Creating Hormonal Harmony : Part 1

Hormones, Health, and Happiness: A Natural Medical Formula for Rediscovering Youth with Bioidentical Hormones
by Steven F. Hotze, M.D.

You probably know that as you age, your hormone levels decline. But what you probably don't know is that hormone levels can be restored using natural, bioidentical hormones that eliminate associated fatigue, weight gain, moodiness, memory loss, and a weakened immune system. Too often, women are prescribed drugs that treat these symptoms and not the core problem: hormonal imbalance.

Now, in his acclaimed eight-point program that has improved the lives of countless patients at his Houston wellness clinic, Dr. Steven F. Hotze reveals what women of all ages can do to get relief and promote lifelong hormonal health through a combination of lifestyle changes, good nutrition, exercise, and natural hormone replacement.

In clear, nontechnical language, he addresses: - the important differences between chemical hormones and bioidentical hormones - common, related health problems, including allergies, yeast overgrowth, and adrenal fatigue - balanced nutrition - vitamin and mineral supplements - and more.

Chapter 1

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?

Are you weary of doctors who won't listen to you, don't understand you, and offer only prescription drugs as the solution to your health problems?

Are you frustrated with being told that your blood tests are normal and there is nothing wrong with you?

I understand how you feel. Daily at my clinic, I see women who have sought the care of numerous physicians for fatigue, weight gain, mood swings, menstrual irregularities, headaches, joint and muscle pain, loss of libido, and numerous other problems. They have had their blood drawn and their hormone levels measured, only to be told that no physical cause of their symptoms can be found.

A woman who is repeatedly told by her doctor that everything is normal even though she does not feel well is unlikely to get the personal attention and compassionate treatment that she deserves. Instead, she will be categorized as a hypochondriac, prescribed an antidepressant, or referred to a psychiatrist.

Initially, she may reject the idea of using antidepressants, because she is still convinced that something within her body is not functioning correctly. But eventually, as her condition persists, she will comply with her doctor's wishes and take the drugs. When these provide no relief, she may begin to believe that the doctor is right and that her problems are all in her head. Even worse, she may conclude, as some women have revealed to me, that God is punishing her for her past sins.

If this is the way you feel, then please take note. Your health problems are not all in your head. Your symptoms are very real and have a physical cause. You are not being punished by God. You may, however, be suffering needlessly at the hands of unsympathetic physicians who do not have the time, the interest, or the training to determine the root cause of your problems.

The problems experienced by women during midlife commonly result from an imbalance in the female hormones and an overall decline in hormone production. The negative effects of this hormonal imbalance are not limited to the reproductive system. The female hormones play important roles throughout the body: in the heart, brain, muscles, bones, and other major organs and tissues.

The female hormones also interact with hormones produced by other glands, and an imbalance in levels of estrogen and progesterone adversely affects the production and use of these hormones. Fatigue, weight gain, mood and memory problems, insomnia, headaches, and menstrual disorders can all be traced back to various hormonal imbalances and deficiencies. One common result of female hormonal imbalance is hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function, which weakens the immune system and can trigger allergies, chemical sensitivities, and recurrent infections during midlife. Adrenal insufficiency often accompanies low thyroid function, worsening the problems of low energy, impaired immunity, and allergies.

Blood testing, which is a standard diagnostic tool of conventional medicine, is not the best way to diagnose hormonal problems or to assess whether the treatment of these problems is working. The most reliable indication of a hormonal problem is how a patient feels physically, mentally, and emotionally. Likewise, the most important criteria for evaluating the benefits of treatment are the resolution of symptoms and the overall improvement in a patient's well-being.

This approach, which entails listening to the patient's description of her problems and making a diagnosis based on this description, is a lost art in current medical practice. Today's physicians rely almost exclusively on laboratory tests in making diagnoses. While this may be necessary for certain diseases, it is not an effective or appropriate way to evaluate and treat the problems caused by hormonal imbalances and deficiencies that occur in midlife among both women and men.

From Treating Illness to Promoting Wellness

Between 1976 and 1988, I practiced medicine conventionally, the way most physicians in this country do: I prescribed drugs. When a patient came into my office with allergies, I prescribed an antihistamine. For a patient who had high blood pressure, I prescribed an antihypertensive drug. If a patient suffered from anxiety, I prescribed an antianxiety medication. There was no end to the number of "antidotes" that could be prescribed to address one or another of my patients' symptoms. When the drugs I prescribed had bothersome side effects, other drugs could be prescribed to take care of those symptoms.

For an acute illness, such as strep throat or a sinus infection, the drug approach may be appropriate. However, few patients with chronic ailments ever really get well by taking drugs. How can they? Chronic illness and disease are not caused by deficiencies of prescription drugs. The causes are complex, relating to poor nutrition, lack of exercise, a stressful lifestyle, a weakened immune system, and declines in levels of hormones, to name only a few of the key contributing factors.

By the time I reached my thirteenth year as a practicing physician, I had lost my enthusiasm for my chosen profession. It was obvious that the drugs I had been prescribing for my patients' health problems were not making them feel better. In fact, in many cases the drugs were making them feel worse. Yet prescribing drugs is what I had been trained to do.

I simply didn't know another way to help my patients.

At this crucial juncture, when I was seriously contemplating walking away from medicine altogether, I had a seemingly chance encounter with an allergist. After hearing him talk with passion about the profession I no longer found gratifying, and listening to his successful case stories, I was inspired to seek training and education in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies. Although I didn't know it at the time, this was the beginning of a new phase of my career. From that point onward, medicine became an immensely enjoyable vocation for me. Finally, I was able to get to the root causes of many of my patients' illnesses and enable them to obtain and maintain optimal health.

Copyright © 2005 by Steven F. Hotze

About the Author

Steven F. Hotze, M.D., founder of the Hotze Health & Wellness Center, and author of Hormones, Health, and Happiness, has been a pioneer in the natural wellness revolution for almost two decades. With a goal of helping individuals achieve optimal health and lifelong wellness by treating food and airborne allergies and yeast sensitivity, as well as balancing the thyroid, adrenal and sex hormones, Dr. Hotze believes in evaluating an individual's symptoms and then treating their underlying causes naturally.