And, as a diplomat of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, Dr. Gavin has taken a particular interest in instilling in her patients the importance of feeling and looking great no matter their age. One way Dr. Gavin strives to do this is through her Personalized Genetic Health service.

Those who choose to participate in the program will undergo a DNA analysis and complete a health questionnaire. The analysis and questionnaire will tell you:

• If you are predisposed to any medical conditions
• If your body has a vitamin deficiency
• If you have high levels of certain vitamins or minerals
• If any of your hormone levels are depleting
• How your current health condition is impacting you and your future
• The improvements you will see by taking the provided recommendations

Treatment: Using the results, Dr. Gavin can provide you with a specialized wellness plan. This includes a regimen of vitamins, minerals, botanical extracts, antioxidants and many other supplements to incorporate into your life.

While every patient has his own specific health concerns, Dr. Gavin notes that a few common practices can help you maintain control of the aging process. If you are finding that recently you have begun feeling restless, tired or moody, it may be due to low levels of estrogen, progesterone or testosterone in your system. As we age, our bodies stop producing a lot of hormones that we thrived on in our younger years, explains Dr. Gavin. Biologically, we were designed to reproduce and then die shortly after. But just as you have taken advantage of the medical improvements that have allowed you to live well into your nineties, you should also take advantage of the techniques that will help you live that long, while still looking and feeling your absolute best. By taking Bio Identical Hormone Replacements, you can bring the diminished levels back up, and instill a new sense of vitality to your life.

Dr. Gavin also says that many people, including her, are vitamin D deficient but don’t realize it. She recommends that everyone have their own levels tested, because the sun, she says, does not provide you with a sufficient amount of vitamin D.  In addition to taking vitamin D supplements, Dr. Gavin also reveals that she takes organic vitamins, fish oil and resveratrol every day to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

While fillers, chemical peels and make-up are all fantastic ways to help improve yourself aesthetically, explains Dr. Gavin, it also crucial to keep your body feeling great on the inside too.

The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.

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For both men and women, Dr. Gavin suggests bio identical hormone replacement therapy to alleviate poor libidos, calm restlessness and eliminate the symptoms of menopause. The goal, she explains, is to remain as vital and healthy as we possibly can by replacing  vanishing hormones so that the levels in our body return to normal, youthful levels.

What’s happening to your body? Biologically, humans are not programmed to live after the birth giving age, explains Dr. Gavin. But, with all of the advances in medicine and everything we know about the effects of proper nutrition, many people live to see their hundredth birthday. Still, natural occurrences in our bodies, like decreased levels of hormone production, still takes place. That doesn’t mean however, that after 50, you have to succumb to the pitfalls of getting older.

How is bio identical hormone replacement therapy different that traditional hormone replacement therapy? The traditional hormones used in replacement therapy are synthetic, and are intentionally designed to be different from the natural hormones in our body’s.  This is done, Dr. Gavin believes, so that drug companies can patent the hormones. They typically come in the form of creams or pills, marketed to help control symptoms of menopause. But, hormone replacement is not limited to estrogen and progesterone for menopausal women. Now it encompasses replacing all of the vanishing hormones in both men and women: testosterone, DHEA, pregnenolone, cortisol, thyroid, etc.

Where does the hormone come from? Bio identical hormones are developed in a lab to produce an exact match for the hormone being replaced.

It may sound a bit odd, but in an example on how the hormones are created to be identical, Dr. Gavin explains that the estrogen is taken from yams. Surprisingly the yam molecule is similar to ones in humans. Once the hormones are extracted, they are sent to a lab where they are altered to match the lost human estrogen.

Why do men need to replace hormones? Dr. Gavin says that men are suffering from the loss of hormones, just like women, but they do it quietly. Men feel ignored, and when they have a doctor on their side, they feel like their concerns are being taken seriously. “Getting old,” is no longer the standard diagnosis.

What research has been done? Most studies that have been done on bio identical hormone replacement therapy have taken place in Europe. Dr. Gavin argues that this does not mean that the treatments are not safe, just that they have been poorly studied in the United States.

Dr. Gavin says that to date, she knows of only one study done in the United States on women’s health initiatives. The study, conducted in the 1960s, followed 1,000 women who were given synthetic estrogen through the mouth. The study had to be terminated, however, when it was found that the women had an increased risk of cancer and heart disease.

The biggest problems with this study, explains Dr. Gavin, were that first, the hormones were synthetic (not identical), leading to complications. Secondly, the hormones in bio identical therapy are absorbed—never ingested the way they were in this study.

In Europe however, the studies done produced more positive results. One in particular followed 10,000 women over a 10-year period, and found no increased risks of heart disease or cancer. In fact, the women who participated decreased their risk of breast cancer.

The studies also confirm the upside of treatment, notes Dr. Gavin, a noticeable improvement in the quality of life.

The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.

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Transitioning from a biologically female state to a male identity can be a very complicated or very simple procedure. Depending on the preferences of the individual patient, it can involve simply cross dressing to appear as the opposite sex or include hormone replacement, chest reconstruction and, in the most extreme cases, a full genital sex change.

Hormone Replacement Therapy for Female-to-Male Transsexuals

In general, transitioning from a biologically female state to a male appearance involves the use of extensive hormone therapy. This procedure, which must be performed with the careful supervision of a physician, is similar to traditional male hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and is one of the biggest steps that can be taken to transition to a male appearance that matches the patient’s gender identity.

Hormone replacement therapy for transsexual men generally involves shots, patches, pills or skin implants. These treatments, which vary widely in their cost, generally increase the amount of testosterone in the body. Other forms of female-to-male HRT do not use testosterone, instead relying on steroid-like compounds or “ando pro-hormones,” which encourage the patient’s body to produce its own testosterone.

This process produces a male-like appearance, often leading to the growth of more facial and body hair and increased muscle mass. In general, it also causes menstruation to stop within five months and the clitoris to enlarge. This transition is usually the first, and sometimes the only, step taken when undergoing a female-to-male sex change.

Hormone replacement therapy for transsexual men has some drawbacks, including the tendency to aggravate cardiovascular disease and cause psychological disruptions. Many transsexual men undergoing HRT report mood swings and aggressive outbursts. Unless a hysterectomy is also performed, many are also at risk of developing endometrial, ovarian or uterine cancers.

Chest Reconstruction for Female-to-Male Transsexuals

Because genital surgery is often prohibitively expensive, complicated or unsuccessful, many transsexual men opt to have “top” surgery only, which usually involves the removal and reshaping of the breasts. Cosmetic breast surgery performed on female-to-male transsexuals usually involves a full mastectomy. Although care is taken to prevent scarring, many transsexual men experience scarring on both sides of the chest.

During chest reconstruction surgery, fatty tissue is removed from a single incision on each breast. The areola (the dark part of the breast) is then shrunk and placed as a graft on a different part of the chest, where it is dressed carefully with sterile bandages. Usually, the surgery is not particularly painful and daily activities can be resumed within a week.

In general, chest reconstruction surgery is the easiest and most successful part of a female-to-male sex change. The chests of transsexual men are usually almost identical to the chests of biological men, with the only key difference being mild scarring on each side of the chest. The majority of transsexual men are very satisfied with the results of this surgery.

Genital Modification for Female-to-Male Transsexuals

The most complicated step in a female-to-male sex change, genital modification, can occur in a variety of forms, with varying degrees of complexity and complication. The simplest form of female-to-male sex change surgery includes the removal of the vaginal canal (by sewing it shut), which is a procedure that usually takes place only if the patient has already had a full hysterectomy. Hysterectomies that involve the removal of the uterus and ovaries are also often performed to eliminate female hormones.

Phalloplasty, or a penis construction, is also a common procedure for female-to-male sex reassignment. With all forms of phalloplasty, the labia are joined together to form the appearance of a scrotum. Implants, which are designed to look and feel like testicles, are sometimes placed inside this new scrotum. A new penis is then constructed using a variety of different methods.

Another method known as metoidioplasty creates a new penis from the clitoris. Tissue from the labia or another part of the body can then be used to make it slightly larger. This usually results in a small penis when compared to the penis of a biological man.

Another popular genital modification used to create a penis involves the insertion of a tissue graft from the leg, arm or abdomen. This can incorporate unneeded muscles or even small bones, from other parts of the body, to create a relatively large phallus. This surgery is quite complicated in some cases but can create a penis up to seven inches in length of surprisingly normal appearance.

Phalloplasties can also involve the additional use of an erectile implant to enable erection and sexual penetration. These implants can be simple, rod-like prosthetics or very complex pumping mechanisms. The urethra can also be directed, often in a separate surgery, to flow into the new penis. While this adds complexity to the procedure, it is an important aspect of a sex change for many transsexual men.

Other surgical alterations undergone by transsexual men include facial implants, pectoral-muscle chest implants and body contouring with liposuction. These procedures, often far more simple than the others involved in the transition, can contribute to the patient’s male appearance.

Depending on the patient’s own circumstances, a female-to-male transsexual might choose to undergo most, many, a few or none of the procedures described. While some transsexual men are content and satisfied without any surgical or hormonal alteration, others may be willing to undergo the risks associated with gender reassignment treatments in order to confirm and experience the physical sensations of male biology.

For more information on transgender issues and health, try the following links:
American Educational Gender Information Service
Transgender on Wikipedia
Transgender Organizations on GenderAdvocates.com

If you are considering cosmetic or plastic surgery procedures, Yodle Local can help you find a plastic surgeon near you.

The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care an appropriate health care provider.

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