Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones

I am an OB/GYN who has been prescribing bioidentical HRT for the past 18 years.
I commend Suzanne Somers for her continuing campaign to raise the awareness on the importance of bioidentical HRT and the various health options women have. The book includes a variety of opinions from many doctors of various medical specialties. This gives the patient the understanding that there are many approaches available. Women are empowered with choices to fit their individual needs.

There is plenty of published scientific data and research on the safety and effectiveness of bioidentical HRT. This book will hopefully set the wheels in motion for continued research.

After reading this book, patients will be more educated consumers, enlightened to ask questions and choose the best doctor that meets their needs for comprehensive health care. This integrative approach allows patients to receive health care that addresses the entire body.

I commend Suzanne for guiding the readers to consider doctors that are members of ACAM, American college for the Advancement in Medicine.
This organization is an educational forum for doctors who want to expand their knowledge beyond conservative medical school approaches.



Lisa B Hirsch, MD
Newport Women's Health and Wellness
Newport Beach, CA

The mere fact that large drug companies are fighting the FDA on bio identicals is a real good indication that there is something to this material.
Big drug companies are loosing money with the traditional hormones such as premarin which is made from horse urine. And hormones derived from plants which are more identical to our hormones are starting to take the lead and money from them.
I have been reading about bio identicals for some time now, and the drug companies are running scared. When in fact they should stop with the fighting and maybe join with the others and start to research the compounds and manufacturing their own bio identicals.
Suzanne is a true pioneer and knows with the aging baby boomers, we have to look at the aging process differently and shouldnt settle for becoming little old ladies or little old men, like its normal.
We still dont know why things grow old and we know quality of life doesnt improve with age, so finding out how to feel good when we age should be paramount in research. Rather than us just "wearing out our bodies" or "out living our bodies" we should be focusing on retention of feeling good mentally and physically. We dont have to age gracefully, somethings really are worth the fight and Suzanne has struck that nerve.

This review is specifically in response to the comments of some reviewers who express contempt for Ms. Somer's proclaiming to have knowledge about the human body.

Ms. Somers states, over and over again, that one should never attempt to correct one's own hormones, and to seek a qualified medical doctor to assist with any health needs. Who can find fault with that? She is most definitely NOT practicing medicine without a license. She is, however, sharing what she has learned.

What makes these reviewers think that only a doctor or a scientist can learn about medicine or science? We are all capable of learning about medical science- or anything else. It is an arrogant person who believes that you need to have a degree to know what you're talking about, in any field. (you don't need to be a seismologist to know we're having an earthquake!) Ms. Somers uses her celebrity to promote this new and exciting field, with the intention of benefiting all of us. I, for one, and truly grateful for the time and energy she took to educate me.

Here's the TRUTH...

The most profound truth that seems to be still ignored by many practicing internists, gynecologists, and endocrinologists (and the most important part of this book) is stated on page 90 of this book:

"When a woman has a complete hysterectomy, so many doctors make the mistake of prescribing only estrogen. This is a recipe for disaster."

Exactly how and which hormones should be prescribed is still a matter of research but (as a physician practicing many of the techniques described in this book) I've seen so many women go from suffering with fatigue, lack of sex drive, difficulty thinking, depression, anxiety, and weight gain...to "waking up" and feeling energetic, sexual, losing weight, and throwing away their antidepressants...that it is maddening to me that so many gynecologists continue to ignore their own research.

EXAMPLE: Years ago, in OB/GYN (like the New England Journal for gynecologists) the gynecologists published in their own magazine a study showing that women who were started on testosterone immediately BEFORE the hysterectomy (so it would be on board to help with recovery from the operation) recovered from surgery faster, had less pain, and a faster recovery emotionally and sexually than did women who were not on testosterone.

With proper hormone replacement (including testosterone), very good research in OB/GYN shows that women who have hysterectomy for the right reasons will have better sexual relations after the surgery than they had before the surgery.

If I sound like I'm ranting, it's because I am. I see so many women go from feeling miserable to feeling wonderful after the principles described in this book are applied that I find it tragic that too many women get slapped with a pap smear and a prescription for Premarin on the way out the door after their 10 minute visit with the gynecologist (where most of the discussion took place with her talking to her physician looking up from between her legs (spread by the table's stirrups).

One WARNING about the book...
Ms Somers says, "I'm sorry, but the lack of knowledge and insensitivity of doctors who think byat by removing organs unnecessarily, they are protectin women from cancer is truly disturbing! I will not even venture to think that somewhere in this scenario is a financial gain."

Actually, she did venture to think it because she said it. And the truth is that THERE IS FINANCIAL GAIN. But, if doing hysterectomy does prevent cancer, then you want doctors to have financial gain. I want Ms Someers to have financial gain for helping women with this wonderful book that wakes women to the truth about hormones, and also want doctors to have financial gain when they save lives.

Until you take care of a woman in her 30's wasting away in the hospital with ovarian cancer while her children cry at the bedside, it may be difficult to develop a hatred of this sneaky killer disease. Ovarian cancer is notorious for not being found until it's far to late to treat effectively because it has spread to the brain and other parts of the body.

If a woman is near menopause and truly needs a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), then I agree she should probably have an oophorectomy (remove her ovearies) and lose for an entire lifetiem the risk of this horrible cancer rather than keep ovaries that will fail in a few years anyway. The mistake is not in the oophorectomy...the mistake is in improper hormone replacement after the hysterectomy.

So, though I don't find every word of the book to be the best advice, I do recommend that every man and women over the age of 30 read this book carefully and use it as a guide for further discussion with their doctor.

There's a list of physicians in the back of the book. I personally know some of these doctors...as with any other profession, there is a range of quality...

On one extreme, some physicians practice medicine using many of the principles discovered by "anti-aging" research in combination with good sound internal medicine. On the other extreme, there are not-so-qualified physicians who burned out in another specialty who then use the new fad "anti-aging" medicine to be able to drum up business and charge high prices for services that are less than ideal. A good way to grade the physician you use is to ask about ligitimate research that has been conducted and how long he/she has been doing this type of endocrinology/internal medicine.

As for the VOICE: Ms Somers has written several books now about hormone replacement. I've recommended to my patients that they read "The Sexy Years" as a way to understand menopause and how proper and improper hormone replacement might change the body. This book was needed because it goes more directly to some of the medical options available and how they might be combined to live the most healthy energectic life possible. Ms. Somers has the gift of being able to grab more attention to the truth than could any physician and I'm grateful that she's using her position and her labors in writing for the noble work of saving lives rather than in the many other ways a movie star might squander time and money. Thank you, Ms Somers; I'm not a big on paying attention to movie stars turned expert (I haven't had a TV in my house since I left home for college), but you have become a great voice for good medicine and I have come to admire you greatly.

For more help, see the references to reasearch and to other books displayed on my website.

Peace & Health,

[...]

I learned considerable new anti-aging information, from Ageless, although I have read numerous books on this topic. I suspect most physicians would also learn some new information, from this book, which was written, in 2006.

Ageless, contains an abundance of leading edge medical knowledge concerning estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid, DHEA, melatonin, and human growth hormone replacement, breast cancer risks and treatment. Suzanne Somers survived breast cancer and continued on biodentical hormone replacement, while declining chemotherapy. She has researched hormone replacement far more thoroughly, than the "medical reporters," who have dominated media coverage of hormone replacement, with unbalanced, over-sensationalized, misleading articles. I have heard Suzanne Somers speak and she is dynamic, fluid, articulate, knowledgeable, humorous and inspiring.

I was especially impressed with the interviews of T S Wiley and Julie Taguchi, MD. Suzanne Somers conveyed the cancer reduction benefits of extended breast feeding, early and multiple pregnancy more clearly, than Sex, Lies and Menopause. The evidence demonstrating hormone replacement reduced breast cancer deaths thirty percent, while decreasing inflammation, deserves wider publicity.

Some of the physicians interviewed propose monthly cycling of progesterone and estrogen, citing research that monthly cycling, imitating the monthly menstrual period results in beneficial up-regulation of estrogen receptors.

Florida Detox clinical experience verifies bioidentical hormone replacement can produce dramatic reductions of depression, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, migraine and interstitial cystitis. Many chemical dependency relapses are driven by hormonal deficiencies.

Suzanne Somers addresses the strange irony, that many people refuse treatment with safe, natural biodentical hormones, stating it is unnatural to avoid hormonal decline, with aging. Despite their refusal to accept natural hormone replacement therapy, these increasingly unhealthy individuals, willingly accept blood pressure, cholesterol, pain, insomnia and antidepressant medication, angioplasty, coronary bypass, and artificial joint replacement. Natural hormone replacement can reduce or eliminate the need for these medications and surgeries.

The conversational style of the interviews creates a very readable discussion of anti-aging medicine, although it is difficult to find information, using the table of contents.

This book also contains many very clever, funny jokes, regarding aging.
I did detect an apparent typo, where testosterone was said to decrease hemoglobin. Many excellent, books have at least one typo error and indeed it seems almost inevitable, that a lengthy book will contain one. Despite this apparent error, I feel this book easily deserves five stars.


Steven Sponaugle
Research Director, Florida Detox