Miracle of Bioidentical Hormones

On the face of it, the top selling book "The Miracle of Bioidentical Hormones" has gotten many favorable reviews. A note of caution however; any book title with the word "miracle" in the title should bear further investigation. The old adages "if it's too good to be true, it probably is", "let the buyer beware", and "those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" are all good axioms to live by. It's best to insure that there is water in the pool, especially before jumping into the deep end.

Any proper analysis of "The Miracle of Bioidentical Hormones" should start with a history lesson. Back in the early 1960's a Dr. Robert Wilson wrote a book which (at the time) received similar fanfare and was titled "Feminine Forever". In it, Dr. Wilson extolled the virtues of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and the information contained within was promoted as a potential curative for everything from hot flashes to cancer.

While that fact that Dr. Wilson's Son later confirmed that his Father's book and speeches were entirely funded by "Wythe", the pharmaceutical company that produced the drug, history would eventually note that more than 6,000,000 women would be prescribed for HRT for a variety of menopause related symptoms and other perceived ailments.

Decades later, a grass-roots movement forced The U.S. Congress to investigate the safety and efficacy of HRT. The test involving more than 600,000 women over a 5-year period was halted earlier than planned. Results confirmed the suspicions (of some) that not only was HRT not the miracle elixir that it was purported to be, but that the treatment plan actually led to a much higher incidence of heart disease and various types of cancer. Following the study, Cynthia Pearson (head of the National Women's Health Network - the group that spearheaded the test) categorized HRT as "a triumph of marketing over science."

Even with these incontrovertible facts, HRT is still used today, though usually recommended only for short durations. Seeing that some women will experience menopause symptoms for 10 years or more, HRT hardly seems worth the risk.

This brings us to today's miracle cure; "The Miracle of Bioidentical Hormones". These are the facts that we know:

• The author of "The Miracle of Bioidentical hormones" (Michael Platt) lost his license to practice medicine in the U.S., August 6th, 2010, this, following years of investigation regarding his claims.

• No comprehensive test studies have ever been conducted as to the safety and efficacy of bioidentical treatment plans.

• Arguments persist that "the Miracle of Bioidentical Hormones" is a work of fiction and has no bearing on actual medical science.

After 50 years, American women have every right to be skeptical of menopause symptom relief claims as offered by the medical community and prescription drug companies, even those cleared by the FDA.

It must be remembered that prescription drug companies are only interested in drugs that can be patented so as to protect their investment. This means laboratory initiated formulas and not plant-based or herbal treatments which cannot be patented.

Few independent research groups have the funding necessary to conduct research regarding all natural menopause symptom relief treatments, without the sponsorship of a large pharmaceutical company.

The Mayo Clinic is one of the few that does.

In 2007 the Mayo Clinic conducted a study on flaxseed that showed exception promise in reducing the common symptoms associated with Menopause.

Additional in vivo tests have concluded that flax hull lignans (the chemically active portion of flaxseed) can be as effective (about 70%) as HRT in reducing menopause symptoms (especially hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings), while remaining safe and effective (without increasing the dose), even over prolonged use.