What's Wrong With Bioidentical Hormones?

The term bioidentical hormones is not scientifically accurate, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. They FDA warned compounding pharmacies to stop using the term in 2008, as it is misleading and "non-scientific."

Widely promoted by the somewhat famous ex-TV star, Suzanne Somers, and T. S. Wiley, whose qualifications to create a health protocol of any kind has been questioned, consumers are led to believe that the hormones used in the therapy include natural estrogen and progesterone, among others.

The truth is that while the hormones are derived from plants and animals, they are "synthesized" in the laboratory to be molecularly identical to human hormones.

That doesn't make them the same.

The whole idea of prescribing bioidentical hormones has been highly criticized by the mainstream and the naturopathic community. Natural estrogen levels are supposed to drop with age.

There is no doubt that you want to live a long healthy life, but you cannot change the age of your body. There is no way to determine what the consequences will be of increasing these levels to a point that is unnatural for your age group.

We already know what conventional hormone replacement therapy does. It increases our risk of heart disease, stroke, blood clots and cancer. There are many ways to support the body's natural estrogen production, without synthetics of any kind. The ovaries are not the only organs that produce estrogens.

Besides, cancer cells and tumors in the breasts and uterus are referred to as "estrogen-sensitive." That's why traditional hormone replacement therapy increases the risk of breast cancer. Estrogen-only HRT increases the risk of both breast and uterine cancer.

There is no reason to believe that bioidentical hormones would not be accompanied by the same risk.

In addition, no one knows what causes menopausal symptoms, but we do know some of the causes of cellular aging. Lack of natural estrogen is not one of them.

So, although Suzanne and T.S. may tell you that the protocol they recommend is an anti-aging formula, there is absolutely no, let me emphasize, ZERO, reason to believe that.

What's the most effective anti-aging protocol? It is one that addresses the issues of free radical damage, glycation, reduced methylation, chronic inflammation and DNA degeneration.

Do bioidentical hormones address any of those issues? The answer is a definitive "no."

Nutrients, herbs and botanical extracts address all of those issues. Specific herbs, such as black cohosh, address unwanted menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.

If you have not been taking an excellent multi-nutritional supplement (not a synthetic one-a-day) for most of your life, then you need to start now.

The ingredients to look for include antioxidants, anti-glycation agents, methylation agents, natural anti-inflammatories, and nutrients that mimic the action of calorie restriction (calorie restriction is the only thing proven to lengthen a mammal's life span).

Just a couple of things to remember - natural estrogen is not present in bioidentical hormones. The term is non-scientific. The therapy is scientifically unproven and many doctors believe it is dangerous.

Try a different approach.