Last week The Journal of American Medical Association released a study that indicates women who took synthetic hormone drugs for more than five years continue to have an elevated risk of developing cancer years after they stopped taking the drugs. What follows is a release put out by Dr. C.W. Randolph responding to results of that study.
C.W. Randolph, Jr., M.D., an expert in the field bio-identical hormone replacement therapies, said "The publication of this study's finding is so important. I have been so concerned that even after the 2002 results of the Women's Health Initiative Study (WHI) linking synthetic hormone usage to an increased risk of invasive breast cancer, heart attack, stroke and Alzheimer's disease - the pharmaceutical industry continued to aggressively market these same drugs to both physicians and women as safe and effective options. Now, with this data, it will be harder for those manufacturing synthetic hormones for a profit to submerge the truth and harm the health of innocent women."
"What is just as egregious as how the data about the link between synthetic hormone usage and cancer has been suppressed is the fact that the media and the FDA are not informing physicians and women-at-large that bio-identical hormones are a safe and effective alternative for treating hormone imbalances and menopausal symptoms. There is - and has been for decades - clinical studies and medical data supporting the safety and efficacy of bio-identical hormone therapies but, unfortunately, most people remain unaware. There is actually a most exciting French cohort study published in the Nov 18, 2004 issue of the International Journal of Cancer that indicated that bio-identical progesterone evidenced a cancer-protective action within the female body."
When asked why bio-identical hormone therapies are not more generally accepted, Dr. Randolph has a simple answer: "Money and ignorance. Think about it. Bio-identical hormones have the exact same molecular structure as the hormones produced by the ovaries or testes so, therefore, they can't be patented. Synthetic hormones are chemically altered hormones (like Provera, medroxyprogesterpone, or Premarin, conjugated estrified equine estrogens) do not exactly match the hormones produced by the body. That is why they can be patented. Unfortunately for thousands of women, the fact that they don't match is also why they trigger lethal side effects such as this now documented long-term increased cancer risk."
"Most doctors remain unaware about the safety and efficacy of bio-identical hormone therapies because, unlike billion dollar pharmaceutical companies, the medical research and academic institutes publishing research in this area do not have large budgets for mass marketing or large sales forces to deliver these studies to a doctor's office along with lunch for his/her staff."
Dr. Randolph concludes with this question: "More investigation in this country regarding the safety, efficacy and cancer-protective properties of bio-identical hormones is absolutely needed. My question is why hasn't the National Institute of Health already funded it? Could it be that the financial power of the pharmaceutical giants continuing to promote synthetic hormone drugs continues to wield influence to submerge the truth in an effort to protect their waning profits?"
If you want to visit Dr. Randolph's website click here.
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