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Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)
Interview, 07/18/2007: Bobbie Shepard-Mardocco, NP
The practice of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) has actually been around for decades. It involves the manufacture of hormones that have the same molecular structure as the hormones made by the human body. Synthetic hormones, on the other hand (like Premarin, Prempro and Provera) are developed and patented by drug companies. Since these companies cannot patent a bioidentical structure, drug companies invent synthetic hormones for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) purposes.
People, both men and women, who display symptoms of fatigue, lack of stamina, difficulty remembering things, weight gain, and, for women, common menopausal side effects like night sweats and hot flashes, may be candidates for BHRT. BHRT can be effectively used to successfully treat many types of hormone deficiencies, including estrogen, testosterone, progesterone and DHEA. At Immune Recovery and Wellness Clinic, a consultation is given first, and then a panel of tests (including either blood or saliva) is run prior to prescribing any therapy. The actual “therapy” comes in the form of a simple cream, prepared by a compounding pharmacy, which is applied to and absorbed through the patient’s skin. “Dosages” can then be changed according to changes in the patient’s condition.
There are actually many differences between bioidentical and synthetic hormones; bioidentical hormones carry many advantages over the mass-produced synthetic forms. Bioidentical hormones are natural, usually derived from plants such as soy or yam. Synthetic hormones are completely lab-manufactured, or, as in the case of mare’s urines, involve the cruel manipulation and harvesting of living animals’ by-products that still need to be chemically altered to be usable by the human body (check out the United Pegasus Foundation’s work with rescued “Premarin Foals”). Because they are naturally-derived and structured to be identical to human hormones, bioidentical hormones use the body’s natural metabolic pathways, thereby causing less stress on the body and organs (like the liver) and fewer side effects than synthetic hormones, which are usually quite strong and can produce intolerable side effects. These side effects are due, in part, to the conversion of synthetic hormones to toxic substances during the body’s metabolic processes. Bioidentical hormones are easily absorbed by the body and are not, then, converted into these toxic substances.
BHRT also allows for a much more individualized approach to therapy, as dosages are produced directly by a compounding pharmacy according to the individual patient’s needs. The needs of the patient are based on a panel of tests, briefly described above, and the medical history of the patient. Doses can then be increased or decreased, depending on the patient’s individual response to the therapy. Mass-produced synthetic hormones cannot offer this benefit.
Bobbie has seen great results with BHRT in her twelve years of using it to treat patients. She is also certified in the Wiley Protocol, a specialized BHRT-related treatment method. For the most part, the patients she sees and prescribes BHRT are women and men in their 40’s. She said for most of these patients, the “difference [in their condition] is like night and day.” Patients feel better, stop gaining weight, cease to be moody and report feeling less stressed. Results typically begin after only one month to six weeks of therapy; duration of treatment varies according to each patient’s needs.
Severe backlash against BHRT occurred in 2002, when the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) published a study stating that HRT was a contributing factor in aging women’s likelihood to develop breast cancer, stroke and memory loss. As a result of this study, traditional healthcare providers have become extremely reticent about putting women on hormone therapy of any kind. However, Bobbie points out that the 2002 study was flawed in several ways, the most notable being: (1) the study looked at women over the age of 65, who were therefore already more likely to have the very health problems for which the study blamed HRT; and (2) the study looked only at synthetic forms of HRT (like equine urine), as opposed to bioidentical hormone therapies. In a complete about-face, the WHI is even now beginning to retract or modify most of the information within their 2002 report, as more recent clinical studies are disproving its more extravagant claims (see the WHI website for their most recent retractions).
Given the success rate of BHRT among her patients over the years, Bobbie is disappointed with the much-publicized findings that disparage BHRT as a viable treatment option. She has experienced firsthand the dramatic improvements BHRT has made in her own patients’ health, physically, emotionally and mentally; and she regrets that more funding is not available to support larger studies focused on BHRT as a treatment method. Until such studies are conducted and published, mass-produced, and more harmful, synthetic therapies will continue to be the only options given to patients who need hormone therapy.
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Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)
Immune Recovery Clinic Interviews
