Nothing can reverse the natural aging process in men and women, but hormones can slow down the process and help maintain good health. As we age naturally, our hormones become deficient, and that’s when the signs and symptoms of old age hits us. For that reason, many people have been looking into hormone replacement to delay aging and to protect their general health.
The use of synthetic hormones is very common, but there is a huge controversy that surrounds the topic. The problem with synthetic hormones is that they are vastly different from our own natural hormones, and this stimulates extra hormone receptors that aren’t needed. Following that, synthetic hormones fail to replace some critical functions of our natural hormones, causing potentially dangerous side effects.
Many professional practitioners have since turned to hormone replacement with bioidentical hormones. This type of hormone is extracted from plants, or is manufactured, but most importantly, bioidentical hormones have a very similar molecular structure to the hormone molecule that is found in our body. This applies to all hormones, including thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA.
To learn more about hormone replacement with bioidentical hormones, or simply put, the optimisation of our hormones, we talked to Dr. Neal Rouzier, who is an innovator and educator in the research and development of the medical specialty of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement and Balancing in the United States of America.
Q: What got you started with bioidentical hormones?
A: In California a long time ago, many nurses came up to me and said they didn’t feel well. They’ve got menopausal symptoms, PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) symptoms, weight gain issues and a multitude of other typical over-40 issues. They asked me for help and one of the nurses said that she feels much better with hormones. That’s when I started prescribing hormones and learning about it.
Now, I’m busy teaching courses to doctors on how to do what I’ve learnt over the last 20 years, which is to prescribe hormones to both men and women. Not many doctors are trained for it, which is why I’m so passionate about training the doctors. There’s no venue that we’re taught this in our medical training.
Q: Why bioidentical hormones? How does it defer from the common hormone therapies Malaysians can get here?
A: The reason we make emphasis on bioidentical is because we’re trying to differentiate safety. Hormone replacement may not necessarily be safe. Many doctors think that hormones are bad and that they cause heart attacks, strokes and breast cancers, and they do. But, that’s synthetic hormones. As a result, hormones have developed a bad reputation. We’ve had studies that show that when you lose hormones as you age, you deteriorate, you feel lousy and your health detriments.
When we replace those lost hormones with synthetic hormones, it makes things worse. That’s not the same as bioidentical hormones. These hormones have the same molecular structure that is biologically identical to what your body already makes. When you replace lost hormones with bioidentical hormones, it’s safe, healthy, and it benefits your health and functionality.
Unfortunately, most doctors gather them both to be the same. Synthetic hormones are so bad and many doctors are against them, so why do pharmaceutical companies still push for them? It’s because they make a large profit out of it. That’s why pharmaceutical companies push for it and make people believe that all hormones are the same. Most doctors don’t understand the difference between the safe hormones and synthetic hormones.
Q: Many people Google their symptoms and read up on medical research on the Internet. Would you say that that plays a big role in discouraging people against hormone replacement?
A: We have to spend a lot of time trying to dispel what they’ve read online or misinterpreted. Yes, people will go on the Internet to read up, but the more they read, the more they will get confused. For the doctors, it will be more problematic to reverse what they’ve read or heard or have been told. Only read proper medical journals, like those Accent Wellness has access to, so you can try and understand it. Better yet, seek out physicians that I have trained.
Q: Would you say that most Malaysians are still uneducated when it comes to hormone replacement with bioidentical hormones?
A: Yes, they may be uninformed because not many doctors are educated the right way. It’s a matter of trying to understand and learn it. Now, more and more doctors are being trained here by myself.
Q: Tell us about the health benefits that people can get from bioidentical hormones and what incorporating this into their wellness program can do for them.
A: It’s something that you take, like vitamins, because there are health benefits to it. So, when you want to lose the health benefits, then stop. Bioidentical hormones come in various forms, like pills or creams, depending on your personal preference.
There’s a plethora of data showing that progesterone protects against breast cancer. Same goes for testosterone. Let’s say you know you’re at risk of breast cancer. You can decide whether you want to use bioidentical hormones as a protective mechanism against the disease. Bioidentical hormones also help with menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain and abdominal pain.
Q: How readily available are bioidentical hormones?
A: All you need to do is go to a physician that is trained. Visit Accent Wellness and they will figure out where you are and who are the physicians you can see in your area. Their affiliated physicians are well trained and they have gone through all of my courses.
There are doctors out there that are not adequately trained to do this. Some doctors may think that they know bioidentical hormones, but they really don’t. When you take these hormones, the doctor has to monitor your levels, and if you’re not achieving those optimum hormone levels, what you’re taking is worthless. It’s really important to find a physician that really knows what they are doing.
Q: What is the recommended age for women to begin taking bioidentical hormones?
A: Women go through menopause between ages 50 to 52. That’s when they lose the most hormones and get hot flashes, night sweats, weight gains, and just a general health deterioration. For pre-menopausal women, once you’re over age 40, you’ll start to feel fatigued and have weight issues.
For PMS, the cure is progesterone. If you take enough progesterone, you can avoid having PMS altogether. As I mentioned before, this hormone also protects against breast cancer. You need optimum levels of hormones, not normal levels. Normal levels are not sufficient. However, it also depends on the symptoms. If you’re over the age of 40 and you’ve had two kids, you will probably need hormones. This varies for men and women, and it also depends on your family history, lifestyle, so on and so forth.
It really varies from person to person. A health assessment will help to tell which hormones they need and the exact dosage their body needs. At Accent Wellness, every dose of bioidentical hormones is tailor made just for you and your body. Now, Accent Wellness has over 60 affiliated doctors all throughout Malaysia.
Accent Wellness Global Sdn. Bhd.
Lots S22-S23 & S29, 2nd Floor,
Subang Jaya Medical Centre,
North Tower Annexe Block,
1, Jalan SS12/1A, 47500, Subang Jaya.
Tel: +603-56391400/1414
