The use of hormone therapy in Utah has been gaining popularity in recent years; specifically the use of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. This treatment is sometimes referred to as bioidentical hormone therapy or natural hormone therapy. Essentially this therapy employs the use of hormones that are molecularly identical with the hormones already existing in the person to whom the hormones are administered.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is employed to mitigate the impact of aging on the human body both in appearance but also holistically. People treated with this therapy often report experiencing greater enjoyment and productivity in the later years of their lives. It is well known that hormone levels tend to decrease in old age. This decrease in hormone levels is associated with many negative mental and physical symptoms including depression, decreased sex drive, difficulty concentrating, increased body fat and lower bone density. Through the use of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy both men and women may improve their quality of life by mitigating or reversing these and other negative symptoms related to lower hormone levels.
There are numerous specific hormones used in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and each hormone is used to treat different sets of symptoms. For example, estrogen is used to reduce physical and mental symptoms associated with menopause including hot flashes, dryness in the vagina, pain or discomfort during sexual intercourse as well as depression and anxiety. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy estrogen also works to reverse bone density loss and osteoporosis. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy employs testosterone to treat both men and women. For men, testosterone can reverse low sex drive and depression while increasing mental acuity, bone density and muscle tone. Testosterone administered to women also works to increase sex drive and bone density while helping to alleviate the symptoms of depression. Progesterone is used to stabilize mood disorders associated with lower hormone levels. Dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA is thought to increase white blood cell production and boost the human body’s immune system. This makes the body less susceptible to many diseases including certain types of cancer. Melatonin is an antioxidant that is primarily used as a sleep aid but is also thought to possess a wide range of other health effects as well. These are just a few examples of the many hormones used to reverse the negative health impacts associated with aging and lower hormone levels.
As originally stated, the use of bioidential hormones in Utah has rapidly increased in recent years. This increase in use correlates to the increase in the average age of the population both in the United States and the State of Utah. In fact in the United States, the proportion of the population that is 65 years old or older is predicted to increase from 12.4% in 2000 to 19.6% by the year 2030. Moreover, the number of people who are 65 years old or older is predicted to increase from 35 million in the year 2000 to 71 million in the year 2030, and the number of people who are 80 years old or older is predicted to increase from 9.3 million in the year 2000 to 19.5 million in the year 2030. All this is to say that there will be no shortage of people who will seek treatment for the effects of aging and many will seek out hormone therapy in Salt Lake City and across the country.
