HAVE YOU HEARD THESE STATEMENTS BEFORE?

• “You don’t need to test. Just take these hormones.” • “You’re way too young for this to be your hormones." • " Just take this antidepressant and you will feel much better.”

Testing hormone levels hasn't been standard medical practice except for insulin, cholesterol and sometimes thyroid. Did you know that insulin and cholesterol are both hormones? You would never be given medications for either of these hormones without testing your levels first and then testing on a regular basis to monitor the effect they are having in your body. The same type of approach should be used for all of our hormones.

If we rely just on symptoms, we may not have all the information we need to make the best recommendation. For example, if you have a low sex drive and your results show normal testosterone levels, it could be your estrogen and/or progesterone is low inhibiting testosterone from doing what it’s supposed to do. And we certainly don’t won’t that to happen do we?

Even if you’re not symptomatic, testing can provide you with valuable information for prevention. The younger you begin testing, the better it will be to give you a baseline to follow throughout your adulthood. You will always be able to know what is normal for you.

BLOOD TESTING
The traditional means for hormone testing are blood tests. The advantages of blood tests for hormone is that it gives you a complete hormone level analysis, meaning it measures your bound and unbound hormones. Most hormones are bound to red blood cells and protein molecules. When they are bound, they are useless in the body. Unbound hormones are “free” moving around in the body; therefore, they are free to do their work in your body. Also, traditionally, you do not receive a copy of your results – remember to ask your physician for a copy for your records.
Please Note: The only way to test insulin, cholesterol, and thyroid levels is through blood testing.

SALIVA TESTING
Saliva testing has been the standard in my practice for years. Many people would come to me and say “they said my hormone levels were normal, but I know something can’t be right for me to feel this way”. Saliva testing measures the free hormone levels. These are the hormones that are moving around in our bodies producing action. The great thing is all you have to do is spit in a tube in the privacy of your home and mail it to the lab. The lab will evaluate your saliva and send you a copy of the results. Now when was the last time you actually saw your lab results? I really like this part because you become an active participant in your health care.

Your test results along with your comprehensive health assessment are used to determine if you require hormone replacement therapy. If nothing, else you’ll have proof “YOU’RE REALLY NOT GOING CRAZY.” I know you’re saying to your self what if it doesn't’t show an imbalance? I have been doing this for 10 years and the only time there hasn’t been an imbalance was because the person was already supplementing. If you are an exception, I’m sure there is an exceptional explanation.

WHICH HORMONES SHOUD I TEST?
I recommend a full panel which means estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA and Cortisol. When you measure all these hormones you have a picture of what’s happening in your body. Knowing the value of each hormone is important, but it is also important to know what the ratios are between each of the hormones because of how they affect each other. I recommend testing each time you change the dosages of your hormones. This is the only way you will know how your body is metabolizing the hormones. Hormone Testing should be done at least once a year as part of your health assessment.

Costs for Testing
Costs for testing is dependent on the panel of hormones tested. Each hormone tested is $49.00. The panel I recommend the most is $225.00 for 5 hormones.  If you have Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare or Medicare, Aeron laboratory will file your insurance claim for you.  If you have other insurance coverage, you will need to send payment with your sample. Aeron will send you a receipt with payment and diagnosis codes for you to file on your insurance.
You can read all about saliva testing on the Aeron Lifecycles Laboratory web site www.aeron.com.