CHICAGO -- The latest craze in hormone replacement therapy is drawing a wide range of opinions with some who believe it's the fountain of youth and others who call it snake oil.
Video: Doctors Weigh In
Progesterone cream contains bio-identical hormones made by pharmacists that mimic the chemicals produced by the body,
Nesita Kwan reported.
Proponents say the hormones make you feel and look younger, lose weight, build muscles, revive sexual desire and for menopausal women, end moodiness and hot flashes.
The biggest high-profile advocate of the hormones is Suzanne Somers. Her exercise and healthy cooking tapes are now joined by two books on the benefits of bio-identical hormones.
But some scientists, such as Northwestern University's Dr. Lee Shulman, frown on the treatment.
"They are, for me and most of my colleagues, snake oil," Shulman said.
But Dimar Barker disagrees. He said he was more energetic and focused at work soon after taking the hormones, Kwan reported.
Molly Fulling said her hot flashes went away and Jami Schactel said she read Somers' book, gave the treatment a try and dropped weight.
All three patients went to Dr. Paul Savage, who takes a medical history with each patient and first suggests changes in nutrition and exercise.
If patients don't get better, he gives them a hormone saliva test and prescribes the bio-identical hormones, which are custom-made by a specialty pharmacist in suburban Roselle.
"Our hormones decline as we get older, so as we get older, we need to replace those hormones so we maintain those healthy physiologic levels," Savage said.
Savage was trained as an emergency room doctor, but now calls himself a bio-identical hormone therapist. It's not a recognized medical specialty, but credentials aside, he and pharmacist Mark Mandel say bio-identical hormones have the exact chemical structure of the hormones your body produces.
They claim the identical nature of the hormones makes is safer than the synthetic hormones that proved to be unsafe three years ago. A study showed that women taking the synthetic hormone Prempro increased their risk of stroke, heart disease, blood clots and cancer.
"Synthetic hormones, once they go in, they're constantly accelerating and activating the receptors," Savage said.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've probably heard, not just today, but in a long time," Shulman said.
Shulman said the real cause of Prempro's problem remains a mystery.
Two other Chicago scientists Kwan spoke with also said there was no doubt that hormone therapy makes some people feel better, but no matter how the hormones are made, they said that doesn't make the treatment safe.
Savage said government scientists haven't done a conclusive study on bio-identical hormones.
The Food and Drug Administration approves the active ingredients used to make up the hormones, but the final custom-made product requires no such approval.
More information about hormone replacement therapy can be found at
www.bodylogicmd.com.
Copyright 2005 by NBC5.com. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
