BHRT Should be Done Last by Joseph J. Collins, RN, ND 
As wonderful as it is to have bioidentical hormones available to help both men and women achieve optimal health, remember that bioidentical hormone replacement therapy cannot make up for unhealthy diet and lifestyle. Hormones are actually just messengers that tell the cells in your body what to do. They may tell your brain to make neurotransmitters, your skin to make collagen, or your bones to build new bone. This means that the tissues throughout your body must be healthy enough to follow the instructions of the hormones. 

Build a Strong Foundation: A healthy lifestyle and diet naturally supports healthy hydration, healthy elimination and healthy detoxification. Additional nutritional support with a high-grade multiple vitamin-mineral, omega-3 oils and probiotics for gut health all ensure that the body will be healthy enough to get the greatest benefit from the hormones. 

BHRT is often necessary, but it works best in a body that is not struggling dehydration, constipation, toxins, and nutritional imbalances. By following the Hormone Health Guidelines, including the Foundations of Hormone Health and the Hormone Specific Formulations™ , it is possible to achieve desired outcome with lower, safer, dosages of hormones. Again; bioidentical HRT cannot make up for unhealthy diet and lifestyle.

There is no doubt that bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, and the revitalization of compounding pharmacies are among some of the greatest advances in healthcare that we will see in our lifetime. But let’s not make the same mistakes that were made when synthetic and animal extracted hormones dominated healthcare. 

It was not long ago that if a woman of a certain age walked into a doctor’s office with a couple of symptoms, she would be prescribed synthetic and animal extracted hormones. It was a decision made within seconds. Sadly, I hear women now complaining that when they go to some BHRT prescribers they are experiencing the same split-second prescribing. Do we really think that BHRT is what needs to be given to patients that are toxic, constipated, dehydrated, sleep deprived, stressed, improperly nourished, essential fatty acid deficient, etc., etc.?

In addition to the precept of “primum non nocere” (first do no harm), we should also remember the precept of ”tolle causam” (remove the cause). Addressing fundamental and foundational health issues such as diet, hydration, elimination and relaxation get to the root cause of many problems and makes BHRT safe and effective. 

Next: Proper Hormone Precursor Use