Thinking HRT?
Think Natural HRT!

By Donovan Adendorf, D.C.

Whenever I am faced with a human healthcare condition that is unavoidable, I invariably think back to 50, 100 even 2000 years ago. What did people do in those days and how did they cope—did they even cope with the same conditions we are faced with today? The answer squeaks back through many scrolls and tales, which are questionable at the very least. The most tangible evidence of how they coped is statistical in nature however. The average life expectancy 2,000 years ago was 40. The average life expectancy 100 years ago was 55; today we are looking at 76 and beyond. So menopause, if you are a female, is coming and you are very likely looking at a great amount of quality time to enjoy your life beyond it.

The decision on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a hot button topic, to say the least, but an essential decision that has to be made. The side effects of the synthetic hormones (popularly prescribed for HRT) are so severe (I am thinking about cervical cancer, heart disease, weight gain and breast tenderness) that most ladies take it with trepidation and hesitation. A true alternative to HRT is coming to the foreground and it is called “natural or bio-identical hormones therapy.”

Bio-identical hormones have exactly the same chemical structure as hormones that are made by the body. The rationale here is that a replacement hormone needs to exactly match the chemical structure of the hormone it is replacing. This match will hopefully ensure the exact action of the hormone it is replacing and therefore break down in the same metabolic pathways. The same cannot be said for synthetic hormones because they are chemically different from the hormones they are trying to replace.

Why have I not heard about natural hormones as a reliable replacement for synthetic hormones in the media or in medical studies? The answer is simple—money. You can patent a chemical structure that you’ve developed yourself, but you can’t patent a naturally occurring chemical structure—the Great Spirit is the only one with a patent for that one. This lack of money also leads to smaller studies being performed on the bio-identical hormones, as drug companies would normally fund studies on products that they could patent and therefore make a profit on.

Where do these natural (bio-identical) hormones come from? Bio-identical hormones are chemically processed from precursors found in substances like yams and soy plants and it is, yet again, very important to note that they are identical to the hormones produced in the body, hence the term bio-identical.

What are the general benefits to choosing Natural HRT versus the conventional HRT that is mainstream today? The basic benefits are a lower risk of breast cancer, more protection against heart disease, a better cholesterol profile in your life and finally, for a lot of women, fewer side effects than the synthetic hormones. As previously discussed, these side effects could range from mild depression and weight gain to heart disease.

So, with the benefits in mind, let us look at the three hormones typically addressed in natural (bio-identical) HRT: Estrogen, Progesterone and male hormones (called androgens) like Testosterone. The mainstay hormone in hormone replacement therapy is Estrogen and there are three principle estrogens namely Estriol, Estradiol and Estrone. The use of any one of these would be considered Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) and the benefits in post menopausal women are that it protects against bone loss, purportedly also protects against breast cancer and enhances overall cardiovascular health. There are mixed reports on the effects of Progesterone on bone formation, but if you suffer from a condition called “Estrogen dominance” like some menopausal women do, then supplementation with Estrogen is the obvious answer.

Your physician would be able to direct you on natural hormone replacement therapy and, in some cases, refer you to a compounding pharmacy specialist, or a knowledgeable pharmacist. (In Gaylord, Michigan for instance, Nelson’s Drug Store offers communication between physicians and themselves in a supportive role to provide patients with natural HRT.) The direction of the physician will be followed by the pharmacy and a natural product with fewer side effects would be prescribed to the patient. The cost involved is surprisingly affordable. In some cases the full payment for natural HRT is as much as the co-payment of a synthetic HRT would be (I am using $35 as a general guideline here).

Finally, it brings me back to the original question. What did they do 2000 years ago when menopause came along? The answer, you might have guessed, most of them never made it that far.

(With grateful thanks to the pharmacists at Nelson’s Drug Store, Main St. Gaylord, MI)

Dr. Adendorf practices at West Bay Chiropractic on West Bay Shore Drive in Traverse City, MI (231-941-4030) and also in Gaylord, MI (989-858-2345).