The need for individualized care – why it’s so important to your health and future.

Why You are Unique!

Your fingerprint is unique so why shouldn't your wellness treatment plan also be unique? Read this week's blog post to see the importance of individualized care. The Women's Health Initiative - 20 years later!

“A hard pill to swallow.” That’s what the headline read on the frontpage of the San Diego Union Tribune on July 21, 2002. Millions of women had been on combined hormone therapy (HT) and now this revolutionary study called the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), claimed that HT increased breast cancer, stroke and heart attacks.

This was a severe shock to both the medical community as well as my patients so I quickly held a seminar to help clear the confusion about. the study. Little did I know that over 300 women were going to attend at the overflowed Scripps Memorial Conference Center in Encinitas.

I was quoted in the  article published on July 21, 2002 where I emphasize that each woman should be treated individually and “the risk of hormone replacement therapy will vary from woman to woman, depending on factors such as lifestyle and genetics.”

Now it’s been 20 years since the publication of this study and I still believe that this decision should be individualized. Each woman needs to make her own decision regarding the pros and cons of hormone therapy with the help of an informed menopause specialist.

What have we learned about the WHI study over the past 20 years?

We’ve learned that the WHI had many limitations and was flawed. A lot – but much of this new

information is not commonly available. Here are a few reasons why the study was flawed:

• The study claimed it was based on a sample of healthy women in their late forties and early fifties who were just entering menopause.​

• The average age of menopause in the United States is 51 years, but the average age of the women in the study was 63 years – 12 years past the time of menopause. Only 10 % of the population in the study were between 50 -55 years old with 70% between 60 – 79 years of age. Age increases the risk of atherosclerotic plaques and women with well-established risks for heart disease were NOT excluded from participating in the study.​

• Approximately 70% of the women were seriously overweight and 50 % were obese.​

• Nearly 50% were either current or past smokers​

• More than 35% had been treated for high blood pressure.​

• According to many experts, “Data from the Women’s Health Initiative that included predominantly overweight women aged 63-71 have reported to show more harm than benefit; the rush to generalize these studies to all women and all menopausal HT regimens is unjustified.”

P.S. Join me live on Wednesday, July 13th at 5:30 pm PST! If you're wanting more tips on navigating weight loss, hormonal health, menopause, and more, RSVP here! 

-          In health and happiness