As we approach middle age, our hormones naturally tend to decline. Unfortunately, this reshuffling of our bodies comes with an unwelcome caveat. Your mental clarity begins to dip, your performance levels plummet, and a fantastic libido feels like a thing of the past. These problems never seem to exist when we reflect on our younger days. Having said that, research has shown that hormone optimization may restore your body’s inner workings to what they once were.
On this week’s Wellness Wednesday, we interviewed Tomo Marjanovic to learn more about his company, Aspire Rejuvenation. It is a clinic that provides an on- and off-site treatment plan to rebalance your hormones naturally. He discusses their use of regenerative medicine for hormone optimization and educates people on how to claim back control of their health.
What is hormone optimization?
Our ability to function optimally like we once did begins to take a backseat as we get older. This can prove to be a frustrating side-effect that comes with age. Hormone optimization is about assessing your hormone levels, identifying which hormones are depleted, and creating a plan of action to bring your body to a place where it is running optimally again.
Marjanovic referenced how his past in competitive bodybuilding paved the way for becoming somewhat of an autodidact in hormones and understanding how our bodily processes work.
Through all the knowledge he attained, it became clear that hormones play a vital role in not only performing your best but feeling your best. Moreover, he found that the aging process and our hormone levels are inextricably linked.
According to Mayo Clinic, an age-related adjustment in your hormone profile influences the metabolic disturbances that take place as you age. Menopause (decline of estrogen) and andropause (decline of testosterone) act as these adjustments. Therefore, leaning on a hormone optimization strategy to alleviate the effects of low hormone levels should be of high priority.
Changing the mainstream medicine model
People are different from one another in terms of (external) environmental factors such as their lifestyles, career choices, and stressors. Similarly, the internal environment of one person will look different from that of another; the body’s genetic makeup and the way it processes hormones, digests food, etc., is highly distinctive.
Marjanovic pointed out that the Aspire Rejuvenation Clinic treated identical twin brothers. They have different jobs, slightly different lifestyles, and are subjected to different stressors. Consequently, they each have a unique environment that their bodies need to adapt to. Their hormone profiles and the way their bodies process them are completely different. The inverse is also true. Those who have identical lifestyles but slightly different genetics can have different profiles too.
“It’s a very individualised approach, which is outside mainstream medicine practice. Everybody’s a number because it’s a band-aid operation. If me and 10 other guys go into an old mainstream medical clinic, we are going to leave with the exact same prescription as if we have the same problem. “It’s not supposed to be treated that way,” remarked Marjanovic.
Who should get their hormones tested?
There is a common misconception around the idea that taking responsibility for your health is for older people. Chronic diseases typically manifest later in our lives. However, this is no longer the case. Our food and water supplies (as well as the way we live) have drastically altered over the last few decades. Marjanovic revealed that they have seen people with detrimental hormone deficiencies in their mid to late 20s. As a result, they are facing fertility and other health issues. Therefore, all people (young and old) should get their hormones tested routinely.
General practitioners tend to evaluate a very basic blood and metabolic panel, void of a hormone level analysis. Marjanovic advised requesting a full hormone panel to see what your major sex hormones are doing. The doctors may only observe what they consider to be “normal” and not “optimal”.
Tomo Marjanovic, Founder of Aspire Rejuvenation Clinic
“The professionals, [such as] the endocrinologist, the gynaecologist, [and] the urologist, are trained by old school medicine models. They band-aid problems; they’re not looking at an underlying symptom. Sometimes they don’t even know what to check,” explains Marjanovic.
It’s best to take the information to a clinic that understands the data. Aspire Rejuvenation offers comprehensive information about what a full hormone panel should look like on its website. They hope to educate people on everything they need to track.
Anti-aging science is really hormone therapy
Menopausal women experience a waning of their sex hormones (progesterone, testosterone, and oestradiol). This process makes them prone to not only physiological but also mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. It begs the question, why are these things happening during menopause and post-menopause? Well, it’s because these women are hormonally compromised. Marjanovic discussed a possible solution: an optimization of the three major sex hormones that can transport menopausal women back into their 20s and 30s again. A time when they felt amazing and their bodies operated properly. Hormone therapy can hinder the aging process, but the constitution of the hormones matters.
Bio-identical hormones to rebalance the body
Aspire Rejuvenation uses bio-identical hormones to support the body’s recovery. The difference between synthetic and bio-identical hormones is their accuracy with our own hormones. Bio-identical hormones are preferred in the clinic’s therapies because they are chemically equal to the hormones our bodies naturally produce. The body cannot detect the difference. They are made from plant sources, while synthetic hormones are man-made.
Estrogen, a vital sex hormone, has received a bad reputation for causing cancer. According to the Cleveland Clinic, estrogen has the potential to trigger cancer in the body. It appears that the medical research behind this refers to synthetic estrogen. Marjanovic explained that if the estrogen produced naturally in a woman’s body caused cancer, then every woman experiencing puberty would suffer because, at that point in their life, their estrogen levels are extremely high. Therefore, the use of hormones that accurately replicate those the body naturally releases makes more sense.
The bottom line
The premise of Aspire Rejuvenation’s work is to treat people like humans and not numbers. The need to change the medical model motivates the clinic; they are not profit-driven. Enlightening people on how to address the root of their issues and curating treatment plans that align closely with natural methods takes precedence. In the long run, hormone optimization may be a health practice worth pursuing. Above all, it can defy aging and perpetuate an overall better quality of life.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW
Watch the full Instagram interview below:
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Article Image Source: Tomo Marjanovic
References
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Estrogen-Dependent Cancers. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10312-estrogen-dependent-cancers.
Mitchell, K. (n.d.). Synthetic vs Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. Mitchell Medical. https://mitchellmed.com/synthetic-vs-bioidentical-hormone-replacement-therapy/#:~:text=The%20main%20difference%20between%20synthetic,far%20better%20than%20synthetic%20forms.
Pataky, M.W., et al. (2021, March). Hormone and Metabolic Changes of Aging and the Influence of Lifestyle Modifications. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(20)30922-8/fulltext.
