Hormone testing and treatment in EdmontonNaturopathic medicine takes the guess work out of hormone health.
Hormone Testing is commonly used for:
Top Hormones TestedOur Naturopathic Doctors commonly test for: Estrogen, Progesterone, Thyroid hormone, Testosterone, DHEA, Cortisol and their hormonal metabolites to be able to make specific natural treatment recommendations for our Edmonton patients. Cortisol - Althought it's a stress hormone, it's crucial for energy production as it increases availability of all fuel substrates by mobilizing glucose, free fatty acids, and amino acids. The Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) is the rapid rise in cortisol that lasts 30 – 45 min immediately after waking up. Cortisol is also needed for proper Thyroid function as it is involved in the entry of Thyroid Hormone (T3) into cells. Mostly commonly our Naturopathic doctors see low Cortisol production throughout the day in our Edmonton patients, indicative of what can be termed "Adrenal Fatigue" or hypoadrenalism which results primarily in fatigue and easy reactivity to stress and sleep disturbances. Our Naturopaths screen for adrenal issues with Salivary or Urinary Cortisol testing primarily to see Free Cortisol quantities active at the level of the tissues. See our Adrenal Testing section for more information. DHEA - Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a hormone primarily secreted by the adrenal glands (and in smaller quantities by the testes and ovaries). Double-blind trials have found that DHEA-replacement therapy can improve overall well-being, depression, anxiety, energy level and sexuality. Our Naturopathic Doctors screen for DHEA levels in our Edmonton patients and results seen with supplementation (which requires referral to a MD) mirror what was seen in clinical trials. DHEA levels can drop along with cortisol levels as a result of prolonged stress, and levels also decline naturally with age. DHEA is screened for accurately through blood, saliva or urine hormone tests and is always included by our Naturopathic doctors in an Adrenal Fatigue workup. Testosterone - Low Testosterone is an issue our Naturopaths see frequently in our Female Edmonton patients. Low testosterone may be associated with decreased sex drive, fatigue, low moods and motivation & mood - it can also be associated with vaginal dryness, as well as bone loss. Low Testosterone can be associated with low DHEA as DHEA is an upstream hormone to Testosterone. Of course we always screen for "Low T" in our male patients. There is a fairly robust nutrient workup when we are looking for causes of low Testosterone in our patients. Our Naturopathic doctors consider levels of Magnesium, Zinc, Manganese and Boron in our "Low T" patients as well as Vitamin K and D. Saliva is a convenient way to measure Bio-available "Free" Testosterone easily but we also use Blood for "Total" Testosterone levels and Urine for Testosterone and its androgenic metabolites. Estrogen & Progesterone - Estradiol is the most potent estrogen and is the major estrogen secreted by the ovaries. It's the Estrogen we screen for most commonly in both men and women. With Urinary "DUTCH" hormone testing we can also look at other Estrogens such as Estriol (E3) and Estrone (E1) and their downstream metabolites. Our Naturopathic Doctors screen for Estrogen deficiency (usually Estradiol) in our Menopausal patients but we commonly look at Luteal Phase Estrogen Female patients especially with regards to cycle irregularity and various female concerns such as PMS, PCOS, Endometriosis. We usually consider total amount of the Estrogen as well as that particular quantity relative to a patient's Progesterone as Progesterone balance the effects of Estrogen in a simple sense. Low Progesterone is a common occurence and can be rectified herbally, nutritionally and hormonally with hormonal replacement. Urinary "DUTCH" Hormone testing allows us to look at metabolism of Estrogens down the 2-OH, 4-OH and 16-OH pathways. By understanding your particular Estrogen metabolism pathways our Naturopathic Doctors can make more specific recommendations on how to approach your female symptoms. We do consider Estrogen and Progesterone in males as well. Excess Aromatization of Testosterone into Estrogen is a common issue in males (contributor to Low T) and Progesterone can serve as a surrogate marker of Pregnenolone. We use blood, salivary and urinary hormonal testing to get to the root of female and male health concerns. There is no single best method for testing hormones, therefore we use all available methods at our naturopath practice in Edmonton. |
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![]() Salivary Hormone Testing at TruMed |
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![]() DUTCH Urine Hormone Testing in Edmonton
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Comprehensive Thyroid Testing
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Natural Hormone TreatmentWe often begin with Natural treatments (herbs and supplements) to balance hormone levels gently. Busted Hormones? Naturopaths can help (780) 757-8378 |