HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY
WHAT’S THE REAL DEAL?
Most people are unaware of the major differences between the
“synthetic” man- made form of hormones versus the “natural”
molecular hormone that Mother Nature gave us. These
innate hormones are commonly referred to as “BIO-IDENTICAL” and
are exact clones of what is normally manufactured and metabolized
within our body.
On May 31, 2002 the National
Institute of Health released
the results of an eleven year study known as the WHI (Women’s Health
Initiative) which was designed to determine the actual risk
reduction of heart attack, stroke, colon cancer, breast cancer,
Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease and Osteoporosis from
the use of the synthetic hormones- more specifically Premarin and
Prempro.
In the past, physicians and patients were told (and convinced) that
the benefits of HRT far exceeded the risks so millions of women
throughout America were on some form of HRT (Hormone
Replacement Therapy).
The trial ended prematurely because preliminary findings revealed an
increased risk rather than a decreased risk of the illnesses it was
following. (In
a certain subset of patients tested). This
information (although I believe may have been over inflated) caused
a major scare among the medical community as well as recipients
currently using these drugs. (Premarin and Prempro).
Billions of dollars were lost in sales as the number one selling
drug in America lost popularity. Fear
filled the lives of millions of women who were abruptly
stopping their hormones and suffering adverse
side effects because
of it. Now, patients and physicians were
frightened and discouraged about utilizing any form of hormone
therapy. Medical
offices were being flooded with phone calls and most were confused
as to what to do. Prior
to this study, my professors and mentors preached the importance of
HRT and its benefits despite the fact that it was only speculative
and never really proven or disproved until now. Most
medical providers would never envision that
the findings of the study would be so contrary to our previous
beliefs!.
My lesson(s) learned from this were:
1. I would no longer believe everything that I learned in medical
school.
2. I would take what was told to me by the drug companies -through
their convincing, attractive and brainwashed representatives,
as being biased and factually altered.
3. I
would beware
of all governmental medical agencies including the FDA,
AMA and NIH—all whom I believe are driven more by monetary motives
and incentives than by truth, proven fact and patient
safety. Unfortunately,
even in medicine, the prime stimulus for advancement appears to be
that of financial gain - regardless of cost and outcome.
The results of the WHI study along with its implications prompted me
to write an article (that gained national publicity) entitled
“Hormone Replacement Therapy Leaving a Bad Taste in Your Doctors
Mouth”.
The article briefly discussed the results of the study, in a less
negative way than did the press, and highlighted that only
certain subsets of women receiving
one particular form of HRT were at increased risk of poor outcomes. Despite
this, the media was much more influential than I could ever dream of
being or hope to be and a vast majority of patients and physicians
discontinued use of these non bio-identical hormones. My
article went on to note that there were alternatives to these
“synthetic” hormones and that they are safer and more effective
since they were exact replicas of the hormones naturally
manufactured and metabolized by the human body. This
was an option that most women and for that matter, most physicians,
never knew existed.
I want to go on record here
to say that I am in no way implying I had anything to do with the
development, introduction or reintroduction of BHRT (Bio-Identical
Hormone Replacement Therapy). The
credit for this lies within the hands, minds and caring souls of
several of my esteemed colleagues such as Dr.
Jonathan Wright, Dr. John Lee, Dr. Graby, and Dr. Gino Tutera
to name only a few. Perhaps
the most influential source of BHRT growth and recognition comes
from actress/singer/author, Suzanne
Somers. Through her
books and documented interviews with experts in the field as well as
her appearances with prominent and reputable media greats like Oprah
and Dr.
Phil, she has succeeded in getting the word out regarding
safe and effective means to obtain hormone balance. She
has and continues to do more for the field of Bio-Identical Hormones
than anyone or anything else to date. I
recommend reading her books listed at the end of this entry. Thanks
to their passion,
persistence and hard work, Alternative medical doctors are now
becoming more recognized and utilized for their skills in BHRT.
CONCLUSSION:
I know what must be in the back of your minds regarding the safety
and benefits of BHRT. Are
they really safe and is there enough information out there to answer
this question? Excellent
point!!!
The answer: To
date there are over 25 recent and reputable studies showing that
BHRT indeed is beneficial and safe to use. It
is my firm belief that within a matter of 5 years, thousands more
physicians will be providing BHRT or referring their patients,
families and themselves to experienced specialists Hormone
Replacement Therapy.
As recently as last year, tens of thousands of medical
doctors were requested by the AMA to obtain additional training in
BHRT because of the current and expected growth and patient
interest.
Maybe this will be a step in the right direction for the improvement
of healthcare in America .
Mark J. Bartiss, MD
(For ICAM) 2009
*** It is important to note that during the WHI trial, no form of
Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy was used. Instead only different
combinations of non
bio-identical hormones were
utilized; i.e. estrogen alone, estrogen plus progestin, versus
placebo.***
Suzanne Somers informative books for suggested readings:
I. AGELESS
II. SEXY
YEARS
III. BREAKTHROUGH
