Where’s the Shame?
Is it possible to surgically remove the ability to feel shame?
It must be. That’s the only reasonable explanation that might account for a recent petition submitted to the FDA by representatives for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Wyeth is calling on the FDA to impose broad restrictions on bioidentical hormones.
This is supposedly a safety issue, but Wyeth executives have an obvious motive for trying to curb the use of this natural therapy. Wyeth just happens to manufacture the synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs Premarin and Prempro.
Sales of these drugs have dropped off considerably since the 2002 bombshell study that found they significantly increase the risk of serious health problems, including breast cancer and heart attack. In the past few years, many women have started using bioidentical hormones as a safe and effective alternative to synthetic HRT.
So is this a safety issue, or a business issue? I’ll let you make the call on that one. But on this point there’s no question: If Wyeth’s petition is successful, women may lose their right to choose between a synthetic drug and a natural therapy.
Finding the balance
As the name implies, bioidentical hormones (derived from estrogen-like plant compounds) are identical to natural hormones in the body. The chemical makeup of synthetic HRT is not identical.
Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. was the first doctor in the U.S. to recommend bioidentical hormones to his patients. Since 1982, Dr. Wright has been prescribing this therapy with great success. In the May 2002 issue of his Nutrition & Healing Newsletter, Dr. Wright offered some hormone basics, beginning with three primary types of estrogen that are present in a woman’s body between the onset of menstruation and menopause: estrone, estradiol, and estriol.
Dr. Wright explains: “It’s been found that estradiol, when prescribed by itself (as sometimes happens in conventional HRT) can raise the risk of cancer after several years. Estriol, on the other hand, is anti-carcinogenic. Healthy women naturally excrete much more estriol than estradiol and estrone. But when hormone production slows down during menopause, it’s important to replace all three estrogens in the same proportions your body would produce on its own if it could.
“With natural hormone replacement therapy, these estrogens are used along with natural progesterone in proportions as close as possible to those produced in the body.”
As Dr. Wright notes, pharmaceutical progesterone is useful in lowering the risk of cancer, which is elevated when either synthetic estrogen or estradiol are used alone. But this type of “fake” progesterone raises the risk of heart problems, whereas natural progesterone provides the same benefits, but virtually no risks. According to Dr. Wright, the natural form also helps rebuild bone mass, another key advantage over using synthetic.
In her own words
Many HSI members are already familiar with bioidentical hormones. In an HSI Healthier Talk community forum thread, a member named Seana shares her experiences with synthetic and bioidentical therapies.
“I have been on a variety of hormone replacement options over the years. Regardless of what I tried, I had many unwanted side effects (acne, sweating, fluid retention, etc. etc.). After reading up on bio-identical estrogen, I asked to be switched to a bio-identical tri-estrogen compound. All side effects I experienced with other therapies went away almost immediately.
“I have been very happy with the results whereas I had been miserable for years with other therapies. My doctor prescribes these bio-identical hormones through a compounding pharmacy called Women’s International Pharmacy. They mail me both the estrogen and testosterone each month.”
A compounding pharmacy prepares customized medications, following specific guidelines prescribed by doctors. According to a press release from the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP), the Wyeth petition inaccurately charges compounding pharmacies with “trying to dupe an unsuspecting patient population.” And the press release adds: “To suggest that pharmacists who prepare customized medicines based on doctors’ orders are duping patients is an insult to all physicians, patients and pharmacists.”
Leading the way
In April 2006, FDA officials will make a decision on how to proceed with the Wyeth petition. Until then, the agency will accept comments from interested parties on the bioidentical hormone issue.
If you’re a doctor or a woman who’s had an experience with bioidentical hormone use and would like to submit an opinion with the FDA, you can do so until April 4, 2006. Use this link to file comments.
For more information about bioidentical hormone therapy, you can visit the web site for Dr. Wright’s clinic: tahoma-clinic.com.
Sources:
“IACP Finds Numerous Flaws With Wyeth Citizen Petition Regarding Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy” International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists press release, 10/27/05, prnewswire.com
“Stop Wyeth and the FDA from Denying Your Right to Choose Bio-identical Hormones” American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, worldhealth.net
“News Flash on Hot Flashes: Think Twice Before Undergoing Synthetic Hormone Replacement Therapy” Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Nutrition & Healing, Vol. 9, No. 5, May 2002, wrightnewsletter.com
