Bioidentical Hormones 101

By Jeffrey Dach

American medicine has lost its way. In Bioidentical Hormones 101, author Dr. Jeffrey Dach uncovers the ills in today’s health care system and suggests ways to get it back on track.

Through a series of articles that originally appeared on his Internet blog, Dach provides evidence that bioidentical hormones are safer and more effective than synthetic hormones. He describes how to win the information war and take control of your health. Questioning the prevailing medical dogma, he covers a wide range of topics related to health and health care:

Natural thyroid Iodine supplementation Selenium Dangers of GMO food Avoiding bad drugs Limitations of cancer screening with mammograms PSA testing Thyroid ultrasound Low-dose naltrexone Future of medicine Health insurance companies

Dispensing the truth about drugs, health care, and medicine, Bioidentical Hormones 101 uses information to empower America to embrace a more holistic approach to health care.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462036547

Jeffrey Dach

Jeffrey Dach has worked with bioidentical hormones for the past eight years. After a twenty-five year career as a board-certified radiologist, he started TrueMedMD, a clinic specializing in bioidentical hormones and natural thyroid. He lives in Hollywood, Florida with his wife and three children.

Book preview

BIOIDENTICAL

HORMONES 101,

MADE EXCEEDINGLY SIMPLE BY JEFFREY DACH MD

www.bioidenticalhormones101.com

SKU-000188490_TEXT.pdf

BIOIDENTICAL HORMONES 101

BIOIDENTICAL HORMONES, NATURAL THYROID, AND NATURAL MEDICINE

Copyright © 2011 by Jeffrey Dach MD.

www.bioidenticalhormones101.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The information, ideas, and suggestions in this book are not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. Before following any suggestions contained in this book, you should consult your personal physician. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising as a consequence of your use or application of any information or suggestions in this book.

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ISBN: 978-1-4620-3499-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-3655-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-3654-7 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 08/18/2011

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements:

Disclaimer:

Introduction by David Brownstein MD

Introduction by Mary Shomon

Introduction by Jeffrey Dach MD

Foreword

Section One: More

Health Care Is Not Necessarily Better Health Care

Chapter 1 Less is More, Mainstream Goes Alternative, and Medical Heresy

Section Two:

Low Thyroid Disorders and Thyroid Nodules

Chapter 2 The Unreliable TSH Lab Test

Chapter 3 Why Natural Thyroid is Better than Synthetic

Chapter 4 Why Natural Thyroid is Better than Synthroid, Part Two

Chapter 5 The Thyroid Nodule Epidemic

Chapter 6 Hunt Study Shows Thyroid Prevents Heart Attacks

Section Three:

Adrenal Fatigue the Ignored Epidemic of Modern Civilization

Chapter 7 Adrenal Fatigue

Section Four:

Bioidentical Hormones

Chapter 8 Abandoning the Synthetic Hormone Ship

Chapter 9 The Importance of BioIdentical Hormones

Chapter 10 The Safety of Bioidentical Hormones

Chapter 11 Bioidentical Hormones and Medical Ghost Writing, the Latest Scandal

Chapter 12 Bioidentical Hormones Found Beneficial After Hysterectomy

Chapter 13 BioIdentical Hormones Relieve Anxiety

Chapter 14 Menopausal Arthritis and Bioidentical Hormones

Chapter 15 Testosterone for Dry Eye Syndrome

Chapter 16 Newsweek Attacks Oprah and Bioidentical Hormones

Chapter 17 BioIdentical Hormones Trashed by AP News

Chapter 18 Bioidentical Hormones According to the LA Times

Chapter 19 Ten Bioidentical Hormone Fallacies

Chapter 20 Synthetic Hormones, Pfizer-Wyeth Lose Big Court Case

Section Five:

Screening Mammography, and Breast Cancer

Chapter 21 Rethink Pink October Breast Cancer Mammogram

Chapter 22 Mammogram Guideline Reversal—What Does It Mean?

Chapter 23 Iodine Treats Breast Cancer, Overwhelming Evidence

Section Six:

Low Testosterone Diagnosis and Treatment

Chapter 24 Low Testosterone Could Be Killing You

Chapter 25 Low Testosterone from Pain Pills

Chapter 26 Testosterone Found to Cause Heart Attacks?

Section Seven:

Testosterone and PSA Screening for Prostate Cancer

Chapter 27 Testosterone, PSA and Prostate Cancer, Myths and Misconceptions

Chapter 28 PSA and Testosterone—Part Two—A Medical Myth

Chapter 29 PSA Screening for Prostate Cancer, the Failed Medical Experiment

Section Eight:

Selenium, Why We Need It.

Chapter 30 Selenium, from Toxin to Essential Mineral—Part One

Chapter 31 The Case for Selenium, Part Two

Chapter 32 Selenium Part Three—Mega-Dose Vitamin Therapy in the ICU

Chapter 33 Selenium for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Section Nine:

Your Drug May Be The Problem. Are You Taking A Bad Drug?

Chapter 34 Fosamax Induced Bilateral Femur Fractures

Chapter 35 Fosamax™ for Pre-Osteoporosis, A Bad Idea

Chapter 36 Heartburn, GE Reflux (GERD), and Acid Blocker Drugs

Chapter 37 SSRI Antidepressants Are No Better Than Placebo, Says JAMA

Chapter 38 Getting Off Statin Drug Stories

Section Ten:

Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease

Chapter 39 Heart Disease, Ascorbate, Lysine and Linus Pauling

Chapter 40 Cholesterol Lowering Statin Drugs for Women, Just Say No

Chapter 41 A Choirboy for Cholesterol Turns Disbeliever

Section Eleven:

Vitamins B5, B6, E and Wheatgrass

Chapter 42 Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B5 for Acne

Chapter 43 Vitamin E, Curse or Blessing?

Chapter 44 Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine for Trigger Finger and Carpal Tunnel

Chapter 45 Wheatgrass, the Path to Health

Section Twelve:

Is Your Food Making You Sick?

Chapter 46 Selling Sickness in the Lobby, Fast Food in Hospitals

Chapter 47 The Grocery Store as Mine Field, Avoiding the Dangers

Chapter 48 Genetically Modified GMO Food, the Great Scandal

Chapter 49 Gluten Sensitivity, Is Your Food Making You Sick?

Section Thirteen:

Mind Body Connection and Spirituality

Chapter 50 Signature in a Cell, Aging, Disease and Death

Chapter 51 Finding God in Mr. Foley’s I.V.

Section Fourteen:

The Future of Medicine

Chapter 52 Cannabis, Miracle Drug of the 21st Century

Chapter 53 The Trophoblastic Theory of Cancer

Chapter 54 Anti-Aging Breakthrough with Bioidentical Hormones

Chapter 55 Low Dose Naltrexone LDN—The Latest Medical Scandal and Outrage

Chapter 56 Predicting the Future of Medicine

Appendix A. Illustrations for Bioidentical Hormones 101 by Jeffrey Dach MD:

Acknowledgements

First of all, I wish to thank my wife, Judith, who is the light of my life, and whose help this book would not have been possible. This book is dedicated to my children, Ari, Benjamin and Karina who are all grown up and no longer children, so they know how much work goes into this.

I wish to thank all the people who have influenced the book, my friends, colleagues, mentors:

Burton Berkson MD, Kenton Bruice MD, John Crisler, DO, David Brownstein MD, Mayer Eisenstein MD, George Flechas MD, Larry Frieders, Nicholas Gonzalez MD, Kent Holtorf MD, Ron Hoffman MD, Steven Hotze MD, Russell Jaffe MD, Joel Kauffman PhD, Bruice Kenton MD, Joseph McWherter MD, Sangeeta Pati MD, David Perlmutter MD, C.W. Randolph MD, Uzzi Reiss MD, James C Roberts MD, Ron Rothenberg MD, Erika Schwartz MD, Steven Sinatra MD, Michael Schachter MD, Frank Shallenberger MD, Eugene Shipman MD, Jacob Teitelbaum MD, Sherry TenPenny MD, Julian Whitaker MD, and Jonathan Wright MD.

Special recognition and acknowledgement goes to Jonathan Wright MD, who deserves credit as the inventor and first pioneer of bioidentical hormones, also known as Bi-Est and Tri-Est. Dr Wright’s monthly newsletter is strongly recommended to the reader as a source of invaluable information, much of it original, about natural medicine and bioidentical hormones.

Additional acknowledgement goes to Suzanne Somers and Oprah Winfrey for their insight and courage to step forward into the public spotlight with the bioidentical hormone story.

Also, this book is dedicated to the memories of these great medical pioneers: Broda Barnes MD, Bernard Bihari MD, Robert Crayhon, Abram Hoffer MD, John R Lee MD, Sheri Lieberman, William McK Jefferies MD, and Linus Pauling PhD.

Also thanks and acknowledgement goes to the many people on the internet on blogs, message boards, groups, and with emails that have interacted, communicated, shared knowledge and influenced this book. Medical education is an ongoing process that starts with medical school and never stops. My second medical education began with installation of high speed internet, a key learning tool in the medicine of the future.

Finally I must acknowledge that this book is merely a milestone along a long road that leads from the early days when Rembrandt painted the Anatomy Lesson of Doctor Nicoleas Tulp (1632), to today’s state of the art. The history of medicine will march forward into the future, as we marvel at how much has been accomplished in a few hundred years.

Disclaimer

This book is not intended as medical advice nor should it be regarded as such. It is important to discuss any treatment plan with your personal physician. Do not start or stop a treatment, drug, supplement or lifestyle change based on information from this book. Even if a drug is on a ligation, recall or black box list, any decision to start or stop a drug should be made in consultation with your own doctor, who should help you weigh the comparative risks and benefits to arrive at an informed decision.

The information contained in this book is NOT intended to diagnose or treat any existing disease or ailment, or to replace in any way the patient /physician relationship with your own personal physician.

Regarding the nutritional supplements which may be mentioned: These have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to treat disease. Any comments made about nutritional supplements are of a general nature and not intended to provide personal advice. The reader should seek the advice of a trusted health care professional regarding the use, risks, benefits, indications, and contra-indications of the various nutritional supplements which may be mentioned.

Regarding FDA approved pharmaceutical drugs mentioned: Any comments made about drugs are of a general nature and not intended to provide personal advice. The reader should seek the advice of a trusted health care professional regarding the use, risks, benefits, indications, and contra-indications of drugs.

The reader is advised to discuss the comments on these pages with his/her personal physicians and to only act upon the advice of his/her personal physician

Some treatment options do not require a prescription and can be obtained over the counter. Even so, it is recommended that one should always work closely with a knowledgeable physician, found by consulting one of the following organizations:

http://www.worldhealth.net/

American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (Chicago Office)

1510 W. Montana Street

Chicago, IL 60614 USA

Directory of members, to find a doctor: Telephone is 800-558-1267

http://www.acamnet.org/

ACAM—American College for the Advancement of Medicine

24411 Ridge Route Ste 115Laguna Hills, CA 92653

ACAM doctor’s directory to find a physician: Toll free telephone: [phone]

http://icimed.com/

International College of Integrative Medicine

122 Thurman St. Box 271, Bluffton, OH 45817, Telephone: [phone], ICIM doctor’s directory

http://www.holisticmedicine.org/

American Holistic Medical Association

One Eagle Valley Court, Suite 201, Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147 Phone: [phone]

Introduction by

David Brownstein MD

Once in a while, a book comes out questioning the prevailing medical dogma, the things we are all used to hearing. Such a book makes you step back, ask a few questions, and do some critical thinking about the information handed down by the powers-that-be. Bioidentical Hormones 101 by Jeffrey Dach MD is one of those books.

The book covers a wide range of topics. The first chapter sets the tone for the book and is titled, Less is More, Mainstream Goes Alternative. This chapter describes medical studies which show that more health care is not necessarily better health care, and actually results in worse health outcomes. One example is the use of synthetic hormones which causes heart disease and cancer. Other examples include arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis and SSRI antidepressant medications for treating mild to moderate depression, both of which have been shown to be no better than placebo therapy. Dr. Dach provides ongoing commentary with these studies which provide the reader with a clear path: stay away from many commonly used conventional therapies, in preference to safe and effective natural alternatives.

Dr. Dach points out the conventional approach to diagnosing and treating thyroid disorders leaves much to be desired. He describes the limitations of relying on TSH levels to treat and diagnose hypothyroidism. He feels it is best to check all of the thyroid function tests, the TSH and the free T3 test. Many people who have the signs and symptoms to make the diagnosis of hypothyroidism are being denied the therapy they need because doctors are solely relying on TSH levels instead of doing more comprehensive testing. I could not agree more with the analysis in this book.

The bioidentical hormone controversy is covered in great detail. Reviewing the medical journals compromised by use of ghost writers, Dr. Dach presents a scary picture with mainstream medicine nonchalantly handing out synthetic hormones while there is clear evidence for the safety and efficacy of bioidentical hormones. There are 15 chapters dedicated to reviewing the literature on synthetic and bioidentical hormones. At the end of reading these chapters, it becomes blatantly obvious that the use of bioidentical hormones is indicated in a number of medical conditions and that synthetic hormones have no place in medicine.

There are many other topics covered in this book including questioning the usefulness of mammograms, acid blocking drugs, osteoporosis drugs and antidepressant drugs. Reading this manuscript should empower the reader to embrace a more holistic approach to one’s health care.

I have been practicing holistic medicine for nearly 20 years. I have seen the failure of conventional medicine at treating many chronic illnesses. Furthermore, the use of most commonly prescribed drugs leads to further health problems in the vast majority of individuals. This book provides the reader with the information necessary to make better health care choices. It challenges the conventional wisdom about mammograms, hormone therapies, depression medications and many other conditions. I found the information in this book to be extremely worthwhile. I would recommend this book for both doctors and patients alike who are willing to question the conventional dogma and search for safe and effective natural therapies.

David Brownstein MD, The Center for Holistic Medicine

www.drbrownstein.com

5821 W. Maple Rd., Ste. 192, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, Tel: [phone]

Introduction by

Mary Shomon

You can’t open a newspaper or women’s magazine, or turn on the health segment of the morning television shows or an afternoon talk shows without hearing about hormones. Whether it’s Oprah, Suzanne Somers, your coworker, brother, mother, or your best friend, it seems that after the age of 40, many of us start to pay closer attention to what’s happening to us hormonally, and the impact hormones have on our health and happiness.

Unfortunately, hormones are a complicated topic. Endocrinologists study them from a technical standpoint, but don’t often understand their workings and interactions physiologically. Some gynecologists or urologists look at them more as the product of the organs and glands they treat, rather than as system unto itself. And women and men, well, we understand that hormones are at the core of almost every process in the body — from thinking, to energy, to digestion . . . but how they all work together? Often, a mystery!

Unraveling this mystery is what Dr. Jeffrey Dach does in this terrific book. Dr. Dach offers a comprehensive, understandable, and eye-opening look at debilitating hormonal issues, including thyroid disorders, adrenal fatigue, and low testosterone, as well as an unbiased, step-by-step look at the timely topic of bioidentical hormones.

I also appreciate Dr. Jeffrey Dach’s decades-long commitment to researching and communicating information about hormonal and natural health — especially in an environment where physicians are routinely looked down upon for bringing sound judgment, new ideas, clinical experience, and common sense into their medical practice. More patients in the United States now visit integrative, functional, holistic, complementary and alternative practitioners than conventional physicians in the United States, and there is a reason: patients are looking for solutions, and conventional medicine falls short in many areas where complementary medicine shines.

Nowhere is that more evident than in hormonal medicine. We don’t have a specialty called hormonologist, but we in fact need one. In the meantime, doctors from a variety of disciplines — family practice, gynecology, anti-aging medicine, integrative and functional medicine and more — are increasingly becoming experts in the art and science of diagnosing and treating hormone imbalances. They are discovering that they spend an increasing amount of their time with patients being a hormone detective. These hormone detectives — with doctors like Dr. Dach on the front lines — are breaking new ground, looking at the role of the thyroid, the adrenal glands, the reproductive organs, and the body’s management of insulin and glucose, as key components of our health, and as smoking guns responsible for many of today’s worst health challenges, like heart disease, inflammation, and obesity.

As a thyroid patient advocate, I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say that I’m pleased to see that Dr. Dach’s first key hormone section in the book focuses on the thyroid. The thyroid rarely enjoys top billing — it’s usually overlooked, misdiagnosed, denigrated, stigmatized, and otherwise ignored by the medical establishment. So Dr. Dach’s upfront, accurate and knowledgeable discussion of thyroid issues is a welcome change. Dr. Dach also delves into one of today’s hot button’s — adrenal issues — so often the topic of debate between conventional doctors , and the more cutting-edge integrative physicians. He also clearly explains the controversy, including pros and cons, of bioidentical hormones. There are patients, and many doctors, who will find this information enlightening and life-changing. To that end, I have to say that the book is a must-read for anyone who wants unbiased information on hormones.

Dr. Dach also discusses some of the politics of medicine — the role pharmaceutical companies in the health care and medications you receive (or don’t receive) — as well as natural treatments you may not hear about, due to the oppressive control that conventional medicine has when it comes to innovative ideas. This is the type of information you rarely hear from an MD — most of them are too busy accepting their honoraria from drug companies and lunching with lobbyists to realize how influenced they are by the business of medicine. Dr. Dach is not afraid to tell the truth.

Overall, there is so much information packed into this book that an introduction can’t really do it justice. My best advice is to read, highlight, make notes in the margin, add some sticky notes, go back to it again, and keep it handy, because it will become a resource you return to regularly to make smart decisions that will help improve your health and your life.

Live well,

Mary Shomon, Thyroid Patient Advocate and author of 11 books on thyroid disease and health. The Guide to Thyroid Disease at About.com, a New York Times Co., since 1997.

http://www.thyroid-info.com

http://thyroid.about.com

http://www.facebook.com/thyroidsupport

http://www.twitter.com/thyroidmary

PO Box 565, Kensington MD 20895 / Phone: [phone]

Introduction by

Jeffrey Dach MD

The introduction to this book is actually my previous book, Natural Medicine 101, available on Amazon or on the internet as a free e-book at http://naturalmedicine101.com. I would encourage you to read my earlier work, Natural Medicine 101 which introduces many topics covered in more depth here. I apologize in advance for redundancy in a few of the chapters, especially those dealing with bioidentical hormones. However, repetition may be a good thing. Also, I would encourage you to visit the web site where you will find this entire book and references hyperlinked at: http://www.bioidenticalhormones101.com.

Reaching a New Extreme

As I write this introduction, corporate control of the media and government has reached a new extreme, bringing us the Gulf Oil Spill disaster, the Subprime Mortgage Debacle, the Genetically Modified (GMO) Food Scandal, and of course, a dysfunctional medical system. Large health care corporations have created the for-profit medical system which places financial gain before any consideration for individual health. Even our access to information about health, drugs and food is meticulously controlled by the Health Care Lobby. In this confusing information war, where can we find the truth about drugs, healthcare and medicine?

Why Write This Book?

This book was written to provide the missing information your doctor will not tell you, and may not be available in the mass media. Considering the misinformation in the news media, there has never been a better time to write this book. This book chronicles my learning and discovery process as each topic was researched and meticulously referenced as a blog entry at http://www.jeffreydach.com. Unlike the old days when books first appeared in print, this book was originally written on my blog with references hyperlinked. The advantage for the reader is the ability to use the hyperlinked references, allowing the reader instant access to the reference article. Therefore you may find it advantageous to use the internet version of this book at http://www.bioidenticalhormones101.com for the convenience of the hyperlinked references. While you are there, I would also encourage you to sign up for the free monthly newsletter email where you can observe the creative process for the next book as it is written.

The Great Achievements of Modern Medicine

Among the great achievements of modern medicine is the invention of antibiotics and the conquest of infectious disease. Perhaps this would not have been possible without the drug patent system which provides financial incentive for new drugs. The patent drug system has also created the most profitable industry in the world, the pharmaceutical industry, which controls and dominates the practice of medicine. This highly profitable drug industry liberally funds medical research, advertising, marketing, education, and of course, sales reps to present educational literature in doctor’s offices. Major corporations such as the drug industry and the health insurance industry influence government legislative bodies and regulatory agencies such as the FDA and USDA, and determine how NIH research grants are allocated.

The Patented Drug Paradigm

For centuries, our medicines came from the plant and natural world. Only recently in the 19th century, everything changed with the creation of patent law system, granting economic protection and profitablitity to the patent holder of a chemical formula or new invention. Patented drugs are chemically altered versions of natural substances not found in nature or in the human body, and are actually foreign to the human body. This patent protection eliminates the competition and insures massive profit at inflated prices for the newly patented drug. Thus, the patent system has created the pharmaceutical industry, the most profitable business on the planet.

Another feature of patent law is that the natural world has been excluded, and cannot be patented, so there is little financial incentive for drug companies to invest in natural substances. For example, both Vitamin C and bio-identical hormones are natural substances, and therefore their chemical structures cannot be patented.

Drug patents have a limited life time, with eventual expiration, so the Drug Company must have a steady stream of new drugs in the pipeline. In order to bring these new drugs to market, clinical trials must be submitted for FDA approval showing benefit greater than placebo. Once approved, the next step is a massive advertising campaign to convince both the public and the medical professionals they need the drug.

Somewhere along the way things went wrong, and we find the clinical trials are manipulated to show benefit for drugs which are marginal, ineffective or actually harmful. We find the drug marketing advertising to be deceitful and misleading. We also find that drug companies behave like any other self interested corporation. They lobby the government and peddle influence to gain favor for their products, while using their clout to change the rules and suppress competition in natural medicine.

Medical Ghostwriting

Medical ghostwriting is the insidious practice of paying an opinion leader academic physician to lend their name to an article in the medical literature. Unknown to the reader, the article is actually written by paid-for-hire writers to promote the synthetic hormone drug agenda, by downplaying adverse effects, hyping the benefits, and casting doubts about bioidentical hormones.

FDA GAG Rule

An FDA gag rule makes it unlawful for vitamin companies to give information to the public about their products. This FDA rule makes it illegal for a vitamin manufacturer to inform customers about the benefits of vitamins, supplements and natural medicines. Obviously, this rule is an unconstitutional infringement on the right of free speech, one example of the drug lobby’s power to influence government to make laws which suppress competition and increase profit at the expense of the constitutional right of free speech.

A Request to Ban Bio-Identical Hormones?

Another example is the Citizens’ Complaint filed by Wyeth with the FDA, asking the FDA to ban bio-identical hormones. Following the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study, halted early because synthetic hormone pills caused cancer and heart disease, millions of women abandoned the synthetic hormones and switched to the safer bio-identical (natural) human hormones. This massive switch away from synthetic hormones resulted in 4 billion dollar loss for synthetic hormone makers. The drug maker was not happy about the financial loss, so they simply filed a citizen’s complaint asking the FDA to ban their competition. This outrageous abuse of government was unsuccessful.

The FDA Cannot Protect the American Public

The FDA (Food and Drug Agency) is thought to be guarding and protecting the American Public. Yet upon closer inspection is clearly under the thumb of the pharmaceutical industry. According to the Director of Drug Safety at the FDA, David Graham, the FDA cannot protect the American Public from bad drugs such as chemically altered, synthetic hormones. These are monster hormones which, clearly, should never have been approved nor marketed to the American people.

Bioidentical Hormones Are Safer and More Effective

Over the past 70 years that natural bio-identical hormones have been available, comparison studies have always shown the bioidentical hormones safer and more effective than the chemically altered synthetic hormones, yet these monster hormones are the ones routinely handed out by the for-profit medical system. As this book is written, deceptive television advertising touting the benefits of synthetic hormones can still be viewed daily. These monster hormones should have been banned from the marketplace years ago.

Basic Medicine 101

One final thought concerns the central aspect of hormones in the health of the individual. A primary care physician’s very first concern should be evaluating and balancing hormone levels. But it is not. Instead, the primary care physician has been turned into a vending machine for various synthetic drugs of questionable benefit. American Medicine has lost its way. This book is an attempt to get it back on the right track.

About the Author, Jeffrey Dach MD:

Jeffrey Dach obtained his MD degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago. He was originally trained in clinical medicine and worked as an ER (emergency room) doctor in Illinois. He then trained and earned board certification in Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, and worked as a hospital based physician for thirty years in the Memorial Hospital System of South Broward, Florida. Because of failing eyesight, Dr. Dach retired from hospital based radiology, and switched back into his original training in outpatient clinical medicine leading to the formation of a new clinic called TrueMedMD, specializing in bioidentical hormones, and natural thyroid. Dr. Dach is author of the book, Natural Medicine 101, and writes a free monthly internet newsletter.

Jeffrey Dach MD, 7450 Griffin Road,

Suite 190, Davie, Florida 33314.

Telephone [phone]

www.jeffreydach.com

www.drdach.com

www.naturalmedicine101.com

www.bioidenticalhormones101.com

Foreword

The organization of the book is divided into sections, and starts off with a discussion of thyroid and adrenal issues because the capable bioidentical hormone doctor will first address these preliminary issues before going on to address the other hormones. The low thyroid condition is prevalent in our population. Many low thyroid Northerners report they are cold all the time, and perhaps they have migrated in great numbers here to Florida to seek a warmer climate. Another common condition is adrenal fatigue, the inability to produce adequate amounts of the hormone called cortisol. This adrenal fatigue is especially common in patients on long term SSRI antidepressants which eventually lead to burn out. A common pitfall to avoid in patients with adrenal fatigue is giving thyroid medication which will worsen the patient’s symptoms of fatigue and exhaustion. The adrenal fatigue issues must be addressed before adding in the thyroid medication.

Section four deals with bioidentical hormones, and why we need them, and why they are safer and more effective than synthetic hormones. A chapter deals with the corrupt practice of ghostwriting in the medical literature, specifically designed to market synthetic hormones in medical articles and cast doubts on the bioidenticals. Additional chapters deal with menopausal arthritis, anxiety and panic attacks, and dry eye syndrome, all relieved by bioidentical hormones. Another chapter deals with hormone replacement after hysterectomy. Four more chapters deal with the news media, correcting their errors and fallacies in the many newspaper articles on bioidentical hormones. Finally, a chapter deals with drug litigation against synthetic hormones with juries punishing drug companies with large monetary awards to the victims of synthetic hormones.

Since breast cancer is a prominent concern in women taking hormone replacement, section five deals with screening mammography, breast cancer detection, and breast cancer prevention. The most important tool for breast cancer prevention is iodine supplementation.

Sections six and seven discuss low testosterone in males, found to be associated with increased mortality and a health risk. Chronic use narcotic pain pills cause profound suppression of hormone levels, especially inducing low testosterone. The question of testosterone’s benefit for the heart and the circulation is discussed. The lack of a causative link between testosterone and prostate cancer is discussed. Additionally, PSA screening for prostate cancer detection is discussed as a failed medical experiment.

Section eight contains four chapters on the essential mineral selenium, how it is important for cancer prevention, the immune system, and useful in the Intensive Care Unit setting. Selenium is also beneficial for reducing antibody levels in Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, a common thyroid condition.

Section nine discusses the problem of Bad Drugs, which are marginally effective or even harmful. Osteoporosis drugs are intended to make the bones stronger and prevent fractures, yet paradoxically, we find these drugs actually make the bones weaker and cause debilitating femur fractures. The heartburn drugs (proton pump inhibitors—PPI’s) work very well at their job of turning off gastric acid. However, we find chronic use of PPI’s causes a host of health problems. SSRI Antidepressant drug use is rampant, and touted as safe and effective. However, studies reveal these drugs are no more effective than placebo for the majority of users, and not as safe as originally thought. Statin drugs are also included in the list of Bad Drugs. The common medical practice of prescribing cholesterol lowering statin drugs is found to be harmful, with the same mortality benefit as a placebo, and yet carries severe adverse side effects.

Heart disease and anti-cholesterol drugs deserve its own Section ten. Statin cholesterol lowering drugs are very effective at lowering cholesterol, but this kind of treatment has no health benefit for women. And for primary prevention of heart disease in healthy people, taking a statin anti-cholesterol drug provides the same mortality benefit as a placebo. The theory that cholesterol causes heart disease is found to be a myth. Patients entering the hospital with heart attacks have low, not high cholesterol, and three years later, follow up studies show patients with lower cholesterol have higher mortality. Heart disease prevention is discussed with lifestyle and diet modification, and supplements such as Vitamin C, tocotrienol Vitamin E, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, Omega 3 oils, Niacin, and various others mentioned by William Davis and Linus Pauling.

Section eleven deals with vitamin therapies with B5 for acne, B6 for carpal tunnel and trigger finger, and the Vitamin E as a heart disease preventive, and a discussion of wheatgrass juice. Section Twelve discusses the dangers of fast food, MSG and aspartame, and GMO genetically modified food. Also included here is a discussion of wheat gluten sensitivity, another food that can make us sick.

Our health is more than a collection of chemical reactions, and atomic particles bouncing off one another. In order to heal our bodies and maintain health, we need a purpose, or a reason to keep ourselves healthy. Section thirteen deals with this spiritual side of healing and medicine with an essay about Steven Meyer’s book, Signature in a Cell. Another short essay deals with an unforgettable experience during medical school taking care of a dying patient.

The final section fifteen deals with the future of medicine, with a discussion of low dose naltrexone, medical cannabis, anti-aging breakthroughs with bioidentical hormones, future directions for cancer research, and finally the future of medicine in general. This section deals with the trophoblastic theory of cancer and a final essay discusses what is in store for us in the future of medicine, and what we must do to avoid the nightmare scenario.

CHAPTER 1

Less is More, Mainstream Goes Alternative, and Medical Heresy

People_burned_as_heretics_16.jpg

Medieval Heretics Burned At the Stake, 14th to mid-15th Century, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

A shocking medical heresy was quietly stated in a mainstream medical journal.(1) "Less health care is better than more health care, says Dr. Deborah Grady in her editorial in the May 10, 2010 Archives of Internal Medicine which is critical of mainstream medicine. We assume and expect that health care should offer some health benefit. And yet, Dr Grady points out that health outcome studies show that more health care leads to worse outcomes. (2,3) This revelation isn’t new, and is actually old news, like a worn and familiar old shoe. The real news story is that this medical heresy" somehow eluded censorship by the editorial board and appeared in print in a mainstream medical journal. Are mainstream doctors getting fed up? Is this the opening salvo of a medical revolution?

Examples of Harmful Medical Care

Dr Grady cites specific examples of treatments that result in harm, with adverse effects outweighing the benefits. The first example is synthetic monster hormone therapy used by the mainstream medical system, which was found to cause cancer and heart disease in the famous 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study. (4) It seems incredible, but true. The mainstream medical system used synthetic monster hormones for years until the WHI (Women’s Health Initiative) study finally convinced millions of women to switch to safer and more effective bioidentical human hormones. See the articles on the safety and importance of bioidentical hormones which discusses this at length. (5)(6)

Dr. Grady’s second example is the discredited practice of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis. Millions of these useless procedures were performed in the late 90’s until it was abandoned after randomized trials showed no benefit.(7) See the article on the power of the placebo which discussed this.(8)

A third example is the case of SSRI antidepressant drugs which have little benefit for patients with mild to moderate depression. These studies show that the benefits of SSRI drugs are equivalent to placebo pills.(9) Dr. Grady points out that in cases of mild depression, the known adverse effects of SSRI antidepressants clearly outweigh the benefits. My previous article on SSRI antidepressants discussed this.(10)

A fourth example is screening mammography. The adverse effects of mammography—false-positive findings, biopsies, anxiety, and over diagnosis and treatment of latent cancers may overwhelm the benefit. (11) My article on screening mammography discussed this. (12)

Dr Grady’s final example is the over-use and misuse of antacid drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPI’s), which have serious adverse effects of increased rates of fractures, Clostridium difficile infection, and increased risk of pneumonia. (13-18)

Reducing Medical Care Opposed as Rationing

Dr Grady reminds us that the term rationing is frequently misused and abused in health care debates. In politics, those who want more health care oppose those who propose less health care. Less health care is called rationing, a term originating in the wartime practice of rationing food, fuel and other scarce goods, and services, and may not apply to over use of health services which causes harm rather than benefit.

A False Hope—Bone Marrow Transplantation for Breast Cancer

A perfect example of misuse of the term rationing’ is the discredited bone marrow transplantation for breast cancer. Starting in the 1980’s, thousands of procedures were done costing up to 400,000 dollars each. While many women stricken with advanced illness clamored for the lifesaving procedure, their health insurance companies balked at paying for an experimental and unproven treatment. A media and legal campaign ensued claiming the insurance companies were cruel tyrants. They were withholding or rationing a lifesaving treatment. After a couple of decades of harming thousands of severely ill women with an unproven procedure, medical studies were eventually done, and these showed the procedure had no merit, causing it to be discredited and abandoned. Clearly, the term health care rationing" is misused when applied to a sham procedure that causes more harm than good. This incredible story of bone marrow transplantation for breast cancer can be found in an excellent article by Nicholas Gonzalez MD, and also in a book which documents the story called False Hope. (20-22)

More Examples: Drugs that Don’t Work

The misguided use of the term health care rationing applies to blockbuster drugs developed over the last few decades that are in fact, Bad Drugs. These patented drugs are expensive, yet have marginal effectiveness, and horrendous adverse side effects. In spite of this, thanks to Drug Company advertising, the television viewing audience clamors for these lifesaving drugs, complaining that high cost and lack of insurance coverage amounts to health care rationing. See my article on Protect Your Family from Bad Drugs. (26) An excellent book on this topic entitled, Drugs that Don’t Work, Natural Therapies that Do, is available from Dr. David Brownstein.(25)

Solution: Less Health Care

When the health care system is dominated and corrupted by huge corporations that place profit over people, the end result is a health care system that produces more harm than good. Hence, the sage old doctor’s advice, Doing Nothing is frequently the best treatment plan, and one offered by my medical school advisor, Dr Neil Kurtzman, as the title for his first novel.(23)

Of course, the real solution involves liberating the practice of medicine from the shackles of corporate and government control. Although somewhat draconian, an excellent first step would be the elimination of the entire health insurance industry. Don’t hold your breath, as this is unlikely to happen any time soon, judging by the health care reform signed into law by President Obama. This latest health care reform effort amounts to a giant government subsidy for the health insurance industry with very little in return.

For hyperlinked references, see web site: www.bioidenticalhormones101.com

Chapter One References: Less is More, Mainstream Goes Alternative

(57) http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/170/9/749

Less Is More, How Less Health Care Can Result in Better Health, Deborah Grady, MD, MPH; Rita F. Redberg, MD, MSc, Editor, Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(9):749-750.

(58) http://www.annals.org/content/138/4/288.abstract

Fisher ES, Wennberg DE, Stukel TA, Gottlieb DJ, Lucas FL, Pinder EL. The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending, part 2: health outcomes and satisfaction with care. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138(4):288-298.

(59) http://www.annals.org/content/138/4/273.abstract

Fisher ES, Wennberg DE, Stukel TA, Gottlieb DJ, Lucas FL, Pinder EL. The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending, part 1: the content, quality, and accessibility of care. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138(4):273-287.

(60) http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/288/3/321

Rossouw JE, Anderson GL, Prentice RL; et al, Writing Group for the Women’s Health Initiative Investigators. Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women: principal results from the Women’s Health Initiative randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2002;288(3):321-333.

(61) http://jeffreydach.com/2008/06/27/the-safety-of-bioidentical-hormones-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx The safety of bioidentical Hormones by Jeffrey Dach MD

(62) http://www.drdach.com/BioIdentical_Hormones.html

The Importance of bio-identical Hormones by Jeffrey Dach MD

(63) http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/347/2/81

Moseley JB, O’Malley K, Petersen NJ; et al. A controlled trial of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee. N Engl J Med. 2002;347(2):81-88.

(64) http://jeffreydach.com/2007/05/22/the-power-of-the-placebo—by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx The Power of the Placebo by Jeffrey Dach MD

(65) http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/303/1/47

Fournier JC, DeRubeis RJ, Hollon SD; et al. Antidepressant drug effects and depression severity: a patient-level meta-analysis. JAMA. 2010;303(1):47-53.

(66) http://jeffreydach.com/2010/01/21/jama-says-ssri-antidepressants-are-placebos-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx

Antidepressants Found to Be No Better Than Placebo.

(67) http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/303/2/164

Woloshin S, Schwartz LM. The benefits and harms of mammography screening: understanding the trade-offs. JAMA. 2010;303(2):164-165.

(68) http://jeffreydach.com/2009/11/17/mammogram-guideline-reversal-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx Mammogram Guideline Reversal by Jeffrey Dach MD

(69) http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/170/9/7659

Gray SL, LaCroix AZ, Larson J; et al. Proton pump inhibitor use, hip fracture, and change in bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: results from the Women’s Health Initiative. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(9):765-771. FREE FULL TEXT

(70) http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/170/9/784

Howell MD, Novack V, Grgurich P; et al. Iatrogenic gastric acid suppression and the risk of nosocomial Clostridium difficile infection. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(9):784-790.

(71) http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/170/9/772

Linsky A, Gupta K, Lawler EV, Fonda JR, Hermos JA. Proton pump inhibitors and risk for recurrent Clostridium difficile