Hormone Replacement therapy and Weight loss

Hormonal balance is an important aspect of supporting a good quality of life. Anyone who has experienced hormonal shifts during adolescence, menstrual cycles, or around pregnancy and childbirth can attest to this. The perimenopausal and menopausal shifts are no different. For many people, this can be a time of great change, and for some, it can be prolonged suffering.

Fortunately, while menopause is inevitable, the suffering that can accompany it is not.

When it comes to perimenopause and menopause, naturopathic treatments aim to support the body’s transition by promoting hormonal balance, supporting the psycho-emotional shifts, and addressing the different nutritional and exercise needs for healthy aging.

Dr. Maiella has a range of tools that she offers to help people experiencing this life transition. Sometimes it’s talking. Sometimes it’s tapping, sometimes nutritional coaching etc. It’s never the same for for everyone.

While not the first modality chosen for everyone, one of the most effective therapies for a challenging hormonal transition is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This is the use of prescribed hormones to address the decrease in levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone that begins to occur in perimenopause.

There has been a revival of the prescribing of HRT in the past few years and it has been exciting to be a part of it. So many women can be helped through peri-menopause, to a point where they are absolutely THRIVING! Additionally, HRT can help to prevent many of the health concerns connected to aging, such as the rapid rate of bone loss due to low estrogen levels occurs within a few years of hitting menopause. The use of HRT, specifically estrogen, can change the course of this progression. There are so many benefits, including greater cognition, a healthier sex drive and more muscle mass.

Many women has discontinued the use of HRT due to concerns that were raised by research two decades ago. Recently, however, researchers have been debunking those previous findings (due to study design flaws), and we as prescribing doctors now have even better guidelines and parameters to help make a safe HRT prescriptions. A good resource regarding this is the book Estrogen Matters written by an oncologist and social psychologist.

Dr. Maiella stays as up-to-date as possible in regards to the newest data and research, and every person is comprehensively screened for personal and family history contraindications.

Semaglutide for Weight Loss

Semaglutide (a GLP -1 agonist) is a medication that was initially approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. However, it has recently gained attention for its potential to aid in weight loss. Semaglutide works by mimicking the effects of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which helps regulate appetite and food intake. It can also slow down the movement of food through the stomach, leading to a feeling of fullness and decreased hunger.

Dr. Maiella helps her patients with a comprehensive weight loss program, which includes whole foods nutritional coaching, (focusing on an intentional/mindful eating, and nutrient dense foods,) regular movement, strength training, stress management, and adequate sleep. While medications can be helpful in some cases, in order for them to help you achieve long term weight loss, they must be used as a part of a whole body-mind treatment plan. GLP-agonists, when used with positive behavior and lifestyle changes, help to make healthy habit creation easier and more sustainable. By increasing satiation and reducing cravings, people start to make healthier food choices from a calmer, more intentional state.

This is one of my favorite articles, it speaks to me because it’s just real people telling their real-life stories. But, I can’t deny, I do love the idea of the junk food industry getting crushed. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/magazine/ozempic-junk-food.html

Before considering semaglutide or any other weight loss medication, we will run labs to check the health of your liver, kidneys, and pancreas, as well as test your cholesterol levels, blood sugar, cortisol and fasting insulin levels.

Once you have reached a weight that feels good to you, we will begin to decrease the dose and frequency of your semaglutide injections and bring you into maintenance phase. We continue to check in, just to make sure that you are still committed to the healthy lifestyle changes as you wean off this medication.

Like any medication, semaglutide can have potential side effects, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue. But many of these side effects can be mitigated or even avoided with some simple naturopathic techniques.