Nexus - 0602 - New Times Magazine-pages

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HORMONE REPLACEMENT A Cause of Cardiovascular Disease HORMONE REPLACEMENT A Cause of Cardiovascular Disease The overzealous prescribing of synthetic hormones to menopausal women to protect them against cardiovascular disease is based on faulty data and has caused a rise in heart attack and stroke incidence in these women. edical science has always blamed a woman's physiology for many of her physical and mental health problems. The 'science' of gynaecology had its beginnings in the mid-Victorian era when attitudes to women were at their most bizarre. For instance, it was once thought that the intellectual develop- ment of a woman reduced her reproductive abilities, which was the justification for bar- ring her from access to higher education. The uterus was blamed for many a Victorian woman's medical condition, such as "simple hysterical mania", nymphomania, depression and even the "uncontrollable urge to waltz", which could easily be remedied with a hys- terectomy. Clitoridectomies (the surgical removal of the clitoris) were also a popular practice by Victorian doctors to prevent impairment of health, headaches, attacks of hyste- ria as well as an "undisciplined mind". In the early 1900s, "ovaromania", a form of insanity, was a popular disease of women. It was primarily diagnosed by the presenting symptoms of "unhappiness" or "hysteria" and was often used to label women who were unwilling to carry out household duties or whose husbands found them difficult to control. The solution was simple: removal of the ovaries. By 1906, 150,000 American women had been subjected to this useless form of female castration. The average age was thirty.’ The pathologising of women's natural cycles continued throughout this century. Until the early 1960s, the menopausal woman was diagnosed as suffering from a psychological condition which necessitated treatment with tranquillisers, antidepressants and even insti- tutionalisation. With the arrival of synthetic hormones, menopause moved into the realm of medicine by being redefined as an "oestrogen deficiency" disease. Oestrogen became the drug of choice recommended to free the menopausal women from the "horror of this living decay" that threatened to cause her extreme suffering and incapacity.” Through drug companies' massive advertising campaigns which targeted both medical professionals as well as the public, hormone replacement therapy (HRT, the combination of synthetic oestrogen and progestin) has triumphed as the primary drug treatment for menopausal women. It is recommended not only for alleviating menopausal symptoms but also as a preventive treatment for osteoporosis. Heart disease has now also been added to HRT's ever-expanding role as a miraculous cure-all. Unfortunately, hormone replacement therapy is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening drug treatment. To date, there are no long-term studies demonstrating the absolute safety or even rationales for its many uses. Like the other past "treatments", it leaves in its wake many physically and psychologically maimed women. MENOPAUSE AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE Oestrogen is now being touted by mainstream medicine as a great preventative of car- diovascular disease. It is a major reason why an otherwise healthy menopausal women is prescribed HRT. To understand the issues at hand, it is first necessary to have a better understanding about cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease includes both heart disease and stroke. Stroke, like heart dis- ease, is a vascular disease, a disease of the blood vessels. In both cases, the blood vessels become narrow either through spasm or through atherosclerosis, the narrowing of the arteries that feed the heart; therefore, not enough blood gets to a critical place. In the case of heart disease it is the heart, and with strokes it is the brain. Cardiovascular disease also encompasses high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. by Sherrill Sellman © 1998 Light Unlimited Productions Locked Bag 8000-MDC Kew, Victoria 3101, Australia Telephone: +61 (0)3 9249 9591 Fax: +61(0)3 9855 9991 E-mail: golight@ozemail.com.au Light Unlimited Productions Locked Bag 8000-MDC Kew, Victoria 3101, Australia Telephone: +61 (0)3 9249 9591 Fax: +61(0)3 9855 9991 E-mail: golight@ozemail.com.au NEXUS - 19 by Sherrill Sellman © 1998 FEBRUARY — MARCH 1999