Integrative Medicine of Idaho
A family practice that integrates the best of science with the best of nature! 

Because there is so much confusion in the media about bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), I attended yet another conference in my search for the best delivery system. Dr. Briant Herzog, MD founded the Hormone Therapy Centers of America in Plano, Texas after placing over 20,000 hormone pellets in women and men with astounding results. The history of pellet therapy dates back to the 1930s.

After several hours of didactic review of the literature, we went to Dr. Herzog's oce to talk to his patients and perform the quick procedure. Before placing his pellets, one gentleman told me, "My strength, mental clarity and weight are fantastic as long as I get my testosterone pellets." The next patient, a 55yo woman stated, "I've tried everything and since starting the testosterone and estrogen pellets, I can nally sleep, dream and wake up feeling rested." My third and fourth patients were an 80yo husband and wife who stated that their energy, memory and joint pain were much improved after starting the pellets several years ago. The wife stated, "We never will stop our pellets." The patients I saw had been on the pellets for 7-8 years.

Testosterone is responsible for over 3,000 functions in the human body while estrogen is known to be involved with over 300 functions. If you have symptoms of joint pain, memory loss, fatigue, night sweats and/or brain fog, it could be due to testosterone insuciency. In fact, even symptomatic pre-menopausal women are often decient in testosterone.

The question of breast and prostate cancer is a concern when thinking about BHRT. The current consensus is that cancer cells are triggered 20% by genetics and 80% by environmental factors such as hormonal imbalance, lack of hormones, toxic burden, dental infections, poor diet and unresolved stress. The evolution of a cancer tumor starts 10 to 20 years before it becomes large enough to be diagnosed. Early detection and identication of root causes with preventive lifestyle changes have been shown in many cases to reverse the process.

A study in 2013 by Dr. Glaser and Dimitrakakis states, "Evidence supports that breast cancer is preventable by maintaining a Testosterone to estrogen ratio in favor of testosterone."

Regarding prostate cancer, a 2004 article in the International Journal of Cancer states, "High levels of circulating testosterone are not associated with an increased prostate cancer risk." The conversion of testosterone to estrogen is what encourages prostate cancer to initiate. This conversion can be reduced with herbal or pharmaceutical aromatase inhibitors. Monitoring is the key to prevention.

The pellets are a depot of bio-identical testosterone and/or estrogen placed in the subcutaneous fat pad in the hip. The procedure takes 10 minutes and is painless. After placing the pellets in three of Dr. Herzog's patients with no complaints of pain, I underwent the procedure myself and was amazed that it truly was painless. I am so excited to nally have optimal hormone levels to reduce my risks of heart, brain and bone diseases.

The pellet releases hormone in response to the metabolic needs of the body and lasts an average of 4 months in women and 6 months in men. The hormone is more physiologically available to our organs in comparison to the cremes.

IMI will be oering pellet therapy soon. If you are interested in BHRT or any aspect of your health, please call 208-426-0052 and make an appointment.