What is compounding?

What is Compounding?

The compounding of medications from bulk ingredients for individual patients, as deemed appropriate by a prescribing physician, is the historic practice of pharmacy and has been occurring for centuries.  Compounding is the process by which a pharmacist prepares a medication, prescribed by a physician, to meet a patient’s needs.  The dosage or route of administration of compounded, bioidentical hormones varies from that of commercially available drugs and is customized for each individual patient.

What is a Hormone?

Hormones are chemical substances that act as messengers between cells and carry signals that tell cells what to do.  Each type of hormone is matched to a unique hormone receptor located on the surface of a cell and fits into its receptor like a key into a lock.  Once a hormone “unlocks” a cell, it is able to transmit a message.

What Are Bioidentical Hormones?

Bioidentical hormones are hormones which are identical in structure and function to the hormones produced by the human body.  Bioidentical hormones act exactly as the hormones produced by the body, and the body cannot distinguish bioidentical hormones from the hormones it produces itself.  For this reason, it makes more sense to use bioidentical hormones rather than hormones from horses or other synthetic versions which are not identical in chemical structure to what the human body produces.  The body recognizes bioidentical hormones as its own, thereby safely replenishing declining hormones with much less side effects.

Compounded bioidentical hormones can be customized to an individual’s specific hormone needs.

The Delicate Balancing Act

As we age, we all experience changes in our appearance and how we feel.  Women often gain weight, lose their sex drive, experience hot flashes, suffer memory loss, become short-tempered, find it difficult to sleep, and so on.  Hormone production naturally begins to decline, resulting in hormonal imbalance—deficiency and/or dominance—the root cause of many of the conditions women suffer from during the premenopausal and menopausal years of their lives.

It’s not easy for men, either, as they go through andropause:  loss of energy and stamina as they age, difficulty thinking and focusing, gaining weight around the middle, and losing muscle mass and strength.  Replenishing the lost hormones with bioidentical hormones and getting them back into balance can restore strength and vitality while protecting against many forms of age-related diseases.