Hormone
Replacement Therapy

BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY (BHRT)

Today many women, concerned about their health and wellbeing, are faced with the decision of whether or not to undergo Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).

Until recently the only option open to these women was to undergo HRT using synthetic hormones. But as awareness of the harmful effects of synthetic HRT grew, women began demanding a natural solution to menopause. This made sense. After all, menopause is a natural occurrence.

In July of 2002 a Women’s Health Initiative Study on synthetic HRT had to be stopped out of ethical concerns.

The WHI followed 16 thousand women, half of whom were on Premarin and Provera, the other half on a placebo. After 5 years there was a significant increase in invasive breast cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and lung clots in women on synthetic HRT when compared with those on the placebo.

The trial had to be stopped prematurely. It was becoming clear that synthetic hormone replacement therapy was unable to take into account the subtle differences in the hormonal make-up of individual women, and that it was precisely this oversight that had led to the treatment’s devastating side-effects.

The human body is, in many ways, constantly teetering on the edge of chemical disaster. The slightest deficiency or excess of a certain hormone can send it spinning off balance. Sometimes, when this happens, it may make you feel strange, perhaps depressed, uneasy or unwell. It may cause one of any number of minor and major complaints. This is where bio-identical hormone replacement therapy comes in.

BIO-IDENTICAL HRT vs SYNTHETIC HRT

Synthetic hormone replacement therapy makes use of equine hormones (i.e. extracted from horse’s urine) and a host of chemical additives to create a mixture which is thought to achieve the same effect as the hormones that the body produces naturally.

In most cases however, the introduction of these foreign elements into the body has caused unwanted side-effects. Since the artificial hormones differ chemically from the body’s hormones, they are often rejected and remain for long periods of time in the body.

Bio-identical hormones are engineered at a chemical level to be identical to the patient’s hormones. These treatments are individualised and require laboratory analysis of the patient’s hormones (obtained from saliva or blood) so that they can be replicated properly.

The raw materials for the replacement hormones are taken from naturally occurring plant hormones (generally soy or Mexican yam), and they provide the basic building blocks from which chemically-identical replacement hormones can be made.

Whereas synthetic hormone replacement therapy applies a one-size-fits-all procedure to every patient, regardless of their individual hormonal requirements, bio-identical hormones are tailor-made to suit each person according to their own hormonal make-up.

Why hasn’t BHRT been readily available until now?

Bio-identical hormones are considered identical to naturally-occurring human hormones, and therefore cannot be patented. Just as one cannot patent blood cells or muscle tissue, it is not possible to own bio-identical hormones or have a monopoly on them. Therefore large pharmaceutical companies have had little incentive to offer bio-identical hormone replacement therapies, instead preferring to synthesize and patent artificial hormones.

The cause has largely been taken up by individual doctors and compounding pharmacies, intent on bringing their patients the safest and most effective form of HRT.

BENEFITS OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES

BHRT can provide relief from a large number of symptoms. It can also be essential for the maintenance of cardiovascular health, bone density, memory and the enhancement of general well being.

Benefits of Estrogens are:

• Helps maintain memory
• Increases concentration
• Improves energy levels
• Decreases blood pressure
• Decreases plaque on arteries
• Reduces risk of heart disease
• Improves quality of sleep
• Improves mood
• Maintains bone density
• Decreases risk of bowel cancer
• Increases sexual desire
• Reduces wrinkles

  Benefits of Progesterone are:

• Natural calming effect
• Builds bone
• Lowers high blood pressure
• Lowers cholesterol
• Helps thyroid function
• Protects against endometrial cancer
• Protects against fibrocystic breast disease
• Helps balance estrogens
• Increases metabolic rate
• Natural diuretic
• Natural anti-depressant

  Benefits of Testosterone are:

• Increases libido
• Helps maintain memory
• Increase sense of well being, self confidence and motivation
• Decreases body fat
• Maintains bone strength
• Increases muscle mass and muscle tone
• Natural anti-depressant

  Benefits of DHEA are:

• Decreases cholesterol
• Increases bone growth
• Promotes weight loss
• Increases brain function
• Supports immune system
• Increases brain function
• Increases quality of life
• Improves sleep
• Activates immune system
• Increases insulin sensitivity