What are Bioidentical Hormones, Anyway?

What are these bioidentical hormones I've been hearing about, and how are they different from "regular" hormones? This is becoming a common question among women considering hormone replacement therapy.

Interest in bioidentical hormone therapy has picked up over the last decade, in large part due to the huge 2002 Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study. The WHI study was stopped early after researchers found post-menopausal women on hormone replacement therapy had a higher risk of breast cancer, heart attack, and stroke. This study used only non-bioidentical estrogen and progesterone, and the findings caused a huge reaction among patients. Seemingly overnight, tens of thousands of women stopped hormone therapy and started looking for safer alternatives.

Conventional hormone therapy uses animal-based or synthetic hormones that are close but not identical to the hormones naturally produced by the human body. As the name implies, bioidentical hormones are biochemically identical to natural hormones. The three most commonly prescribed bioidentical hormones are testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.

While this may clear up some confusion, the truth is the matter gets a bit more complicated. There are two broad forms of bioidentical hormone therapy. The hormones may be pre-made and distributed through major pharmaceutical companies, or they may be made by a compounding pharmacy. Pre-made hormones have FDA approval. Those made at a compounding pharmacy cannot get FDA approval as each preparation is designed for a specific patient. This means there is no precise makeup that can be approved. Regardless of which type of hormone you and your physician choose, you have a choice of pills, gels, creams, or hormone patches.

Why Choose Bioidentical Hormones?

Studies have found numerous benefits to bioidentical hormone replacement. Research has found that it is not actually estrogen on its own that increases the risk of breast cancer, as the WHI study suggests. Instead, it seems the use of synthetic progesterone (or progestin) is associated with the higher cancer rate in women who take progestin and estrogen together.

Physicians and patients who choose bioidentical hormone therapy over synthetic hormones also report reduced side effects, such as puffiness and bleeding. As an added benefit, bioidentical hormones can be measured with greater ease in blood tests.

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy may benefit you if you are in early menopause or you have a hormone deficiency. Hormone therapy can treat symptoms of menopause such as foggy thinking, fatigue, memory problems, vaginal dryness, and painful intercourse, with a treatment plan customized to your goals. If you are considering hormone replacement, the first step to take is scheduling a consultation with a hormone doctor to have your hormone levels checked with a blood test.

The Many Benefits of Mini Liposuction

Many people have some stubborn pockets of fat that don't respond to diet or exercise, even people who are very thin. If you've done everything you can to slim down or address these problem areas, environmental or even biological factors may be the problem. Medication, pregnancy, hormones, sleep problems, stress, and even food additives along with a slow metabolism can be responsible for those fat deposits.

If you're bothered by these problem areas that ruin your silhouette or make you embarrassed, there is something you can do about it. A cosmetic procedure called mini liposuction can slim down your figure while eliminating these trouble spots with very little down time.

What is Mini Lipo?

While you have probably heard of liposuction, mini lipo is a relatively new procedure that differs in several ways. This adaptation on the classic body contouring procedure is simpler, safer, and faster with less recovery time. It's designed for men and women who want to eliminate no more than 10 pounds of body fat to correct one or several problem areas.

Candidates for mini liposuction are at least 18, in good physical health, with realistic expectations about the procedure's results. You should be a non-smoker for at least two weeks before the procedure and during recovery, as smoking constricts blood flow.

Mini lipo is usually performed with local anesthesia, which has fewer risks than general anesthesia. The procedure requires very tiny incisions in hidden areas with much smaller cannulas than are used in regular liposuction. These cannulas are used to remove unwanted fat, usually removing no more than 2.5 pounds in each area. The procedure lasts no more than an hour or so, which is faster than typical liposuction.

Areas Treated

Mini lipo can be used to address areas that regular liposuction cannot treat. Minimal fatty deposits work best with this procedure, including the hips, abdomen, near the armpits, the neck, ankles, knees, chin, thighs, and back.

Mini-Lipo Benefits

The following are important advantages to a mini liposuction treatment:

• Local anesthesia can be used
• Faster recovery than regular liposuction
• Smaller incisions
• Reduced bruising and swelling
• Treats small areas that regular lipo can't address
• Lower cost

If you are bothered by stubborn fat deposits and want to do something about it, the first step is scheduling a consultation. This consultation will determine if you're a good candidate by reviewing your medical history, evaluating your trouble areas, and discussing your concerns and goals. 

Mini Lipo Recovery: What You Should Know

We all have those little trouble areas we wish would go away. Unfortunately, some areas are prone to developing fatty deposits that do not respond to exercise or diet, no matter how hard you try. This does not mean you're stuck with them for good.

If you are tired of love handles or fat around your armpits, upper arms, knees, inner thighs or somewhere else, you may have already considered liposuction. What you may not know is there is actually an adaptation of this common procedure called mini liposuction. Mini lipo is a shorter version of the procedure that is designed to treat fatty deposits of less than 4 pounds. Because it's a smaller procedure, it has a lower cost as well as a shorter recovery time.

The Mini-Lipo Procedure

Mini lipo is performed on small areas of the body, and usually no more than one or two areas at once. The procedure usually takes around one hour, and you will remain awake under local anesthesia, which has fewer potential complications than general anesthesia. In most cases, less than 2.5 pounds of fat is removed from each area. Mini lipo uses smaller instruments and cannulas than standard lipo, which means it can treat otherwise untreatable areas, including under the chin, around the knees, around the armpits and the upper arms. These factors mean this procedure has less pain, fewer complications and a lower cost than regular lipo.

Recovering from Mini Liposuction

Mini liposuction has a much shorter and easier recovery time compared with full lipo. Because smaller instruments are used, you will experience less bruising and tenderness than regular lipo. Liposuction is often performed under general anesthesia when large areas are treated, but mini lipo is generally done under local anesthesia, which means you can drive home afterwards.

Mini lipo recovery time varies by person, which areas are treated, and whether you have other procedures done at the same time. In general, though, patients return to work and other normal activities the next day, or sometimes even the same day. You will not have the same restrictions in place as with regular lipo. Your physician may even encourage you to begin exercising again after just a few days.

This procedure is performed using a very thin cannula, which results in less pain, bruising and swelling during the recovery period. Still, you can expect some general tenderness and possibly bruising that will resolve on its own. Tenderness usually goes away after a couple of days. Some swelling is common at the treatment site. Your physician will recommend exercises to speed your recovery, but remember that you will not see final results for a few weeks until the swelling subsides.

Along with an easy recovery, mini liposuction has very few risks. Potential risks of the procedure include infection, swelling, bleeding, bruising and discomfort. Unlike regular lipo, this procedure will not result in irregular texture or shape of the treated areas because very little fat is removed.

While mini lipo is a minimally invasive procedure that removes relatively little fat, it can still have very dramatic results. If you are very close to your ideal weight but you are troubled by small, stubborn areas of fat, this procedure has the potential to improve your appearance and self-esteem while contouring your body for improved balance.

You can learn more about mini lipo recovery and how the procedure is performed by scheduling a consultation with a physician.

How Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy Works

Hypothyroidism refers to an under-active thyroid gland that does not produce a sufficient amount of hormones. Thyroid hormone replacement therapy is an effective treatment option to compensate for the body's reduced hormone production to restore proper thyroid function and alleviate the symptoms of hypothyroidism.

What are Thyroid Hormones?

Thyroid hormones are responsible for increasing cellular metabolism that's responsible for growth, maintaining brain function, regulating body temperature and much more. When thyroid hormone levels fall too low, you may notice a range of symptoms, including thinning hair, pain and swelling in your joints, a high blood cholesterol level, weakness, unexplained weight gain, sensitivity to the cold, fatigue, depression, impaired memory and more. These symptoms will gradually worsen if the hypothyroidism is not treated.

T3 (triidothyronine) and T4 (tetraiodothyronine) are two important thyroid hormones that control your metabolism. T3 is the more active of the two hormones and the stronger. Most of the T3 produced by the body used to be T4. Bio-identical hormone therapy to treat hypothyroidism usually involves replacing the T4 hormone. This is because high levels of T3 can be harmful to the bones and heart, and taking T3 can easily lead to high levels that result in side effects like anxiety and insomnia. The body can naturally convert T4 to T3 as needed to regulate its supply of both hormones.

Benefits of Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy

Thyroid hormone replacement typically involves taking a daily dose of the T4 hormone in pill form. The goal of the treatment is keeping your thyroid function within the normal range to reduce the symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Because every patient is different, you will work with your doctor to develop a personalized hormone replacement plan, which will require some trial and error to find the right dosage. When prescribed properly, it's a very effective treatment for hypothyroidism that can help you live a healthy and normal life, free of the many devastating and sometimes painful symptoms of low thyroid function.

If you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism or another type of thyroid disorder, bio-identical hormone therapy may be the best way to live a healthy and fulfilling life. 

Mini Liposuction: Eliminate Trouble Areas With Little Downtime

Most people have stubborn fat deposits that don't respond to exercise or a healthy diet, even people who are thin. Liposuction has been used for decades to eliminate these problem areas, but it has its limitations. Liposuction means a recovery period, wearing a compression garment for weeks, and potential skin irregularities after the fat removal. It's also designed for larger areas of the body.

If you're close to your ideal weight and want to slim down your figure in small areas, mini-liposuction just may be the key.

What is Mini Liposuction?

Mini lipo is actually quite different than liposuction in several ways. Mini liposuction is a much shorter procedure that is also more straightforward. It requires smaller incisions, and it's often done using laser technology, similar to laser liposuction, to melt fat so the body can remove it naturally. The recovery time is also much shorter, and you can return to normal activities and work very quickly. Mini-lipo is designed for people who are within 10% of their ideal body weight but want to address a few problem areas.

Mini lipo is typically performed under local anesthesia only, not general anesthesia, which has a higher risk of complications. The procedure requires very small incisions that will be virtually invisible once healed. Miniature cannulas are used to suction away unwanted fat, or the procedure may be performed using the laser liposuction technique, which melts fat in the body. Less than two and a half pounds is usually removed from each treatment area, and the procedure itself usually takes about an hour.

Mini liposuction has fewer risks than traditional lipo, and it comes with a much faster recovery with less discomfort. You can return to work and regular activities very quickly, and the cost is lower than regular liposuction as well.

Best Areas for Mini Lipo

While mini lipo can be performed on virtually any area of the body, it's designed specifically for small fatty deposits. Unlike traditional liposuction, it can be used to treat small areas that require a more delicate approach, including under the chin, near the armpits, the ankles, knees and neck. It can also be used to address common problem areas like the flanks, stomach, thighs and buttocks.

If you're bothered by small problem areas and love the idea of fine-tuning your body, mini-liposuction may be an option. You will need to schedule an initial consultation to make sure you are a good fit, which includes a medical history and an evaluation of your problem areas.

Sources:

Liposuction. What is Liposuction?
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/liposuction.html

Local anesthesia - Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_anesthesia

What Causes Cellulite?

Cellulite is, unfortunately, a very common problem that affects about 90% of women. Cellulite gives the skin the appearance of fat deposits that create a lumpy or dimpled appearance, and it is usually most noticeable on the thighs and buttocks. If you are considering a cellulite reduction treatment, it's important to first understand what causes cellulite to understand which treatment options can actually make a difference.