There’s no rule that says you have to do all herbs or all bio-identical hormones.
You can blend them and figure out what works best for you.
Is there a point at which someone needs to start hormones vs just use herbs?
Only if the herbs stop working all together.
And even then I’m going to say look back at diet, lifestyle and how you manage stress and see if something went off the rails there.
Becca is a client of mine who came to me asking if she should do herbs or hormones for her peri-menopausal symptoms.
She was diagnosed with PCOS, polycystic ovarian syndrome when she was in her 30’s.
Her period was not regular with 60-80 days between cycles.
She used Clomid, an ovulation boosting medication to aid in each pregnancy.
Now, In her mid-40’s weight gain in the abdomen, fatigue and hot flashes with anxiety were keeping her from getting a solid night’s sleep.
She’s a busy Mom of 3 and taking care of her parents as well.
Most days she crashes on the couch after dinner and struggles to get through the day.
What showed up on her labs?
- DHEA-sulfate, the marker for adrenal strength & function was in the 30’s.
- Saliva cortisol showed low for all 4 points of testing.
- Liver enzymes and blood sugar were lightly elevated.
- Estradiol, the most useful estrogen and testosterone were high normal.
- Progesterone was quite low.
Normally, I’d think that the bio-identical hormone replacement of progesterone would be indicated in her case due to the low DHEA-sulfate and cortisol levels.
Because her liver was showing signs of inflammation, I had to take into account that she might not process the hormones optimally right at this point.
I chose to support her with…
- Breath work
- Adaptogenic mushrooms – ganoderma and cordyceps mushrooms
- Ashwagandha to calm her nervous system overnight
- Liver support with NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) and milk thistle were provided as well to lower blood sugar and detox the liver.
After 1 month she had a decrease in hot flashes and slightly better sleep.
Energy was slowly improving.
So we added evening primrose oil at 1,000 mg a night.
Her period showed up at 40 days, which was a shorter cycle for her but her sleep was still disrupted.
Now almost 3 months into using liver support I chose to add in extended release progesterone capsules from a compounding pharmacy.
It took a few weeks but her sleep improved slowly and she’s now sleeping through the night.
Becca’s treatment mixes herbs and hormones together to get results.
She’s monitoring how she feels and what’s working in her life and what isn’t when it comes to food, lifestyle and stress.
Hormone balancing isn’t a one and done situation.
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Your hormones are dynamic and they cycle, even if you don’t have your period, your hormones are still cycling.
In my programs I’m now working to help women and men become incredibly curious about their hormones, their personal cycles and how these factors impact hormone balancing treatments.
Everyone has a unique rhythm, discovering yours is key to finding the right hormone balance and anti-aging secrets for you.
If you’re looking to slow down aging and learn how to balance your hormones for every stage of life, I’d love to help.
Whether we’ve never met or you’re a current client of mine, let’s talk and get you on a sustainable track to age well!
Here’s to your health,
Dr. J
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