(813) 867-0608 • Contact • Schedule an Appointment

(813) 867-0608 • Contact • Schedule an Appointment

Hormone Replacement Therapy – Part II: Knowing What’s Involved

If you enjoyed Part I in our series about hormone replacement therapy (HRT), today’s post will complete the picture, especially with respect to what’s involved in HRT itself.

Hormone replacement therapy involves taking one or more sex hormones — estrogen, progesterone, testosterone. While we use the term “sex hormones,” these hormones are also important for heart, brain, bone, and immune system health and for mental health. Having adequate, balanced hormone levels along with healthy hormone receptors, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and dementia. Optimizing hormones reduces risk factors for many of the chronic conditions that increase with age.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Doctor Lewis Tampa

HRT can be delivered via different routes, including oral (pills), injection, topically (creams or patches), or inserted into the skin as tiny pellets. The mode of delivery is determined with your doctor based on your specific needs and preferences. Pellet therapies injected into the skin can be done every three months in your doctor’s office. Pills or creams are administered daily and do not require any Continue reading…

Hormone Replacement Therapy – Part I: The Icing on the Cake

Hormone replacement therapy has gotten a lot of press over the years — both good and bad. It all started in the 1960s, when women in their 40s and 50s were prescribed estrogen to alleviate the symptoms of menopause — hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, and mood swings. Then, studies appeared, showing estrogen promotes growth of the uterine lining, which increases the risk of cancer, so doctors began recommending the addition of progesterone to protect the uterus.

However, instead of providing patients with bioidentical estrogen and progesterone, pharmaceutical companies created a synthetic form of progesterone called progestin (which they could patent) and started combining it with various forms of estrogen — synthetic or derived from animals.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Doctor Matt Lewis

At about this same time (the late 1990s), theories emerged suggesting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) would be helpful for preventing certain age-related diseases in older women, and doctors began prescribing it for women in their 60s and 70s. However, in 2002, a large federal study by the U.S. National Institutes of Health called the Women’s Health Initiative linked the leading HRT medication, Wyeth’s Prempro, with an increased risk of cancer, stroke, and blood clotting. As a result of that study and others, many doctors and women abandoned hormone replacement therapy or now use it only to help alleviate symptoms during menopause.

The truth is that hormone replacement therapy is safe and effective for both men and women, as long as it is done right. Doing it right involves addressing other underlying health issues first and then using bioidentical hormones instead of Continue reading…

14 Signs You Might Be Living with Hypothyroidism

By |2018-08-10T11:45:41-04:00May 17th, 2018|Categories: Thyroid|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

Nearly 5 percent of the nation’s population over the age of 12 suffers from hypothyroidism, with older women more likely than any other age group to experience this condition.

Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland — located in the front lower part of the neck below the voice box— doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones to keep up with the needs of the body. Simply put, the thyroid is underactive.

And that becomes a problem, because the thyroid is charged with overseeing the function of your metabolism, which determines how your body uses energy from food. For those suffering an underactive thyroid, body processes can slow down, which upsets the normal balance of chemical reactions to your body.

What are some of the signs? If you have any of the following symptoms, you may be suffering from hypothyroidism:

Aches and pains Anxiety
Constipation Depression
Dry skin Elevated cholesterol
Fatigue Hair loss or thinning
High or low blood sugar Memory loss
Morning headaches Restless sleep
Swelling of the face or body Weight gain or difficulty losing weight even with diet and exercise

These are just the short-term impacts. The long-term impacts are even more serious: Continue reading…

How to Choose a Functional Medicine Doctor in Tampa

By |2019-06-12T11:11:14-04:00May 11th, 2018|Categories: Dr. Matt Lewis|Tags: |0 Comments

Schedule A Personal Consultation with Dr. Matt Lewis Editor’s Note: In this post, we offer suggestions, advice and warnings for anyone who is looking for a doctor in Tampa and in particular, those who are seeking a functional medicine and integrative healthcare provider. We hope this Q&A — featuring the thoughts of Dr. Matthew Lewis — proves to be informative in that search. Dr. Lewis is a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.), a Diplomate of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition (DACBN), and a Certified Functional Medical Practitioner (CFMP®).

Q: Aside from a Google search, asking a friend, consulting with your insurer, or driving past a doctor’s office that appears inviting enough to walk inside, what are specific ways people can find a functional medicine doctor in Tampa who fits their needs?

A: Many functional medicine-trained doctors provide a public education service on their websites in the form of blog posts, articles or recordings of webinars. Same with their Facebook pages — assuming they use social media to engage with and educate patients. These can be helpful in offering potential patients more information about the doctor and his or her practice, as well as provide important insights into that doctor’s specific areas of expertise.

(Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash)

Q: What questions are fair game for a doctor when trying to determine if he or she will be a good fit?

A: If it were me, there are three areas I’d focus on: Continue reading…