WHAT IS BIO-SIMILAR HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY?

Long ago, practitioners of medicine in ancient times used herbs, berries, and seeds to concoct potions to cure ailments that people experienced. Then, modern medicine started to experiment with synthetic formulas. Today, many individuals are searching to return to a natural way of healing the body, and to this end, some are turning to bio-similar hormone replacement therapy as the perfect solution to what they require.

What is bio-similar hormone replacement therapy and how does it work in the human body? bio-similar HRT is a natural approach to treating deficiencies that occur when the body ceases or slows down production of a particular hormone. There are approximately 60 of these chemical messengers in the body, and many have the purpose of stimulating the production of other such substances. If one of these types of hormonal deficiencies occurs, a trigger effect occurs, and system wide breakdown could occur.

Bio-similar hormones have an identical molecular structure to the chemical messengers they are designed to increase. The difference between bio-similar and natural is that, while a natural version of a hormone replacement product is made from something that exists in nature (such as urine from pregnant horses to make Premarin), it is not identical to the actual hormone in the human body. That is why many “natural” and synthetic methods of HRT have higher risk factors associated with them.

Synthetic hormones are entirely different because they are manmade and are not bio-similar in nature to the targeted substance they are replacing. With bio-similar hormone replacement , the body cannot distinguish a difference between the naturally occurring hormone and the supplementation that has been administered. This enables the medication to go right to work triggering its crucial functions without the need for any type of conversion or assimilation process.

As with any type of medical treatment, there are pros and cons of bio-similar hormone replacement therapy to discuss, and that will take place in the following two sections.

TYPES AND BENEFITS OF BIO-SIMILAR HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

There are many benefits of bio-similar hormone replacement therapy for men and women, and this will also depend on the type of treatment that has been prescribed. The two primary forms of HRT for men are:

• Human growth hormone injections
• Testosterone treatment 

What are bio-similar hormone replacement therapy options for women?

• Human growth hormone injections
• Testosterone treatment
• Estrogen
• Progesterone

Much of the estrogen and progesterone used by women today fall under the natural or synthetic forms of HRT. That is why there is often more talk about risks than benefits. This is not the case when discussing the use of HGH therapy or testosterone treatment. When prescribed by a doctor following detailed blood testing and physical examination, these methods have increased benefits with reduced risk factors.

For example, here are some of the benefits of testosterone treatment for Low T in women and men:

• Improved libido
• Reversal or cessation of menopausal symptoms
• Increased energy and endurance
• Loss of belly fat
• Stronger, more defined lean muscles
• Increased bone density
• Sharper memory and cognitive functions
• Improved erectile functions
• Deeper sleep
• Better mood and outlook
• Thicker hair
• Lower triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels
• Improved cardiac output and capacity

When looking at the expected natural bio-similar hormone replacement therapy benefits of HGH injections for growth hormone deficiency in adults, we find the following:

• All of the benefits listed above associated with testosterone treatment
• Improved metabolism
• Regulation of glucose uptake
• Increased cellular regeneration – helps maintain internal organ size and performance
• Increased collagen for noticeably tighter and firmer skin, and reduced appearance of aging
• Stronger nails
• Improved immune system functions
• Shortened recovery and recuperation times from illness, injury, and even high exertion exercise
• Clearer night vision and eyesight
• Increased drive and motivation

The symptoms that a person has often help the doctor know even before the blood test results come in what type of deficiency may be present – but not always. That is why getting blood analysis is essential before bio-similar hormone therapy is prescribed.

There are some potential bio-similar hormone replacement therapy side effects that should be discussed before treatment is considered. The most likely reason why anyone would see these adverse changes is due to the dosage of medication prescribed being too high for the body’s needs.

In most cases, the dangers of bio-similar hormone replacement therapy are exceedingly slight, and if anything, the risk factors are more on the annoying side than anything else. If they appear, contact your Blueprint Health Patient Care Representative to have the dosage of medication lowered – do not try to do this on your own or without proper guidance and support. Once the dosage is reduced, the symptoms should subside and reverse.

Depending upon the type of treatment prescribed, the following side effects of bio-similar hormone replacement therapy are possible:

• Breast tenderness or enlargement
• Oily skin or acne
• Changes in mood or aggression
• Itching, sensitivity, or pain at the injection site
• Rash or other skin changes with testosterone gels, patches, or creams
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• High cholesterol
• Edema – swelling
• Joint pains or muscle aches
• Increased risk of diabetes
• Headaches
• Changes in taste, gum irritation, or toothache attributed to transbuccal testosterone

WHERE TO GET BIO-SIMILAR HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

Symptoms such as low libido, weight gain, changes in mood or outlook, decreasing bone density, loss of lean muscle, trouble sleeping, and problems with memory are all excellent reasons to seek out the help and support of bio-similar hormone replacement doctors . Unlike many other physicians who may want to run expensive diagnostic tests to get to the root of the problem, HRT specialists use blood analysis to determine what is wrong.

Blueprint Health works with local physicians around the country to enable them to provide HRT to their patients, while providing the highest level of patient screening, on-going monitoring, thus insuring successful outcomes. The goal is always the same – to help adults lead enriched lives by ensuring that their hormone levels are where they should be to allow for proper functioning. We also offer the highest quality, compounded bio-similar medications to our clients.

To find out more about how bio-similar hormone replacement can impact your life, or that of someone you know, call today for a free consultation or contact us by completing our on-line form, and one of our medical advisors will contact you at a time that is convenient. Bio-similar hormones are changing lives of women and men throughout the US. Learn how the right treatment can change your life.

A Blueprint to Health

SweetSpot
BluePrint Health

Why 2016 is important: Company seeks at least $3 million in capital to expand network of patients and doctors.

Dan Miller, CEO Blueprint Health

Dan Miller, with a long career in tech startups, including several successful mobile marketing firms, is devoted to personal fitness, from riding his bike to work to grueling CrossFit classes.

Despite analyzing, advising and investing in companies for 30 years, Miller rarely came across a health care business he believed had the right components to become a blockbuster success. That changed after Miller met pharmaceutical sales executive Jake Michel, behind a St. Petersburg startup called BluePrint Health.

Michel and his partners founded BluePrint Health from what they believed was a significant gap in health care: A company that could bring sophisticated technology, processes and logistics to hormone replacement therapy — a segment of health and wellness often misunderstood and occasionally tarnished by some shady players. “There is a stigma around hormone therapy,” says Miller.

But Miller, whom BluePrint initially hired to analyze the business plan and market, was wowed by the what-could-be. Hormone replacement therapy is a $4 billion to $8 billion industry, but few, if any companies, work with both doctors and patients on the process.

BluePrint Health does that through a team of nurses outside the physician’s office, who work with the patients from diagnosis to hormone injections. The company started treating patients in August. Officials project BluePrint will turn a profit next year and, if it reaches its target capital-raise goal, the company could surpass $7 million in sales in 2016.

“We are not creating a new market, but we are approaching it from a more efficient way,” Miller says. “This is such a unique model. There isn’t a direct competitor who does what we do.”

Miller liked BluePrint so much, he became an investor and was later named CEO. Miller’s past ventures range from business incubator Startup Florida to Movo Mobile, a cell phone marketing firm. He relished the chance to lead BluePrint. “The idea that I could become involved in a business that could dramatically improve someone’s life,” says Miller, “was very inspiring to me.”

Hormone replacement therapy treats imbalances in the body caused by a lack of hormones. Symptoms from a lack of hormones include mood swings, weight gain and depression.

BluePrint offers affiliate agreements for physicians, who can sign up and utilize the service without any fees after being trained on the process. An affiliated physician then prescribes BluePrint for a patient, man or woman, in need of hormone replacement therapy.

A patient, meanwhile, can work through his or her doctor or go to BluePrint directly. The process after that follows normal medical procedures: A patient gets a blood workup. Then BluePrint clinicians look at everything from cholesterol levels to liver and kidney health to the thyroid function.

BluePrint, in consultation with a physician, next puts the patient on a 12-week hormone replacement therapy cycle. BluePrint virtual nurses work regularly with patients, on follow-up calls and to monitor progress.

BluePrint earns a fee from charging patients. Payments are cash only, though Miller says the firm is working on possibly adding an insurance program this year. Costs vary, but medical oversight for the specialized lab work is $350 to $400 and medications can range from $150 to $500 a month.

BluePrint’s competitive advantage, Miller says, is technology, including a comprehensive database, which simplifies hormone replacement therapy — both for patient and physician. “We built a very scalable, very robust back-end platform,” Miller says.

Miller and the founders invested about $200,000 to get the business going over the past year. That money, for technology and marketing, led to a fast start in signing up physicians nationwide. Doctors with BluePrint affiliate agreements are in at least seven states, from New York to Oklahoma. Several doctors in the Sarasota and Tampa markets have also signed on with BluePrint.

The looming business challenge at BluePrint is to raise capital so it could graduate from shoestring days, and also invest more in marketing. It seeks at least $3 million, and is working with both angel and startup investors and other potential backers.

Miller, while working with investors, remains motivated by the company’s mission. Says Miller: “We are really helping people feel better and live more fully.”

Combination Estrogen/Continuous Progestin Reduces Postmenopausal Risk of Endometrial Cancer

Adding continuous progestin to estrogen lowers the risk of endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women, according to a study recently published in the JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute(doi:10.1093/jnci/djv350). The addition of progestin to an estrogen regimen is known to lower the risk of endometrial cancers, which are associated with estrogen alone use; but just how much the addition of progestin lowers that risk has remained unclear.

To determine the effects that continuous estrogen plus progestin use has on the risk of endometrial cancer, Rowan T. Chlebowski, MD, PhD, at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and colleagues reviewed data from a Women's Health Initiative (WHI) randomized clinical trial assessed 16 608 postmenopausal women age 50 to 79 years with intact uteri. All participants had normal findings on endometrial biopsy on entry. In the double-blind placebo-controlled trial, participants were randomly assigned to daily estrogen plus progestin given as one pill or placebo. The participants were followed for 13 years.

Study findings demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in endometrial cancer incidence in the intervention group (33 cases, 0.06% yearly) compared with the placebo group (95 cases, 0.10% yearly) after 5.6 years' median intervention and 13 years' cumulative follow-up.

"Continuous combined estrogen plus progestin use for 5.6 years in postmenopausal women with normal endometrial biopsy at therapy initiation resulted in a statistically significant reduction in endometrial cancer incidence, with the difference becoming statistically significant during longer-term post intervention follow-up," the authors reported, adding that, "In postmenopausal women, continuous combined estrogen plus progestin use reduces endometrial cancer incidence by 35%."

Original Article