-Shannon Powell

Menopause is a part of life that every woman will go through, but surviving it with ease is a goal doctors and patients are constantly looking to reach.

Hot flashes, sleepless nights and anxiety are just some of the symptoms that plagued 53-year-old Debbie Beck’s life when she entered menopause. She sought hormone balance.

“I had tried several other physicians and health care providers,” said Beck.

The mother of two sons, ages 12- and 15 years old, also used a number of synthetic hormones that she said just did not work, including a patch that made her cry for days.

“No one could ever figure out the balance that I needed, so I kept having hot flashes and anxiety and fatigue,” said Beck.

“A lot of women were not satisfied with what was out there for coasting through menopause,” said Dr. Screven Edegerton, with the Austin Area OBGYN . “It was either nothing or synthetic-type hormones.”

Yet, Edgerton is caring for his patients on another level.

Instead of introducing his patients’ bodies to a new foreign element, Edgerton is using a bio-identical hormone therapy plan on patients like Beck.

Edgerton said he believes the natural hormones are the same as the body’s chemistry.

“They usually take a plant compound, usually yam or soy, and that is manipulated in a way so that it mirrors exactly what a person’s body produces,” said Edgerton. “Estrogen looks just like estrogen. A compounded or bioidentical-type substance matches what the body is already used to and produces on its own.”

Edgerton has to take patients through thorough testing. He said it can take anywhere from one week to several months to find the right balance because each woman is different.

Beck said she believes it has helped her deal with menopause.

“I sleep great, and I have so much energy,” said Beck. “And I don’t have any depression.”

Bioidentical hormone therapy may not be for every woman, and Edgerton suggests women talk with their doctor about what is right for them.

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Losing weight is hard. Feelings of deprivation and cravings make it difficult to stick to a “diet.” Missing out on social functions and worrying about every single calorie isn’t any fun either. The hurdles we face and the excuses we make are plentiful: “There’s no time to exercise.” “I’m just big-boned.” “I’ll start tomorrow.” “I’m eating right — most of the time.”

We’ve all been told that weight loss should be easy: Calories in versus calories out. But maybe it’s not so simple. That’s why BH2 takes a different approach. Perhaps it’s not just about calorie calculation. We believe, for many, it’s metabolic and involves hormones, stress, neurotransmitters or even food allergies — hormone imbalance to be exact.

The solution to the struggle to lose weight is not “one size fits all.” At BH2, we run specific diagnostic tests to determine the best course of action for YOU. Your program begins with testing to start formulating your personalized plan. These specialized tests include:

• Neurotransmitter: Just as your fingerprint is your very own, so is your brain chemistry. And when your neurotransmitters (such as serotonin and norepinephrine) are out of balance, you feel it. Balanced brain chemistry is extremely important to weight loss success.
• Biophysical: This is a wide-reaching blood test. Bio-markers linked to obesity and appetite are measured, along with bio-markers for diabetes and insulin resistance. Our staff will explain how these biomarkers can impact your waistline.
• ALCAT: An ALCAT test will look at more than 300 foods, chemicals and nutrients that may be causing weight-loss difficulty — or even weight gain. You may be allergic or sensitive to a food that is making weight loss tough for you and never show any other symptoms or reactions to it.
• Spectracell: This is intracellular, nutrient-level testing. Results from this test help our staff devise a specific regimen of supplements and plan of nutrition to best support your weight-loss efforts.
• Hormones: Progesterone and estrogen are normally the culprits that lead to weight-loss difficulties, but hormone testing will tell us for sure. Other hormones such as insulin, testosterone and cortisol could be placing roadblocks along your journey.

Looking at all these test results together allows our staff to best work with you as you achieve weight-loss success.

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Bioidentical hormones have the exact molecular structure of the hormones that a woman’s body produces naturally. Most physicians prescribe synthetic hormones that are foreign to the body and unhealthy. BH2 specializes in balancing women’s estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, and thyroid levels for a healthy life and feeling of wellbeing.

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