Yearly Archives: 2023

Testosterone is well-known as the male sex hormone. And most people realize that low testosterone (also called “Low T”) can impact a man’s sex drive and sexual performance, cause hair loss, and lead to decreased energy and a decline in muscle mass.

But many people don’t realize that women also produce testosterone. While female’s don’t require the amount of testosterone that men do, when a woman’s testosterone levels are too low she can also suffer from unpleasant symptoms, and be at risk for serious diseases.

A study released just this month by Monash University study has reversed the belief that testosterone is bad for women’s hearts. That ground-breaking research revealed that women aged over 70 who have low testosterone levels actually have double the risk of a cardiac event.

Testosterone in Older Women

Like all sex hormones, a women’s blood testosterone levels decrease every year with age from their early 20s – however they do not change particularly significantly as a result of natural menopause. However, after the age of 70 years, there is a steep drop in female testosterone levels.

Before menopause, a women’s ovaries are the primary source of producing the testosterone that circulates in her blood. But, after menopause, the ovaries stop functioning and no longer make testosterone. Since a woman still needs testosterone for a variety of bodily functions and systems, her body starts making blood testosterone from the hormone DHEA which comes from adrenal glands.

Researching Testosterone & Heart Health in Older Women

The data used in the Monash University study was captured from the longitudinal ASPREE (ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) Randomized Clinical Trial. This study was helmed by Dr. Susan Davis, Professor of Women’s Health at the Monash School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

Blood testosterone levels, DHEA amounts and estrogen concentrations were all measured in the blood of women over the age of 70 who had no prior “CVDs” or Cardiovascular Disease Events. (CVDs include stroke, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and/or heart failure hospitalization).

The results of the Monash / ASPREE study – now published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity Journal – were startling. Testosterone had long been believed to have a negative impact on heart health in post-menopausal women. But the study clearly showed that women who had low blood testosterone and DHEA concentrations – but not low estrogen – had twice the risk of a cardiovascular event than women with higher testosterone blood levels.

Numerous studies in the past have already demonstrated that testosterone therapy lowers blood pressure and increases blood flow in arteries.  So it “makes sense” that having higher testosterone may protect older women from cardiovascular disease.

The head of the study, Professor Davis, posits that the findings suggest there might be an advantage to older women having higher testosterone levels. And, the researchers suggested that the conclusions reached by the data definitely warrant further study examining the potential benefits of testosterone replacement therapy for preventing cardiovascular disease in older women.

Dr. Davis concluded: “We need to stop thinking about testosterone as a ‘male’ hormone that is bad for women. It is an important human hormone for both women and men.”

Hormone Replacement to Prevent Women’s Heart Disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States – killing about 300,000 women every year. Cardiovascular disease causes 1 in 3 women’s deaths and one woman dies from cardiovascular disease every minute – which is more than all cancers combined. So, the research into the role hormone replacement therapy plays in cardiac events cannot be understated.

It is already well established that estrogen protects and strengthens the heart. (Read More About Estrogen & Heart Disease HERE). And ample research shows that earlier intervention with estrogen replacement therapy may have significant, long-term benefits in terms of lowering the risk of heart disease.

As the world leaders in women’s hormone replacement therapy, the HRT experts at SottoPelle continue to monitor this research to help their patients avoid disease and discomfort and live full, active and long lives.

Estrogen & Testosterone Therapy for Women

SottoPelle® Method hormone replacement can help restore a woman’s body and mind to optimal balance. And hormone pellet therapy offers several advantages, including NO daily pills, NO painful weekly shots, and NO messy creams. Additionally, SottoPelle® Method pellet therapy utilizes bioidentical hormones that are safer, more effective, and more natural than lab-created synthetics. Because bioidentical hormones are identical to the body’s own hormones, they offer more effective results, with fewer side-effects and risks.

If you are a peri- or menopausal woman who is experiencing the symptoms of menopause,  Call 201-225-2525 or schedule a consultation at: https://advancedhormonesolutions.com/consultation-form/

Article created by SottoPelle and used by permission of SottoPelle. Advanced Hormone Solutions is a “Certified” SottoPelle provider

Studies Show Estrogen Helps Protect Against Flu in Women

A paper published in the American Journal of Physiology—Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology has revealed that in clinical studies estrogen dramatically reduced the amount of flu virus that replicated in the infected cells of women (but not of men).

The researchers of that study, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, have made the claim that estrogen appears to have a protective advantage for women, by hampering replication of many viruses including the HIV, Ebola, and hepatitis. That effect lessens an infection’s severity and makes it less contagious, so the study team sought to determine if estrogen might also have the same effect on the flu virus.

Clinical Research on Estrogen and the Flu

In this clinical study, the researchers collected cells from the inside of the noses of female and male volunteers. Then they exposed batches of the cells to different types of estrogens, including normal levels of naturally occurring estrogen. The cells then were exposed to an influenza A virus.

The results showed that the female cells receiving estrogen exposure had significant reductions in viral replication compared to those that had not been exposed to the estrogens. The estrogen-exposed cells from women had viral replication that was nearly 1,000 times less than the female cells that were not treated with estrogen.

However, the same reduction in virus replication was not seen in the male cells that were exposed to estrogen. The researchers of that study explained that the same anti-viral results were likely not seen in men, because (while men do produce some estrogen) their cells have far fewer estrogen receptors.

Implications of Estrogen Therapy and the Flu

The study’s lead researcher, Sabra L. Klein, said in the American Physiological Society press release that these findings suggest that when women are taking hormones therapy for any reason “an added benefit might be less susceptibility to influenza during the flu season.”

These findings could be particularly important for elderly women, because older women are both the most likely to be estrogen deficient and are also most susceptible to severe influenza. Researcher Sabra L. Klein went on to note that “Being on hormone replacement therapy could be one way to mitigate the severity of [the flu], which is exciting, simple, and cheap.”

And while many people may dismiss these findings, saying “it’s just the flu”, it is crucial to remember that the flu is a deadly disease. The CDC estimates that flu has resulted in up to 710,000 hospitalizations and up to 52,000 deaths per year between 2010 and 2020.

But What if I am Already Vaccinated?

People who have received the flu vaccine may not think that this exciting discovery applies to them. But it is important to understand that while the influenza vaccine is the best way to avoid becoming infected, it doesn’t work equally in all patients. So some people who get the flu vaccine will still get sick.

For example, certain older people, obese people, and individuals with some chronic illnesses may develop less immunity after getting the flu vaccine. A recent study in the International Journal of Obesity pointed out that obese adults remain twice as likely to contract the flu as adults of healthy weight, even if they received a flu shot.

Estrogen Therapy Helps Prevent the Flu

The importance of maintaining estrogen levels for health and vitality cannot be understated. Declining levels of estrogen in perimenopausal and menopausal women are associated with a higher risk of osteoporosis, breast cancer, heart and artery disease, cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.

Hormone replacement therapy to rebalance estrogen levels can help protect against these debilitating and life threatening diseases. Now, clinical research shows that hormone replacement therapy also provides protection against certain viral infections, including the flu.

This provides just one more reason why perimenopausal and menopausal women should be tested for hormone deficiencies, so that they may safely rebalance their estrogen levels with HRT.

One of the essential methods of treating female hormone imbalance or estrogen deficiency is through the use of 100% natural, convenient, and safe SottoPelle® Method bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Talk to us about SottoPelle® Method estrogen therapy today.

Call 201-225-2525 or schedule a consultation at: https://advancedhormonesolutions.com/consultation-form/

Article created by SottoPelle and used by permission of SottoPelle. Advanced Hormone Solutions is a “Certified” SottoPelle provider

According to recent research from the University of East Anglia, combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) reduces women’s risk of early death from all causes.

This in-depth study followed-up on thousands of women in the UK, comparing the risk of death of those taking hormone therapy with those not using it, over many years. That research found that the risk of death from all causes remains neutral for healthy women taking estrogen-only therapy. But for healthy women taking combined estrogen and progestogen HRT, the overall risk of death from all causes is reduced by almost ten percent.

In this article the hormone replacement therapy experts at SottoPelle® explain the results of this study and discuss how HRT may be able to help women live longer, healthier lives.

Study on Hormone Therapy and Women’s Risk of Early Death

This study used the data from primary care providers in the UK. The researchers followed the medical records of 105,199 women in good health who were between 46 and 65 years old who were given hormone therapy, with an average follow-up of 13 years. These women’s health was compared with 224,643 women of the same age, who were non-HRT users.

Unlike previous studies which only adjusted for demographic and/or lifestyle factors, this study also adjusted for medical conditions including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and artery disease, hysterectomy, ovary removal, body mass index, and smoking.

The data in this study, which was commissioned by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA), was the first to analyze the impact of HRT on women’s overall life expectancy using primary care data.

Of the more than 300,000 women in the study a total of 21,751 women in the study died over the average 13.5 years follow-up per participant.  15,422 non-users of hormone therapy died. However, only 6,329 HRT users died in the average 13.5 year follow-up.

When adjusted for a variety of factors, the researchers concluded that “combined HRT [estrogen + progesten] was associated with a 9% lower risk of all-cause mortality and estrogen-only formulation was not associated with any significant changes.”

Implications of Hormone Therapy and Women’s Risk of Early Death

Sadly, many women are still reluctant to undergo hormone therapy for the treatment of menopause, because of the controversial results of some outdated and erroneous studies from over two decades ago. As Professor Elena Kulinskaya from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England said: “Despite the effectiveness of HRT in relieving menopausal symptoms … untreated menopausal symptoms eventually increase the risks of other health conditions, such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, and incur additional costs to the healthcare systems.

Louise Pryor, IFoA President, summed up the research by saying: “This study supports the emerging consensus that, for most women, the benefits of HRT outweighs the harm. We hope this research will help … support women deciding whether to start or continue with HRT.”

SottoPelle® Method Hormone Therapy for Women

SottoPelle® Method 100% natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy method can help restore a woman’s body and mind to optimal balance during perimenopause and menopause, in addition to protecting a woman’s body from a wide variety of diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis.

And hormone replacement therapy pellets offer several advantages, including NO daily pills, NO painful weekly shots, and NO messy creams. Additionally, SottoPelle® pellet therapy utilizes bioidentical hormones that are safer, more effective, and more natural than lab-created synthetics. Because bioidentical hormones are identical to the body’s own hormones, they offer more effective results, with fewer side-effects and risks.

Research has clearly shown that estrogen-only hormone therapy is not linked to an increased risk of death from any cause – and that combined HRT use is linked to an overall lower risk of death in women after menopause.

If you are a woman who is experiencing the symptoms of perimenopause or menopause, talk to us about SottoPelle® Method hormone therapy today.

Call 201-225-2525 or schedule a consultation at: https://advancedhormonesolutions.com/consultation-form/

Article created by SottoPelle and used by permission of SottoPelle. Advanced Hormone Solutions is a “Certified” SottoPelle provider

Most people associate osteoporosis with women. But while osteoporosis is less common in males, more than 8 million men in the United States have low bone mass.[1] Additionally, when older men suffer certain types of fractures due to bone loss, they have a higher mortality (death) rate than women. In fact, more men die of hip fractures every year than of pancreatic cancer.[2]

Unfortunately, men are rarely screened for osteoporosis. But the good news is that osteoporosis can be very successfully treated in men with lifestyle measures, hormone therapy (when indicated), and/or drug therapy.

In this article the hormone therapy experts at SottoPelle provide an overview of treating and preventing osteoporosis in men.

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a medical condition in which bone loss (osteoclast activity) occurs faster than bone production (osteoblast activity).  Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle, which increases the risk of fractures, mobility limitations, and pain.

Risk Factors for Male Osteoporosis

Risk factors for male osteoporosis include being older than 70 years or older, reduced testosterone levels, poor nutrition, a sedentary lifestyle, and certain medications that interfere with bone turnover. Men with a family history of osteoporosis are also predisposed to developing osteoporosis.

Lifestyle factors that may contribute to the progression of osteoporosis are low body weight, high alcohol consumption, smoking, and some recreational drug usage. Certain underlying medical conditions can also increase the risk of a man developing osteoporosis. These include Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, HIV, Parkinson’s, MS, hyperthyroidism, and chronic kidney disease. Inflammatory conditions like COPD, RA, Asthma, IBS, and celiac disease also put a man at greater risk of developing osteoporosis.

Medications that may induce osteoporosis include aluminum-containing antacids, anti-seizure drugs, chemotherapy drugs, immunosuppressants, androgen-deprivation therapies (ADT), heparin, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), corticosteroids, and antidiabetic drugs.

Reducing the Risk Factors for Male Osteoporosis

Successful strategies for reducing the risk of osteoporosis and counteracting bone loss include certain important lifestyle modifications. Consuming food high in vitamin D and calcium, vitamin D supplementation, and refraining from smoking and alcohol consumption are the first steps. Engaging in regular weight-bearing, strength-training, and resistance exercise can also help men keep bone loss at bay. And, in older men, practicing fall-prevention strategies can reduce the risk of breaking bones.

However, lifestyle factors alone – though extremely important – are rarely sufficient on their own to prevent the development of osteoporosis.

Hormone Replacement for Men’s Osteoporosis

Hormones play an essential role in bone formation and bone maintenance in adults. But men lose 1 to 3% of their testosterone every year after the age of 40. This loss testosterone and other androgens, as well as declining estrogen levels, in elderly men contributes substantially to the development of osteoporosis.

But the good news for the large percentage of men who are hormone deficient, is that testosterone therapy in men with osteoporosis is a very effective treatment for increasing bone density.

Medications for Men’s Osteoporosis

When diet, lifestyle, supplements, and hormone replacement therapy are not sufficient, some men may also need to be prescribed medication for male osteoporosis. This can take many forms including oral or IV bisphosphonates and other antiresorptive agents, and PTH analogues

Bisphosphonates for men include Alendronate (Binosto, Fosamax) and Ibandronate (Boniva). However, like any medication, these bisphosphonates come with a litany of potential side effects, including, bone and joint pain, constipation or diarrhea, nausea and flu-like symptoms, irritation of the food pipe (esophagus), pain or difficulty swallowing, and osteonecrosis of the jaw (death of bone tissue). This is why it is recommended that men try natural bone building strategies before resorting to medication – including diet and lifestyle changes, and 100% natural bioidentical hormone therapy.

SottoPelle Method Hormone Therapy for Men’s Osteoporosis

SottoPelle Method hormone therapy stands apart from other testosterone replacement methods, because it utilizes bioidentical pellets – rather than synthetic pills, patches or gels.

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy prevents osteoporosis by restoring the body’s natural hormone balance – rather than introducing lab-created chemicals that come with harsh and dangerous side effects.

There are two types of hormone replacement therapy: hormones created in a laboratory, and “bioidentical” replacement hormones that are derived from natural, plant-based sources. Nothing that is created in a lab will ever be identical to what is found naturally in the body. But “bioidentical” hormones that are obtained from natural, living, plant-based sources are virtually identical in molecular structure to human hormones. So, the human body more readily “recognizes” bioidentical hormones, and they “fit” better with the body’s other cells.

And, unlike pills, patches and gels that need to be taken or applied daily, a single pellet insertion every six months is all that is needed with SottoPelle Method hormone therapy! The time-released hormone pellets also offer continual, 24/7 HRT – for the most consistent delivery of hormones, rather than the “ups and downs” of pills, patches and gels.

And because the pellets are customized for each individual patient based on their lab results (rather than one-size-fits-all, like pills and patches) patients get exactly the dose they need – which means fewer side effects.

Men’s Hormone Therapy for Osteoporosis  | Scottsdale, AZ

Because men experience a substantially decreased quality of life and have an increased mortality risk following a bone fracture, it is imperative for to screen and treat men at risk for osteoporosis.

One of the essential methods of treating and preventing men’s osteoporosis is through the use of 100% natural, convenient, and safe SottoPelle® Method bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Talk to us about SottoPelle® Method men’s hormone therapy today. Call 201-225-2525 or schedule a consultation at: https://advancedhormonesolutions.com/consultation-form/

Article created by SottoPelle and used by permission of SottoPelle. Advanced Hormone Solutions is a “Certified” SottoPelle provider

A paper published in the American Journal of Physiology—Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology has revealed that in clinical studies estrogen dramatically reduced the amount of flu virus that replicated in the infected cells of women (but not of men).

The researchers of that study, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, have made the claim that estrogen appears to have a protective advantage for women, by hampering replication of many viruses including the HIV, Ebola, and hepatitis. That effect lessens an infection’s severity and makes it less contagious, so the study team sought to determine if estrogen might also have the same effect on the flu virus.

Clinical Research on Estrogen and the Flu

In this clinical study, the researchers collected cells from the inside of the noses of female and male volunteers. Then they exposed batches of the cells to different types of estrogens, including normal levels of naturally occurring estrogen. The cells then were exposed to an influenza A virus.

The results showed that the female cells receiving estrogen exposure had significant reductions in viral replication compared to those that had not been exposed to the estrogens. The estrogen-exposed cells from women had viral replication that was nearly 1,000 times less than the female cells that were not treated with estrogen.

However, the same reduction in virus replication was not seen in the male cells that were exposed to estrogen. The researchers of that study explained that the same anti-viral results were likely not seen in men, because (while men do produce some estrogen) their cells have far fewer estrogen receptors.

Implications of Estrogen Therapy and the Flu

The study’s lead researcher, Sabra L. Klein, said in the American Physiological Society press release that these findings suggest that when women are taking hormones therapy for any reason “an added benefit might be less susceptibility to influenza during the flu season.”

These findings could be particularly important for elderly women, because older women are both the most likely to be estrogen deficient and are also most susceptible to severe influenza. Researcher Sabra L. Klein went on to note that “Being on hormone replacement therapy could be one way to mitigate the severity of [the flu], which is exciting, simple, and cheap.”

And while many people may dismiss these findings, saying “it’s just the flu”, it is crucial to remember that the flu is a deadly disease. The CDC estimates that flu has resulted in up to 710,000 hospitalizations and up to 52,000 deaths per year between 2010 and 2020.

But What if I am Already Vaccinated?

People who have received the flu vaccine may not think that this exciting discovery applies to them. But it is important to understand that while the influenza vaccine is the best way to avoid becoming infected, it doesn’t work equally in all patients. So some people who get the flu vaccine will still get sick.

For example, certain older people, obese people, and individuals with some chronic illnesses may develop less immunity after getting the flu vaccine. A recent study in the International Journal of Obesity pointed out that obese adults remain twice as likely to contract the flu as adults of healthy weight, even if they received a flu shot.

Estrogen Therapy Helps Prevent the Flu

The importance of maintaining estrogen levels for health and vitality cannot be understated. Declining levels of estrogen in perimenopausal and menopausal women are associated with a higher risk of osteoporosis, breast cancer, heart and artery disease, cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.

Hormone replacement therapy to rebalance estrogen levels can help protect against these debilitating and life threatening diseases. Now, clinical research shows that hormone replacement therapy also provides protection against certain viral infections, including the flu.

This provides just one more reason why perimenopausal and menopausal women should be tested for hormone deficiencies, so that they may safely rebalance their estrogen levels with HRT.

One of the essential methods of treating female hormone imbalance or estrogen deficiency is through the use of 100% natural, convenient, and safe SottoPelle® Method bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Contact Advanced Hormone Solutions today at 201-225-2525 or schedule a consultation at: https://advancedhormonesolutions.com/consultation-form/

Article created by SottoPelle and used by permission of SottoPelle. Advanced Hormone Solutions is a “Certified” SottoPelle provider