 ACOG Wrong on
BioIdentical Hormones
by Jeffrey Dach MD
More on the Medical Information War: Wyeth and other pharmaceutical companies have lost huge amounts of money to their major competitor, bioidentical hormones. Don't be deceived by the Pharmaceutical Propaganda maligning Bioidentical Hormones. The medical information war is at full throttle, and one of the ways the Pharmaceutical Industry controls public opinion is through their paid mouthpiece, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ACOG, which is partially funded by Wyeth.
The ACOG news release dated Feb 3, 2009, is an attempt to counter the growing interest in bioidentical hormones generated by Oprah Winfrey and Suzanne Sommers. This ACOG news release is false and deceptive.(1)
 The Deceptive and Misleading ACOG News Release
ACOG Says: "In response to recent media attention being given to so-called bioidentical hormones (ie Oprah Winfrey and Suzanne Sommers) , The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) reiterates its position that there is no scientific evidence supporting the safety or efficacy of compounded bioidentical hormones.
The Reality: There is a huge amount of scientific evidence and medical research on the safety and efficacy of bioidentical hormones.
Quote from Dr. Kent Holtorf:
"Bioidentical hormones are associated with lower risks, including the risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, and are more efficacious than their synthetic and animal derived counterparts. Until evidence is found to the contrary, bioidentical hormones remain the preferred method of HRT. " Postgraduate Medicine, Volume 121, Issue 1, January 2009(2) The Scientific Evidence for BioIdentical Hormones
 The Bioidentical Hormone Debate: Are Bioidentical Hormones (Estradiol, Estriol, and Progesterone) Safer or More Efficacious than Commonly Used Synthetic Versions in Hormone Replacement Therapy? by Kent Holtorf, MD. Postgraduate Medicine, Volume 121, Issue 1, January 2009, (2)
 Hormones in Wellness and Disease Prevention: Common Practices, Current State of the Evidence, and Questions for the Future Erika T. Schwartz, MD, Kent Holtorf, MD. Prim Care Clin Office Pract 35 (2008) 669–705 (3)
Left Image Cover is courtesy of Primary Care Clinics. Above Image Logo courtesy of PostGraduate Medicine.
(2) ACOG says: The FDA stated that the pharmacies' claims of safety and effectiveness were false, misleading, and a violation of federal law.
The Reality: The FDA is another cog in the big pharma machine. See my article on the FDA and Bioidentical Hormones. The FDA has passed their own unconstitutional rules preventing compounding pharmacies from giving truthful information to patients about the benefit and safety of bioidentical hormones.
However, the FDA cannot prevent physicians from giving you this information. So I will say it again. Bio-identical hormones are safe and effective, as concluded by Drs. Kent Holtorf and Erika Schwartz in the above two articles in the mainstream medical literature.(2)(3)
(3) ACOG says: the bottom line is that most (bioidentical hormones) have not undergone rigorous clinical testing for safety or efficacy, nor are they approved by the FDA.
 The Reality: This is total nonsense. All Bioidentical Hormones are FDA approved.
Here is a list of bio-identical hormones which are FDA-approved commercial products at the corner drugstore. By definition, this list of bioidentical hormones went through the usual testing process for safety and efficacy prior to FDA approval.
Alora (estradiol): FDA approved 1996 - Watson Labs
Climara (estradiol): FDA approved 1994 - Bayer
FemPatch : FDA approved 1997 - Parke Davis
Vivelle-Dot (estradiol): FDA approved 1994 - Novartis
Estraderm: FDA approved 1986 - Novartis
Esclim: FDA approved 1998 - Women's First Healthcare
Estrace (estradiol): FDA approved 1993 -Bristol Myers Squibb
Estring: FDA approved 1996 - Pharmacia UpJohn
Prometrium (progesterone): FDA approved 1998 - Solvay
Androgel (testosterone): FDA approved 2000 - Unimed Crinone: FDA approved 1997 - Columbia Labs
FDA approved Estradiol containing products:Estrace, Progynova, estrofem, Alora, Climara, Vivelle, Vivelle-Dot, Menostar, Estraderm TTS Estrasorb Topical, Estrogel, Elestrin, Lunelle Estring, Femring
FDA approved Progesterone products Prometrium, Utrogestan, Minagest, Microgest, CRINONE, PROCHIEVE, Cyclogest
FDA approved testosterone:Testoderm, Androderm, AndroGel (4) ACOG says: that salivary testing of a woman's hormone levels is not useful because they vary within each woman depending on her diet, time of day, the specific hormone being tested, and other variables.
The Reality: Again this is more nonsense. Hormone levels such as cortisol vary throughout the day. Typically, cortisol is highest in the morning and lowest before sleep. That is why four salivary samples are taken at 8 AM, noon, 4 PM and Midnight to chart cortisol levels throughout the day.(6)
 Salivary hormone levels are used by NASA to study astronaut hormone levels on the space shuttle.(4)(5) If salivary hormone tests are good enough for NASA to study astronaut hormone levels, why is it not good enough for menopausal women? Why does ACOG have a problem with salivary hormone tests? Simple, they represent Big Pharma in the medical information war.
Left image space shuttle launch courtesy of NASA.
(5) ACOG says: Hormone therapy does not require customized dosing.
The Reality: More nonsense which defies common sense.
Of course hormone dosage requires customized dosing just like any other drug based on body weight, rate of absorption and metabolic degradation of the drug. This is basic pharmacology. My practice is to start with a small dosage of hormone in topical cream form. We then gradually increase the dosage in small steps until menopausal symptoms are relieved. This is called customized dosing. We do it ALL THE TIME.
(6) ACOG says: There are a number of FDA-approved hormone therapy products available in a variety of formulations.
The Reality: Yes, as mentioned in the list above, this is correct. However, some of the FDA approved hormones at the drugstore are bio-identical, and some of them are not. Chemically altered synthetic hormones are the monster hormones peddled by Big Pharma which cause cancer and heart disease and should never have been approved by the FDA.
Why doesn't ACOG tell their patients about this difference between chemically altered patented hormone monsters and the natural bioidentical hormones? The reason is that ACOG is a COG in the Pharmaceutical Machine. It is politically incorrect for ACOG to mention the bioidentical hormone competition to the monster hormones peddled by big pharma.
 ACOG Is A Covert Front For the Pharmaceutical Industry
Remember, there is a medical information war going on for public opinion. If the drug companies win, they get more market share and greater profits for synthetic chemically altered "monster" hormones peddled by the pharmaceutical industry.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG, funded in part by Wyeth), North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA also a 'partner' of Wyeth) are nothing more than covert "fronts" for the pharmaceutical industry. See this link for a more complete list of Wyeth's funding of medical organizations like ACOG.
Read more related content:
FDA Declares War on BioIdentical Hormones by Jeffrey Dach MD
The Importance of BioIdentical Hormones by Jeffrey Dach MD
The Safety Of Bio-Identical Hormones by Jeffrey Dach MD
The Battle for BioIdentical Hormones by Jeffrey Dach MD
BioIdentical Hormones, Cook Book or Tailor Made? by Jeffrey Dach MD
Breast Cancer Prevention and Iodine Supplementation by Jeffrey Dach MD
References
(1) http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr02-03-09.cfm
ACOG NEWS RELEASE For Release: February 3, 2009, ACOG Reiterates Stance on So-Called "Bioidentical" Hormones
Washington, DC -- In response to recent media attention being given to so-called bioidentical hormones, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) reiterates its position that there is no scientific evidence supporting the safety or efficacy of compounded bioidentical hormones.
In November 2005, ACOG issued a committee opinion regarding "Compounded Bioidentical Hormones" that stated its concerns about bioidenticals. More recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters in 2008 to several pharmacies in the US that make compounded bioidentical hormones.
Some of these pharmacies claimed that compounded hormones were superior to FDA-approved hormone therapies and that they also prevented or treated serious diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and various cancers. The FDA stated that the pharmacies' claims of safety and effectiveness were false, misleading, and a violation of federal law.
Despite celebrity testimonials touting scientifically unfounded benefits of compounded bioidentical hormones, the bottom line is that most have not undergone rigorous clinical testing for safety or efficacy, nor are they approved by the FDA.
ACOG also stresses that salivary testing of a woman's hormone levels is not useful because they vary within each woman depending on her diet, time of day, the specific hormone being tested, and other variables. Although monitoring salivary hormone levels is promoted by some as a means of 'tailoring' a hormone treatment to an individual, hormone therapy does not require customized dosing.
The decision of whether or not to take hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms is highly individualized, based on a woman's health, risk factors, and personal wishes. There are a number of FDA-approved hormone therapy products available in a variety of formulations. ACOG advises women to talk with their doctor about both the benefits and risks of HT.
(2) http://www.postgradmed.com/index.php?article=1949
The Bioidentical Hormone Debate: Are Bioidentical Hormones (Estradiol, Estriol, and Progesterone) Safer or More Efficacious than Commonly Used Synthetic Versions in Hormone Replacement Therapy? Postgraduate Medicine, Volume 121, Issue 1, January 2009,
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18928825
Hormones in Wellness and Disease Prevention: Common Practices,
Current State of the Evidence, and Questions for the Future. by
Erika T. Schwartz, MD, Kent Holtorf, MD
Prim Care Clin Office Pract 35 (2008) 669–705
(4) http://www.springerlink.com/content/5168320282711841/
Human Physiology Volume 26, Number 4 / July, 2000
Circadian rhythms of salivary cortisol content during long-term space flight.
(5) http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119249990/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Journal of Pineal Research Volume 18 Issue 3, Pages 141 - 147 Published Online: 30 Jan 2007 Melatonin and Cortisol assessment of circadian shifts in astronauts before flight. Peggy A. Whitson et al.
(6) http://jeffreydach.com/2008/07/10/adrenal-fatigue-and-salivary-cortisol-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx Adrenal Fatigue by Jeffrey Dach MD
www.worldhealth.net/news/bio-identical_hormones_oprah_and_some_im />
Sangeeta Pati, FACOG to reflect on the impact of Oprah's recent shows on HRT and give us her thoughts on bio-identical hormones.
Logic dictates that human identical, bio-identical products are the only acceptable products when we are restoring hormones or nutrients. Why use a product that acts like the real thing when you can get the real thing?
http://keepourword.org/?p=1134
New Study Reveals Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Reduces Breast Cancer
February 9, 2009 — Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is both more effective and has greater health benefits for women suffering with symptoms of menopause than hormone replacement therapy with synthetic hormones. Synthetic forms of hormone replacement therapy prescribe substances such as Premarin, Provera and Prempro and present real health risks with increased risks of breast cancer, stroke and heart attack.
The most comprehensive analysis to date, published in the Postgraduate Medical Journal, a leading peer-reviewed publication for practicing clinicians, showed that bioidentical hormones are associated with reduced health risks and are more efficacious than their synthetic counterparts. Conducted by a leading expert in hormone replacement, Kent Holtorf, M.D., medical director of the Holtorf Medical Group Center for Hormone Imbalance, Hypothyroidism and Fatigue, in Torrance, California (www.HoltorfMed.com), the paper reviewed and evaluated results from more than 200 physiological and clinical studies.
Jeffrey Dach MD
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Link to this article:
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Dear Dr. Dach,
Thank you for this website. I ran across it accidentally when trying to find out whether vitamin B12 could reduce my leg pain (it did).
I have osteopenia and had refused biophosphonates because I had heard about the side effect of osteonecrosis of the jaw. I learned even more about it on your website, enough that I warn others not to take the drug.
Because I refused to take the drug, I was counseled to start HRT. I was told that Activella was bioidentical, and without really researching it, I started on Activella. I almost immediately started having problems. I should have read more thoroughly, on your website and others, about the side effects of artificial progesterone. I suppose I have only myself to blame for not being a more informed consumer.
When I talked to my doctor (prior to a D and C for fibroids, a "mass" and a thickened endometrial lining), she suggested that it wasn't the artificial progesterone that caused my problems, and that I could safely continue with activella after the surgery. I see her post-op next week. I'm going to demand a completely bio-identical regimen, even if it is "more trouble" taking two medications rather than one.
Anyhow, I suppose you've heard variations on my story before. I'm not asking for medical advice. I'm just letting you know that I have learned a lot from your website and am glad you do this. It's up to us to be better consumers, especially with the constant advertising that pharmaceutical companies barrage us with. Maybe my problems were iatrogenic, maybe they were pre-existing and aggravated by the hormones, but if I had done more research I might have avoided some problems.
Thank you for your work,
MM from California
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Dear MM thanks for your comment.
Dr Dach
Reply to this
The body of evidence gathered by the Natural-Progesterone-Advisory-Network.com in collaboration with the women out there at the 'coal face' using progesterone for over a decade is consistent with the research.
We've all heard the pharmaceutical commercials on TV warning of long lists of side effects. Well, the side-effects that you will experience with natural progesterone may include some of the following:
* Luscious, healthy hair
* Glowing, youthful skin
* A stronger body
* A keener mind
* Easier menstrual cycles
* Increased sex-drive
* Weight loss
* A happier outlook on life
Catherine P. Rollins
Founder & CEO
Natural-Progesterone-Advisory-Network.com
http://Natural-Progesterone-Advisory-Network.com
“Supporting Women in their Choice of BHRT”
_________________________________________________________
Jeffrey Dach MD www.drdach.com disclaimer
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Dear Dr Dach,
what is your opionion of bioidentical hormone replacement in a low dose for symptoms of peri or menopausal symptoms in combination with factor v leiden-(heterozygous and asymptomatic my entire life including pregnancy and surgeries). i feel great on low dose combi patch (vivelle/progestin).
Now my new gyn REFUSES to allow ANY kind of replacement because she believes all estrogen will cause clots. WITHOUT the low dose patch, I sweat profusely and have chronic calf cramps.
I am sleep deprived and so crabby my family wants to disown me. Pease give any info you feel would be benificial in this matter. I don't mind researching medical journals etc.
thank you.
cn
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Reply to this
I had a recent brush with an unidentified mass in my left breast which fortunately, after biopsy, turned out to be non-cancerous.
However I was informed by my bioidentical provider as well as the surgeon who supervised the procedure, that if the results had turned out to be cancer, I would have been advised to discontinue the biodentical estradiol and progesterone which I am currently using in the form of an externally applied cream.
Why is this, and do you share this opinion? I will appreciate any comments you would like to make.
MG
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Dear MG,
As discussed in the article, Safety of BioIdentical Hormones, Breast cancer risk is not increased by bio-identical hormone therapy. Breast cancer risk IS INCREASED by synthetic monster hormones which are chemically altered versions of the bioidenticals.
The most important mineral for Breast cancer prevention is Iodine supplementation as discussed in the article, Iodine and Breast Cancer Prevention.
For patients with a history of breast cancer or a diagnosis of breast cancer, current mainstream medical advice is to avoid all forms of estrogen therapy.
Regards,
Jeffrey Dach md
Reply to this
Dear Dr Dach,
Thank you for your response. However, I would like to know your opinion about this mainstream medical advice. Do you personally believe that bioidentical estrogen therapy should be avoided after a diagnosis of breast cancer?
And what is your opinion on Iodine supplementation for breast cancer prevention?
Thanking you in advance.
MG
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Dear MG,
As you know, mainstream conventional medicine considers it contraindicated to use estrogen after a diagnosis of breast cancer, because of concern for increased risk of cancer recurrance. However, this decision is still left up to the individual patient who has the final word on what they want for themselves.
Regarding Iodine and breast caner prevention, see my article:
Breast Cancer Prevention and Iodine Supplementation by Jeffrey Dach MD
regards, Jeffrey Dach MD www.drdach.com disclaimer
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