Perimenopause and menopause: Signposts to a healthier future

"To find health should be the object of the physician, anyone can find disease." — Andrew Still, MD DO

GREGORY PIPPERT, MD

THE GREATEST REWARD OF being a doctor is the knowledge that I have helped a patient attain health in a way that she can maintain without me. It isn’t that I don’t love working with my patients on a regular basis; it is more that I am truly happy when they are healthy and don’t need to see me often.

My practice makes it possible for me to approach medicine in a way that focuses on helping the women I treat strike out on their own paths to health—especially as they pass through the phases of aging associated with perimenopause and menopause. Specifically, I have found a great deal of success through a combination of nutrition, supplementation, fitness, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), when indicated.

Answers to Aging

Women seek answers as their bodies begin signaling a shift that won’t respond to the solutions that used to work when they were younger. Dieting doesn’t work the way it did in their 20s or 30s, and neither does exercise. A few more hours of sleep on the weekend has little or no effect anymore. And previous generations seem to have accepted it all as a matter of course that we can’t do anything to change. The difference is that my patients are used to being proactive about their health and are certainly not willing to just “get over it and get old,” as one of my patients puts it.

There are a variety of symptoms associated with aging that prompt my patients to seek help including: Hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, depression, low libido, irritability, fatigue, memory loss, endometriosis, weight gain, PMS, vaginal dryness.

Many of these issues are directly related to hormones. Fortunately, we are able to test for specific hormonal imbalances that help pinpoint the root of the problem. We start with a review of symptoms, as well as personal, medical, and family histories. To complete the picture, we do comprehensive tests including saliva, urine, and blood analyses. Once we have all of the information, I can work closely with each patient to develop a personal health plan. The best news for a woman is to learn that her hormone loss and imbalance are correctible, and she can begin to feel relief from symptoms that were once believed to be unavoidable—and inescapable—elements of aging.

Why BHRT?

Most women have some knowledge of hormone therapy, but the differences between synthetic and bioidentical options may not be clear. In a nutshell, synthetic hormone replacement therapy refers to a patented formula that does not lend itself to a customizable approach. The make-up of these hormones is also different from the naturally occurring hormones in our bodies.

Bioidentical hormones, on the other hand, are identical in structure to our own. They are made from natural ingredients and can be individually prescribed and compounded in precise dosages. As a woman goes through treatment, her hormone levels are measured regularly so her bioidentical hormone prescription can be adjusted to meet her changing needs. Because of the specific requirements of BHRT, it is impossible to use a cookie-cutter approach to prescribing bioidentical hormones.

Another important difference should be noted here, as well. BHRT requires that considerable amount of time be devoted to each patient—and that lifestyle changes be a part of the journey. This is something that was definitely missing in my practice prior to my transition into what is popularly called “anti-aging” medicine. I continue to view it as preventative medicine that seeks the right combination of treatments for the pursuit of continued good health. I must work in collaboration with a patient to gather all of the evidence; then together we can determine the best plan of action.

It’s All About Health

I feel more strongly than ever that a path toward health, rather than an escape from disease, is the best medicine I can offer. We have the science to not only maintain good health, but also to create a better version of it, in spite of what we have learned to accept about the aging process and its effect on our bodies.

Perimenopause and menopause no longer have to be gateways to old age and disease. Instead, they should be signals for a woman to re-evaluate her state of being and adjust. My patients have found that the transition into maturity and longevity is comfortably available through nutrition, exercise, and BHRT—and each of them has her own individually designed plan that suits her to a T. Nothing is more rewarding to me than hearing my patients tell me they feel better than they have in years.

Gregory Pippert, M.D., devotes his BodyLogicMD of Maple Grove practice to preventive and functional medicine, wellness, and hormone therapy. Combining bioidentical hormones with customized nutrition and fitness programs, he helps men and women find relief from the symptoms of hormone imbalance related to perimenopause, menopause, andropause, thyroid disorder and adrenal fatigue.

BodyLogicMD is located at 7270 Forestview Lane N, Suite 225, Maple Grove, Minnesota 55369. 866-542-4932. www.bodylogicmd.com