HORMONES: “TO BE or NOT TO BE”?

IS HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY FOR YOU?

The word “hormone” comes from the Greek, meaning, “to set in motion”. Hormones are chemical messengers in the body that tells our cells what to do. Hormones regulate virtually every body function, from the manufacture and organisation of thoughts in our brains to the beating of our hearts and even our physical shape.

Since the dawn of mankind our hormones have not changed but the pharmaceutical industry via multiple patented hormone preparations, has not, as yet, been able to supersede Nature in the field of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). So far the best that compounding medicine can do is to replicate Nature and re-substitute the deficient human hormones, so that, the body is back in “balance”. Why give human beings hormones that are synthetic and not natural or known to the body when we have the science, technology and the studies to show that peak health outcomes can simply be achieved by using identical hormones (endogenous) that the body has been making for many thousands of years.

As we get older our production of most endogenous hormones decreases and this leads to an increased rate of tissue degeneration. Our body begins to physically break down, our immune system becomes weaker and our chances of cardiovascular disease and cancer generally increase. By restoring hormones to youthful levels the rate of ageing is slowed.

Besides the obvious cosmetic implications of anti-ageing treatments any serious attempt to bring back the “body and spark” will require judicious use of hormones and the involvement of a Compounding Pharmacist that has, not only an intimate knowledge of hormones, but also, has the skills to work together with the practitioner.

Compoundia is such a pharmacy that has worked with many physicians and their patients to help restore, balance and then supplement the deficient hormones that are causing the effects of just “growing old”. The hormones that Compoundia compounds are personalised to exactly suit you and give you the best chance of restoring your youthful looks and wind back the clock to some degree. By returning the hormone levels to that of more youthful nature, the positive advantages of that state are enjoyed. The immune system is strong, the repair mechanisms are good and the ageing process is much more user friendly.

There has been much media confusion, mixed information and in general great concern amongst those who are taking or considering HRT. By reading this brief summary on human hormones it is hoped that the reader will be better informed to seek a medical practitioner who has the expertise to help balance the waning hormones that is part and parcel of “growing old” or “ageing well”. The choice is yours and can now be easily made by learning a little about these messengers.

ARE HORMONES SAFE?

CONFUSED BY HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY?

The answer is YES and NO.

Using logic to find an answer to this question, we do know that it was safe for you to use your own natural hormones from the time you went through puberty until your own production of those hormones decreased when you began to “grow old”. Mother Nature in all her wisdom has left us some clues so that we may learn a thing or two. We know that the safest Oestrogen is Oestriol and Oestriol is the dominant Oestrogen during pregnancy. The levels of Progesterone also increase during pregnancy (to maintain the foetus) by about a twenty-fold ratio. Thus, one may assume that the rising levels of these hormones during foetal development are the best Nature can do to augment the survival of the species.

What we do know from research is that there is conflicting evidence regarding the increased risk of cancer or other diseases when using pharmaceutical drugs. It is still not clear whether the use of these drugs increases or decreases the risk of any cancer or illness. Recently (August 2005) the World Health Organisation has placed synthetic hormone replacement therapy and the contraceptive pill from: “possibly carcinogenic to humans” to “carcinogenic to humans” after new findings from the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The Pill has been found to raise the risk of breast, cervix and liver cancer but lower the risk of womb and ovarian cancer. The fact of the matter is, even if these pharmaceutical drugs were to increase the risk of some cancers or illnesses, that risk is still far less than the risk factors of obesity, lack of exercise, poor diet, stress, consumption of alcohol, cigarette smoking or inadequate supplements.

Since there are no large population long-term comparative studies on the use of natural or bio-identical hormones compared to synthetic, one cannot say with 100% certainty that these hormones are safer than those that are “man-made”. The pharmaceutical companies will never spend money on something that they cannot patent, so it is really up to each individual government to allocate funds to do the basic research. One hopes that there will one day be a human messenger that will be able to make the difference by having influence at the right government level to see that these studies are indeed performed to put this matter to rest, once and for all……………………………..Quod Erat Demonstrandum…………………………………

Currently, there are thousands of international practitioners working in the field of natural hormone replacement therapy that believe that by restoring your hormones to the levels you experienced when you were young you will be better protected against cancer and degenerative illnesses. If this approach is accompanied by correct eating habits, high dose anti-oxidants, nutritional supplements and a healthy lifestyle it is our belief that the ageing process is slowed and good health promoted for many years to come.

Bert Frigo: Compoundia: November 2006.