Menopause
Menopause
Improve the symptoms of Menopause by re-balancing out of control hormones. Stop suffering with weight gain, hot flashes, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, dry skin and declining libido
We are a fully licensed medical clinic with expertise in the spectrum of age related women’s health issues.
Causes
During menopause, a woman's ovaries stop making eggs. The body produces less of the hormone's estrogen and progesterone. Lower levels of these hormones cause menopause symptoms.
Periods occur less often and eventually stop. Sometimes this happens suddenly. But most of the time, periods slowly stop over time.
Menopause is complete when you have not had a period for 1 year. This is called post menopause. Surgical menopause takes place when surgical treatments cause a drop in estrogen. This can happen if your ovaries are removed.
Menopause can also sometimes be caused by drugs used for chemotherapy or hormone therapy for breast cancer.
Symptoms
Symptoms vary from woman to woman and can be worse for some than others. They may last 5 or more years.
Symptoms of surgical menopause can be more severe and start more suddenly.
The first thing you may notice is that periods start to change. They might occur more often or less often. Some women might get their period every 3 weeks before starting to skip periods you may have irregular periods for 1 - 3 years before they stop completely.
Common Symptoms may include:
-
Menstrual periods that occur less often and eventually stop
-
Heart pounding or racing
-
Hot flashes, usually worst during the first 1 - 2 years
-
Night sweats
-
Skin flushing
-
Sleeping problems (insomnia)
Other Symptoms may include:
-
Decreased interest in sex or changes in sexual response
-
Forgetfulness (in some women)
-
Headaches
-
Mood swings -- including irritability, depression, and anxiety
-
Urine leakage
-
Vaginal dryness and painful sexual intercourse
-
Vaginal infections
-
Joint aches and pains
-
Irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
Mood Disorders
Understanding the cause of your anxiety and depression.
Mood results from a delicate balance of brain messengers (ie. Neurotransmitters NTs) and reproductive hormones RH’s.
This symphony of chemicals makes up happiness, sadness, anxiety and depression. An imbalance of these chemicals is one of the leading causes of anxiety disorders, mood disorders and depression.
Moodiness and decreased desire to build social relationships are the result.
Improve the treatment of your mood disorder by understanding the cause.
Testing
To understand your body’s Brain Messengers and the steps required to rebalance them we will identify:
Neurotransmitter (NT’s) Levels: This urine test measures the 6 primary brain messengers and their balance with each other.
Reproductive Hormone (RH’s) Levels: This blood panel looks at your RH’s and whether they may be making you feel lousy mentally.
Do you have the right ingredients/nutrition so your body can properly make up the right brain symphony: This is a blood test that measures the building blocks needed to manufacturer your mood chemicals.
Essential vitamins: this is a blood test measuring the key vitamins associated with mood.
Program and Pricing
This is a three-month program during which time you will be completing your testing and meeting with a mood specialist for interpretation of your results. Your plan of care will be carefully guided by Dr. Alex Ferro
Migraine Relief
Take control of your migraines
Migraines are the most common headache disorder bringing people to their doctor. Although they are thought of as a severe pounding headache associated with nausea and vomiting, migraines can present differently from one person to another. Sometimes a migraine is so bad you may need to go to the ER, other times the only thing you can do is lay in a cold dark room, often times it could be just a mild headache associated with a bad mood
Migraine pain can be incredibly debilitating.
There are many medications aimed at reducing the pain but migraine days typically become wasted days and most suffer don’t feel much like working or socializing even after taking them. Once a trigger occurs, you can take medications before the migraine to try to avoid the headache or during in hopes of reducing it, however, these medications may not be very effective if your migraine triggers have not been eliminated.
“The reason medications often reduce your pain but headache days still feel lousy is because you have not eliminated your migraine trigger.”
“The key to migraine relief is to identify your unique migraine triggers and eliminate them!”
Although medical migraine experts do not fully understand the cause of migraine, we can agree that they result primarily from two things: genetics and environmental triggers. We have known about the genetic component for centuries since many migraines have a family member who suffers with them as well, the ”trigger link” had been less clear, however. This is because common triggers such as chocolate, cheese, and caffeine are well studied but migraines can persist even when you avoid all the common causes and there-in lies the link between your genetics and your unique triggers are otherwise known as your personal migraine activators (PMAs).
Have you ever wondered why you get a migraine when you have avoided all the common triggers? Until recently, the concept of “unique” or “hidden” activators was unknown. We now understand that coded into your DNA are personal migraine activators (PMAs) and these PMAs are different from one person to another!
“Knowing your PMAs (i.e. the things that are toxic to your body) is one of the most powerful tools in your migraine management.”
Treatment for migraines not really about medications, it’s about avoiding PMAs. Some culprits, like weather, are unavoidable however most PMAs can be controlled. Common personal migraine activators (PMAs) include hormonal imbalances (often seen during menstruation in women, testosterone fluctuations in men) as well as medications, chemicals, and foods that can be toxic uniquely to you.
The bottom line: certain hormonal imbalances, chemicals, and foods are uniquely TOXIC to your body and migraine is often your body’s way of letting you know that it does not like what you are exposing it to.
“Reducing migraine episodes comes down to knowing and avoiding your PMAs.”
How can you decrease your risk of getting a migraine?
The first order of business is to modify your risks and this is accomplished by (1) determining which PMAs are coded into your DNA including hidden food intolerance and allergy activators (2) identifying possible hormone imbalances.
At Body Science, we are experts at testing for and uncovering your unique personal migraine activators (PMAs). We have created an incredibly powerful genetic and hormone identifier panel to give you the information you need to understand your PMAs and avoid them.
“Your genetics and hormone levels in combination with your unique PMAs determine how and when you get your next migraine.”
“Understanding your personal migraine activators (PMAs) can significantly reduce the number of migraine days and pain as well as to improve the efficacy of your current medications.”
Although prescription medications are often helpful, they are fraught with side effects. In collaboration with the team at Body Science, Dr. Ferro has developed the family of Migraine Relief all-natural products which have been shown to significantly decrease the frequency of migraine attacks. This scientifically proven group of supplements is made in the USA with all-natural ingredients. The do not cause side effects or interfere with other medications and have helped thousands of patients.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a condition in which a woman has an imbalance of female sex hormones. This may lead to menstrual cycle changes, cysts in the ovaries, trouble getting pregnant, and other health changes.
Causes
PCOS is linked to changes in hormone levels that make it harder for the ovaries to release fully-grown (mature) eggs. The reasons for these changes are unclear. The hormones affected are:
Estrogen and progesterone, the female hormones that help a woman's ovaries release eggs
Androgen, a male hormone that is found in small amounts in women
Normally, one or more eggs are released during a woman's cycle. This is known as ovulation. In most cases, this release of eggs occurs about 2 weeks after the start of a menstrual period.
In PCOS, mature eggs are not released. Instead, they stay in the ovaries with a small amount of fluid around them. There can be many of these, however, not all women with the condition will have ovaries with this appearance.
These problems with the release of eggs can contribute to infertility. The other symptoms of this disorder are due to hormone imbalances.
Most of the time, PCOS is diagnosed in women in their 20s or 30s, however, it may also affect teenage girls. The symptoms often begin when a girl's periods start. Women with this disorder often have a mother or sister who has similar symptoms.
Symptoms
Symptoms of PCOS include changes in the menstrual cycle, such as:
Not getting a period after you have had one or more normal ones during puberty (secondary amenorrhea)
Irregular periods that may come and go, and be very light to very heavy
Other symptoms of PCOS include:
Extra body hair that grows on the chest, belly, face, and around the nipples
Acne on the face, chest, or back
Skin changes, such as dark or thick skin markings and creases around the armpits, groin, neck, and breasts
The development of male characteristics is not typical of PCOS and may indicate another problem. These changes may include:
-
Thinning hair on the head at the temples, called male pattern baldness
-
Enlargement of the clitoris
-
Deepening of the voice
-
Decrease in breast size
Adrenal Health For Men
The hidden cause of Low Testosterone
Above-average Cortisol usage (i.e. overstress) leads to adrenal fatigue and is the primary cause of low Testosterone in younger men. In order to correct decreased Testosterone in this case it is typically not advisable to prescribe or use Testosterone as the disrupted cortisol pathway can often times:
-
Trigger the conversion of supplemented Testosterone into the hormone Estrogen. Commonly seen when men take Testosterone supplementation and experience weight gain, fatty pockets around the pectoral muscles of the chest (i.e. gynecomastia) and may also see an increase in moodiness.
-
Facilitate the conversion of supplemented Testosterone into Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Commonly seen when men take testosterone supplementation and experience enlargement of the prostate, increased irritability, and occasionally increasing acne.
-
Causes a decrease the amount of Natural Testosterone being made by that man. Artificially increasing Testosterone abruptly typically triggers the body’s negative feedback loop (i.e. the body senses an increasing amount of the hormone so the brain signals the testes (through the use of luteinizing hormone) to reduce the amount of Testosterone being made
Testing
To understand your body’s Cortisol and its impact on your Testosterone, we will be measuring:
-
How much Cortisol are you capable of making? This blood test determines total levels of cortisol, the precursor DHEA and Testosterone.
-
How and when you are using your Cortisol? This saliva test identifies your cortisol “rhythm” and provides a map of your body’s cortisol utilization throughout the day and into the night.
-
Are you able to make enough Cortisol and are you using it up too quickly? This 24 Hour Urine test is essential to determine if your body has the appropriate building blocks to manufacture the cortisol it needs and to maintain it.
Program and Pricing
The average time to correct the overuse of cortisol is three to six months. During that time, you will be completing your testing and receiving the treatment indicated. Your treatment will be tailored to your degree of Cortisol imbalance which has seven distinct stages.
Low Testosterone
Improve Testosterone production by re-routing mis-used Testosterone that is converting into Estrogen and DHT or being hijacked to make cortisol. Develop improved libido, erection strength and duration, improved focus and concentration along with muscle-building potential and exercise endurance, experience a reduction in body fat stores, enhance weight reduction and improve overall male health.
1. Identify the testosterone pathway to see where your body’s natural testosterone is going and correct “problem pathways”
2. Stop the hijacking of your Testosterone by the stress hormone cortisol
“Low T” is a common problem that can manifest in many different ways. It is easy to diagnose with a blood test but can be difficult to treat with lasting success because the causes are many. It is not as simple as a blood test showing low testosterone levels or going home with a cream or injection. Testosterone levels can decline normally with age, however, there are multiple causes (i.e. adrenal fatigue, conversion to estrogen, etc.) that may be causing your testosterone to plummet. Our program is designed to identify the root causes of your “Low T” and correct them.