Discussion Post
In recent years, hormone replacement therapy has become a controversial issue. When prescribing therapies, advanced practice nurses must weigh the strengths and limitations of the prescribed supplemental hormones. If advanced practice nurses determine that the limitations outweigh the strengths, then they might suggest alternative treatment options such as herbs or other natural remedies, changes in diet, and increase in exercise.
Consider the following scenario:
As an advanced practice nurse at a community health clinic, you often treat female (and sometimes male patients) with hormone deficiencies. One of your patients requests that you prescribe supplemental hormones. This poses the questions: How will you determine what kind of treatment to suggest? What patient factors should you consider? Are supplemental hormones the best option for the patient, or would they benefit from alternative treatments?
To prepare:
Review Chapter 56 of the Arcangelo and Peterson text, as well as the Holloway and Makinen and Huhtaniemi article
(http://www.karger.com/Article/PDF/319635)
Review the provided scenario and reflect on whether or not you would support hormone replacement therapy.
Locate and review additional articles about research on hormone replacement therapy for women and/or men. Consider the strengths and limitations of hormone replacement therapy.
Based on your research of the strengths and limitations, again reflect on whether or not you would support hormone replacement therapy.
Consider whether you would prescribe supplemental hormones or recommend alternative treatments to patients with hormone deficiencies.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post a description of the strengths and limitations of hormone replacement therapy.
Based on these strengths and limitations, explain why you would or why you would not support hormone replacement therapy.
Talk about 2-3 hormone replacement therapy medications and their mechanism of actions (How do they work? What part of the body does the drugs act on and effect?)
Explain whether you would prescribe supplemental hormones or recommend alternative treatments to patients with hormone deficiencies and why.
In this assignment make sure you have an in-text citation every 3-4 sentences. There must be a reference list at the end. No plagiarism is allowed. Make sure that each source is cited. Make sure that each aspect of the assignment is included in this discussion post. Discussion must be written in APA format.