Many times patients will go to their primary care provider believing they have a hormone imbalance only to hear that everything is “normal”.  Normal is not optimal, and when looking at normal reference ranges of hormones, you will see that the normal range is wide.  A good example is when a menopausal woman does blood work ...

Many patients with PCOS, perimenopause, menopause, and men with low testosterone often complain about how difficult it is to lose weight and wonder about their metabolism.   Patient’s describe putting weight on in their mid-section and despite being active and watching their diet, they still cannot lose weight.&nbs...

I recently took a course in Functional Medicine, vitamins, supplements, and nutrition through the Elite Nurse Practitioner. The course is supported by the American Nurse Practitioner Academy for Continuing Education, offering CME hours for education hours including pharmacy credits.  The course provided some great information about evidence...

I recently went to Toronto and did another course with Dr Neil Rouzier, an expert in hormone therapy.  Dr Rouzier was hard fast on correcting insulin resistance and encouraged weight loss medication in those who need it, along with hormone therapy. So many patients become insulin resistant as they get older and it becomes impossible to lose...

I had an excellent opportunity to work in an acne clinic with dermatologists where I learned about the various types of acne and their treatment.  While Accutane is the ultimate cure for cystic acne, with hormonal acne, bioidentical progesterone can also be an efficient treatment or adjuvant.  Progesterone can be taken by mouth, or it ...

While exercise and diet play a crucial role in weight, there are many hormones involved and estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are no exception.  Estrogen has a significant role in cholesterol metabolism, glucose metabolism, and insulin sensitivity.  On the same token, progesterone has an effect on carbohydrate, lipid, and protei...

Does Alberta Health Cover BHRT? Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy is not covered under Alberta Public Health.  If you have a health spending account, you can submit your receipts and be reimbursed for the consult and follow-up appointments, otherwise, it is an out-of-pocket expense. What does a BHRT consult consist of? Understandi...

  Estrogen is important in both men and women.  It is pivotal in glucose and lipid homeostasis, it supports the immune system, bone health, cardiovascular health, fertility, and also brain function.  However, estrogen can also be the cause of many illnesses that people experience, both acute and chronic.  As we age, estrogen...

Headaches, particularly migraines are common in perimenopause, some women only begin to experience them in the phase leading to menopause.  Many women (up to 40 %) report that they typically occur in the last half of their menstrual cycle, or occur during menses.  It is often thought that perimenopausal and menopausal headaches are rel...

With Christmas here, it isn’t a pleasant experience for many, and some people find it an extremely stressful time, so I thought blogging about pregnenolone steal syndrome would be appropriate.  While Christmas stress may be short-lived, many other stressors are prolonged.  In response to stress, our adrenal glands begin to increa...