I recently spent several days in Chicago updating my knowledge on hormone dosing protocols and testing.
It is always amazing to hear international experts in the hormone field discuss these issues at a practical level. It was enlightening to observe the variation in practice even among experts such as Dr. Pamela W. Smith, Dr. Thierry Hertoghe and Dr. Ron Rothenberg. Each expert used slightly different dosing ranges and even advocated different modes of testing in their patients. The audience was treated to detailed case studies using saliva testing, urine metabolism testing and serum testing. The field of hormone restoration therapy is truly individualized medicine targeted to each specific patient. Dr. Pamela W. Smith, author of my favorite book in the field, What You Must Know About Women's Hormones, drove home two critical points about restoring hormones:
1. Start low and go slow
2. It is all about balance
I look forward to putting all the new information I absorbed into use as quickly as possible for both patients and prescribers in our area.