If you are a woman (or a man who loves them) you need to know about Madison Pharmacy Associates (MPA) and Women's Health America (WHA). Founded by pharmacist and visionary, Marla Ahlgrimm, R.Ph., MPA is a compounding pharmacy that was the first in the country to define and develop treatment options for PMS, Menopause and offer Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy. Believing, as I do, that there is no "one-size-fits-all" medication to treat pre-menopause, menopause, and post-menopause, MPA can customize and compound a lowest-dose-that-works prescription based on your symptoms.

Here are Marla's guidelines (which I support) for making this decision.

• 1. Individualize hormone therapy for each woman. Take her risk factors for osteoporosis, heart disease, and impaired cognitive function into account. Consider the quality of life she wants to achieve.
• 2. Use the lowest dose necessary.
• 3. Manage symptoms with the natural hormones estradiol, estriol, progesterone, and testosterone in customized prescriptions.
• 4. Avoid synthetic hormones.
• 5. Measure levels of each prescribed hormone to ensure that each patient receives just the right amount of hormones, neither too much nor too little for her individual needs.
• 6. Monitor each woman taking hormone therapy on a regular basis. Adjust treatment as needed. This can be most effectively done through saliva testing.
• 7. Base the length of therapy on each woman's individual needs and health goals. Natural hormones can be safely used for short-term symptom management, as well as long-term health, wellness, and disease prevention.
• 8. If you are taking synthetic hormones, talk with your health care provider. Ask him or her to change your prescription to natural hormones.
• 9. If your health care provider is not familiar with natural hormone replacement therapy (NHRT), ask him or her to contact Women?s Health America, and we will provide information on the effectiveness and safety of NHRT.
• 10. If you have friends concerned about hormone replacement therapy, pass along a copy of this information or have them call us at (800) 558-7046.
• 11. As always, our professional staff is available to answer your questions or concerns. We're here to advise you and your physician.

To learn more about this unique pharmacy and the services offered by WHA go to http://www.womenshealth.org/