Today, many people are seeking balance in their lives. Whether it be balancing work, family, nutrition, or budgets, the art of balance ultimately brings harmony into our lives. But have you ever thought about making sure your body’s hormones are balanced?
Dr. Harrison “Gabe” Frank, of the Frank Institute for Health and Wellness, is helping his patients achieve this balance everyday at his practice.

What is hormone replacement therapy?

Hormone Replacement Therapy, or HRT, is the process of reincorporating specific hormones into the body that have become depleted over time. As we age, hormone levels fluctuate naturally, but when certain hormone levels become out of balance, we can experience symptoms like weight gain, insomnia, and fatigue. These symptoms are often misdiagnosed, which results in the patient not finding the relief they are looking for. 

What are the symptoms of a hormone imbalance?

Adding hormones to the body can help patients find the relief they are looking for. When estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone hormones are imbalanced in women, they might experience hot flashes, night sweats, thinning hair, and mood changes, just to name a few. But hormone replacement therapy isn’t just for women. While it’s widely known that these types of treatments help women fight symptoms of menopause, men suffer from hormone imbalances, too.

Similarly, when men don’t have enough of the testosterone hormone in their bodies, they suffer from decreased muscle mass, infertility, depression, loss of endurance, and low libido. Symptoms such as these can take a serious toll on your relationships, work, and overall happiness. Hormone replacement therapy can help men combat these symptoms by creating hormonal balance within the body and ultimately make these symptoms disappear.

How do I know if hormone replacement therapy is right for me?

Before we know which hormones our body might need, a patient consultation is in order, which includes a full health history and physical exam. Sleep, stress, nutrition, and exercise are all things Dr. Frank wants to discuss during this time. For some patients, specific laboratory panels might be in order to further identify which hormones need to be supplemented. After the patient consultation, Dr. Frank can assess the dose of hormones needed and develop a customized treatment plan.

What are hormone replacement pellets?

Dr. Frank and his team specialize in several types of hormone replacement therapy. Patients can use topical creams, take pills, or bioidentical hormone replacement therapy; however, pellet therapy seems to be the most convenient of all the options. Pellet therapy allows patients the convenience of constant and steady release of the hormones they need for up to five months without having to remember to take a pill or manage a topical cream.

HRT pellets consist of hormones, are about the size of a grain of rice, and are implanted underneath the patient’s skin near the waist. Patients are not able to visibly see or feel the pellet underneath their skin making it undetectable when looking at the surface of the skin.

The implantation of the pellet is an outpatient procedure, offers minimal discomfort, and takes less than ten minutes for men and less than five minutes for women. Once implanted, the pellet delivers a steady state of hormone release throughout the body, and patients will start to notice the positive changes about ten days after implantation. After three to five months, the body will have metabolized the pellet and, during that time, it dissolves on its own.

What other treatments are available at the Frank Institute?

Men’s and women’s health are the main focus at the Frank Institute. Dr. Frank and his team are passionate about helping patients feel their best. Hormone replacement therapy is one tool that is available to enhance patient’s quality of life, but not the only one. The Frank Institute offers Acoustic Wave sessions which treat erectile disfunction and urinary incontinence. Dr. Frank’s Acoustic Wave treatments are FDA approved for tissue regeneration, are completely painless, and deliver amazing results.

How is the Frank Institute different from other providers in our area?

What makes the Frank Institute different is the amount of individual attention each patient receives. The office has a small staff and space by design, which invites a private and confidential feeling for patients. Dr. Frank believes a small staff and cozy office promote a feeling of comfort and safety with his patients. The thoughtful layout and personalized patient attention provide concierge medicine without the fee.

Dr. Frank has spent the last several years treating several different types of chronic medical conditions. It was during that time that he began his interest in regenerative and anti-aging medicine, and has gone through extensive additional training with the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine.

Dr. Frank looks to treat the cause of the disease, not just cover it up with medications. As a Rehabilitation physician, Dr. Frank focuses on restoring the body to its highest functioning capacity. By opening the Frank Institute for Health and Wellness, Dr. Frank has created a unique, one-of-a-kind practice that focuses on the person as a whole.

Visit www.thefrankinstitue.com or call 910.679.8534 for more information.