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Women’s Health

Slow Down the Clock & Embrace Vitality: Anti-Aging Medicine

Published: 10 June 2014
Written by Dr. Shel
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Categories: Women's Health

anti-agingWhy are more and more women becoming interested in Anti-Aging Medicine? Women today are more in tune with their health and well being. We not only wish to merely prolong our lives, but we want to ensure that those years are enjoyed in a productive and vital fashion. This is the goal of Anti-Aging medicine. This form of medicine is based on the very early detection, prevention, and reversal of age-related diseases.

If you have had your cholesterol tested, taken a lipid-lowering drug, had a mammogram, or taken HRT with thyroid, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, melatonin, or DHEA, you have experienced anti-aging medicine.

You can take every pill and rue your parents for passing on their genes, but if you want to live long and healthy there are at least three things you must do:

  1. Eat right
  2. Be nutritionally & hormonally balanced
  3. Exercise regularly

While there are no guarantees in life, adopting these healthy pursuits can enhance your chances of vitality as you reach your 60s, 70s, 80s — and beyond, experts say.

You May Ask…How Do I Begin?

Let’s Begin with Diet and Nutrition:

We all need to eat a well-balanced, nutritionally sound diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Many people work hard at eating well, but may still have some vitamin, mineral or antioxidant deficiencies that will affect the function of their immune system. Research at the University of Texas showed that 50% of people eating well and taking vitamin supplements were still deficient.

A new state of the art test by Spectracell Labs measures intracellular levels of vitamins, minerals and other essential micronutrients. This test reveals a person’s functional nutritional status over a much longer time than conventional serum testing. A program can then be catered by your physician to focus in on your nutritional deficiencies and a tailor-made vitamin and supplement plan can be created to address your specific needs. Identifying and correcting your specific micronutrient deficiencies will help promote optimal function of your body and help prevent the development or progression of chronic disease.

Hormonal Balance is Equally as Important:

There could be deficiencies in a woman’s thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, or DHEA levels. All these hormones are crucial for healthy living and should be measured. Let’s take Thyroid as an example. The Thyroid Foundation of America (TFA) estimates that there are 14 million people in the U.S. with an underactive thyroid, about 70 percent of them women, and about half of whom don’t even know they have a problem. Recently, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) decided to raise its standards for “normal” levels of thyroid hormones, potentially making millions of additional women candidates for hypothyroidism treatment.

There are two types of hormone supplements that could be utilized…synthetic and bio-identical. The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine suggests using bio-identical hormone replacement. This is based on the idea of replenishing your bodies with hormones that are biologically identical to what your body has lost, thus minimizing potential side effects while increasing benefit. Speak to your Ob/Gyn about measuring and replacing hormones to achieve a balance that is right for you.

Exercise & Weight Control is Another Key to a Longer, Healthier Life:

Overweight Americans are sicker late in life than normal-weight people and die prematurely, a new study shows. Researchers at Columbia University in New York found that overweight and obese women spend an average of three more years in ill health than normal-weight women. Heavy people are more likely to suffer from pain, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses.

Today, Americans spend more on health care than anyone else in the world. And yet, we aren’t much healthier as a people. The take-home lesson: it’s never too late to start eating well, balancing our hormones and nutrition, and exercising, but getting a jump start while you’re still agile is best.

Live a Longer, More VITAL Life – Adopt Anti-Aging Medicine!

With all that long and vital lives can offer us both personally and as a society, anti-aging medicine has accelerated the pace of advancements in health promotion and prevention, and is the most important new model for health care for this new millennium. By implementing a proactive health program embracing elements of anti-aging preventive medical care for yourself, you increase your ability to live a long and robust lifespan in which you will spend quality and abundant time with your family and its future generations.

Progesterone: The Missing Link

Published: 10 June 2014
Written by Dr. Shel
No comments
Categories: Women's Health

progesterone-deficiencyTo function optimally, the female body requires an optimal balance of progesterone and the estrogen hormones (a trio of related hormones called estradiol, estrone and estriol). Progesterone Deficiency occurs when the hormonal balance is shifted in favor of the estrogens. This condition is also referred to as Estrogen Dominance. The signs and symptoms of estrogen dominance are often seen in the form of exaggerated and painful PMS.

Millions of Women Suffer From These Premenstrual Signs and Symptoms of Progesterone Deficiency:

  • Breast Tenderness
  • Mood Swings
  • Fluid Retention and Weight Gain
  • Headaches
  • Cramps
  • Clotting
  • Irregular Cycles

In Addition, Here are Some Other Symptoms of Progesterone Deficiency:

  • Uterine Fibroids
  • Breast Disease
  • Endometriosis
  • Infertility
  • Miscarriage
  • Joint Pain
  • Muscle Pain
  • Decreased Libido
  • Panic Attacks

How Does Progesterone Deficiency Happen?

For the most part, it is the inevitable result of the aging process. A woman’s ovaries generally function best between a few years after puberty until around age thirty. However, as a woman ages, so do her ovaries. By the time a woman reaches thirty-five years of age she is over halfway through her menstrual life and her ovarian function begins to falter.

The ovaries are the primary site for the production of both the estrogens and progesterone. But while both estrogen and progesterone levels decline with age, progesterone declines much more dramatically. By menopause, a woman’s progesterone level is likely to be a mere 1/120 of the level she experienced in her early twenties. In contrast, her postmenopausal estrogen level may remain at 40% of the level she experienced in early adulthood, because even when her ovaries no longer produce estrogen, her fat cells continue to do so. Due to this additional source of estrogen, an obese postmenopausal woman may have higher estrogen levels than a thin premenopausal woman.

Another reason why Progesterone Deficiency becomes more common with age is that as a woman ages she begins to have anovulatory cycles, menstrual cycles during which her ovaries do not release eggs. When a woman does not ovulate, her ovaries produce NO PROGESTERONE AT ALL.

The stimulatory effects of estrogen unopposed by progesterone can cause the endometrial lining to become abnormally thickened, resulting in heavier periods, clotting, and painful menstrual cramps. As women enter their thirties, anovulatory cycles become more common, and symptoms of estrogen dominance become progressively more severe.

In Addition, Some Other Causes of Progesterone Deficiency are:

  • Hysterectomy
  • Bilateral Tubal Ligation
  • Childbirth
  • Oral and Injectable Contraceptives
  • XenoEsrogens (Petrochemical products found in plastics, herbicides and pesticides)

Natural bio-identical progesterone replacement can help you to counteract these symptoms by getting your Estrogen and Progesterone into proper balance. If you suspect you may have hormonal imbalance, consider taking this free self analysis hormone quiz to find out how likely it is you may need treatment.

An Alternative Mommy Makeover

Published: 10 June 2014
Written by Dr. Shel
No comments
Categories: Women's Health

mom-with-childAfter having a baby, it’s often difficult to get your body back to the way it once looked. Many women experience excess fat remaining in their stomach area, as well as sagging skin.

The Traditional Mommy Makeover

Plastic surgeons tout a ‘Mommy Makeover’ as an answer to these issues, which involves ‘going under the knife’ to correct the problems. Typically this procedure would involve having a breast lift or augmentation as well as a tummy tuck. While those procedures are often effective, they come at a cost. Of course, there is the literal cost-those surgeries can be quite expensive. But other risks (which are increased by the fact that multiple procedures are done at once) include:

  • Scarring
  • Excessive bleeding
  • Blood Clots
  • Infection
  • Complications with anesthesia

Many moms believe that having the ‘Mommy Makeover’ is the only solution, but technology has come so far and now there are many non-invasive alternatives to doing something as drastic as surgery.

Coolsculpting

Coolsculpting is a phenomenal treatment that is effective in reducing fat in those areas where diet and exercise just aren’t doing the trick. To help moms eliminate their leftover baby belly, it can be performed in the stomach region. We usually are able to achieve around 30-40% reduction in the fat layer in most patients, which greatly improves the appearance of the area.

Reaction

For tightening loose skin in the stomach area and around the breasts, we can utilize a treatment called ‘Reaction’. ”Reaction combines the mechanism of advanced RF energy and vacuum therapy that work with the body’s natural regeneration process to deliver safe and efficient treatments for cellulite, body contouring and tightening of the skin.”

Both treatments are non-invasive, very safe, and much more cost effective than surgery. By combining these treatments, we have seen fabulous results and helped many moms look and feel they’re best!