Menopause
Background
There has been an enormous amount of confusion about using hormones for menopause. Much of this has been driven by drug companies looking to increase drug sales. As I take no money from either side (standard drugs vs. bioidenticals), I’m happy to clear up the confusion.
Natural products cannot be patented and therefore drug companies look to turn them into synthetics that they can patent and therefore charge high prices for. They then spend thousands of dollars per physician to convince them that these dangerous synthetics are better than the original natural hormones. They also spend millions to misinform the public by hiring experts to say the synthetics are no different than your own natural hormones. This is like saying that salt is no different than sugar!
The simple truth? The hormones that are the exact same as the ones your body makes (estriol, estradiol, and progesterone) decrease the risk of heart disease and, when the estriol is added, likely do not increase breast cancer (and may actually lower the risk) — unlike synthetics or conjugated estrogen. In other words, they are safe and effective whereas the non-bioidenticals are toxic. The problem? Bioidentical hormones, in addition to being safer, are cheaper because they can’t be patented.
Premarin should never have been allowed on the market and should be withdrawn. Premarin is derived from the urine of pregnant horses. Premarin is "pre" from the word "pregnant," "mar" from "mare" and "in" from "urine." It is insane that it was ever used in humans. Now that it is off patent, the research showing that it is dangerous is finally getting published. Sadly, instead of being told to switch to safe bioidentical hormones, physicians and the public have been told to avoid all estrogen.
It is best to simply use the bioidentical hormones if needed.
Two bright spots?
- Bioidenticals are becoming available at your local pharmacy, as the drug companies learned that they could patent the delivery system. So all of the estrogen patches are now bioidentical.
- Holistic physicians are finding they can get good results at very low dosing.
More Information Online
Articles on Menopause by Dr. T
The Safety and Effectiveness of Bioidentical Hormones: Natural (Bio-identical) vs. Synthetic HRT
Treatments
For Estrogen Deficiency and Hot Flashes:
Recommended Supplements
Bioidentical hormone replacement
Use bioidentical hormone replacement starting with Biest 0.1-0.5 mg (e.g., half estriol and half estradiol) and 30-50 mg of natural progesterone. This is combined in a cream and applied to the skin each evening. If needed, you can add 0.5 mg of testosterone. This is just one of many acceptable dosing regimens.
OR
If you prefer not to take the hormones, take one of the following:
Black Cohosh
Use Remifemin. This is a special form of Black Cohosh made by Nature’s Way ® that is very effective for hot flashes. Take 2 twice a day for 2 months. By then it is usually taking effect and can be lowered to 1 twice a day.
Edamame
More commonly known as soybean pods, edamame can be found in the frozen food section of most supermarkets or health food stores. Eat a handful a day (just eat the "pea-like" beans on the inside, not the shell) and this can raise your estrogen naturally — and they’re tasty! Edamame is a standard appetizer in Japanese restaurants, and is how many Japanese women have traditionally treated their menopause symptoms.
More Information Online
Articles on Menopause by Dr. T
The Safety and Effectiveness of Bioidentical Hormones: Natural (Bio-identical) vs. Synthetic HRT