Treatments
Your journey to find effective holistic health care has been long and tiring, but we are so glad you have found us! If you have dealt with difficult symptoms for far too long, you are in the right place. Our style is proactive, particapatory, preventative and personalized. We cannot wait until you feel better, so let's get to work.
nutrition
Never is it so important to realize that every person is a unique and individual expression of the human form than when utilizing nutrition to heal the body. What is right for one person to eat is not always right for the next. Dr. Laura gives utmost importance on establishing the correct diet for each and every patient, because FOOD IS MEDICINE. On the same vein, the wrong food can wreck havoc upon health. Hippocrates was the first to acknowledge food as medicine, and he did so 2,400 years ago! We may have forgotten about this relationship for some time, but today we are again realizing the connection as we turn our attention away from drugs and surgery as the sole treatment to our illnesses.
Vitamins + Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are the currency of the body. Depletion or insufficiency in any of these crucial compound can lead to multiple health issues. A thorough history, physical exam and lab findings can elucidate disturbances just beneath the body’s surface.
Botanicals
Amazingly complex in medicinal action, we learn much about botanical qualities from our ancestors, who were able to treat diseases with these magical plants long before they knew the scientific mechanisms within. The medicines we need today are often right in our own backyards.
Hormone replacement therapy
A large part of our practice focuses on hormone balancing. Why? Because so many of us walk around with hormone imbalances and are told that the symptoms we experience are "normal" or "just a part of getting older". Dr. Laura enjoys seeing her patients feel great, and balancing hormones is one of the most effective tools to achieve this.
who should be tested?
Men and women concerned with changing hormone levels as a result of age.
Women experiencing PMS symptoms such as mood swings, menstrual cramping, irregular or heavy menses, headaches, tender breasts, sugar cravings and or/boating.
Peri- and post-menopausal women concerned with their estrogen and progesterone levels for replacement considerations. Those who are experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, incontinence and dryness of the skin.
Those wishing to monitor their hormone levels following replacement therapy.
Anyone with symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, stress, immune issues, blood sugar problems, and those who are overweight should be tested for cortisol levels as well as sex hormones.
What are hormones?
The major sex hormones to assess are estradiol, progesterone and testosterone. Estrone and estriol are also important sex hormones to consider testing. The main adrenal hormones are DHEA and cortisol. These seven hormones will provide crucial information about deficiencies, excesses and daily patterns, which then result in a specifically tailored treatment approach.
ESTROGEN There are three forms made by the body: estrone, estradiol and estriol. The form used in conventional hormone replacement therapies is estradiol, often in the form of concentrated pregnant mare’s urine (Premarin). This hormone's main action is growth. It grows the lining of the uterus, but is also a known cancer-causing hormone: breast and endometrial (uterine) in women and prostate gland in men. It will treat menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia and memory-loss. With the bio-identical formulas estriol is combined with estradiol (biest) to provide protective effects and additional estrogenic benefits. The other major hormone which balances estrogen is progesterone.
PROGESTERONE: Called the anti-estrogen because it balances estradiol’s proliferative effects. It is considered preventive for breast and prostate cancers as well as osteoporosis. In addition, too little progesterone can lead to depression, irritability, increased inflammation, irregular menses, breast tenderness, urinary frequency and prostate gland enlargement (BPH).
TESTOSTERONE: An anabolic hormone (builds tissue) that is essential for men and women. The proper level of testosterone is necessary for bone health, muscle strength, stamina, sex drive and performance, heart function and mental focus.
DHEA: An important adrenal gland hormone, which is essential for energy production and blood sugar balance. DHEA is a precursor to other hormones, mainly testosterone.
CORTISOL: Your waking day hormone (highest in the morning and lowest at night). It is necessary for energy production, blood sugar metabolism, anti-inflammatory effects and stress response.
DHT: A testosterone metabolite that is the primary androgen in the prostate and hair follicles where it can contribute to scalp hair loss, acne, hirsutism and prostate enlargement.
MELATONIN: Classified as a hormone but also acting as a neurotransmitter, melatonin is primarily secreted during the dark (at night) with levels dropping dramatically after exposure to bright light. Melatonin is involved with circadian rhythms, and most commonly associated with sleep patterns and sleep disturbances.
Isn't Hormone Replacement Therapy Dangerous?
Some forms of hormone replacement therapy prevent serious diseases such as breast cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and neurological degeneration while other forms actually increase the risk of these diseases. The most famous study illustrating the risk of HRT actually started out as a study to prove the safety and efficacy of HRT therapy: The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI).
The WHI studies were large, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of HRT in healthy, postmenopausal women. These studies followed over 16,000 women for approximately 5 years, half of which were taking a placebo, the other half taking the progestin medroxyprogesterone acetate and/or conjugated equine estrogens. The estrogen-plus-progestin trial and estrogen-alone trial were both halted early (in July 2002 and February 2004 respectively) because preliminary study results indicated that the health risks of the conjugated equine estrogen and progestin exceeded benefits. The study found statistically significant increases in rates of breast cancer, coronary heart disease, strokes and pulmonary embolisms for those on synthetic HRT. Interestingly, the study also found statistically significant decreases in rates of hip fracture and colorectal cancer. However, the risks outweighed the benefits. With these findings, discussions surrounding the trial usually focus on the risks of HRT in general, rather than the type of HRT used in the WHI studies, which were conjugated equine estrogen and progestin.
It is important to note that bio-identical hormones are not the same compounds as the hormones used in the WHI studies. Conjugated equine estrogen and progestin are molecular similar to, though not identical to those hormones found naturally in the human body and are often referred to as "synthetic" hormones. Because of this difference in molecular structure, side effects can be quite extensive, including headaches, nausea, skin issues, sexual problems, bloating or weight gain, breast cancer, coronary heart disease, strokes and pulmonary embolisms.
Unfortunately the WHI did not test natural progesterone. Natural progesterone, which is molecularly identical to the progesterone found in the human body, proves protective of the breast in many studies. Progesterone is the star hormone in the second half of the menstrual cycle. It is essential for reproductive function, bone strength, mental function and breast health.
Progestins (such as those found in birth control pills) can actually lower levels of progesterone detectable in saliva. Progestin creates a negative feedback loop when the brain thinks that there is enough progesterone circulating and it stops the signal to the brain to produce more. The body then becomes low in progesterone and high in the synthetic progestin. The symptoms of PMS or estrogen dominance that women are so desperately trying to alleviate worsen when progesterone levels are low.
Abnormal periods and menopausal symptoms should never be written off as “normal” or part of “aging”. With salivary hormone testing, we can customize the therapy to each individual and relieve problematic symptoms. Research studies have confirmed that millions of women have successfully used bio-identical (natural) hormones with great improvement in health and wellbeing.
References:
www.orthoevra.com
Pete Hueseman, R.Ph., P.D., 1997
HOMEOPATHY
Homeopathy is a safe, gentle, and natural system of healing that works with the body to relieve symptoms and restore overall health. The body has an innate intelligence within and seeks to be well. Homeopathy allows the body to tap back into this natural healing ability. It is a main form of medicine in India today, utilized to treat diseases of all types and likely the most personalized form of medicine in existence.
biotherapeutic DRAINAGE
Biotherapeutic drainage is a unique treatment form that supports the body to detoxify cells and the environment in which the cells live. Just like growing a healthy garden requires healthy soil, drainage removes the stagnation within the body to enable each cell to shine, leaving you with radiant health.
Auriculotherapy
Stimulation of certain points in the ear can ease a vast array of health concerns such as pain, fatigue, nausea, high blood pressure and anxiety. This is an ancient form of medicine used commonly by today's German physicians, Chinese medical practitioners and even the Dalai Lama. Simple, non-invasive and powerful.
Cranio Sacral Therapy
Much like the beating of a heart or the ebb and flow of the ocean, the body maintains many rhythmic expressions. Craniosacral therapy utilizes these rhythmic patterns of the body to assess imbalances and subsequently make corrections.
As the brain and spinal chord undulate rhythmically, the cerebrospinal fluid within the subarachnoid space also fluctuates rhythmically as it circulates throughout the body. This cerebrospinal fluid is the main way our body removes waste product from the brain and other organs.
Additionally, the tissues surrounding the brain an spinal chord provide structure, but can also cause tension in adjacent structures such as the cranial bones.
The cranial bones themselves move slightly in relation to one another, contrary to past belief of complete fusion and immobility.
Lastly, the sacrum connects to the cranium via the dural membranes surrounding the spinal chord. Motion at the base of the skill transmits to the sacrum.
Consider craniosacral therapy for chronic pain, but also for maintenance of health. You can think of this therapy as "hitting the reset button". Though gentle and subtle, it's effects on mind and body are profound.