Do you feel like you are aging TOO EARLY??? Do you feel worn out and tired all the time? Do you want that "young" feeling you use to have? If you answered, "YES" to any of the above questions, then read on. There is such a study called "Anti-aging". Aging is considered a disease! There are ways to slow down this process occurring in the body! BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY is one of the answers! But before we go just slathering on some hormones, we should look at the whole picture. Usually, when you go to the doctor, they will do some "tests". One of the tests they start with is running a blood chemistry. The problems is that many of of have SYMPTOMS of early aging or other diseases, but because these processes are in the early stage, the blood tests show us to be "normal"!! Funny thing is that we don't feel "normal" and so we are perplexed when the doctor has no answers to give us on what to do with our body problems. If our cholesterol is too high, there is a drug for that. If our blood pressure is too high, there is a drug for that. If our blood glucose is too high there is a drug for that. A drug for the headaches, a pill to sleep, a pill to pep us up, one to slow us down. But, what if you are in the very early stages of these just mentioned problems? Then what? Who can help you find out WHY you are not functioning properly? What about PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE? That is something you won't find your insurance company promoting!! Sure, you can get prescriptions paid for, but not vitamin, food and herbal supplements! So, the proper way to go about this "getting better" business is to go do a doctor that checks you for proper FUNCTION. Maybe all your blood tests are "normal" but your are not FUNCTIONING OPTIMALLY! Right? So, if a man or women comes to me with a desire to get BIO-IDENTICAL hormone therapy, I must first check the function of their body. If this patient has some issues affecting their immune system (such as a chronic infection or an auto-immune disorder), we must clear that up first before going onward to hormone therapy. Other functions to check first would be blood sugar, toxicity, adrenal function, thyroid function, heart and digestive issues and don't forget joint and pain issues! It is best to get you as balanced naturally before jumping into the hormone replacement. But, if you want to slow down aging with proper hormone balance, keep reading. Please remember this: Bio-identical hormones are different from synthetic hormones such as Premarin, Provera, Prometrium that are prescribed by most doctors. Your body synthesizes ALL HORMONES from a substance called CHOLESTEROL. Isn't that amazing?! Let me repeat, ALL HORMONES ARE MADE IN THE BODY FROM A SUBSTANCE CALLED CHOLESTEROL. This amazing lipid (fat) has been given such a bad rap!! When your cholesterol levels are high in the bloodstream, the doctors automatically want to put people on statin (lipid lowering) drugs. These drugs can cause such a lowering of cholesterol, you will not be able to make hormones that are vital for LIFE! Did you know that hormones are ESSENTIAL to life? Hormones are messengers. A gland releases a hormone to send a message to the rest of the body. Kinda like texting, but different. The hormones are floating around looking for a certain "keyhole" to go into. It is like the hormone is the lock that only fits into certain keys. The "key" is the receptor. Did you know that you have receptors for hormones in the brain, heart, bone, gut, skin, and more! Many think that the receptors for sex hormones such as testosterone, estrogens, and progesterone are only around the sex organs, but that is not true. You have receptors (or "locks") looking for estrogen hormones ("keys") in your brain and also your intestines? Why would those areas need hormones? Well, in the brain, for cognition and for conversion of serotonin (the calming hormone)! Pretty interesting, huh? The bacteria and other 'bugs" that naturally live in your intestines are so important, because they help convert hormones to their "active" state. In other words, when a gland releases a hormone, it is not always active until it gets to a "target". Having a natural balance of the right flora (bacteria) in the gut is vital so that you can convert hormones such as thyroid and estrogen to their "active" state. With the use of antibiotics and state of our pesticide-laden foods, many DO NOT have a normal gut balance! Now you can see how the intestines are related to hormone levels! So what is so nice about BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES? First of all, they are "identical" to what our bodies make. Supplementing with hormones that are "identical" to your body WORKS! We want to would directly with your body's built-in receptor mechanism! We want that "lock" to recognize the "key". If you are deficient in a hormone, and your body is not going to make it anymore, we can use the BHRT (Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy) to get to the ROOT CAUSE of your hormone problem. When the hormones have been low (deficient) for quite some time, the locks or receptors become inactive. When we use the BHRT, we are striving to keep these receptors active. It is the old, "Use it or lose it" proverb. Having multiple hormone deficiencies can increase the AGING and this can start as soon as age 32 on!! That is for a MAN or WOMAN! And you can actually have hormone deficiencies younger than 30 years, but it depends on your diet and what hormone changing chemicals you have been exposed to. The Birth Control Pill, pesticides, insecticides, vaccinations, heavy metals, animal hormones from meat and dairy, plastics and more can all affect your hormone levels detrimentally. You may have MANY hormone deficiencies. I don't just mean the sex hormones, such as Testosterone, Estrogen, or Progesterone. I am talking about hormones for blood sugar balance, stress balance, immune balance, anti-inflammatory reduction, brain chemistry, thyroid and more! So, you may have more than one deficiency. So, it doesn't matter how old you are, male or female, BHRT may help you. If you have tried BHRT before, and it didn't help, you may not have had the proper instructions, care or doses. We have to start figuring out which hormones are out of balance and start fixing them! I like to use the HQL Protocol lab to evaluate. Check the link, "Hormone Replacement" on my home page. ESTROGEN: This hormone is responsible for "female" characteristics. Every woman needs this vital hormone to function sexually. Men also need this hormone is much smaller amounts. In estrogen imbalance in a woman can cause sleeping disorders (usually insomnia), some anxiety, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, dizziness, brain fog, grief, loss of sex drive.  They also experience mood swings, which affects every relationship they have! . If you do not have any unpleasant symptoms, that doesn't mean you are safe, you just don't have any symptoms. When you estrogen is low, you are more prone to heart disease, bone loss and strokes! Studies also show that normal estrogen levels help you with: brain cognition, lean muscle increase, tighter skin, healthy nerves, immune function and sense of well being! PROGESTERONE: This hormone got its name originally from "Pro" "Gestation" because of its high level during pregnancy. Progesterone works in conjunction with estrogen. When progesterone is out of balance, you can also see insomnia, weight gain, mood swings, "fog" brain, joint and muscle pain. This is the hormone that disappears when a woman is not ovulating. A woman may not ovulate every month, especially after age 30, therefore, this hormone is disminishing. Women who are on the birth control pill will not ovulate and they will be deficient in this hormone. When progesterone levels decrease, a woman becomes "estrogen-dominant" which has a whole array of problems such as weight gain, large/swollen breasts, bleeding disorders (endometriosis, menstrual cramps, "bitchiness", uterus and ovary changes (such as cysts and fibroids) and more. TESTOSTERONE: This one is usually called "the male hormone". But, ladies, this one is vital to you, too! For men, they need it for lean mass, mood, production of sperm, sexual arousal.  Testosterone has also been shown to lower cholesterol, help increase endurance in exercise and maintaining a healthy heart function. A very common affliction for me is "ED" which is called erectile dysfunction. Male testosterone levels will drop as they age. It slowly happens until it can be half of what it was by the time they reach 50 years old! This decrease accelerates the aging process and helps normalize the erectile dysfunctions. Men can become "estrogen" dominant which comes from intake of alcohol, pesticides, plastics, hormones from meat and dairy and more. They will get the "pregnant" belly. They can get irritable and apathetic about life. Use of BHRT can help restore the levels back to normal. Some of my male patients have a lack of desire for sex or are feeling tired and they consider this a normal part of aging. But when you check their levels and restore them to the natural balance they feel more alive and closer to how they were in their prime! For women, studies have shown that it helps them with increasing their own sex drive, decreasing fat, increasing lean mass, increasing desire to exercise, better endurance, lowering cholesterol, maintaining a healthy heart and more. The Three Sisters – (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) Hormone Balancing (of Pre- Peri and Menopause) There are approximately forty million women currently going into menopause. This is growing by about 2 million women a year. Those of you not in menopause or are at a "pre" or "peri" menopause need to prevent as many problems as you can NOW. Making the decision to use nutritional supplements and/or hormones to treat hormone imbalances is more confusing than ever! Recent studies raise important concerns about whether hormones may cause more harm than good. Many women are now left to make their own decisions about whether or not to use hormone therapy. Most are asking, "Are there any better, safer hormone balancing options?" Fortunately, there are. There are many systems involved with balancing your hormones that can be done to help you balance naturally. If you are a woman who really needs to use actual hormones to balance you, there is an answer, too. We may use nutritional supplements and/or Bio-identical hormones. Bio-identical hormones are natural plant-based hormones that are exactly like the hormones our bodies normally make. Each woman has her own "hormone blueprint" that feels best for her. Levels of hormones can be measured and adjusted to match each blueprint. Bio-identical hormones are specially formulated by compounding pharmacists in more convenient, effective forms than standard drugstore brands. Individualizing doses is superior to the traditional "one size fits all" approach to hormone therapy, having more health benefits and fewer side effects. THE WORKSHOP: The Three Sisters of Hormone Balance is a full day, 6 hour workshop and group consultation with Dr. Gail Marasse. This will enable you to: Go over your blood, urine and saliva labs. We will review your hormone levels and give clear guidelines on exactly what your current levels are and how to adjust your programs to acquire healthier levels. Adjusting your lab values enables you to control hot flashes and night sweats, improve sleep, slow down skin aging, increase metabolism, increase bone strength, clear up "brain fog", strengthen muscles, improve heart health and restore sex drive and desire. Understand all of your choices for nutritional and/or hormone replacement therapy. You will know the advantages & disadvantages of the different ovarian hormones. You will know which delivery routes are best for you. Learn how to minimize your risks of breast cancer. Develop your own personalized hormone prescription with the help of Dr. Gail Marasse and Dr. Jeffrey Polito, MD. Arrangements will be made to receive your nutritional supplements and hormone therapies. Dr. Gail reveals valuable ways of "fine tuning" your doses to achieve valuable benefits, like handling stress better, super boosting your sex drive and restoring skin elasticity and decreasing wrinkles. HORMONES OF METABOLISM, ENERGY & STRESS The hormones that help regulate metabolism, increase energy and manage stress become less active as you age past thirty five. This results in more fatigue, weight gain, depression and less vitality. Many women especially notice these changes occurring with menopause. Besides estrogen, other important hormones change during menopause and affect your body weight, moods, sleep pattern, sex drive, appetite control, cravings and energy. These include testosterone, thyroid, adrenal hormones (cortisol and DHEA) and insulin. Stress also negatively affects these hormone levels. Studies show that by measuring and correcting these hormones you can profoundly improve your mood, energy, appetite, metabolism, weight loss, sleep and even sex drive. The brain hormone, serotonin, is critical for maintaining a good mood, controlling appetite and cravings. The same hormones that are affected by stress and aging (pre, peri and menopause) also lower your serotonin levels. Studies show that measuring and restoring all these hormones to younger, healthier levels can result in dramatic improvements of your mood, energy, metabolism, sleep and sex drive. The WORKSHOP: Hormones of Metabolism, Energy and Stress ENABLES YOU TO: --Understand which supplements you need to improve your metabolism and energy. --Measure and adjust the hormones that improve your metabolism and energy. --Find out which metabolism imbalances you have and how to manage it. For instance: Insulin Resistance, blood sugar imbalances, adrenal stress, thyroid imbalances. Improving cholesterol, triglycerides, body weight, blood sugar balance, cravings and appetite control. --Dr. Gail and her team will help you with identifying food allergies and adjustments to your diet. --Speed up weight loss using "tried and true" methods. --Learn how to naturally increase your levels of serotonin, your brain’s main regulator of mood, appetite and cravings. Workshops are 6 hours long ( 9 am to 3 pm). Please ask for schedule and pricing.