Bioidentical hormones

In the beginning of the year, I watched Oprah (I rarely do) because Suzanne Sommers was on touting the benefits of bioidentical estrogens, the more the better. This is a woman who survived estrogen dependent breast cancer by sucking up miseltoe extract. Not one word was said about the dangers of them, the only concern a physician made was that these particular compounded materials are not tested for safety or purity and that there are FDA approved forms that one can obtain from a conventional pharmacy. Read Susan Love's Breast book. The number one risk factor for estrogen dependent breast cancer is ONES OWN ESTROGENS.(Of course the jury is still out on what the risk factors are for triple negative bc aside from BRAC1 gene defects). The whole show made me angry as so many people respect what Oprah has to say and she acted like Ms. Sommers was the second coming. The 'bioidentical' hormones haven't even been tested for purity much less in clinical trials to see if they increase breast cancer incidence. I do have friends on these who are deluded (sorry friends but I do care about you)into thinking that they are safe because they are 'natural' (made from plant sources not mare's urine).



In my 2 person support group yesterday, the woman there had been on them and reported to her physician (!!?)that she had a lump under her arm. Oh that's nothing, I just think you need some more progestrones.
Six months later, it had gotten bigger and she went to someone else who diagnosed it as cancer. It had spread to her nodes. She's been out of treatment for 6 months. She had the same chemo as I except for the addition of herceptin. She lost her eyelashes 3 times after chemo was finished. Hope this does not happen to me. Losing them once was traumatic enough.

Waited for a storm to past before running in the hot humid conditions this morning. 28 miles this week. Waiting to go out to lunch with Josh.