The impact of hormones on your physical, emotional, and psychological development is significant. In fact, hormones play a crucial role in various functions of your body, such as regulating sleep, managing stress, maintaining alertness, and promoting happiness. Having a healthy balance of hormones is important for feeling and looking great - especially for women. Unfortunately, when hormone levels fluctuate, several adverse effects can manifest that affect your health and well-being.
One day, you wake up in the morning and attack the day with a smile on your face and a goal in your mind.
The next day, it feels like your emotions are all over the place. Despite sticking to a healthy diet, your weight keeps going up. To make matters worse, hot flashes seem to pop up out of nowhere, making you irritable both at work and at home. The simple truth is that life is hard for ladies after their 50th birthday. That's especially true when it seems like your body is plotting against you every day of the week.
If you're a middle-aged woman and you notice your body going through changes, you should know this is a natural process of aging. It's called menopause - and according to the National Institutes of Health, over a million women experience this transition per year. During this time, it's common for your hormones to start depleting. When that happens, you'll probably notice symptoms that can be challenging to deal with and overcome.
Take a moment and see if any of these signs sound familiar:
Trying to deal with hormone deficiency can be a big ordeal for women and their partners. Thankfully, going through menopause and getting older doesn't mean you have to settle for an undesirable life. Hormone replacement therapy in Waxhaw, NC addresses the hormonal imbalances in your body so you can get back to feeling normal. These clinically proven treatments are now available from Better Life Carolinas and can help women just like you reclaim the youthful vigor you're used to having.
Before we explore the many benefits of HRT for women, let's first look at two of the hormones that can fluctuate during menopause - progesterone and estrogen.
As a female, your reproductive health thrives on progesterone and estrogen. Made by your ovaries, these hormones play a major role in a range of functions, such as:
During your childbearing years, estrogen is responsible for preparing the lining of your uterus for a fertilized egg, while progesterone helps prepare and sustain the pregnancy once the egg has implanted. However, as you age, both of these hormones begin to decline, leading to a stage known as perimenopause, which occurs before menopause.
This transition period is characterized by significant changes in your body as it prepares for the next stage of life, where you can no longer bear children. Unfortunately, the years leading up to menopause can be extremely uncomfortable due to these hormonal fluctuations. That's where female HRT starts to make a lot of sense.
During menopause, many women opt for hormone replacement therapy. Menopause marks the end of the reproductive phase, and as you enter perimenopause, your estrogen and progesterone levels decline, and eventually, your body produces a fraction of the hormones it used to. This hormonal imbalance results in uncomfortable symptoms.
Hormone replacement therapy restores the depleted levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in your body, helping to alleviate the common symptoms of menopause and reducing the risk of long-term diseases. At Better Life Carolinas, our goal is to provide hormone replacement therapy that ensures healthy and balanced hormone levels for your overall wellness.
Maintaining hormone stability is crucial for women to live a healthy life. This is where Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) comes into play, as it helps in balancing the hormones that would otherwise get altered due to menopause.
At Better Life Carolinas, we recognize that every woman is unique, and, by extension, every patient is different. Therefore, our team of specialists and doctors offer personalized treatment options by combining holistic treatment, nutrition, fitness plans, and more to supplement our HRT treatments for women.
Many women wonder if HRT is the solution to their exhaustion, weight gain, and mood swings. It's hard to say if you're a good candidate for treatment without a comprehensive examination by an HRT expert at our clinic. What we can say is that when a woman's hormones are better balanced, she has a much better chance of enjoying life without the debilitating symptoms that other women experience. At Better Life Carolinas, that's our primary goal - to help you live a healthy life that you love.
Unlike some women's health clinics, money isn't our main motivator. Our HRT options aren't meant to keep you coming back for years and years. They have been developed to help provide your body with the balance it deserves through a patient-focused approach.
The Better Life program by Dr. Barber empowers patients with information about their health and wellness and, most importantly, puts in place a plan for the future. Most of us have a financial plan, but very few have a health plan. Our greatest asset is our health, and setting goals to manage our health plan is vital.
Better Life wants to partner with you to make the right choices for optimal health. For women going through menopause, hormone replacement therapy is often the best choice to reclaim your quality of life. Most of us know we need to lose weight, exercise, eat better, and quit smoking. Unfortunately, very few of us understand how to get out of the rut we tend to fall into. Our experienced team will design custom programs to empower you to make this life change for years to come.
One of the first and most frequently asked questions that our women's health doctors get usually focuses on the benefits of hormone replacement therapy. If you're trying to ease your way into menopause, chances are you're wondering about that too. When combined with healthy life choices like diet and exercise, we're happy to say that the benefits of HRT are both numerous and significant.
By now, this benefit probably sounds like a no-brainer, but it's one of the major advantages of HRT, so it's worth mentioning again. Menopause can often lead to uncomfortable symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and difficulty sleeping. These symptoms can vary in intensity and can significantly impact your daily routine. Hormone replacement therapy is a treatment option that can help regulate estrogen and progesterone levels, thereby alleviating many of these symptoms.
While the most obvious benefit of HRT for women is relief from menopause symptoms, there's good evidence that suggests this treatment helps improve bone health, too. One study conducted on over 25,000 women aged 50-79 found that HRT reduced the risk of fractures. This benefit is especially important for women who had their uterus and ovaries removed before the age of 45 and experienced "surgical menopause." Such women are at a higher risk of bone loss and osteoporosis.
Your brain's ability to get energy from glucose, your body's primary fuel source, decreases during menopause due to a drop in estrogen levels. As a result, your brain switches to using fats (lipids) for fuel, which unfortunately leads to the harvesting of fat from the brain's white matter. This process produces ketones - chemicals created in the liver - to provide energy. However, starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) before reaching menopause can reduce the risk of this fuel switch and cut a woman's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in half.
As people age, their libido tends to decline, which is true for both men and women. For women, menopause can also cause vaginal dryness, which can make sexual intercourse less appealing. Hormone replacement therapy in Charleston can help boost your libido by restoring the levels of reproductive hormones in your body. When your reproductive hormones are balanced, you can get a boost in sex drive and alleviate problems like vaginal dryness.
As you approach menopause, you may notice that your weight tends to fluctuate more frequently. While this is a common occurrence as you age, it can make it difficult to shed extra pounds. Hormone replacement therapy isn't a magic solution for weight loss, but it can address the hormonal aspect of weight gain. Hormones can make it harder to maintain or lose weight, and hormone replacement therapy can help with that. By combining hormone replacement therapy with a healthy diet and regular exercise, you may be able to manage your weight more effectively and improve your overall health.
The benefits listed above are only a snapshot of what HRT can help you deal with and overcome. Contact Better Life Carolinas to learn about other advantages of hormone replacement treatment. But our women's health services don't end with HRT. Our doctors also provide several pain-free, non-surgical solutions for female intimacy problems.
We're talking about Femiwave Therapy, O Shot, and the Emsella Kegel Chair.
Are you ready to enjoy a normal sex life without having to rely on strange pills or invasive procedures? Femiwave therapy uses pulse waves to improve blood flow to the vaginal area without ever needing to go under the knife. This procedure enhances sensitivity, lubrication, tightens, strengthens, and improves the physical appearance of your vagina and the surrounding area. It has been shown to boost sexual satisfaction and function with no downtime, drugs, or lasers, and the results are long-lasting. The procedure is based on established shockwave therapy and has been backed by clinical studies for years to increase blood flow and restore healthy tissue.
Ideal candidates are women experiencing low libido, urinary incontinence, menopause symptoms such as painful intercourse and vaginal dryness, or women looking to improve their sex life. This procedure is quick and comfortable with no downtime, meaning you can swing by our office when it's best for your schedule and get treatment without disrupting your day.
Women in South Carolina use Femiwave therapy alongside hormone replacement therapy in Waxhaw, NC because it is:
While our male patients have enjoyed many benefits from our P-Shot (or Priapus Shot), we know that women deserve to enjoy some fun, too. Better Life Carolinas now provides a powerful treatment called the O-Shot (Orgasm shot) that can deliver incredible results for women. This simple procedure utilizes platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to stimulate new tissue growth, and as a woman's own PRP is used, the O-Shot is completely safe and free of side effects. The health benefits of the O-Shot are numerous, and a revitalized sex life is just one of them.
The O-Shot earned its name by increasing a woman's intensity during orgasm, but it is also a natural approach to treating the following:
The Emsella Chair is a breakthrough innovation for women experiencing urinary incontinence. This common issue affects over 15 million women in the US and can cause embarrassing leakages, loss of sleep, and poor work performance. The Emsella Chair offers a non-invasive solution to this problem without the need for surgery or medication.
The Emsella Chair is an FDA-approved device designed for patients who want to improve their quality of life by addressing the symptoms of urinary incontinence. Sometimes referred to as the "Kegel Throne," this comfortable chair is an excellent option for those who have tried other solutions like medication and surgery but found that they negatively impact their daily lives.
The Emsella Chair uses high-intensity focused electromagnetic technology (HIFEM) to stimulate contractions in your pelvic floor muscles. These contractions can help you regain control of your bladder and improve the strength of your pelvic floor muscles, much like kegel exercises but with greater efficiency. The Emsella Chair is unique in that it targets the entire pelvic floor with thousands of contractions per session, making it a highly effective treatment option for women.
While using the Emsella Chair, you may feel your pelvic floor muscles contracting. This is a normal reaction and indicates that the machine is functioning correctly. You might also experience a mild tingling sensation during the treatment, but it is not painful. After your session, you're free to resume regular daily activities without any downtime required. The best part is that, unlike surgery, there is no need for any medications to manage the pain or grogginess that usually comes after an invasive procedure.
The Emsella Chair is an excellent solution for women of all ages, but it is more commonly used by older women who tend to experience urinary incontinence. There are various symptoms related to urinary incontinence which can be effectively treated with the Emsella Chair.
Some of those symptoms include the following:
As thousands of women across the United States have said, our doctors can help you say "NO!" to urinary incontinence with Emsella Chair treatments.
At Better Life Carolinas, we're proud to be a partner on your path toward better wellness and healthy aging. Our team of women's health specialists and doctors provides constant encouragement, status checks, and recommendations to ensure that you receive personalized and ongoing medical management. We believe that receiving plenty of face-time and individual care from your personal physician is crucial to making a profound difference in your life - both now and in the future.
Whether you're approaching middle age or have already started menopause, our hormone replacement treatments could be an answer to your age management challenges. Contact our office today to learn more about the Better Life Carolinas difference and how our team provides the guidance you need to achieve a healthy life.
Get in touch with us today and let us help you achieve your goals!
After popping up in cities like Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City, a captivating Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy has arrived in Waxhaw, NC. Inspired by four works from the renowned author, the evening pairs transfixing tales with creative cocktails inside an eerie setting – think dimly lit lanterns, flickering candles, and Gothic decor.The limited-time Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is taking place at the Waxhaw Woman’s Club on January 30 and January 31. Secure your tickets here ...
After popping up in cities like Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City, a captivating Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy has arrived in Waxhaw, NC. Inspired by four works from the renowned author, the evening pairs transfixing tales with creative cocktails inside an eerie setting – think dimly lit lanterns, flickering candles, and Gothic decor.
The limited-time Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is taking place at the Waxhaw Woman’s Club on January 30 and January 31. Secure your tickets here before the immersive storytelling experience moves on to its next destination.
Brought to you by skilled Poe historians and expert mixologists, the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is a must for cocktail aficionados, literature buffs, or simply those seeking a new adventure.
Travel back to the 19th century and watch the thrilling tales of Edgar Allan Poe come to life as you listen to retellings of The Raven, The Black Cat, Masque of Red Death, and The Tell-Tale Heart. Infused with powerful themes of love, loss, and regret, the legendary tales explore dark yet intriguing aspects of the human psyche.
Attendees will enjoy four complimentary cocktails during the suspenseful 90-minute show. Beverages include the Nevermore, a black and gold cocktail crafted with orange peach blossom vodka, and the Cocktail of Red Death, a spirited nightcap with freshly squeezed seasonal fruits. Mocktails are also available for those looking to imbibe without alcohol.
The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy has transfixed countless visitors in over 100 cities across the United States. The question is, do you dare to be one of them?
The theatrical pop-up experience is open at the Waxhaw Woman’s Club from January 30 to January 31. Tickets begin at $55 and are limited to guests aged 21 and over.
A North Carolina grocery chain has opened another Charlotte-area store, with plans for more. Lowes Foods debuted its sixth Charlotte-area store Thursday, Jan. 15, at 3412 Providence Road in Waxhaw, the company said in a news release.Just three months ago, Lowes Foods opened at U.S. 521 and Possum Hollow Road at The Exchange in Indian Land, S.C. Lowes also recently opened a store in Columbia.The store has about 150 full- and part-time employees.Lowes plans to open another store in the Charlotte region this summer in Kanna...
A North Carolina grocery chain has opened another Charlotte-area store, with plans for more. Lowes Foods debuted its sixth Charlotte-area store Thursday, Jan. 15, at 3412 Providence Road in Waxhaw, the company said in a news release.
Just three months ago, Lowes Foods opened at U.S. 521 and Possum Hollow Road at The Exchange in Indian Land, S.C. Lowes also recently opened a store in Columbia.
The store has about 150 full- and part-time employees.
Lowes plans to open another store in the Charlotte region this summer in Kannapolis, as well as expansions in Wendell and Fuquay-Varina in the Triangle and store conversion of Kj’s Market in Lyman and John’s Island in South Carolina.
Features at the Waxhaw store, Lowes Foods said, include: The Community Table to gather for food pairings, tea parties and floral arranging classes, plus parties and events.
The Beer Den with craft beers and drafts. Shoppers can grab a pour and sip while they shop, or fill a growler or crowler to take home.
The Cakery, a whimsical bakery where square cakes are assembled, topped with icing made in-store with real cream and butter.
SausageWorks features locally sourced pork, beef and poultry sausages in several flavors.
Boxcar Coffee. Sip on a cup of coffee or grab a smoothie for children.
The Chicken Kitchen: prepared chicken as rotisserie, wings, pot pies, tenders, salad and soup.
The Smokehouse offers a rotation of wood-smoked meats ready to eat or take home.
Sammy’s offers lunch or dinner sandwiches, pizza and vegetables to eat in-store or take home.
Over a decade ago, Lowes Foods began pulling out of Charlotte, swapping stores with Harris Teeter and closing underperforming stores in 2014, as part of a reinvestment strategy in new stores and remodeling others.
The 72-year-old company has almost 9,000 employees at 80 Lowes Foods supermarkets in the Carolinas. Lowes Foods is a subsidiary of Alex Lee, based in Hickory.
Lowes Foods joins stiff competition in a field of nearly 730 grocery stores in the $10.4 billion Charlotte region market.
Discount giant Walmart has dominated the field for six years, followed by Matthews-based grocer Harris Teeter and Salisbury-based Food Lion. Recent store expansions and more planned in the Charlotte region include:
After popping up in cities like Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City, a captivating Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is coming to Waxhaw, NC. Inspired by four works from the renowned author, the evening pairs transfixing tales with creative cocktails inside an eerie setting – think dimly lit lanterns, flickering candles, and Gothic decor.The limited-time Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy will take place at the Waxhaw Woman’s Club on January 30 and January 31. Secure your tickets here be...
After popping up in cities like Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City, a captivating Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is coming to Waxhaw, NC. Inspired by four works from the renowned author, the evening pairs transfixing tales with creative cocktails inside an eerie setting – think dimly lit lanterns, flickering candles, and Gothic decor.
The limited-time Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy will take place at the Waxhaw Woman’s Club on January 30 and January 31. Secure your tickets here before the immersive storytelling experience moves on to its next destination.
Brought to you by skilled Poe historians and expert mixologists, the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is a must for cocktail aficionados, literature buffs, or simply those seeking a new adventure.
Travel back to the 19th century and watch the thrilling tales of Edgar Allan Poe come to life as you listen to retellings of The Raven, The Black Cat, Masque of Red Death, and The Tell-Tale Heart. Infused with powerful themes of love, loss, and regret, the legendary tales explore dark yet intriguing aspects of the human psyche.
Attendees will enjoy four complimentary cocktails during the suspenseful 90-minute show. Beverages include the Nevermore, a black and gold cocktail crafted with orange peach blossom vodka, and the Cocktail of Red Death, a spirited nightcap with freshly squeezed seasonal fruits. Mocktails are also available for those looking to imbibe without alcohol.
The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy has transfixed countless visitors in over 100 cities across the United States. The question is, do you dare to be one of them?
The theatrical pop-up experience is open at The Nightingale from January 22 to January 24. Tickets begin at $55 and are limited to guests aged 21 and over.
WAXHAW, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — “This is crazy, beautiful, awesome. Let your kids see this stuff,” says one couple driving through the Aero Plantation neighborhood. “It’s 100% beautiful.”They’d driven down from Monroe to gaze at the Christmas lights on different homes in the county.One house on their list was Neil Heuer’s huge light show in Waxhaw. His premieres daily until 10 p.m. with more than 60,000 flashing LED lights, syncing with a playlist of 15 Christmas songs.Des...
WAXHAW, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — “This is crazy, beautiful, awesome. Let your kids see this stuff,” says one couple driving through the Aero Plantation neighborhood. “It’s 100% beautiful.”
They’d driven down from Monroe to gaze at the Christmas lights on different homes in the county.
One house on their list was Neil Heuer’s huge light show in Waxhaw. His premieres daily until 10 p.m. with more than 60,000 flashing LED lights, syncing with a playlist of 15 Christmas songs.
Despite the happiness viewers say they feel from watching the show. The homeowner says his display caused a bit of a stir with his homeowners’ association (HOA) board.
“That’s the argument. They say this is all private property. Our roads are owned by our HOA, so they’re technically not public. However, if you’re coming through here to deliver something, to visit somebody, to do anything, the roads are the roads. They’re throughways. They’re right of ways for people to pass,” Heuer said.
He says the HOA board sent him a letter addressing their complaints. He declined to show the letter in case of any possible litigation.
We looked at the HOAs’ bylaws, and nothing explicitly prohibited homeowners from operating any entertainment show.
“This is about the fourth year, and it’s never been anything quite this big. I always do Halloween and Christmas. No complaints. Nothing I believe I’m doing here is impacting the neighbors, impacting the neighborhood, or against rules and regulations that we have in the neighborhood,” Heuer said.
He says the average time anyone stops to watch the lights is three minutes, then they drive away. They also get about four cars a night.
Onlookers didn’t see an issue with it.
“It’s not that big of a deal. And right now, there’s nobody even coming or going. This man is made a spectacular display for everybody to enjoy. And I cannot understand why any person would not want their kids, their grandkids, to see such beautiful,” the couple said.
“I just really enjoy it. I did it for my kids several years ago, and it’s just gotten larger, and it’s just so fascinating and exciting. And every time somebody gives positive feedback, it’s just more fuel to make me want to do it more. I just want, I want to make people happy, and this makes people happy,” he said.
Although this is his biggest year, it might be his last year. Heuer is considering moving the light show to a bigger location, so viewers can watch the show undistracted, and neighbors can be at peace.
“This is the last thing I want to have an argument about. I just want people to enjoy the show. I’m not trying to make it an unsafe situation for anybody,” Heuer said.
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