Confession #4: Evidence and Crazy Talk. Part 1 of 3.

Elizabeth Drewett

Crazy Talk.

I’ve heard that expression before. But when I heard the Newsweek headline about Oprah was entitled “Crazy Talk,” I was scared to read the article.

Why was I scared? You see my own personal experience with bioidentical hormones has made me a huge advocate. When Oprah revealed on national TV that bioidentical hormone therapy had worked for her, I was thrilled! “Maybe Oprah’s support will encourage her viewers to learn more about them,” I thought. “Maybe her media power will help open the closed minds of many traditional doctors…give them a reason to listen when their patients ask questions…”

A week after it was published, I finally mustered up enough courage to read the article. It wasn’t as bad as I anticipated. The article certainly had a negative tone, but it was more about Oprah’s power than bioidentical hormones.

Read the Newsweek Article For Yourself.

The most important thing we can do is think for ourselves. To read the article at Newsweek’s website (“Best Life or Risky Advice?”, Newsweek, published 6/30/09), click here.

The authors, Weston Kosova and Pat Wingert, point a finger at one major issue: Oprah has an unopposed platform to air her views and give credibility to whatever she chooses. That’s true. Oprah’s greatest accomplishment is her media power, through television, radio, print and her website. With that great power comes great responsibility. Mr. Kosova and Mr. Wingert work on the assumption here that Oprah has missed the boat on the responsibility part. And while I might agree with some (or even much) of what they said, I think they “threw the (bioidentical hormone) baby out with the bath water.”

Make Medical Decisions Based On Medical Research and Evidence.

There is definitely controversy on the topic of bioidentical hormones, and plenty of it: controversy between traditional medicine and a more progressive approach to medicine; controversy between drug companies and compounding pharmacists; even controversy between doctors and their patients.

But there is also plenty of research and evidence that supports the use of bioidentical hormones. Loads of it, actually. Spend a little time exploring the Seasons website and you will find numerous links to research articles. I encourage you to read for yourself!

In my next post, I’ll continue with more thoughts on the “Crazy Talk” article.

See you there.