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Women's Health
HRT: How many more women will die before it's banned?
Date: 29/10/10
Pfizer – the pharmaceutical giant – was in court again recently! This latest lawsuit was over Pfizer's hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drug, Prempro. This time, however, the court ruled in favour of Pfizer, saying that the drug manufacturer properly warned patients about the cancer risks of its drug, and so, it isn't liable for causing one woman's breast cancer...
But Pfizer's moment of glory didn't last long.
About an hour after the court made its ruling, new research showed that not only do women who use oestrogen-progestin therapy — like Prempro — experience an increased risk of breast cancer, it also increases the severity of the cancer.
These results were demonstrated by a large US study, the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) and were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
It’s been a long time coming
It has been years since researchers found the link between breast cancer and HRT. In 2002, researchers brought a large study about the effects of HRT for post-menopausal women to an abrupt halt when they realized it increased the risk of health problems such as breast cancer.
At first, doctors believed those hormone-related cancer cases were caught early and women could survive them. However, a long-term WHI follow-up study reveals alarming results:
* Of the 13,000 women, who took part in the follow-up study, invasive breast cancer occurred in 385 women who received HRT compared with 293 who did not.
* A large percentage of women in the HRT group had breast cancers that had spread to the lymph glands.
* There were 25 deaths from breast cancer among the HRT group and 12 among the placebo group. This equates to 2.6 against 1.3 deaths per 10,000 women per year.
Dr. Rowan Chlebowski, one of the researchers, said: “in the WHI randomised trial, combined hormone therapy increased breast cancer risk and interfered with breast cancer detection, leading to cancers being diagnosed at more advanced stages.”
Avoiding the risk
If you are one of the millions of women in the UK currently experiencing the menopause, or “change of life”, trading hot flushes for breast cancer (or stroke or heart disease for that matter... which HRT also raises the risk of) probably isn’t something you’d ever entertain... and rightly so!
Luckily, HRT is not the only option for treating the symptoms of menopause and you can rest assured that there are extremely effective natural treatments available. In combination with a healthy well-balanced diet, you needn’t suffer distressing menopause symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, insomnia and even depression to mention a few.
Below is a list of the best alternative treatments available, at a fraction of the cost and risk of HRT:
A low carbohydrate diet helps curb the damage caused by oestrogen
It is also important to eat a low carbohydrate diet, because oestrogen raises insulin levels by inhibiting the action of the hormone glucagon, which converts stored glycogen to glucose. If you have oestrogen dominance and eat a “normal” (high carbohydrate) diet, you are likely to experience the symptoms of excess insulin, such as poor concentration, anxiety and sugar cravings.
You also need to know about the vegetables that have a direct benefit during the menopause because of the hormone- like substances, called phyto-oestrogens, they contain. These natural substances tend to block the receptor sites for oestrogen in the body, so lessening its effect. Soya beans and soya products, pulses, alfalfa and sage contain good amounts of phyto-oestrogens.
Soya is a rich source of the isoflavone genistein. Genistein regulates the part of the brain responsible for oestrogen production, keeping it in balance, and also preserves calcium in the bones and stimulates the formation of new bone tissue. It therefore protects against osteoporosis, which is aggravated by the hormone changes associated with the menopause.
HRT Related Articles:
Breast Cancer: Separating Myth From Fact
Menopause: Investigating the controversy surrounding black cohosh
Hormone Replacement Therapy: Research shows HRT does little to improve quality of life
Hot Topics:
When Getting Your Five-A-Day Isn’t the Healthy Option...
Super Omega-3 Helps Combat ADHD and Depression
Big Pharma... Or Should That Be Big Bully?
Sources:
HRT: More dangerous to women, publish online 10/19/2010, kjrh.com
Pfizer wins HRT trial as new study knocks safety, by Tracy Staton, published online 20.10.10, fiercepharma.com
HRT can increase advanced breast cancer risk, says study, published online 20.10.10, independent.co.uk
Maturitas 2002; 42: 187-193
Menopause 2001; 8: 259-265
Kenton, L, Passage to Power. Vermilion,1996
Atkins, R, Dr Atkins’ Age Defying Diet Revolution, Vermilion, 2000
Lee, J, Natural Progesterone: The Multiple Roles of a Remarkable Hormone. Jon Carpenter Publishing, 1999
Medical Hypotheses, 35: 316-318, 1991
Optimum Nutrition, 14,1: 36-40, 2001
Back to topBut Pfizer's moment of glory didn't last long.
About an hour after the court made its ruling, new research showed that not only do women who use oestrogen-progestin therapy — like Prempro — experience an increased risk of breast cancer, it also increases the severity of the cancer.
These results were demonstrated by a large US study, the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) and were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
It’s been a long time coming
It has been years since researchers found the link between breast cancer and HRT. In 2002, researchers brought a large study about the effects of HRT for post-menopausal women to an abrupt halt when they realized it increased the risk of health problems such as breast cancer.
At first, doctors believed those hormone-related cancer cases were caught early and women could survive them. However, a long-term WHI follow-up study reveals alarming results:
* Of the 13,000 women, who took part in the follow-up study, invasive breast cancer occurred in 385 women who received HRT compared with 293 who did not.
* A large percentage of women in the HRT group had breast cancers that had spread to the lymph glands.
* There were 25 deaths from breast cancer among the HRT group and 12 among the placebo group. This equates to 2.6 against 1.3 deaths per 10,000 women per year.
Dr. Rowan Chlebowski, one of the researchers, said: “in the WHI randomised trial, combined hormone therapy increased breast cancer risk and interfered with breast cancer detection, leading to cancers being diagnosed at more advanced stages.”
Avoiding the risk
If you are one of the millions of women in the UK currently experiencing the menopause, or “change of life”, trading hot flushes for breast cancer (or stroke or heart disease for that matter... which HRT also raises the risk of) probably isn’t something you’d ever entertain... and rightly so!
Luckily, HRT is not the only option for treating the symptoms of menopause and you can rest assured that there are extremely effective natural treatments available. In combination with a healthy well-balanced diet, you needn’t suffer distressing menopause symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, insomnia and even depression to mention a few.
Below is a list of the best alternative treatments available, at a fraction of the cost and risk of HRT:
- Medicinal herbs have been used for centuries to help women through the menopause. Among these are chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus), black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), Chinese Angelica or Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis) and Ginseng (Panax ginseng).
These herbs are ‘adaptogens’, that increase or decrease hormone production according to your body’s requirements. They help regulate your levels of oestrogen and progesterone naturally and maintain your body’s correct hormonal balance. Take them as standardised extracts (which guarantee the amount of active ingredient) at the dosages recommended by the manufacturer, or on the advice of a professional practitioner. Ginseng should not be taken for more than six weeks without a break, however. - Boron is a trace element of particular benefit for menopausal women. At the high dose of 10-20mg a day, it can balance the natural production of both oestrogen and progesterone. In addition, a good multivitamin and mineral supplement will help to meet your body’s additional demand for essential nutrients during the menopause.
- Natural progesterone therapy may be the answer if your menopausal symptoms persist. Natural progesterone is manufactured from an extract of the Mexican wild yam and is available (but only on prescription in the UK) as a cream that is rubbed into the skin. Unlike the progesterone in HRT drugs, it is identical to the body’s own progesterone and has the same beneficial effects.
The American physician Dr John Lee, has spent the last twenty years researching natural progesterone, and found that it restores libido, normalises blood sugar, burns fat and can even prevent breast cancer.
In hundreds of carefully documented case studies, Dr Lee has shown that it can also prevent and even reverse osteoporosis (thinning of the bones), since both oestrogen and progesterone are involved in the process by which calcium is deposited in, or removed from, bone tissue. Whilst other wild yam products available in health food shops may help because of their phyto-oestrogen content, they do not contain natural progesterone.
A low carbohydrate diet helps curb the damage caused by oestrogen
It is also important to eat a low carbohydrate diet, because oestrogen raises insulin levels by inhibiting the action of the hormone glucagon, which converts stored glycogen to glucose. If you have oestrogen dominance and eat a “normal” (high carbohydrate) diet, you are likely to experience the symptoms of excess insulin, such as poor concentration, anxiety and sugar cravings.
You also need to know about the vegetables that have a direct benefit during the menopause because of the hormone- like substances, called phyto-oestrogens, they contain. These natural substances tend to block the receptor sites for oestrogen in the body, so lessening its effect. Soya beans and soya products, pulses, alfalfa and sage contain good amounts of phyto-oestrogens.
Soya is a rich source of the isoflavone genistein. Genistein regulates the part of the brain responsible for oestrogen production, keeping it in balance, and also preserves calcium in the bones and stimulates the formation of new bone tissue. It therefore protects against osteoporosis, which is aggravated by the hormone changes associated with the menopause.
HRT Related Articles:
Breast Cancer: Separating Myth From Fact
Menopause: Investigating the controversy surrounding black cohosh
Hormone Replacement Therapy: Research shows HRT does little to improve quality of life
Hot Topics:
When Getting Your Five-A-Day Isn’t the Healthy Option...
Super Omega-3 Helps Combat ADHD and Depression
Big Pharma... Or Should That Be Big Bully?
Sources:
HRT: More dangerous to women, publish online 10/19/2010, kjrh.com
Pfizer wins HRT trial as new study knocks safety, by Tracy Staton, published online 20.10.10, fiercepharma.com
HRT can increase advanced breast cancer risk, says study, published online 20.10.10, independent.co.uk
Maturitas 2002; 42: 187-193
Menopause 2001; 8: 259-265
Kenton, L, Passage to Power. Vermilion,1996
Atkins, R, Dr Atkins’ Age Defying Diet Revolution, Vermilion, 2000
Lee, J, Natural Progesterone: The Multiple Roles of a Remarkable Hormone. Jon Carpenter Publishing, 1999
Medical Hypotheses, 35: 316-318, 1991
Optimum Nutrition, 14,1: 36-40, 2001
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