In recent times, there has been a heated debate within the medical community regarding hormone replacement therapy for women suffering from the effects of menopause. The debate is centered around a number of studies that have concluded that hormone replacement therapy may not be near as effective as was once promoted. Other studies have gone even further, by suggesting that there is a direct correlation between hormone replacement therapy and an increased risk of cancer. For women suffering from this dreaded condition, it is often very difficult to determine fact from fiction.
Many women place a great deal of trust and faith in their doctors. Naturally, they expect their doctor to have their interests at heart and to facilitate a treatment regimen that will benefit the patient and hopefully cure them of what ails them. Sadly, this is not always the case. Many doctors have special relationships with pharmaceutical companies, and in some cases it is suspected that they receive kickbacks for promoting new products. The pharmaceutical industry is not interested in your health. They are in the business of making money, not of curing illness. No illness = no profits. Take what your doctor says with a grain of salt...or perhaps some vitamin C.
This is not to suggest that all doctors are of this mindset, but a great many are. They, too, are in the business of making money. They issue of central importance is your health and wellbeing. The pharmaceutical industry seems to try to create new classes of conditions with each passing quarter. Menopause is not an illness. It is not a disease. Menopause is naturally occurring maturation process that affects women from all walks of life. It is a natural part of the aging process, and natural process is deserving of a natural treatment. Women have found ways to cope with the side effects of Menopause, long before modern medicine tried to turn it into yet another illness to be treated with expensive and potentially dangerous drugs.
There are a number of natural ways to deal with the effects of menopause. Explore your options. Vitamin E is very effective at easing the effects of Menopause. Vitamin B6 works by increasing your body's natural progesterone production. It also boosts your serotonin production, thereby inducing a sense of calm. Try some Evening Primrose Oil to help alleviate headaches, irritability, cramping, and water retention. It is recommended that you explore every natural treatment option, before you compromise your health further with unnecessary drug therapies. Educate yourself. Your body will thank you for it!
A recent study, called the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), found that risks outweigh benefits. The WHI found that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) drugs caused increases in breast cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots. The risk to an individual woman may be small, but the number of cases occurring in the population at large is significant. The study concludes that the risks outweigh the drugs' actual benefits.
Benefits include a small decrease in hip fractures and a decrease in cases of colorectal cancer. The WHI study was released four years earlier than expected because of researchers' concerns. The WHI was established in 1991 by the government to address the most common causes of death, disability and impaired quality of life in postmenopausal women. It is the first-ever long-term randomized controlled clinical trial (considered the gold standard by medical researchers) of hormone replacement therapy.
The Women's Health Initiative is a 15-year multimillion-dollar endeavor, and one of the largest US prevention studies of its kind. The study was designed to look at the effects not only of HRT, but also diet modification and vitamin and mineral supplements. Some 67,000 women from across the country, ranging in age from 50 to 79, are participating in the WHI clinical trials. In addition to those women, the study is also following the medical history and health habits of an additional 100,000 women to examine the relationship between lifestyle, health and risk factors with specific disease outcomes. Final results are due out in 2006.
One researcher states, "The breast cancer risks for women on the combined estrogen-progestin therapy are similar to risks that have been found in other studies," although the cardiovascular findings were not anticipated. "A decreased risk of coronary heart disease had been hypothesized for women on active hormone therapy, so the finding of slightly greater risks for women on the active hormone therapy was unexpected." In summary, the health risks for women taking combined estrogen plus progestin therapy were found to outweigh the benefits. The trial was actually stopped due to the risk-benefit ratio, as indicated by a global indicator of overall risk, which was unfavorable and the breast cancer risks crossed what were predetermined safety boundaries."
Actually, early problems associated with heart disease and strokes were suggested several years ago, whereupon women in the study were informed about previous studies. The breast cancer risks have also been suspect. The magnitude and numbers of risk seem to be the same today as they were then."
It is true that the risk is relatively small for individual women, and the WHI results tell us that during one year among 10,000 postmenopausal women with a uterus, (as opposed to those who have had their uterus removed) and who are taking estrogen plus progestin, eight more will have a stroke, and 18 more will have blood clots, including eight with blood clots in the lungs, than will a similar group of 10,000 women not taking these hormones. This is a relatively small annual increase in risk for an individual woman," said the acting director of the WHI.
Update: the WHI has now continued with the estrogen-only portion of the study. Scientists have known that progestin can act to influence breast growth and development while reducing the risk of uterine cancer. Actually, an article in the January 26, 2000 Journal of the American Medical Association reported that researchers at the National Cancer Institute had found that women who are current or recent users of combined estrogen and progestin had a higher relative risk of breast cancer than women who only take estrogen.
Although these early findings from the WHI raise some cautions and pose some questions, "The most important thing about what we know is that women need to understand the risks and benefits so they can make informed choices. Advice: talk to your physician or health care provider.
Both Caren Killtral & John Russell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Caren Killtral has sinced written about articles on various topics from Medicine, Asthma and Health. Caren Killtral is an active enthusiast of natural health therapies. When she is not researching the latest information on natural health care, she writes articles for menopauseinsight.com ? a site with information on. Caren Killtral's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.
John Russell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Aging, Fitness and Wrinkles. John Russell of IH Distribution, LLC brings you health, anti-aging and skin care products from around the world. Find fabulous skin care tips and great articles on a wide range of topics for women at our. John Russell's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.