HYSTERECTOMY, MENOPAUSE & NHRT

What's a woman to do? What many of us knew for a long time hit the headlines in July, 2002: the dangers of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). On May 31, 2002, after more than five years, the Women's Health Initiative stopped part of their study on HRT. They found that the combination of synthetic estrogen (conjugated equine estrogen, synthesized from horse urine) with synthetic progesterone (Prempro) created coronary heart disease (nonfatal myocardial infarction), death due to coronary heart disease, and invasive breast cancer. On the good side, the hormones decreased colon cancer and bone fractures--significant benefits, but not enough to outweigh the serious risks.

THE STUDY RESULTS
The study of postmenopausal women taking only synthetic estrogen continues.

So what do we do now? More than 40% of postmenopausal women in the United States have taken some form of HRT. Some of these women continue to take drugs into their 70's and beyond. Stopping the study made millions of women wonder, what do we do now?

Restating the Goal. Historically, women have been put on synthetic hormones to manage hot flashes, vaginal dryness, dry skin and hair, and other symptoms, and to decrease cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. In light of the Women's Health Initiative study, the trend now in the medical community will be to manage symptoms with short-term use of HRT. But the risks will still exist.

Our goal is safe, long-term female stability to minimize symptoms while encouraging bone growth and decreasing cancer risks, without the use of synthetic hormones.

WHAT TO DO FOR SAFE, LONG-TERM FEMALE HORMONE STABILITY

Advanced Laboratory Testing for Long-Term Hormonal Stability

THE HORMONE HIGHWAY©

Master Hormones and the Adrenals. Top-level or master hormones like cortisol, androstenedione, and DHEA filter down to become estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone. The adrenal glands produce a large percentage of these hormones. For example, in a postmenopausal woman, the adrenal glands may produce 95% of androstenedione, while the ovaries produce only 5%.

Test #205 assesses your adrenal health by looking at your adrenal rhythm and hormone levels with four saliva samples at different times over one day. Based on your data, Dr. Bivins can suggest a safe, test-guided supplementation program to support the adrenals, which in turn will increase female hormones and testosterone. It is not uncommon for this program alone to decrease or eliminate symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness. You can safely increase your estrogens and testosterone without taking these end-product hormones!

Remove the insults so the body can heal itself.

The goal is to reset the Hypothalmus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) by removing stressors. Stressors can be both external (External-Mental-Emotional), and internal (Internal-Physiological) like food allergies and parasites. These stressors drive the adrenals 24 hours a day, thereby decreasing female hormones and testosterone. It's your job to reduce external stressors, and Dr. Bivins can offer expert guidance to make any lifestyle changes that may be necessary for your optimum health. Dr. Bivins' laboratory testing strives to find and eliminate internal stressors. By removing these insults, the body can begin to heal itself.

Have you been taking synthetic hormones? Define your cardiovascular risks with test #215. Cardiovascular disease is the #1 cause of death for women.

Discover gastro-intestinal dysfunctions (food sensitivities, parasites, gluten and/or lactose intolerance, etc.) with test #304. This panel looks at three types of Candida, your ratio of aerobic to anaerobic bacteria, sensitivities to basic foods, and it tells us your level of immunity.

Parasites can interfere with digestion and, left untreated, make it impossible to achieve long-term hormonal stability. Test #352 looks for parasite markers in the blood. Test #401 looks for parasites in the stool. (Parasites are difficult to find and could show up in either blood or stool but not both; a thorough investigation demands both tests.)

Assess your rate of bone loss with test #110.

Coaching / Consultation with Dr. Bivins
Dr. Bivins will create a custom, natural program including interpretation of your lab work and a plan of action for you based on your results and a thorough history.

Supplementation for Long-term Female Hormone Stability
Based on your data, we offer highest-quality natural supplements and hormone preparations at safe levels similar to what your body would produce.

• Support for your adrenals
  
• Natural hormone preparations
• Natural products for symptom relief

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