GUEST ARTICLE

The Sound of Profits Down the Toilet
by Dr. Larrian Gillespie

I received so many emails today about the JAMA study on HRT that I decided to put out a special issue JUST on this article.

As you know, I have warned women it was progestins, not natural estradiol, that was increasing the risk of breast cancer, heart disease, gallbladder disease, strokes and diabetes. In The Menopause Diet book, I wrote an extensive chapter documenting numerous studies on the risk/benefits of hormone therapy, explaining why women need to "baste not marinate" in estradiol in order to receive the benefits of estrogen replacement therapy with the lowest risk.

In JAMA, full article released 7/9/02, researchers have proven that CONJUGATED estrogens, when combined with progestins, dramatically increases the risk of developing breast cancer, and recommended that doctors terminate long term therapy with this drug combination.

Now, some of you feared this meant you should immediately stop HRT cold turkey. Let me explain something here: the study did not examine estradiol, because frankly, the most common prescribed medication has been PremPro ( Premarin and Provera ). Premarin is derived from horse urine and contains 17 estrogens unknown to the human body. Provera was developed as a cancer drug which failed miserably and was marketed to gynecologists as THE  ANSWER to endometrial buildup in response to unmonitored doses of Premarin. Using a skilled PR campaign aimed at BOTH the doctors and the patients,  followed by litigation issues, doctors were indoctrinated into believing progestins PROTECTED women against uterine cancer and that is was GROSS NEGLIGENCE to prescribe estrogen without giving a progestin at the same time.

Now the profits from combination therapy are going down the toilet after this landmark study and I can promise you, the drug companies are not going to let this slide without a fight. Expect to see doctors countering this finding with smoke and mirror filibustering.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: If you are taking Premarin, call your doctor's office and demand to switch to estradiol. You can ask for oral estradiol in the following ranges: 1mg is usually too high, so .5mg is just about right for most women. However, if you are over 70, you need even less, such as .25mg. Next, flush that prescription which was forced down your throat for Provera in the toilet and take a deep breath.  Then, sharpen your heels and get ready to kick a lot of docs off the health cliff, because old habits die hard.

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