Have you had experience with the Wiley Protocol?
Has anyone had experience using the Wiley Protocol of hormone replacement therapy?
It is a method where bioidentical hormones are prescribed and are given transdermally -- through the skin -- in a patent-pending cream. A primary
difference between this protocol and some others is that the hormonal levels rise and fall, similar to the way a woman's normal cycle did when she was still menstruating.
There is some controversy on the web about T.S. Wiley's qualifications for developing a medical protocol, since she is not a doctor herself, she studied anthropology (though she co-authored the book "Sex, Lies, and Menopause" with Julie Taguchi, M.D.)
Some women claim wonderful results; others claim very troubling side effects. Does anyone out there have personal experiences to share?
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Diane,
I have not--are you thinking about trying it? What have you heard are the pros/cons?
I was thinking about asking a doctor about it, but then started doing some research on it and became hesitant. Only certain doctors work with the protocol, and only certain compounding pharmacies are approved. A search of Texas pharmacies pulled up only a very few, and it's a big state!
The pros, as I understand them, are that they more naturally mimic the body's natural rhythm, and therefore help women feel more like their younger selves. The hormone level that the creams reproduce are the levels of a 20-year-old. In that time of our lives, our hormones fluctuate on a daily basis within a monthly cycle, and these bioidentical hormones are meant to do just that as well.
The cons, again as I understand them, is that many women have difficult side effects and do not feel that the therapy has helped them. Some people say the hormone levels are too high. And there are the questions about whether even a very educated person but one who's not trained medically has enough expertise to correctly devise such a protocol. Studies on it are incomplete to this point. But some doctors do use it and feel that it's a good therapy.
So I became interested in the experiences of any of our readers who have explored this therapy or tried it for themselves. We are in both an exciting and a confusing time regarding hormone replacement therapy right now, aren't we?
Diane P, I know both of them personally. I know of people who swear by it and some that did not like it. I think you should make sure first if you are a good candidate for their protocol and that the doctor will be very well-versed on it.
T.S. and Dr Taguchi (she is an oncologist by the way) are both very professional and reputable in my opinion but it will be important to know whether or not you are a good candidate for it. There is a great doctor who has used this protocol with his patients. He is in California if you want his name let me know.
What gives you the idea that T.S. Wiley is highly educated? She never completed her B.A. in anthropology. And that was the end of her formal education. See http://wileywatch.org/ts_wileys_credentials
Everything after that is her say-so. See http://wileywatch.org/wiley_credentials_followup
For instance she has claimed as "education" a "7 year Private Tutorial in molecular biology with Dr. Bent Formby, PH.D. 1996-2003". Dr. Formby has responded that they were working on the books together -- he, researching, and she, writing. About Lights Out specifically: "It took forever (3 years) because she was extremely illiterate in bioscience. My work with her has nothing to do with being a private tutor. If I was a private tutor I would have charged her $300 per hour."
About her name appearing on a few journal papers, Dr. Formby says, "In hindsight she should never have been on 3 of my papers. According to NIH rules her interest should have been acknowledged. No more. She has never been in my lab to observe how molecular biology experiments are done."
For years she was falsely claiming to have received that B.A. degree. Newsweek and ABC News exposed it in the national media and that's when it disappeared from her biography.
In my opinion, highly-educated people don't need to lie about their education, and reputable people simply don't do it.
I have been using the Protocol for 4 months. I am also using the testosterone on the program, I just added that 2 weeks ago and the Dr. made an adjustment and increased both my estrogen and progesterone application after my last blood tests as well. I am due to give more blood on the 12th and the 21st of next month so we'll see how the levels look. I'm still not quite right yet. BUT I can tell you that right off the bat within a week of starting this I stopped with those horrible night sweats and I could sleep again, I also notice that the brain fog is pretty much gone now. I fell a lot sharper and can concentrate better, the only problem is that I am having problems with my weight, which I always do and I'm not sure if its because of the hormones or not. My skin looks great, my hair looks better. If I could get my weight back under control I think I'd be HOME FREE and feeling great. Don't worry about the big drug companies trying to smear the Wiley protocol and her credentials, you do what you think is best for you. I've found that nobody is really an expert in any of this and common sense will prevail..GO WILEY!!