If you’ve been wanting to know slightly more about the Marion Gluck Clinic – how it operates, how the treatment might affect your life, or you’re just curious, today is your lucky day!

We held an interview with our resident advanced clinical practitioner, Elena Caraman, where she talked about her own journey with BHRT, how she found the Marion Gluck Clinic, and her role in the team. Without further ado…

 

I: Morning! It’s great to finally meet you – I’m looking forward to hearing all about your experience with the Marion Gluck Clinic.

E: Good morning! Yes, you know I’m here to chat, at the end of the day, the interview needs to show the truth of the Marion Gluck Clinic and my story, that’s what we’re here for.

I: Great! I’ll dive right in then.

I: So what led you to the Marion Gluck Clinic – I understand you work there now, but previously you were a patient, is that right? Could you tell me a bit more about that?

E: So, about four or five years ago, I realised I was growing older, and I was having some symptoms, you know I felt forgetful, I felt very angry – I just didn’t feel right. I worked at a GP in London, so I knew all about the options, blood tests, the NHS pathway, start some HRT or start some progesterone, but I just felt that wasn’t for me at the time. I wasn’t going through menopause (I know now it was probably the early stages of perimenopause).

Anyway, I just didn’t feel that on the NHS you can manage that very well. I know what I had to do for my patients – they come in for a ten minute appointment, you weigh them, you do a blood test, you start them on HRT. What if that’s not the appropriate choice?

I had this friend, who I used to go to to get facials. She was going through menopause, and she hadn’t been happy with what the NHS was offering. She told me she was going to Leeds, to see a doctor, who follows the protocols designed by Dr. Marion Gluck. I told her to let me know how it goes.

E: So she went, and she came back, and she was really really enthusiastic – she had already started on the treatment! Being a nurse, I had the opportunity to follow the training provided by The Marion Gluck Training Academy (which I would highly recommend to anyone). The doctor who did our training – I can’t quite remember her name – she just had this aura. You could tell, even though she was probably in her 50s, she was beautiful, and glowing. At the end of the day, age is just a number.

When I came out, at the end of the training, I felt like the sky had been lifted. I felt that I suddenly knew the answers to my problem – obviously, I decided to start on the treatment. I also worked in aesthetics at the time, and the lady who owned the place suggested we do an event, because I wanted to get the word out to the ladies in my area – they had to try this treatment. We went from two patients to ten, and from ten to fifty, and from fifty to a hundred. I was feeling better, and my patients were feeling better, and the whole thing snowballed. I’m a big believer that if you shine a light on someone, the light will come back to you. And I just felt that that’s what the Marion Gluck Clinic did to me, so when I was contacted by the clinic with this job opportunity, I jumped at it, because it just seemed perfect.

I started working on the 4th January 2022, so just over a year now, and I’ve been so fortunate. And with the treatment, you just feel alive. That’s how it feels at my age, you just feel alive again.

I: That’s so great to hear. It must have felt amazing, finding a solution to how you were feeling.

So now that you’re working for the Marion Gluck Clinic as well as receiving treatment from them, what’s your role within the team? What do you like about it?

E: Initially I was just doing prescriptions, first time prescriptions, helping the doctors with anything they needed extra hands on, because of course they’re also busy with patients and other work. But then we decided to expand the role, because patients would be ringing the clinic with questions and I felt I was able to help them in the case their doctor was not immediately available

For example, if a lady rings in, having just started on the BHRT, and she’s got some additional questions – it’s very important that we support them through that, so I’ll call her back on the same day hopefully, or sometimes the next day. It’s very important to us that our clients feel supported, and respected, and feel that they’re getting better treatment here than anywhere else.

The other thing we started doing was phone calls for initial reviews. We did some trials, and now we’re settled on calling each patient two weeks after their initial review – to support them, to check if there’s any feedback, or see if they have any questions that they’d forgotten in their initial visit. Sometimes the first consultation can be a little overwhelming, going through everything, and sometimes people only think of questions afterwards, so we just like to really make sure they know that we’re here for them. We’re having great positive feedback following the introduction of this new service

I: Your role sounds pretty varied – in your opinion, what do you think is the most important part of it? What do you feel is most valuable?

E: I think it’s all of it! I know first hand how important the prescriptions are, because I know exactly how I would feel if I was left without my prescriptions, and my hormones. I don’t think I would be able to function, I don’t think I would be able to come to work. I know for a fact that my family and the people around me would notice the change in my mood.

I also really enjoy the calls with the patients and building relationships with them so that they feel supported. You really feel that you’ve made a difference, which is wonderful.

I: That must be really great, to be able to help people who are in the position you were once in yourself.

I: Could you tell us a bit about your own experiences with BHRT?

E: Of course – like I said, my symptoms, which I know now were the early stages of perimenopause, started around four or five years ago. I was feeling very angry – I’d pick up the phone to talk to someone about a bill that had come and find myself suddenly shouting down the phone, then put it down, and have no idea why I’d started shouting, or what had made me feel angry. It’s not a nice way to feel. So obviously I started with the bioidentical hormones with Marion Gluck Clinic protocols and treatments after I did the training at The Marion Gluck Training Academy, and the difference was just miraculous. I felt so much better, so I came off it.

But then towards the middle of last year, I started feeling really unhappy again. I couldn’t concentrate, I couldn’t function, and I started losing my hair. It just started coming out in clumps in the shower – obviously, I asked one of the doctors at the clinic for some help, and now I’m back on the treatment, and I feel great again. I wake up in the morning, and I feel fresh, I’ve got lots of energy, I don’t have to write these endless lists any more. At the end of the day, The Marion Gluck Clinic is about helping people. Most clinics are about profit, rather than being kind to people. Marion Gluck Clinic is about being kind to people.

I: Do you have any advice that you would give to someone who is considering BHRT?

E: I think that everyone should have their own knowledge about treatment when making medical decisions – do some reading, do some research, figure out what’s best for you. I say to all my clients, go on the website, have a look at what is available. You also need to make sure you’re prepared to monitor yourself, and be careful about your symptoms and any side effects. Hormones are very powerful. At the Marion Gluck Clinic we have all sorts of safety measures in place, asking patients to continuously monitor their health through appropriate blood tests, mammograms, and smear tests among other things. It’s so important to be responsible for your own health.

If you want to feel empowered, if you want to feel good about yourself, you need to take ownership of your own care, and actually invest in your health. Pay for a consultation, pay for a scan, pay for a blood test. The best investment you can make is in yourself.

I: Great. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today, I appreciate it. It’s been great to get a first hand understanding of the clinic, and just how great an impact BHRT can have on your life!

 

If you related to any of the symptoms that Elena mentioned, or you’ve been struggling with menopause, perimenopause (or any other hormone related issues), you can book a consultation here. We’ll be happy to help. For any other enquiries, please get in touch on 020 7191 2378