thinking, you can find peace and joy during the holidays.

This year, the World Menopause Campaign has chosen the overall theme of “Midlife Health in the 21^st Century,” which focuses on common problems in perimenopause. In the leading up to menopause (perimenopause), you may experience several signs and symptoms, including:

• Irregular periods
• Vaginal dryness
• Hot flashes
• Chills
• Night sweats
• Sleep problems
• Mood changes
• Weight gain and slowed metabolism
• Thinning hair and dry skin
• Loss of breast fullness

Menopause requires no medical treatment and is a natural part of aging. Instead, treatments focus on relieving your signs and symptoms, and preventing or managing chronic conditions that may occur with aging.  Hormone Therapy is the most effective treatment option for relieving menopausal hot flashes.  Your doctor may recommend estrogen to provide symptom relief, which also helps prevent bone loss.  Bioidentical Hormones are those that come from plant sources.  The hormones are chemically identical to those your body naturally produces.  Starting hormones around the time of menopause has shown benefits for many women.

Before starting on any form of treatment, talk with your doctor about your options and benefits involved with each treatment.  Review your options early, as your needs may change.

To schedule your consultation to see which treatment may be best for you, call us at 201-225-2525.  Let’s get you on the path to being your best you!

Insomnia is defined as the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.  Sleep disorders like insomnia are common in menopause, but can also hit well before your period stops in the phase known as perimenopause.  Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy can help you get better, higher-quality sleep.

Sleep is incredibly important to our bodies.  This is when the body takes time to repair, detoxify, regulate hormones, correct chemical imbalances, adjust blood sugar levels, store memories, and much more.  If we cannot regulate our hormones, we cannot get restful sleep and all the other processes of sleep begin to fail.

In order for your body to get quality sleep, you must enter Rapid Eye Movement.  This is when the body is at its most restful and restorative.  If you do not spend enough time in REM each night, you may begin to experience hormonal disruptions.

Keeping your bedroom cool, having a fan to manage possible hot flashes, managing stress, and exercising are all good tactics for fighting insomnia during perimenopause.  Sticking to a bedtime and waketime schedule can also help.

Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy can get at the root cause of all of your symptom and help alleviate the ones that lead to insomnia in the first place.

If you are experiencing Insomnia, we can help.  Call us today at 201-225-2525 to schedule your free consultation.  We can have you on your way to a restful sleep in no time.

Menopause begins when your ovaries stop producing estrogen, the hormone that regulates the reproductive cycle.  On average, women in the U.S. go into menopause around 51, according to the National Institute on Aging.  Most women will experience the onset of menopausal symptoms between 40 and 60, with early menopause (perimenopause) occurring before age 40.

Our hormonal levels are constantly shifting, and that’s normal.  As we age, the fluctuations may become more extreme, leading us to experience common symptoms of menopause such as night sweats, hot flashes, fatigue, depression, sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, foggy thinking, and a decrease in sexual desire.  Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can potentially prevent many of these common symptoms. Approaching these symptoms naturally can help you regain hormonal balance, and both the frequency and severity of symptoms will improve.

Hormone Replacement Therapy may be appropriate to address the long-term health risks associated with menopause, such as atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, breast cancer, increase in body fat, and diabetes.  Working with a knowledgeable healthcare professional specifically trained in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) can help you transition through menopause happier and healthier with an improved quality of life and sense of well-being.

For more information, visit the Articles link on our website at advancedhormonesolutions.com/press-releases

Contact us today at 201-225-2525 to schedule your consultation and start feeling better.

As we go through menopause, you might notice that your libido, or sex drive, is changing. Most women will often experience a decrease in their libido during menopause which is due to a decrease in your hormone levels.

Decreased hormone levels can lead to vaginal dryness and tightness which can cause pain during intercourse. Menopause symptoms can also make you less interested in sex. These symptoms include:

• depression
• mood swings
• weight gain
• hot flashes
• anxiety
• decrease in energy
• sleeping problems

Menopause can negatively affect your libido in several ways. During menopause, your testosterone and estrogen levels both decrease, which make it more difficult for you to feel sexy and to get aroused.  Lower levels of estrogen lead to a drop in the blood supply to the vagina, which can then negatively affect vaginal lubrication. It can also lead to thinning of the vaginal wall, known as vaginal atrophy.  Vaginal dryness and atrophy often lead to discomfort during sex.

Other physical changes during menopause might also affect your libido. For example, many women gain weight and fat during menopause, and discomfort with your new chubby body can lead to you feeling unattractive thus leading to a decrease in your desire for sex. Hot flashes and night sweats are also common symptoms. These symptoms can leave you feeling too tired and other symptoms include mood swings, depression and irritability, which can turn you off from sex.

Our proven SottoPelle bioidentical hormone replacement therapy will restore your hormone levels back to optimum youthful levels, thus giving your body back what it does not produce any more.

Ladies, have you been dealing with hot flashes, weight gain, increase in belly fat, mood swings, night sweats, fatigue, or low libido?  And Gents, have you been noticing some hair or muscle loss, heart palpitations, insomnia, depression, anxiety, or low libido?  If you have answered yes to the above you may be suffering from a hormonal imbalance.

Bioidentical hormones are physiologically identical to the hormones our own bodies produce, meaning BHRT simulates our own hormone delivery method by consistently circulating hormones in our blood.

Synthetic hormones have known risks and complications, whereas BHRT has many benefits, such as:

• Bioidentical hormones are metabolized in our body the same way as our naturally produced hormones.
• Bioidentical hormone doses can be tailored to each individual’s needs.
• Bioidentical hormones have been shown to be safe, but should always be used under the care of a trained physician. A doctor specializing in BHRT can determine whether the symptoms you’re experiencing are hormone related and, if so, develop a treatment plan specifically designed for you.

We know that hormones play a significant role in how our bodies behave and how we feel, our goal is to provide advanced BHRT therapies to help you to reclaim your life.  We begin with a detailed blood test to identify your current hormone levels, and personally review your results with you to tailor a custom treatment plan.

For more information and to schedule your consultation, call us today at 201-225-2525.  We look forward to helping you live your best life.

Osteoporosis is a bone disease occurring when the body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both.  Literally meaning “Porous Bone,” when viewed under a microscope, an osteoporotic bone seems to have much larger and more frequent “pores” than healthy bone.  As bones become less dense, they weaken and are more likely to break.  If you have a high risk for osteoporosis and are approaching or have already reached menopause, testosterone hormone replacement therapy is a good treatment and preventative option to consider.

HRT has traditionally been seen as the standard method of preventing osteoporotic breaks among postmenopausal women.  While we see benefits from HRT in bone density shortly after menopause, testosterone therapy should be taken long-term to have any lasting impact on bone density and health.  This will help enhance acceptability and continuation, ensuring bone protection and menopausal symptom control.

Hormone replacement therapy is effective in preventing osteoporotic fractures in women without an established disease.  Treatment of osteoporosis will reduce the risk of fracture, and it is essential to maintain bone structure as early as possible.

For more information on HRT and Bone Density or to schedule a consultation, call us today at (201)225-2525.

With warmer weather approaching, everyone is looking forward to getting outside for hiking, biking, jogging, and other outdoor activities.   If your hormones are out of balance, you may find that you don’t have the motivation or energy to exercise in order to regulate your weight.  And with a slower metabolism, you are a prime candidate to have an increase in belly fat.

There are several hormones that can inhibit a healthy metabolism, such as testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.  Low testosterone can cause fat storage and, along with low estrogen, can increase sugar cravings.  Progesterone helps our bodies turn to sleep well and have energy.  An imbalance here can lead to overeating.

Women who use HRT typically experience fewer problems with weight gain and body fat redistribution.  Through Hormone Replacement Therapy, you may be able to rebalance your hormones and get your weight loss back on track.  In addition, our weight loss products are made of vitamins, amino acids, and lipotropic agents to give you energy, increase your metabolism, and help with fat breakdown.

Call us at 201-225-2525 to schedule a consultation and see how we can help get you back to a healthier you.