Dearest: Steven F. Hotze, M.D., Founder of the Hotze Health and Wellness Center, enables his patients to enjoy a better quality of life by helping them achieve and maintain health and wellness naturally by focusing on bio-identical hormone replacement, chronic yeast overgrowth, bio-identical thyroid hormone supplementation, adrenal fatigue, the treatment of airborne and food allergies, vitamin and mineral supplementation and nutrition.
Dr. Hotze has appeared on hundreds of radio shows discussing his blockbuster new bestseller Hormones, Health and Happiness: A Natural Medical Formula for Rediscovering Youth with Bioidentical Hormones. He's also recently appeared on the CBS Early Morning Show and CNN's American Morning.
Dr. Hotze says, "If You're Sick and Tired of Being Sick And Tired, It's Time To Get Your Life Back!"
It's a pleasure to welcome you to Power Surge, Dr. Hotze.
Steven Hotze, M.D.: It's great to be here - thank you, Dearest!
Dearest: The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Study, abruptly halted in 2002, seemed to make little difference in the advertising of the infamous PremPro duo (Premarin and progestin). They're advertising as though nothing happened, as though we've learned nothing from the WHI Study. Is it a matter of now that the initial "scare" is over, we continue as usual and the very significant results of the WHI Study have been set aside? In my experience with women during their menopausal years, little seems to have changed in the way their doctors handle their menopausal issues. Would you kindly share your thoughts on this issue?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: The WHI was a study of the pharmaceutical companies and their counterfeit hormones. The hormones which were studied in women were not biologically identical to naturally occurring female hormones. As you are well aware, serious adverse consequences resulted from the use of counterfeit hormones specifically, increased risk of breast cancer, pulmonary embolism, heart disease, strokes and blood clots. Pulmonary embolism is caused by blood clots transported to the lungs.
Wyeth, the maker or Premarin and PremPro, has not taken their drugs off the market but instead offers them in a lower dose which I now call PremPro Light. It's like taking a little lower dose of poison - it doesn't kill you as fast.
The drug companies have no intention of offering safe, effective and natural preparations for the treatment of women's health problems in midlife. The natural preparations that are available are bioidentical hormones. They are natural only in the sense that they are the same, identical molecules that a woman's body normally makes.
Premarin is a "natural hormone" according to Wyeth Pharmaceuticals but it's not natural to humans. Premarin contains numerous horse estrogens which do not exist in women's bodies. Premarin is a great preparation for mares in midlife but not for humans.
Dearest: What is the reason that bioidentical hormones can't be patented?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Bioidentical hormones occur in nature and therefore cannot be patented. You cannot patent naturally occurring substances such as oxygen. Since they can't be patented, the drug companies are not interested in offering them.
Steven Hotze, M.D.: A patented drug, which is not available in nature, allows a company to put it's own proprietary ingredients into it. Then no one else can make that drug. This allows drug companies to generate enormous profits at the expense of the American public. No one else but the developing company can make that drug.
Dearest: Thank you, Dr. Hotze.
Dr. Hotze, women going through menopause often experience exacerbated allergies, new allergies, and a host of respiratory problems such as wheezing, coughing, sometimes finding it hard to breathe. Many people don't realize that histamine levels are affected by hormone levels. Women can develop wheezing, coughing and a host of respiratory problems. Can these symptoms besides the typical hot flashes and night sweats be alleviated with bioidentical hormones?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: The answer is YES! As an allergist I noticed that many women presented to me in midlife - 30s, 40s and 50s. They complained that they recently developed allergies, asthma and upper respiratory infections. This also happens after childbirth, hysterectomy, and menopause. It was obvious that there was a hormonal component to their allergies.
Once I discovered bioidentical hormones and began to use them in treatment. Our women patients discovered greater relief with these bioidenticals than they had with standard treatment. We can neutralize women's allergies with a weak dilution of progesterone.
Dearest: Thank you, Dr. Hotze... by the way, why did you write this book?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: My book has been written for every woman in America who has been made to feel, by her physician, that she was a hypochondriac, neurotic or hysterical.
This book will educate you on the common problems that women experience at midlife: hair loss, weight gain, brain fog, poor sleep, depressed moods, mood swings, sluggish bowels, headaches, loss of romantic moods (libido). These problems are all caused by a decline in naturally occurring hormones: sex hormones, thyroid hormones and adrenal hormones.
Women have 4 choices
- Do nothing (bad choice)
- See your doctor and be put on antidepressants and drugs
- Have them put you on counterfeit hormones which have been proven to cause breast cancer
- Do something normal - use hormones that are natural and replace them as they were when you were younger.
A simple analogy to understand the need for bioidenticals: when it gets hot in the summer and there's no rain, the grass wilts. If we want the grass and flowers to be vibrant again, we add water and the plants look good again. That's the natural thing to do.
It's the same in out bodies. When our hormone decline, our bodies shrivel.
LilysGarden: What are the natural sources of hormones for us?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: A hormone is natural only if it is biologically identical to what our own body makes. These bioidentical hormones require a prescription and are prepared by a compounding pharmacist.
Phytoestrogens are not biologically identical to what our body makes and are not substitutes for bio-identical hormones. Our bodies do not convert phytoestrogens into bioidentical hormones. Bioidentical hormones are derived from yams in soy and are chemically formulated in the lab to match our own hormones. It would not matter if they were made from concrete - it is important that they are identical to our own hormones.
Dearest: Your book, "Hormones, Health And Happiness" has excellent information about bioidentical hormones. You say in your book, "One common result of female hormonal imbalance is hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function, which weakens the immune system and can trigger allergies, chemical sensitivities and recurrent infections during midlife. Adrenal insufficiency often accompanies low thyroid function, worsening the problems of low energy, impaired immunity and allergies." Can you elaborate on this, please?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: You already have!
Dearest: Oh, well :)
Steven Hotze, M.D.: You are exactly right, Dearest.
Dearest: Let me rephrase it....
Seeing as how hypothyroidism symptoms often mirror peri and postmenopausal symptoms, how common is it for midlife women to have hypothyroidism without knowing it -- and why do so many narrow-minded mainstream doctors look simply at basic TSH results for thyroid disorders, rather than doing a full thyroid panel for T3, T4, etc.?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Mainstream physicians are trained to evaluate mainly blood tests to evaluate hypothyroidism. In my clinical judgement, this is wrong. Hypothyroidism is a common occurrence and I should say an almost universal occurrence in women in midlife. It is easily evaluated by taking a complete history.
At my center in Houston, my physicians are trained to diagnose hypothyroidism based on history and we treat with Armour Thyroid instead of the more traditional thyroid hormones such as Synthroid.
Dearest: So, the bottom line is not to automatically assume that all symptoms during perimenopause are caused by perimenopause, yes?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: It's a combination of various hormonal declines in the adrenal hormones, thyroid hormones and sex hormones. They all work together synergistically. Each should be replenished as a woman marches through her menstrual life.
Dearest: Can you talk to us about adrenal fatigue?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Adrenal fatigue is caused by a decline in the natural production of cortisol. This is our body's natural hormone for chronic stress. As we age, our adrenal output of cortisol declines.
The stress of women (and men) in midlife or raising a family, raising a husband, recurrent headaches and all the problems of midlife put additional stress on the adrenals and they become fatigued.
Pixiegirl: Is natural Phytoestrogen cream a bio-identical hormone or is this something else, and does it have the same effect as the phytoestrogens in soy? Is this a natural way to help reduce menopausal symptoms? You may have already answered part of this question above.
Steven Hotze, M.D.: No. Phytoestrogen is not a bioidentical human hormone. It may provide some women a modicum of relief from menopausal symptoms but it lacks the full benefits of the bioidentical hormones. I have a chapter in my book specifically on bioidentical hormones which should be read so that you can understand the difference between bioidenticals, counterfeit and plant hormones.
1955d: I am 49. My perimenopause started this past year. I have some sleep apnea and waking with air hunger like I can't breath. It's very scary. Is this a symptom?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Yes. Sleep apnea is a classic sign of hypothyroidism.
1955d: That's a relief. Thank you.
SandyE: Why are doctors so ready to give a prescription for antidepressants, but refuse to admit that thyroid can be an actual problem? And why are they so freaked over Armour thyroid? I had one Endo tell me that my Armour thyroid was poison, and that people wanted Cocaine to be legalized too! heheh. Are all doctors this narrow minded?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: If they're men, usually yes. Antidepressants, in my clinical opinion, should be eliminated and banned. They're poison and cause a host of side effects in people who take them. Antidepressants are addictive, contrary to everything the drug companies and doctors tell you.
What a woman should do if a doctor treats her like a hypochondriac is to move on. If businesses treated women the way doctors do, they would go out of business. If your local restaurant treated their customers the way most doctors treated their patients, they would go out of business quickly.
RSGreen: I heard you say that women are greatly underserved by the medical community. Can you tell us how to talk to our doctors about perimenopause, when they don't seem to know much about it? Why don't they know more?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: The medical curriculum for many years have been directed by men. In speaking to thousands of women over the years, I find that men don't understand women because they don't have the same hormones. They don't have cycles or give birth.
Women on the other hand have a good understanding of men. The reason most men don't understand women is that they don't listen to women and what they have to say.
Find a doctor - male or female - who is willing to listen to you and is willing to be taught. If they won't listen - fire them!
MsJen: Do the change of hormones within the body alter/change/cause more spider veins in the legs? I've noticed them more now than pre-kids. But I do think I have one pre-kiddo. What do you suggest?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: It's called aging. It's caused by gravity. Everything just pools and the veins expand.
ll1816: In terms of progesterone cream, which plant source, yams or soy, is a bio-identical replacement?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Progesterone is derived from a plant source but the plant is not bioidentical itself. Neither of these plants contains human estrogens.
Dearest: However, for clarification purposes, natural estrogen bioidentical hormones can be made from yams and/or soy?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Progesterone is derived from a plant source but the plants do not contain bioidentical hormones. Both human progesterone and human estrogens can be chemically formulated from diosgenin which is found in yams and soy.
BarbaraJJ: Since hormones fluctuate and hormone tests are just a snapshot in time, how do we know what hormones we need to replace and how much?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: A physician with clinical experience in natural hormone replacement has enough knowledge and clinical experience to know what dose of hormones to place a woman on. Often they will also check age, size and symptoms.
Quick2Start: My 26 year old daughter has been prescribed bio-identical progesterone, will this have any adverse affects on her in later life?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: If given in the proper dose and should have only positive effects and will save her from from many symptoms as she goes through her menstrual life.
Snowmoon-56: I had my thyroid removed (Cancer) and I feel awful now with peri-menopause. My TSH can be 5. at one lab and .29 at the next (same dose of Synthroid). Can I use Armour with my history? My endo says NO!
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Of course you can use Armour thyroid. In my opinion, it is the safest kind to use. We have treated 8,000 patients at the Hotze Health & Wellness Center with Armour.
Endocrinologists have been indoctrinated by the pharmaceutical companies to use the counterfeit preparations which, in my experience, are very ineffective in the treatment of thyroid disorders.
Rendy: 2 questions please: There are other synthetic hormones besides Premarin. What are they made of? Do bioidentical hormones have less of a risk of breast cancer and are there any studies that support this?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Yes, there are others besides Premarin. Numerous other counterfeit hormones, too many to list. If you buy your hormones from a retail outfit such as Walgreens you are most likely going to buy counterfeit hormones.
Bioidentical hormones are only available at compounding pharmacy. They do require a prescription. Progesterone deficiency dramatically increases the risk of breast cancer and other cancers as written in the Johns Hopkins Public Health article in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 1981.
Dearest: When you talk about progesterone, are you referring also to natural progesterone creams?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Progesterone is progesterone - in cream, pills, troche, any form. We use, at our center, slow-release capsules for the last 8 years. That has proven to be very effective.
Dearest: This is micronized progesterone, yes?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Yes, it is micronized progesterone.
Gelgirl: Is estradiol b 17 gel from France safe to use alone if had an hysterectomy? Can it cause allergies?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Estrogen dominance, in women, will have a predisposition to allergies.
Isabella_mcpherson: What is the most important thing I should know about my hormones?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Hormones are the chemical messengers made by glands in our bodies that tell our bodies what to do, when and how.
To stay healthy, you have to replenish your hormones to an optimal range.
Dearest: Dr. Hotze, in closing, what is the single most important thing you'd wish to convey to women at midlife?
Steven Hotze, M.D.: Replenish your hormones with bioidentical hormones so that you can enjoy the best possible quality of life as you age.
Dearest: Dr. Hotze, thank you for joining us in Power Surge tonight to discuss your new bestseller "Hormones, Health and Happiness: A Natural Medical Formula for Rediscovering Youth with Bioidentical Hormones" and the excellent information and strategies we can utilize to improve our quality of life. Visit Dr. Steven Hotze's Web site at: http://www.hotzehealth-wellness.com.
Steven Hotze, M.D.: It was wonderful being here - thank you so much for inviting me, Dearest. It was a great privilege to be here. For more information you can log on to my radio program in Houston and you can listen at www.ksevradio.com - Health and Wellness Solutions.
