Dr. Stuenkel is right that certain hormones cause blood clots and uterine cancer. But not progesterone. Jumping from progesterone to blood clots and endometrial hyperplasia is somewhat misleading and reveals a lack of understanding of the history of medicine. Progesterone does not cause blood clots, endometrial hyperplasia or uterine cancer. Progesterone is protective.This is taught to first year medical students. Blood clots, endometrial hyperplasia and uterine cancer are all caused by oral estrogen tablets, called Premarin, given without progesterone, which historically was the usual practice from 1950 to 1975. This medical practice was halted with the publication of a NEJM report revealing that Premarin causes uterine cancer. To prevent uterine cancer, a synthetic progesterone called provera was added to the regimen, hence Prempro the drug used in the WHI study. This is a little history that Woolston omitted from the story.
Woolston also omitted to tell you that oral estrogen tablets cause increased coagulability and increased risk of blood clots. For example, oral estrogen in birth control pills is the cause of blood clots, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary emboli and stroke in young women. On the other hand, Bioidentical Estrogen in topical cream form is safe, and not associated with increase risk of blood clots.
On the Payroll of Wyeth
In addition, The North American Menopause society has financial ties to Wyeth and other synthetic hormone makers. This is publicly disclosed on the NAMS position statement in which many of the advisory panel have financial ties to the drug companies.
"Holtorf says there is strong evidence that bioidentical hormones are superior to other hormone treatments. In 2009, he published a review article in the journal Postgraduate Medicine that described dozens of studies of bioidentical hormones, many with positive results. And he notes that a survey of 176 postmenopausal women published in 2000 found that 65% said that bioidentical progesterone worked better than the hormone found in Provera...Nothing is ever proven in medicine," he says. "You just try to look at the evidence and find the best treatment for your patient."
"Holtorf claims that doubters of bioidentical hormones are generally either slow to accept change or are tainted by funding from the pharmaceutical industry. But Stuenkel counters that she and other physicians are simply following the evidence. Although some FDA-approved bioidentical hormones may, in fact, be improvements over traditional treatments, she says, the unapproved products have never been carefully studied. She points out that the biodentical progesterone used in the 2000 survey was almost certainly an FDA-approved product, not a compounded hormone put together in some clinic or pharmacy.
Stuenkel says that doctors paid close attention to the results from the Women's Health Initiative, a powerful study with a huge size and scope. By using smaller doses and different methods of delivery, they are continuing to give women safe relief from menopause symptoms without resorting to unapproved and untested treatments, she adds. "We have women's best interest at heart," she says.
Boxing Match
In a form of late night boxing match, Woolston brings us Holtorf on one side representing bioidentical hormones, and Stuenkel on the other representing synthetic hormones. Let the two go at it. What we have is an article with just enough spin and wiggle room to keep Woolston employed as a journalist. After all, Woolston's employer is the corporate media that depends on drug company advertising.
Using Modern Science to Create Frankenstein
Woolston conveniently omits important historical information about synthetic hormones starting with the first synthetic hormone invented in 1938, DES, Diethylstilbestrol. This monster hormone drug was used from the 1940s until the late 1980s, as an FDA-approved estrogen-replacement therapy. In 1972, the first reports of cervical cancer in the daughters of DES treated women was published in the New England Journal, and the drug was banned in 1975 after millions of women had been exposed. Another early synthetic hormone was Bisphenol A, originally invented in 1936, and now used as a plastic component with six billion pounds per year manufactured and used as plastic for baby bottles, water bottles,and children's toys.
These early "monster" hormones gave us a preview of coming attractions with the pharmaceutical industry continuing to sell chemically altered hormones to the American Public. It's all about money, not health. When will academic physicians like Steunkel and Santoro develop some intellectual integrity and renounce the synthetic monster hormones sold by their corporate masters? We are all waiting.
The take home message is that smart women are avoiding the "monster hormones" and have switched to safer more effective bioidenticals. Bioidentical Hormone leaders in the medical community such as Jonathan Wright, Kent Holtorf, Erika Schwartz, Bruice Kenton and David Brownstein are showing us the way.
Links to Articles with Related Content:
The Importance of Bioidentical Hormones
The Safety Of Bio-Identical Hormones
The Battle for BioIdentical Hormones
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