The Truth about Bio-Identical Hormones:

Separating Fact from Fiction

An Interview with Dr. Gino Tutera

Medical pioneer blazes a new path

to better health and hormonal balance

for men and women with SottoPelle®

by Catherine J. Rourke

Published January 23, 2010

Hormone replacement therapy presents one of the greatest medical debacles of our time.

Just glance at the minestrone of headlines about HRT within the past several years:

"Testosterone Tumbling in American Males"

“Jury Declares HRT Drug Caused Woman’s Breast Cancer”

“Fraudulent Hormone Research Affects Millions”

“FDA Allows Harmful Hormone Drugs to Stay on the Market”

“Men Continue to Ignore Andropause Symptoms”

“Pharmaceutical HRT Linked to Stroke, Breast Cancer, Heart Disease in Women”

“Confusion Clouds the Truth about Bio-identical Hormones”

“Menopausal Women Don’t Get Enough Guidance on Hormone Options”

Used to treat symptoms associated with menopause and peri-menopause, synthetic Hormone Replacement Therapy has come under the media spotlight in recent years.

While HRT has deposited billions of dollars in annual revenues into the pockets of pharmaceutical manufacturers, it has also delivered shocking news to the millions of long-term users who paid dearly for it with breast cancer, blood clots, heart attacks, strokes and other side effects. Now, new studies claim that HRT also damages the brain, doubling a woman’s chances of developing dementia.

As its growing dangers continue to capture headlines and spark ongoing dissension within the medical community, more than 77 million aging Boomers face menopause and andropause in turmoil, wondering where to turn for reliable care and comprehensive, accurate and forthright information about HRT.

There is a better way: Bio-Identical Hormones, or BHRT.

Dr. Gino Tutera: the hormone Messiah

With nearly 30 years of documented research and experience in hormone therapy, Dr. Tutera is recognized as a leading physician and medical pioneer in his field. He initiated a hormone medical breakthrough in 1992 with pellet therapy, a natural approach using bio-identical hormones and dramatically changing the lives of men and women suffering from hormone deficiencies – without any of the harmful side effects of synthetic hormones.

Due to modern-day stress levels and chemical overload in everything Americans eat, drink, breathe and touch, the resulting environmental “estrogenic soup” in their environment and lifestyles means that a good number of people, from ages 35 and up, will experience some form of hormonal imbalance, no matter how subtle.

After opening his first hormone therapy clinic in 1982, Dr. Tutera founded the SottoPelle® method 10 years later, a unique therapy using tiny pellets of bio-identical hormone slipped painlessly under the skin to deliver a 24-7 reservoir of on-demand support for the body’s optimum balance.

According to Dr. Tutera, this innovative delivery system, prescribed with the specific dose of hormones for an individual’s unique body chemistry, holds the key to vitality and well-being by creating a normal hormonal balance that oral pills, creams, patches and other hormone approaches, whether synthetic or bio-identical, fail to achieve due to their roller-coaster delivery method.

Perhaps no one can explain this revolutionary system better than Dr. Tutera himself. That’s why we interviewed him at his Scottsdale, Ariz.-based office so he could answer frequently asked questions about bio-identical hormones and their effects on human health.

Q.  Explain why hormonal balance is so critical to human health.

Dr. Tutera: Hormones represent the control panel of the human body. The only way to restore energy, a keen mind and a strong, fit body is by balancing the hormones to return the body to its normal physiological state. Hormones such as estrogen, testosterone and thyroid are all extremely important factors in maintaining that normality to reestablish cardiac, muscular-skeletal and cerebral physiology.

Q.  Are fatigue and weight gain indicators of hormonal imbalance?

Dr. Tutera: Absolutely! These are two very common symptoms and there is a definite correlation. The body can’t maintain its normal metabolic and systemic functions without proper hormonal balance. Many people wonder why, despite a good diet and vigorous exercise program, they’re still tired and gaining weight. The key is maintaining a normal physiologic state and balancing the hormones to maximize diet, exercise and supplements. Relying only on these strategies when your hormones are out of balance means that your system cannot derive any benefit. You can take all the supplements and do all the exercises in the world and you won’t lose weight. There needs to be more emphasis on the physiologic restoration that hormones promote rather than just the relief of symptoms.

Q.  What are some other symptoms of hormonal imbalance?

Dr. Tutera: Some typical symptoms in both sexes include depression, mood swings, lack of energy, mental fog or fuzziness, diminished or nonexistent sex drive, headaches, anxiety, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, irritability and general malaise. In women, it may include PMS, irregular menses, night sweats and hot flashes.

Q.  When should people start having their hormone levels checked?

Dr. Tutera: Due to the poor diet and stress levels of today's lifestyles and the "estrogenic soup" we live in, thanks to environmental toxins and growth hormones in food, I am seeing a rise in hormonal imbalances and my patients are getting younger and younger, which is really disturbing. I recommend both men and women start checking their hormones at age 35 and it can be done with a simple and inexpensive blood test. Any woman having her ovaries removed needs BHRT, no matter what her age, and should monitor her hormone levels after surgery.

Q.  Can we rely on diet, herbs and supplements alone to maintain or correct hormonal balance?

Dr. Tutera: No. If the body is deficient in any hormone, all the diets, herbs and supplements cannot return the body to a normal internal physiological state. They may make you feel better, but your body cannot absorb them to derive their maximum benefit. It’s like trying to put high-grade fuel in a car with a cracked engine. The car still will not run properly and the engine is incapable of utilizing and distributing the fuel throughout the system. When that happens, you have to fix the engine. That’s what BHRT does.

Q.  Explain the difference between pharmaceutical and bio-identical hormones.

Dr. Tutera: Pharmaceuticals are synthetic, containing artificial and unnatural chemicals – even though many doctors and drug companies refer to them as “natural.” But there’s nothing natural about them. They are simulations of what your body produces naturally. They work on a “trial and error” method of trying to create the right combination of hormonal doses to bring you to a state resembling normality. But, instead, they have dangerous side effects.

Bio-identical hormones, on the other hand, are not simulations or replicas. They are completely natural plant-based ingredients that possess a hormonal structure identical to that of humans. Very few people realize that we share that with some plants. So they offer a complete “reconstruction” of your human “engine,” so to speak, so it can run efficiently. Bio-identical hormones restore your body to a state of normality, with no harmful side effects.

Q.  Why are FDA-approved “natural” hormones, such as Premarin, Estrace and Prometrium, under scrutiny?

Dr. Tutera: It’s already been proven that they’re as safe as walking down the highway. You may dodge a few cars, but eventually you’re going to run into trouble. The problem is that none of those products are actually natural or biologically identical to human hormones. It’s like saying a Chevrolet and a Bentley are exactly the same because they both have four tires. In Europe, there’s a set protocol for distinguishing between what is synthetic, natural and bio-identical. We don’t have that here in the U.S. because the drug companies aren’t held responsible for doing so.

Premarin, for example, is as natural to the human physiology as a human hormone would be to a horse. It contains a mixture of 17 different estrogens; humans only make three. The FDA and pharmaceutical industry label it “natural” only because it comes from a mammal and not entirely from a synthetic source. Consumers and medical patients need to be very wary of what industry and government consider “natural.” Premarin is proven to actually reverse the normal ratio of estrogens in a woman’s body, causing more harm than good. 

Q.  What is the pellet method and how does it work?

Dr. Tutera: The pellet is a compounded bio-identical hormone the size of a grain of rice that is slipped painlessly under your skin approximately two or three times per year and serves as a reservoir, offering a hormone-on-demand delivery system that eliminates the need for daily intake of oral hormones and creams. Since it is administered directly into the bloodstream, the body continuously extracts the correct amount of hormone on an ongoing basis that lasts several months, depending on the individual.

This allows the body to deliver the varying amounts of hormone it may need, hour to hour, the way it does from its usual normal hormonal reservoir. Hormonal levels naturally vary every day. One day might be stressful on the job or include a rigorous workout, so the body will require more hormones. At other times, like on a relaxing day off, it might require less.

If you take an oral hormone, even if it’s pharmaceutical or bio-identical, it delivers a large rush of hormone through your system all at once that you may not even need at that time, creating a peak-and-valley effect instead of allowing the body to naturally extract the varying levels it needs at different times. That’s why hormones need to be inserted directly into the bloodstream for maximum effectiveness and natural delivery flow.

Q.  How do you determine the amount of hormone needed and how is the pellet administered?

Dr. Tutera: I use a set of simple blood tests to assess current hormone levels, including the thyroid, and to determine the specific dose required. Then, using a mild, local anesthetic, the small hormone pellet is inserted under the skin right above the buttocks. It is painless and takes less than five minutes. I follow up with new patients after one month for a lab test to see how it is working or if they require additional hormone. Most patients usually report an increase in their overall vitality right away and a decrease in their former symptoms. The hormone can last anywhere between four to six months, depending on the individual.

Bio-identical hormone pellet

Q.  How does BHRT rejuvenate both men and women?

Dr. Tutera: BHRT balances the deficiency with a hormone that has the exact biochemical structure of the human hormone. Derived from natural plant-based ingredients, it is not a synthetic or replica hormone. The subdermal pellet delivers the hormone on an ongoing basis just like the continuous secretion of the human endocrine gland system, drawing exactly what it needs when it is needed. If you can give the human body back the identical hormone it is lacking, normal physiology is restored internally and the body then experiences improved health, energy and well-being.

Q.  Why do you prefer using the subdermal method instead of oral, time-released capsules for hormone delivery?

Dr. Tutera: Pills, creams, patches, gels, oils and shots have a peak-and-valley effect, which is not how the human body secrets hormones. Oral hormone cannot produce a normal physiologic state because it fails to deliver the varying amounts required by the human body at different times, causing a roller-coaster effect. Since it is processed through the liver and digestive system before the body can absorb it, much of the hormone is lost in that process.

BHRT has been used in Europe since 1939. A 1978 study concluded that oral preparations result in “an unphysiological [sic] ratio of oestradiol to oesterone.” Also, a 1993 British study found that oral estrogen increases vertebral bone density by one to two percent per annum versus the 8.3 percent per annum with the pellet. So it serves an essential role in the prevention of osteoporosis and even breast cancer.

Q.  Is there any chance of receiving too much hormone? And, if so, how would the excess hormone be removed if the pellet is already inserted?

Dr. Tutera: The exact amount of hormone a person needs is carefully determined by scrutinizing his or her lab test results. I start with the lowest dose and then perform another set of lab tests one month later to see if more hormone is needed. So I boost it in small increments. More importantly, I ask my patients how they are feeling. How are their energy levels? Have their symptoms diminished? That tells me a lot right there.

Q.  Why isn’t BHRT widely accepted in the U.S. if it has been used successfully since the 1930’s in Europe?

Dr. Tutera: BHRT is a natural compound that cannot be patented, so drug companies stand to earn very little profit from it and work with the FDA to condemn it due to what they claim is a lack of solid studies. Yet the majority of research studies are funded either directly or indirectly through government grants funded by the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, very few medical students learn about BHRT in their training. Many doctors still disapprove of BHRT, citing the lack of studies proving its safety or effectiveness.

Q.  What is your response to that?

Dr. Tutera: There are actually many already existing studies that prove the safety and effectiveness of BHRT, but they were conducted in Europe, where resistance to BHRT from profit-minded drug companies is not an issue. Therefore, these studies are not widely accepted by medical practitioners in the U.S. [He hands the Observer a stack of studies.]

Pellet therapy has been heavily researched in England. It is also nearly impossible to get the BHRT studies we have done here in the U.S. published in any peer medical review journals because they remain so resistant to BHRT. The tragedy is that this resistance is impeding human health.

Q.  What would it take to get a comprehensive study done on BHRT?

Dr. Tutera: It’s going to take educating doctors and the American public about the dangers of synthetic HRT. That’s where the media comes in. Most media remain stonewalled against doing proper investigative research and educating the public about this issue. In any study, you have to question where its funding comes from. The problem is that pharmaceutical companies will not fund BHRT research. Instead, we have to conduct our own studies independently, which means the cost is passed on to our patients. Then the medical journals refuse to publish them.

Drug companies only fund studies on synthetic hormones

Q.  Has BHRT received fair coverage from other major media?

Dr. Tutera: Very little and the reporting has been completely botched. Most media is beholden to drug-company advertising and is therefore limited from publishing or broadcasting the truth about BHRT since it threatens a trillion-dollar synthetic hormone industry. Suzanne Somers did a lot to spread the word about hormones with her books, even though she used an oral form, but she got shot down by the media because there were no proven medical studies to back her claims.

Q.  What are the results of your own studies on hormones, osteoporosis and breast cancer?

Dr. Tutera:  My 10-year study using the pellet on women demonstrates a marked reduction in breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer. The results show an incidence of cancer to be .1 in 976 women versus a 1:9 ratio in the general population. The study also indicates that the use of BHRT via a subdermal delivery system allows the body to control its release of estrogen and testosterone, possibly contributing to lower cancer rates.

Also, we found that calcium and exercise by themselves will not stop osteoporosis. The continuous release of estrogen and testosterone builds bone while slowing its breakdown. In fact, osteoporosis can be reversed in a year with BHRT. Published studies dating back 16 years demonstrate an 8.3% growth of bone with the use of pellet therapy.

Of course, I haven’t been able to get these studies published in the U.S., so I will be presenting my findings in Europe. And I discuss the results in my new book.

Click here to purchase

Q.  What is the greatest misconception regarding hormones and BHRT?

Dr. Tutera: First, that bio-identical hormones are dangerous. Anyone who searches them on Google will find endless conflicting reports, most of them derogatory and scientifically unfounded. We are still in the Dark Ages of human health and what’s unfortunate is that so many people suffer needlessly when we have the medical means to relieve their anguish. The other big misconception is that each sex doesn’t think it needs the hormone associated with the opposite sex, but in fact both require testosterone as well as estrogen.    

Q.  What do women need to know about their levels of testosterone?

Dr. Tutera: They need far more testosterone than they realize.

Women have been brainwashed to think that they don’t need testosterone and that it will grow hair in the wrong places. If they didn’t have any, they’d be unable to get out of bed and function every day. Fatigue, low stamina and mental fog are just some of the symptoms of dwindling testosterone levels that I’ve been able to eliminate in women who are totally amazed by the increase in their energy levels – without any hair on their chests!

The role of testosterone in women’s health is greatly underestimated and ignored by the medical profession, which fails to test their levels as well as read their lab results accurately. Women must insist that their doctors properly test their testosterone levels.

A study published in the “Journal of Fertility and Sterility” in April 2002 was one of the first to prove that the current method of determining a woman’s testosterone level is inaccurate and that the range of “normal” given by laboratories is completely wrong. If physicians are unaware of these studies and only look at the ranges the lab gives, they will miss the patient’s deficiency each and every time.

Most of my new female patients have such low testosterone levels that I don’t know how they’re functioning. Yet most of their doctors will look at the lab reports and tell them their levels are dangerously high. So I have to explain to them how misinformed the medical profession is when it comes to women’s health.

Q.  What do men need to know about balancing their hormones?

Dr. Tutera: Men are trained to believe that they don’t have or need any estrogen. I am treating increasing numbers of men for low estrogen levels and they are surprised how much better they feel after BHRT. And they are not becoming effeminate.

While most men don’t realize it, they undergo andropause and need a balance of both estrogen and testosterone, which begins to gradually diminish in their thirties. Men ignore this fact and it’s a real detriment to their health.

They are brainwashed to think their physical changes are part of the aging process and that they must simply endure them. Men, as well as women, need to get a baseline testosterone test somewhere in their thirties to ensure their hormonal balance. More than 30 percent of my new patients are now men. 

Q.  Many people are struggling with the financial and medical limitations of the current health system. Will they be covered by insurance plans for BHRT – if they have them? Can they afford BHRT if they are uninsured?

Dr. Tutera: Like I said before, health care is in the Dark Ages. Insurance companies in the current medical system only cover synthetic hormones and do not consider BHRT, making patients pay out-of-pocket for the very foundation of their wellness. That’s why I have tried to make the pellet as affordable as possible, such as arranging for lower test costs with our lab provider. Also, when calculating the dollar-per-dollar cost of synthetic HRT versus BHRT, the pellet, which lasts between four and six months, is far more reasonable than the monthly pharmacy costs of many synthetic hormones.

I believe the day is coming when medical choices will be available to everyone. For now, I am committed to elevating this therapy to a level where it is available for every woman and man in America who wants it and needs it.

What can people do to safeguard their health?

Dr. Tutera: These days you have to take responsibility for your own health. The public needs to be more discerning in its acceptance of what the so-called “experts” have to say about drugs and health care. People have to be their own “doctors” because they can’t rely on traditional medicine to serve their best interests. That means doing whatever it takes to make an educated decision about what is proper for you and being open to let go of your former notions. And, above all, you have to trust your own wisdom to guide you.

Where do we go from here?

Without any definitive conclusions about hormone therapy from the Food and Drug Administration or the American Medical Association, the question remains:

How much longer does America have to wait for the medical community to work in concert with pharmaceutical companies to conduct proper studies, publish all findings and deliver accurate information to ensure public health and save lives?

The Observer believes that we the media should be held accountable for the lack of proper investigations and exposés regarding the failure of medical journals to publish all findings, whether they threaten industry profits or not.

More importantly, the media has a moral responsibility to the American public to relinquish its greedy hold on pharmaceutical advertising revenues at the cost of human life.

The ads for the dangerous hormone drug Yaz that litter so many women’s and consumer magazines with their slick two-page boasts are just one example of this national disgrace. The editors and publishers of these magazine empires should be forbidden to run ads for drugs that have been proven to kill people, especially innocent young women seeking a remedy for PMS. Above all, they should be deeply ashamed.

For now, Americans must closely examine medical research on their own and women must demand precise tests and treatment from their doctors. We must not be intimidated by medical authorities, rushed through our appointments, or told that we’re crazy and need therapy. Above all, ask questions until you’re satisfied, even if they’re blue in the face.

It’s your body, your health and your life.

While bio-identical hormone therapy may offer an opportunity to enhance your well-being, taking a holistic approach to your medical care also ensures greater balance in your life. Perhaps the proper integration of mind, body and spirit offers the best prescription for our ultimate health and happiness. Laugh, love, and live every day like it’s your last. 

Dr. Tutera has affiliate physicians trained and certified in the pellet method around the country. Visit http://www.sottopelletherapy.com for more details and testimonials. For a new patient information packet or to schedule a consultation, call 480-874-1515.

Catherine Rourke is an award-winning professional journalist in Sedona who specializes in health care and work-life balance issues and remains dedicated to truth in media and investigative journalism. Read her full bio on the WHO page and e-mail comments to her at editor@SedonaObserver.com. Copyright ©2007, 2010.

Coming in March: a review of Dr. Tutera's new book and an update on the results of his 10-year breast cancer study

Plus: Dr. Tutera Presents a Free Lecture in Sedona March 10!

RSVP to
480-874-1515, Ext. 226

or e-mail: karenb@sphrt.com

www.sottopelletherapy.com

COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

Posted January 28, 2010

I found your article after seeing your notes about bio-identical hormones during the hysterectomy forum panel you served on the other night through the Hyster Sisters Web site. I am shocked to learn about all this and even more dismayed that, as I am about to have my ovaries removed, my doctor never mentioned any need for hormone replacement therapy, let alone the bio-identical kind which I never even heard of until now. It sounds like this doctor is onto something and I will have to check it out.

Amy Donohoe

Austin, Texas

Posted February 5, 2010

Thanks to your paper for having the bravado to reject drug company ads in order to get this very important info out to us gals. I am horrified to learn how these synthetic hormones are and yet the doctors still prescribe them -- plus my daughter is on Yaz! I am confused, though, about what happens to menopause if I go on bio-identical estrogen -- do you just bypass everything? And do we have to stay on these hormones for the rest of our lives?

Michelle Maynard

Santa Rosa, Calif.

Posted February 13, 2010

I read this article with great interest since I have been very confused about the difference between pharmaceutical hormones and bio-identical ones. Now I see what the debate is all about - money over health - and this doctor does a great job of explaining what is going on. He deserves credit for having the courage to stand up to the drug companies and speak the truth in defense of public health!

Christopher Rainier

Phoenix, Ariz.

Posted February 27, 2010

Thank you Sedona Observer for this very enlightening article and for calling out to the media to take a moral stance! It is such a disgrace that our medical system suppresses proper information about BHRT and leaves us all in the dark to fend for ourselves and figure it all out. And shame on those doctors who keep prescribing these dangerous drugs and the disgraceful media for profiting from it all instead of doing a proper investigation. This is a serious problem and it's sad that so many people suffer unnecessarily when there is a solution. I never really understood BHRT until I read this valuable article.

Shania Vollenmeyer

Sedona, Ariz.

Posted March 9, 2010

Check out Dr. Tullio Simoncini, the Romanian doctor who discusses that cancer is a fungus. See his video in the link below.

VIDEO

WEB SITE

Jim Law

Executive Producer

V.O.I.C.E. Entertainment

Sedona, Ariz.

Resuscitating Media Morality and Responsibility

to Ensure Public Health

Based upon our research, it appears that synthetic hormones – the kind usually distributed by most allopathic physicians, whether for birth control or menopause – can spell major medical trouble for many women taking them.

Yet, despite these findings, we wonder about the glut of ads for hormones such as Yaz, still blatantly promoted with two slick pages of promotional hype in women’s magazines and upbeat commercials on female-targeted TV channels, all boasting of the drug’s many merits.

Then tune into another channel and watch attorney commercials offering representation and remuneration for those unfortunate women harmed by taking this "wonder" drug.

Where is the media’s moral responsibility when it comes to protecting public health?

In the morgue, obviously, as the editors and publishers of consumer magazines still fail to replace these ads with fact-finding articles warning people about the potential risks associated with drugs such as Viagra and synthetic hormones like Prometrium and Yaz which sometimes include death.

We suspect the ad revenues are just too profitable for publishers to ignore instead of worrying about a few funerals for some young women.

The Observer urges all media to resuscitate the Journalism Code of Ethics and uphold its original precept that “…the press is always for the truth of humanity and indignant at injustice.”

Health Care Stories in The Sedona Observer

Launched in 2007, The Sedona Observer is a national nonprofit online newspaper dedicated to public service journalism. It shuns advertising to prevent censorship and preserve genuine freedom of the press. Produced in Sedona, Ariz., for a national audience of thousands of free subscribers, the Observer is the recipient of six First Place national press awards.

See the WHEN page for more details about our history and the WHY page for our mission statement.

To read these investigative reports and view videos of people’s stories, go to the following links:

“From Hippocrates to Hypocrisy” - The medical debacle is alive and well on the local level

“SiCKO in Sedona” - Local health care horror stories

 “Condition: Critical” - Testimonials from medical professionals

“Prognosis: Disastrous” - Doctors speak out about a broken system

“A Mother’s Heartbreak” – Could proper medical intervention have saved her daughter's life?

“Soul-utions for Social Change” - When all else fails, there is something YOU can do!

Personal health care story submission form - We send these to Health Care for America Now and barackobama.com

Read more of the Observer's investigative reports on national and regional health care issues:

“The Economics of Breast Cancer” What's really behind those innocent little pink ribbons?

“Flatlined – A Health Care State of Emergency”

F ounder of the SottoPelle®

BHRT Method

www.sottopelletherapy.com

With nearly 30 years of experience treating hormonal imbalance, Gino Tutera, M.D., F.A.C.O.G, has been administering BHRT since 1991.

He received his medical training at the University of Missouri and opened his first clinic dedicated to hormonal well-being in 1982.

He now practices in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Palm Desert, Calif., with affiliated offices and trained physicians around the nation helping people enjoy healthier lives.

Dr. Tutera pioneered a medical breakthrough with the SottoPelle® subdermal method, which delivers BHRT directly into the bloodstream.

Click here to purchase

Dr. Tutera's new book

He is the author of You Don’t Have to Live with It and Life Regained: The Real Solution to Menopause and Andropause.

Click here to obtain free with purchase of Life Regained!

Noting that BHRT has been used successfully and safely since the 1930’s, Dr. Tutera is “committed to elevating this therapy to a level where it is available for every woman and man in America who wants it and needs it.”

Visit www.sottopelletherapy.com or call 480-874-1515 for more info.

SottoPelle®

Hormonal Balance. Well-Being.

8412 E. Shea Blvd., Suite 101

Scottsdale, AZ 85260

480-874-1515

Editor's Note: The Observer does not accept advertisements and receives no revenues from its publication to prevent censorship and preserve the editorial integrity of its content. Therefore, the endorsements in this column represent the editorial stance of the paper and not paid advertorials or sponsors.

Join Dr. Tutera for a

FREE SEMINAR

YOUR HORMONES,

YOUR HEALTH!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010
5:30 - 7 p.m.

Poco Diablo Resort
1752 Highway 179

Sedona, Ariz.

“So amazing!”

That’s what recipients of the SottoPelle® bio-identical hormone replacement therapy are saying about the results they have experienced.

If you can’t remember why you walked into the room, are lacking a good night’s sleep, suffering with hot fl ashes, night sweats, and a lost libido, then SottoPelle® may be for you.

Come and learn more as we welcome guest speaker Dr. Gino Tutera, founder and Medical Director of SottoPelle®, who has been changing the lives of thousands of men and women across the country who suffer from hormone defi ciencies since 1992.

The first 15 people to RSVP will receive a complimentary signed book by Dr. Tutera! [Must be present to receive book.] Receive a $30 discount card* good toward a consultation and insertion. *Cannot be combined with other discounts.

Seating is limited!

RSVP to
480-874-1515, Ext. 226

or e-mail: karenb@sphrt.com

www.sottopelletherapy.com

Editor's Note: The Observer does not accept advertisements and receives no revenues from its publication to prevent censorship and preserve the editorial integrity of its content. Therefore, the endorsements in this column represent the editorial stance of the paper and not paid advertorials or sponsors.

A Reporter's Testimony

From Hormone Hell

to Bio-Identical Bliss

Something was terribly wrong.

I was eating right, exercising like crazy every day and taking every herb and vitamin known to man. I punctuated my daily life as a newspaper editor and columnist with journaling and meditation. I lived in Sedona and took long walks in nature.

But I felt lousy.

The weight was rolling on like crazy and I was losing my hair. I could hardly move when I got up in morning, let alone think, and the headaches were unbearable.

Could it be my thyroid, perimenopause, hormones or premature aging? Maybe it was all of the above?

Allopathic remedy: dangerous drugs

I was in my late forties, and strange things were happening to my body. I knew it stood on some strange, weird and very unpleasant physical threshold between PMS and menopause.

I was no longer a "work in progress" like my books and columns. I felt an inexplicable physical breakdown. And, I had to keep up with the high-pressure demands of my deadline-focused profession, one that insisted on absolute perfection and was fueled by Starbucks overload.

I sought help from my primary care physician, who said most of it was "in my head." A second opinion from an oby-gyn indicated I was very low in estrogen, even though I had all the signs of estrogen dominance - painfully swollen breasts, headaches, insomnia, fatigue, irregular menses, bloating, inexplicable weight gain and other symptoms. Go figure.

The doctor said most of my symptoms were probably caffeine-related. I managed to chuck the Starbucks despite nearly falling flat on my keyboard every day around three in the afternoon. But all the symptoms persisted, so I went back to Starbucks and back to the doctor.

Unfortunately, she prescribed some synthetic hormones. I held the pills in my hand and my body shouted a resounding "NO!" It also cost a small fortune every month.

I was so desperate that I ignored my body's wise intuition and took it anyway. Two weeks later, I felt an odd sensation during a writers seminar. I went in public restroom and watched in horror as buckets of blood poured out of me like a river. I thought I was dying and felt like hell.

A dent in my wallet AND my health

I tossed the synthetic hormones in the trash can and saved myself a bundle and probably even my life, as I would later learn. They were costing me $200 and my health. So I continued to live in misery and confusion.

Digging for facts

To discover the truth for the sake of my own sanity and well-being, I began investigating all the different hormone therapies and interviewing various doctors to distinguish fact from fiction.

I had to find out just exactly what was wrong with me. Plus, like my dieting and exercise, all the expensive herbs and supplements didn't seem to be making any difference in my life except lowering my checkbook balance.

After much extensive research, I discovered Gino Tutera, M.D., in 2005, and after careful scrutiny, decided that BHRT was worth a try. I had been experiencing extreme fatigue and mental fog, not a good combo for journalism's long hours and cerebral, multitasking demands.

My primary care doctor had said the lab tests indicated that my testosterone levels were dangerously high, yet I wasn’t growing any hair or displaying any masculine traits. It didn't make sense. So I made an appointment to see Dr. Tutera to learn just what in the dickens was going on.

From breakdown to breakthrough

I'll never forget the first time I entered his office in Phoenix. A large brass sign beside the door read: "Hormonal Balance and Well-Being." I prayed. Maybe this was the gate to hormone heaven.

When I reviewed the tests with Dr. Tutera, he asked how I was getting out of bed. My testosterone was rock bottom and he described my body as a "walking chaos zone."

I was devastated. How was this possible when coffee was my only vice? When I exercised almost daily and ate a good diet of fresh seafood, fresh produce and whole grains? And what about all those pricey elixirs from the health food store that boasted the secret to hormonal happiness?

I was constantly watching what I ate and never consumed refined flour, starches or a gram of sugar. Yet my blood sugar was sky high - a sure sign of testosterone deficiency.

I didn't have kids or dogs or even a husband to stress me out. Constant deadlines and dieting were enough. But the mirror told all.

Looking at my reflection wasn't a pretty picture. Between my face and my waist, it looked like I had been on an all-night bender of hard whiskey and soft pretzels instead of twisting myself like one in daily yoga class.

Dr. Tutera took a lot of time to explain everything - my lab reports, how the endocrine glands were interwoven with the reproductive system and how the subcutaneous bio-identical hormone pellet delivery method worked.

I eagerly received my pellet with no more than what felt like a quick pinch. Dr. Tutera added: "Tossing the synthetic hormones was a wise choice. You probably protected yourself from breast cancer and maybe even saved your own life."

I checked online and, sure enough, there were countless articles on the dangers of the very hormones my allopathic doctors had prescribed. Dangers like breast cancer and stroke. How could my doctors have ignored these studies?

Most of all, how did I miss the reports and fail to do my own research? I did that kind of thing for a living, after all.

Bio-identical bliss

Two weeks later, I woke up one morning to discover a true miracle: I didn’t need to reach for my peripatetic coffee mug.

I had become so dependent on caffeine to get going in the morning that I kept caffeine-loaded Excedrin beside the bed to wake me up so I could make it over to the coffeemaker, which had been preset the night before on automatic brew. All just so I could get in the shower and get to work.

It was a destructive syndrome and I don’t know how I made my newsroom deadlines in those days. I lived this way for years, making my way from the home percolator to Starbucks to the newsroom coffee machine.

But on this new day when my testosterone kicked in, I not only skipped the coffee but also skipped up the steps to the gym three at a time without losing my breath. I felt GREAT and my energy soared.

My whole life changed. I lost weight and gained strength. I went from a size 18 back to my normal size 8. Best of all, my clarity returned and the mental fog was gone, without the use and abuse of caffeine.

Proof of the pudding

Two years later, I fell prey to the convincing arguments of a naturopathic physician who was treating me for job stress. He was adamantly against the subcutaneous pellet method without really offering any solid evidence.

Still, he convinced me to try a bio-identical approach using a sublingual troche that he claimed was more effective in addressing my adrenal problems. So, I replaced the pellet with the troche as an experiment for four months.

The results were dramatic.

With no change in my diet or exercise, the scale climbed a whopping 40 pounds while my energy levels plummeted. Once again, I couldn't get out of bed. Here was the proof I needed that Dr. Tutera was right about the peak-and-valley effect of hormone pills, troches, creams, patches, etc., whether they were bio-identical or not. Their delivery approach was an absolute failure - at least for me.

I ran back to Dr. Tutera like a prodigal daughter, dragging my butt behind me and begging for my precious pellet.

He just offered a wise smile and never admonished me for leaving the fold. He knew how journalism can breed skepticism and the need for a control experiment as solid evidence. The truth always comes out in the wash, or in this case, my body.

Within 48 hours after pellet insertion, I felt the cells of my body breathe a sigh of relief. I jumped out of bed like Popeye after downing a can of spinach. That's the miracle of SottoPelle® − an instant boost of energy and vitality.

I not only felt great in the ensuing weeks and months but also lost all the weight. I never felt or looked better.

Genuine healing

Five years have passed and I am still going strong, now well into my fifties. I don’t run out of steam and I never experienced the awful symptoms of menopause, such as night sweats or hot flashes. I owe Dr. Tutera my life and my well-being.

I have referred countless men and women to SottoPelle® and every one of them is thrilled with the results.

I still seek Dr. Tutera's wise counsel and take his life-saving hormones. While other doctors shoo me in and out of their clinics like cattle, he remains the only one who greets me with a hug and sometimes even a lollypop.

Most of all, he is the only physician who ever bothers to ask: "How are you feeling? What are you eating? How is your life going? When are you going to learn to slow down? "

Dr. Tutera patiently answers any of my detailed questions, drawing detailed diagrams and pulling up lab reports for review. I have never felt rushed by him or his staff.

He has even apologized to me on behalf of the medical profession for all the unnecessary pain and anguish I suffered years ago due to the rampant ignorance over BHRT!

The way it's supposed to be

Dr. Tutera has diligently seen me through every phase of my health. Once he even rang me on a Saturday night to answer a question I had about my labs. I don’t know very many physicians who work those kind of hours or who follow up with their patients on weekends.

Journalists are supposed to remain neutral and unbiased. However, hormonal health is one arena where I must offer a strong opinion. Because it is a matter of life and death and I have seen the amazing results of bio-identical hormones and how they turned my own health around.

I was sick and getting sicker when using the allopathic approach. After just weeks on SottoPelle®, my life and health took a remarkable turn for the better.

Dr. Tutera was right in all of his advice and guidance every single time. He is my Medical Hero and everything a physician and healer ought to be.

Thank you, Dr. Tutera, for demonstrating a true commitment to the Hippocratic Oath. Your wonderful dedication to human life and wellness is indeed a rare and refreshing experience in today’s contradictory health care reality.

Catherine Rourke 

Editor and Chief Humanitarian Officer

Work-Life Balance/Health Care Journalist

The Sedona Observer

Conscious Media Evolution

Editor's Note: The Observer does not accept advertisements and receives no revenues from its publication to prevent censorship and preserve the editorial integrity of its content. Therefore, the endorsements in this column represent the editorial stance of the paper and not paid advertorials or sponsors.

Viagra Falls?

The hormone circus currently centers around the female variety, and is currently turning health care reform into a hotbed of reproductive politics.

On the other hand, male hormonal imbalances and reproductive health issues remain hidden in the shadows as men continue to pop an increasing number of “male enhancement” drugs, the most common known as Viagra, every year.

With an estimated 30 million men taking the drug at an average cost of $15 per pill, just do the math to calculate the profits of the drug lords at Pfizer, the manufacturer that holds the patent on sildenafil citrate.

Plus, Viagra is not a hormone, nor does it have anything to do with correcting the underlying health problems. Rather, think of it as a chemical Band-Aid that inhibits the enzyme that controls blood flow to the male organs. Nothing more.

We predict Pfizer’s sales will plummet into a virtual “Viagra Falls” as side effects start to take their toll on men’s health. Furthermore, Pfizer’s worldwide patent on the drug expires within the next couple of years and the market is already flooded with clones and other imitations.

Hasta la vista, Viagra; Bienvenidos, BHRT!