Bioidentical hormones are one of the breakthroughs that have thus far helped a lot of people, and will continue to help people a great deal with many different conditions. In fact, some people with thyroid conditions can benefit from using bioidentical hormones.
With that being said, many people are abusing these hormones, as they mistakenly believe that because they are natural there is little risk in taking them. What you need to understand is that hormones are very powerful, and even though they are natural, they can do a great deal of harm if you take the wrong type of bioidentical hormone, or even the right type with an incorrect dosage.
So anyone who thinks that taking bioidentical hormones is similar to taking nutritional supplements is wrong. In the past I have spoken about the potential risks of self-treating your condition with nutritional supplements. In fact, I personally have experienced negative side effects from taking the wrong type and dosage of nutritional supplements. But while there are risks with taking nutritional supplements on your own, it still is rare to see someone have serious issues from taking the wrong type and/or dosage of supplements.
On the other hand, it is becoming more and more common to see people who take bioidentical hormones experience severe problems. And a big reason for this is because they take them as if they were nutritional supplements. Most people simply don’t realize the effect these hormones can have on their body. Part of the problem is that sometimes they can feel great at first when taking such hormones.
For example, I have a friend who was having some health issues, and so his medical doctor recommended that he take bioidentical testosterone. He felt great for a few months, but after awhile he felt like crap again. And this is a common problem, as hormones do have the potential to make someone feel great, but many times these effects don’t last more than a few weeks or months because the person is either being given the wrong hormone, and/or an incorrect dosage. And this example I just gave regarding my friend isn’t a random occurrence, as I’ve seen many patients, both men and women, who were told to take bioidentical hormones when they really didn’t need to take them.
Many Medical Doctors Don’t Do Any Pre-Testing
A big reason why so many people are having problems when put on bioidentical hormones is because many medical doctors don’t do any testing to truly determine what their patients need. Or, they might test for a single hormone, but not do a complete male or female hormone panel, which is crazy when you consider that hormones are interactive. And so when you take one bioidentical hormone, you are going to affect other hormones in the body.
So for example, getting back to my friend, the medical doctor did some testing and determined that he was deficient in testosterone. But he didn’t bother to look at the other hormones, and so he was unable to tell why he was deficient in testosterone in the first place. This once again relates to doctors trying to manage symptoms, without actually looking into the cause.
The truth is that in many cases bioidentical hormones are given when they aren’t really necessary, as most people can have their hormonal systems balanced without them having to take natural hormones. And for those that really do need to take bioidentical hormones, a high percentage are not taking the right type, or are not taking the right dosage. While men are sometimes told to take higher dosages of testosterone than they actually need, many women are advised to take high dosages of natural progesterone, which also can have some detrimental side effects.
Finding Out Whether You Truly Need Bioidentical Hormones
Yet another benefit of consulting with a competent natural endocrine doctor is that they will be able to evaluate the current state of your hormone levels, and determine whether or not you truly need bioidentical hormones, or whether you can achieve balance without taking such hormones. I don’t want you to get the impression that I’m against the use of bioidentical hormones, as I really do think that in some cases it is necessary to give some support for a short period of time. It just makes me sick to my stomach when I see people overdosing on these hormones and witnessing the negative impact it has on their health.
So if you’re considering taking bioidentical hormones please be careful. You’ll no doubt find plenty of information on the internet, but not all of it is valid. Just keep in mind that a number of companies that sell these products will rave about what miraculous results they bring just so you’ll go ahead and spend your hard earned money on them, even though there is really no way for anyone to tell whether or not you truly need bioidentical hormones without the proper testing. And even if it is determined that you need them, taking the proper type and dosage is extremely important.