What are Bioidentical Hormones?
What is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)?
- Bioidentical hormone replacement is whole-body therapy. Hormones impact nearly every function of the human body; in fact there are hormone receptors on nearly every cell in your body.
- As you age your hormone levels change and your organs produce less natural hormones. Hormone replacement slows down the aging process in every organ in your body.
- Hormone therapy is important for all aging women both peri-menopausal and menopausal, women with and without ovaries, as well as men. While not as common, young women and men can also have hormonal imbalances and must be given equal consideration for treatment based on comprehensive lab results and full evaluation of medical history, and symptoms.
- Bio-identical hormones are structurally identical to what your body makes. They restore the body’s natural balance and are essential to healthy aging.
What are Bio-identical Hormones?
- Bioidentical hormones use plants and generate an identical in organic structure and function to human hormones. Bioidentical hormones are identical to the hormones already found in your body and follow the blue print of human life.
What are Bio-identical Hormones Derived from?
- The “Bioidentical” hormone powders are derived from soy and primarily yams. Those that are chemically sensitive to one, can chose the other option.
Why Aren’t Bio-identical Hormones FDA Approved?
- Bio-identical hormones are not patentable. Because of this, drug companies won’t spend an inordinate amount of money to seek FDA approval. Because of reliance on FDA approval, many great healthful supplements, vitamins and other treatments are largely unrecognized and unused. This has resulted in many misguided opinions and a lack of knowledge regarding Hormone Replacement. The FDA has produced the following statement “FDA is not aware of any credible scientific evidence to support claims made regarding the safety and effectiveness of compounded BHRT drugs.
- Director of FDA’s Office of Women’s Health in another statement regarding the use of BHRT drugs to prevent or cure heart disease, Alzheimer, disease, breast cancer the FDA stated the BHRT drugs have not been shown to prevent or cure any of these diseases. In fact, FDA approved MHT “Menopausal Hormone Therapy” Drugs (i.e. Premarin and Provera) may increase the risk of heart disease, breast cancer, and dementia in some women. No large, long term study has been done to determine the adverse effects of bio-identical hormones. The FDA does not have evidence that bio-identical hormones” are safer or more effective than other hormone products.
Is Premarin Bio-identical?
- Absolutely NOT – Premarin is derived from a pregnant mare’s horse urine, and therefore contains many horse estrogen’s that are not found in the human body. Therefore, Premarin is not a bio-identical hormone.