HOPKINS HEALTH WATCH QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
How to search for a new doctor or work with your current doctor.

Q: I am currently seeing a “bioidentical” M.D., but he does not believe in the progesterone cream. I would like to find a doctor who thinks more like Dr. Lee and your views, but I don't know how to go about finding that person. Do you have any suggestions or websites where I could find such a doctor?

A: One of the best ways to find a health care professional who follows Dr. Lee's protocols is to go to your local compounding pharmacist and ask for someone who uses physiologic doses of transdermal hormones, meaning normal doses delivered in a cream or patch. You also can check at your local health food store for a recommendation.

Regardless of where you get the recommendation and which type of health care professional you choose, use good judgment and discrimination in making a choice. If the appointment is very expensive, or the treatment is extreme, complicated or “patent pending,” be cautious. Some doctors who use bioidentical hormones also tend to want to give women handfuls of vitamins and other supplements. Unless you want to go that route, “just say no.”

Using bioidentical hormones safely and effectively can be a relatively simple, straightforward process.

How to Work with Your Current Doctor
Another option—and one I’m a big fan of—is to work with your current doctor. Bring him or her a copy of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Menopause, or Hormone Balance Made Simple, which has clear, concise and specific recommendations. Print out articles about bioidentical hormones from this website. Many doctors would like to offer bioidentical hormones to their patients, but don’t quite know how to begin. When you arrive at a doctor’s appointment with your research in hand, it’s a great way to get the conversation started.

For even more suggestions, go to: Doctors Who Use Bioidentical Hormones.