INDEX TO PAST COLUMNS
October, 1997
...the drug companies have enough doc's convinced; and Premarin is the number one sellling prescription drug.
If you have a question for Dr. Ruth, send it to us in an e-mail message,
and we'll forward it to her.
Wild Yam Supplement & Women's Health
Dr. Ruth Responds to question regarding wild yam supplement
My
question concerns information on the wild yam supplement
and its ramifications to the health of women. I would
appreciate any information you could give me concerning
the pros and cons . . . hormone replacement etc.
I've got a
whole chapter in my next book on natural progesterone, a
source of which is wild yams. In fact, this comes up on
my radio show fairly often, always generating many
questions.
In a nutshell, most physicians are putting peri- and post- menopausal women on estrogen (PreMarIn - PREgnant MARe's urINe) because they think that's the best way to lower a woman's risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. We know, of course, that this is not true, the best way being a vegan, low fat diet and vigorous exercise. But the drug companies have enough doc's convinced; and Premarin is the number one sellling prescription drug.
To offset the increased risks of cancer, they also prescribe progestins, a very phony, far cry from natural progesterone, and now the drug companies have millions more dollars to be made from ANOTHER prescription. Another problem, many if not most physicians confuse progestins with progesterone.
Now, the marketing wheels have geared up and in natural food stores, you can find a whole range of wild yam supplements, creams, dosages, etc. So you need to know which ones have the right kind and the right amount of progesterone. A bigger problem presents because the companies have to skirt the FDA regulations, which, if it knew that women were buying hormones over-the-counter in therapeutic doses, they'd try to put a stop to it right away. Therefore, you'll never see dosages on the label, and the poor customer is left in the dark. I do have a brand that I know is good and recommend.
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