On this week’s episode of The Girlfriend Doctor, I talk with Dr. Sahar Swidan about the pros and cons of bioidentical hormone replenishment. Dr. Swidan is president and CEO of NeuroPharm and former CEO of Pharmacy Solutions. She is board-certified and an advanced fellow in anti-aging and regenerative therapies.
Hormones can play a part in so many health issues throughout our lives, including neurological ones. For example, why do women get migraines and asthma attacks during menstruation? It’s all related to hormonal imbalances in the body.
Hormone replacement or replenishment can often go by many different terms, like body identical, bioidentical, natural, synthetic, and these terms can be confusing. Body identical and bioidentical mean what your body makes, and what we are replenishing. Women should make sure that whatever they’re being given is FDA approved, and that they’re working with reputable compounding pharmacies that don’t use solvents or chemicals.
Diet is also important when embarking on a hormone replenishment program, with a keto green diet being optimal. And B vitamins are depleted in hormone replacement therapy, so it’s important to supplement that loss.
Not everyone is a good candidate for hormone replacement, so check with your doctor on hormone replacement levels to come up with a tailored plan.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
[8:35] The different names for hormones and terms used in hormone replacement therapy
[9:21] The role of estrogens in the body
[13:00] The role of cortisol in the body
[30:05] How diet plays a role in hormone replenishment
[30:33] What vitamins need to be supplemented in hormone replacement
[31:58] The role of estrogen in the body
[41:14] Hormones and the vagina
