It is your right and responsibility to choose an experienced physician who listens, provides you with information, and respects your treatment decisions. Treating hormone imbalances requires a comprehensive understanding of endocrinology and gynecology, as well as significant clinical experience. It is impossible for any physician to be an expert in all areas of health. Treat your health care providers as teachers or consultants, and recognize that each member of your health care team may have different experience and knowledge. Expect your physician to provide you with information on available research, benefits, and risks of any treatment you choose. Do not be afraid to question any treatment or to make your own healthcare decisions. If your healthcare provider is unaware of research about bioidentical hormones, he or she may sincerely—yet mistakenly—say there is no research, or that bioidentical hormones are dangerous. He or she is wrong. There is a difference between “no research” and not knowing about or having read the research. It’s much easier for busy practitioners to dismiss patients, than it is to question their beliefs and read the research. There is plenty of clinical research about the effectiveness and safety of bioidentical hormones. Like any medical treatment, Bioidentical hormones can carry risks, especially when administered in excessive dosages, outside of physiological levels; overall, however, compared to synthetic hormones, their risk profile is much lower. This is especially true for progesterone vs. progestins, and testosterone versus methyltestosterone. More research about long-term effects of bioidentical hormones still needs to be done.
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It is your right and responsibility to choose an experienced physician who listens, provides you with information, and respects your treatment decisions. Treating hormone imbalances requires a comprehensive understanding of endocrinology and gynecology, as well as significant clinical experience. It is impossible for any physician to be an expert in all areas of health. Treat your health care providers as teachers or consultants, and recognize that each member of your health care team may have different experience and knowledge. Expect your physician to provide you with information on available research, benefits, and risks of any treatment you choose. Do not be afraid to question any treatment or to make your own healthcare decisions. If your healthcare provider is unaware of research about bioidentical hormones, he or she may sincerely—yet mistakenly—say there is no research, or that bioidentical hormones are dangerous. He or she is wrong. There is a difference between “no research” and not knowing about or having read the research. It’s much easier for busy practitioners to dismiss patients, than it is to question their beliefs and read the research. There is plenty of clinical research about the effectiveness and safety of bioidentical hormones. Like any medical treatment, Bioidentical hormones can carry risks, especially when administered in excessive dosages, outside of physiological levels; overall, however, compared to synthetic hormones, their risk profile is much lower. This is especially true for progesterone vs. progestins, and testosterone versus methyltestosterone. More research about long-term effects of bioidentical hormones still needs to be done.
In Health
Daniel
May 13, 2010 - 9:50amThis Comment
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