Hormone Replacement Therapy
HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY - FRIEND OR FOE?
by Sandy Weeks AIMS, MISPO, MNYASc Copyright © 1998 - 2003
ISBN 1 86510 011 0
CONTENTS
What are hormones?
What actually is HRT?
Progesterone deficiency
Estrogen dominance
Pesticides
Risk factors
What if I had my reproductive organs and / or breasts removed?
Are there any natural alternatives?
Osteoporosis
Heart disease
Is there anything else I should know?
Sample page
The majority of breast cancers are hormone-related, or in other words, occur
because our estrogen levels are much too high for too long. Since the principle
component of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is estrogen, it's not surprising
that it is linked so closely to an increased risk of breast cancer - consequently, it is
very surprising that it is swamped in so much controversy. That statistic for breast
cancer is dangerously high and certainly one that we can't afford to treat lightly.
We hear about the benefits of HRT and we find it prescribed for the most
remarkable conditions, even those which have nothing to do with hormones at all.
Well over 80% of Australian women have taken HRT at some stage in their lives
and over 50% of them are still continuing to do so, simply because an alarming
number of doctors remain uninformed of the gravity of disclosures revealed by
medical science. The risks are real. Do the benefits really outweigh the risks? Are
there alternative ways to deal with symptoms claimed to be relieved with HRT?
Hormone Replacement Therapy - friend or foe, therapy or trend? Well, let's find
out.
****************
Estrogen dominance
There are many environmental influences that contribute to hormone
imbalance, particularly reducing our body's production of progesterone thereby
resulting in an estrogen 'dominance' in our body. These include pollution, stress,
pesticides, birth control pills, poor nutrition and synthetic hormone treatments such
as HRT. When this happens estrogen can dominate a woman's whole physiology,
contributing to mood swings, fluctuating blood sugar levels, fluid retention,
excessive menstrual bleeding, thyroid dysfunction and most importantly,
stimulating cellular activity that may contribute to an increased risk of cancer in
the breasts and uterus.
****************
Pesticides
Pesticides are widely used in our society. They are basically petrochemicals
and are fat-soluble, so will readily be absorbed by our body. They are called
another name too: xenobiotic, which means chemicals that are foreign to our
biological system. Among other things, pesticides damage the follicles of our
ovaries, hence reduce ovulation. If we don't ovulate, then no progesterone will be
secreted by the ovary, thus estrogen activity remains abnormally high.
In the 10 years since Israel banned the use of organopesticides, their rate of
breast cancer has fallen more than 50%.
What are the risks involved with HRT?
As mentioned earlier, hormone replacement therapy has also been linked to
an increased risk of breast cancer. Is this true or false? How do we know what to
believe? If we paint a picture that shows us what is happening to the cells in our
breasts when HRT is administered, the reasons become very clear indeed.
Remember that as we reach menopause our reproductive hormonal cycles
begin to slow down, eventually switching off entirely. The key issue here, and the
one that has stimulated so much controversy around the HRT link with breast
cancer, lies with estrogen. Remember also, we just said that estrogen stimulates
and promotes cellular activity in our breasts, ovaries and uterus. If a growth
sample page
stimulator is removed, and here we are using estrogen as our example, the active
cells should become inactive once more. They switch off. That is supposed to
happen. However, if the active cells remain active, even after that growth
stimulator is removed, that is not good at all. That is not supposed to happen and
can lead to the formation of cancers.
We do know that the majority of female cancers, particularly breast cancers,
are hormone-related. Too much estrogen for too long. Not in all cases of course,
but it can and certainly does happen. Do we really want to 'replace' the estrogen
that our body is naturally switching off with estrogen that will now artificially
stimulate this cellular activity? Also, we need to be aware that the fat stored in our
body also produces estrogen, as will our diet if we make a habit of eating too much
fat. So regardless of what our ovaries are doing, there will always be some
estrogen naturally produced by our fat cells; if we are plentifully padded do we
want to add even more estrogen through an HRT program?
****************
Are there any natural alternatives?...................
| What are hormones? What actually is HRT? Progesterone deficiency Estrogen dominance Pesticides Risk factors |
What if I had my reproductive organs and / or breasts removed? Are there any natural alternatives? Osteoporosis Heart disease Is there anything else I should know? |
Sample page
The majority of breast cancers are hormone-related, or in other words, occur
because our estrogen levels are much too high for too long. Since the principle
component of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is estrogen, it's not surprising
that it is linked so closely to an increased risk of breast cancer - consequently, it is
very surprising that it is swamped in so much controversy. That statistic for breast
cancer is dangerously high and certainly one that we can't afford to treat lightly.
We hear about the benefits of HRT and we find it prescribed for the most
remarkable conditions, even those which have nothing to do with hormones at all.
Well over 80% of Australian women have taken HRT at some stage in their lives
and over 50% of them are still continuing to do so, simply because an alarming
number of doctors remain uninformed of the gravity of disclosures revealed by
medical science. The risks are real. Do the benefits really outweigh the risks? Are
there alternative ways to deal with symptoms claimed to be relieved with HRT?
Hormone Replacement Therapy - friend or foe, therapy or trend? Well, let's find
out.
****************
Estrogen dominance
There are many environmental influences that contribute to hormone
imbalance, particularly reducing our body's production of progesterone thereby
resulting in an estrogen 'dominance' in our body. These include pollution, stress,
pesticides, birth control pills, poor nutrition and synthetic hormone treatments such
as HRT. When this happens estrogen can dominate a woman's whole physiology,
contributing to mood swings, fluctuating blood sugar levels, fluid retention,
excessive menstrual bleeding, thyroid dysfunction and most importantly,
stimulating cellular activity that may contribute to an increased risk of cancer in
the breasts and uterus.
****************
Pesticides
Pesticides are widely used in our society. They are basically petrochemicals
and are fat-soluble, so will readily be absorbed by our body. They are called
another name too: xenobiotic, which means chemicals that are foreign to our
biological system. Among other things, pesticides damage the follicles of our
ovaries, hence reduce ovulation. If we don't ovulate, then no progesterone will be
secreted by the ovary, thus estrogen activity remains abnormally high.
In the 10 years since Israel banned the use of organopesticides, their rate of
breast cancer has fallen more than 50%.
What are the risks involved with HRT?
As mentioned earlier, hormone replacement therapy has also been linked to
an increased risk of breast cancer. Is this true or false? How do we know what to
believe? If we paint a picture that shows us what is happening to the cells in our
breasts when HRT is administered, the reasons become very clear indeed.
Remember that as we reach menopause our reproductive hormonal cycles
begin to slow down, eventually switching off entirely. The key issue here, and the
one that has stimulated so much controversy around the HRT link with breast
cancer, lies with estrogen. Remember also, we just said that estrogen stimulates
and promotes cellular activity in our breasts, ovaries and uterus. If a growth
sample page
stimulator is removed, and here we are using estrogen as our example, the active
cells should become inactive once more. They switch off. That is supposed to
happen. However, if the active cells remain active, even after that growth
stimulator is removed, that is not good at all. That is not supposed to happen and
can lead to the formation of cancers.
We do know that the majority of female cancers, particularly breast cancers,
are hormone-related. Too much estrogen for too long. Not in all cases of course,
but it can and certainly does happen. Do we really want to 'replace' the estrogen
that our body is naturally switching off with estrogen that will now artificially
stimulate this cellular activity? Also, we need to be aware that the fat stored in our
body also produces estrogen, as will our diet if we make a habit of eating too much
fat. So regardless of what our ovaries are doing, there will always be some
estrogen naturally produced by our fat cells; if we are plentifully padded do we
want to add even more estrogen through an HRT program?
****************
Are there any natural alternatives?...................