Hormone therapy Kailua, HI

Overview of Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy involves supplementing hormones that are low or deficient in the body. At Balance Hormone Clinic in Kailua, we offer advanced hormone treatments to help patients optimize different aspects of health and wellbeing.

Why Hormone Levels Decline

There are a few key reasons why patients experience a decline in hormones:

• Aging: As both men and women grow older, natural hormone production often slows down. For example, testosterone levels peak in the late 20s and gradually decrease with age.
• Medical conditions: Certain medical conditions like pituitary tumors or injuries can disrupt normal hormone production.
• Lifestyle factors: Factors like chronic stress, poor sleep, and nutritional deficiencies can decrease hormone levels over time.
• Medications: The use of certain prescription drugs like opioid pain medications or steroids may inadvertently lower hormone levels.

Signs and Symptoms of Hormone Deficiency

Patients with declining hormone levels often notice bothersome signs and symptoms that impact quality of life:

• Fatigue: Feeling constantly drained, sleepy, or sluggish
• Mood changes: Increased irritability, anxiety, or sadness
• Muscle loss and weakness: Difficulty with strength training or daily activities
• Weight gain: Gradual increase in body fat, especially around the abdomen
• Sleep problems: Difficulty falling or staying asleep
• Low libido: Lack of interest in sex or intimacy

If patients are struggling with these issues, having hormone levels checked is wise. Identifying and addressing deficiencies can dramatically turn things around.

Evaluating Hormone Levels Through Lab Testing

The first step is to have relevant hormone labs drawn to pinpoint which hormones are out of optimal range. We specialize in testing key hormones like:

• Testosterone: The predominant male sex hormone responsible for sex drive, energy levels, muscle mass, mood, motivation, and more.
• Estrogen: The primary female sex hormone involved in reproductive health as well as bone, heart, and brain health in both men and women.
• Thyroid hormones: Thyroid hormones T3 and T4 have widespread effects on metabolism, temperature regulation, cardiovascular function, skin, mood, and cognition.
• DHEA: DHEA is an adrenal androgen that plays diverse roles in immunity, sexual function, connective tissue, mood, inflammatory processes, and aging.
• Growth hormone: Growth hormone works synergistically with other hormones to facilitate muscle and bone growth, fat burning, injury healing, mood support, and youthful skin.

Careful analysis of lab results helps create a customized treatment plan to fit each patient's unique needs.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy

One of the more common hormone deficiencies we see involves low testosterone (low T) in men. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) using injectables, gels, pellets, or oral preparations can successfully bring levels back up.

Who Is a Candidate for TRT?

Men experiencing bothersome signs and symptoms plus lab-confirmed low testosterone levels are prime candidates for TRT. Key symptoms that may point to low T include:

• Declining strength, muscle mass, or exercise performance
• Excess weight gain and belly fat accumulation
• Persistent fatigue or low energy levels
• Emotional changes like moodiness, irritability, or depression
• Reduced motivation and sense of vitality
• Erectile dysfunction and reduced libido

Of course, a full medical workup is needed to confirm that low T (rather than another medical condition) is responsible for these changes.

Benefits of Normalizing Testosterone Levels

When properly implemented, TRT can provide life-changing improvements such as:

• Surging energy, drive, and wellbeing
• Sharper mental focus and concentration
• Increased muscle growth and easier fat loss with training
• Better sexual desire, function, and performance
• More restful sleep and positive mood
• Healthier heart, blood vessels, bones, and metabolic parameters

TRT Administration Protocols

There are multiple options available for administering supplemental testosterone:

• Injections like testosterone cypionate or enanthate - Typically injected once weekly, biweekly or every 10-14 days. Considered the gold standard.
• Gels/Creams like Androgel or Testim - Applied daily to arms, shoulders or thighs. Absorbed through the skin.
• Nasal gels like Natesto - Applied intranasally 3 times per day. Gets absorbed by nasal tissues.
• Pellets like Testopel - Pellets implanted under the skin every 4-6 months for slow steady release. Convenient, no daily dosing.
• Oral capsules like testosterone undecanoate - Usually dosed twice per day with a fatty meal for absorption. Limited flexibility in dosing adjustments.

We thoughtfully determine which method makes most sense for your lifestyle, preferences, and health goals.

Estrogen Management Therapy

Like men losing testosterone, women undergoing menopause see a rapid drop in estrogen levels. This commonly triggers symptoms like hot flashes, sleep disruption, vaginal dryness, anxiety, fatigue, and accelerated aging.

Candidates for Estrogen Replacement

Women going through early or premature menopause with troubling symptoms are prime candidates for estrogen replacement. We also help transgender patients achieve more feminine secondary sex characteristics through thoughtful estrogen administration.

Individualized Treatment Planning

There is no "one size fits all" approach for estrogen replacement. The optimal formulation, dose, route, frequency depends on the person. Options include:

• Oral estrogen like estradiol tablets - Taken daily, convenient but metabolism by the liver increases clotting risk slightly.
• Transdermal estrogen patches - Applied twice weekly, steadier hormone levels.
• Topical estrogen gels/creams like Divigel or EstroGel - Absorbed through skin once daily. Flexible dosing.
• Vaginal estrogen creams like Estrace cream - For treating vulvovaginal atrophy and pain with intimacy.
• Injectable estrogen like estradiol valerate - Administered weekly or biweekly based on preference. Most accurate dosing.
• Subdermal estrogen pellets like Evorel - Last for months with no daily dosing. Require minor procedure for insertion and removal.

We determine which preparation optimizes your hormone levels based on lab testing, symptom response, age, risk factors, lifestyle, budget, and personal preference. Regular monitoring ensures proper treatment.

Thyroid Hormone Regulation

The butterfly-shaped thyroid gland produces hormones vital to healthy metabolic and cognitive function. Low thyroid function, also called hypothyroidism, is increasingly common, especially in women over 35.

Recognizing Thyroid Deficiency

Due to thyroid hormones' far-reaching effects, hypothyroidism can cause diverse signs like:

• Fatigue despite adequate sleep
• Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
• Constipation, puffy skin, dry hair
• Cold intolerance - always feeling chilly
• Muscle aches, joint pain or carpal tunnel
• Menstrual cycle changes or fertility issues
• Impaired concentration, memory or learning

If hypothyroidism is suspected, having Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), Free T4, Free T3, and thyroid antibodies tested definitively diagnoses or rules it out.

Benefits of Proper Thyroid Function

Optimizing thyroid activity can produce remarkable benefits throughout the mind and body:

• Increased energy, productivity, and exercise capacity
• Easier weight management and body composition optimization
• Healthier skin, hair, nails, and regulation of temperature
• Improved mood, mental clarity, memory and learning ability
• More restful and rejuvenating sleep
• Relief of uncomfortable hypothyroidism symptoms

Correcting thyroid dysfunction early on prevents complications over time so prompt diagnosis is key.

Medical Management Options

Common medical approaches for hypothyroidism include:

• Synthetic T4 medication like levothyroxine - Most commonly prescribed, replaces thyroxine at affordable prices. Taken daily.
• Combination T4 T3 therapy - Long acting T4 plus short acting T3 for customized thyroid hormone delivery. Mimics natural output more closely.
• Natural desiccated thyroid like Nature-Throid or WP Thyroid - Contains both T4 and T3 derived from porcine sources. Used when synthetic T4 alone is inadequate.
• Optimizing vitamin and mineral intake - Ensuring adequate selenium, zinc, vitamin D and other thyroid cofactors bolsters thyroid health and enhances treatment response.
• Addressing inflammation - Controlling sources of inflammation like food sensitivities, blood sugar surges, and chronic infections assists thyroid function.

We help determine whether synthetic or natural thyroid hormone preparations (or a combination) work best based on your presenting symptoms, risk factors, treatment goals, and follow-up testing.

DHEA Replacement Treatment

DHEA is an adrenal androgen hormone that exerts protective effects on immunity, metabolism, inflammation, sexual function, connective tissue integrity, mood, memory, and aging.

What Causes DHEA Deficiency?

There are several reasons patients end up with suboptimal DHEA:

• Normal aging - Like other hormones, DHEA production peaks around age 25 then gradually declines. By 65-70 years old, it drops by 60-80% of youthful levels.
• Adrenal insufficiency - Disorders impairing adrenal gland function like Addison's or hypopituitarism lead to drastically low DHEA.
• Stress - Prolonged physical, emotional or psychological stress overworks the adrenals resulting in declining DHEA.
• Medications - Long term oral steroids, opioids, anticonvulsants, HIV treatments lower DHEA over time.

Measuring DHEA-Sulfate blood levels helps accurately detect clinically low concentrations.

Who Can Benefit From DHEA Therapy?

DHEA supplementation under medical guidance may benefit patients with:

• Bothersome symptoms correlated with documented DHEA deficiency on lab testing
• Poor response to stress with increased fatigue, anxiety, or depression
• Increased cardiovascular disease or diabetes risk factors
• Autoimmune conditions, recurrent infections, slow injury healing
• Unexplained sexual dysfunction - erectile dysfunction or vaginal dryness
• Cognitive dysfunction presenting as mental fog, poor memory or concentration
• Accelerated aging concerns - excessive wrinkles, thinning skin, decreased muscle mass

We determine clinical appropriateness for DHEA on a case-by-case basis. Overt supplementation without need increases side effect likelihood without additional benefit.

DHEA Restoration Treatment Considerations

If DHEA treatment is advised, available options include:

• DHEA tablets - Most commonly used oral preparations dosed once or twice daily. Shorter half life necessitates frequent administration. Blood levels spike and fall.
• Time release DHEA capsules - Slower absorption extends duration of action allowing less frequent dosing. Steadier blood concentrations result.
• Sublingual DHEA drops - Rapid absorption intranasally or under the tongue. Useful for acute adrenal support demands.
• DHEA troches - Allowed to slowly dissolve in the mouth for buccal absorption. Also rapidly boosts blood levels.
• DHEA pellets - Long lasting pellets implanted under the skin. Maintain stable blood levels for months without daily dosing.

Follow-up testing tracks progress and appropriate titration of DHEA dose based on blood level response and symptom improvement.

Growth Hormone Optimization

Human growth hormone (HGH) has gained increasing recognition for its regenerative, anti-aging benefits. As we get older, growth hormone production gradually drops, facilitating unwanted changes.

Why Growth Hormone Declines

There are several reasons we experience this age-related HGH reduction:

• Somotatropin decline - The pituitary gland produces less growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) which normally signals growth hormone release.
• Lifestyle risk factors - Chronic high stress levels, poor sleep, smoking, excess body fat, and nutrient deficiencies all lower HGH over time.
• Head trauma or injury - Damage to the pituitary stalk connecting the hypothalamus and pituitary hampers communication reducing growth hormone production long-term.

Consequences of Growth Hormone Deficiency

Patients with growth hormone deficiency may experience:

• Loss of muscle mass, strength, and exercise capacity
• Decreased bone mineral density, increased fracture risk
• Weight gain - Increased belly fat and thinner extremities
• Reduced collagen production - Wrinkled, sagging skin and thinning hair
• Impaired injury healing and recovery capacity
• Decreased immunity - More frequent illnesses and infections
• Higher inflammatory markers - C-reactive protein and cytokines
• Adverse cholesterol changes - Lower HDL, higher LDL and triglycerides
• Insulin resistance predisposing to prediabetes and diabetes
• Impaired quality of life - low energy, strength, libido, and cognition

Who Is a Candidate for Growth Hormone Therapy?

Patients over 35 with growth hormone deficiency confirmed by medical examination and IGF-1 blood testing who struggle with multiple bothersome signs and symptoms are candidates for HGH replacement under careful supervision.

We thoroughly determine appropriateness on an individualized basis, carefully weighing potential benefits and risks.

Administration of Bioidentical Growth Hormone

If treatment is advised, self-administered subcutaneous growth hormone injection protocols get tailored to the person:

• Injection frequency - Usually 3-7 times weekly before bed when natural pulsatile release occurs. Can start with more frequent microdoses.
• Injection timing -injections before bedtime mimic natural growth hormone release during early sleep phases.
• Growth hormone type - We use the highest quality pharmaceutical grade somatropin products compliant with all cGMP standards.
• Insulin sensitivity protection - Supplements like berberine, alpha lipoic acid, chromium and cinnamon help prevent reducing insulin sensitivity, a potential side effect of growth hormone therapy.
• Cycling protocols - Growth hormone release gets cycled higher and lower over weeks or months to avoid desensitization of target cell receptors which can occur with continuous dosing.

Appropriate growth hormone replacement regimes enhance physical, functional and metabolic parameters while avoiding side effects.

Importance of Timely Diagnosis and Treatment

Hormone imbalance negatively impacts nearly every aspect of health and quality of life. The earlier diagnosis occurs using relevant lab testing, the better. Successfully restoring optimal hormone balance produces transformative improvements patients can both feel and see.

Prevent "Normal" Aging

Accepting unwanted symptoms like low energy, weight gain, emotional changes or sexual dysfunction as just a normal part of aging is not wise. Identifying and addressing underlying hormone dysregulation allows the emergence of your healthiest, most vibrant self regardless of age.

Support Overall Disease Prevention

Balanced hormone levels provide widespread benefits decreasing risk for numerous age-related diseases like heart disease, diabetes, dementia, osteoporosis, autoimmunity and cancer. Comprehensive hormone regulation is powerful, integrative preventive medicine.

Enhance Response to Other Therapies

Hormones act synergistically and play key roles regulating other body systems. Optimizing hormone status enhances patients' response to other treatments like medication, nutrition plans, stress reduction techniques, immune modulating therapies and more.

We recommend all patients struggling with bothersome signs, symptoms or conditions explore underlying hormone status. Identifying and addressing imbalances early on can profoundly improve quality and longevity of life.

Why Choose Balance Hormone Clinic for Your Hormone Therapy Needs?

You may be wondering why Balance Hormone Clinic should be your top choice for receiving advanced hormone testing and treatment in Kailua and the surrounding areas. There are a number of compelling reasons to partner with us for your healthcare needs.

Extensive Advanced Training and Expertise

Our clinic director Dr. Jones has over 15 years experience specializing exclusively in hormone-related issues. He stays fully up to date on the latest advancements in precision hormone restoration protocols for optimal patient outcomes.

You can feel fully confident in our clinical expertise guiding your treatment decisions. We've already helped thousands of patients optimize their hormone health.

State-of-the-Art Body Composition Testing

We utilize cutting-edge body composition testing technology going far beyond just stepping on a scale. Precise body fat percentage, lean mass, viscosity, and cellular health assessments allow uniquely customized treatment plans.

Convenient Kailua Location

Our welcoming clinic resides close to downtown Kailua allowing stress-free visits. We offer flexible early morning, evening and weekend appointments to accommodate your schedule.

Seamless Insurance Billing

Our courteous staff handles all insurance claims paperwork for you. We work closely with companies to maximize coverage and minimize out of pocket expenses.

Caring, Attentive Patient Care

We treat every patient like family. You'll never feel rushed or like just another number. Need convenient after-hours help? Simply call our 24/7 on-call clinical line.

We aim to make your experience with us as smooth, stress-free and effective as possible.

Cutting-Edge Hormone Treatment Options Complementary Therapies

Patients appreciate our diverse therapy options - injections, pellets, creams, gels, and more. We combine optimally dosed bioidentical hormone preparations with scientifically validated nutraceuticals and other complementary treatment modalities for enhanced outcomes.