Finally -- New Video UPDATES!! - You can now get my personal updates by video in each issue. In today's welcome message I explain the reason why I started Mercola.com. |
Since the 1930s, American women have been led to believe that menopause is a disease condition requiring treatment. Synthetic estrogen (Hormone Replacement Therapy) has been proposed as the "treatment" for this "disease."
In 1938, diethylstilbestrol (DES), the first synthetic estrogen, was discovered by Charles Dobbs. It, and the others that followed, were soon proposed as a cure for menopause, with much funding from the drug industry.
But the study that was the basis for this belief was a small, flawed trial done in Puerto Rico in which 20 percent of the 132 women involved suffered serious side effects, and five died.
Nonetheless, FDA approval for synthetic estrogen was given based on this study. Later studies showed a risk of endometrial cancer five to 14 times the normal incidence among those who took synthetic estrogen. Synthetic progesterone was added to Hormone Replacement Therapy to reduce this problem. However, there was still a 40 percent to 70 percent higher risk of ovarian cancer.
The side effects of HRT can also include:
- Osteoporosis
- Blood clots
- High blood pressure
- Vaginal bleeding
- Rash, acne
- Weight gain
However, an estimated $940 million per year is made from the sale of one HRT drug, Premarin, alone. The marketing campaign is likely to continue.
