Jul 11
14
Prolipamaxical: A freakish term describing a Frankinstein-ish cure for menopause symptoms
Since the publication of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI, JAMA, 2002) hormone replacement therapy has been considered a dirty word. It’s gotten to the point that women are encouraged to try ANYTHING but estrogen for menopause. Consider the four common problems for women that arise at midlife and the contemporary medical recommendations.
Women at menopause experience mood matters at a high incidence, estimated at 50% or more. Frequently categorized as depression, menopausal women complain of low energy, insomnia, and problems with concentration and memory. Psychiatrists prescribe Prozac for these problems at high rates.
Menopausal women develop alterations of their blood lipids with increasing levels of LDL (the dangerous cholesterol) and triglycerides (the even more dangerous fats). Cardiologists prescribe boatloads of Lipitor to manage this problem.
Over 60% of women at menopause report problems with sleeping. Insomnia results in daytime drowsiness, depressed mood, low energy, and non-stop fatigue. Neurologists prescribe Ambien to promote sleep.
Menopausal women are at high risk of developing osteoporosis. Weak bones are the primary risk factor for fractures and subsequent disability in older women. Rheumatologists universally recommend Fosamax as a treatment for this problem.
Because conventional FDA approved hormone therapy has been so thoroughly disparaged in the media and by ill-informed practitioners, symptomatic women have been the targets of marketing for so-called natural bioidentical hormones as a safer alternative treatment for hot flashes.
Gynecologists see the “problem” quite differently. Menopause is defined by the change in estrogen production from the ovary. Estrogen (17 Beta-estradiol) is as natural for a woman as honey is to a bee, only sweeter. At menopause the amount of estrogen circulating through the body drops-off like a rock. For most women, this raises havoc—mood matters, cardiovascular disease, insomnia, osteoporosis, and more. The one thing that is out of whack at menopause is low estrogen. Menopause is not the result of too little Prozac, or inadequate Lipitor, or low levels of Ambien, or lack of adequate Fosamax. That’s nonsense. And yet, that is how many experts seem to view the problems at transition.
It is now well documented that estrogen therapy, initiated at the time of menopause, during “the window of opportunity”, improves, or eliminates, all of the menopausal problems. The cumulative risks and expense of Prolipamaxical compared to menopausal estrogen therapy—well there just is no comparison. Estrogen works much better for menopausal mood matters than Prozac, and in addition, stabilizes and improves memory and thought. Estrogen reduces bad cholesterol, and in addition, raises good cholesterol. Estrogen restores sleep patterns, and in addition, promotes long-term memory consolidation. Estrogen builds bone strength, and in addition, improves the health of intervetebral discs and joint capsule connective tissue.
Prescription FDA approved transdermal 17 Beta-estradiol is “BodyIdentical” with scientifically proven safety and purity. On the contrary, “bioidentical” hormones are not tested and not proven to be safe or pure. Both are synthesized in a lab from plants, and the contention that bioidentical hormones are more natural is laughable, except it’s not funny. And, let’s not forget too that estrogen reduces cancer, skin aging, and restores vaginal integrity improving sexual health. When comparing women who choose to take menopausal hormone therapy to women who choose not to take menopausal hormone therapy, the women who do take estrogen have a 40% decrease in all cause mortality—FORTY PERCENT! In other words, every study on the subject agrees that menopausal hormone therapy improves the quality and the quantity of women’s lives. That would be considered a trump card in any game other than menopause.
How did we get into this mess? Three letters: W—H—I. The WHI has become an institution dedicated not to the betterment of women’s health, but to its own self-serving goals: rife with money (estimated at over $1 billion), power and prestige. It’s a shame. And, it’s a terrible shame that the news media seems to only consider pronouncements authored by the WHI and ignores all of the hundreds of contrary legitimate scientific findings. The time has come for all medical specialists to reconsider the evidence and recognize that estrogen therapy for menopause is the foundation of medical care for the majority of healthy menopausal women.
