A recent article in The Lancet, a well-known British medical journal, encouraged clinicians to avoid thinking of menopause as a hormone deficiency disease. The authors noted the promotion of synthetic estrogen replacement in the mid-1960s as a “commercial prize for the pharmaceutical industry.” The origins of estrogen replacement therapy have a unique history where it was the pharmaceutical industry that convinced the medical establishment and public that menopause was essentially a disease of low estrogen. The premise at the time was that every menopausal and postmenopausal woman needed to be on synthetic estrogen replacement.
In 1966, American gynecologist Robert Wilson authored a best-selling book, Feminine Forever, where he claimed that menopause was essentially an estrogen deficiency disease. The solution for women’s aging and loss of sexuality was to take daily pills of synthetic estrogen, known as Premarin. Following the release of the book, Premarin's sales skyrocketed. It was later discovered that Dr. Wilson received payments for the book and speaking tours from the drug companies that sold the estrogen replacement.
The medical establishment is now telling us that menopause is a natural process and that it should be viewed as a life transition and not as a hormone deficiency disease. However, holistic doctors have long acknowledged the obvious in that menopause is a life transition for women and not to be viewed negatively by doctors or the public. Of course, if you are a woman suffering from moderate to severe menopausal symptoms, the philosophical discussion goes out the window. You understandably want your quality of life back.
Dr. Angela and I offer a variety of options to help women with their menopausal symptoms. The recommendations include dietary changes, exercise, stress reduction, and other lifestyle recommendations. Many women need much more support, which may consist of hormone-balancing supplements and bioidentical hormone replacement. Bioidentical hormone therapy (BHT) offers a natural approach to restoring hormonal balance and alleviating symptoms of hormonal imbalances. Unlike synthetic hormones, which are chemically distinct from the hormones produced by the human body, bioidentical hormones are molecularly identical to the hormones naturally found in our bodies. Bioidentical hormones are derived from natural sources and compounded to match the molecular structure of hormones produced by the human body. This molecular similarity allows bioidentical hormones to interact with the body's hormone receptors in the same way as naturally occurring hormones, providing targeted symptom relief and restoring hormonal balance. We use a variety of bioidentical hormones that are personalized for each woman’s symptoms.
Dr. Mark Stengler NMD, MS, is a bestselling author in private practice in Encinitas, California, at the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine. His newsletter, Dr. Stengler’s Health Breakthroughs, is available at www.markstengler.com and his product line at www.drstengler.com
Boseley, S. (2007, June 6). The truth about HRT. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2007/jun/06/health.medicineandhealth1
Hickey, M., LaCroix, A. Z., Doust, J., Mishra, G. D., Sivakami, M., Garlick, D., & Hunter, M. S. (2024). An empowerment model for managing menopause. The Lancet, 403(10430), 947–957. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(23)02799-x
Wright, B., & Falcone, S. (2020, March 20). A (relatively) short history of HRT. Holistic Primary Care. https://holisticprimarycare.net/topics/functional-medicine/a-relatively-short-history-of-hrt/
