Ron Garner
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 Estrogen Mimics
Other hormone disrupter problems in our society, in addition to synthetic hormones, are xenoestrogens or xenobiotics, which produce estrogen-like activity in the body. They are found in herbicide and pesticide sprays, petroleum products, plastics, and other chemicals that pollute our food, air, and water.
Agricultural animals raised for meat consumption are injected with estrogen-like hormones to increase fat content. These synthetic hormones remain in the meat when it is consumed. |
Michael Friedman, ND
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 Pharmaceutical companies, however, prefer synthetic hormones. synthetic hormones (not found in nature) can be patented, whereas real (natural, bioidentical) hormones cannot. Patented drugs are more profitable than non-patented drugs. Sex hormone prescription sales have made billions of dollars for pharmaceutical companies. Thus is women's health sacrificed for commercial profit.
Rule 3. Use only in dosages that provide normal physiologic tissue levels.
The third rule is a bit more complicated. |
David Brownstein M.D.
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 Examples of synthetic hormones include Provera*, Prempro? Premarin? birth control pills, etc.
THE LOCK AND KEY MODEL OF HORMONES
The hormones in our bodies work via a "lock and key'" model. When a hormone is released from its gland the hormone (the "key") binds to its receptor (the "lock"). This binding is analogous to a key being put in the ignition of the car. When the hormone binds to its receptor, a chemical reaction takes place. Natural, bioidentical hormones have a perfect fit in these receptors. The "key" fits perfectly in its complimentary "lock". |
| WHY WOULD synthetic hormones BE PRODUCED?
Let's take a closer look at Figure 1. When you look at the difference between the chemical structures of progesterone and Provera*, a question comes to mind; why would Big Pharma alter progesterone by putting those side chains (indicated by the arrows in Figure 1) on progesterone? The answer is: to develop a patentable product that can maximize profits.
Natural substances cannot be patented. For example, Vitamin C or magnesium cannot be patented. However, a foreign substance can be patented. |
| Synthetic hormones have no place in anybody's regimen.
PROGESTERONE
The hormone progesterone, as pictured in Figure 1, is produced in the adrenal glands of both men and women. Furthermore, the ovaries produce significant amounts of progesterone. Because the body has specific receptors for progesterone, it has mechanisms to properly bind and detoxify progesterone. Bioidentical progesterone should be the only form of progesterone used. Synthetic forms should never be used.
The benefits of bioidentical progesterone are varied. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 Synthetic hormones, made from the urine of pregnant mares, may be similar to the ones your body makes, but they're not identical, else they couldn't be patented. In biochemistry, if two substances vary by even a few molecules, they can be vastly different compounds.
But I digress. |
David Brownstein M.D.
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| Although these results are preliminary, they may be the first studies showing how toxic synthetic hormones are and why we need to use and investigate bioidentical hormones.
Finally, it makes common sense that no synthetic hormone should be used for any condition when there is a bioidentical, natural version of the hormone available. Looking at physiology and biochemistry it becomes clear that using a synthetic, foreign hormone in the body is bound to cause trouble. My clinical experience has clearly shown the benefits of balancing the hormonal system with bioidentical natural hormones. |
Ron Garner
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| These synthetic hormones remain in the meat when it is consumed. Even though they may be in small amounts, it takes very little to upset the delicate hormone balance in the body. Other food products such as those made from soy contain phytoestrogens, naturally occurring estrogens that are reported to be at much higher levels than those found in meat products. Several scientific studies have linked high levels of phytoestrogens to many hormonal problems, including early puberty in girls. |
J. Douglas Bremner
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 Alternative Medicines
NATURAL PREPARATIONS
HRT uses synthetic hormones or hormones from animals that are similar but not chemically identical to human estrogen, 17-beta-estradiol. Recently, "natural" preparations of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone have been developed. They are usually prepared from plants, and are also known as phytoestrogens. Since they are natural, pharmaceutical companies cannot patent them. For this reason the natural hormones have not been studied, although they are available for use. |
David Brownstein M.D.
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| However, when the truth finally became apparent to all, the use of synthetic hormones did not look so good. In fact, these foreign substances were found to cause a lot of serious adverse effects. How could so many intelligent people be so wrong? Why were women misled for over 25 years?
The answer to these questions can be found in a statement I made at the beginning of this book; you can't poison a crucial enzyme or block an important receptor for the long-term and expect a good result. |
Eric R. Braverman
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 Pharmaceutical companies, however, prefer synthetic hormones. synthetic hormones can be patented, whereas natural, bioidentical hormones cannot.
For years I have rebuked the medical establishment for its widespread use of substances that have deleterious effects, and like the early vitamin pioneers, I've finally been vindicated. |
David Brownstein M.D.
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| In older people, supplementation with natural, bioidentical hormones can reverse many of the signs of aging. synthetic hormones do not provide the same anti-aging benefits as natural, bioidentical hormones.
My patients are familiar with the following question: "If it is found that you are low in a hormone, and you are given a choice of a natural, bioidentical hormone—one that closely mimics your own hormone chemically and structurally, versus a synthetic hormone—a man-made derivative of a hormone that has been structurally altered to become a patentable product, which one would you pick? |
Michael Friedman, ND
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| Pharmaceutical companies, however, prefer synthetic hormones. synthetic hormones (not found in nature) can be patented, whereas real (natural, bioidentical) hormones cannot. Patented drugs are more profitable than non-patented drugs. Sex hormone prescription sales have made billions of dollars for pharmaceutical companies. Thus is women's health sacrificed for commercial profit.
Rule 3. Use only in dosages that provide normal physiologic tissue levels.
The third rule is a bit more complicated. |
Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN
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| Toxins from Water: 150,000
Arsenic, fluoride, chlorine, prescription drug residue, pesticides, rocket fuel (perchlorate), Bisphenol-A (toxin used in making plastic water bottles), C§ (the chemical used to make Teflon111), bacteria, parasites, etc
Toxins from Prescription Drugs: 180,000
Aluminum, mercury, chemotherapy, left-over animal parts from meat processing plants, synthetic chemicals, liver toxic glues, fillers, binders, artificial colorings, spermicides, synthetic hormones, vaccines, etc. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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 It's caused by low testosterone, which, in turn, is caused by the synthetic hormones. (They raise a protein in the blood called sex hormone binding globulin, which then binds to testosterone and makes the hormone unavailable). Depression on the pill? It's due to depletion of vitamins such as vitamins C and B6, needed to make the feel-good brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. (For more information on these neurotransmitters, see page 114. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 Commercially raised animals have all the problems talked about in the introductory essay (see page 187): The feeding practices and synthetic hormones and antibiotics taint the liver of the animal. And since the liver is "detoxification central" for all animals (including us), it's likely that all that junk is realty concentrated in the liver. I recommend organic and/or pasture raised to reduce the risk of contaminants, and if that's not an option, then only young animal liver. If supermarket liver is your only option, the best choice would be calfs liver, since U.S. |
C. W. Randolph, M.D.
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 Chapter 3 addresses the dangers of synthetic hormones in greater detail. why the symptoms are often misdiagnosed
When Sylvia in Chapter 1 first complained of the "love-handle blues," her previous doctor responded by giving her a prescription for antidepressants. Unfortunately, the inappropriate use of antidepressants to treat estrogen dominance is far too common. |
| More than a decade ago, we became convinced that natural bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) was a safer and more effective option for treating the symptoms of hormone imbalance than synthetic hormones manufactured and marketed by large pharmaceutical companies. In fact, our first book, From Hormone Hell to Hormone Well, focused on the benefits of BHRT versus synthetic hormone therapies.
Like synthetic hormone replacement pills, birth control pills also contain synthetic estrogen and progestin. Depending on dosage, they can be very potent and linger in the body for a long time. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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| Don't believe for a minute that bioidentical hormones are the same thing as the synthetic hormones used by conventional practitioners, and don't buy hook, line, and sinker into the conventional orthodoxy that they haven't been "tested" enough. The synthetic ones have been tested to death and we're still not sure how safe they are. The body knows what to do with the ones it makes—it's been using them just fine for as long as you've been alive.
The idea that synthetic and bioidentical hormones are the same thing doesn't pass the smell test. |
| The Risk of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Traditionally, moderate to severe menopausal complaints have been managed with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) using synthetic hormones. This is absolutely not the place to get into the enormous controversy generated by preliminary findings from the Women's Health Initiative that reported a slightly increased risk of heart attacks and breast cancer for women on HRT. |
Eric R. Braverman
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| Pharmaceutical companies, however, prefer synthetic hormones. synthetic hormones can be patented, whereas natural, bioidentical hormones cannot.
For years I have rebuked the medical establishment for its widespread use of substances that have deleterious effects, and like the early vitamin pioneers, I've finally been vindicated. |
C. W. Randolph, M.D.
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| It is also found in the synthetic estrogen and progesterone (chemically termed progestin) of birth control pills and hormone therapies; these synthetic hormones are secreted in women's urine, are flushed down the toilet, and eventually make their way back into the food chain. Over time, these foreign estrogens can dangerously accumulate and increase the estrogen load in the body.
People living in the United States and in western Europe have been found to have much higher estrogen levels at much younger ages than people living in less industrialized countries. |
| Consequently, these companies spend millions of dollars marketing synthetic hormones to physicians by sponsoring continuing medical education (CME) programs, office lunch presentations, and off-site forums at resort locations.
In her book, The Truth About the Drug Companies, Dr. Marcia Angell, former editor in chief of The New England Journal of Medicine, states: "Drug companies have become vast marketing machines wielding nearly limitless influence over medical research, education and how doctors do their jobs. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Milk produced in the United States comes from cows injected with synthetic hormones that have been banned in every other advanced nation in the world. These hormones help explain why unusually young teenage girls develop breasts at such a young age, or why hormone-related cancers like prostate cancer are being discovered in unprecedented numbers. In order to protect Monsanto, the manufacturer of hormones used in the industry, the USDA currently bans organic milk producers from claiming their milk comes from cows that were not treated with synthetic hormones. |
C. W. Randolph, M.D.
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| Unlike antidepressant drugs or manufactured synthetic hormones, bio-identical hormone therapies cannot be patented. Therefore, there are no company sales representatives going into physicians' offices to educate them about the causes and dangers of estrogen dominance.
Because of this ignorance within the medical community many women and men continue to suffer needlessly. Worst of all, when a woman complains of even the slightest symptoms of estrogen dominance, most conventional medical doctors recommend a prescription of synthetic estrogen replacement. |
| If bio-identical hormone replacement is so safe, you might be wondering why so many physicians continue to prescribe synthetic hormones. The answer is a combination of ignorance, confusion, and marketing. Pharmaceutical companies make billions of dollars selling synthetic hormone products. In terms of the safety of synthetic versus bio-identical hormone replacement, pharmaceutical companies have a lot to lose. |
Ron Garner
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| Then, in attempts to mitigate and handle this onslaught and resulting changes to the body, synthetic hormones are prescribed. In 2001 alone, one hormone replacement drug, Premarin, prescribed for many hormone related conditions, generated more than two billion dollars in sales.15 The human body cannot incorporate synthetic, unnatural substances into its tissues for optimum health.
Prostate and Male Midlife Problems
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland of the male reproductive system, located below the bladder and encircling the urethra. |
Hyla Cass
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| It's caused by low testosterone, which, in turn, is caused by the synthetic hormones. (They raise a protein in the blood called sex hormone binding globulin, which then binds to testosterone and makes the hormone unavailable). Depression on the pill? It's due to depletion of vitamins such as vitamins C and B6, needed to make the feel-good brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. (For more information on these neurotransmitters, see page 114. |
Marshall Editions
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 Hormone replacement: Balancing the hormones can help the emotional challenges associated with menopause, as well as other troubling symptoms such as vaginal dryness, skin dryness, and low libido. synthetic hormones have been shown to be detrimental to a woman's overall health, and they are now rarely recommended by doctors. Many doctors instead advocate the use of natural estradiol and estriol as well as progesterone and/or testosterone and DHEA, a steroid hormone. Blood levels can be taken to determine the amount of hormone needed and a pharmacist can make up an exact prescription. |
Jeffrey M. Smith
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 They wrote "If more dairies jump on board, it could be a tipping point in the long-running debate about the safety of using synthetic hormones to spur milk production."14
Two weeks later, the manager of a milk producers' co-op told the New York Times, "It seems to be an explosion in the industry.... All of a sudden we have national processors like Dean Foods taking entire plants hormone-free."The Times reported that, "dairy companies are bowing to the natural-foods trend by shunning milk from cows treated with genetically engineered growth hormone. |
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