BodyLogicMD’s Hormone Therapy Blog

The debate over the safety and efficacy of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) has been a perpetual tug-of-war between traditional and alternative medicine. We can all agree that there is a middle ground in the bioidentical hormone debate. Suzanne Somers is on one side of the debate, while others such as Julie Deardorff of the Chicago Tribune take a much different stand on the issue. So what’s it going to take to bridge the divide between mainstream and preventive practices?

Alternative medicine is just now starting to gain popularity and with that, we should see a lot more research dollars to boot. Currently, over one-third of our nation uses some form of alternative medicine – that’s over 100 million people in the U.S. alone!  Many doctors are trading in their prescription drugs for preventive techniques to help their patients avoid disease and ailment from the “get-go,” using a much more proactive approach. Physicians are finally beginning to realize that in traditional medicine, diagnosis and treatment revolve around which drugs can best mask the patient’s symptoms of chronic disease and illness.

Traditional medicine is by no means obsolete. In fact the benefits from traditional medicine are boundless. Traditional medicine is effective when used to treat sore throats, fevers, bacterial infections and viruses, but offers little preventive value. Unfortunately traditional medicine doesn’t help with hormonal imbalances such as perimenopause, menopause, andropause (the male menopause), thyroid disorder and stress-induced adrenal fatigue.

Think of your body like a car. Preventive medicine helps your body a lot like preventive maintenance helps a car. Oil changes, tire rotations and alignment, fluid top-offs and routine check-ups keep your car running smooth and clean. But what happens when the car has engine problems? The cars overheating, the windshield is cracked, a gasket is broken. You take it a to a repair shop, right? Well think of traditional medicine as your body’s repair shop. You get sick, you break out with a rash, or maybe you’re running a high fever, your doctor prescribes medication to help correct whatever the problem may be.

The point is your body requires both preventive and corrective care. Recently, an article published on NaturalNews.com criticized the Associated Press (AP) saying, “The Associated Press is sadly misinformed about natural medicine, and yet their stories are syndicated across thousands of newspapers and millions of web pages each day.”  We need pharmaceuticals to treat disease, but as a means of preventing disease in the first place, we need to incorporate alternative therapies and preventive techniques to achieve true optimal health and wellness. Until we’re able to successfully harness a synergy between traditional and alternative medicine, we’re robbing ourselves of our own health.