Posted by Dr. Jonathan Walker on March 29, 2009 under Uncategorized | 
Have you been searching for a chiropractor in Ocala? Having a hard time telling the difference from one to the next? I don’t blame you! A quick scan of the yellow pages shows dozens of qualified chiropractors who all treat back pain, neck pain, sciatica, headaches, disc injuries, auto injuries, and a host of other conditions.
Some might have spinal decompression, others might offer acupuncture, but at the end of the day, there’s not a whole lot of difference. Marketing guru Seth Godin wrote a must-read business book called “The Purple Cow”. Godin writes that driving through the countryside can be an exciting experience for a city dweller. The first cow you see reminds you that you’re no longer in the concrete jungle with it’s noise and chaos. However, as the trip goes on each cow becomes less and less interesting, and by the end of the journey you don’t even notice them as you whiz by.
But a purple cow? That’s an animal you’d never forget. Once you saw a purple cow you’d watch every other cow intently searching for the rare purple one.
What does any of this have to do with choosing a chiropractor? Seth Godin believes every business should have a purple cow, or at least one feature that makes it unique and exciting.
At Ocala Chiropractic Center, we are proud to introduce Dr. Anthony Sancetta, our resident purple cow! Dr. Sancetta is a medical physician, more specifically a D.O., who brings an entirely new skillset to the practice. Dr. Sancetta specializes in the field of natural medicine, working to help our patients balance their body chemistry and hormones. He’s also able to assist in the treatment of patients with severe pain, such as those who have been in auto accidents, with medication and trigger point injections.
If you’re looking for a truly unique experience, then Ocala Chiropractic Center is for you. We are the only clinic in Marion County with a chiropractor and medical physician working together. Let us find the solution to your health problems with our purple cow!
Posted by Dr. Jonathan Walker on March 4, 2009 under Hormone Replacement Therapy |
| Why Hormone replacement? |
For years Doctors have been treating women for menopause by giving them estrogen and progesterone then why do we neglect the other crucial hormones such as Natural thyroid hormone, DHEA  (Dehydroepiandrosterone), Melatonin, Human Growth Hormone (HGH)?At Ocala Integrative Medicine, we realize the value of natural hormone replacement therapy. In addition to alleviating the symptoms of menopause and reducing risk of osteoporosis, hormone replacement can also aid in the anti-aging process, improve your memory and mood, and create an overall sense of well-being.We specialize in Bioidentical hormone replacement hormone therapy. After a thorough examination and the necessary lab tests, Dr. Tony Sancetta will prescribe for you the proper natural hormones that will have you looking and feeling better than you have in years. |
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| What are bioidentical hormones? |
| Bioidentical hormones are exactly the same hormones, molecule by molecule that your body produces. They are modified in a lab derived mostly from plant sources but are still considered natural to your body because they are identical. Body does not consider then a foreign substance and so does not cause any adverse reactions.Synthetic hormones are also made in a lab, but most importantly are not identical to your body. Bioidentical hormones are superior to types of synthetic hormones commonly prescribed. |
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| Why do I need to test for hormone levels? |
| Hormones are powerful substances that control multiple functions through out the body. Hormone levels should be sufficient and balanced. Too little or too much of them is not conducive to long-term emotional, mental and bodily health. Simple saliva test can accurately measure your hormone levels- no blood work required! |
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| What are “normal’ hormone levels? |
| Hormoen levels from woman to woman can vary from 200-1500%! Just as you cannot balance your bank account without numbers on your bank statements, hormones testing provide both a basis for treatment and proximity to your goal. One can then customize natural hormone dosing to meet individual needs. In other words Optimize hormone levels for minimum dose to relieve symptoms and avoid overdosing.We may choose to prescribe various different hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid, Cortisol, DHEA, Melatonin, or growth hormone, depending on what your symptoms are and which hormone(s) your body needs. This is done on a gradient scale so as to let the body adjust itself naturally. |
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| What is menopause? |
| Literally, menopause means the cessation of the monthly menstrual cycle and signals the end of a woman’s natural childbearing years. Menopause is neither a disease nor an illness; it is a natural and usually gradual change in glandular function, when major hormonal shifts occur as a result of ovaries not producing estrogen and progesterone. On average, this occurs at age 52, but can occur much earlier or later. |
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| What is perimenopause? |
As a woman approaches menopause, her hormone production may fluctuate wildly, causing hot flashes, moodiness, depression, loss of libido, sleep problems, and more. Some women experience symptoms early – in some cases 10-15 years before clinical menopause.Fluctuating levels of hormones can cause one or more of the following:
| Hot flashes |
Fatigue |
| Night sweats |
Irregular Periods |
| Insomnia |
Breast tenderness |
| Memory loss |
Weight Gain |
| Mood swings |
Anxiety |
| Low sex drive |
Increased skin wrinkling |
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| What can be done? |
| The right balance of hormones is important to long-term emotional, mental and bodily health.We recommend a natural hormone replacement therapy (often called BHRT, Bioidentical HRT) that can provide relief from menopause symptoms, and may also help minimize the risks of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, and some types of cancer. It also Increases sense of well being by removing underlying hormone deficit and imbalances.We treat and correct symptoms using natural hormones with testing before and after treatment. |
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| But I already take hormones? Or I tried hormones already and they didn’t work? |
| For last 50 or so years women in this country have been prescribed Premarin and Provera. Premarin is a synthetic form of estrogen and is made from the urine of pregnant mares. Provera is synthetic progesterone and does not have the same functions as natural progesterone. Most women get the same dose of medication and usually do not have their hormone levels checked.At Angel Longevity Medical Center, we take a different approach. We carefully measure your entire hormone panel, not just female hormones such as estrogen, so that we can tailor a replacement program specifically for you. In this way, we bring all of your hormones into balance, allowing you to feel years younger. We use only bioidentical hormones. Hormones are available from some large pharmaceutical companies in predetermined doses, but they are also available through compounding pharmacies in a more custom hormone dose formulation. |
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| What are the benefits of estrogen therapy? |
Estrogens promote youthful cell growth in organs of the body.The benefits of estrogens include:
- Enhanced skin smoothness, firmness and elasticity
- Enhanced moistness of mucus membranes
- Enhanced muscle tone
- Enhanced sex drive
- Reduced risk of osteoporosis
- Reduced risk of colon cancer
- Improved memory and neurological function
- Greater feeling of well being.
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| Are you estrogen dominant?
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The increasingly popular term Estrogen dominant does not mean you have too much estrogen but that you have too little progesterone in relation to your estrogen even if the estrogen level is actually also low. There is an ideal ration between the two (Pg/E2). You can actually have normal or even low levels of estrogen, but when you have diminished levels of progesterone levels, estrogen dominance results. Because estrogen is a proliferative (cell growing) hormone, too much of it without progesterone to balance it will cause problems such as
| Fibrocystic disease |
Water Retention |
| Heavy/Irregular periods |
Low Thyroid Symptoms |
| Migraines |
Belly weight gain |
| Bone/mineral loss |
Tearfulness |
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| Are there any other hormones I should take? |
| Many women are also deficient in testosterone. While testosterone is often considered a male hormone, it is a critical hormone in women as well. Replacement therapy with natural testosterone can increase sexual desire and improve feelings of emotional well-being.Besides bioidentical hormones we also provide nutritional supplements tailored for you, recommendation for life style changes, whole foods, diet, exercise and relaxation and enjoyment of life. |
Call Ocala Integrative Medicine today at 352-732-5590 to schedule a consultation and find out if bioidentical hormone replacement could be right for you!
