Balancing hormones can
balance your life.

The Key Ingredient for Balance

Low or Unbalanced hormone levels can cause all of the following:

• Fatigue
• Listlessness
• Depression
• Weight Gain
• Insomnia

Hormones such as Cortisol, Testosterone, Estrogen, Progesterone, and DHEA are some of the most important ones to monitor. Some of the older blood tests make everyone’s hormone levels look deceptively normal. Therefore it is important to use the right tests to determine one’s accurate hormone levels. We use a combination of blood tests, saliva tests and urine tests to get an accurate picture of one’s hormone levels.

Dr. Bawa has extensive experience in using bio-identical hormones and has a large number of patients who have been very happy with their outcomes. Dr. Bawa uses FDA approved bio-identical hormones and also uses compounding pharmacies when needed. In some cases, over-the-counter preparations might be enough to get some people feeling better and he is able to use that when necessary.

Below is a detailed explanation of different hormones:

Stress causes weight gain
and lowers immunity.

Cortisol: Cortisol is the primary Adrenal hormone and is often referred to as our Stress Hormone. Cortisol is responsible for managing our overall energy levels and responding to inflammation. Having sufficient balance of Cortisol allows us to manage our internal and external stress levels without getting fatigued and burned out. Cortisol is produced in response to any type of inflammation and is normally secreted at high levels in the morning and then comes down gradually throughout the day to allow us to go to sleep at night. Many hormone imbalances start with a dysfunctional metabolism of cortisol which eventually leads to adrenal fatigue. By measuring your specific levels of cortisol, we will be able to know precisely how to revive your adrenal gland so that we can get you feeling like you again.

DHEA: DHEA is another adrenal hormone that significantly impacts our health and well being. DHEA is most commonly known as the precursor for our estrogen and testosterone, but DHEA also provides the role of balancing out your cortisol. It is vitally important to maintain healthy levels of DHEA in order to ensure that your adrenal gland is balanced. When your DHEA levels begin to fall (due mostly to internal stress), you will stop producing your other hormones and thus start to experience hormonal disharmony. Also, as your DHEA levels decline, you will begin to feel washed out, fatigued, and have more stress as you will not have good reserves to handle your day to day stress. We can measure your DHEA levels and if needed, replace DHEA with a topical cream, sublingual drop or oral capsule.

Balancing hormones affects
how we look and feel.

Estrogen: composed of three estrogens: Estradiol our main Estrogen, Estriol and Estrone. Estrogen is the hormone the shapes the vitality of your mind, emotions and body. Estrogen balance is crucial to many organ systems including our skin, our heart, and our bones. Estrogen helps make your skin glow, brings moisture to your eyes and clearness to your mind. Most women continue to make plenty of Estrogen as they age, as Estrogen is the last hormone to decline. However, when Estrogen levels are too high, women experience proliferative symptoms such as Uterine Fibroids, fibrocystic breast disease, breast and uterine cancer. On the flip side, as Estrogen levels decline, women may experience hot flushes due to the fluctuating Estrogen levels, dry skin and vaginal dryness. Only by measuring your unique Estrogen levels can we determine where your Estrogen levels fall.

Progesterone: Progesterone provides hormonal harmony and calmness to your body and soul. Progesterone protects your breast and uterus and acts as a hormonal harmonizer with estrogen. When Progesterone levels are sufficient, you will feel calm and strong and balanced and will not have to suffer through PMS symptoms. When Progesterone levels decline, you may feel irritable, foggy headed, have breast tenderness and weight gain. Progesterone is the first sex hormone to decline and thus many women suffer through symptoms when they don’t have to. Far and away, low Progesterone is the most common hormonal imbalance for women. By adding some bio-identical, natural Progesterone, you will be able to feel like you again and return to a state of calmness and feeling of grounded that may have disappeared.

Testosterone: Testosterone is crucial for endurance, sexual function, healthy bones, muscles, and overall strength. Testosterone is the dominant hormone for men and declines in production as men age. When Testosterone levels fall, many men will experience a loss of drive, fatigue, loss of libido and lack of endurance. By measuring your Testosterone levels, we will be able to determine if adding back Testosterone will help you regain that energetic drive you may be lacking. Testosterone is also important for women and helps with vitality, libido, and energy levels.

Falling asleep on the job?
Hormonal imbalances
affect our sleep.

Melatonin: Melatonin is an often ignored hormone. Melatonin is produced and secreted by our pineal glands in our brain and is vastly important for helping us sleep. Melatonin is responsible for regulating our day/ night circadian rhythm. When our melatonin levels are sufficient, not only will we be able to sleep better, but we will lower our cortisol levels thus exerting an anti-inflammatory effect for our bodies.

Insulin: Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas that is responsible for getting your blood sugar from your bloodstream into your cells and organs. Your Insulin increases when your blood sugar increases. Unfortunately Insulin is weight promoting and causes us to gain weight. Due to any imbalance of Insulin secretion you will tend to gain weight and have trouble losing weight. By measuring your individual Insulin levels, we will be able to determine how to keep your Insulin metabolism steady to prevent you from slowing down your metabolism.

Thyroid: Thyroid hormones (T4 and T3) are secreted from your Thyroid gland which sits in the front of your throat. Our Thyroid gland is like the thermostat for our metabolism and sets the pace. When our thyroid metabolism is slowed, our metabolism slows and can lead to hair loss, fatigue, brain fog, constipation, dry skin. Unfortunately the testing for thyroid disorders is far from perfect. Due to his vast experience helping patients with an underactive thyroid, Dr. Bawa knows how to properly test for a thyroid disorder. On top of that, Dr. Bawa offers different options including some natural ones for helping a sluggish thyroid.

Neurotransmitters (Chemical messengers in the brain):

Optimizing hormones uplifts our mood.

Serotonin: Serotonin is our primary neurotransmitter. When our Serotonin levels are balanced, we feel grounded and stable–imagine whistling while you work! Adequate Serotonin levels can be difficult to maintain for a variety of reasons. When our Serotonin levels start to fall, we may feel anxious, depressed and start having obsessive-compulsive thoughts. It is as if a dark cloud has appeared over your head and follows you around. IN some cases, natural supplements such as 5-HTP or L-Tryptophan can help to fix low serotonin levels.

GABA: GABA is both an Amino Acid and neurotransmitter and is like our natural Valium. When GABA levels decline we tend to feel stressed and anxious and muscle tension. GABA is also available as a natural supplement and in some cases it can be used to help with anxiety and help people relax.

Dopamine/Epinephrine/Norepinephrine: These are collectively known as the excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain. When their levels are replete, we feel motivated, are able to concentrate, have great recall, feel more energy and have more mental clarity. As one or all of these levels decline, we tend to feel less organized and have more difficulty sustaining attention and staying on task. In some cases, a natural supplement such as L-Tyrosine can be used to increase Dopamine/ Epinephrine/ Norepinephrine levels. The results are generally felt within a day or so and side effects are very rare.