Margaretha Cash This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Natural treatments emerge as hormone alternative

   www.dailybulletin.com/news/art - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/17/2002   Last Visited: 7/17/2002

   "I think the trend is going to go toward natural hormones," said Margaretha Cash, 50, a registered nurse at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. "The study didn't surprise me. When you take synthetic hormones, you run the risk of bad side effects like cancer. It wasn't new news to me."
   
   Cash started taking Estrace and Premarin last December to treat menopausal symptoms until she was encouraged by a friend to try natural hormones instead.
   
   After reading books and scouring the Internet, Cash decided to make the switch six months ago. She now takes Triest, a combination of three estrogens -- estriol, estradiol and Estrone - which is a popular form of bio-identical hormone supplementation.
   
   Bio-identical hormones, also referred to as "natural hormones" are derived from plants and vegetables, like Mexican yams and soy plants. They have few to no side effects, although some studies dispute their effectiveness.
   
   According to Diamond Bar physician Hitendra Shah, bio-identical hormones are a safer alternative to synthetic hormones. Since the molecular structure of a plant-based estrogen is almost identical to estrogen found in the human body, it has few side effects.