Happy February to all our Revitalize Patients! February is a Heart Health Awareness month! It’s also a perfect time to celebrate your partner on Valentine’s Day!
At Revitalize, we love helping patients optimize every aspect of their sex lives, while simultaneously decreasing their risk for cardiovascular disease!
BHRT CAN HELP “REVITALIZE” A WANING LIBIDO AND RESTORE SEXUAL FUNCTION
BIOIDENTIAL HORMONE OPTIMIZATION HAS BEEN SHOWN TO DECREASE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
The health protective benefits of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) are becoming more widely known, although there is still confusion about the cardiovascular benefits of hormone optimization. The truth is BHRT is protective to our heart and helps prevent cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular events. This is incredibly relevant given that 50% of men and women in the United States die from cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone all protect the heart and cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular bio-markers such as lipids, CRP, clotting factors, blood sugar levels, triglycerides, and blood pressure are all favorably impacted with the use of BHRT.
Testosterone in men has been shown to reduce ischemia, improve exercise tolerance, decrease inflammation, decrease hardening and or/thickening or the arteries, and improve congestive heart failure. The lower the testosterone level, the more likely a male is to have coronary artery disease. Low testosterone has also been associated with increased all cause mortality. Here is an update from Carol Petersen RPh, CNP from Women’s International Pharmacy citing recent information about the beneficial effects of testosterone replacement for men:
Testosterone Treatment Vindicated?
Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, writing on behalf of the Androgen Study Group and 29 medical societies, strongly defended the use of testosterone http:// twww.androgenstudygroup.org/initiatives/letter-to-fda-asking-to-deny-black-box-petition
The article “Normalization of testosterone level is associated with reduced incidence of myocardial infarction and mortality in men” was recently published in the European Heart Journal (2015) 36, 2706-2715. The study examines the effects of testosterone use in a huge cohort of men. 83,010 men with no prior history of heart attack or stroke and documented low testosterone levels were divided into three groups. One group received testosterone and testosterone levels were normalized with supplementation. The second group received testosterone, but normal levels were not achieved. The third group did not receive testosterone supplementation. The group with testosterone levels that were normalized using testosterone supplementation had lower mortality, fewer heart attacks and fewer strokes than the men in the other two groups. No other study of this magnitude has been done before and no other study has actually documented testosterone levels before and after treatment.
For women, low dose testosterone has been shown to have no adverse cardiovascular effects.
Estrogen in women has been shown to increase HDL (the “good” cholesterol) by 10-15%, reduce overall risk of heart disease by 40-50%, decrease lipoprotein (a major factor of heart disease), and act as a calcium channel blocker to keep arteries open and prevent heart attack. Estrogen also decreases LDL (the “bad” cholesterol).
Progesterone in women increases the beneficial effects of estrogen on blood vessels, increases metabolic rate, acts as a natural diuretic to lower blood pressure, is anti-inflammatory, lowers cholesterol, and decreases myocardial ischemia.
Thyroid has been shown to also lower bad cholesterol and increase cardiac output.
Looking for a healthy alternative to those Valentine treats? Try these yogurt-dipped strawberries.
Find the juiciest organic strawberries you can, grab some yogurt, and make this sweet seasonal treat!
YOGURT-DIPPED STRAWBERRIES
Besides being impossibly cute, these yogurt-covered strawberries are insanely delicious. They’re also super easy to make. All you’ve got to do is find the juiciest, organic strawberries you can, get some yogurt, and get busy!
Greek yogurt coats the berries best, and its tartness perfectly complements the sweetness of the berries. We recommend vanilla-flavored whole-milk organic yogurt, but plain or any other flavor (including chocolate!) will do. The berries are coated after one dip, but freezing and dipping a second time gives a nice thick layer of yogurt. The strawberries will eventually freeze solid, so if they’ve been in the freezer overnight, remove about ten minutes prior to serving.
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes (including freezing time)
Ingredients
1 pint very ripe organic strawberries
1 1/2 cup vanilla-flavored Greek-style organic yogurt
Instructions
- LIFT the leaves of the strawberries away from the fruit gently, leaving intact but providing something to grasp. Holding the berry by the leaves and ‘neck’, dip in the yogurt until it’s 90 percent submerged. Remove and place inverted (leaf-side down) on a wire rack, placed so that it can freeze tip-side up. Repeat with remaining strawberries and yogurt. Freeze for 1 hour.
- REMOVE berries from freezer and repeat, coating berries with a second layer of yogurt. Freeze for another hour, or until ready to serve.
