Glandular
Disturbances:
The
major hormones produced by the endocrine system including pancreas, thyroid,
adrenal, pineal, pituitary, and sex glands are frequently dysfunctional.
Through careful evaluation and laboratory testing we can often correct or
augment these malfunctioning glands and improve hormonal balance, which can lead
to increased longevity and quality of life.
New saliva testing is available to evaluate the bioavailability or
free-hormone levels of certain hormones in the body. To help determine
functional hormones, standard blood tests for hormones may also be used. Natural hormones, glandulars, and nutritional precursors of
hormones may be utilized as part of a treatment protocol.
In
general, we are opposed to the use of synthetic hormones that differ from the
natural hormones produced by the body, as we believe there is strong evidence
that the use of these synthetic hormones are detrimental to the body in many
ways.
For example, a study that
appeared in a major medical journal at the beginning of 2000 indicated that a
woman taking the synthetic hormone—medroxyprogesterone, along with estrogen
derived from pregnant mares, had an 8 percent increased risk of developing
breast cancer for every year that she took this synthetic hormone combination.
In other words, a woman who received this treatment for menopausal
symptoms for ten years had an eighty percent increased risk of developing breast
cancer. For this reason and many
others, we prefer using natural progesterone rather than the synthetic forms.