Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy - Help Spread the Word!

I found out today there are still lots of people who do not know about or understand what bio-identical hormones (BHRT) are! We need to spread the word! Ok, here is my understanding of them. They are also referred to as "natural hormones". The word "natural" seems to be misconstrued and misunderstood. Something that is "natural" should be an earthly substance that has had minimal processing. Cyanide and arsenic are "natural". Black cohosh is a "natural" herb. Gasoline is made from a "natural" substance. I guess everything is natural or is made from a natural substance since we are not yet importing from Mars. A tomato picked from a garden should be "natural" if the seed it was grown from had not been genetically altered.

This brings us to "natural hormones" which are also known as bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). "Natural" in this instance does not quite mean what we are used to it meaning. It does not mean it was picked in a garden and you eat it like a vegetable or take it like a pill. Natural hormones are made from plants to exactly replicate the hormones in our bodies. The "bio-identical" in the phrase bio-identical hormone replacement therapy means biologically identical to the hormones that the human body makes.

Unfortunately, no studies have been done or reported involving BHRT. We also might ask if a study is even necessary. If we are replacing the hormones our bodies used to make with something that is exactly identical, isn't the risk exactly the same as it was our whole lives when our bodies were producing those hormones?

I think one of the issues is that we've been misled to believe that hot flashes are normal and we just need anti-depressants. Should we really think life is supposed to be over at 50?

Another good one that doctors tell women who have had hysterectomies, "You don't need progesterone because you've had a hysterectomy - you don't have a uterus." Progesterone may play a part in uterine bleeding, but doesn't it also plays a part in making other necessary hormones like estrogen and testosterone? So just because someone does not have a uterus, does that mean they no longer need all the other hormones that progesterone contributes to making? Check out my other blog about bio-identicals BHRT (And don't forget that progesterone helps us sleep.)

Just as with anything else, get a doctor's advice before starting any new medications. A naturopath or gynecologist would be good places to start.