I just overheard a comment from a neighbor that made my hair stand straight up! They were talking about a recent bone density test and how an acquaintance of theirs found out that she has osteopenia (that slippery slope on the way to osteoporosis!), so her doctor recommended she increase her dosage of calcium. First of all, calcium is a mineral and she is NOT calcium deficient…she has bone loss. So “upping” her dosage of calcium may help a little, but it’s not going to signal the osteoblasts to make more bone. Hormones do that! It is the role of estrogen and testosterone (and researchers also suspect progesterone plays a part in bone density) that build bone. So when women reach their middle-years and begin to produce less hormones, this compromises bone density and many women find themselves on the road to osteoporosis. The beauty of replacing your hormones in your middle years with natural compounded hormone therapy that is customized for you based on your hormone levels, is that it rebuilds bone-thus increasing bone density and putting your bone density levels back in the normal range. I can speak from personal experience with osteopenia at the age of 49, the lack of benefit from current “bone building drugs” on the market (they actually make bad bone!!) to my journey to natural hormone replacement. Six months from the date I began using my natural hormone therapy, my bone density scan came out in the low-normal range- a far cry from the osteopenia readings I had been getting earlier! To add insult to injury, this same neighbor went on to say that HER doctor told her that she should never use hormone replacement therapy and that even a broken bone (hip perhaps??) is better than the risk of HRT. THIS is probably the singular most ridiculous statement I have ever heard a practitioner make. It shows total ignorance of the subject matter. Since when is it ok to lump all HRT under one umbrella and label it all bad? I understand that Premarin and Prempro-the synthetic drugs of choice are bad, bad, bad. (whoever thought giving a woman horse pee in the first place and having the FDA actually approve it was wacked!) But to lump the synthetic drugs with BHRT and natural compounded hormone therapy is just ignorant AND quite frankly, wrong. If YOU have a doctor saying this to you, it is your job to get a second opinion. Even better, in this area of women’s health, where the waters are muddy and confusing, it is up to each woman to educate herself, ask the tough questions, do the research and choose the right path for her. Let’s focus on the CAUSE of the symptoms (i.e.bone loss) and take a holistic path, shall we, instead of a “let’s drug you and band-aid your problem” approach that is so popular among most practitioners today. Become empowered! Take charge of YOUR journey!
