Hormone Replacement Therapy Goes Natural - With Added Benefits

Although the US is generally in the forefront of medical information

, it has lagged behind in the area of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (HRT), for both women and men. Despite the fact that synthetic HRT has been on the market since the 1930s, natural replacement has only recently become a viable alternative for balancing male and female hormones as demanded by the aging process. Natural therapies have been used extensively in Europe for a score of years, but only recently are they being recognized as a legitimate treatment for managing the effects of "the change."

We're all familiar with the symptoms of menopause: hot flashes, irritability, sleeplessness, night sweats, intimacy issues and other various problems. The problems of hormone loss in men are less known. Although andropause (the misnomer given to the cluster of symptoms accompanying diminution of testosterone) does not necessarily cause lack of reproductive ability, it can cause muscle weakness, loss of libido, weight gain, fatigue and stress. While they are not as common as they are in women, hot flashes and insomnia have been reported by some men.

Both sexes are increasingly being prescribed natural hormones instead of synthetic pharmaceuticals. These are generally made from plants and rather than imitating the actions of hormones in the body, they are bio-identical, having exactly the same molecular structure as those secreted by human ovaries and gonads.

Bio-identical therapy can reverse the symptoms of both menopause and andropause and, although it will not completely reverse the ravages of time, it can certainly make the aging process more comfortable. Before prescribing any course of natural hormone replacement therapy, a doctor will screen his patients in order to account for the varying effects of hormone loss in individuals. Natural therapies in different combinations and strengths can be compounded into gels, creams, capsules, drops, suppositories or lozenges - whatever the individual patient needs.

There has been some controversy concerning the efficacy of natural therapies as opposed to the synthetic variety. Based primarily on the fact that plants cannot be patented, thereby preventing pharmaceutical companies from making a profit, rumors were circulated that bio-identical therapy was not as reliable as synthetic HRT. These stories were thoroughly repudiated by both Suzanne Somers and Oprah Winfrey, both of whom wrote and spoke enthusiastically about the benefits of natural hormones over those manufactured in pharmaceutical factories. In effect, they both said, "if it comes from a plant, take it; if it's made in a plant, be cautious." Doctors who prefer natural therapy agree.

by: Stephen Daniels

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