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NBC Story on Hormone Use
On December 15th, NBC aired an interview with Medical Editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman, who emphatically stated that there is a definite link between hormones and breast cancer. The 2002 Women's Health Initiative showed the link between Premarin (derived from horses) and Prempro and an increased risk of stroke, heart attacks, circulatory diseases and breast cancer. It did not, however, study bioidentical hormones. Clearly, more research on bioidentical hormones is needed. Unfortunately, Dr Snyderman perpetuated misinformation about hormone replacement therapy, including bioidentical hormones on the Today Show on Dec. 15. By delaring that "hormones are hormones, no matter what we call them," she suggested that the WHI studied bioidentical hormones and, thus, were proven to increase risk of disease, as manufactured hormones do. In fact, WHI studied only the effects of Premarin and Prempro. Dr Synderman failed to recognize that there is a chemical difference between bioidentical hormones and Wyeth's hormones. While we cannot say definitively that bioidentical hormones are more or less safe or more or less effective than manufactured hormones, we can say definitively that they are chemically distinct. Dr Snyderman's irresponsible comments only add to the confusion in the debate. To show just how inaccurate Snyderman's statements are, consider that the medical and side effect profile of progesterone, a naturally occuring hormone commonly prepared by pharmacy compounders, is far different than that of medroxyprogesterone, one of the two components found in Prempro. To say that a hormone is a hormone is like saying that an insulin is an insulin. Has the medical community not embraced human insulin in place of previous insulins derived from animals? One must seriously question the motives of a physician who considers herself the "judge and jury" of medicine, failing to objectively evaluate alternatives and insted, side with the largest manufacturer of commercially prepared hormone products.
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