Triangle of Health:  Part II
By Judi Nicely

In my on-going articles on the Triangle of Health, I will first discuss the importance of hormone balance and the symptoms of imbalance.  I would personally like to thank Oprah for covering the topic of hormones on her show recently.  This has helped educate millions of women and men on the roles that hormones play in our bodies and how balancing them can restore normalcy to their lives and prevent ill health, even cancer.  A case in point - after watching the Oprah show, a 64 yr old woman called me and stated that she did not realize she even had hormones after menopause.  It was very exciting for her to learn there was help for the symptoms she was experiencing, giving her hope of an increased quality of life.

Now let’s begin with Symptoms. Are you experiencing one or more of these?                                  
Breast tenderness
Bloating
Headaches
Backaches
Irritability
Emotional
Irregular periods
Heavy bleeding or fatigue prior to your period 
Hot flashes/night sweats
Brain fog
Memory problems
Mood swings,
Insomnia
Weight gain or inability to lose weight
Fatigue
Constipation
Tendency to be chilly
Cold hands and feet, stress
Blood sugar irregularities
Cravings for sweets or salt
Hair loss or unwanted hair growth
Low sex drive
Vaginal dryness
Depression
Anxiety/ panic attacks
ADD
Racing thoughts
Heart palpitations
Adult acne
Joint pain/stiffness.  

How much time and joy have your hormone imbalances robbed you of?   Well, now you know that it isn’t your mind; there is an actual cause and a very real solution for regaining balance.  But, I also want to address those of you who say you ‘feel’ great and have very few, if any, of these symptoms; or you may have some, but they aren’t severe enough to make you seek help.  I think the biggest mistake that people make is to equate how they ‘feel’ with their level of health.  You can have sub-clinical diseases or imbalances that have not progressed to the point where your body is manifesting symptoms.   We have all known people who have had cancer, heart attacks, strokes, etc… who had no prior symptoms.  Prevention and early detection are always the key for managing our health.

For many, the topic of hormones is frustrating, scary and complicated.  You may have gone to your doctor because you have PMS symptoms every month prior to your period.  You are told this is normal, but are put on a Birth Control pill to alleviate the symptoms. Since this is common practice, and many of your friends have PMS, you go along with this treatment; or, you may have begun to have hot flashes or night sweats and your practitioner gives you a prescription for a toxic, synthetic hormone replacement medication.  

Perhaps you’re in your late 30s or early 40s and are already having symptoms of perimenopause.  Your practitioner dismisses your complaints as an early ‘change of life’ and tells you not to worry.  Once again, a prescription for synthetic hormones is given.   For many, your bodies cannot tolerate these drugs; or, maybe you have enough knowledge to understand the dangers and don’t want to put them in your body. You need an alternative.  But, where do you turn?

There are so many ‘experts’ who have popped out of the woodwork since Bioidentical Hormones (BIH) are becoming the trend.  Most don’t order the proper tests or use the most effective methods.  It’s easy to spend a lot of money unnecessarily and still not get the accurate information you need to successfully treat hormone imbalances.   This misdiagnosis or improper treatment is why there are millions of women (and many men) living a poor quality of life and are wandering from practitioner to practitioner trying to find the cause of their symptoms and get a remedy.   I have seen so many in my office who are on antidepressants due to the lack of an accurate diagnosis.

When women and men visit any health practitioner, they should expect to be treated with respect and given sufficient time to talk, express concerns and ask questions.  Practitioners need to work together with their patients to individualize treatment, restoring the body to optimal health.

Judi Nicely is a Nurse Practitioner in Encinitas who has specialized in women’s health for the past 32 years, and has devoted the last decade to developing an expertise in hormone therapy, utilizing various modalities of testing and treatment with bioidentical hormones, neurotransmitters, as well as Nutritional Healing.  She also offers esthetic treatments, such as the ReFirme skin tightening laser, LipoSlim injections to dissolve fat and Sclerotherapy for leg veins.  Judi can be reached at 760-634-3313 for a complimentary phone consultation.