Hormones

I just happened to switch to CNN and Larry King was interviewing Suzanne Somers. She was extolling the virtues of "bio identical" hormones. If she is 57 she is a good advert for it - she could pass for thirties on TV. She was also plugging her book "the Sexy Years" which includes long chapters on bio identical hormones. The story seems to be that you have to have regular hormone tests and the prescription is tailored to the results. That way you get realistic levels of oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone and etcetera-ones. And a thinner wallet I bet - (insurance - HMO - NHS - don't cover the hormones or endocrinologist). Half the problem is the erratic nature of the hormonal glands and "one-size-fits-all" overdoses, underdoses, and all the issues of side effects. She does recommend diet - consistent and sensible (her version of sensible). And she lists doctors and website (US based presumably). But she knew her subject - spent years researching the facts.
I always reckon medication is a patch, a repair job on a rust spot - some get tape, some fibreglass and some welding. It is never original.
I was told by an endocrinologist that smokers have an increased risk of cancer and it is that that is the source of the statistics on that subject. But nobody measures the shortening of life through stress, divorce stress. And suicide - that pain is all the harder to take knowing good doctoring might just have prevented one in my family.
HRT for men works but the same story applies - too much and you have an aggressive teenager all over again. Oestrogen etc are also in the story - which can be summed-up in one word - ballance.
And stress buggers-up the ballance of hormones - FWIW there are at least 100 (eg adrenaline & insulin).