bioidentical hormones

You will never see a single post in any of my 5000+ that says anything of the sort. I will buy you a wheat grass shot for every one you can document where I said anything of the sort

Thank you for your response. Now, SoWallers can see both sides of Skunky in one post. Honestly, I knew it was in there somewhere. The only thing that I think we will just have to agree to disagree on is the fact that I feel on both sides, the info on treatments is rarely unbiased. That's why in another thread I mentioned that taking literature on either side just on face value is totally crazy.

BTW, I've only had 2 wheatgrass shots in my life. Love juicing but it takes so much time to clean-up and I don't have that right now. Ironically, I went to an info session at Jen's juice bar and after it was over, scooted over to Amavida for coffee. And for the record, never had a massage. Manual chiropractors scare the hell outta me (childhood fear from something my mama said to my dad:roll. I buy and eat as much organic as possible at home but if you ever catch me in the Chick-Fil-A line in Destin (on the few trips I make it that far), don't be surprised.

Thank you for your response. Now, SoWallers can see both sides of Skunky in one post. Honestly, I knew it was in there somewhere. The only thing that I think we will just have to agree to disagree on is the fact that I feel on both sides, the info on treatments is rarely unbiased. That's why in another thread I mentioned that taking literature on either side just on face value is totally crazy.

BTW, I've only had 2 wheatgrass shots in my life. Love juicing but it takes so much time to clean-up and I don't have that right now. Ironically, I went to an info session at Jen's juice bar and after it was over, scooted over to Amavida for coffee. And for the record, never had a massage. Manual chiropractors scare the hell outta me (childhood fear from something my mama said to my dad:roll. I buy and eat as much organic as possible at home but if you ever catch me in the Chick-Fil-A line in Destin (on the few trips I make it that far), don't be surprised.

If it is any consolation I have had a grand total of one wheat grass shot in my life, courtesy of a well respected local health food store. The resulting mess was, well, green

If it is any consolation I have had a grand total of one wheat grass shot in my life, courtesy of a well respected local health food store. The resulting mess was, well, green

Same place I had mine. Give me a fruit smoothie with Greens + any day.

I thought this was relevant to this thread:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent letters warning seven pharmacy operations that the claims they make about the safety and effectiveness of their so-called "bio-identical hormone replacement therapy," or "BHRT" products are unsupported by medical evidence, and are considered false and misleading by the agency. FDA is concerned that unfounded claims like these mislead women and health care professionals.
http://www.pharmwatch.org/reg/bioidentical.shtml

caveat emporum!

very old news, especially to those of us who have been actively doing our own work to ensure our long term health since research into women's health is so not a priority in the medical field for some reason.

here is one recent event on fda that is a pretty good outcome so far, imo...


Congress Asks FDA to Reverse
Its Ban on Estriol
Score one for the home team of women’s health!

“It’s powerfully GOOD news,” said Dr. Northrup when she received word of a Congressional Resolution asking the FDA to rescind its ban on the use of the bio-identical hormone estriol. So, despite popular belief, women who are concerned about their health care and who want to explore all options really can fight city hall. Last January, the FDA announced that estriol could no longer be used in estrogen medications customized for women by compounding pharmacies. Estriol has long been a component of 90 percent or more of these customized preparations prescribed for women by their doctors. In a big win for a woman’s right to choose her best health care options, Congress resolved to protect the doctor-patient relationship from FDA interference.

In our In the News report in April, Dr. Northrup expressed her strong feelings about the FDA’s move to ban estriol. “I don’t want the FDA to ban estriol because once they do this, they’ll start in on other bio-identical hormones as well. Then, when women need hormonal support, all they will be left with are synthetic substitutes that are less effective and also more dangerous! Women deserve the right to the best treatment possible. And that treatment is often based on the wisdom of Mother Nature, not Father Pharmaceutical!”
In fact, it was “Father Pharmaceutical” in the form of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals who initiated the move to have estriol banned by the FDA. Dr. Northrup called the assertion that estriol is not a safe alternative to synthetic hormones, such as Wyeth’s Premarin and Prempro, “completely ridiculous.” Used in Europe and Japan for hormone replacement for many years, estriol has never been associated with adverse events or other health or safety issues. Dr. Northrup stresses the importance of keeping individual health care options open, including the right to choose bio-identical hormones like estriol.

The FDA ban on estriol was met with a noisy round of protests from women, doctors, and pharmacists who saw the federal agency making a misguided bow to pressure from a major pharmaceutical company. A near record number of complaints were filed with the FDA regarding the ban requested by Wyeth. Congress heard the voices of opposition and made a bow of its own to concerned constituents. On May 6, a bipartisan Sense of the Congress Resolution was introduced stating that “the FDA’s new policy restricting women’s access to medications containing estriol does not serve the public interest” and calling for a reversal of the FDA policy.

The resolution concludes that physicians are in the best position to determine which medications are most appropriate for their patients. Congress asked the FDA to respect the physician-patient relationship and reverse a policy that aims to eliminate patients’ access to compounded medications containing estriol that their physicians prescribe for them.

According to Dr. Northrup, estriol is a hormone that is naturally occurring in the female body and reaches its peak production during pregnancy. It’s especially effective when applied topically to the vagina—in that it has a local effect on estrogen-sensitive tissue that is much more robust than the other estrogens. And its systemic absorption from the vagina is minimal. “That makes it a good choice for women who’ve had breast cancer and who should, therefore, keep their estradiol exposure to a minimum,” she says. “I’ve written about estriol for years—and would like to see it studied more thoroughly.”

Dr. Northrup had the highest praise for all those who spoke up for their patient’s rights and the legislators who listened. “I was certainly happy to hear that so many people let their thoughts be known on this issue. Let's hear it for health freedom!”

“We have to thank our legislators for the ‘good sense’ in this ‘Sense of Congress resolution’”!


another recent report on fda:
Congress Asks FDA to Reverse Its Ban on Estriol

That is how it should be, and I congratulate you. Sadly, I think you are atypical.

um... doc... love ya, but have you even read this here thread??? I am amazed and inspired by the women on this board, some speaking up on this thread and some speaking more privately, who have undertaken an incredible amount of research into HRT and their own health. They have reported individual successes in finding the right option for them, and in some cases women have reported that the therapy (whether standard hrt, or bio) literally saved their lives. some have reported that no therapy was needed in their cases - but I wonder about their future health. in any case, the amount of resources and information shared by just the women on this board has shown me and others that we must do the work for ourselves. women must take care of themselves because they have a lot to do to care for others. Margarita is certainly unique in many ways, but far from atypical in her search for the best hrt for her body and health... many many many of us are doing our own work as well. I remain amazed and inspired by you all.

I have found that women are much more inclined to question and research matters pertaining to their health than men are

I have found that women are much more inclined to question and research matters pertaining to their health than men are

could not agree more!

It was also interesting to me that all of the doctors that I came across who were still prescribing the synthetic hormones but were leery of the bioidenticals admitted that they really had not done any research on the bioidenticals. One doctor even told me that she was so busy with her practice that she didn't have time to do the research. This same doctor had no problem with prescribing Premarin and Prempro

I had an older male gyn tell me just last year that if I wanted bioidentical, Premarin was as bioidentical as it gets! Fortunately for women everywhere, he has retired from gynecology and is into Medifast.

It was also interesting to me that all of the doctors that I came across who were still prescribing the synthetic hormones but were leery of the bioidenticals admitted that they really had not done any research on the bioidenticals. One doctor even told me that she was so busy with her practice that she didn't have time to do the research. This same doctor had no problem with prescribing Premarin and Prempro

I think that is the problem with some doctors not recommending them. They don't have the drug rep to push them. They would have to do their own research and they don't have a regulated agency to get that info from and probably due to liability, that makes some nervous.

And as Women are more likely to research in depth issues concerning them, I think female ob/gyns are more open to holistic approaches. I know there are expections to this, but find it to be the case at my doctor's practice.

Hgh

Thoughts on HGH - Human Growth Hormone? I have heard good things... turning back the aging process... but it is hard to get, apparently.

I think that is the problem with some doctors not recommending them. They don't have the drug rep to push them. They would have to do their own research and they don't have a regulated agency to get that info from and probably due to liability, that makes some nervous.

And as Women are more likely to research in depth issues concerning them, I think female ob/gyns are more open to holistic approaches. I know there are expections to this, but find it to be the case at my doctor's practice.

yes, I am hearing and reading that many gynos are providing Bio HRT. I just don't know who they are, or where they are in our area. yet. many women travel long distances to doctors in the know who have practiced bioidenticals and have extensive knowledge and experience. other doctors besides gynos are also practicing holistic medicine and natural hormone replacement therapies.

At the risk of preaching, I will give some advice. For optimum health, employ proper nutrition (closer to raw and unprocessed), get regular exercise, get the proper amount of sleep, pursue appropriate stress relief methods including spirituality even if that is simply quiet contemplation or a walk in the woods, do not watch TV news or listen to talk radio, watch no more than one hour of TV per day (except for the occasional movie about nothing too upsetting), and spend no more than one hour per day ON THE INTERNET, limit substances like alcohol, tobacco, firearms, caffeine, etc.

Boring? Maybe. Obvious? Possibly. Preachy? Definitely. I don't do all these things all the time and few people do, but having them as a goal all the time is a good way to get closer to optimum health. It takes some discipline and commitment, and when you aren't feeling well it gets harder to do the right things. We need more authority figures (health specialists) reminding us.

If you aren't living this way and aren't attempting to do basic things to take care of your body and your mind, then you ARE taking shortcuts and looking for quick fixes and a lot of it is just talk to avoid the real work. If you aren't teaching kids all this and more they will not really be educated and the vicious circle will be unbroken, and those who profit from our misery will increase their wealth and power.

You must have a healthy foundation before your body's own wisdom within can flower.

yes, I am hearing and reading that many gynos are providing Bio HRT. I just don't know who they are, or where they are in our area. yet. many women travel long distances to doctors in the know who have practiced bioidenticals and have extensive knowledge and experience. other doctors besides gynos are also practicing holistic medicine and natural hormone replacement therapies.

I had the same problem trying to find out what doctors in my area were doing the bioidenticals. One day I decided to call the compounding pharmacy closest to where I lived and ask them to tell me what doctors they were filling Bio HRT prescriptions for. Bingo

At the risk of preaching, I will give some advice. For optimum health, employ proper nutrition (closer to raw and unprocessed), get regular exercise, get the proper amount of sleep, pursue appropriate stress relief methods including spirituality even if that is simply quiet contemplation or a walk in the woods, do not watch TV news or listen to talk radio, watch no more than one hour of TV per day (except for the occasional movie about nothing too upsetting), and spend no more than one hour per day ON THE INTERNET, limit substances like alcohol, tobacco, firearms, caffeine, etc.

Boring? Maybe. Obvious? Possibly. Preachy? Definitely. I don't do all these things all the time and few people do, but having them as a goal all the time is a good way to get closer to optimum health. It takes some discipline and commitment, and when you aren't feeling well it gets harder to do the right things. We need more authority figures (health specialists) reminding us.

If you aren't living this way and aren't attempting to do basic things to take care of your body and your mind, then you ARE taking shortcuts and looking for quick fixes and a lot of it is just talk to avoid the real work. If you aren't teaching kids all this and more they will not really be educated and the vicious circle will be unbroken, and those who profit from our misery will increase their wealth and power.

You must have a healthy foundation before your body's own wisdom within can flower.

Say it ain't so Daddy-O!!! Putting the wenches on a SoWal diet????

Thoughts on HGH - Human Growth Hormone? I have heard good things... turning back the aging process... but it is hard to get, apparently.

I don't know anything about HGH but I must admit to having a negative perception about them.

Say it ain't so Daddy-O!!! Putting the wenches on a SoWal diet????

Sharing is good! Too much, bad.

Note to lurkers - just reading doesn't count. You have to interact to get the wonderful health benfits of connecting with others. ;-)

At the risk of preaching, I will give some advice. For optimum health, employ proper nutrition (closer to raw and unprocessed), get regular exercise, get the proper amount of sleep, pursue appropriate stress relief methods including spirituality even if that is simply quiet contemplation or a walk in the woods, do not watch TV news or listen to talk radio, watch no more than one hour of TV per day (except for the occasional movie about nothing too upsetting), and spend no more than one hour per day ON THE INTERNET, limit substances like alcohol, tobacco, firearms, caffeine, etc.

Boring? Maybe. Obvious? Possibly. Preachy? Definitely. I don't do all these things all the time and few people do, but having them as a goal all the time is a good way to get closer to optimum health. It takes some discipline and commitment, and when you aren't feeling well it gets harder to do the right things. We need more authority figures (health specialists) reminding us.

If you aren't living this way and aren't attempting to do basic things to take care of your body and your mind, then you ARE taking shortcuts and looking for quick fixes and a lot of it is just talk to avoid the real work. If you aren't teaching kids all this and more they will not really be educated and the vicious circle will be unbroken, and those who profit from our misery will increase their wealth and power.

You must have a healthy foundation before your body's own wisdom within can flower.

this is a wonderful topic for a new thread. relevant to one and all.

quick fixes never have and never will work and this thread has shown that many women are highly aware of this concept and not afraid of doing the real work for their long term health. amazing and inspiring.

Good advice on living right, but not as helpful when your body/hormones go wack-a-doo!

IMO women's health issues are not a priority for the medical field and get really confusing/complicated, so threads like this are more necessary than one for prostate health or another male health issue.

At the risk of preaching, I will give some advice. For optimum health, employ proper nutrition (closer to raw and unprocessed), get regular exercise, get the proper amount of sleep, pursue appropriate stress relief methods including spirituality even if that is simply quiet contemplation or a walk in the woods, do not watch TV news or listen to talk radio, watch no more than one hour of TV per day (except for the occasional movie about nothing too upsetting), and spend no more than one hour per day ON THE INTERNET, limit substances like alcohol, tobacco, firearms, caffeine, etc.

I think you secretly read Dr. Northrup's book the Wisdom of Menopause, because even though she discusses HRT, she is very much a supporter of life style changes during this time of a woman's life. She advocates greatly your suggestions, especially the reduction of certain foods, and stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol and she is definitely into appropriate stress relief such as exercise and mediation. I gave up caffeine and alcohol and my symptoms greatly reduced, especially hot flashes.

I think you secretly read Dr. Northrup's book the Wisdom of Menopause, because even though she discusses HRT, she is very much a supporter of life style changes during this time of a woman's life. She advocates greatly your suggestions, especially the reduction of certain foods, and stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol and she is definitely into appropriate stress relief such as exercise and mediation. I gave up caffeine and alcohol and my symptoms greatly reduced, especially hot flashes.

I haven't read it but I know I am just repeating wisdom of many different people and practices, including ancient yoga. Giving up or severely cutting back caffeine and alcohol will reduce all kinds of problems including hangovers.
Easier said than done I guess.

I haven't read it but I know I am just repeating wisdom of many different people and practices, including ancient yoga. Giving up or severely cutting back caffeine and alcohol will reduce all kinds of problems including hangovers.
Easier said than done I guess.

Reminds me of one of my favorite clippings of all time...

I'm posting why Mr. OM won't complain about SoWal anymore here, first, because this is where it started.

I read Dr. Soto's post to him and we ended up calling and making an appt last week. After he talked with Dr. Soto last week, he said he'd never complain about Sowal again if Dr. Soto was the kind of doctor he thought he was. Mr. OM saw him yesterday.

All we can say is that Dr. Soto is incredible. We've been searching for the right doctor for a long time and many of you who know me or Mr. OM personally know that. We have known the depth of what is wrong with his system, but not found a practitioner who could handle what needs to be done to reverse all the "stuff" that has gone wrong in Mr. OM's system.

I am very glad that Dr. Soto is a neurologist because I feel that is the missing link in what we have been seeking. BTW, Dr. Soto, when I saw the test you sent home with him, I was very glad because I had tried to get him to take the very same test last year sometime. You'll be able to put the results to far better use than I would have been able to, though.

All in all, even just from one visit with Mr. OM, we both feel that Dr. Soto is one of the best MDs we have ever had the chance to work with. Mr. OM has a number of valid saliva, blood & stool tests that need to be completed, all very well within the range of directly dealing with the health issues Mr. OM has.

I am posting this also here, because Mr. OM's hormones are all outta whack. He's got "funky" thyroid, adrenal and pituitary function, not to mention digestive disorders & the "skin issues," things that we trust Dr. Soto will totally be able to handle.

So, for all y'all local women who are looking for an MD who is experienced with hormonal imbalances, Dr. Soto is a great resource.

Reminds me of one of my favorite clippings of all time...

Definitely a classic, Skunky, thanks for sharing.

I'm posting why Mr. OM won't complain about SoWal anymore here, first, because this is where it started.

I read Dr. Soto's post to him and we ended up calling and making an appt last week. After he talked with Dr. Soto last week, he said he'd never complain about Sowal again if Dr. Soto was the kind of doctor he thought he was. Mr. OM saw him yesterday.

All we can say is that Dr. Soto is incredible. We've been searching for the right doctor for a long time and many of you who know me or Mr. OM personally know that. We have known the depth of what is wrong with his system, but not found a practitioner who could handle what needs to be done to reverse all the "stuff" that has gone wrong in Mr. OM's system.

I am very glad that Dr. Soto is a neurologist because I feel that is the missing link in what we have been seeking. BTW, Dr. Soto, when I saw the test you sent home with him, I was very glad because I had tried to get him to take the very same test last year sometime. You'll be able to put the results to far better use than I would have been able to, though.

All in all, even just from one visit with Mr. OM, we both feel that Dr. Soto is one of the best MDs we have ever had the chance to work with. Mr. OM has a number of valid saliva, blood & stool tests that need to be completed, all very well within the range of directly dealing with the health issues Mr. OM has.

I am posting this also here, because Mr. OM's hormones are all outta whack. He's got "funky" thyroid, adrenal and pituitary function, not to mention digestive disorders & the "skin issues," things that we trust Dr. Soto will totally be able to handle.

So, for all y'all local women who are looking for an MD who is experienced with hormonal imbalances, Dr. Soto is a great resource.

so glad to hear your report on Mr OM's experience with Dr. Soto. I went to a brief seminar he gave a few weeks ago just to start learning some things. but I still feel I need to educate myself more before even talking to a doctor who specializes in hormone therapy. but you have made me feel better about seeking consultation earlier rather than later.

keep us posted.

I had the same problem trying to find out what doctors in my area were doing the bioidenticals. One day I decided to call the compounding pharmacy closest to where I lived and ask them to tell me what doctors they were filling Bio HRT prescriptions for. Bingo

thanks margarita. I have read about this easy step and need to do this. I'll post any info I get that pertains to this general area.