Today I woke up to emails from clients, sending me the link to the article above , with the same old tired arguments and inaccuracies; and wanting me to blog my response FOR what we do, which is to create bio-identical hormone therapy customized for each woman who has a hormone imbalance issue. So here we go! LET THE GAMES begin with the list of inaccuracies:
- Progesterone was not studied in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). Medroxyprogesterone was. The difference between progesterone and medroxyprogesterone is the difference between night and day. All the increased risks in the WHI study of blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, cancer involved medroxyprogesterone (a synthetic progestin).
- Saliva testing is extremely accurate and correlates exceedingly well with symptoms and health of the patient, far better than serum testing.
- When using topical therapy, serum testing is an extremely ineffective and inaccurate way to measure hormone levels.
- Hormones are not drugs. Hormones do not equal drugs. Drugs that mimic hormones have the greatest risk. There are TONS of studies that show the safety and effectiveness of bio-identical hormones. (https://happyhormonecottage.com/resources-reading/ readings section-practitioner’s resources). There are NO studies that show the safety and effectiveness of prepro (premarin and provera-the synthetic estrogen and progestin)!
- Dr. Robert Wool states, “In my honest opinion, bio-identical hormones filled at a compounding pharmacy are a marketing ploy.” This is his opinion—but where is the science to support his “honest opinion?” If we make the same hormones, then it seems a bit redundant for us to have to get FDA approval, since they are already approved!
- BHRT doesn’t claim to cure Alzheimer’s, heart disease or cancer. We are ALL about prevention.
- Under the pros and cons, this article leaves out the greatest argument for the advantages of using BHRT and that is that we CAN ADJUST DOSING based on a woman’s individual response. Commercially made medications don’t have this same flexibility.
Should we allow women who have had breast cancer, blood clots and strokes to suffer through menopause or hormone imbalance issues (hot flashes, etc) because we are afraid? Should we not look at their saliva testing in an objective way and come up with our best approach to treating them? Not all estrogen delivery systems have been proven to raise the risk of blood clotting. So let’s not base our decision making on fear.
So there you have it! My response once again to yet another article on the same old tired arguments against using BHRT in favor of FDA approved drugs that have been proven to cause serious health risks. Why do I have to keep defending customized BHRT? Why is there so much propaganda against what we do? What we do at our Piqua Medicine Shoppe and Compounding Pharmacy is strictly regulated by the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy. Because we customize for the individual, we can not be approved by the FDA. Their job is to approve drugs for the masses that are one size fits all. End of story. AND when you come to us at our compounding pharmacy, you don’t have to worry about discrepancies in dosing etc. We sample our products and get them tested for potency, etc.
Just remember, when you are reading articles on BHRT, there is ALWAYS an agenda to support the use of drug therapy and the immense profits involved. The SCIENCE supports what we do. We have proven time and time again that we have YOUR best interests and YOUR best health naturally at heart.
