Thanks to Susanne Somers and her book Ageless it seems like everyone knows about bio-identical hormones (BHRT). Miss Somers herself is currently on the Wiley protocol, a very controversial hormone replacement therapy as an adjunct to sound nutritional diet, vitamin and hormone injections. So Miss Somers has spread the word, but what is the buzz all about?
Well, here’s the deal. For about 40 years, women where given synthetic hormones to help with their menopausal symptoms. In 2002, a large study of women who were receiving Premarin and PremproÒ was found to have increased risk of stroke, breast cancer, heart attack and circulatory diseases as compared to those who where not on hormone replacement therapy. Furthermore, the analysis of Prempro and Premarin, which by the way is the urine of a pregnant mare, showed 53 different types of estrogen. Humans have only 6 forms of estrogens in the body, so the question is:
What are the other 47 horse estrogen’s doing in your body?
The answer: Who knows! But the question now is: Were they causing heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer in women? Could these diseases have been avoided if they hadn’t been prescribed a dose of “horse piss”? This is why things are changing towards natural hormone replacement therapy. The term “bio-identical” is just that! The hormones that are now being used by progressive physicians are biologically identical to the hormones your body is producing. Hence when you take a bio-identical hormone, your body does not know the difference between these and the ones you make yourself. This means you can have optimal levels of hormones (think of what you felt like in your early 20’s) without the side effects of disease that the synthetic hormones are causing. People want to feel young and strong again and why shouldn’t they? Today’s lifestyle is depleting in many ways. We experience more things in ONE day, than what our great-grandparents experienced in a whole month. It is common now to see a 30-year old person with hormone levels of a 60 year-old! This can be changed with appropriate use of bio-identical hormones replacement therapy.
So how do you know if you are deficient in hormones? Take a look at this list of symptoms and if you have 5 or more, you may be severely hormone deficient!
Difficulty regulating blood sugar – afternoon “slump” in energy, shakiness and/or lightheadedness when skipping a meal
No sense of hunger within 2 hours after rising
Poor tolerance for exercise – can’t do it or need a nap afterwards
Irritability, depression with rapid mood swings
No or low sex drive!
Dark circles under the eyes
Headaches/Migraines – women tend to have these related to their menses
Dizziness upon standing
Difficulty focusing, forgets things easily
Catches colds readily
Sensitive to fumes, smoke, petrochemicals etc
Eyes sensitive to light
Water retention, swelling of feet and hands
Constipation, gas and bloating, difficulty digesting foods
Feel weak and shaky, tired all the time
Insomnia or poor sleep patterns
Episodes of rapid heart beats
Nails weak and break easily
Non-specific joint pain, arthritic pain
Increased/decreased sweating
Cold hands and feet
Crave salty or sweet things
Allergies and hay fever
Chronic rashes
Increased frequency in urination
If you would like more information about bio-identical hormones, you can call Dr. Oddveig Myhre, aka “Dr. O”. She’ll be happy to answer your questions.
