Update-----Suzanne Somer's appearance on Larry King Live has been rescheduled to Friday, October 23------it was announced last night at the top of the show. Wolf Blitzer was filling in for Larry King-----and apparently the topic (at least one of the topics) was (groan)----that whole balloon boy drama-------why this family is being given this amount of media attention is beyond me----. Anyway, REset your DVR's for Friday, October 23 at 9 pm (eastern). Best to all for hormonal health!

Do you know of a really good doctor for bioidentical hormones in northern, New Jersey area? I am 45 and have been having many issues for 2 years now. I eat very healthy. Only organic and no sugar since I started having problems, which has helped tremendously. I also take supplements (fish oil, probiotics, etc.). Never feel 100% though especially around my period. 2 weeks out of every month is never good. I get my periods on time every months though, but heavy at first. Fatigue and weak feeling are my issues. All the doctors say is nothing is wrong. My thyroid was good. Don't understand why I still feel like this. I have been doing alot of reading and educating myself. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Drop me an email at holyhormones@gmail.com and I am happy to get a list of resources out to assist you in finding a doctor and/or compounding pharmacy in your area---most of the resources are online and the boards here do not allow link postings. The resource list also has a list of recommended reading (and I may have a couple of additions to it soon---went to an awesome BHRT seminar yesterday and learned about two more books----sigh----gotta get in another Amazon order!) If anyone else would like the list, same offer applies, and if you need a personal recommendation for a physician in either Southern CA (nope, not the Hall Center, my doctor is in private practice, is BOARD CERTIFIED, and is terrific, he is also an expert in thyroid issues---something that plagues a lot of us around the age of peri/menopause) or in Charlotte, NC (this guy wrote a book that I really like) please also drop an email. Get out there and enjoy the day-----it's a beautiful, sunny day here in Charlotte and I hope everyone is having a great, hormonally balanced day!

If you go to youtube and enter "where can I buy bioidentical hormones" you'll find a nurse and physician team that really helped me. Names are Dr. Jones and C. Peachment. They do online counselling for FREE.

Bioidentical hormones purchased over the counter or over the Internet are not nearly at the same strength as ones prescribed by a doctor and purchased at a pharmacy/compounding pharmacy. They are generally a waste of money, and are not covered under health insurance. It *is absolutely NOT TRUE that health insurance will never cover bioidentical hormones. *Many physicians who truly are experts in BHRT do not accept insurances in their practices, because the insurance companies refuse to pay for hormone balance consultations (which is very short sighted, a hormonally balanced patient is a healthier, thus less expensive patient), or the reiumbursement rates are so low that a physician would be forced to see multiple patients in an hour and still likely not cover overhead. An important component of true bioidentical hormone replacement therapy balance is the doctor doing more than just looking at a set of lab values----it takes time to take a complete history of a patient, an exam, and a frank discussion about the patient's symptoms, amount of time experiencing discomfort, family medical history, etc. Genrally doctors/practitioners who are proficient in BHRT spend about an hour with a patient at the first visit---the insurance companies pay for about 10 minutes worth of time. My health insurance does pay for more than half the cost of my hormones (progesterone, testosterone, estriol cream for vaginal dryness, and my 2 different thyroid hormones) so my out of pocket expense for a month is about $40-45. That's way less than the $750 my insurance company and I were paying for the 7 medications I no longer take. Bioidentical hormones are safe, far safer than the synthetic Premarin/Prempro hormones still (despite all the evidence of increased cancer risk) being prescribed by too many doctors-----but hormones are powerful substances, and absolutely without a doubt should only be taken when needed, in appropriate, physiological doses, and under a doctor's supervision. Some of these websites brag no prescription and no testing needed------that's absolutely nuts and it's taking a great risk with your health.

Many women in menopause (me included) are what is known as estrogen dominant----and you have no way of knowing for sure unless you get a hormone panel done. You could significantly raise your cancer risk by adding additional estrogen to the already too much estrogen in your body (without proper balancing of progesterone)-----this is important, this is your health at stake------ please take hormone balance for the serious health issue it is! You also need the expertise of a knowledgeable physician who can help you develop a comprehensive plan including the right supplements----I'm constantly amazed at the number of people who still are not taking Vitamin D3, have never had their levels tested, and their doctors have never talked to them about it. Supplements, too, have the power to help, but also the power to harm in the wrong doses (or interactions with medications). Some supplements we are able to purchase over the counter here in the US are so powerful that they are not available in other countries, or are available by prescription only.

Many women who are dealing with hormonal imbalances are not only dealing with the sex hormones (estrogens, progesterone and testosterone) but they are also dealing with thyroid hormone imbalances----another serious health concern and one not addressed on these websites. Find a doctor who is proficient in thyroid issues and will test both your T4 and T3 thyroid levels. I highly recommend Mary Shomon's books (she just wrote a new one specifically dealing with menopause and thyroid issues) to learn more about the subject. I'm blessed to finally have a doctor who is passionate about thyroid imbalance issues (he is hypothyroid himself, so he knows how lousy it makes a patient feel when they are out of balance) ----this is the first time in my life my thyroid is balanced and I feel so much better it's amazing.

If anyone would like assistance in finding a doctor and/or compounding pharmacy in their area who can help them with bioidentical hormone balance, or would like a list of books to read to learn more about BHRT (I recommend books written by doctors and health care professionals rather than celebrities) please drop me an email at holyhormones@gmail.com and I will send the list to you via email. If you are looking for a doctor in the Southern CA area (no, not the Hall Center, my doctor is BOARD CERTIFIED in Internal Medicine, specializes in bioidentical hormones and thyroid imbalances and his practice fees are far more reasonable than most because he truly beleives that women of modest means should have access to bioidentical hormones---he's terrific and I travel cross country to be his patient) or in the Charlotte, NC area (this doctor wrote a BHRT book that I recommend highly) please also drop me an email and I will get t he information out to you as soon as possible. Best wishes to all for hormonal health!