Hormone replacement therapy may have received negative publicity over the past ten years, but there are actually several different Hormone Replacement Therapy Houstontypes that can be beneficial for many patients.  Both men and women who are experiences the symptoms of aging may find that treatment at a hormone replacement therapy Houston clinic can alleviate symptoms and help them lead healthier lives.

HRT in the Media
Hormone replacement therapy, often abbreviated HRT, was a standard treatment for the symptoms of menopause for many years.  Menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, irritability and vaginal dryness are due to a drop in the hormone estrogen, and replacing lost estrogen can help relieve the unpleasant symptoms.  HRT (in the form of estrogen plus progestin, a synthetic form of the female reproductive hormone progesterone) was also thought to have long-term benefits for the prevention of osteoporosis, a loss of calcium (and subsequent weakening) in the bones caused by lower-than-normal estrogen levels.

A widespread clinical trial in 2002, however, found that HRT actually put women at an alarmingly increased risk of a number of life-threatening conditions.  Women on hormone replacement therapy programs had much higher rates of heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, blood clots and abnormal mammograms.  Doctors immediately began prescribing the treatment much less often, and the results of the clinical trial frightened many women into stopping treatment without even consulting their physicians.

What is Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Medical clinic Houston IMC recognizes that reproductive hormones are not the only hormones that decline with age, and replacing other lost hormones in the body can help reduce the effects of aging.  Adults suffering from low thyroid hormone levels may experience sleep problems, weight gain, low energy, or hair loss; supplementation with natural thyroid replacements can help these symptoms.  Cortisol, testosterone and DHEA are other common hormones whose supplementation may benefit the patient.

It’s important for patients to pay attention o their bodies and take note when they are experiencing unusual symptoms.  Recognizing low hormone levels is different from recognizing the symptoms of a disease in that patients often attribute their condition to aging or stress or work – but often there is a simple and natural solution with hormone replacement.