Unfortunately, the negative image of progesterone replacement therapy that has been caused by the harmful effects of synthetic progesterone has spilled over onto bioidentical progesterone, which does work in exactly the same healthful and helpful way as the body’s own progesterone. It does so, because it is, in fact, exactly molecularly the same. To clear up the misunderstandings about progesterone (and to restore its good standing), let’s take a look at the difference between bioidentical progesterone and Provera®.

To begin with, Provera® is not actually progesterone at all, though it is molecularly similar. It is actually a chemical called medroxyprogesterone. The difference in its structure, though slight, is enough to radically alter its function in the body. So why the molecular difference? Sadly, it is a matter of monetary benefit for pharmaceutical companies, not a matter of benefit for patients receiving progesterone replacement therapy. Natural progesterone cannot be patented, but a slightly different molecule can be. Therefore, it is more profitable for pharmaceutical companies to develop and promote synthetic hormones, even though they function less effectively and can, in fact, be harmful.

Bioidentical progesterone, on the other hand, is exactly the same as the progesterone that is produced naturally within the body. This is why we refer to it as “bioidentical” or “natural” progesterone. It works the same as the body’s progesterone because it actually is the same.

Synthetic hormones, like Provera® increase the risk of stroke and heart disease, because they promote the buildup of plaque in the blood vessels. Of course, it is this plaque that presents the risk of heart disease and stroke. Bioidentical progesterone, on the other hand, helps to prevent the buildup of cholesterol plaque, protecting the heart and reducing the chances of a stroke, just as progesterone is supposed to.

It is important that every woman and physician understand the crucial difference between bioidentical hormones and synthetic ones. Any woman who is considering hormone replacement therapy or who is already undergoing treatment with synthetic hormones should discuss the benefits of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy with a specially trained doctor. Good health and long life should does not have to carry unnecessary risk.

Material provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent disease and has not been evaluated by the FDA.

When bones become porous they are more vulnerable to breakage. It is a sad fact that, for the elderly, breaking a hip can often prove ultimately fatal. Around half of women over the age of 65 who experience a hip fracture pass on within 2 years.

Fortunately, bone loss is preventable. In one study researchers observed two groups of women, one receiving hormone replacement therapy and one. They performed bone biopsies on these women both at the onset of the study and again after two years. They discovered that those women who were not receiving hormone replacement therapy had lost bone at a predictable and normal rate. However, the women undergoing hormone replacement therapy showed no bone loss.

Bone loss isn’t just preventable, though, it is also reversible. In another study physicians observed women who underwent bioidentical hormone replacement therapy with both natural progesterone and estrogen for the period of one year. After just one year these women all showed a significant increase in bone density in both their hips and lumbar vertebrae. Contrary to the “natural process” of bone loss associated with age, these women were actually building stronger bones.

It is important to understand that the research indicates that both progesterone and estrogen are needed to prevent bone loss and build stronger, healthier bones. Estrogen alone is not enough. Progesterone is the key to stimulating the osteoblasts into higher production. A proper balance of progesterone and estrogen is the solution to preventing the crippling disease of osteoporosis. This, if nothing else, should inspire any postmenopausal woman to talk with a specially trained physician about the importance of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy with natural progesterone and estrogen for ongoing good health and longevity.

Material provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent disease and has not been evaluated by the FDA.

REVITA Anti-Aging recommends you consult a specially trained Age Management or Anti-Aging Physician before starting bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Bioidentical hormones should only be taken when clinical deficiencies are found by a trained physician via lab testing. REVITA Medical, PC physicians perform evaluations and specialized testing to qualify patients for treatment.

To understand the effects of estrogen on mental health, it is important to understand how estrogen affects brain chemistry. Estrogen functions to inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO) and the enzyme that metabolizes serotonin in much the same way as pharmaceutical antidepressants do. During menopause, when estrogen production begins to decrease, a woman loses the benefit of this natural mood stabilizer. As a result, it is not uncommon for menopausal women to struggle with depression, even without a prior history. Estrogen replacement with bioidentical hormones can help return a woman’s emotional stability and sense of wellbeing.

Of course, emotional wellbeing is only one facet of mental health, albeit an important one. Preserving the very cognitive functions of the brain, such as memory and clarity of thought, provide the other side of the equation.

It is no secret that, on average, women live longer than men. In fact, 72% of people over the age of 85 are women. By virtue of living longer lives, women have greater cause for concern when it comes to issues of mental deterioration that often accompany advanced age. Plentiful research has shown estrogen’s positive effects on learning and memory retention. Bioidentical estrogen replacement therapy may be the key to staving off dementia.

As we age we slowly lose neurons, the connections in the brain that make learning and remembering possible. It is this gradual deterioration that is responsible for much of the normal memory loss that comes with old age. In those with Alzheimer’s disease, beta-amyloid proteins deposited on the neurons cause them to degenerate even more rapidly. However, this deterioration may be slowed.

Repeated and ongoing research demonstrates that estrogen acts to protect the fragile neurons of the brain and prevents degradation. Using bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to restore the body’s estrogen levels can effectively slow the process of memory loss and the cognitive decline that normally comes with aging. Even more exciting is its ability to provide a defense against the crippling effects of Alzheimer’s disease. It is easy to see how estrogen replacement, with natural bioidentical hormones, may not only promotes improved physical health in women, but also provides them with the mental health essential to enjoying their latter years.

Material provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent disease and has not been evaluated by the FDA.

REVITA Anti-Aging recommends you consult a specially trained Age Management or Anti-Aging Physician before starting bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Bioidentical hormones should only be taken when clinical deficiencies are found by a trained physician via lab testing. REVITA Medical, PC physicians perform evaluations and specialized testing to qualify patients for treatment.

Most medical practices focus on treating illness. REVITA Anti-Aging Center focuses on keepingyou well. You won’t find surgery,injections, lasers, or other external treatmentsat this practice. What you will find is a holisticapproach to wellness, designed to leaveyou feeling years younger, as every memberof the REVITA staff works to get you healthyfrom the inside out.

Don Nicholas, CEO of REVITA, believesanother birthday shouldn’t be cause for malaise,no matter what some doctors might tellyou. “As you age, there’s a predictable progressionof symptoms,” he says. “You mayhave trouble with sleeping, weight gain,low energy, hot flashes, decreased sense ofwell-being, or simply not feeling 100 percent.Many of our patients tell us they’ve discussedthese symptoms with their doctors,only to be told that it’s all a part of aging. Butit doesn’t have to be that way.”Nicholas says a key to wellness is havinga specially trained physician examine eachpatient’s individual symptoms, using various lab tests to determine what may becausing age-related declines in health.

“Very few physicians specializein wellness medicine,” he explains.“Our medical director, Peter Fotinos,M.D., is a specialist in agemanagement medicine. There aremore than 100 variables that canaffect overall wellness, and Dr.Fotinos tests them all: key hormonesused to sustain vitality,thyroid levels, intradaycortisol, DHEA, estrogen,progesterone, testosterone,neurotransmitters, vitaminand mineral deficiencies,and much more. Hewants to make sure heunderstands what’struly going on withyou inside and out;then he can share possiblesolutions to help you regainyour vitality.

”Sometimes, bio-identical hormone replacementis prescribed to bring the body back intobalance. Nicholas’ personal experience withthe treatment is what prompted him to establishthe REVITA Anti-Aging Center. “I was apatient at a wellness facility and was treatedwith bio-identical hormone replacement,” hesays. “I hadn’t felt that good in 15 years. I wantedto help others find that same experience.”

Unlike synthetics, bio-identical hormoneshave the same structure as naturalhormones, all the way down to themolecular level. Top doctors in the fieldsay the treatment has been proven safe andeffective, with its benefits touted in OMagazine and on national television, includingthe MSNBC network, The Oprah WinfreyShow, Dr. Phil, The TODAY Show, 60 Minutes,and 20/20. As treatment regimens are implemented,REVITA patients typically experience higher energy, elevated frameof mind, better sleep, improved clarity ofthought, lower body fat, elimination of hotflashes, decreased moodiness, increased libido,and reduced anxiety. Once a patient’s bodychemistry is back in check, Nicholas says, ahealthier lifestyle naturally follows. “The nextthing you know, you’re exercising again, eatingbetter, feeling better, and looking better.

“At REVITA, we work to ensure bothyour short-term and long-term health,” headds. “We want you to live longer and feelgood doing it. That’s our goal.” TCW

Optimal Health For A Lifetime

Within the last 100 years, the averagelifespan has doubled. The medical communityhas now developed ways to ensure thesecond half of our lives is just as rewarding,happy, and healthy as the first! This isa profound paradigm shift in the way themedical field views aging and age-relateddisease. Age Management medicine, alsoreferred to as Anti-Aging medicine, is thenewest clinical medical specialty — the“optimum” of wellness and longevity —and employs extensive treatments in thepreventative healthcare field.

To Learn More

REVITA is located at 7810 Ballantyne CommonsParkway, Suite 300. For information, or to book anappointment, visit RevitaAntiAgingCenter.com or call704/319-5530.

In the fast paced work-a-day world that we live in, our hectic schedules and obligations seem to just pile on layer upon layer of stress. The same busy schedules that can create so much stress also leave little time to deal with that stress in a healthy way. For this reason, many people internalize their stress.

Of course, burying stress is not the same as alleviating it. It only allows the stress to accumulate just below the surface where it subtly wears down our internal organ and wreaks havoc with our bodily functions. As that stress builds up, so does the amount of cortisol in the bloodstream. At the same time, the body’s production of DHEA continues to dwindle.

DHEA production already decreases, naturally, as we get older. When heightened levels of cortisol further inhibit DHEA we set ourselves up for physical and mental disaster. We begin to lose our ability to cope with stress, our short-term memory can begin to falter and our health starts to wane. It doesn’t have to be this way.

For those who are suffering the ill-effects of insufficient DHEA, supplementation may be the answer. Boosting the body’s diminished supply of DHEA can help an individual more effectively combat chronic mental and physical stress. Natural DHEA supplementation counters the negative effects of having too many corticosteroids and bringing the body back into balance. The body regains its ability to fight off sickness and the mind regains its ability.

DHEA is available over the counter. However, it is always a good idea to check with a hormone replacement specialist before beginning the use of a DHEA supplement. Your physician can assess your body’s current DHEA production and ensure that you aren’t taking a hormone that you don’t need and which could might be more detrimental than beneficial. If you will benefit from bioidentical hormone replacement, your doctor can make sure that you are getting exactly what you need.

Material provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent disease and has not been evaluated by the FDA.

REVITA Anti-Aging recommends you consult a specially trained Age Management or Anti-Aging Physician before starting bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Bioidentical hormones should only be taken when clinical deficiencies are found by a trained physician via lab testing. REVITA Medical, PC physicians perform evaluations and specialized testing to qualify patients for treatment.

Research conducted independently by two highly regarded researchers in the field of hormone replacement therapy, Dr. William Regelson of the Medical College of Virginia and Dr. Omid Khorram of the University of Wisconsin, indicates that DHEA impacts the immune system indirectly through its relationship with corticosteroids. When DHEA levels in the body rise, there is a complementary drop in cortisol and vice versa. So, beyond DHEAs benefits to heart health, physical appearance and longevity, DHEA also serves to help the body counter stress and reduce harmful buildups of cortisol.

To understand the full benefits of maintaining an optimal level of DHEA, one must first understand how cortisol affects the body. Cortisol is not inherently detrimental to the body. In response to stress, it serves to prepare the body for strenuous activity. It is an essential part of the basic “fight or flight” stress response.

However, when there is not a sufficient amount of DHEA in the body to counter the cortisol, it can build up. This is where problems arise. Cortisol is a corticosteroid and, like all corticosteroids, it suppresses the immune system. This can lead to a number of problems ranging from moderate health concerns, like weight gain, decreased energy and accelerated aging, to serious conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.

DHEA is the obvious solution to countering the potentially damaging effects of cortisol accumulation. However, the very presence of cortisol and the body’s response to the ongoing stress of everyday life hinders DHEA production. Even when stress is minimal, the body’s production of DHEA decreases as we age.

Stress is something that we all have to deal with in varying degrees. It doesn’t have to ruin our health or age us before our time, though. If your body is no longer able to produce adequate amounts of DHEA to balance the cortisol in your body, it makes good sense to supplement your existing hormone production with bioidentical DHEA. Anyone feeling the negative effects of chronic stress should talk to their doctor to find out if they can benefit from bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to supplement their levels of DHEA and other hormones which are essential for living a longer, healthier life.

Material provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent disease and has not been evaluated by the FDA.

REVITA Anti-Aging recommends you consult a specially trained Age Management or Anti-Aging Physician before starting bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Bioidentical hormones should only be taken when clinical deficiencies are found by a trained physician via lab testing. REVITA Medical, PC physicians perform evaluations and specialized testing to qualify patients for treatment.

Starting at puberty and continuing on throughout a woman’s fertile years, estradiol, the most potent of the estrogens, dominates the scene. Once a woman reaches menopause, estradiol production wanes and the less potent estrogen, estrone, takes over. Unfortunately, estrone does not function in exactly the same way that estradiol does, hence the undesirable symptoms of menopause and the numerous ailments that traditionally accompany old age in women.

Of course, natural menopause is not the only thing that can dramatically upset the delicate balance of hormones in women. Because estrogens are primarily produced by the ovaries, women who have full surgical hysterectomies also experience the same drop in estrogen. Though some estrogen is produced by the adrenal glands, it simply is not enough to maintain optimal estrogen levels in the body. If the ovaries are removed, it brings on surgically induced menopause.

It is not at all uncommon to hear a woman who has undergone a full hysterectomy complain that they feel “less like a woman”. No woman should ever have to utter those words when estrogen replacement with bioidentical hormones can return much of their previous health and sense of normalcy. Still, all too often these women are put on antidepressants and told to cope rather than to correct.

More often than not, women who are not put on estrogen replacement therapy are not getting the treatment they need because of misunderstandings about the distinction between synthetic and natural hormones. Studies have given incontrovertible proof that synthetic estrogen poses significant health risks. Sadly, many physicians and laypersons, alike, assume that these studies include natural bioidentical hormone too.

Because bioidentical hormones are exact matches for the hormones normally found in the body, they function in exactly the same way and do not present the same risks that synthetics do. In fact, it is safe to say that a woman who has begun to experience a drop in estrogen and is not being treated with natural estrogen therapy is putting her health at greater risk than one who is being treated. It is vital that every woman who has reached menopause or who has had a hysterectomy discuss bioidentical estrogen with their doctor or see a hormone specialists to talk about the health benefits of natural estrogen replacement therapy.

Material provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent disease and has not been evaluated by the FDA.

In the 1960s, due to advances in synthetic hormones, women began to discover that they didn’t have to accept the effects of menopause as just “part of getting older”. For the next 40 years women enjoyed the benefits of retaining the sense of health and self far past menopause through estrogen replacement therapy. Then, in 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative conducted a study that linked estrogen use to breast cancer, strokes, heart attacks and dementia in women. The panic that arose from this study was substantial. Within just a few years an estimated 50% of women who were being treated with estrogen stopped treatment.

Sadly, most of the uproar cause by the WHI study stemmed from misinterpretation of the study by doctors and from the misinformation that swept like wildfire through popular publications, talk shows and by word of mouth. For almost a decade now, many women have been left to suffer through menopause and the negative effects of diminished estrogen supplies because of these ongoing misconceptions about estrogen replacement therapy. After all, as others, like regarded hormone specialist Dr. Neal Rouzier, have pointed out: if estrogen was bad, all women would have their ovaries removed at the earliest possible age.

The WHI study focused on the use of two synthetic hormones, Premarin® (estrogen) and Provera® (progestin, not to be confused with progesterone). The study revealed an increased risk for developing breast cancer, when using these two synthetics together, of less than 0.1%. Using estrogen alone did not increase the risk at all. On the other hand, more recent studies of Provera® have indicated that its use may increase the risk of cancer even more than was indicated by the WHI study.

The only danger specifically ascribed to estrogen in the study was an increased risk of stroke. Again, this was in association with Premarin® and only in women who began hormone replacement after the age of 65. Recent studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicate that natural estrogen does not carry the same risk.

The truth is, the findings of the Women’s Health Initiative study apply only to the use of synthetic hormones. Unfortunately, many have chosen to “throw the baby out with the bath water” by ignoring the numerous subsequent studies demonstrating the safety and benefit of bioidentical hormones. Natural estrogen, far from creating risks, helps to protect your body from illness and can help to increase the quality and duration of your life. If you are one of the many women who has dismissed hormone therapy because you are concerned about the risks, talk to your doctor about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) and see if natural estrogen and progesterone are right for you.

Material provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent disease and has not been evaluated by the FDA.

REVITA Anti-Aging recommends you consult a specially trained Age Management or Anti-Aging Physician before starting bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Bioidentical hormones should only be taken when clinical deficiencies are found by a trained physician via lab testing. REVITA Medical, PC physicians perform evaluations and specialized testing to qualify patients
for treatment.

There has also been a greater shift within the medical community toward focusing on preventive care. Those who practice conservative medicine are of the opinion that, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” However, through preventative medicine it is possible to reduce the chances of a person’s health ever getting “broken” in the first place. Why wait to treat the illness when you can prevent it?

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a key aspect of preventive health care. Our bodies’ hormones are intricately related to how effectively our immune system functions in fighting off viral and bacterial infections and eliminating cancerous growths within the body. As we get older, our bodies produce less of theses essential hormones, like testosterone, estrogen and DHEA. As a result of these declining hormone levels, our immune systems suffer, too.

Many health conditions which we generally view as illnesses that naturally come with age, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease and even cancer, may actually be due to reduced hormone levels and a declining immune system. The only real association with age lies in the fact that the body produces less hormones as it gets older. The cause for these illnesses are strictly physiological, not chronological. This means that they don’t have to be a part of getting older.

By replacing and supplementing the body’s diminishing supply of hormones through bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, it is possible to boost the immune system and reestablish the optimal bodily functions that kept us fit, energetic and healthy in our younger years. One need not wait for the symptoms of “old age” to appear to treat them. In fact, many of those symptoms don’t have
to ever appear at all. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a practical and affordable preventive measure to promote ongoing good health, both in body and in mind, throughout your lifetime.

Material provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent disease and has not been evaluated by the FDA.

REVITA Anti-Aging recommends you consult a specially trained Age Management or Anti-Aging Physician before starting bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Bioidentical hormones should only be taken when clinical deficiencies are found by a trained physician via lab testing. REVITA Medical, PC physicians perform evaluations and specialized testing to qualify patients for treatment.

Through the years, research has shown that estrogen works to prevent late onset diabetes (a major cause of heart disease) and to prevent the buildup of plaque in the arteries (which can lead to a heart attack or stroke). So, if estrogen is so beneficial to the heart, why is there so much talk about estrogen replacement actually increasing a woman’s risk for heart attack and stroke? Assertions that estrogen therapy raises risks for women are based on a half-truth.

In the early part of this century, a very prominent study was published which demonstrated, beyond any doubt, that the use of synthetic estrogens and progestin in hormone replacement therapy put women at greater risk for a number of potentially fatal illnesses, including cancer, heart attack and stroke. However, even though this study focused solely on the use of synthetic hormones, the public (and many physicians too) made the assumption that all hormone treatments created that same risk. This seemed
to indicate an inextricable double-bind scenario for women – failing to replace estrogen put them at risk for heart disease and stroke and so did undergoing estrogen replacement therapy. It seemed like a no-win situation for aging women.

What many failed to realize is that the study did not associate compounded bioidentical hormones with any increase in the risk of fatal side effects. Pharmaceutical companies market synthetic hormones which are molecularly different from the hormones that are produced naturally by human glands. The molecular difference is what allows the pharmaceutical companies to patent them, it is what makes synthetic hormones lucratively profitable and it is also what makes them dangerous. Bioidentical hormones, on the other hand, are specifically compounded to be exact duplicates of the hormones that the body produces naturally. This means that they cannot be patented. It also means they function in the body in exactly the same way that the body’s own hormones do, without negative effects.

Estrogen plays such a crucial role in heart health, so much so that both the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association have issued statements urging physicians to consider ongoing estrogen replacement for menopausal and post-menopausal women. It only makes sense for women to seek out long-term estrogen replacement as they get older, if that
treatment is safe.

Material provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent disease and has not been evaluated by the FDA.

REVITA Anti-Aging recommends you consult a specially trained Age Management or Anti-Aging Physician before starting bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Bioidentical hormones should only be taken when clinical deficiencies are found by a trained physician via lab testing. REVITA Medical, PC physicians perform evaluations and specialized testing to qualify patients
for treatment.