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Whether or not a woman takes hormones to replace those diminished with menopause is a personal decision influenced by certain symptoms as well as concerns of hormone related ailments.
Symptoms that prompt considerations for hormone replacement often include hot flashes, thin skin and vaginal dryness. Hormone related ailments include osteoporosis, cancer, heart attacks and strokes.
Hormones that are usually considered for supplementation after menopause include estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. These are the hormones that help regulate women’s menstrual cycles.
There are three forms of estrogen that are commonly addressed in women. Estrone (E1) is a strong estrogen that can be associated with toxic reactions. Estradiol (E2) is the most abundant form of estrogen and the one marketed most heavily in the past. Estriol (E3) is a weaker form of estrogen and associated with healthful qualities.
Estradiol has been sold for years under the name Premarin. This stands for pregnant-mare urine. Complications arose with the use of Premarin primarily because it was administered as a single agent.
The horse-derived estradiol in an isolated dose over-stimulated susceptible women’s estrogen receptor sites. These receptor sites are most abundant on the cells that make up the uterus, as well as the breasts. As a consequence, some of the over-stimulated cells turned cancerous, with some of them advancing to a stage that could be diagnosed as uterine or breast cancer.
Part of the individualized susceptibility has to do with genetic predisposition and part has to do with the amount of estrogen a woman is exposed to.
One revelation agreed upon from the uterine-cancer discovery with women taking Premarin is that hormones are regulated in the body constantly and are coordinated with their sister hormones.
For those women who still have a uterus, the addition of progesterone to estrogen supplementation has made a statistical difference between cancer and no cancer.
It was only recently, with the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative, that it was determined that animal-derived hormones not only did not protect against heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer as initially touted, they actually increased the risk for heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer. This was a stunning discovery.
Bio-identical hormones have now come to the forefront as healthy considerations for those women interested in avoiding certain symptoms and maintaining a youthful body. Bio-identical hormones are defined as hormones with the exact chemical makeup as those found in humans. They are often made from soy products and Mexican yams. Because they are bio-identical, they do not create the tension in the body that other forms do.
They do, in fact, decrease the incidence of heart attacks, strokes and breast cancers. They also contribute to youthful skin, increased bone density and enhanced sexual health and urinary health.
It has further been ascertained that there are different receptor sites for the different estrogens.
Estrone and estradiol both bind to Alpha-estrogen-receptor sites, while estriol binds to Beta-estrogen-receptor sites. Alpha-receptor sites are cancer promoting, while Beta-receptor sites are cancer inhibiting.
So, we see that bio-identical hormones are harmonious and healthful for the body. Also, the hormones estriol and progesterone are particularly healthful when matched proportionately with the individual involved.
Further, taking the hormones either under the tongue or through the skin is much more effective than taking them orally. There is much less risk as measured after five years of use.
The public seems to be catching on in this age of information. With awareness and open discussions available through many outlets, and even infiltrating mainstream news, we have seen a dramatic drop in Premarin use.
During the years 2001 to 2004, sales for this one synthetic hormone dropped from $2-billion to less than $800-thousand a year. This occurred even though direct-marketing techniques in the form of television ads targeted directly to TV viewers instead of doctors, produced a doubling in overall sales by the pharmaceutical mega-corporations of our day.
Dr. Miles is a naturopathic physician practicing at the Catalina Clinic of Integrative Medicine in Catalina.
Dr. Michael Miles is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in psychology and pre-med, he completed his studies in medicine at the highly regarded Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Miles offers a holistic, integrative general practice, which focuses on treating chronic and degenerative diseases, digestive disorders and hormonal imbalances, as well as allergies and infections of all kinds. He holds a special interest in chelation therapy used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. He is also very active in cancer research. He prefers non-toxic treatment techniques that include botanical medicine, clinical nutrition and homeopathy, but will offer pharmaceutical remedies when appropriate. You will find Dr. Miles to be compassionate, sincere and a strong advocate for your health. He is opening a new office in Catalina in June of 2014 which will feature hyperbaric oxygen therapy in addition to his normal services. www.catalinaclinic.com
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