The Dangers of Hormone Replacement Therapy only become evident when not getting help/advice from a trained, certified, medical professional.
When doing research on any thing medical, all of us want to know the good and the bad with anything, especially if it has to do with something being done to our on bodies. I hear all the time “I try to stay away from medications as much as I can”. But the truth is, when we are suffering, most of us are willing to try something, anything, to alleviate a problem, especially when pain or chronicity of unpleasant symptoms persist.
This attitude can be played on by purveyors of anything medical or medicinal. Right here is where the dangers of hormone replacement therapy starts:
1. Willingness to undergo a program/procedure or take something you know little or nothing about. Allowing yourself to differ your health to someone else.
2.. Knowing something medical or medicinal has reported dangerous side effects or risks but choosing to ignore them in the hopes all will be well. Kinda like flying in foreign airlines with companies you have never heard of, like ones where the pilot is the ticket agent and baggage handler.
2. Ignoring obvious warning signs without some investigation/research. Being told you can obtain results that sound to good to be true; Having to pay, out front, large sums of money for services not explained thoroughly; accepting treatment from a Doctor whose specialty doesnt include Hormone Replacement Therapy (unless they have credentials from recognised organizations or schools). Many family practice doctors, without proper credentials, will perscribe homones.
With this in mind, what are the dangers of Hormone Replacement Therapy?
As mentioned above, the biggest danger is in not seeking the advice of a Medical professional, trained and certified in Hormone Replacement. I they don’t have the following degrees after their name, it is unlikely they have the background in understanding how the human body works, anatomically, biochemically and physiologically. MD (Doctor of Medicine), DC (Doctor of Chiropractic or Chiropractic Medicine), DO (Doctor of Osteopathy), ND (Doctor of Naturopathy). Be very careful with those mostly well meaning individuals working in health food stores or self proclaimed nutritionists and nutritionists with limited education (< 4 years). Not necessarily that they are going to recommend something that isn’t helpful, but they don’t know and have no way of testing as to whether or not you even need what they are recommending (a huge waste of money). How many of us have bottles upon bottles of vitamins half empty? Wouldn’t it be nice to have that money back to use in a more meaningful way?
One of my pet peeves is the multi-level marketers. They tout their product/s as the bees knees, quoting studies (they don’t understand) proving it’s value when in reality the underlying motivation isn’t your health it’s there pocket book. Yes, you could say that about all the decreed professionals listed above, but most of these professionals have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and many years (8 or more for most) just to get their education. There is a big difference.
But what about side effects? In HRT there are two different kinds of treatment forms (there are others like exercise, quality diet, etc but they will be addressed elsewhere). Nutraceuticals (use to be called supplements and vitamins and include herbal, botanical or protomorphogenic agents) and Pharmaceuticals (medications). Nutraceuticals are currently a lot like pharmaceuticals, in that the field of nutritional medicine and nutritional biochemistry, couple with quality published research papers/studies renders them capable of actually treating specific maladies. I know the FDA says they can’t say they treat “disease”, but they do. Eating an apple is supplying chemistry to your cells helping to keep tissues healthy or even “re-stock” nutrients in low supply and essential for quality healthy cellular function. Side effects for natural Nutraceuticals (concentrated, scientifically combined foods substances) are rare. All of them should be checked against interactions with medications, and some do need to be limited or not taken. Oil soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K may cause problems with an unhealthy liver. Your treating Doctor needs to have the ability to run blood/serum/saliva/urine etc, tests to monitor for potential or actual damage to various organs and glands, not to mention the brain. Pharmaceuticals are also known as medications and are only to be dispensed by a Doctor licensed by the DEA to prescribe them. As we all know virtually all medications have some degree of danger with use.
So when seeking help with hormone related problems like menopause (andropause in men), low or no energy, no sexual desire, ED, unable to lose weight, no matter how hard you diet or exercise, depression, anxiety, hair loss, pre mature aging and many more, remember always chose a professional and go meet them (most will talk to you, initially for free).
