TOP 2 REASONS TO CHOOSE BIOTE BIOIDENTICAL HORMONE IMPLANTS

TOP 2 REASONS TO CHOOSE BIOTE BIOIDENTICAL HORMONE IMPLANTS

February, 2018

I received my first set of bioidentical hormone implants in October of 2014.  Shortly thereafter, I began offering this service to my patients; and my medical practice has not been the same since.  Prior to October 2014, I had been prescribing bioidentical hormone creams, patches and pills for around 9 years.  However, I had been investigating the implants for about 2 out of those 9.

Between 2012 and 2014, I had several new patients move to the area and come see me for their bioidentical hormones.  In other cities, they had been receiving the implants but none in our area was providing that service so they had to seek out other options.  They all seemed to have the same general story.  They preferred the implants because they worked better and required no daily effort to maintain; and they wished they could continue the therapy.  

However,  they all seemed to have 2 major problems with their hormone implant treatment.  The first problem was that it seemed each round they had different inconsistent results.  They felt better overall, but the effect was different each round.  The second problem was that their providers almost seemed to be guessing at what dose to give them - not very scientific or customized.

So, I began a journey.  The reported effectiveness of the hormone implants intrigued me.  I had already been turning from using the bioidentical hormone creams to using the patches and pills because my patients using the creams did not seem to have steady relief of their symptoms.  Every 12 hours or so they’d have a symptom flare until they could get their next dose of cream.  Or they just never got as much benefit as I thought they should from the creams.  The patches/pills were better.  The symptom relief lasted a few days versus a few hours.  But they still did not get as much benefit as I thought they should.

I started investigating hormone implant companies.  My 2 major concerns:  quality of the implants and did the company have a system for deciding the starting dose for the patient.  

Around that time, there had been a lot in the news about poor quality in compounding and the FDA was cracking down on compounding pharmacies.  I figured that, if I was putting an implant in patient that realistically I could not remove, then I wanted to make sure the dose was exactly what it said it was and that quality standards of the compounding pharmacy were exceptional.

As a nurse of 20 years, I love protocols and systems!  They insure that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to do in the best way that there is to do it.  It only made sense to me that whatever company I chose needed to have a dosing system that gave me a starting point.  It didn’t seem safe or logical for me to be able to look at a patient and magically decide that they needed a certain dose.  I wanted a more fact based decision method!

As I investigated, I discovered BioTE Medical.  They seemed to be the only company who adequately addressed my 2 major concerns.  

BioTE is not a compounding pharmacy.  They are a physician owned company that contracts with a compounding pharmacy.  Their contract states that the compounder has to test every batch of implants that they make.  Each test has to show that the implants are within a 3% above or below margin of what the dose actually is.  Many patients say that a 3% margin of error doesn’t sound good.  However, legally in this country a brand name synthetic medication can be 10% above or below each batch.  A generic medication can be 20% above or below each batch!  So, 3% sounded pretty good to me!

Because BioTE Medical is physician owned, they are constantly doing in-house research as well as looking at world wide research on the subject of hormone replacement therapy.  They have created a “dosing site” for medical providers to use that is constantly being updated with the latest knowledge that they have acquired.  This “dosing site” gives me the ability to input a new patient’s medical history and lab values.  The system then generates a set of recommendations based on that data.  So, no me magically deciding on a starting dose, but a fact based, research based starting dose for all of my patients.  

Because of the quality control standards and “dosing site”, I chose to work with BioTE Medical starting in October 2014.  And I have not been disappointed and neither have my patients!  The “dosing site” is right on the money for recommending the correct starting dose for my patients about 95% of the time.  If it’s not exact then it is usually an underdose NOT an overdose and I quickly give my patients a “boost” to get them to the optimal range.

As far as quality goes, I see consistent results dose after dose for my patients.  And they are much happier than they were with the other methods of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.  I was the first medical provider in the area offering this therapy; but, since 2014, multiple providers have begun offering hormone implant therapy.  I frequently have patients change to my office because they are not getting consistent results from their implant treatment.  It didn’t really hit me until recently that all the batches that fail with BioTE’s standards then get sent out to other non BioTE practices.  So they are using inferior quality implants while I am using the best quality.  Makes a huge difference in quality patient care!

The quality control and the dosing system is what attracted me to the BioTE Medical company.  BioTE’s hormone implants have given my patients phenomenal results that I never saw with the other hormone methods.  It has been over 3 years, and they haven’t disappointed me or my patients yet!

Visit our website http://www.restorehealthwellness.com/ or call (910)-763-1961 to book your Bioidential Hormone Replacement today!

Also, in February 2018 , we are waiving the new patient consult fee!

This fee is at a $125.00 value, so you won't want to miss out!

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE! TRUTH TO PREVENT COLD & FLU

 I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me, but it has been a crazy year so far!  Sorry for the long silence! 

So 2015 is the 3 rd year that we’ve offered a supplement special to help you survive through the cold & flu season.  I wanted to take time to update you on my personal journey to stay well during this time of year.  I have found that the old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is definitely true if you want to stay well this time of year.

My last flu vaccine was in the fall of 2011.  At that time, I didn’t just choose to not get the vaccine.  I  implemented some other DAILY health measures including keeping my vitamin D, 25 hydroxy level between 65-100, taking Quercitin C 1000 mg daily, taking a probiotic, and taking either NOW Foods Air Defense or Vital Plan Immune Advantage (sadly no longer available) 2 capsules daily.

I was doing well with my health and only having my usual 1 cold per year.  Then, January 2013 happened.  I acquired, what I thought at the time, was my usual yearly cold.  Twenty-one days (!) later, when it finally ended, I realized that I needed to do more to boost my immune system if I wanted to stay well during the cold and flu season.  I never wanted to go through that again!  That’s when I remembered Ecological Formulas Monolaurin and started adding 2 capsules to my daily regimen.

And, I can honestly say, I haven’t had a cold or flu episode since.  Now, I think one of the keys to that success is consistent daily use.  But the other key is that, at even the first hint of a cold starting or if I’m around someone who is sick, then I bump up how much I take to 3 times a day for 2-3 days.  I’ve experienced the beginning signs of a cold multiple times but EVERY time I IMMEDIATELY bumped up my dosage and knocked it out usually within a day.

My body always gives me a sign that a cold is coming.  I still have my tonsils and they start to hurt and swell.  At the first instance of that pain, I bump to 3 times daily with my preventive supplements.  I don’t wait and see if it’s real or just my imagination. I don’t want to be sick, so why wait?

As with most preventive strategies and with natural remedies, consistency even when you feel good and quick action at the beginning of when you feel bad really does keep you healthy and whole.  The other major point with natural remedies is that they usually won’t hurt you even if you take more when you don’t actually need it.  That’s why I take more when I’m around someone who is sick or even if I think I might be starting to get sick.  Again, why wait and chance it?

So, anyway, that’s my 2 cents.  You know I’m all about preventing disease verses waiting until you get one to try and fix it.  I encourage you to do the same this cold and flu season.

Lindy Ford on Getting Your Energy Back!

I understand first hand how difficult life can be without energy. A few years ago I could barely drag myself out of bed each morning. Not only did I lack energy to live every day life, I also suffered from anxiety, panic attacks and depression. I already knew a lot about nutrition and health, but with the little (big emphasis on "little") energy and stamina I could muster up, I went on a quest to regain my health and energy. Six years later, with a lot of health detective work, I can honestly say that I enjoy the best energy of my life. 

Our energy levels are complicated. This seminar will help uncover habits that could be derailing our energy and ways to naturally increase it (no, Red Bull is not natural). This talk will be full of energy--I am never boring. We will cover hormones, blood sugar, foods, and supplements. The fine folks at Restore Health and Wellness Medical are sponsoring the event. This is a free community seminar. No products will be sold. 

Some background info on Lindy Ford:

Lindy Ford’s passion is helping people achieve greater freedom through nutrition and wellness. Lindy holds a degree in Nutritional Science and Dietetics from the University of Maryland, College Park. She also holds a degree in communications from Towson University. Lindy is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Nutritionist.

Lindy’s experience includes developing and implementing a successful employee nutrition wellness program for a county Health Department in Maryland where she conducted individualized counseling and education. She has conducted nutrition wellness seminars and classes for a community nurses’ organization, local law enforcement, health department employees, health fairs, senior centers, community and church groups and professional business organizations.

Writing helps Lindy to get her message out to more people. She has written for a women’s magazine, mom’s blog, and also writes a monthly newsletter with a large distribution.

Lindy loves her job. She runs a private nutrition practice where she practices “functional nutrition.” Functional medicine supports a person from the standpoint of what constitutes health and not disease. It seeks to get to the root of the problem instead of just treating symptoms. This approach takes longer, but the results are better and long-lasting.

Lindy’s patients have particularly benefited from her expertise in issues related to blood sugar, heart disease, weight control, the GI system and the thyroid. 

Vitamin IV Treatments: They Changed My Life!

As I sit to write this blog, there are so many thoughts that go through my mind about how the Vitamin IV Treatments have helped keep me healthy. So, I guess I will begin with the beginning. About 8 years ago I was working for a realtor company 9 hours a day. I also provided Christian counseling 3 to 4 nights a week as a second job. So in the midst of that, I was given the opportunity to get my Realtor License. For those who do not know, passing the Realtor Exam is one of the hardest exams ever. They required 3 different classes (which I took back-to-back), as well as a prep course for the exam. To toot my own horn a bit, I passed the exam the first time I took it, thank you God! Needless to say, at the end of that 4th month, I was 100% depleted. Tabetha said, “You have got to do something or your adrenals are going to go out on you, and you are going to have a total mental, physical, and spiritual breakdown.” She suggested starting with the fastest and most potent replenishing source she had which was her Vitamin IV Treatments. So of course I said hook me up, NOW! I cannot begin to tell you how utterly exhausted I was at the beginning of those 8 weeks. It took up to the 5th IV before I had consistent energy throughout the week, not good energy, just consistent energy. I was so happy to finally have energy. Before the IV’s my day would begin with dragging myself out of bed, taking forever to get dressed, and then rushing out the door to work. I had some energy until lunch and then crashed, hardly being able to function the rest of the day. Without the IV’s I do not believe I would have made it. Since that time, I have consistently taken advantage of this wonderful treatment, and even today I will have one every week when I can. As long as they are available, I will be receiving them (every week Tab, just sayin’.) Let me make it very clear: since I first began the IV’s I have gone through times of extreme stress and times when sickness would try to overtake my life. Yet through it all the IV’s have played a major part in saving my life and have brought complete healing. I will always receive them, and I strongly encourage you to try them also. It does not matter what is going on in your life because the IV treatments build up your immune system and help you fight away fatigue, sickness, and total burnout. Thank you, Tabetha, for always being on top of things and offering what we need to be the healthiest, best people we can be. EVERYONE COME START YOUR IV’S! YOU WILL LOVE THEM!

CHANGE?! It sucks! Or does it?

By this time, most of you have received the letter about Insight Family Health Center no longer accepting insurance as of December 18, 2014 and officially closing.  Rest assured, we are staying open as Restore Health & Wellness Center and forging ahead with helping people change their futures by changing their health.

This closing and reinventing of a medical practice is a HUGE CHANGE for all of us.  I do not like change any more than the next person, but I know it is vital for life and growth.  A pond that has no water flowing in or out stagnates.  That’s how life is.  If we stay in the same spot doing the same thing over and over again never changing never growing, our lives stagnate; and we die before our time.  And we all know, I am all about living healthily and fully until the day we die!  I personally don’t want to stagnate, and I don’t want that for any of you.

I have fought this change for a long time knowing it would be difficult for all of us.  But, I’ve finally been backed into a corner where I either have to change things or it all dies.  I 100% believe that what we have been doing at Insight to help people change their health and lives is worth saving.  Even if it has to take on a different form.  No matter how difficult that change may be.  I hope you believe the same thing.

I originally started this practice as a self pay practice.  I had no restrictions and could help people however I thought might best help them.  I then decided to start accepting insurance in order to help even more people.  At the time, I had no clue what that would mean to this practice and how it would eventually come to this point:  being in a completely broken health care/insurance system that is trying to control the amount of time I spend with patients and how I choose to treat them with lifestyle change and natural treatments.

I don’t believe staying in this country’s broken health care/insurance system is the best care that I can provide for my patients.  I really don’t believe any of us should ever be trapped in that system.  This past year, I have been urging patients to get as healthy as they can be and stay that way so that they never need or become dependent on the health care system in this country.  I believe things are only going to get worse, and it behooves all of us to get healthy and stay healthy and only use the system in an emergency!  I’m always looking for ways to optimize my health and your health in natural ways so that we aren’t dependent on the system.

I urge each of you to evaluate your current health status.  Are you on synthetic prescription medications that are treating conditions that you could heal with lifestyle change?  For instance, are you on a blood pressure medication but are overweight and don’t exercise routinely?  Could you lose weight and exercise and work towards getting off of your synthetic medication?  Would these changes more likely help you live and age healthy?

NOW is the time to make some personal changes with your life and health.  I urge you to quit gambling with your health and hoping any synthetic prescription drug will help you feel good and age healthy and prevent the repercussions of not eating right, losing weight, sleeping well, stress reducing, drinking water or exercising.  I urge you to start investing in your health now.  It is NEVER too late to make health changes that will alter the course of your future and how you age.

We are still here to help each of you make better health choices that lead to life and healthy aging.  We are stepping out of a system that truly leads to death and poor health as we age.  I hope you understand that this change must be made.  The very mission of Insight and Restore is about life and helping people prevent disease and maintain optimal health until the day they die.  We choose to CHANGE rather than be forced to rush with you and prescribe synthetic prescription medications for each issue you have. 

“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” – Marilyn Monroe

I love that quote!  Insight was a really good thing.  It has helped a lot of people.  Its time has come to an end.  But better things are coming with Restore and with your personal health if you decide today to go in a different direction and CHANGE.

Sincerely,

Tabetha L. Smith, FNP-C

Relinquisher of Control, Investor in Change

Special Guest Blogger: Kathy’s Blog: Living Well- Not as hard as you think!

Health and wellness has always been my thing.  Even before I became interested in nursing I was drinking the Kool -Aid of what ever was healthy at the time.

I come from a very active family.  My whole family played tennis growing up.  We rode bikes, swam in the summer, did our own yard work.  My parents who are in their 80’s still walk, play tennis, and ride bikes.  It is just who we are.  Back as a teenager I don’t think we exercised to be fit.  We did all those activities because they were fun and we were with our friends. 

Eating right was also just what I did.  In college, I was more of a hippy with hippy ideals.  I did Outward Bound for 3 months mid way through my college education.  There I learned how to make yogurt and bake my own bread and continued to be interested in food preparation.  Cookbooks have been one of my collectables.  So, while kids were hitting the fast food joints, I was seeking out the vegetarian restaurants.

My thoughts on nutrition have evolved over the years but I am still eating a diet that, for the most part, I have prepared and is what I consider to be pretty healthy.  My down fall, like for many of us, is an over active sweet tooth that surfaces way too much!

So fast-forward 30 years from that Outward Bound semester to today.  I’m still exercising and still eating what I think for the most part is a healthy diet.  For someone who just turned 55, I think I feel pretty good.  This is the way I live and I hope I can encourage others to do so too!  Stay Tuned!!!!

BIOIDENTICAL HORMONE PELLET THERAPY

TAB’S BLOG:  BIOIDENTICAL HORMONE PELLET THERAPY

Some of you may know that we have started providing Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) through pellets.  But you may not know the details of why so I thought I’d share my thoughts in this week’s blog.

I’ve been investigating providing BHRT in pellet form for years.  It always seemed to make common sense to me that this type of therapy might be easier on the patient (don’t have to remember to do as much each day) and more consistent in results (24 hour release with no ups and downs).  Bioidentical Estradiol (for women only) and Testosterone (for women AND men) are placed in a tiny pellet that is then inserted by a medical provider into the fat of the buttock cheek.  The hormone is slowly released over a 3-5 month time period based on cardiac output – if active more released, if less active less released.

I had talked to many patients who had used this therapy and the majority of them loved it.  Their only problems were finding a provider who offered it and getting consistent results.  Most reported that each time they went to get the pellets something had changed – the labs recommended, the ranges recommended, the dosing recommended, and the quality of the pellets.  Because the system seemed to keep changing so did their symptom relief.  One time they’d feel great and the next time they’d get minimal relief if any.  However, they all said when the pellets worked they felt the best they had in a long time and that the therapy was well worth it.

I also had looked into several companies that provided the BHRT pellet service.  Each company seemed to have inconsistent strategies, systems and pellet quality.  I chose not to go with any of them because I didn’t think I would get consistent results for my patients.

I then discovered BioTE Medical.  What impressed me from the beginning was the system and controls that they had in place.  I immediately felt I could trust the quality of the pellets but also the system for providing and dosing the pellets.  After talking with other BioTE providers, I decided to go with that company.

Our passion at our office is to coach people to make better permanent health choices in order to prevent premature death and aging.  We have always focused on hormone balance, weight loss, stress reduction, exercise education and gastrointestinal healing.  Many call this anti-aging medicine.  The BioTE company put it a different way:  healthy aging. 

I like that phrase “healthy aging” better.  We want to partner with you to help you obtain your optimal level of health and personal peak performance level.  We want you to be functional and healthy with your brain working right up until the day you die.  I truly believe we can help you take another step up to your personal level of optimal health and peak performance with the BioTE hormone pellet therapy.

We’ve worked with hormone balancing for years; however, I truly had no idea of the extra health benefits BHRT pellets could offer to my patients (or myself!) until my mind was blown at my certification training.  I have been providing BHRT to my patients and using it myself since 2005.  I have been to multiple training conferences and had never seen some of the research presented at this training.  The research on and benefits of testosterone in particular blew me away!

Some of the benefits of pellet therapy are:

1   1. Consistency of dosing – you don’t have to remember to use it!

2   2. Relief of hot flashes and night sweats

3   3. Improved sleep

4   4. Better brain function

5   5. Better energy

6   6. Better mood

7   7. Prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and cancer

8   8. And the list goes on….

I have never seen the same benefits they proved with research that testosterone in pellet form can provide with using testosterone creams, patches, gels or injections in either men or women.  The research, the providers who use it, and the patients all say that it can help improve memory (you won’t forget why you walked in a room anymore!), improve mood (many get off anti-depressant/ anti-anxiety meds!), improve stamina and muscle, improve weight loss and especially decreased belly fat (!), improve sex drive, etc.  

If you have been feeling like you are working really hard on your health but not seeing enough results (effort level ≠ results obtained), then the testosterone pellets may be the answer.  Getting more bang for my efforts on my health and improved memory are the 2 main reasons I had the testosterone pellets inserted while I was at the conference.

The actual procedure was not bad at all.  I felt a little sting for a few seconds when the numbing medicine was given then nothing but the tug of the buttock skin being moved.  Afterward, it was a little sore for about 2 days (I’m a pain wimp so I took some ibuprofen!) then just felt like a bruise for not quite a week.  You are supposed to start feeling different about day 7.  I started noticing some increase in memory (when I walked in a room, I still couldn’t remember why but remembered quickly before leaving the room! J) and in energy about that time.

I actually chose to get the maximum dose of testosterone I qualified for based on my age, weight, symptoms and lab results.  I could have reported that I had a history of acne and received a lower dose, but I always experiment on myself (and sometimes my staff!) with the therapies we recommend.  I wanted all of the benefits of testosterone in pellet form as quick as I could get them!  Yes, I was running the risk of developing acne but thought the benefits would be worth it.  Starting about day 7, I did develop a slight increase in acne but not enough to make me regret the decision.

My patients definitely receive health benefit from the BHRT creams, gels, patches and injections.  Maybe not as much as with the pellets but still improved.  These days the alternatives to BHRT that traditional medicine offers (now that we live for 30 or 40 post-menopause and post-andropause) are not that great. 

Your mood goes down; they give you and anti-depressant.  Your blood pressure goes up; they give you a hypertension drug.  Your bones thin out; they give you a bone-building drug.  Your cholesterol goes up; they give you a statin drug.  You start not sleeping; they give you a narcotic drug to induce sleep.  Your memory starts declining; they give you an Alzheimer’s drug.  By the time you are done with menopause or andropause, you are on 5-10 synthetic prescription medications!  And how do you think they make you feel with their side effects and interactions?

My personal goal is to never be on any synthetic prescription drug as I age.  I plan to exercise, eat right, learn new things, sleep, drink water, stress reduce, AND use BHRT until the day I die.  I absolutely refuse to go down the traditional medical path as long as I can do natural things to keep me healthy.  I was already using progesterone cream, and I have now added testosterone in pellet form to my arsenal of health promotion and disease prevention strategies. 

I encourage each of you to evaluate your health right now.  What are your long-term health goals?  How do you want to feel as you age?  What strategies do you want to use to reap the benefit of healthy aging?  How can we help you reach them?  Can changing to or starting BHRT in pellet form augment and optimize your healthy aging plans?

Modern medicine has presented us with a Faustian bargain: Our aging bodies can bankrupt our children and grandchildren. We have run into the 'law of diminishing returns' in health care, where we are often doing more and more, with higher and higher technology, at more and more cost, for less and less benefit.

--Richard Lamm

What helps with aging is serious cognition - thinking and understanding. You have to truly grasp that everybody ages. Everybody dies. There is no turning back the clock. So the question in life becomes: What are you going to do while you're here?

--Goldie Hawn

Sincerely,

Tabetha L. Smith, FNP-C

Fellow Seeker on the Journey of Health Aging