March 2009 issue

It may be time to retest your saliva. Give us a call to pick up a saliva kit and to book your follow-up appointment.

Visit our BLOG: http://alternativehormonesolutions.blogspot.com and share your opinions, experiences and comments with our other readers...

Testing the Thyroid Gland

Diagnosing low thyroid can be difficult using the current medical model.

Although there are numerous lab values that can be used to evaluate thyroid function, many physicians use only one lab test for diagnosis: Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH).

Many patients with 8 out of 10 low thyroid symptoms will be told that their thyroid is not the cause of their symptoms because their TSH level is "normal." Doctors using the TSH test as the sole criterion for detecting and treating the low thyroid patient are missing a great opportunity to help more sick people.

Although TSH is the most common method to diagnose low thyroid, having "normal" TSH levels does not automatically rule out hypothyroidism. In addition to the TSH test, a more complete thyroid panel should also include free T3, free T4, and possibly TPO antibodies, and reverse T3. Although these are the best tests to evaluate thyroid function, these tests are often not performed because they are more expensive than the common tests and may not be covered.

There are many risk factors and symptoms that point the increased possibility of low thyroid.

Risk factors include:

• Females,

• age over 30,

• a family history of low thyroid or auto immune disease,

• post-partum depression,

• infertility,

• multiple miscarriages,

• PMS,

• weakness,

• problems with skin or hair,

• lethargy, sensation of cold,

• impaired memory or mood,

• constipation,

• weight gain or loss,

• muscle/joint pain,

• emotional instability,

• swelling around eyes, face or legs,

• nervousness,

• depression,

• heart palpitations,

• slow heart rate

• fullness in the throat area or difficulty swallowing, and many more.

Fatigue is one of the most common reasons for visits to primary care doctors and successful treatment begins with diagnosis. Therefore, any patient suspecting that they have hypothyroidism should be evaluated thoroughly. In addition to hypothyroid, there are many other reasons for fatigue. These include: poor blood sugar regulation, low adrenal function, anemia, nutritional deficiencies (often B vitamins), heavy metal toxicity, lack of exercise, allergies, inadequate sleep, clinical depression, and chronic infection.

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What do we test in Blood Spot Testing?

1. TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) The most common thyroid test.  TSH is produced in the pituitary gland and stimulates the thyroid to produce T4 and T3.

2. Free T4 – (thyroxine) free or unbound T4 levels represent the level of hormone available for uptake and use by the cells.  Bound levels represent a circulating hormone that may not all be immediately available.  Because the free levels of T4 represent immediately available hormone, free T4 is thought to better reflect the patient’s hormonal status than total T4.

3. Free T3 – Free T3 measure the free, unbound levels of triiodothyronine in your bloodstream.  Free T3 is considered more accurate than total T3.  T3 has a greater effect on the way the body uses energy than T4, even though T3 is normally present in smaller amounts than T4.

4. TPO – (Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies)  These antibodies work against thyroid peroxidase, an enzyme that plays a part in the T4 to T3 conversion and synthesis process.  TPO antibodies can be evidence of tissue destruction, such as Hashimoto’s disease, less commonly, in other forms of thyroiditis such as post partum thyroiditis. 

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How do I Collect Blood?

The testing does not involve needles! 

A “lancet” is provided in the kit to that has a spring loader device that pricks your finger. 

You then just place drops of blood on a “Blood Spot Collection Card”. 

The card is mailed off to the ZRT lab. 

Results will be forwarded to one of the Alternative Hormone Solutions clinics.

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VITAMIN D TESTING

WHY TEST FOR VITAMIN D? 

Ideally, the best place to get vitamin D is from your skin being exposed to the UV-B that is in normal sunlight.

Vitamin D from sunlight acts as a pro-hormone, rapidly converting into 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or vitamin D3.

Unfortunately, the amount of sun reaching most of us is only sufficient to generate a healthy vitamin D response for far less than half the year.

Most people don't live far enough south or high enough in the mountains to allow enough Ultraviolet (UV) -B to reach their skin. So, for those times of the year when access to the proper amount of sun is not possible, you will want to consider an oral form of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol).

The Canadian Cancer Association recommends 1000 IU daily however many practitioners are recommending much higher dosages.  While vitamin D has enormous potential for improving your health, you don’t want to take more than is needed to get the D levels optimized.

HOW DO I TEST?  Testing is through the blood spot test – same as the thyroid testing.

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COSTS OF TESTING:

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PARTNERS IN NATURAL HEALTH & WELLNESS

We all know that health and wellness is not achieved by focusing on one facet of our body or our lifestyle.  At AHS, we focus on hormone health, but we also believe that achieving wellness is a balance of many things including hormones, nutrition, exercise, supplementation and stress reduction. 

This is a new effort to share with you those other health and wellness services in our community that share and support our interest in empowering women to make health choices and begin to feel healthy and full of renewed energy.

Nasty Free Naturals

100% All Natural Chemical-Free, House, Home & Beauty Products  nastyfreenaturals@shaw.ca

Balance Your Immune System www.balance-your-immune-system.com

Organic Grocer, Surrey, BC   www.organicgrocerweb.ca

Balanced Weight

Allan Lawry, Program Director,  Vancouver, BC

Programs to keep fat, muscle and bone within healthy ranges

www.balancemyweight.com  604-730-5550

Breakthrough Hypnotherapy and Wellness Centre

Alison L. Longley, Registered Clinical Hypnotherapist, , Burnaby, BC

www.breakthrough-hypnotherapy.com    604-616-6400

Espiritu Healing Arts Centre 

Physiotherapy, massage therapy, traditional Chinese medicine, rehabilitation exercise/core training, Pilates and yoga in North Vancouver.

www.espiritu.ca   604-982-0366

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What Our Clients are Saying...

 WHAT’S NEW AT ALTERNATIVE HORMONE SOLUTIONS?

The Port Moody Clinic opened in October.  This move was prompted by the new road configuration around the Surrey Clinic.  Once the road construction in that area is completed, access to the clinic would have been extremely difficult.  The Port Moody Clinic is located at 2226 St. John’s St. 

There’s plenty of free parking in the area. 

The phone number is 604-936-1156.

The Vancouver Clinic was closed the end of October and was relocated on January 1^st.  2009.

The new office is relocated in West Vancouver at #9 - 636 Clyde Ave., just off Taylor Way.  It is still easy access for Vancouver area clients. 

The phone number however will remain the same – (604) 738-3999

For those of you who choose not to travel across the bridge, we offer telephone consultations.  We have been providing phone consultations all along for women in other areas of the Province and Country. 

In addition, if you require supplements or saliva kits, we will be mailing them without the postage charge for the existing Vancouver area clients until the end of December.  However, due to the low mark-up on our supplements, the postage charge will be in effect January 1, 2009. 

Please let us know if you need a Supplement Order Form.

Other Information

1. Free seminars if you gather a group of 15 women or more.  You provide the venue, we provide the information.  (This can be turned into a fundraiser for your organization)

2.  Visit our blogspot at http://alternativehormonesolutions.blogspot.com/

3. If you have trouble finding a good compounding Pharmacist, please let us know.  Both Shauna and Debbie have good contacts.  Progesterone prescriptions can be faxed into the Pharmacist and the cream sent directly to your home.  Remember, a good compounding Pharmacist is hard to find.  They really need the expertise to properly mix these hormones into a good base.

4. Unfortunately we need to increase the price of the Krill Oil to $32.00.  We have realized over the past few weeks that we are actually selling the Krill for less than we buy it for due to the weaker Canadian dollar!

It's All About ME!!!

If any of you have a success story to share and would permit us to use it, anonymously on our website or in a newsletter, we'd love to hear from you!

Don’t Forget…. If it has been a while since your last visit, please call us for a follow-up visit to re-evaluate your symptoms &/or check your hormone levels.

And now you can post your own experiences and opinions on our new BLOG at: http://alternativehormonesolutions.blogspot.com

March Madness

A lady goes to the bar on a cruise ship and orders a Scotch with two drops of water. As the bartender gives her the drink she says,

'I'm on this cruise to celebrate my 80th birthday and it's today...'

The bartender says, 'Well, since it's your birthday, I'll buy you a drink. In fact, this one is on me.'

As the woman finishes her drink, the woman to her right says, 'I would like to buy you a drink, too.'

The old woman says, 'Thank you. Bartender, I want a Scotch with two drops of water.'

'Coming up,' says the bartender

As she finishes that drink, the man to her left says, 'I would like to buy you one, too.'

The old woman says, 'Thank you. Bartender, I want another Scotch with two drops of water.'

'Coming right up,' the bartender says. As he gives her the drink, he says, 'Ma 'am, I'm dying of curiosity. Why the Scotch with only two drops of water?'

The old woman replies, 'Sonny, when you're my age, you've learned how to hold your liquor. Holding your water, however, is a whole other issue.

Contact Us

Alternative Hormone Solutions

WEST VANCOUVER CLINIC

Suite #9 -636 Clyde Ave, West Vancouver, B.C.

Phone: 604-922-3997   Fax: 604-926-3727

E-mail: info@alternativehormonesolutions.ca

We’re on the Web...  www.alternativehormonesolutions.ca