OK, I have to admit that I haven’t seen Dr. Phil’s show on bioidentical hormones yet, but I thought I’d pass along the positive review put out by the International Association of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP). They have an excellent advocacy website dedicated to ensuring that compounded medications, especially bioidentical hormones remain available in the U.S. Check out their website called P2C2 at (Patients and Professionals for Customized Care) at www.savemymedicine.org.
Here’s the review:
An entire show dedicated to bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) aired Tuesday, April 21 on the “Dr. Phil” TV show. Dr. Phil’s wife, Robin McGraw, is a strong advocate for BHRT and has used compounded hormones for many years. IACP member Jim Hrncir of Las Colinas Pharmacy in Texas has been the McGraws’ personal pharmacist for 20+ years.
To view clips and read more about the show, visit http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/1263.
Show Recap
The show was entirely positive and educational about the subject of compounded hormones. Entitled “What’s Hormones Got to Do With It?”, the show also featured Dr. Prudence Hall and several patients suffering from various menopause symptoms.Dr. Hall, a gynecologist focusing on functional medicine, gave an insider’s perspective on the diagnostic process for women suffering from menopause. Hall analyzed the hormone levels of a patient who suffered 12 years before seeking relief. Upon being prescribed BHRT, this patient reported her energy level became constant throughout day, her sex drive increased, her moods leveled out and she had uninterrupted sleep for the first time in years. The patient reflected, “I can live my life the way I want to live it. I feel marvelous.”
Dr. Phil interviewed several other patients who were experiencing severe menopausal symptoms, including a 33-year-old patient going through perimenopause and another female patient who also happened to be an emergency room physician. This physician reiterated how medical school training does not adequately prepare doctors to prescribe medications that are not mass produced and commercially available. Although she is a physician herself, she had never heard of pharmacy compounding or compounded medications until she was prescribed BHRT.
The show did an excellent job portraying the patient-physician-pharmacist triad, emphasizing that each patient should work with their prescriber to determine the customized, individualized prescription that is right for them. Hrncir and Dr. Hall both reiterated how bioidentical hormones mimic a woman’s naturally-occurring hormones, something synthetic hormones derived from horses cannot do. “You can’t improve on nature,” concluded Dr. Hall.
More Information
View clips and read more about this episode on the “Dr. Phil” Web site.
http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/1263Read more about compounding pharmacist Jim Hrncir.
http://www.drphil.com/slideshows/slideshow/5104/?id=5104&showID=1263To order a transcript of the show from the “Dr. Phil” Web site, click on the “Tapes/Transcripts” link under the video preview.
http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/1263Find a compounding pharmacist near you.
http://www.iacprx.org/site/PageServer?pagename=lookup_survey
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the show – please post.
Thank you and live well!
I agree but I also think there is a disurbing subtext related to the anti-aging aspects of bio-identicals. You can read more about what I am thinking here.
http://www.menopausetracker.info/2009/04/bhrt-meets-beauty-spa/
This is a somewhat modified and edited version of what I emailed to my doctor right after the show. To say I was disappointed in how the subject was presented would be an understatement:
The show presented women who were “suffering” and were “saved” by Robin taking them to her physician, Prudence Hall of the Hall Center in Santa Monica. After seeing tapes of the women draped on their couches, sticking their heads in the freezer, sighing deeply, and tossing and turning in bed (because they couldn’t sleep) Dr. Hall told them that they were suffering from hormone deficiencies (she seemed to speak to each patient like she was a three year old). In the next shot, the women were introduced to come out on the stage, they hugged Dr. Phil and Robin, and gushed and told them how Robin’s book “saved their lives”. Dr. Phil spoke to their husbands in the audience about how it must be wonderful to “have their old wives back” (wink, wink).
Only a couple passing mentions were made to thyroid levels (one segment was about thyroid cancer). I can already see it coming, the message board for the show will be filled with women having questions and complaints about how nothing was covered on how to find a doctor who specializes in BHRT, what does it cost (if I were watching this for the first time, I would immediately assume only wealthy women could afford this, unless Robin “saved them” and took them by the hand to her own doctor). I went on the Dr. Phil show message board and politely explained (several times, I honestly think many of the people posting on the boards never took the time to even look at other people’s posts, some of which were quite detailed, insightful and informative) that BHRT is something that, with some careful budgeting, many women would find they could afford the costs involved. In these tough economic times, money is an issue for most of us, and I think the show did BHRT a disservice by not taking at least one segment to explain an average of costs, how the money spent on BHRT is in fact, the most important investment you will ever make (as it will pay returns many fold as a better quality of life, and overall, decreased medical costs over the long run.)
They wasted time right off the bat going on about how when Robin entered menopause she called her husband and children together to explain to them “what Mom was going through” and to make it “a family affair”. Her sons Jay and Jordan appeared briefly during all this. Oh, for heaven’s sake, give me a break! Robin then went on to tell everyone who we should embrace the changes that accompany menopause and see it as a positive experience. Even when they did get to the symptoms, it was what most women already know (if they’re living on this planet, anyway): the mood swings, hot flashes, disrupted sleep, tiredness, irritability. Either little or no mention was made of how hormones can help with restless leg syndrome, protects against cardiovascular disease, reduce the change of Type 2 diabetes, BHRT goes way beyond some inconveniencing symptoms.
Of course, when they got to the testosterone for women, Robin had to inject on how it made your hair and skin so much better—–it does, but that’s not why I am taking it—-it’s helped tremendously to build muscle tissue in my back.
They did one segment on “the male menopause” and not once did they call it by it’s proper medical term of andropause. I find that quite odd.
In every segment, no matter what the subject, they show shots of Robin posing for pictures for the cover of her book and for promotional distribution. That was time wasted that I think could have been used in much better ways.
It gets better—-near the end of the show, they had a woman DOCTOR (ER physician) sitting next to Robin, telling her how she had NEVER heard of bioidentical hormones, nor had she ever heard of a compounding pharmacy, until she saw Robin appearing on Ophah, and how it was a perfect example of “how even a doctor can learn from you”. The doctor called her ob/gyn for the bioidenticals, started taking them (didn’t say what and in what doses), and had bad side effects, so now she has gone back to synthetics. Robin and Dr. Phil to the rescue again, Robin is taking the doctor (her name is Natalie) to Dr. Hall’s Center——-I smell a follow up show coming soon.
The last segment just about threw me over the edge, it was Robin telling women about “taking care of themselves”, including “always having a pair of lightweight pajamas on hand for those night sweats”. She then (to much wild applause) told everyone in the audience they were getting a free pair of her favourite cotton pjs. Next, her “little bedtime ritual” always includes a cup of hot tea—-and everyone gets a free box of “Sleepytime” tea (more applause). Oh, it gets better, everyone got a free portable fan, and a free copy of Robin’s book “What’s Age got to do with it?”
I wish the Dr. Phil Show, Oprah, and whatever other show on national television would see is that the subject of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is too important an issue to be used as a vehicle for promoting a book, a pair of pretty pajamas, or whatever. These shows can be a wonderful tool for getting the word out about BHRT, but I think women can be better educated on the subject by a panel of doctors (on both sides of the issue), a compounding pharmacist (there was one on the show and he provided more information than anyone else), and some patients who have successfully taken BHRT for a number of years (or at a minimum, months) who can concisely articulate their success stories. I would also like to see a show addressing the cost of health care in this country period, with at least a segment laying out the facts about the financial aspects of BHRT.
We also asked people to respond to the Dr. Phil show, and we received several response. To see what they said you can click here:
http://bioidenticalhormoneexperts.com/2009/04/21/dr-phil-asks-whats-hormones-got-to-do-with-it/