Suzanne Somers — Oprah Interview
   by James Occhiogrosso, N.D.

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On Jan 29th, 2009, Suzanne Somers appeared on the Oprah show and discussed her approach to bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. Ms. Somers allowed the show’s camera into her home as she demonstrated the daily regimen she uses to maintain her health.

For many years, Ms. Somers has been a vocal advocate for bio-identical hormones and has written several books — many of which have become best sellers — about her experiences and the benefits she has reaped from them. Thus, while Ms. Somers has little formal education in any of this, the public seems to agree that she is on to something.

While her regimen seems to be working for her, she has many critics in the medical and pharmaceutical communities. Unfortunately, her approach to manipulating hormones is somewhat simplistic and can lead unknowledgeable people down a dangerous path.

Several years ago, Ms. Somers was diagnosed with breast cancer and had radiation therapy as well as some alternative treatments. During an interview, Somers was quoted as saying "The whole time I was lying on that radiation table and I was so sick from it, — I kept thinking, isn't it radiation that gives us cancer? I couldn't get that thought out of my mind."

She now appears to be free of cancer and credits her personal regimen of hormone and vitamin therapy for keeping her that way and away from what she calls “the Seven Dwarfs of Menopause: Itchy, Bitchy, Sleepy, Sweaty, Bloated, Forgetful and All Dried Up.”

While I believe that bio-identical hormone replacement therapy along with vitamin, mineral and nutritional supplementation has significant value — I do not believe that anyone should do this on their own without the guidance of a health professional. I am also not a great fan of using Human Growth Hormone as Ms. Somers mentioned even under the auspices of a health professional. Human Growth Hormone may be valuable in certain circumstances, but I do not believe it is a veritable “fountain of youth”!

Balancing one’s hormones to bring them back to their biological normal ranges can be extremely rewarding, especially if they are seriously out of balance. The best way to do it is to test your levels before starting, and then retest periodically thereafter to make sure you are staying within an acceptable range — and of course — make sure you are only using certified USP bio-identical hormones.
 

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