ARE YOUR JOINTS HURTING? IT COULD BE A HORMONAL IMBALANCE

The endocrine system is a messaging system extraordinaire — your pituitary, thyroid, and other glands produce hormones and send them to keep your body’s systems humming along and fully functional.

When your hormones become imbalanced, such as during the transition to menopause if you’re a woman or, for men, as you get older and testosterone levels decline, all sorts of distressing symptoms can occur — from a sluggish libido, fatigue, and weight gain to sleep problems and lack of focus or negative mood.

You might not be aware, however, that joint pain can also be linked to a hormone imbalance, so don’t just assume it’s a natural and acceptable part of getting older!

At Life’s Cycle, Dr. Pamela Kimbrough and her caring team offer a wide range of services to patients, including an advanced bioidentical hormone replacement therapy product that’s easily customizable to each patient.

HOW CAN MY HORMONES BE LINKED TO JOINT PAIN?

Visiting your doctor can help you figure out whether your hormones are functioning as they should be. A simple blood test tells them about any deficiencies and starts your journey toward a pain-free state.

If you’re middle-aged or older and male, you could be experiencing low testosterone or a hormonal shift due to a health condition you live with, as we mentioned before. If you’re female and in the same age range, your body is likely slowing its production of estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone.

For women, we know that estrogen has an anti-inflammatory effect on the body, so when that dips, joint pain can emerge. And your hormonal imbalance may not even have to do with your age. It might have everything to do with the level of stress you’re under or an illness.

Men and women can also suffer increased joint pain when cortisol levels spike due to sustained stress, while hormonal fluctuations can also lead to weight gain, which stresses your joints as well.

So it may seem incongruous, but out-of-whack hormones can definitely be the culprit when your knee is throbbing or you’re having trouble twisting off that jar cap.

After Dr. Kimbrough determines whether your joint pain is related to a condition like osteoarthritis or overuse or if a hormone imbalance is to blame, she can start to create a targeted treatment plan. If it turns out that your joint pain could be alleviated by bringing your hormones into balance, she offers an advanced treatment that’s safe and successful.

CAN TREATMENT BALANCE MY HORMONES AND ADDRESS MY JOINT PAIN?

Fortunately, there’s a sophisticated treatment called bioidentical hormone replacement therapy that rights what’s wrong with your hormone levels and brings you back into a place of equilibrium — and makes your achy joints a thing of the past!

Dr. Kimbrough uses the unique SottoPelle® bioidentical hormone replacement therapy

product because of its patient-friendly features:

• These hormones are plant-based, natural, and created to match perfectly with your own.

• The replacement is administered via a pellet that Dr. Kimbrough gently places under your skin so you absorb it gradually — no patches, creams, or pills.

• SottoPelle delivers a low dose of hormones consistently over time.

• Hormones are customized, and an increased amount is delivered only when you need it, such as during times of stress.

• SottoPelle® hormones mimic specifically what your ovaries or testicles produce, and are therefore superior to synthetic hormones.

• Your body uses bioidentical hormones more efficiently.

• Bioidentical hormones cause fewer side effects than man made-ones.

• SottoPelle pellets provide benefits for up to six months.

Research is growing that shows bioidentical hormones to be protective over the long term against disease, bone density-enhancing (to combat osteoporosis), and rejuvenating for your sexual functioning — in addition to providing strong relief from painful joints. With all these advantages, there’s a lot to love about SottoPelle.

To learn more about how SottoPelle bioidentical hormone replacement can help you, call our Norman or Ardmore, Oklahoma, office to schedule an appointment, or book one online.