Synthetic HRTs Remain Rife with Risk

If ever there’s been a better time to begin shunning all things prescription-based, you’ll have to let me know of one.

I say this not only because there’s so many side effects associated with prescription-based treatments, like hormone replacement therapy, but also because the makers of these drugs continue to put their bottom line before the consumer.

To the media’s credit, the risks associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have been widely reported. HRT is something many menopausal women have resorted to over the years to replace their ever-dwindling estrogen levels, and for years, it was believed to be an effective deterrent in counteracting the symptoms of menopause with little known side effects. Six years ago, though, the perceived safety of HRT was turned on its head as a boatload of research discovered its long-term use increased a woman’s risk for stroke, cancer and heart disease.

Most of the research regarding HRT’s health risks has been related to long-term use, but a new study out of Georgetown University says that even short-term use is dangerous. So dangerous, in fact, a woman doubles her risk for breast cancer by taking it – but that risk drops off dramatically once a woman stops taking it.

If that’s not a scathing indictment, consider this: Wyeth, the maker of the widely used HRT Prempro, paid ghostwriters to draft favorable reports and articles regarding the use of their hormone replacement…even after findings were publicized regarding HRTs link to breast cancer! Talk about a scathing indictment!

This is why one always needs to be careful about using prescription drugs. I don’t deny that pharmaceutical companies have improved the lives of millions of people, but millions of lives have been adversely affected by pharmaceutical companies as well. This HRT scandal is just the tip of the iceberg.

So, are there any natural hormone replacement therapies? Absolutely! One of the best is red clover. Not only does red clover improve estrogen levels by essentially mimicking the natural hormones the body produces, but it’s also beneficial in lowering cholesterol levels and increasing bone density – a premium for women in their advancing years.

Several studies have shown how beneficial red clover is over synthetic treatments. One of them was published in the well-respected journal Fertility and Sterility, wherein researchers supplemented menopausal (surgically-induced) and non-menopausal rabbits with various hormone replacement therapies, some of them synthetic, others red clover-based. Taking several indicators into account as to red clover’s effectiveness – like bone density levels and vaginal blood flow – researchers found red clover to be an effective, side effect-less alternative to synthetic therapies that are rife with risks.

There’s nothing wrong with hormone replacement therapy – so long as the replacement is non-synthetic. Unfortunately, the lion’s share of the most well-known therapies are synthetic. Stay away from these. They aren’t worth the risk, especially when there are natural alternatives every bit as effective. Case in point: red clover.