A natural, bio-identical hormone is generally made from a plant product (such as soy or wild yams) or of porcine origin which has the same structure as the hormones produced in the body. Examples of natural, bio-identical hormones include Desiccated Thyroid, Natural Progesterone, Natural Testosterone, DHEA, Pregnenolone, Natural Estrogens, and Melatonin. Because natural, bio-identical hormones have an identical structure to our own endogenously produced hormones, these substances have very few adverse effects associated with them.
This is contrasted with the high rate of serious adverse effects of synthetic hormones such as Premarin® (an estrogen hormone natural for horses but not natural for humans) and Provera® (1). Also, traces of these synthetic hormones have been found in the system up to 13 weeks after female patients had stopped taking this medication (3). That’s over 3 months!
“I have been using Bio-identical, natural hormones in my practice for over 12 years with wonderful results. It is my opinion that a synthetic hormone should never be used, for any condition, when there is a natural, bio-identical hormone available.” – Dr. Brownstein on Holistic Medicine (1)
Natural desiccated thyroid hormone also contains ALL the natural types of thyroid hormone including T4, T3, T2, and T1. Synthetic medication Levothyroxine only contains T4. There are no plants occurring in nature that use thyroid hormones hence why porcine origin is used. It is important to note that no actual ‘pig’ is in these products. Patients that require emergency surgery and organ replacements (human or pig) require ongoing immune suppressant therapy to stop the body from attacking foreign cells. This occurrence does not happen with natural bio-identical hormones. And the effect is so much stronger than synthetic! Key nutrients such as zinc, selenium, Vitamin D3, and iodine are often required with both natural and synthetic hormone replacement, as prescribed by your integrative practitioner.
The adverse effects of prescription medications are on the rise and increasing in severity. This correlates with the increase of patients being prescribed drugs. Prescription drugs are patentable products (meaning money makers – unlike naturally occurring substances that cannot be patented) that are often foreign substances to the body.
Because our body has no receptors for these drug molecules, our bodies never developed a method or appropriate methylation pathway to detox and eliminate them in a healthy manner. This is why medications stay in the for a longer period than natural compounds. Natural bio-identical hormone is chemically structured like our own hormones and can be metabolized by our receptors in the same manner (2)
“The most commonly prescribed drugs in use today primarily poison enzymes or block receptors in our body. I do not think you can poison an enzyme or block an important receptor for the long-term and expect a good result” -– Dr. Brownstein on the problems with prescription drugs. (1)
References
1. Dr. Brownstein, US Endocrine specialist. http://www.drbrownstein.com/holistic-medicine-learning-center-a/250.htm
2. Natural Way to Health, Article ‘Bio-identical hormones can save your life’, Vol 4, Issue 5, May 2011
3. Lancet 1.5 80