Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Healthy Being Wellness Center offers an assortment of medical testing
services. One of the areas of our focus is hormone testing and PSA
testing for men.
We utilize a test from ZRT labs that
allows men to provide a saliva sample for testing of their testosterone
levels as well as their levels of estrogen, DHEA-s, progesterone and
cortisol.
Assessing hormone levels for men is more
complex than just testing for one hormone. The way our bodies work and
manufacture hormones, requires us to look at the full hormone panel.
Stress
is a major factor that faces men's hormonal imbalance. We often work
with men who suffer from low testosterone levels. They experience
fatigue, low sexual drive and low libido, thinning hair, enlarged
breasts and nipples, thinning hair and other symptoms that they
dislike. These symptoms often indicate that these men are going through
andropause- a condition similar to the menopause women experience, but
it's specific to men.
Andropause is a scary term.
For men, the symptoms are even more scary. With testosterone and
hormone saliva testing, we can begin to identify and prevent the
severity of andropause. It is important to note that not all men with
low testosterone levels experience andropause.
Evaluating
one of the key stress hormones, cortisol, is necessary for us to get
the full picture and evaluate the root cause for lowered testosterone
levels.
The tests we run are very convenience and easy
for the busy clients we treat and work with. The most common and more
accurate hormone test is to run a saliva test that evaluates the all the
hormones in the body. Our patients and clients take the test kit home,
provide the saliva sample(s) and then the next day drop the kit off
into a FedEx location and within 3-5 business day, we have results and
can begin to craft a full plan to increase testosterone levels
naturally.
We are beginning to see men in their late
30s, early 40s with lowered testosterone levels and higher levels of
DHEA-s and higher levels of Estrogen. When evaluating their test
results, we find that these individuals are presenting with an insulin
resistance, metabolic syndrome and are in a pre-diabetic state. The
good news is that this is all entirely, reversible.

At
Healthy Being Wellness Center, our Naturopath and our Acupuncture
Physicians treat and work with many men who are experiencing high PSA
levels, inflammation of the prostate, prostatitis and prostate cancers.
Men who are at high risk for prostate cancer have had their brothers or
fathers, should get the Prostate Specific Antigen blood test starting at
the age of 40 years old. This test will tell the male patient if more
than one test is needed per year. This test tells the levels of
protein in the prostate gland. Being informed could help save a person
from the fate of these diseases.
We utilize ZRT labs
for a quick and easy, at home or in our office testing for PSA levels.
We utilize a blood spot test - a quick and easy, non-invasive test. ZRT
Laboratory offers dried blood spot testing,
measuring all the sex steroid hormones, along with thyroid hormones,
cardiometabolic markers and vitamin D, without the cost and
inconvenience of conventional blood draws. Our at home blood spot
testing also include comprehensive test reports that help physicians
track a patientâ??s progress by providing comparative histories with
follow-up testing, making it possible to more regularly monitor hormone
levels. Blood spot testing is beneficial for both patient and
practitioner, and helps the patient gain the intended benefit of hormone
replacement therapy without the risk.
More recent advances in clinical testing and molecular technologies
have created new opportunities for research and disease screening using
dried blood spots. Blood spot assays have been shown to be a highly
sensitive and accurate means for measuring circulating hormones, and can
identify hidden hormonal deficiencies linked to adult growth hormone
deficiency, thyroid dysfunction, and unwanted symptoms and disorders of
aging, menopause, and andropause.
If you are seeking
testosterone testing or PSA testing, please call our office for more
information. Schedule an appointment with our Naturopath, Melissa
Gallagher. 727-502-3464.
Visit our website for more information about hormone testing.