Nexus - 0506 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

The Second World War heralded a major turning point in medi- Something had to be done to salvage such a lucrative market. cine. In the pre-war period, drug companies were mostly small Since unopposed oestrogen was deemed as the cause of endome- businesses primarily concerned with making herbal formulas. trial cancer, the drug companies, acknowledging their misjudge- The emergence of a more sophisticated science after the war ment on prescribing unopposed oestrogen to women with intact would change the face of medicine forever. uteri, attempted to rectify their fiasco by adding a synthetic prog- According to Sandra Coney, author of The Menopause esterone, progestin. It was argued that progestin would protect Industry: "By harnessing the power and prestige of science, med- the uterus from oestrogen's proliferative effects (as is done in icine moved into a new 'modern' era, rendering the ‘healing hands’ nature), although no long-term studies were conducted to prove approach obsolete. Medicine could develop a technocracy in the safety of combining progestin and oestrogen. Thus, hormone which the experts were armed with chemistry and machinery." replacement therapy (HRT)—oestrogen therapy repackaged— The development of synthetic hormones parallels the growth of | made its debut. the drug companies. The creation of the first synthetic oestrogen, However, women were seriously starting to question the use of diethylstilboestrol (better known as DES), shortly followed by the synthetic hormones, so the drug companies had to find a com- discovery of a process which synthesised steroid hormones from pelling reason to lure them back on to hormones. Osteoporosis, a the urine of pregnant mares (the drug is known as Premarin), disease that 77 per cent of women at that time had never even finally brought a cheap source of oestrogen onto the market. heard of, was waiting in the wings. As Sandra Coney points out: The introduction of oral contraceptives in 1960 initiated the "In the interests of rehabilitating HRT, women have been subject- first widespread use of these drugs by women. A few years later, ed to 'a carefully orchestrated campaign’ to advocate oestrogen as in 1966, the menopausal woman became the focus of the ever- a prevention for osteoporosis.""” expanding industry. To transform the public perception of hormones and exonerate The unfortunate myth that all menopausal women would suffer their life-threatening effects, certain pre-conditions had to be cre- total rack and ruin of their bodies and minds without supplemen- ated: the gravity of osteoporosis had to be impressed on them; tation of oestrogen spread like wildfire through the industrialised | women needed to understand that it was 'their' disease; countries. It was a bonanza for the drug companies, as women menopause had to be defined as the primary cause; and women flocked to partake of this supposed ‘fountain of youth’ pill. had to perceive the cancer risk as trivial when measured against Although warnings about oestrogen the benefit. had been made sporadically for near- In the medical literature, osteo- ly 30 years, the rush for profits virtu- porosis was originally seen as prob- ally ignored them. In particular, it "In the 1990s, the reorientation of lem of bones, not women. When was known that oestrone, the form of osteoporosis asa woman's disease looking at hip fracture in terms 0: oestrogen in Premarin, could be asso- effect on the individual and cost to ciated with the development of is complete. It is now mandatory country, men have half as many frac- endometrial cancer. to include osteoporosis asa major tures as women and they are more Sandra Coney writes: "As early as likely to die as a result of fractures 1947, it was reported by a young ‘symptom’ in any discussion of than are women. Yet little is sai researcher at Columbia University, " about men and osteoporosis. The Dr Saul Gusberg, that there was a the menopause. ‘male factor’ was intentionally played steady stream of oestrogen users down because it didn't fit with the requiring diagnostic curettage for redefinition of the condition as a abnormal bleeding. The pathology woman's disease caused by lack of reports from the curettes showed overstimulation of the oestrogen. This strategy was necessary to promote HRT. endometrium." To accomplish this, Ayerst hired a top public relations firm to The bubble burst in 1975 with the publication of a major study market osteoporosis. They had a big job to do. A major promo- in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, which tional campaign was launched, targeting women's magazines. showed that the risk of endometrial cancer increased 7.6 times in Medical experts were marched out to preach the HRT/osteoporo- women using oestrogen. Longer-term users were at even greater sis gospel on radio and TV talk shows. Health workers were risk. Women who used oestrogen for seven of more years were enlisted to mediate the message to consumers and doctors. A dis- 14 times more likely than non-users to develop endometrial can- figured old woman, bent over with 'dowager hump’, was the cer.” shock-tactic symbol of the campaign and effectively struck fear In that same month, figures from the California Cancer Registry into the hearts of women. Comments such as "The invalidation confirmed the findings. Among white women 50 years of age or — which can occur with osteoporosis is far more grave than the over, there had been more than an 80 per cent increase in endome- putative risk of endometrial cancer"'! and "Even if you took trial cancer between 1969 and 1974.8 oestrogen without progesterone, you are 15 times more likely to Evidence of oestrogen's dangers was mounting. Besides die from hip fracture than of endometrial cancer" were used to endometrial cancer, oestrogen was also linked to breast cancer, seduce women back to hormones. ovarian cancer, gall bladder and liver disease, and diabetes. More The drug company-inspired campaign to re-market oestrogen questions were raised about other possible side-effects. with a clean image was stunningly successful. Sandra Coney The drug company Ayerst's rising star, Premarin, started to take notes: "In the 1990s, the reorientation of osteoporosis as a wom- a serious nosedive, and so did the company's profits. There was a ase is complete. It is now mandatory to include osteo- dramatic fall in hormone prescriptions around the world. s a major ‘symptom’ in any discussion of the menopause. Oestrogen use declined by 18 per cent from 1975 to 1976 and by By convincing the public and the medical profession that osteo- another 10 per cent from 1976 to 1977. porosis is a crippling and ‘killing’ disorder and oestrogen the only 22 - NEXUS THE ROOTS OF DECEPTION THE ART OF MANIPULATING PERCEPTIONS the menopause.” OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 1998