SottoPelle® Society - Hormone Replacement Therapy

HORMONES
When your hormones are in balance, you know it. You look great, feel terrific, have plenty of energy and sleep like a baby. Your immune and digestive systems are in tiptop shape. This is your body’s way of saying “Hey, you can relax. I’m normal.”

It’s only when you begin to age and your hormone levels take a dive that your world begins to feel less than friendly. You gain weight, lose interest in sex, can’t sleep, can’t think straight—the list goes on. You discover that getting older is not about getting better. Not only do you feel a lot less perky, but now you have health issues. Pretty soon things like cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and osteoporosis show up.

Didn’t someone say these are the golden years? What is it about hormonal balance that can make such a “night and day” difference in our lives?

HORMONAL BALANCE = HEALTH
Ask any endocrinologist and he or she will tell you that hormonal balance equates to health. Our hormones give us life, intelligence, mood, drive, sexuality, physical and mental energy, and the desire to grow, learn and achieve. They are not in our body by mistake. They are there to allow us to function well and enjoy the world we live in.

Since our hormone-producing glands control our basic body functions such as metabolism, growth and sexual development, it is critical that the amount of hormone manufactured by each gland is carefully balanced. Too much or too little can have effects throughout the body and cause a variety of disorders.

ESTROGEN
During a woman’s childbearing years, which are generally her most healthful, her ovaries produce a balance of three important estrogens: estradiol, estriol and estrone. Estradiol is the predominant estrogen, produced in twice the amount of the other estrogens in the blood. To function at its best, a woman’s body must maintain this ratio of 2:1. If the ratio is altered, too much estrone is created. Estrone is a very strong breast stimulator. One reason women complain of breast tenderness when on oral estrogen, is because the ratio is disturbed, resulting in excess estrone. With conjugated or synthetic estrogens, the ratio is actually reversed to an unhealthy 1:2.

Strong evidence suggests that declining estrogen levels appear to be associated with reduction of muscle mass, increase in fat mass and a gradual weight increase.

NOT ALL ESTROGENS ARE CREATED EQUAL
Since 1930 over 100 synthetic estrogens have been developed. Many are more potent than the natural estrogens. The cancer-producing and heart-disease promoting effects of these new compounds are only beginning to be recognized in humans. Thank goodness the number of doctors in favor of using biologically equivalent estrogen, which matches the body’s own chemistry, is growing. Remember – what the media and even studies often refer to as ‘estrogen’ is not actually true estrogen. Synthetic compounds are not identical to what the body produces. So, when women hear that estrogen is bad for them, they don’t realize they are hearing about the negative studies surrounding pharmaceuticals. And further, when women are made to fear their own estrogen, there is something terribly amiss in the land.

SOTTOPELLE® BIO-EQUIVALENT ESTROGEN
The estrogen used in SottoPelle® Therapy is biologically equivalent to that which your body has produced all of your life. Our use of pellet therapy comes with a long track record of positive research studies showing the healthful benefits. All because it works with the body to simply replace what’s missing and return your body to its youthful 2:1 ratio.

TESTOSTERONE
Exactly how testosterone works is not well understood. To complicate matters even further, our attitudes towards testosterone are often tainted by cultural beliefs about masculinity and femininity. Testosterone, usually thought of as a male hormone, is something we all have and need in order to maintain our quality of life. How much we have on any given day depends on a lot of things, including gender, time of day, age, menstrual cycle, menopause, stress, and medications. Men produce most of their testosterone in their testes and a small amount in their adrenal gland. In women, testosterone is produced primarily in their ovaries and a tiny amount in their adrenal glands. Levels decline with age in both sexes.

What we do know for certain is that testosterone plays at least four important roles in the body:

it is vital for nutrition
it helps sex drive (desire for sex, libido)
it regulates moods and builds energy, and
high levels of it influence masculine traits

Studies suggest that testosterone directly impacts muscle development, fat levels, bone mass, many different parts of the brain, moods, depression, energy levels, ability to have orgasms, and ability to sleep. Anxiety and irritability are increased in both men and women who suffer from testosterone deficiency.

STEROIDS ARE NOT THE REAL DEAL
Testosterone contains two parts; an anabolic part (for building muscle), and an androgenic part (for developing masculine traits and libido). Anabolic steroids are prescription drugs that mimic testosterone's muscle-building properties. Unfortunately, you’ve heard plenty about anabolic use in the sports world. Most physicians distrust these synthetics and the federal government regulates them, thanks to some unforgettably embarrassing Olympic moments.

Receiving bio-equivalent testosterone is not the same as taking an anabolic. There are many positive studies that have been reported on bio-equivalent testosterone replacement therapy for both men and women—especially in the pellet form that SottoPelle® uses.

THE TESTOSTERONE MYTHS
It is true that excess testosterone can cause a variety of side effects. Too much is too much, and the body responds accordingly. This takes us back to what we have been saying about balance. It is a delicate act. If you take too much or use synthetic and chemically treated testosterone you can expect serious consequences—like hair loss, facial hair (in women), water retention, irritability, acne, headaches, joint stiffness, prostate problems and increased liver enzymes.

But don’t let anyone talk you out of replacing what your body needs. You won’t grow a mustache or go bald if you restore your testosterone to its formerly healthy levels. The endocrine system is a fantastic balanced system with exquisite feedback controls. When utilizing SottoPelle® bio-equivalent hormone pellets, the body responds like it’s business as usual. It merely replaces the normal amounts that it is used to. Simple as that.