“The system for delivering hormones to the body makes an important difference in results,” says Dr. Sun. “If they are delivered orally, 90 percent goes immediately to the liver, which can increase inflammation and clotting factors. It is a more normal process for hormones to enter the blood stream directly.”

The SottoPelle® method balances the various hormones needed by the body. Maintaining a balance is critical to a women’s well-being. In addition to menopause, other aspects of a woman’s life can affect hormone levels. Many women are way too stressed, says  Dr. Sun. There are also environmental toxins. Hormone imposters get into our bodies through our food, because they are administered to animals to promote faster growth, and are in the pesticides sprayed on vegetables, says Dr. Sun.

Testosterone’s effect in women’s bodies was ignored for many years. This hormone, often thought of as a “male” hormone, helps women’s bodies build muscle mass, rather than fat, and protects them against breast cancer. It also improves mental sharpness, energy, and libido. Men suffer from a decrease in testosterone as they age, although to a lesser degree than women. Their symptoms can include insomnia, fatigue, a decrease in mental sharpness, irritability, increased abdominal fat and a greater risk of heart disease. They can also benefit from the SottoPelle® treatment.

The thyroid, adrenal and pituitary glands all secrete hormones. Hormone quantities can vary with time and other factors. Each patient has different levels and needs to consider when formulating their individualized therapy.

Dr. Sun says it is very important that her patients understand that bio-identical hormones are just like the hormones that their bodies formerly produced. The scare about Premarin and Provera, has kept many women from getting the treatment they deserve, even though those products were not bio-identical hormones and used a different method of administration.

At the Integrative Wellness Center, Doctor Sun and her staff start with a physical assessment, diagnostic testing and a holistic health evaluation to tailor an optimal health plan for each patient. It can include hormone balancing, nutritional counseling and a stress management consultation. Acupuncture treatments, weight loss programs and de-tox treatments are also available.

Some people are fortunate to have good genes, but everyone can benefit from taking better care of themselves. Maintaining hormonal balance through the SottoPelle® method is a good place to start. As life spans increase, Dr. Sun’s mission is to help men and women not only add years to their life, but to reach optimal health and improve their quality of life.

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Dr. Karen Sun, founder of the Integrative Wellness Center in Irvine, California, helps her patients optimized their lives by finding a healthy balance for their body, mind and spirit. She and her staff are experts in several dimensions of health including medicine, nutrition and psychology. The SotoPelle® method of hormone replacement has become an important part of her practice, as well.

Since she was a young girl watching her mother suffer from asthma, Dr. Karen has wanted to bring relief to suffering people. She decided that, when she grew up, she would find ways to help with their health concerns. She obtained her doctorate from National Taiwan University in her native country, then completed her residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago. A fellowship in nephrology at the IC Irvine-Long Beach VA Hospital added to her experience and knowledge.

After being in private practices for 20 years, and still seeking better ways to help her patients, her practice gradually evolved from internal medicine to a focus on healthy aging and optimal health. She tries to get to the root of her patients’ ailments and wants to treat the cause of their problem, not just their symptoms, so they can live their lives to the fullest.

Women of today have some advantages their mothers and grandmothers didn’t have. A longer lifespan is one of them -or it should be. Many of Dr. Sun’s clients are women who could be enjoying their best years, but they are in perimenopause or postmenopause, and have the additional challenge of symptoms associated with hormonal imbalance. These are more than just hot flashes; they include fatigue, mood swings, memory loss, osteoporosis, loss of sex drive and insomnia.

Dr. Sun believes sleep is one of the most crucial necessities of good health, and some of her perimenopausal and menopausal patients were not getting it. Disrupted sleep, night after night, caused the women to be exhausted, irritable and nervous.

“If you feel sluggish and anxious, and can barely get through the day, you are cheating yourself and your loved ones of the real you, and all of your potential,” says Dr. Sun.

In her quest to ease her patients’ symptoms, Dr. Sun started using bio-identical hormone creams. Although Dr. Sun noted improvement, she still hadn’t gotten the results she wanted until she was introduced to the Sotopelle® method of hormone replacement at a conference. She realized that the pellet’s composition and subcutaneous delivery system were what she had been searching for.