How HRT affects you gallbladder
The facts continue to bear out my belief that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is one of the most dangerous scams being foisted upon our nation’s women by both Big Pharma and a willing health care community. A new study has revealed yet another potentially devastating health issue that can develop in postmenopausal women who are on HRT regimens: gallbladder disease.
This is merely the latest in a long list of the nasty side effects of HRT, which also includes an increased risk of breast cancer and stroke. This new study analyzed the health data of 1 million British women over the course of six years. The results showed that an incredible 64 percent of the women being administered HRT were more likely to be hospitalized for gallbladder disease.
Bad news, right? Well, the study was quick to point out that just 17 percent of the women were likely to develop gallbladder disease if they were on an HRT that was administered by a gel or a patch – that the bad HRT is the orally taken HRT.
I don’t care what form you take it in – ALL of it is bad news. And yet the doctor who conducted the study, Dr. Bette Liu, a clinical epidemiology at the University of Oxford in England, seems to believe that a lessened risk is a more acceptable risk. “For women who are using HRT, their risk of gallbladder disease is less if they use a patch or gel form of HRT rather than the tablet form of HRT,” she said.
In saying this, Dr. Liu is implying that HRT has an acceptable level of risk. I disagree with this wholeheartedly – especially with HRT’s known track record for causing breast cancer and stroke. Remember: HRT is aimed at dealing with the complaints of postmenopausal women – to relieve hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause. Is this discomfort so extreme that women should be risking cancer, stroke, and blood clots?
It seems like a dangerous game to play – especially when there are so many natural options available to postmenopausal women. For example, vitamins E and C can work wonders to ease hot flashes – the primary complaint.
I’m not a woman, and I can’t speak to the discomfort of menopause, but I can tell you this: if I had a bad headache, and the only treatment for it available to me was a pill that just might give me cancer or a stroke well, I think I’d just go to bed early and ride out the headache.
Aging has enough complications. You don’t need to add to them by taking an HRT.
Pharmaceutical drugs increase the risk of falls
While you’re adding HRT to your list of “Things Dr. D Told Me to Avoid,” don’t put your pen down just yet. The University of North Carolina just published a list of drugs that increase your risk of suffering from a fall.
And believe me, once you get up in years, suffering from a fall can be just as devastating as developing cancer or having a stroke. Statistically, falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries in adults over the age of 65, leading to as many as 300,000 hip fractures every year, as well as countless head injuries. And with statistics showing that most adults take four or more medications at one time, it’s no wonder the numbers are so high.
There are a wide range of medications on the list of drugs that could knock you off balance, from seizure medications and painkillers to common antidepressants like Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Celexa, and others.
These drugs may seem like they’re unrelated, but the one thing they all have in common is that they work to depress the central nervous system. This can cause patients taking these drugs to have significantly slower reaction times, and a decreased level of alertness.
The lead author of the study that led to the published list, Stefanie Ferreri of UNC’s pharmacy school, warned that it’s not just prescription drugs that cause falls, but over- the-counter drugs, too – especially those that make you drowsy.
With this in mind, seniors should ALWAYS consult their doctors about the potential side effects of a drug – especially if it affects motor skills.
