What exactly are hormones and why are they so important?
Hormones are the life-sustaining chemical messengers produced by a group of glands known as the endocrine system. Hormones are needed for growth and development, sexual function, metabolism, cardiovascular function, body composition, cellular repair, cognition, and overall well-being. Unfortunately, levels of these critical hormones can greatly diminish due to environmental toxins, medication, stress, lack of sleep, inactivity, weight gain, and poor diet. and advancing age. Degenerative processes then set in, causing health to decline and aging to accelerate. Optimizing your hormone levels can be one of the quickest and most effective ways to help you achieve and maintain an active, healthy, vibrant, and mentally sharp life while building your body’s natural defenses against age-related conditions.
Two key hormones vitally important for rejuvenation and repair of the body are estrogen and testosterone produced by the ovaries and testicles. These hormones affect every aspect of a one’s life and play a critical role in nearly every major organ system in the body. Around age 40, we begin to lose the ability to produce sufficient levels of estrogen and testosterone. Good health is slowly replaced with a host of age-associated health problems. Low testosterone itself is associated with excess abdominal fat, diabetes, clinical depression, aggressive prostate cancer, heart disease, stroke, Sudden Cardiac Death, Alzheimer’s disease, sarcopenia (muscle wasting), and osteoporosis. Having too little testosterone can have a detrimental impact on one’s health and longevity.
When people lose the vigor and energy for life they once had, they are led to believe these changes are an “inevitable” part of the aging process, and they must simply “learn to accept it.” Aging has now become an ugly word for its association with sickness, dependency, and the loneliness of being confined to a nursing home. Our golden years are no longer viewed by society as welcoming. Getting older does not have to mean the end of a happy and healthy life. Hormones are our life-force. Advances in modern medicine now allow you to safely correct hormone deficiency. With Hormone Pellet Therapy, you can now put back these life-giving hormones and restore what was lost.
Are low hormone levels causing your health to deteriorate?
Can you remember what you felt like when you were thirty? Your energy levels and sex drive were higher. Your moods were more stable. Your mind was sharper. Your muscles were stronger. You slept better. Your cholesterol was lower. And it was easier to maintain your weight. Why? Because your body chemistry was in balance and it protected you. The symptoms below can be related to hormone deficiency. How many of them are you experiencing?
- Lack of energy and mobility
- Low sex drive
- Difficulty achieving orgasm
- Poor concentration
- Memory loss
- Difficulty sleeping
- Weight gain or excess fat
- Loss of muscle and strength
- Mood swings or irritability
- Anxiety or depression
- Joint pain or muscle aches
- Decreased bone density
- Women: Hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, sagging breasts
- Men: Weak erections
What is hormone pellet therapy?
Hormone Pellet Therapy is a state-of-the-art medical protocol, utilizing tiny hormone pellets that provide an on-demand delivery system to replenish the missing amounts of estrogen and testosterone. They are designed to supplement or add to your own hormones—not replace them. The pellets we use contain low-dose, plant-based hormones derived from a naturally occurring compound found in wild yam called diosgenin which is biologically equivalent to human hormones. They are hand-formulated under sterile conditions in licensed compounding pharmacies in the United States, using the purest ingredients and manufactured to the highest standards.
The pellets are slightly larger than a cooked piece of rice and are painlessly placed beneath the skin. Hormone Pellet Therapy allows your body to receive the hormones it needs directly into the bloodstream 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The body uses the pellets as a reservoir or “hormone bank,” withdrawing from it as needed. This makes estrogen and testosterone available exactly when you need it, in the correct amount you need, and in a form that is equivalent to your own. Depending on your metabolic state at any given moment, blood flow will automatically increase or decrease around the pellets. When more hormone is needed—like during stress or exercise—blood flow increases and more hormone is absorbed. When less hormone is needed—like during sleep—blood flow decreases and less hormone is absorbed. And when the body is given back the exact hormones it is missing, normal physiology is restored, allowing one to experience improved health and vitality.
Is hormone pellet therapy new?
Hormone therapy using pellets is FDA-approved and is not new. Hormone pellets were originally developed in France in 1935 to help alleviate the symptoms of menopause. They are currently popular in Europe and Australia for both men and women. Hormone pellets were first used in the United States from the early 1940’s to the early 1970’s before synthetic hormones were heavily marketed. Since then, medical education in the United States has been geared toward synthetic hormones, and most physicians practicing today were never trained in the use of hormone pellets. Even though hormone pellets have been around for nearly 80 years, they are grossly underutilized. But a growing number of physicians in the U.S. have begun to realize the importance of restoring hormones to healthier levels, and many are now using pellets to do so.
Is hormone replacement therapy using pellets safe?
Yes, and there is an abundance of published data to support the safe use of pellets. For nearly eight decades, hormone replacement therapy using pellets has been documented in hundreds of medical journal articles worldwide. But don’t let the words “hormone replacement therapy” deter you. This isn’t the same as animal-derived or synthetic hormones manufactured by large pharmaceutical companies. This is about plant-derived estrogen and testosterone that is biologically equivalent to the estrogen and testosterone produced by your own body. Fear of cancer prevents some people from restoring youthful hormone levels, but rather than cause cancer, data is now suggesting that low doses of natural hormones may help protect you from cancer. If you have a history of breast or prostate cancer, the decision of whether to use hormones should be made after discussion with Dr. Thomas, and after considering natural ways to support your immune system including consuming abundant cruciferous vegetables, minimizing red meat, high-fat dairy, and sweets, and taking vitamin D, calcium D-glucarate, and lignans found in organic flaxseed meal.
How do pellets compare to pills, creams, patches, shots, herbs, or vitamins?
It is difficult for prescription hormone pills, creams, gels, patches, and shots to produce a normal physiologic state because they cannot deliver the varying amounts of hormones required by the body at different times, causing a peak-and-valley or roller-coaster effect, and subjecting one to potentially excessive dosages. Because hormone pills are absorbed through the digestive tract and pass through the liver before the body can absorb them, some of the hormones can be lost in the process. And no over-the-counter herbal or vitamin product can return your hormones to normal physiologic levels, and any claims to the contrary are false.
There are no peaks and valleys of hormone levels with pellet therapy. Just like the natural, built-in hormone-delivery system of your body (endocrine system), pellets work on an ongoing basis, automatically delivering correct amounts of hormones directly into the bloodstream when you need it. This consistent level of hormones can give you the same sense of well-being and vitality you felt in your 30’s. And when your body returns to normalized physiologic function, you may sleep better, think more clearly, and enjoy an increase in your energy levels, as well as your sex drive. You could feel like the old you again!
What makes pellets a desirable form of hormone therapy?
- Derived from natural plant sources—not animal
- A more physiologic way to deliver hormones
- Consistent and balanced level of hormones utilizing low dosages
- Safe, reliable, and hassle-free
- Can take just 48-72 hours to get into your system and begin working
- Lasts up to 3 months at a time
- Less expensive overall
What can hormone pellet therapy do for me?
While you cannot stop the aging process, you can do something to manage the process far more effectively. Growing older does not have to mean feeling older. Restoring hormones to optimal levels can be one of the most effective ways to protect your health, reduce the signs of aging, and regain more youthful vigor so you can live a longer and happier life with better mental and physical functioning. The benefits of Hormone Pellet Therapy are numerous and may include:
- Increased energy and mobility
- Improved sense of well-being (“zest for life”)
- Increased sex drive & satisfaction
- Improved mental sharpness, concentration, and memory
- Better sleep quality
- Decreased body fat
- Increased muscle mass and strength
- More stable moods—less irritability and grumpiness
- Less anxiety and depression
- Decreased joint pain and muscle aches
- Increased bone density
- Women: Reduced hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and firmer breasts
- Men: Stronger erections
What are the possible side effects?
There are very few side effects since the pellets are simply restoring something natural to your body (i.e., hormones). When first starting therapy, there will be a short adjustment period. The most common side effects are generally mild and can include temporary breast or nipple tenderness, and temporary water weight gain. For more information, click here to download a read a copy of our Informed Consent: Female or Male.
How long can I stay on treatment?
There is no time limit. You may continue to receive testosterone for as long as you desire the health benefits.
How do I receive treatment?
The need for hormones is determined by medical history (symptoms), physical examination, and lab work. Proper hormone restoration therapy involves balancing and maintaining optimal levels of estrogen and/or testosterone. Hormone requirements can vary considerably between individuals. Hormone Pellet Therapy is a scientific and closely-monitored approach. For women, estrogen along with a small amount of testosterone is what returns a woman’s body to its normal physiologic state. Men, on the other hand, produce tiny amounts of estrogen in their bodies and need only testosterone supplementation to achieve balance and return to optimum well-being.
After your hormone levels are accurately measured and analyzed via blood testing (we don’t use saliva testing as its reliability may be questionable), you will receive the proper dose of pellets to fulfill your body’s individual requirements. The procedure itself is simple and is performed in the comfort of our office. Using a local anesthetic, the pellets are painlessly placed beneath the skin in the hip or buttock area. The entire procedure takes less than 15 minutes. Depending on the individual, it can take as little as 72 hours and up to 6 weeks before symptoms will begin to improve. The pellets slowly dissolve over time and can last 3 months. To maintain the numerous health benefits, depending on the individual, the procedure needs to be performed 4 times per year.
What are your fees and does insurance cover the cost?
Restoring hormones to optimal levels can be one of the most effective ways to protect your health, reduce the signs of aging, and regain more youthful vigor so you can live a longer and happier life with better mental and physical functioning. Fortunately, the cost is reasonable. Not including lab fees (which are usually covered by insurance and Medicare), the cost to have pellets inserted is $500 plus the wholesale cost of the pellets themselves ($75 for women; $225 for men).
Because hormone pellets can last up 3 months at a time, compared to other forms of hormones (pills, creams, gels, patches, shots), pellets are about 25% less expensive overall. Some women will also need to take a daily plant-based, oral progesterone supplement which costs about $30 per month, and some men will need to take a safe, estrogen-blocking medication called anastrozole which costs about $20 per month. Except for lab fees, insurance and Medicare do not cover the cost of Hormone Pellet Therapy, but a Heath Savings Account (HSA) will reimburse most of the cost.
How do I get started?
For complete information on getting started, click here.
