The Risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy
On April 18, 2002 the front page of the New York Times ran a story about the increasing evidence that synthetic hormone replacement therapy as it is widely practiced in this country has real risks, while the benefits are being increasingly thrown into question. Later this summer a large-scale national study was stopped when preliminary evidence of an increased risk of breast cancer was found. We have long advocated the use of natural hormones for women who choose hormone replacement therapy.
On April 18, 2002 the front page of the New York Times ran a story about the increasing evidence that synthetic hormone replacement therapy as it is widely practiced in this country has real risks, while the benefits are being increasingly thrown into question. Later this summer a large-scale national study was stopped when preliminary evidence of an increased risk of breast cancer was found. We have long advocated the use of natural hormones for women who choose hormone replacement therapy.
See Optimal Health Medical, LLC’s Newsletter #1 for more comments on the use of natural hormones.
Nutrition Research Reports:
- Vitamin E is protective against Prostate Cancer – according to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, May 28, 2002.
- Angioplasty Results Improved By Vitamins – according to the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine-11/29/2001. Patients given Vitamin B12, folic acid and Vitamin B6 significantly reduced their incidence of restonosis and failure of their angioplasty procedure.
- Nutritional supplements help heart surgery.
A study reported in the British Medical Journal, LANCET concluded that the outcomes for 50 high risk patients undergoing heart surgery were improved if they began taking the supplement ARGININE as well as OMEGA 3 and OMEGA 6 FATTY ACIDS at least 5 days prior to surgery. This study is just another example of how nutritional medicine can benefit you even if you need to take medications or have surgery for a health condition. Nutritional Medicine is not an either/ or proposition. Even when you need to be treated with drugs or surgery, giving the body beneficial nutrients is still a plus. - Are you taking cholesterol lowering statin drugs?
We recommend that everyone on such medications supplement with Coenzyme Q10. The use of these statin drugs decreases the body’s production of Coenzyme Q 10, and therefore may increase the well-recognized risks of muscle and liver problems, as well as other untoward health consequences as yet unknown. Biomed Pharmacotherapy, 2002; 56: 56-58 2002. - JAMA finally backs the use of vitamin supplementation!
After years of resisting the use of vitamin supplementation, the conservative medical Journal JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) has responded to the increasing evidence of the benefits of vitamin supplementation. They are now recommending that Americans should be taking vitamins and their physicians are urged to learn more about them so that they can advise them.