I read a great article in The Wall Street Journal by Dr. Erika Schwartz, Dr. Kent Holtorf and Dr.David Brownstein- "The Truth About Hormone Therapy,"  that speaks directly to what we believe and practice at the Happy Hormone Cottage.  

Here is what they say:
 
"Mainstream medicine has been given a wake-up call on a matter critical to the health of 65 million women in the U.S. At issue are the options for treatment of menopause symptoms (i.e. hormone imbalance symptoms) that cause significant health problems for women in mid-life as their bodies produce fewer hormones. It doesn't seem like a complicated problem, given advances in medical science. Yet hormone-replacement therapy has become a textbook example of how special interests, a confused medical establishment, and opportunists can combine to complicate the issue and deny patients access to safe and effective treatments.
 
Until seven years ago, women going to conventional doctors were prescribed the FDA-approved synthetic hormone Premarin®, derived from the urine of pregnant horses; Provera®, a synthetic progestin; or Prempro®, a combination of the two. Premarin® was the bestselling drug in the U.S., in 2001, generating $2 billion a year for Wyeth.
 
In 1994 a study led by the National Institutes of Health called the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) was started with the hope of establishing that Premarin® and Provera® would, beyond relieving menopause symptoms, protect aging women from heart attacks, strokes, osteoporosis and cancer.
 
On July 9, 2002, however, the WHI came to an abrupt halt. The study proved unequivocally that the drugs were UNSAFE and significant factors in increasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer in the more than 16,000 women studied.
 
This led doctors to take millions of women off Premarin®, Prempro® and Provera® overnight. Predictably, these women started to feel horrible in the aftermath of the drugs' sudden withdrawal, and their physicians told them there were no alternatives. Instead they prescribed antidepressants or birth control pills with shoddy results.
 
One year after this disaster, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG)
developed new guidelines that encouraged physicians to prescribe the same drugs in lower doses for shorter periods of time. Yet, and this is KEY, the safety of this "low dose option" was NEVER proven scientifically.
 
Meanwhile, many conventional physicians have ignored the effectiveness of "bioidentical" or natural progesterone, which is formulated to be identical to the progesterone molecule that is produced by the human body.
 
There are 25 years of scientific research with hundreds of studies in the U.S. and Europe that have demonstrated that bioidentical hormones, estradiol, and micronized progesterone, are equally or more effective than synthetics-AND SAFER.  Yet mainstream medicine has buried its head in the sand and refused to take these studies seriously.
 
While Europeans have long used bioidenticals, no commercially available bioidentical hormones existed in the U.S. until 1998, when a few pharmaceutical companies obtained FDA approval for an array of bioidentical estrogen preparations and one progesterone preparation. Unfortunately, due to drug companies running the medical profession by controlling what goes into medical education, most doctors never get educated about bioidentical hormones or the way in which different hormone molecules work. With Premarin and Provera dominating the market, drug companies had no incentive to spread the word.
 
Today the distinction between bioidentical/natural progesterone and the synthetic progestin Provera remains widely misunderstood. Progesterone is used by fertility specialists to protect pregnancy, while medroxyprogesterone (Provera) is used in the morning after pill and in birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. Their actions are totally different and antithetical.
 
Sadly, seven years after the WHI study finding Premarin/Provera unsafe, the hormone-replacement debate can be summed up in three words: confusion, ignorance, misinformation. Meanwhile, millions of women have embraced bioidenticals, leaving their conventional physicians looking stubborn and foolish.
 
The medical establishment must stop kowtowing to drug companies and start to serve women's best interests-and that involves widely prescribing bioidentical hormones. This will lead to healthier, happier women and, in the long run, help reduce America's skyrocketing health-care costs."
 
Drs. Schwartz, Holtorf and Brownstein are founding members of the Bioidentical Hormone Initiative, a nonprofit group of physicians dedicated to patient and physician education
(www.bioidenticalhormoneinitiative.org)
 
    Interesting reading, huh? THIS is why we do what we do at our Piqua Medicine Shoppe and Happy Hormone Cottage. We educate women and men in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to make THEM the best advocates for their bodies. Quite frankly, what choice do we have? At least by educating ourselves, we can become empowered to make the best choices for US, and become committed to our BEST health naturally.

  Some of the experiences of our Happy Hormone clients can attest to the confusion and ignorance of many of our practitioners-especially OB/GYNs. Recently, Tammy emailed me and writes, "Just to share, when I went to my last follow up with my doctor (OB/GYN), I had to see his partner, who told me that the bioidentical therapy I am taking is a waste due to me not knowing if the cream is being absorbed. He tried to talk me into taking an estrogen patch and an anti depressant medication. He got irritated with me when I said that I would talk with all my doctors who prescribe medications and my pharmacist (Jeff Hogrefe, R.Ph.) He asked why I was talking with Jeff (compounding pharmacist who makes her therapy) because I needed to leave all my medical decisions to my doctors. I told him that I communicate with all who are involved in my care."

   I actually had to laugh when I read this! So this doctor wanted to slap an estrogen patch on her without checking her levels and THEN give an anti depressant? Why?? Because it's easy and familiar and it is what he knows. But it's also because his clients LET HIM. If we would begin to say to him, "You know, I appreciate where you are coming from, but isn't it time you began to learn about natural hormone therapy? I have researched it and feel very comfortable, so I have decided THIS is the route I am going to take. I would really appreciate it if YOU would begin to learn about it as well. But make no mistake, I AM going to pursue this....with you or without you."  It seems to me that if our doctors hear this enough and begin to lose enough of their client base because they refuse to even consider something besides drug therapy, they may be motivated to begin to learn.

   Another client, Jan, went to her doctor with our recommendation for her natural hormone balance. He refused to consider it, and instead prescribed for her an estradiol vaginal cream ($150) and Wellbutrin® (antidepressant)! Keep in mind that OUR natural therapy vaginal cream costs only $25(!) and is actually made FOR HER based on her saliva test results, so we know physiologically what dosing she needs, not just a one-size-fits-most. Also, Jan is already on Zoloft® -which increases serotonin levels. Wellbutrin® increases serotonin and norepinephrine levels. I just don't see the rationale for using both. But wait-this gets even better! Jan's estradiol level is a high 2.2 (ideal range at the tissue level of cells is .5 - 1.5), so using the estradiol prescribed by her doctor will actually increase her already high estrogen level! So his strategy will actually INCREASE her brain fog, weight gain AND her risk for breast cancer. (unopposed estrogen can increase the risk for breast cancer...which is why WE recommended a healthy dose of progesterone to counteract her already high estradiol level. This progesterone will also help her big issues of not sleeping, vaginal dryness, depression, mood swings, irritability, and aches and pains)

  When I saw what happened at her doctor's appointment, I had to call Jan. I just knew if I didn't I wouldn't be able to sleep that night. So we chatted and I explained her test results to her and our recommendation versus what her doctor prescribed to her and her response was, "I just don't know what to do. I don't want to go against him. I like him! He takes his time with me and seems to listen to me. Do you think you could call him?"  I understand her dilemma. Truly, I do. This is where education about natural hormone balance comes into play. The long and the short of it is yes, we will call his office and make ourselves available to speak with him, but I can tell you it probably won't go well. Jan's doctor just isn't there yet. Maybe, if SHE holds out and refuses his strategy and goes to one of the doctor's on our list who DO believe in the benefits of natural hormone therapy:
-symptom control
-anti-aging strategy
-disease prevention (breast cancer, osteoporosis, dementia, heart disease)
so her doctor loses her as a patient, that may make an impact. At least it will send a message!       

WE will keep on providing education and resources on natural hormone balance to every woman who will listen. We will continue to build relationships, listen to our women, offer hope AND a strategy for natural hormone balance that changes lives! We will continue to follow up with our women and to continue to be advocates for women in our "women helping women" endeavor. We will continue to walk that walk for women's health everywhere, because this is just what we do! OUR passion is to fight for YOU so YOU can live YOUR best health naturally! But we certainly can't do it alone. So I'm encouraging all of you to help US help YOU by educating yourselves in this critical area of YOUR health and then being assertive and empowered with YOUR doctor. Together, we CAN!

Warmly,
Lyn