Is Hormone Therapy Right for You?

Few topics in medicine have created more confusion for millions of women than the controversies surrounding hormone replacement therapy (HRT). For many years, physicians recommended HRT to menopausal women, based upon studies demonstrating significant health benefits and protection against everything from heart disease and osteoporosis, to colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Then, in a sudden about-face, along came a study that led to a mass discontinuation of HRT. Findings from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) suggested that the risks associated with HRT use outweighed any benefits. The new evidence showed an increased risk for heart disease, breast cancer and strokes. Current guidelines for hormone replacement therapy have unfortunately confined its use to short-term symptom treatment only, using the lowest dose possible. There is good evidence to support that bio-identical hormone supplementation may be the best option for providing a safer alternative to the synthetic options of the past. A better understanding of the seemingly conflicting evidence suggests that hormone replacement therapy provides significant health benefits and disease protection for many women. To know more about it, contact Paul L. Hester, MD, Preventive-aging Medicine. Also visit www.bemedispa.com