Functional Medicine Approach to Hormone Health & Replacement

I bet if you are here reading this section, then you most likely are one of the millions of people suffering with a hormonal imbalance. 

Women: From irregular periods or painful cycles to hot flashes, night sweats, and weight gain......we can help! 

Men: From hair loss or muscle mass loss to low libido...we have you covered!

Teens: From mood swings, irregular periods, acne and more...we hear you!

We will partner with you to identify any potential hormone imbalance. We have a variety of testing options that we offer. 

Since we do practice within the Functional Medicine framework, we strive to correct, balance, and resolve any symptoms you may have as naturally as possible, when possible. However, the recent, most up-to-date research shows us that for the vast majority of the population, if there is a hormone deficiency, there is no good substitution for hormones other than  Bio-Identical Hormone Repalcement Therapy (BHRT). We also can combine natural treatments used in conjunction with BHRT treatments. These options are always discussed with you, as are the risks and benefits. We make a mutually agreed upon decision on what is right and best for you, together.

We treat much more than the lab numbers and the symptoms. We treat YOU. We listen to YOU. We are up-to-date with the latest and greatest BHRT guidelines. We ONLY prescribe bio-identical or body-identical hormones OR we do all natural! 

**WE ARE HERE TO EDUCATE OUR PATIENTS ABOUT BHRT TO ALLOW THEM TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION. DID YOU KNOW THAT IN 2024, THE WOMEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE REVERSED THEIR PREVIOUS STATEMENT STATING THAT BHRT CONTRIBUTES TO CANCER? IN FACT, BHRT ESTRADIOL WAS FOUND TO BE PROTECTIVE AGAINST BREAST CANCER; THUS, CHANGING THE FACE OF MENOPAUSE THAT MANY WOMEN WERE SENTENCED TO FOR THE LAST 20-30 YEARS. 

Setting the record straight! THE MENOPAUSE MOVEMENT IS HERE!!!!!!!!

-Birth Control is NOT a great hormone replacement option. These are synthetic hormones. While birth control is great for patients needing to prevent pregnancy or address other concerns, this is not the gold standard for hormone replacement therapy. If you have been told that birth control is a great hormone therapy option to help with pre-menopause, peri-menopause or post-menopause, find a new provider. 

-There is no timeframe for BHRT. There is no age minimums or maximums. BHRT is approved for long-term for most people. If you have been told " the lowest dose for the shortest time possible", find a new provider.

-BHRT is the use of FDA-approved body-identical or bio-identical hormones, like ESTRADIOL, PROMETRIUM OR MICRONIZED PROGESTERONE, AND TESTOSTERONE. These hormones are NOT synthetic and according to evidence-based research, does not contribute to breast cancer, uterine/endometrial cancer, blood clot or strokes in most people. If you are told otherwise, find a new provider. 

-SYNTHETIC hormones like estrogens (conjugated from horse urine) or progestins like medroxyprogesterone, norethindrone, Premarin, Prempro, Mirena and so much more ARE linked to breast cancer, endometrial/uterine cancer, blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. If you are told otherwise or there is confusion between BHRT and synthetic hormones, find a new provider.

-If you are only on a vaginal hormones, this is great for the local area that is being treated. It does NOT treat systemic hormone needs though. That's ok! You are able to be on a vaginal hormones AND a systemic hormone! If you are told otherwise, find a new provider.

-If you have been told that you cannot take BHRT because you cannot take birth control hormones (which are synthetic), find a new provider. Remember BHRT are not the same hormones as the synthetic hormones so they do have the same issues.  

-If you have been told that you cannot take BHRT (estradiol, progesterone, testosterone) because you have had cancer, then find a new provider. Research shows that while currently diagnosed with cancer or undergoing chemo or radiation (or any treatment) you should avoid, once cured, there is no evidence or research showing you cannot for most people. 

-If you are told there is no difference between estrogen and estradiol or progestins and progesterone, find a new provider. ESTROGEN based hormones are conjugated and do carry health risks; ESTRADIOL is not the same thing. Progestin based hormones are different than body identical (your body already makes these) MICRONIZED PROGESTERONE or PROMETRIUM. 

-If your symptoms are dismissed because you do not have hot flashes or night sweats, find a new provider. Hormones are much more than this. They protect our brain (cognition), our mood (anxiety/depression/sleep), breast tissue (protecting against cancer) and so much more. We also see increases in cholesterol, insulin resistance, pre-diabetes with hormone decline/imbalance. 

-If you have been told, "take an antidepressant for anxiety and depression, take this medication for hot flashes and night sweats, take this medication for libido" instead of getting ONE thing to TREAT these issues, find a new provider!

-MEN: if you have been told that your hair loss, your mood, concentration, cholesterol, weight, metabolic health, low energy, low muscle mass, poor recovery from exercise, sexual dysfunction is just age, diet and exercise related-find a new provider. 

-MEN: if you have been told that testosterone contributes to heart disease and stroke, find a new provider. 

Honestly, the moral of the story is.....if you have heard this before, then most likely your provider is not up-to-date on the current guidelines and research and/or does not know how to properly manage hormones....and that's ok! We can!

DO YOU PREFER A MORE NATURAL APPORACH?

Tthat's ok too! Our job is NEVER to convince a patient to go one way or another on treatment. We present the facts, the risks & benefits, the pros & cons and we help you make a decision best for you. If you are someone that prefers natural, there are herbs, supplements and natural plant-based hormones creams that can help relieve symptoms. Let us work through this with you. 

Even small changes in your hormones can cause symptoms like fatigue, weight changes, acne, insomnia, depression/anxiety, hot flashes, night sweats, and much more! We are here to help you find the balance you have been looking for. You are NOT crazy and your symptoms are NOT in your head. 

Hormonal imbalances are often misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. 

Let us help you make sense of your symptoms to treat your imbalance. We can:

• Get the diagnosis you've been looking for. We will analyze your health history and your symptoms to identify what is going on with your hormone health.
• We will order Advanced Hormone Screenings. Based on your unique needs, we will recommend advanced testing that other doctors don't....then we will help you understand your results.
• Develop a treatment plan with you. We will create a personalized plan that involves nutrition, supplement recommendation, herbal remedies, referrals to specialists, and prescription medicine, if indicated. 

Types of hormone optimization we offer:

• Nutraceuticals consisting of Supplements or Herbal Medicine that will naturally support your body, alleviate symptoms, provide relief, and promote your own natural balance of hormone production.
• Natural Protocols consisting of plant based components or natural ingredients of estradiol, progesterone, or testosterone. 
• Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy prescription  of estradiol, progesterone, testosterone which is often covered by insurance at your local, retail pharmacy. These are covered by insurance, are FDA approved and much easier to manage. 
• We will also prescribe compounded BHRT if we need to customize a dose for you.
• Common methods of application vary from gels, creams, patches, pills, troches, injections, and inserts. 

Whether you are a teenage young lady, a young adult, adult, or young at heart suffering from any type of hormone symptoms or unexplained symptoms, we can help. 

For teenagers or young adults, the changes that the onset of menstrual cycles bring can be quite overwhelming. Irregular, heavy or painful cycles, skin changes/acne, weight changes, mood swings, headaches, and fatigue are the most common reported symptoms.

For the next stage of life (early adulthood), the most common symptoms (aside from the above), are infertility, frequent miscarriages, hair changes, continued skin changes, brain fog, and more.

Middle adulthood is when we start to see the decline of our essential hormones. Symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, low libido, vaginal irritation, migraines, stomach upset, anxiety/depression, and worsened irregular cycles start to surface. For men,  we start to see the initial decline in testosterone around this time. Typically, this is when we will notice hair loss, fatigue, muscle weakness, and even decreased libido. 

Late adulthood is when we see all these symptoms and more....including bone loss, cardiovascular changes, joint pain, chronic pain and hair loss/graying, 

No matter your age, we are able to help you!

Keeping in mind that our hormones play a huge role in physiological responses of our bodies and that the systems of our bodies respond, it makes sense that symptoms manifest in certain ways. The most common symptoms are:

• Fatigue
• Anxiety/Depression
• Acne
• PMS
• PMDD
• Temperature intolerance 
• Insomnia
• Hair loss
• Brain fog or memory loss
• Weight changes
• Low libido
• Irregular cycles
• Painful or heavy cycles (clotting)
• Extreme thirst or hunger & cravings
• Joint pain
• Chronic pain
• Bloating
• Facial hair
• Fibroids
• Mood swings
• Headaches and migraines
• Vaginal dryness or pain
• Frequent infections
• IBS or GI changes
• Fluctuating blood pressure
• Dizziness & vertigo symptoms
• Ringing in the ears
• Vision changes
• Palpitations
• Decreased bone loss or muscle strength
• Erectile dysfunction

A HUGE population of our patients come to our office with a list of concerning symptoms that are greatly interfering with their lives. Most of the time, they are unaware of any type of hormone imbalance or deficiency or that hormones could cause so many issues. But guess what? THEY DO!!!!  We are watching people getting their lives back and we're here for it!

• PCOS
• Estrogen Dominance
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Hashimoto's thyroiditis
• Adrenal dysfunction
• Insulin resistance
• Infertility
• Pre-menopause
• Peri-menopause
• Post-menopause
• Andropause
• PMS/PMDD
• Low Libido
• Erectile Dysfunction

Most people are familiar with and understand the importance of the main hormones: estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Did you know that there are several precursor hormones that are also responsible for hormone symptoms; whether deficient or excess. In fact, precursor hormones are important support mechanisms for the main hormones. Our bodies rely heavily on the endocrine glands (pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenal, hypothalamus, and pancreas) to make hormones; such as sex hormones, cortisol, FSH, LH, oxytocin, ADH, estrogens, testosterone, progesterone, pregnenolone, and DHEA (to name a few). 

When there is a hormone imbalance (at any age), many unpleasant symptoms can arise and even cause other health conditions. Since our body works together as an integrated whole, when there is a deficiency in one hormone, there could be a domino effect in other hormone deficiencies OR even excess!!

When determining an appropriate hormone treatment plan, we will analyze all your hormones; essentially taking a snap shot picture of your body at one time. We will correlate your symptoms to your hormone testing and will create a treatment plan for therapy which will include supplements, herbal remedies, lifestyle changes, and medications, as appropriate. 

Thyroid health can be tricky. Most medical providers have been taught that the only thyroid test that matters is the TSH. It's true that the TSH is crucial to understanding thyroid health, but there are other hormones associated with thyroid dysfunction.  Quite often when the TSH level is normal on blood work, doctors will rule out any type of thyroid disorder.  The problem is, a very small percentage of patients are appropriately diagnosed with a TSH level only; leaving many more to be misdiagnosed. Our office likes to have a clear picture of the downward hormonal cascade, which involves ALL thyroid hormones; giving us valuable insight to our patient's symptoms. When we order thyroid testing, we order a complete thyroid panel; not only looking at TSH, but all the T3 and T4 hormones, as well as antibodies. We then analyze the results using a Functional Medicine approach; whereas we look for optimal ranges and correlate with patient symptoms. This means, that we are able to determine when a person has a thyroid dysfunction that lab work has previously or traditionally missed. 

Hypothyroidism is known as an underactive thyroid and hyperthyroidism is known as an overactive thyroid. Hashimoto's is an autoimmune hypothyroidism that occurs when a dysregulated immune response impairs the production of the thyroid hormones. Graves' disease is an autoimmune hyperthyroidism that occurs when autoantibodies activate the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor, inducing excessive thyroid hormone secretion. It is important to note that many people with autoimmune thyroid disease may actually have normal basic thyroid labs, which is why it's so important you receive a thorough functional medicine work up. 

Common symptoms associated with Thyroid Disorders:

Increased sensitivity to heat and cold

Depression or irritability

Anxiety

Joint or muscle pain

High blood pressure

Palpitations

Muscle weakness

Digestive issues

Weight gain or weight loss

Dry skin

Thinning hair or brittle nails

Fatigue

Insomnia

Irregular menses

Nodules or enlarged thyroid gland

Autoimmune Conditions like Hashimoto's or Graves

Let's back up! What exactly is a thyroid? The thyroid gland is an essential gland that supports the body's metabolism. This gland produces two different hormones: T3 and T4;  both are important in energy production for your body. If the thyroid starts producing too much or too few of these hormones, it can cause serious issues that can significantly affect your quality of life. 

Once diagnosed, typically medication is used to regulate your thyroid and manage your symptoms. Keep in mind that just like any other hormone in your body, the thyroid can also fluctuate; making your current medication dosing ineffective. Many patients come to us on too high or too low of a dose of their thyroid medication; which causes even more symptoms. Maybe they are not on the right medication-perhaps they are only on Synthroid (levothyroxine), which is a T4 medication, when they should actually also be on a T3 medication, like Cytomel (liothyrionine)...or maybe a combination, like NP Thyroid or a compounded formula specifically for them. Thyroid management can be tough; so you want to make sure you have a knowledgeable practitioner on your side that listens to you and looks at optimal lab levels. 

Also, consider that sometimes an adrenal dysfunction can actually look like a thyroid condition and a thyroid condition can also look like an adrenal dysfunction; they might even go together. That is why it's important you have a functional medicine evaluation. 

It is also important to understand that many symptoms and inability to regulate your thyroid may actually develop due to specific triggers. If those triggers or underlying causes are not identified and addressed, you will continue to not feel well and not be managed correctly. We typically look at different factors; the main ones being: lifestyle, inflammation, GI issues, food sensitivities or allergies, blood sugar instability/insulin resistance, and nutritional deficiencies. 

Have you been diagnosed with Hashimoto's? Did you know that Hashimoto's is NOT a thyroid disease but rather an autoimmune disease that attacks your thyroid? Have you been told the only treatment for Hashimoto's is Synthroid? Have you been told you don't even have to measure those antibodies anymore? When was your last ultrasound? We get it. But...you do have to measure your antibodies, there is treatments for Hashimoto's and Synthroid is NOT it (well unless you have hypothyroidism as well). 

Dawson Integrative & Functional Medicine, LLC (formerly known as Dawson Integrative Medical Center, LLC) treats thyroid disorders in a variety of ways. Whether you need medication management, regulating or adjusting current medication dosing, or developing a new protocol for you, we can help. We offer a variety of treatment options, or a combination thereof; including: traditional thyroid medication, natural or alternative thyroid treatments, and treatments for any underlying root causes or triggers mentioned above. 

Adrenal Fatigue/Insufficiency: Our bodies are connected! When looking into causes of undesirable symptoms, we HAVE to look at the body as an integrated whole. The most common and basic hormones are usually the go-to for most doctors in analyzing hormone health. However, as we've already discussed, we need to look beyond estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and even thyroid hormones. We also should be looking at the adrenal glands for cortisol levels. The adrenal glands are located above the kidneys and produce three major hormones: cortisol (regulates energy, blood pressure, blood sugar, regulates stress responses and helps us recover from a sudden illness), aldosterone (governs the amount of salt and water in our body) and androgen hormones. 

Common symptoms associated with Adrenal Fatigue are:

Fatigue in the morning and evening

Insomnia

Inability to cope with stress

GI or digestive changes

Stress or anxiety

Sugar or salt cravings

Low blood sugar

Low blood pressure

Muscle aches/joint pains

Chemical sensitivity

Weak immune system

Chronic infections

Hives

Reactions to bug bites

Allergies

Asthma

Eczema

Brain fog or impaired memory

...and so much more

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: is an inherited disorder of the adrenal glands that can affect both males and females. People with CAH cannot properly make cortisol and in some cases, cannot produce aldosterone. They also produce too much of certain hormones, like testosterone and progesterone. These hormone imbalances can lead to serious illness, atypical genitalia, early puberty, growth concerns and other problems. This is a very rare condition; less than 50,000 people in the US has been diagnosed. 

Having symptoms that fluctuate? Feeling off? Take this quiz to help identify what hormones might be to blame:

Cortisol (Adrenal Fatigue-Early Stage)

Wired/tired sensation

Anxiety/nervousness

Sugar cravings

Increased abdominal circumference

High blood pressure

High blood sugar

Indigestion or heartburn

Difficulty recovering from exercise/injury

Irregular menstrual cycles 

Decreased fertility

Weight gain with exercise

Cortisol (Adrenal Fatigue-Late Stage/Burnout)

Fatigue or loss of stamina

Brain fog

Decreased stress tolerance

Insomnia or difficulty staying asleep

Excessive sleepiness

Dizzy

Salt cravings

Low Progesterone

PMS

Irregular cycles

Cyclical headaches

Bloating before periods

Heavy or painful periods

Ovarian cysts

Disrupted sleep

Infertility or miscarriage

Excess Estrogen

Heavy bleeding

Bloating or water retention

Weight gain (hips and thighs)

Fibroids

Breast tenderness

Endometriosis

Anxiety

Migraines or other headaches

Gallbladder issues

History of abnormal PAP

Low Estrogen

Night sweats 

Hot flashes

Leaky or overactive bladder

Loss of interest in exercise

Bone loss

Painful intercourse

Low libido

High Androgens  (Testosterone for Women)

Excess hair on face, arms, or chest

Acne

Greasy skin and skin tags

Reactivity or irritability

Long menstrual cycles

Infertility

PCOS or ovarian cysts

Low Testosterone (Men)

Low libido or erectile dysfunction

Decreased sense of well-being

Concentration issues

Depression or anxiety

Irritability or moody

Loss of muscular strength or bone mass

Increased body fat

Hair loss

Fatigue

Low Testosterone (Women)

Fatigue

Muscle weakness

Low libido or decreased sexual satisfaction

Weight gain

Slow metabolism

Brittle hair, nails and bones

Anxiety and depression

Hypothyroid

Hair loss, eyebrow thinning

Dry skin and hair

Brittle nails

Cold intolerance

Weight gain

Irregular menses

Muscle aches and inflammation

Fatigue

Anxiety and depression

Puffy face