Hormone therapy has gained popularity over the last couple of years in the field of pain management. The number of hormone uses has increased significantly since its first use in medicine. Today, doctors also apply this therapy to cope with menopause symptoms in women past the age of 45. Consult a Jacksonville hormone therapy specialist to know whether it would be a suitable treatment plan to end your discomfort. Here is important information about the function of this form of therapy:
Why use hormones?
Hormones are produced naturally in the body by endocrine glands to work as messengers in sending signals around the body. In turn, this helps the body to function normally. For example, hormones are responsible for controlling metabolism, libido, and mood. Therefore, hormonal imbalances could cause various side effects, including pain. Therefore, doctors approach this condition to restore balance, reduce pain, and improve quality of life. Doctors can correct hormone imbalance using pills, injections, or implantable pellets.
Treating Osteoarthritis Using Hormone Therapy
A recent study showed that estrogen and testosterone could be used to manage osteoarthritis in affected patients. Osteoarthritis was found to affect tissues with progenitor cells. Sex hormones facilitate these cells to regenerate and reduce pain for the patient. Estrogen and testosterone are primarily used for sex drive, but researchers found other uses for these hormones. They found that estrogen in women and testosterone in men helped bones and muscles to grow and remain healthy. Hormone therapy is therefore used in joint fluid to alleviate symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Replacing Testosterone to Treat Chronic Pain
Testosterone is not a hormone for just males. Rather everyone, including women, has some level of testosterone. The hormone also facilitates the function of natural opioids in the body. It serves this role by keeping opioid receptors in a working condition. The receptors can then produce endogenous opioids such as endorphins, which control pain in the body. Therefore, patients with low levels of testosterone tend to feel more pain. Hormone therapy works to replace testosterone in patients with deficiency to treat chronic pain.
Using Melatonin to Manage Pain
Recent research has found that lack of sleep could aggravate pain symptoms in the body. Hormone melatonin serves the natural function of improving sleep for patients with insomnia. Using hormone therapy, doctors can restore levels of melatonin to reduce pain in patients who have arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and other conditions that cause chronic pain. Research showed that 3.1 million Americans used melatonin to improve their quality of life.
Who is a candidate for hormone therapy?
Hormone replacement is used to help patients manage their aging. Usually, people suffer a lot of discomforts during old age, such as joint pain and stiffness. Additionally, hormone therapy is an alternative long term opioid user. It prevents over-reliance on pain-relieving drugs which could be addictive or affect a patient’s pain sensitivity.
Hormones play an essential role in the human body, including pain management. Specialists at Florida Regional Pain Management, P.A, perform an exam to determine the level of deficiency in your body before tailoring a suitable treatment. They then replace hormones and restore balance to alleviate pain. Book an appointment today for personalized medicine.