Until now, body contouring devices targeted fat. However, a flat, tight abdomen (…or buttock or thighs) is about more than just fat – firm muscles are key to a flat belly.

Emsculpt is a completely non-surgical procedure that strengthens and firms muscle mass by causing the muscles to contract up to 20,000 times during the 30-minute treatment – far more than can be achieved by intense exercise. This rapid contraction rate has two benefits:

1. Since the muscle has little time to relax between contractions, it is forced to adapt by remodeling. This can increase the muscle mass, strength, and tone.
   The muscle needs energy – and the fat cells nearby are storehouses of energy that can be unlocked, and can reduce the fat in the treatment area by nearly 20%.
2. Emsculpt targets excess fat and strengthens and increases muscle mass for a sculpted abdomen. It’s also an excellent way for individuals that are already in shape to take their physique to the next level.

For patients seeking a firmer backside, Emsculpt can tone and firm the buttocks with zero recovery. It has also been used to strengthen the muscle weakness that occurs after pregnancy and shrink diastasis recti, the midline gap between muscles that many women encounter post-pregnancy.

Some of the great benefits of Emsculpt are:

• Emsculpt utilizes high-intensity focused electromagnetic (HIFEM) technology to stimulate muscle contraction and burn fat naturally. This helps to produce reliable and natural-looking results
• It builds muscle. Unlike liposuction or tummy tuck, Emsculpt actually tones the muscles and helps defined your natural physique
• It requires absolutely no downtime. As a non-surgical procedure, Emsculpt does not require a recovery period. You can resume normal activities as soon as your procedure is finished
• It only takes about 30 minutes. Fast and easy, Emsculpt treatment will easily fit your schedule
• It targets specific areas of the body. With Emsculpt specific areas of the body can be targeted for optimal results. This allows treatment to focus on what needs improving while leaving surrounding features untouched

Perhaps equally impressive, this procedure can produce noticeable results in as few as two weeks, helping to enhance confidence and improve clothing options in less time than diet and exercise alone.

Emsculpt is a body contouring option that is best suited for women and men who are at their ideal BMI and lead a healthy lifestyle, but who need help reaching their ultimate goals.

Emsculpt is popular among both men and women, and it’s also a good option for patients recovering from an injury. It’s been very popular with athletes and patients recovering from sports injuries because it’s a quick way to strengthen the muscle groups that have become weak due to an injury.

Individuals with metal or electronics, like a pacemaker, implanted anywhere in their body, or patients with a history of muscle issues such as complicated hernias, are not suitable to receive Emsculpt altogether.

Emsculpt is based on high-intensity focused electromagnetic energy. A single Emsculpt session feels like thousands of powerful muscle contractions which are extremely important in improving the tone and strength of your muscles.

These powerful induced muscle contractions not achievable through voluntary contractions. The muscle tissue is forced to adapt to such extreme condition. It responds with a deep remodeling of its inner structure that results in muscle building and sculpting your body.

No preparation needed.

Emsculpt is completely non-invasive. Other body contouring treatments, such as buttock lift or liposuction are invasive procedures.

Each Emsculpt session is a 30-minute treatment on one particular area of the body. If you’re working on multiple body parts, like the abdominal and the buttock areas, that will require two 30-minute sessions. The protocol recommends four Emsculpt sessions within a roughly two-week period, spaced two or three days apart for optimal results.

There is no downtime for recovery with Emsculpt, and the treatment is virtually pain-free. Come in for your quick appointment, and then go about your day. Side effects in the treated area may include:

• muscular pain
• temporary muscle spasm
• temporary joint or tendon pain
• local erythema or skin redness

Yes.

A completely non-invasive way to treat urinary incontinence and sexual heath disorders. The unique technology will strengthen the weakened pelvic floor muscles and restore neuromuscular control of the bladder. A single Emsella session stimulates over 11,000 muscular contractions.

Benefits of Emsella:

• Treats lack of voluntary control over urination
• A non-invasive procedure with no recovery time
• Remain fully clothed during treatment
• Restores bladder and pelvic muscle control
• A comfortable procedure that lets you relax during the 28-minute treatment
• Experience up to 75% less pad usage
• Experience up to 95% reduce in stress urinary incontinence improvement.
• Increase in sexual pleasure has been noted in some people going under treatment
• Emsella is FDA Approved
• Increase quality of life, sparing you from frustration, stress, embarrassment, or even social anxiety. Emsella has the potential to help you control not just over your bladder, but over your overall confidence and lifestyle.

In addition, to date five clinical studies have been published on Emsella. Studies confirm 95% of patients report an improved quality of life.

Women who suffer from incontinence. Either stress incontinence (leak urine when you laugh, cough, sneeze, jump, etc.) or urge incontinence (when you have the sudden intense urge to urinate frequently) or a mix of both types. It can also benefit some men with incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

Emsella is a unique form of pelvic muscle treatment. It utilizes High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) technology to stimulate the entire pelvic floor area and create deep and intense pelvic floor muscles contractions, helping to restore neuromuscular control. A single Emsella session brings thousands of supramaximal pelvic floor muscle contractions, which are the key in muscle re-training in incontinent patients. All this is done without any effort on your part and without getting undressed. Scientific research shows that 95% of treated patients have reported significant improvement in the quality of life.

No preparation needed.

Incontinence can be a real issue for men of all ages and can have a serious effect on their daily lives. Incontinence in men typically presents as a small amount of dribbling during workouts or at the end of the day. Chronic cough and obesity can put pressure on the bladder and lead to stress incontinence. Some men suffer from urge incontinence – a need to urinate frequently or dribbling when the bladder is full and Emsella can help improve symptoms.

Emsella has recently been approved to treat erectile dysfunction. This is great news for men who are struggling with maintaining an erection and are looking for a discrete option to help deal with this issue. By targeting the pelvic floor muscles with High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) technology, Esmella stimulates the muscles, tightens the pelvic floor, and allows you to regain control to achieve and maintain an erection.

Emsella is completely non-invasive. Other treatments such as the Viveve or MonaLisa are invasive procedures.

Generally, a complete treatment consists of six sessions, each of which takes about thirty minutes and are scheduled twice a week. Results depend on your condition, the number of sessions, and the area treated. Dr. Ward will provide you with complete information about the post-treatment care and results.

There is no downtime for recovery with Emsella, and the treatment is virtually pain-free. Come in for your quick appointment, and then go about your day. Side effects in the treated area may include:

• muscular pain
• temporary muscle spasm
• temporary joint or tendon pain
• local erythema or skin redness

Yes. Emsella works even better when paired with the O-shot® treatment.

The O-Shot® procedure uses blood derived growth factors (platelet rich plasma or PRP) to rejuvenate the vagina and treat urinary incontinence and sex problems.

Women who leak urine when they laugh, cough, sneeze or jump, and women who have problems having an orgasm or who have low sexual desire.

Patients have reported the following post-treatment benefits:

• Enhancement in libido and sexual desire
• Heightened vaginal and clitoral sensitivity contributing to a stronger orgasms
• Decreased urinary incontinence
• Improved vaginal lubrication
• Reduction in pain during intercourse
• Increased ability to experience a G-Spot orgasm
• Enhancement of skin on the vulva

Multiple studies have shown that PRP can be used to improve blood flow, increase collagen production, regenerate nerve, and remodel scars into more normal tissue.

When you arrive we will ask you to fill out some questionnaires and consents. Dr. Ward will then numb the vaginal and clitoral region (numbing cream and local anesthesia) while you are seated on the EmSella.

The next step in your procedure with Dr. Ward is to drew about 6-8 ccs of your blood using a venipuncture (the puncture of a vein as part of a medical procedure, typically to withdraw a blood sample or for an intravenous injection). Using a centrifuge and designated FDA approved tubes, the blood is processed via spinning, and the platelet-rich plasma and growth factors are harvested into a syringe.

Dr. Ward will then inject a small amount (1 cc) of the spun platelet-rich plasma into your clitoral glans. Following which, the remaining 5 ccs are injected under the vaginal skin around the G-spot area.

There is no down time afterwards and sexual activity can resume that evening if so desired.

Since this procedure focuses on injecting the patient’s own platelet-rich plasma back into their system, complications, if any, are rare. However, since the platelet-rich plasma has to be processed after extraction, it is very important to maintain a sterile environment throughout. If the PRP is contaminated, re-injection will be compromised.

These procedures are highly sensitive, so do your research carefully and thoroughly. This is why we strongly recommend picking a trusted and licensed doctor for your orgasm therapy treatment.

Dr. Julia Ward is a licensed O-Shot® provider and a member the Cellular Medicine Association. She follows strict medical etiquette to ensure that your health is never at risk. She has a decades-worth of experience and have performed multiple orgasm therapy treatments. If your provider is not listed on the Cellular Medicine Association directory, they are not certified to do the procedure and they should not be trusted.

We recommend combining this with the Emsella. Emsella is a unique form of pelvic muscle treatment. It utilizes High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) technology to stimulate the entire pelvic floor area and create deep and intense pelvic floor muscles contractions, helping to restore neuromuscular control. A single Emsella session brings thousands of supramaximal pelvic floor muscle contractions, which are the key in muscle re-training in incontinent patients. All this is done without any effort on your part and without getting undressed. Each Emsella session is 30 minutes. It is recommended to do 2 sessions per week for 3 weeks to get maximum benefit.

Read more about Emsella here >

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used to treat several medical conditions. And medical institutions use it in different ways. Your health care provider may suggest hyperbaric oxygen therapy if you have one of the following conditions:

• • Alzheimers and other dementias
  • Autism
  • Cancer (cancer can not grow in an oxygen rich environment)
  • Post stroke
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Post COVID syndrome
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Lyme disease
  • Mitochondrial dysfunction
  • IBS/Chron’s Disease/Ulcerative Colitis
  • Inflammation – acute or chronic
  • Deafness, sudden
  • Sickle cell anemia
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Severe anemia
  • Brain abscess
  • Bubbles of air in your blood vessels, known as arterial gas embolism
  • Burns
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning
  • Crushing injury
  • Decompression sickness
  • Gangrene
  • Infection of skin or bone that causes tissue death
  • Non-healing wounds, such as a diabetic foot ulcer
  • Radiation injury
  • Skin graft or skin flap at risk of tissue death
  • Vision loss, sudden and painless

You can sit or lie down inside the chamber and will have an oxygen mask to breathe. As the pressure increases you will feel your ear “pop” or equalize. This is similar to flying. You can further equalize the ears by yawning, moving the jaw, swallowing, or holding your nose and blowing out

Great! Some people notice a difference after one or two sessions, while others need a few more sessions before noticing things like decreased inflammation. Many have noted that they sleep better on the days that they use the chamber.  

It is best used in a consecutive manner: that is an hour a day 5 days per week for several weeks. There is a “stacking” effect that going into the chamber has. This therapy was never meant to be “one and done”.

There is a theoretical risk of sparks & fire in the chamber. However, our chambers use room air instead of 100% O2 to pressurize which reduces the risk dramatically. In fact it can become a bit humid inside. Especially as one comes “back up to the surface”.

In general you don’t “feel “ any different when under pressure. The only trouble spot can be ears. Because there is a small pocket of air in the middle ear this needs to be “equalized”. If you have small eustachian tubes it may take longer to equalize or can become painful if you don’t equalize. If this happens our staff (who monitors you during the pressurization phase) can slow things down or reverse the process to lessen this discomfort. As time goes on it becomes easier and easier to equalize ear pressure.

There are different types of hyperbaric chambers. There are “home” units which have soft sides and you zip into them (laying down flat is the only option here). This chamber is often seen in MedSpas and IV infusion offices. It can only go to 1.3 atmospheres of pressure and you are not able to breathe 100% oxygen during this time. We all live at 1.0 atmospheres (ATA) pressure.

Then there are the hard/steel sided chambers (like the two chambers we have in our practice) that allow you to sit up completely inside or lie down – you’re choice. These chambers go to 2.4 ATA and you are breathing a mask of 100% pure oxygen the whole time. Our chambers use room air to create the increased pressure. This significantly lowers the risk of sparks and fire in the chamber.

There are some chambers that are clear. They use a strong plastic instead of steel siding. They are generally pressurized with 100% oxygen. Because the plastic siding is not as strong as the steel the room inside these chambers are smaller. In general one has to lie down the whole time.

There are other chambers (usually in hospital settings) that can go up to 6 or 7 ATA. The problems with these is that it can cause oxygen toxicity. There are very few conditions that call for this sort of chamber.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used by athletes to enhance recovery after intense physical exertion or injuries.  

HBOT increases the amount of oxygen that reaches the body’s tissues. This allows the oxygen to dissolve into the blood plasma and reach areas that may be poorly perfused or oxygen-deprived. This can help speed up the recovery process after an injury or intense workout and improve overall performance. 

In a 2019 study, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) has been reported to be beneficial in terms of accelerating cell recovery and tissue repair, which are considered to be helpful for eliminating fatigue and recovering stamina. The study showed that HBOT significantly reduced muscular enzyme levels and improved pain intensity.

Professional athletes are increasingly receiving HBOT to help them recover from many types of injuries, even concussions. Joe Namath, who played for the New York Jets for the majority of his NFL career, suffered from multiple head injuries as an NFL quarterback. As a result, he dealt with memory loss, focus issues, and feelings of anxiousness and irritability before trying HBOT. Now, not only have his symptoms subsided, but he became an advocate for HBOT.

Long COVID is a common occurrence following COVID-19 infection. The most common symptom reported is fatigue. Limited interventional treatment options exist. The latest survey data shows that long COVID affects at least 20% of people who have recovered from coronavirus infection. The chronic exhaustion you’re experiencing is a common symptom, as are a range of cognitive issues.

An Israeli study looked at a group of patients whose cognitive symptoms of long COVID had lasted at least three months. Half underwent 40 sessions of HBOT over the course of two months. They received varying exposures of 100% oxygen over the course of 90 minutes, delivered via a mask, while in a hyperbaric chamber with twice the atmospheric pressure of sea level.

The other group of patients served as the control group. They also spent 40 sessions in the hyperbaric chamber, but breathed regular air, and at regular pressure. At the end of the study, the patients who underwent the genuine hyperbaric oxygen therapy reported a marked improvement in cognitive function. The therapy also had a positive effect on energy levels, sleep disruption and mood. The same results were not seen in the control group.

This echoes the results from research conducted last year by scientists in England. In that study, patients had 10 sessions of HBOT over the course of 12 days. Tests to assess fatigue and cognitive function also showed marked improvements between the start and the end of the therapy.

IV nutritional therapy (also known as Intravenous therapy, IV vitamin therapy, or IV micronutrient therapy) is a medical practice that requires injecting fluids, medications, and nutrition into the patient’s vein. Because nutrients are injected directly into the circulatory system and therefore promptly distributed, the intravenous technique is the fastest way to administer nutrients throughout the body.

We offer 4 different IV formulas depending on your goal: Goals can vary from enhancing the body’s healing and regeneration process, increase mental focus, and athletic performance, to detoxification, slow down aging, and lighting the skin. Some of the benefits of IV nutrition therapy include:

• Increase stamina and energy
• Be mentally alert and focused to meet your fitness or athletic goals
• Strengthen muscles before and after intense physical activity
• Recover your energy levels naturally and bounce back from complete exhaustion
• Combat fatigue
• Feel sharper and clearer
• Improve your overall mood
• Get energy to exercise
• Combat stress by feeling relaxed
• Avoid getting sick by keeping your immune system strong and healthy
• Maintain a healthy nervous system and improve the cardiovascular function of the body
• Improve your body’s ability to withstand stress, intense levels of work or travel

In addition, Dr. Julia Ward can tailor the IV nutrition therapy to meet the specific needs of each individual patient to provide supplemental vitamins and micronutrients to improve the body’s state of health and overall well-being.

We offer four advanced IV nutritional therapy formulas: Fountain of Youth, Natural Defense, Rise and Shine, and The Executive. Click below to learn about some of the great the benefits in each one.

IV nutritional therapy provides you with essential vitamins and nutrients that you may not be able to absorb through the stomach due to inflammation or leaky gut issues. It also provides a higher dose than can be absorbed via food or oral supplements.

• ATTIRE. Please wear a shirt that can roll-up above your elbow to allow access to your arm.
• HYDRATE BEFORE EVERY IV. The more hydrated you are, the more easily accessible your veins are, making for a more
  comfortable treatment.
• HAVE SOMETHING TO EAT. Some of the vitamins and minerals can have a temporary blood sugar, and blood pressure lowering
  effect, which can make you feel light headed during or after your IV if you haven’t eaten.
• GET MOVING. If we are sedentary right before an IV, our vessels may be more difficult to access.
• ALLOW YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME. Give yourself enough time to arrive so you can get comfortable and relaxed prior to your treatment. This
  will make your experience more enjoyable and effective.

The IV can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 1⁄2 hours depending on the type of IV drip you’re receiving. Please plan to stay with us for a minimum of 1 hour. During your IV you may experience coldness, stiffness, and sensation of pressure or tingling from your fingertips, up your arm and into your chest. You may also taste or smell the vitamins; often they are described as having a metallic quality. These sensations are normal and to be expected. They will resolve immediately following your IV.

Let us know right away if you experience any discomfort during your treatment including: burning, stinging, aching or feelings of nausea or light-headedness. We offer many different solutions to improve your comfort during your IV treatment with us.

The most common IV complication is known as an infiltration, which occurs when IV fluid leaks into surrounding tissues. Infiltration can be caused by dislodgment of the IV needle, most often by patient movement. Although this is a non-serious complication, it is important to keep your arm still during your treatment to prevent discomfort and delay to your treatment.

Many people enjoy an immediate feeling of relaxation during their treatment. Your IV should be an experience you enjoy every time, so please let us know what we can do to make your experience the most comfortable.

Many people experience an increase in energy, mental alertness, and over all sense of wellbeing immediately following their IV treatment. These effects may be subtle or may not be noticed until the
next day or days following treatment. You may require several IV treatments before you begin to experience a benefit.

Chronic stress, illness, lack of sleep and poor eating habits, can all contribute to nutrient depletion. Without adequate nutrition, metabolism inside our cells becomes sluggish, leading to a buildup of waste product inside the cell. IV therapy delivers high doses of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids directly into the blood stream that readily cross cell membranes to ‘kick-start’ cellular metabolism. It is therefore normal to experience mild fatigue, headache, nausea or light- headedness following your IV treatment. This is especially common after your first few IV treatments, as your body works to clear any stored metabolic waste products. You may continue with your daily activities, including exercise following your IV treatment.

It is important to continue to stay hydrated and eat regular meals. Minor bruising of the IV site is common and should resolve within the week. If you experience redness, swelling or pain of your arm or at your injection site, please contact us right away. If you have any questions or concerns following your IV treatment, please contact our office to speak with one of our IV Therapists.

The term “adrenal fatigue” is a bit misleading. The adrenals are glands, not muscles that can be fatigued.  However it is far easier to say adrenal fatigue rather than hypothalamic pituitary axis dysfunction.

Adrenals are glands that sit on top of the kidneys. They are responsible for producing cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. These hormones are produced when we are under stress, either physical or emotional.

Cortisol should spike early in the morning then come down in the afternoon and evening. The below chart shows the upper and lower limits of cortisol throughout the day. Urinary free cortisol is a measurement of the cortisol in the urine that is not attached to other substances. Free cortisol represents the active form of the hormone. The urine measurement directly reflects the blood level of cortisol. It can also be tested in the saliva but it can be more difficult to fill a tube with saliva versus just peeing on a strip of paper for the dried urine test. It is not worth measuring cortisol in the blood due to the very short half life of cortisol.

The symptoms of adrenal fatigue can vary depending on the individual, and they may overlap with other medical conditions. Some common symptoms associated with adrenal fatigue include:

• Fatigue and low energy levels
• Difficulty falling or staying asleep
• Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
• Mood swings, anxiety, or depression
• Cravings for salty or sweet foods
• Low blood pressure
• Digestive issues, such as bloating or constipation
• Muscle weakness or pain
• Reduced libido
• Weakened immune system, leading to increased susceptibility to infections

There are 4 stages of adrenal fatigue. It is important to measure cortisol throughout the day to understand which stage you are in as treatment varies according to each one.

1. Alarm stage: In this stage, the body is experiencing acute stress, such as a sudden illness, injury, or emotional trauma. During this stage, the adrenal glands respond by releasing high levels of cortisol and adrenaline
2. Resistance stage: If the stress continues, the body enters the resistance stage, in which the adrenal glands continue to produce high levels of cortisol in order to cope with the ongoing stress
3. Exhaustion stage: If the stress persists for a long period of time, the adrenal glands may become overworked and begin to produce insufficient levels of cortisol, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping
4. Burnout stage: In this final stage, the adrenal glands are no longer able to produce enough cortisol to meet the body’s needs, leading to a state of chronic fatigue and a weakened immune system

1. Get tested. Make sure you do either a dried urine test or saliva test. Testing cortisol in the blood is not ideal as the half life is very short – this makes it inaccurate
2. Identify the major stressors in your life and try to lessen them. This may mean making lifestyle changes such as meditation (even 5 minutes twice daily – can make a huge difference) or yoga.
3. Eat a healthy diet composed of whole, clean, unprocessed foods
4. Prioritize quality sleep
5. Consult with a functional medicine doctor about which herbal remedies are best for you. This can be different for each person depending on what stage of adrenal fatigue they are in. This is also why it is so important to test first
6. Get regular exercise. Even walking around the block or out in a park will be extremely beneficial

There are synthetic hormones – i.e. Premarin & Provera – and then there are “natural” or bio-identical hormones. Bio-identical means that they are chemically identical to what your body produces. This is in contrast to the synthetic hormones which usually come from pregnant horse urine.

Bioidentical hormones are processed hormones designed to mimic the hormones made by your body’s glands. Taking bioidentical hormones can help people who experience symptoms of low or unbalanced hormones. This is often the case for people experiencing symptoms of perimenopause or menopause.

There are many reasons for maintaining the sex hormones at youthful levels. Dealing with symptoms of menopause is one of them: hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, mood swings, irritability, fatigue, insomnia, and weight gain (just to name a few). There is a common misconception that women go “through” menopause. As if menopause is only the time in which they experience hot flashes, night sweats, etc. Many women believe that once these symptoms stop they are “through” and don’t need to worry about any thing else. In fact, once you are in menopause you are never done with it. Your body will never go back to producing the estrogen, progesterone & testosterone that it once did when younger. If you want to age gracefully with as little signs of aging as possible you will need to have your hormones balanced and at youthful levels. This is really the cornerstone of any “anti-aging” program.

The term “synthetic” is typically used to describe hormones that aren’t bioidentical. One example is Premarin (conjugated estrogens), a synthetic hormone product that was first approved to treat menopause symptoms in 1942. It contains a mixture of estrogens from the urine of pregnant horses.

Synthetic hormones were put under the spotlight in 2002, when the initial results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) were released. This was the largest women’s health prevention study ever conducted. The findings showed that hormone therapy in postmenopausal women could raise the risk of breast cancer, blood clots, heart disease, and other conditions.

Since then, bioidentical hormones — specifically compounded products — have been promoted as a safer alternative.

The main benefit of Bioidentical Hormones Therapy is the relief you get from menopause symptoms that can interfere with your life. Hot flashes are more than a nuisance. They can really interfere with your quality of life and make a good night’s sleep impossible.

Bioidentical Hormones Therapy can also help relieve vaginal dryness, pain, and itching so you can resume intimate relations with your partner. Other benefits, studies show, may include, reduced risk of heart disease, dementia, and osteoporosis.

Other benefits include:

• Increased bone density
• Increased muscle mass
• Decreased fatty tissue
• Brain/memory protective
• Heart protective
• Improves arterial elasticity
• Lowers blood sugar
• Restores sleep
• Improves collagen in skin – reduces wrinkles
• Decreases inflammation: less joint pain
• Reverses incontinence
• Increases overall energy
• Increases libido

Bioidentical Hormones Therapy is worth considering if you’re experiencing menopausal symptoms that interfere with your daily life. Dr. Ward will determine whether you’re a good candidate for Bioidentical Hormones Therapy after a thorough examination, medical history, and consultation regarding your expectations and goals. Both men and women, usually 40 years and older can benefit from Bioidentical Hormones Therapy.

Below is a list of the different ways that bioidentical hormones can be replaced. Keep in mind that we do NOT want to take estrogen or testosterone in a pill form. This will lead to:

• liver inflammation
• weight gain
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol & triglycerides
• gallstones

Here are the different ways of using bio-identical hormones:

1. Creams –
   • Advantages: you can control the amount of hormones going into your body on a daily basis and it is non-invasive
   • Disadvantages: some people have absorption issues; it may rub off on someone close to you; it takes longer to get you balanced; hormone levels have to be tested a different way (dried urine test) as they don’t show up in the blood when doing this transdermal route. Because of this extra step in testing it generally takes women longer to get balanced. You also have to remember to put it on twice daily – this can be challenging for someone suffering from brain fog. I don’t recommend creams for men. Because they need a much higher dose than women the cream that they would use is much more likely to rub off onto someone else or just have absorption issues.
2. Injections –
   • Advantages: you control the amount of hormone going into you
   • Disadvantages: you have to stick yourself with a needle and you need to remember to do it. Traditionally injections have been done once per week. This is less than ideal as it causes your hormone levels to go up and down like a roller coaster. I recommend doing a “micro-dose” injection every day or every other day.
3. Troches (like a mint that dissolves between gum & cheek)
   • Advantage: non-invasive
   • Disadvantage: you are going to swallow some of the hormone this way causing all the negative side effects listed above. I don’t ever prescribe these.
4. Pellets (looks like a grain of rice that gets inserted under the skin in the flank or bikini area)
   • Advantages: this is by far and away my most favored delivery method for hormones:
     • takes less than 5 minutes to place
     • you don’t have to remember to do anything
     • lasts 3 months for women and 4 months for men
     • we can easily and accurately follow the blood levels of hormones
     • this is the fastest way to feel better
   • Disadvantages: once the pellets are placed they can not be taken out – they just dissolve over time. That being said, I have never seen a “bad reaction” from pellets. That is because we are not putting in a foreign drug into the body but something that it naturally produces (just not enough of).

With all the above treatments women are also prescribed oral progesterone. This is the one hormone that is safe to take by mouth.

You can prepare for your appointment with Dr. Ward by:

• Tracking your symptoms: List your symptoms, how often and when they occur, as well as their severity
• Listing your medications: Include any prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, as well as supplements, dosage and how often you take them
• Preparing questions: Write down questions before your appointment with Dr. Ward

Dr. Ward will draw a complete and very detailed hormone panel prior to treatment to assess your options and to help you make the most informed decision possible.

This depends on which treatment you elect to replace hormones.

After the pellets are inserted you usually don’t feel much of anything for about 1-2 weeks.  Then the benefits start kicking in.  Male patients may feel the benefits sooner from pellets due to the fact that they have a much bigger dose than women.

Many people and a lot of older doctors as well have a negative view of hormone therapy. “I thought they caused cancer?” is a common question. This stems mainly from a large trial that was done in the 1990’s. It was called the Women’s Health Initiative Study. They put hundreds of thousands of women all across the US on Premarin & Provera. They had to stop the study before it was done because women were dying of stroke, heart disease, and breast cancer. This is when most traditionally trained doctors said – “ok – we will no longer prescribe hormones”. They never made the distinction between synthetic and bio-identical. Why? Why are bio-identical hormones not “standard of care” or mainstream? Big Pharma can not patent bio-identical hormones and thus can not make billions off of them. Long ago the Supreme Court ruled that companies can not patent something that occurs in nature (i.e. water).

More common side effects can include:

• Increased facial hair
• Acne
• Scalp hair loss

These side effects are generally minimal to non-existent as we do not overdose hormones.

This is a great treatment to accompany anything which aims to reduce inflammation, improve mood & sleep, improve skin, increase muscle mass, and decrease fat.