Prescription insurance is a business like any other.  In order to survive, they must make a profit.  How do casinos stay in business when they seem to give away so much money, both in the form of winnings and in “comps?”  If they didn’t make money, there would be no Las Vegas.  It’s the same with any industry.  Insurance companies; whether auto insurance, home owner’s insurance, flood insurance, or prescription insurance, are in business to make money.  They have devised their own creative ways to increase profits.  Those profits are coming from their customers who use the insurance.

Don’t think that because the cash price for a drug is $50 and you have a $20 co-pay, the insurance is paying and therefore “losing” $30 every month.  The reason for this goes back to the convoluted pricing system. Read the rest of this entry »

The goal of testosterone replacement therapy is to replace the lowered testosterone at physiologic doses.  At this proper dosing, the body’s reaction to testosterone is a restored youthful response in all body tissues.  What we are trying to do is replicate the previous testosterone levels by restoring them throughout the body.  Too much, and the body responds by increasing estrogen and the protein, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG).  Too little, and you will still suffer from low testosterone symptoms.

It should be noted that testosterone therapy will not prolong life expectancy.  It will, however, increase the quality of life.  Testosterone deficiency is the most common hormonal disorder in males.  Low testosterone is related to several preventable diseases and still remains significantly underdiagnosed.  Restoring testosterone levels quickly corrects most symptoms of deficiency as levels fall approximately 1-2% per year beginning around age 35. Read the rest of this entry »

I get requests on a regular basis to help people get their thyroid hormones balanced. Most of them are women as they are generally more susceptible to hypothyroid. By far the most common complaint I hear is, “My doctor said my thyroid test came back normal but I don’t feel normal.” When they go back to their doctor to insist they are not “normal,” they are sometimes written a prescription for an antidepressant as the doctor quickly scurries out of the exam room.

So, you get your thyroid test back and the “doctor” says you are fine. You know you are not “fine” so what are you to do? Here are five reasons that you have hypothyroid even though the standard test says you are “fine.” Read the rest of this entry »

This is a recent email exchange I had with a woman who first came to me for advice a couple years ago.  At that time, she was getting hormone therapy from another doctor and wanted my opinion on her therapy.  Now she asks this question…

I have a saliva test kit that my doc gave me for 7 tests:  estradiol, estrone, estriol, progesterone, testosterone, DHT and DHEA.  She uses NeuroScience lab and it will cost me $157 out of pocket.  I know you have access to the same test kits – if I can do one through you, any idea what that would cost me?  Would the company you use send me the results or you?  Just looking to save some money.  Thanks

Answer…
That is cheap for so many tests, but I don’t think you need all those. Read the rest of this entry »

My 90-year-old grandmother told me, “You can’t get any younger, but you sure can get old in a hurry.”  If you think about it, that statement is very true.  Have you ever noticed how certain stressful situations “age” a person?  A serious illness, like cancer, can make a person look much older, and feel much older, than they truly are.

Growing older is a fact of life, we cannot stop it.  We can, however, actually reverse the aging process to add quality years to our life. Read the rest of this entry »