For years women in the US were given drugs for menopausal symptoms (and other things) that were unproven to be safe, says the Wall Street Journal. Most commonly used were Premarin, which is derived from the urine of pregnant horses; Provera, a synthetic progestin (a chemically altered progesterone); or Prempro, a combination of the two. Several years ago, a study was initiated to prove the safety and value of these drugs. In July of 2002, this huge multimillion dollar study had to be terminated, because Prempro not only did not show protection from heart disease (which it had been purported to do), but it also showed an increase: causing vascular disease, with additional heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer. One year later the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology developed new guidelines with a ‘low dose option’ for taking these same drugs, although no scientific research was proven for this option. At the same time as all of this has been going on, mainstream medicine has ignored the effectiveness of ‘bioidentical’ or natural progesterone. There are over 25 years of scientific research and hundreds of studies in the US and Europe demonstrating effectiveness and safety with bioidentical hormones. The article finishes with the following appeal: “The medical establishment must stop kowtowing to the drug companies and start serving women’s best interests—and that involves widely prescribing bioidentical hormones. This will lead to healthier, happier women and, in the long run, help reduce America’s skyrocketing health-care costs.”
My comments: Alternative medicine physicians have been using bioidentical hormones for over 30 years. The safety profile is great. It makes sense to use products that the body understands chemically, and has the biochemical processes to metabolize them. Non-identical drugs may not be metabolized or detoxified; they may generate additional toxins or may be stored indefinitely in the body without our knowing it. I am delighted to see this open commentary about serving women’s best interests! It is great to see common sense expressed by media in the public eye.
My doctor says I can get all the vitamins and minerals I need from my food. What is your opinion on this?
I used to say the same thing to my patients, back in the days before I studied healthy alternatives. It is the party line of allopathic medicine, although that is starting to change. Here's the bottom line, and I'll follow up with some info on what allopaths are now doing:
14 responses so far ↓
1 Kristen // Mar 31, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I started taking bioidentical hormones last year, under the care of a doctor at a clinic especially for this. They included hormones for the adrenal and thyroid glands, progesterone and testosterone. I experienced quite extreme side effects to my skin, exhibiting almost chemical-like burns, hives, and pustules only on the skin of my face. We narrowed it down to the cortisol and progesterone hormones. The doctors call me “a mystery woman”, saying they had never seen any reaction like this before. I have since stopped taking any of these hormones and my skin has improved, but still shows signs of breakouts again if I’m under stress or in the sun. It’s still a mystery to us.
2 Dr. Stan Gardner // Mar 31, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Kristen, That is a most unusual reaction. I would muscle test to see if you are indeed sensitive to those substances. If so, I would muscle test to the hormones by themselves, and then to the cream base or capsule or tablet without any hormone in it. This could be a sensitivity to something other than the hormones themselves.
3 Kathy // Apr 6, 2009 at 12:38 pm
At 47 I went in for a hysterectomy when I came out of surgery, all my doctor took was my ovaries. She gave me patches to replace estrogen. For some reason I did not use them. My doctor was fired and then my new doctor says good thing I didn’t use the patches they would give me cancer. So he gave me a vaginal cream for dryness. I am not using it because now I have so little trust in doctors. I have dry eyes that feel horrible and have pain if I read. I am dry vaginally and experience pain with sex (dry then like salt in a wound). I have hot flashes but I deal with all of this and for the most part am healthy. Can you suggest anything?
4 Tina // Apr 6, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I am more confused than ever about hormones. After a hysterectomy 2 years ago, I refused to use HRT and opted for herbs instead. My doctor has given me a hard time about it ever since, but I feel the Spirit telling me that was the right decision.
In December I found a lump in my breast. Three hours later I saw my doctor and four days later had the results of the tests - invasive ductal cancer. The lump was 2 cm, though my mammogram in April was totally normal. The lump hadn’t even been there the week before when I checked. I had a mastectomy 10 days after finding it and it had grown to 3 cm.
They were able to get all the cancer. It had not spread anywhere else. The confusion now is in whether I should have hormone treatments or not. The estrogen receptors were positive, though I’ve had conflicting reports about the other receptors. Some are telling me I must have hormone treatments and others are saying that could bring the cancer back. I’ve prayed about it and don’t feel comfortable using hormones of any kind and am using natural anti-estrogen treatments instead. Two of my doctors are alarmed and don’t care if they upset me. I don’t know who to trust or believe. My life is on the line though. Perhaps I need the role of hormones in my type of breast cancer explained better. Could you do that, please?
5 mary ann Miklavic // Apr 9, 2009 at 4:25 am
is there something I can take to help me from thickening up in my midriff section of my stomach going through menaoause…I have not had a period in 3 years?
6 Dr. Stan Gardner // Apr 20, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Kathy, Vaginal dryness is quite easy to treat with a local cream, or it can be placed in a suppository. I recommend estriol, but standard medicine uses estradiol. Just be sure it is bio-identical and not the chemically-derived version. Hot flashes should be treated with Progesterone first, and estradiol and estriol added later if progesterone doesn’t work by itself. As long as the hot flashes don’t interrupt sleep, and you can tolerate them, then don’t worry about ‘treating’ them. If treated, use bio-identical hormones.
7 Dr. Stan Gardner // Apr 20, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Tina, Continue to listen to your heart. The whole medical profession is confused on this hormone issue, so you should be confused also. It sounds like a very fast-growing carcinoma. One out of 8 breast cancers are missed on mammogram. Your decision to use natural treatments is great, but you will feel like you are swimming upstream. Hormones and breast cancer–what a topic. Several things are unclear–did estrogen have anything to do with the initiation of the original cancer? Nobody knows. Because the cancer is estrogen-sensitive, will more estrogen in the body make it more likely to return or metastasize? Nobody knows. But the prevailing in-the-box thinking is not to give estrogen to women with estrogen-sensitive cancer. Anybody that says otherwise is on very precarious ground. So standard medicine gives Tamoxifen for breast cancer women because it reduces the conversion of testosterone into estradiol, thus decreasing estrogen levels in women. Does this reduce future risk of breast cancer? The US study says yes, by 48%. Two smaller studies done outside the U.S., and less influenced by U.S. prevailing philosophy, did not show any decrease. All three studies showed an 150% increase in endometrial cancer, and an increase in vascular disease (heart attacks, strokes, peripheral vascular disease). One last question-does the imbalance of hormones in the body, or the balance of hormones in the body, make for a healthier body, and thus offer more protection against all disease, including cancer? Nobody knows, so, you need to listen to your own heart and make your own decisions. (Progesterone protects against breast cancer, but not the progestins that western medicine often uses.)
8 Dr. Stan Gardner // Apr 20, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Mary Ann, I’m not exactly sure what is happening to your body. Could you be a bit more specific?
9 mjbikes // Apr 22, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I am 60 years old, but feel 40. I am very active - cycling, hiking, yoga, etc. I have osteoporosis and have been on fosomax/miacalcin for nearly nine years. I have just completed some good physical therapy for a sacral fracture. I had no idea I had the fracture until I had an MRI for another issue. I do the Master Cleanse twice a year and eat as naturally as possible, with littl sugar. I would like to stop the fosomax (no longer on miacalcin). I take a good calcium supplement, along with Vit D3. How would you suggest I should proceed to keep my bones healthy.
Mary Jane
10 Dr. Stan Gardner // Apr 26, 2009 at 5:40 pm
mjbikes,
Fosomax is a drug that interferes with the body’s normal repair process of bone. There are 2 stages of bone repair-first, osteoclasts come into the area that need repair, and create a hole, which looks like osteopenia/porosis on DEXA scan. After this 6 week process, the body sends osteoblasts which build the matrix so the bone is stronger than it was before. Fosomax interferes with osteoclasts, so the X-ray ‘looks better’, but in reality the bone is weaker. The dentists are seeing more and more osteonecrosis of the jaw directly related to Fosomax use. I recommend discontinuing Fosomax immediately. Make sure you have the minerals necessary for bone matrix repair-including calcium and magnesium around 750 mg per day, biotin, zinc, boron-all of which are found in a potent multivitamin, although you’ll have to supplement extra calcium and magnesium. The 2 minerals missing in the multi are strontium (you need about 1000 to 2000 mg per day) and silicon. Of course you want to be on vitamin D (which you are) and vitamin K.
11 shel // May 5, 2009 at 9:30 am
I am 35 and have been married for 13 years all of which I have NEVER experienced an orgasm. I currently have hypothyroidism and am on 100mcg livoxyl. My poor husband has tried everything, to no avail. It isn’t him. I have gone to 4 different doctors 2 gynocologists and 2 family practice doctors which have done nothing to help. I have 5 children and one doctor said that was why. I don’t agree. I just want to feel what every other woman feels. What is wrong with me??? Any suggestions??
12 Peggy // May 5, 2009 at 10:42 am
I had a total hysterectomy in 1998 because I had a softball size back up of old blood due to endometriosis. They put me on Premarin. I knew nothing about any of the dangers and took it for several years (like 3 I think) before I started hearing things about it. I went off for a year and was so miserable I finally had my doctor prescribe me Estradial. (the soy-based medicine) About a year after that I learned I had Fibromyalgia. I’ve had years of horrible sleep, but finally got that somewhat under control with a rotation of sleep-aids…both natural, OTC and prescription. I’m now 50 and was concerned to be on the HRT for so long that I have recently weened myself off the HRT, but now I am sleeping bad again with the rotating hot/freezing all night long–tossing and turning with FM pain. I’ve had headaches, and bloating and my FM aches and pains are enhanced and I am thinking I don’t know if I can handle adding all these meno-pause symptoms to my FM. I don’t know how long they will last, or what to do. It’s tempting to go back on the HRT. Should I try a progesterone cream? I did that when I went off the Premarin and I can’t remember it helping me any. Where do we look for the natural products, and how do we know what really works and what doesn’t? I appreciated your article in Meridian Magazine.
13 Dr. Stan Gardner // May 5, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Peggy, All the menopausal symptoms can be totally controlled with bio-identical hormones, progesterone and estrogens. I expect the Fibromyalgia symptoms to resolve just as well with ‘real’ hormones as they did with chemically altered HRT. Some women are helped with OTC phytoestrogens, black cohash or dong quai. If they don’t work, you need both progesterone and estrogens. You need to find a doctor familiar with using them.
14 Denise // Oct 30, 2009 at 7:40 am
I am 48 yr old pre-menapausal, factor v leiden, P.e. surviver currently on coumadin,,working to get off of it in the next 2 weeks. I thought I read about something about fvl and bio identical hormones that myself and my sisters need to know. Can you help, if you have had a p.e, and fvl is there something I have to be more aware of? thanks
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