Letter from Dr Thierry Hertoghe, M.D.

There are several articles on this website about the terrible ordeal mother Mary Kidson had to go through in the UK, including going to jail, in order to get her daughter treated, and made well, with hormones.

This letter from Dr Thierry Hertoghe, M.D., December 24th 2015, thanks all those who supported him and Mary throughout this case and who were prepared to testify regarding the benefits of their own hormone treatement.

Strength in numbers?
_____________________________________________________

Hormone Rights International

Dear Friends, Helpers, Patients ,Physicians from all over the world,

You must remember the indignified feelings that flowed by thousands from all over the world to England 1 to 2 years ago when the English health and police systems hardhandly interrupted the hormone treatments prescribed by me to the 14-year-old Victoria. These hormone treatments were getting her, finally after six long years, out of an extreme chronic fatigue state that had left her unable to attend school. Her mother Mary Kidson was put preventively into prison, because of the bringing of her child to my Brussels’ consultation and because her daughter out of desperation had phoned her too often from the psychiatric institute. These terrible traumas ended in:

•a collapse of the court trial against Mary Kidson and her acquittal in November 2014. The court trial was prematurely finished because the prosecution hadn’t been able to show any proof of wrongdoing. I did, however, have as Victoria’s physician the opportunity to testify during the time reserved for the prosecution, but the acquittal made it unnecessary that other parts of the defence with its many witnesses were presented.

•However, it took 8 more months because Victoria could come back home in June 2015 to her mother, the person who cared the most for her. It took several more months before the social services who neglected the conclusions of the trial, stopped imposing supervision.

Now everything is back to normal and OK again. This is all thanks to you all. You have been nearly a hundred to provide precious testimonies of your own medical treatments, which we have been able to present to the court, and thousands to sign the online petitions.

Here are the words of Mary: “Please do let everyone know and also give them our very grateful thanks for their support and kindness – we would not have won without them nor would Victoria be home.”

This is true. This is your victory too. Your interventions have made the world a little better. Justice has prevailed. Not only have you helped by putting pressure on the medical and legal authorities, but your support has helped Mary and Victoria of knowing they were not alone, that some people out there in the big world cared for them.

Thanks warmheartedly and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, you fully deserve it.

Thierry Hertoghe, MD

President of the International Hormone Society

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The great HRT witch hunt rages on . . . but guess who’s funding the latest firing squad – Dr Fred Pescatore M.D.

Email Communication 18 January 2016

“If you ask me, the BEST doctors are signing prescriptions for bio-identical hormones — because they want what is best for their patients. . . ”

Dear Reader,

According to a survey conducted by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) there has been a huge surge in the use of compounded hormones by menopausal women over the last few years.

I have been prescribing compounded hormones — otherwise known as bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) — since I first started practicing medicine. So it’s nice to know that many women are making that choice as well. Of course, a lot of the credit here probably goes to Suzanne Somers, who has been an outspoken advocate of BHRT. But hey, I don’t care who people listen to as long as they aren’t using harmful medications.

Of course, it comes as no surprise that this current trend of “natural over synthetic” has come with a hefty dose of backlash from mainstream doctors and the manufacturers of traditional, synthetic HRT who are afraid of losing business.

In fact, the powers-that-be are going to great lengths to denounce BHRT, saying it’s “experimental” and “risky.”

The latest example of this witch-hunt was on display at the recent 2015 meeting of the North American Menopause society (NAMS). During the meeting, NAMS held a discussion panel that spent an hour bashing the practice of recommending “unsafe and unapproved” compounded bioidentical hormones.

There are so many things wrong with that last statement I don’t know where to begin.

But before I go on, let me set the record straight.

1.Bio-identicals are neither unsafe, nor unproven
2.They are regulated by the FDA, and…
3.You need a prescription to get them.

The panel was really upset over the results from the survey I mentioned above, which revealed just how strong a foothold BHRT has taken in recent years.

The survey included women ranging in age from 40 to 84. Roughly 9% of the participants reported using some form of hormone replacement to relieve menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness. And of that group, 41% reported using BHRT.
This panel also wasn’t thrilled that 42% of women who are already using BHRT consider it much safer than Big Pharma’s synthetic HRT therapies. Even 25% of women who use conventional hormones considered BHRT safer!

According to the discussion panel, NAMS is trying hard to debunk these statistics, and consider them a “fantasy.”
But the only fantasy here is the world these Big Pharma groupies are living in.

What about the bag of tricks called Premarin (which is really pregnant mares urine) that gave millions of women breast cancer from 1980-2008? Was that just a fantasy?

But guess who produces Premarin? Wyeth, which is a subsidiary of Pfizer. And guess who funded this firing squad disguised as a “discussion panel”?

You got it — Pfizer.

The reality here is that Big Pharma bigwigs want profits… at whatever cost to patients.

One panelist remarked that “even good doctors are capitulating” by signing prescriptions for BHRT.

If you ask me, the BEST doctors are signing prescriptions for bio-identical hormones — because they want what is best for their patients.

But the naysayers don’t even like the word “bio-identical,” and say the FDA doesn’t consider this an acceptable term.

Well, this is how the Endocrine Society defines bioidentical hormones: “compounds that have exactly the same chemical and molecular structure as hormones that are produced in the human body.”

So what BHRT opponents really think “isn’t acceptable” is that BHRT is vastly cheaper, compounded for you and your individual blood work, and gives you the right to make your own healthcare decisions.

If that isn’t acceptable, I don’t know what is.

However, when all is said and done, any hormone therapy should be used under the supervision of a knowledgeable holistic practitioner. As I discussed in my April 2, 2013 Reality Health Check article “The benefits of hormone replacement therapy,” bioidentical hormones can increase the risk of stroke or breast cancer. But that risk is much, much smaller than it is with conventional, synthetic HRT – especially if women receive bioidentical hormones before they turn 60, within a decade following menopause.

But if you decide BHRT isn’t right for you, there are also a few other remedies to consider. One recent study showed that Mediterranean-style eating habits cut hot flashes and night sweats by just over 20 percent.

My New Hamptons Health Miracle is very similar to the Mediterranean diet. It’s rich in lean protein, fresh fruits and veggies, and healthy monounsaturated fats. And it’s absolutely deprivation-free.

I know I’ve said it before, but if you make this “diet” a way of life, you really can’t go wrong.

Another solution for hot flashes, which I’ve also mentioned before, is Pycnogenol(tm). One recent study showed a daily 60-mg dose of Pycnogenol delivered significant improvements in menopause symptoms-especially hot flashes-in just 12 weeks.

Until next time,

Dr. Fred

Sources:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/852412

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/…/premarin-controversy-cont…/

http://alternative-doctor.com/proble…/big-pharma-conspiracy/

“Fruit, Mediterranean-style, and high-fat and -sugar diets are associated with the risk of night sweats and hot flushes in midlife: results from a prospective cohort study.” Am J Clin Nutr.2013 May;97(5):1092-9.

“Effect of Low-dose French Maritime Pine Bark Extract on Climacteric Syndrome in 170 Perimenopausal Women: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial.” J Reprod Med. 2013;58:39-46.

More reasons women should take testosterone – Dr Frank Shallenberger

Email communication – “Second Opinion – Health Alert”, Volume 13, Issue 16, February 5, 2016

Back in November, I showed you why postmenopausal women should consider taking testosterone. Now there’s more evidence women should consider this fantastic hormone.

According to a recent study, low testosterone levels could affect women in significant ways. Women in general do have much lower levels of testosterone than men do. But when women’s levels drop below the norm for their gender, issues may occur, just as they do when any other hormone gets out of balance. The problem is, researchers aren’t quite sure just what that norm is.

To help draw attention to this issue and eventually correct it, researchers conducted a study of female mice. Some of the mice had normal androgen receptors, meaning that their androgenic hormones, which include testosterone, were functioning normally. The other mice didn’t have proper androgen receptors, which means that their androgens were not able to work. Those with androgen receptors were doing just fine, but those with missing receptors suffered. They were obese, had high levels of fat in their blood, and were prone to atherosclerosis.

When the researchers gave the female mice the androgens they needed, they lost weight, and their atherosclerosis improved. This doesn’t necessarily mean that testosterone supplementation should be the next weight-loss craze for women. But it does indicate that women, not just men, are sensitive to fluctuating testosterone levels.

This makes a lot of sense to me. Just because women have low levels of testosterone to begin with doesn’t mean they won’t notice its absence if it drops or disappears altogether. In fact, I find that women thrive on testosterone. Their strength, endurance, mood, energy levels, and sexual function often dramatically improve. The only side effect I ever see is acne and hair loss. This happens in about one out of every 30 women. Both of these problems reverse themselves once the testosterone is discontinued or the dose reduced. If a woman has a history of either hair loss or acne I always start off with lower doses just in case.

Hormones play a significant role in the aging process, and the more we know about them, the better we’ll be able to manage them to maintain optimal health. In this case, testosterone may play a significant role in both weight management and cardiovascular health for women. If you feel that your hormones are affecting you, talk to your doctor — and make sure he or she evaluates all of your hormones, not just estrogen and progesterone.

As with most hormones, blood tests and “normal” levels don’t tell the full story. If you have symptoms of low testosterone, your doctor should prescribe it for you to see if the symptoms disappear. If they do, you know you were low.

Yours for better health,
Frank Shallenberger, MD

Source:

J. B. Fagman, A. S. Wilhelmson, B. M. Motta, C. Pirazzi, C. Alexanderson, K. De Gendt, G. Verhoeven, A. Holmang, F. Anesten, J.-O. Jansson, M. Levin, J. Boren, C. Ohlsson, A. Krettek, S. Romeo, A. Tivesten. The androgen receptor confers protection against diet-induced atherosclerosis, obesity, and dyslipidemia in female mice. The FASEB Journal, 2014; 29 (4): 1540 DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-259234.

Protect your precious memories with hormone replacement therapy – Dr Glenn S. Rothfield M.D.

Email communication from “Nutrition & Healing”, 16 February 2016

Have you ever walked into the garage or kitchen — and then completely forgot why you went there in the first place?

Or just wandered aimlessly around the parking lot after you couldn’t remember where you left your car?

These little brain hiccups can be absolutely terrifying as we get older. We start to worry about dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and even losing our independence.

If you want to do everything you can to protect your brain, there’s a simple therapy that can keep you mentally sharp and preserve your memories.

And the sooner you get started, the better.

New research out of Norway shows that starting a hormone replacement regimen can help increase the size of important parts of your brain and protect you against the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the study, women who took estrogen supplements before the start of menopause and for at least three years had better-preserved structure of the brain’s hippocampus region.

That’s the part of the brain that stores memory and keeps you
clear-headed and balanced. In Alzheimer’s, the hippocampus becomes damaged and causes memory loss and disorientation.

The scientists found that women who underwent HRT therapy had hippocampus sizes that were 2 to 3 percent larger than the women who did not have the treatment.

And, believe it or not, that’s enough to make a real difference.

Now here’s the caveat: Some hormone replacement therapy CAN be bad for you. But those are the synthetic hormones sold by Big Pharma, produced from the urine of pregnant horses, and administered in doses that are 1,000 times more than your body can handle!

That’s why I recommend natural bioidentical hormones to safely replace what your body lost. You see, bioidentical hormones closely copy nature by using natural molecules that match up with the receptors already found in your body, and in concentrations that your body would normally produce.

If you’re interested in getting your hormone levels checked and replaced, the best way is to find a competent doctor who is skilled in natural medicine and can customize your therapy to match the needs of your body.

To find a physician who is skilled in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, contact the American College for Advancement of Medicine at www.acam.org or call their toll free number at 1-800-532-3688.

To Your Health,

Dr. Glenn S. Rothfeld, M.

Prevention the best medicine

Another gem from “The Business Times” in 2002. Marion Gluck, then visiting Singapore, talks so much good sense about integrative medicine in this interview. Yet where has it all gone in Singapore?

Singapore could be (was to some extent) such a great centre for medical tourism for those seeking integrative care in this part of the world but instead now those who live here have to travel overseas for care like this. Meanwhile Dr Gluck continues to prescribe the medicine we all long for from her clinic in London.

Prevention the best medicine
Corinne Kerk
Business Times, Saturday, 19 January 2002, Page: 15
Singapore Press Holdings Limited

Wellness should be the key concern of medical bodies which should concentrate on preventing rather than curing illnesses. Dr Marion Gluck shares her views with CORINNE KERK

SHE was sitting by the window when we entered the room, staring out onto the busy road below, her knees pulled to her chest. Her short, curly hair is in a state of funky disarray, with some white strands peeping out in that “I don’t care if I show my age” sort of way.

But she jumps to her feet quickly when she sees us and her face breaks into a big, bright smile.

Meet Marion Gluck, born in Poland, trained in medicine in Hamburg, worked in Germany, Nepal and Iraq (yes, Iraq) and now an Australian citizen and passionate advocate of holistic preventive medicine.

“I have healthy women who want to know what they can do to stay healthy, fit and well,” says the Sydney-based Dr Gluck who was in town recently. “And the way I work is I deal more with wellness than illness.”

The 51-year-old first went into medicine because she likes people and doesn’t like illnesses.

“But when I finished studying and started working in hospitals, I saw that medicine can be unkind, invasive and painful,” says the mother of a 16-year-old son. “Doctors are meant to heal but we cause pain. And some diagnoses and treatments are painful, but patients don’t have a choice, they feel like victims and I wasn’t comfortable.”

The other push factor is the widespread use of prescriptive drugs, which she says causes too many side effects and other illnesses.

“It led me into holistic or integrative medicine, which encompasses everything about the person,” says Dr Gluck. “This integrates all modalities to help a person, whether it is counselling, lifestyle, diet or Chinese medicine. There are so many roads leading to Rome. So you can integrate the best of all worlds and individualise treatments.”

For starters, Dr Gluck says it is necessary to spend a lot of time with patients, talking to them and asking and answering questions.

“Patients don’t want to be treated as symptoms,” she emphasises. “They need to be educated. Then they will feel empowered because they’re responsible for their health, and they have choices and can do something about it. It’s different from just going to a doctor.”

This means trying to ascertain if there are problems patients are facing at home or at work and how these affect them.

“Of course, I use labs and biology and so on, but a lot boils down to bedside manner, and long consultations do not make money, while testing does.”

Indeed, Dr Gluck – who was formerly president of the Australian Overseas Trained Doctors’ Association and one of its political activists – is especially critical of the corporatisation of medical care, and of sending patients for too many tests.

“Medicine is becoming corporatised and patients don’t like it because they become a number,” she says in indignation. “They may have more beautiful rooms and the doctors have better computers, but it’s no longer personalised. Then doctors need as many patients to go through their clinics, take X-rays, do lab tests and see their specialists as possible. Patients fall into this and the bottom line is profit.”

Interestingly, however, Dr Gluck – who specialises in women’s health and in particular, natural hormone replacement therapy (nHRT) – is now part of a grouping of holistic healthcare practitioners in Sydney. The centre for integrative medicine brings together practitioners such as doctors, naturopaths, masseurs, and biological dentists. Basically, people who share the philosophy of holistic healthcare and who will only use “materials as natural and biological or organic as possible”.

But will they not fall into the same trap as corporatised medical groups which she finds so disagreeable?

“No,” she claims. “Because we charge more. With corporatised medical groups, the health insurance in Australia covers the costs and patients don’t have to pay. But with us, there’s a gap between what the insurance pays and our charges, and when patients pay, they value what they’re getting.”

She points out that there are also compounding chemists in Australia who are “going back to the old-fashioned way of tailor-making medicines” for individual patients.
And in her area of speciality, that is, nHRT, she uses hormones that are bio-identical to those of human’s.

“I do prescribe antibiotics where necessary and I do quite a lot of testing because it gets me information, but I avoid invasive tests or those that involve a lot of radiation,” she says. “I use both conventional and less conventional methods such as blood, saliva, hair and stool tests.

The benefit of integrative medicine is that you use all that is available as long as they’re safe and there are no side effects. There is no dogma.”

And if there are side effects?

“Then it’s not working,” she says firmly. “We always try through lifestyle, diet, vitamins and nutrients to enhance well-being. Or if you need to take medication, don’t take a high dosage so you can limit the amount of harm you may do through your treatment. Otherwise, for instance, if you take an anti-inflammatory medicine for joint pain, you may get a stomach ulcer and then have to treat that as well.”

And if someone is depressed, anti-depressants shouldn’t be the first course of action, she feels.

“You use all methods till they don’t respond, then you give them a prescription. It’s a lot more hard work, but it’s more rewarding. And the whole idea is that you inform them that they have a choice and it’s many things.”

But most of all, she believes it’s important for medical bodies to monitor health and well- being and concentrate on preventing rather than curing illnesses.

“I hope government bodies will realise you have to spend money on prevention, and educating and empowering the population,” says Dr Gluck. “And government and health insurance should pay for health prevention because it’s ultimately much cheaper.”

Come to grips with your health – Cheah Ui-Hoon ”Business Times, Executive Lifestyle”

This is a very interesting excerpt from a longer article published in ‘’The Business Times’’ in 2002.

In those days Singapore was supporting compounded hormones. Many people, male and female, have benefitted since then. Why is there now a witch hunt against them in Singapore?

Marion Gluck, who was spreading the word in Singapore at the time this article was published, has blazed the trail with bioidentical hormones and now works from her clinic in London. (See http://www.mariongluckclinic.com/)

Come to grips with your health

Cheah Ui-Hoon Business Times, Executive Lifestyle
Friday, 06 December 2002 Page: 18
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.

. . .

THE recent Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study on the dangers of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the United States has decisively dunked HRT as the miracle treatment for ageing and menopausal women. This might come as news to most, but not to holistic medical practitioners.

In fact, the findings made on synthetic hormones like Premarine Provera now throws the spotlight on natural, or bio-identical, remedies that have been around for 50 years, but which are less well-known.

Dr Marion Gluck, a women’s health specialist, points out that there is a safe, natural alternative for women, and men, who are suffering from symptoms of menopause and andropause such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and depression.

The German-trained doctor, currently based in an integrative medical centre in Australia, is spreading the word about Natural HRT (NHRT) in Singapore. She’s been to Singapore four times already, giving talks on NHRT at Shambhala Yoga School. ‘Women have been given a raw deal, because they’ve been exposed to synthetic hormones which have higher risks of side effects, not knowing that the safer alternative has been available,’ says Dr Gluck. Also, synthetic hormones have been given to women as a one-size-fits-all solution, and isn’t customised to individual needs.

‘It’s really important for doctors and patients to know that there’s an alternative on offer,’ says Dr Gluck. One of the reasons for this lack of information is that natural hormones – referring not to the source of hormone but to the actual hormonal structure – aren’t commercially viable for drug companies to produce since they can’t patent it.

Natural, also called bio-identical, hormones are derived from wild yam and soy, and unlike mass-produced hormones, they are custom-made to match the exact needs of the individual. The delivery systems are also safer and less taxing on the liver, as bio-identical hormones come in the form of creams and troches, which are like lozenges. In NHRT, the hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone have identical chemical structures of the hormones they replace, not being artificial or synthetic.

‘We would prescribe physiological doses, which are usually quite low, and that is effective enough,’ says Dr Gluck, who’s been in medical practice for 24 years. Practising integrative medicine, Dr Gluck would also prescribe or refer patients to other forms of treatment such as acupuncture or traditional chinese medicine if those are necessary or better-suited for the patient. ‘Instead of disease-based healthcare, as is now practised in the West, we have to turn around and concentrate more on prevention. It’s not just to keep a healthy constituency, but also to curb rising health costs,’ she says.

In the future, it’ll be easier for Singaporeans to get NHRT next year when a local company sets up the region’s first compounding pharmacy. Specialist Compounding Centre will operate from Camden Medical Centre, specifically for NHRT prescriptions.

Thomas Khoo, the head pharmacist, explains that a compounding pharmacy is basically like how the pharmacies of old used to be, compounding different formulas to meet individual needs.

One reason why the compounding pharmacy hasn’t existed here is because of lack of demand, but Mr Khoo thinks that it’s a matter of awareness. ‘We’re focusing first on NHRT prescriptions, and will venture into other areas once we’ve established the pharmacy,’ he says.

Dr Marion Gluck can be reached at drgluck@yourhealth.com.au. Other NHRT practitioners include Shirin Jacob Clinic for Women, tel: 6733-7716 and Dr Ian Lee, tel: 6734-3831.

Why you should not avoid hormone replacement therapy

Estrogen Could Have Prevented Almost 50,000 Deaths

Dr Mercola

8 August 2013

This long and informative article contains these two paragraphs of particular interest to HCS:

Ideally use Bioidentical Hormones

Premarin (the most popular estrogen replacement) comes from horse estrogens and is not bioidentical. While it may sound “natural,” I recommend avoiding animal estrogens for hormone replacement, as there are excellent human bioidentical estrogen hormones easily available through any compounding pharmacist. Your body recognizes these as “normal” and virtually identical to the hormones produced in your body, which makes them far safer than synthetic prescription versions.

There are three types of estrogens commonly used in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy: estrone, estradiol, and estriol. A common mixed formulation known as Tri-est includes 80 percent estriol with 10 percent each of estrone and estradiol.

Estradiol is the primary human female hormone found in all premenopausal women, whereas estriol is produced in significant amounts during pregnancy. Estriol is considered the safest of the three and is the most commonly prescribed. It has been used safely for decades, and I believe it’s particularly useful when you’ve had a hysterectomy.

Unfortunately, there is still much unnecessary concern about bioidentical estrogen supplementation. What the FDA, most doctors, and patients do not realize is that bioidentical hormone supplements can actually optimize your health. That said, your hormone levels should ideally be monitored by either blood, urine, or saliva, to ensure they reach a target level that corresponds to the reference ranges for healthy young women. I also believe that menopausal hot flashes that do not resolve with phytoestrogens such as black cohosh, are another valid indication for short-term estrogen use. However, if estrogen is used, it is nearly always wise to use it in conjunction with natural progesterone.

The Best Way to Administer Bioidentical Hormones

Keep in mind that when it comes to administering bioidentical hormones, some delivery methods are clearly superior to others. Oral supplementation is perhaps your worst option, as your liver processes everything in your digestive tract first, before it enters your bloodstream, which will metabolize most of the swallowed hormones to inactive and potentially harmful derivatives. Any method that bypasses your liver will therefore be more effective.

Hormone creams are one common alternative that achieves this. However, since hormones are fat-soluble, they can build up in your fatty tissues and lead to having too much in your body. This in turn can disrupt other hormones. It’s also near impossible to accurately determine the dose when using a cream. Sublingual drops can be a good option, as it enters your blood stream directly and will not build up in your tissues like the cream can. It’s also much easier to determine the dose you’re taking, as each drop is about one milligram.

In the 90s, I prescribed transdermal progesterone cream based on the now deceased Dr. John Lee. That worked well for most of the women but after 3-6 months most started to lose the benefits. However, I now believe the ideal delivery method is via trans mucosal administration. For more information about this, please listen to my interview with Dr. Wright. Administration methods are discussed toward the end of this interview.

Read the whole article at:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/08/05/hormone-replacement-therapy.aspx