The HRT Titanic: Are you going down with it?

The HRT Titanic: Are you going down with it?
It's not too late to jump ship!

HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) is a key element of modern medical wizardry. It has been purported for several decades that many female disorders can be minimized or controlled by supplementing two key hormones in the body. However this treatment is not all that it’s cracked up to be!

THE EVOLUTION OF HRT
When this type of therapy was first introduced, it was called "Estrogen Replacement Therapy" in reference to the sole use of estrogen hormones. Within a short period of time the medical establishment realized that a serious oversight had been made. It was evident that estrogen was not alone in its impact on female disorders such as menopause and PMS. Research had shown unmistakably that ERT was in fact increasing the prevalence of breast, ovarian and uterine cancers. Soon after it was realized that the hormone progesterone was linked to estrogen and it’s effects in the body. So the medical community began packaging progestin (synthetic progesterone) together with estrogen to become what we know today as HRT. Interestingly enough, the same synthetic components are packaged together as the Pill, with the same side effects.

HOW THE BODY REACTS TO DRUGS
There is an important factor to consider when examining the effectiveness of any drug treatment. All drugs are synthetic. Naturally occurring substances such as hormones cannot be patented and since patenting is the very foundation of the pharmaceutical industry, only synthetic versions of natural substances are ever produced by drug companies.

The problem with synthetic substances is that the body treats them all in the same way; as an invader. The immune system is designed to detect unnatural substances that enter the body and attack them. For this reason, drugs can only do damage to the body. This might sound like an extreme statement to make, however it has to be acknowledged by even the most astute doctor that all any drug can do is deactivate a natural function in the body. The only thing that makes a drug effective is when it is targeted against a natural function which may be regarded as detrimental to the body. Unfortunately however, the former problem remains, that the body treats all unnatural substances as a threat and consequently goes all out to neutralize or expel the invader. This invariably leads to a strain on various parts of the body, typically the kidneys and cardio-vascular system. A quick check of the documented side effects of many commonly prescribed drugs will confirm that the most affected organs are the heart and the kidneys. It’s ironic that by supposedly fixing one problem in the body, other equally important parts of the body are under greater risk of breakdown from the toxic effects of drugs.

INCREASED RISK OF CANCER
Returning to the use of synthetic hormones, it doesn’t take too much intelligence to figure out that they cannot possible have a beneficial effect in the long run. It has been proven that progestin also increases the risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancers whether it is taken alone or in conjunction with estrogen as a part of HRT. How then can the medical establishment justify the continued prescription of such dangerous drugs? Simple! They appear to alleviate some of the symptoms of menopause. We will examine this in more detail later.

MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS
It is widely accepted that menopause is a part of every woman’s experience, along with all the unpleasant symptoms associated with it. Yet a quick check into the statistics will reveal that there are many countries in which the typical symptoms of menopause are rare! In Japan for example, menopause is rarely heard of. It is interesting to note also that in Japan breast cancer is likewise rarely seen. What a contrast to our Western society where it is claimed that the highest risk of breast cancer is being a woman and being over fifty years of age! The medical community still tenders genetic predisposition as the most common factor in breast cancer, yet the statistics tell an entirely different story. Nine out of every ten women diagnosed with breast cancer have no prior family history of the disease! With the incidence of breast cancer on the rise, questions need to be asked about the validity of the explanations offered by the medical community.

MEDICAL RESEARCH
In actual fact a very recent series of high profile studies at Harvard University have confirmed what we have suspected for many years already, that HRT does increase the risk of cancer especially in women who take it for five years or more.

One question remains to be answered then. The medical education system persists in recommending the prescription of HRT to menopausal women for the purported reason that it can relieve the symptoms of menopause and also protect against osteoporosis. We’ll deal with osteoporosis later. But first we must ask, why it is that these synthetic hormones appear to alleviate the symptoms of menopause? In answering, we must delve a little deeper into the function of progesterone in the body.

PROGESTERONE
Progesterone is recognised as a pro-hormone, meaning that other hormones are synthesized from it upon demand. In fact progesterone is at the very root of the hormone tree and is the primary basis for all steroid hormones. It goes without saying that if such an important hormone is depleted, all other dependent hormone levels will also begin to dwindle. Progesterone plays a much more significant role than this though. It is also known as a firelighter hormone, meaning that it activates many other hormones and allows them to do their job correctly. One of the hormones it activates is estrogen. It shouldn’t take much to figure out that any retardation in the function of estrogen could result from lower than normal progesterone levels. In fact this is usually the case.

At menopause, progesterone levels in a woman’s body drop to zero, signalling the cessation of regular cycles amongst other things. Contrary to medical opinion, estrogen levels do not fall too low, but only drop by around 50%. However at menopause, progesterone levels do fall to zero. With little or no progesterone then, the symptoms which commence around menopause are understandably mistaken for a sign of low estrogen, because it is progesterone which is responsible to activate estrogen. But that’s not the only factor. Women all over the world experience the same hormonal changes, but not all women experience the symptoms normally associated with menopause. So the natural change in hormone levels is not the major factor.

ESTROGEN MIMICS
Enter a new problem! Estrogen mimics. Otherwise known as xeno-estrogens, these are by-products of the petro-chemicals used so extensively in our western society. Perhaps the greatest use of such petro-chemicals is in plastics. Name one person who can survive without the use of plastics on a day to day basis. The problem is that xeno-estrogens find their way inevitably into the body and act similarly to natural estrogen. In order for the body’s natural hormones to remain balanced and functioning correctly, progesterone is needed as we’ve already mentioned. If then progesterone levels become comparatively lower than estrogen (natural or synthetic), all the negative effects of estrogen kick in, including weight gain, water retention, cancer risk, dramatic mood swings, hot flushes and so the list goes on. Sounds like a typical woman’s experience of menopause doesn’t it! Pity, because it shouldn’t be. Menopause is a time of change, not a disease. The symptoms popularly associated with menopause are in fact symptoms of estrogen dominance and can be minimized by ensuring that estrogen levels remain in balance with progesterone.

OSTEOPOROSIS
We mentioned osteoporosis earlier in relation to claims by the medical community that HRT protects women against this debilitating disorder. Osteoporosis is where the bones become brittle and fragile, more easily broken and fractured. It is common to hear of elderly women having to undergo a traumatic hip replacement because of osteoporosis. The tragedy here is that again the cause of osteoporosis is not well enough understood. Contrary to popular advertising, osteoporosis is not a calcium deficiency in the vast majority of cases. Also, contrary to popular medical opinion, estrogen is not related to the maintenance of bones in any way. The vital link is actually progesterone again. Surprise, surprise! Progesterone in its firelighting role activates osteoclast cells and osteoblast cells which are responsible for the removal of old bone and the formation of new bone respectively. Low progesterone levels are an open invitation for osteoporosis. The only way in which estrogen can have any bearing on osteoporosis is when it is comparatively dominant, in which circumstance neither the osteoclast or osteoblast cells do their job and the progression of osteoporosis may be slowed somewhat. In the long run more damage is being done.

THE SOLUTION
Due to the prevalence of xeno-estrogens in our environment and food chain, it is improbable that any of us can escape estrogen dominance entirely. However we can limit it by ensuring our diet is rich in phyto-estrogens (found in many plants), avoiding the use of synthetic hormones (HRT and the Pill) and if necessary, consider taking a natural or precursor hormone supplement. By supplying the body with specific nutrients we can rest assured that our hormones are less likely to become imbalanced and consequently afford ourselves the greatest protection against hormone related disorders including osteoporosis and estrogen dominance. One of the most potent and successful supplements for combating the curse of estrogen dominance is found in the humble yam of which a considerable deal has been written lately. But more of that in another article.

REFERENCES:
"What your doctor may not tell you about menopause" by Dr. John Lee
"Hormone Heresy" by Sherill Sellman
"Wild yam – nature’s progesterone" by Rita Elkins
Plus assorted documents from the National Cancer Institute and other recognised medical experts.

NOTE: Each of these books in turn draws from a mass of references. For this reason it is highly recommended that any or all of these publications be read thoroughly in order to grasp a more complete perspective of the issues involved in this controversial subject.

The information above is based on extensive generic research and is presented for educational purposes only.
No implications should necessarily be drawn from the above information as to the effectiveness or otherwise of any specific product or treatment.
Consultation with your preferred healthcare professional is strongly recommended prior to changing your diet or lifestyle.
No responsibility will be accepted for injury or incident to any persons acting solely on the information presented above.