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The perils of HRT
19th May, 2006
I've been wrong all along.
Who really needs food, vitamins and a healthy lifestyle anyway?
Come on, people, this is the 21st Century. It's all about inventing wondrous drugs! You can take the purple one for being too fat, the green one for being too thin, the red one for lacking energy in bed, and the yellow one for jumpy legs.
Yes, they're synthetic. Yes, they're expensive. And yes they have sideeffects.
But we all have many awful diseases to deal with even ones we'd never thought were diseases until yesterday, so we MUST buy them.
Besides, they're EASY and FUN solutions for all of life's problems.
You shouldn't have to read books, or get eletters, or THINK for yourself to find out alternatives. You might find out that you're not actually suffering from a disease at all, which would be terrible.
Look, we'll even make sure the newspapers tow the line, too.
Now, relax... switch on the telly... take the pills... just send us your money... and keep your eyes open for our next classic pills to stop you getting old and wrinkly...
Yes... we thought you'd like that...
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WARNING: Ray is in an extremely sarcastic mood
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... Oh, dear, for a moment, my brain had been taken over by a CEO of a pharmaceutical corporation.
I wondered what all those probes and wires were doing sticking out of my head this morning.
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But there's a little truth in my sarcasm
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There is a little truth in this, though.
Take Hormone Replacement Therapy. For decades, HRT has been used to deal with the symptoms of the menopause.
That was until the results of the Woman's health initiative in 2002 found an increased risk of both cancer and cardiovascular problems.
In June 2004, a symposium on hormones, women and cancer risk, at Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies accused pharmaceutical companies of colluding to make the menopause a deficiency disease... one that needed pills rather than natural preventative solutions.
A report asked:
'Why, for four decades, since the mid1960s, were millions of women prescribed powerful pharmacological agents already shown, three decades earlier, to be carcinogenic?'
Well, it's a good question. Although, in the defence of science, during the 60s and 70s there wasn't the technology, nor the skill in clinical trials to spot this.
But this doesn't explain why drugs like Prempo the most widely prescribed HRT drug for treating menopause, have been prescribed for so long.
Until recently the mainstream media was trumpeting HRT drug Prempo as a 'one pill wonder'. Just swallow it down and say goodbye to hot flushes, heart disease, everything!
A few year's ago Prempo was linked to an increased risk of breast cancer and Alzheimer's. Since then it seems that we're being bombarded with negative stories about HRT every month.
Personally, I'm not surprised. I believe that the idea of giving powerful drugs to healthy people who are not necessarily in need of a cure needs to be looked at with a critical eye.
Especially because there are many ways to help prevent the problems of the menopause.
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Natural ways to alleviate the symptoms
of the menopause
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First off, you can actually ditch synthetic HRT for natural forms. These are much safer.
Secondly, it's not wise to panic over menopausal symptoms. Hot flushes aren't going to kill you. You can actually use bioflavanoids and vitamin C and vitamin E to reduce the severity of hot flushes.
Thirdly, if you're worried about HRT's links to breast cancer, many experts suggest that you should use preventatives like folic acid and thiamine. (Consult a medical expert for the correct doses and check with your doctor first,)
I've also been reading about a product called Women's Relief Formula, manufactured by Jagulana Herbal Products. It's made up of natural ingredients that can deal with the physiological changes of the menopause.
It includes...
- Dan shen a herb widely used in Traditional Chinese
Medicine (TCM) for improving blood circulation, regulating
menstruation and relieving insomnia
- Wild yam (rhizome discorea) is a common herbal remedy
for menopause symptoms
- Dong quai - another herb, good for the menopause
- Jiaogulan, a Chinese herb that reduces stress, and
regulates blood pressure and cholesterol
- Kiwi fruit extract, which helps with digestion and
absorbing all the above ingredients.
Obviously I haven't tried this myself, but if you've had any good or bad results from this product, please do let me know.
Now onto something more fun...
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Brain stimulation that wins you money
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Over the past few letters, I may have mentioned my wife's new craze for Bingo.
Now, she never liked the idea of going to a bingo hall, or gambling, or any of that stuff. But she loves winning prizes.
She enters as many of those prize draws on the backs of food packets and in magazines as she can.
The thing is, it's not really mentally stimulating enough for her. As I've always said, we should all do at least 40 minutes of brain exercise every day to help fight dementia as we get older.
Use it or lose it, is how I view the brain.
So other than reading books, which she does anyway, Lara has been looking for something that's fun, addictive, stimulating... AND wins her money and prizes.
Online bingo seems to have hit the jackpot for her.
She's discovered a website called Simply Bingo, where you can play bingo with other people. (You don't need to have played before, there's a customer service team who talk you through it).
You just register and get ten free games to try it out for free!
Simply Bingo
It's not the usual thing I'd recommend as a health tonic - but think about it.... you can meet new friends, have fun in your free time, exercise your brain.... AND potentially win money!
Lara's already won £250. Which she can put towards a new computer, so she doesn't keep hogging this one!
Have fun!
Yours as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
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