A few months ago, I went to a wonderful spa for a week. I attended a lecture on longevity and accidentally found answers to my questions about menopause and hormone replacement therapy. With all the upheaval about hormone replacement therapy, I had been really uncertain about how to approach the subject. Some articles I read said that HRT is crucial to keeping a youthful mind and body. Others warned that research shows the risks outweigh the benefits. Although there are many opinions about the subject, the approach I discovered at the spa made a lot of sense to me and I decided to follow this particular longevity formula.

The doctor from the spa told us that one of the most important factors of longevity is to determine the hormone levels for your body (both men and women.) He pointed out that chances of enjoying good health throughout your life are much improved if you pay attention to all your hormone levels, not just estrogen levels. The theory is that your body will work better and last longer if your hormonal levels are in balance. The first order of business in trying to achieve this balance is to get a saliva test (kits are available through a compounding pharmacist or doctors who specialize in this area.) The test results tell your doctor what your most important hormone levels are. Your hormones continue to deplete as you go towards menopause and beyond. The testing should be done every couple of years to adjust for changes.

After you’ve gotten your test results and have found a doctor who embraces this approach, you can work together to determine what kind of hormone therapy you prefer. My doctor and I opted to have a compounding pharmacist mix hormone replacement medication from the plant world as opposed to taking the more standard kind of HRT. I felt more comfortable with the natural approach.

Since I began my new medication, my symptoms of menopause have abated. I hope that my little foray into the world of hormones can help you or someone you know begin to crack the code on the mysteries of HRT.