Vol. 3, No. 9, September 2006
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Hormone Replacement Therapy
What you need to know about this complex issue
Of course you are confused about whether or not to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT). One day the news says it is good, and the next day it says it is bad.
Allow me to attempt to clarify an astoundingly complex issue!
Please know that when the media discuss estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, they are not talking about bioidentical hormones. Bioidentical hormones are those which were produced when you were younger, which are declining rapidly with age, and which are made by a compounding pharmacist. The media are discussing pharmaceutical equine (horse) and other synthetic estrogens, synthetic progestins, and synthetic testosterone.
The side effects of these pharmaceutical compounds are debilitating and often dangerous. I do not prescribe horse estrogen for human females. Bioidentical HRT has been done in Europe for decades.
Real estrogen affects over 300 tissue systems—meaning, estrogen affects your hair, mood, sleep, sensuality, sexuality, ability to lose weight, memory, and of course, your temperature dysregulation and various areas of dryness.
Real progesterone builds bone, has anxiolytic properties (calms you), helps you sleep, reduces carbohydrate cravings, and works as a diuretic. Testosterone, for men and women, converts fat to muscle, puts you into a deeper stage of sleep, builds bone, improves mood, returns your sense of dynamism, and of course, enhances sexual libido. And men, please listen up: There are more testosterone receptors on your heart than anywhere else in your body. In Europe, testosterone is a first-line cardiac medication.
Understand that doctors do not learn bioidentical hormone replacement therapy in United States medical training. There are a cluster of physicians who travel extensively to train with European endocrinologists, who have done this type of hormone replacement for decades.
In Europe, every woman over 39 gets a little thyroid. The first day I attended a European endocrinology conference we studied the thyroid for 12 hours, just touching the surface. Laboratory studies are done to confirm that hormonal levels are nearing ground zero as we age, and multiple hormones are replaced with low doses to perform what we call internal plastic surgery.
Yes, you will look better. My women have a glow. And my men have their groove back. But more importantly, your brain, memory, skin, zest for life, energy, hair, and quality sleep return. A usual side effect also includes losing ten pounds.
The European endocrinologists stress with their teaching that whole food nutrition must be combined with HRT to achieve optimal function. There is no sense living to be a centenarian without function. Maintaining function is the 2lst century new model in medicine. This is where bariatrics (medical weight loss physicians) enter the picture.
What is your body composition? I did not ask how much you weigh. I asked how many pounds of fat, how dehydrated, and how many pounds of muscle are you? Do you know what, where, and when to eat? Did a physician measure your waist and tell you to do so most mornings at home? Do you know your waist/hip ratio? Has anyone done a hormonal workup on you? There are about 20 laboratory values that need to be taken.
Suggested reading is The Testosterone Syndrome by Eugene Shippen, M.D., The Sexy Years by Suzanne Somers, Natural Hormone Balance by Uzzi Reiss, M.D., and What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You About Weight Loss by Dr. Roberta Foss Morgan.
