info@burtsrx.com
Hormones—it’s only in recent years we’re beginning to understand just how important they are to our overall health. Even the slightest imbalance can produce difficult physical and emotional symptoms that many patients struggle to treat, despite the dedicated help of a trusted physician. Add to this the prevalence of birth control and you end up with a society that’s more dependent on reliable hormones than ever before.
Hormone replacement treatments can be notoriously unreliable. From the way we detect imbalances to the way we treat them, science is only now understanding just how far-reaching the consequences can be. Even when we detect an imbalance, treatment modalities aren’t exact; synthetic hormones produce side effects ranging from bothersome (night sweats) to downright dangerous (blood clots) and some patients just might not respond to certain formulas at all.
The problem may not be hormone treatment or replacement itself; it might be that the human body doesn’t cope well with certain synthetic hormones in the first place if they aren’t bio-identical. There’s an immense amount of confusion, myth, and conjecture surrounding the topic—some of which we hope to ease today by explaining the difference between bio-identical hormones and non-bio-identical hormones.
Synthetic Vs. Organic
Before we discuss bio-identical and non-bio-identical hormones, we must first understand how and where most drugs come from. In pharmaceutical science, drugs can be organic or synthetic.
A synthetic is a drug that scientists create in a lab to either treat a condition or to mimic other, difficult-to-access yet natural substances required by the body.
Organic drugs are sourced from nature and delivered in their natural, preserved state.
The overwhelming majority of the drugs we take for survival and comfort each day are, in fact, synthetic, even if they’re sourced from nature and then tweaked later on. Both synthetics and organics have their place within medicine and pharmacology. Without drugs like antibiotics, vaccines, cardiovascular medications, and hormones, the world would be a much different place.
How do Synthetic Drugs Work?
Most synthetics mimic the molecular structure of pre-existing substances to aid the body in doing what it does naturally already. Sometimes, this is direct; other times, it’s indirect.
Look at penicillin: when we take it to fight infection, it weakens the cellular structure of certain bacteria (in pharmacology, we refer to them as gram-positive bacteria). This gives your body the “leg up” it needs to kick your immune system into high gear so it can fight off the bacteria itself. As your body fights the bacteria, it learns important information about how to fight it next time, potentially improving your chances of beating it before it takes hold when you encounter it again.
Drugs like morphine work in a similar (yet more direct) way; they mimic your natural endorphins by exciting or blocking the same groups of receptors in the brain. Opiates effectively trick your body into believing that you aren’t in pain—very useful when you’re recovering from surgery.
With regard to hormones, synthetics either increase or block the production of certain hormones within the body. Your doctor chooses either approach based on your own personal hormone levels in an attempt to re-balance them to reduce symptoms and make you feel well again.
But the human body is incredibly smart; sometimes it’s too smart. It may fail to recognize the supplemented substance if it isn’t exactly the same in molecular structure, or it may interpret it in a different way that produces undesired effects.
How do Molecular Structure Impacts Effectiveness?
Even tiny changes in molecular structure can alter how your body interprets or reacts to a drug. This fact is especially true when you’re replacing a natural body substance like testosterone or estrogen. Differences in molecular structure can result in the following:
- reduced efficacy
- poor treatment outcomes
- lower bioavailabilities (how much of the drug your body can absorb)
- and even complete lack of efficacy for some patients
Here’s a non-drug example. You’re presented with two people who very much appear to be twins at first glance. The first stands only 5’7” high, while the other stands 6’1” high. Most people will likely recognize them as siblings, but will know that they aren’t twins based on the height difference. You also immediately recognize that you (standing 5’7” yourself) can look the first sibling directly in the eye, while you need to crane your neck upwards in order to look the second sibling in the eye. Without even thinking, your body automatically adjusts itself to compensate for the differences.
This is a bit of an oversimplification, but it is remarkably similar to how your body recognizes structural differences in synthetic drugs. It notices the tiny differences and then adjusts the way it interprets, absorbs, and utilizes them based on those differences.
Bio-identical Hormones Vs. Non-bio-identicals Hormones
So what’s the difference between bio-identicals and non-bioidentical hormones? The first is 100 percent identical to the hormones your own body creates each day. Your body effectively cannot tell the difference between the hormones you make yourself and the bio-identical hormone.
It isn’t always entirely clear why some patients react to non-bio-identical hormones and some don’t. Some patients seem to do just fine either way. A small amount of evidence exists to point out a correlation between bio-identical hormones and better efficacy in a small portion of patients.
While the research is still out, the answer likely has much to do with ease of utilization within the body. The closer scientists can get to the molecular structure of the natural human hormones found in your body, the better the body adapts to and utilizes the substance in the correct way. If it’s identical, your body effectively cannot tell the difference between the synthetic hormone and the hormones your own body produces in the first place. Thus, it should be easier to trick the body into thinking you are producing more estrogen, more progesterone, or more testosterone in the body. Conceptually, this should result in better balance as well as fewer highs and lows.
But that’s only true if the bio-identical hormones are reliable and quality-controlled in the first place.
Is Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy Safer?
This is a tough question to answer in just a few paragraphs. No conclusive research exists at this time to show that bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is necessarily safer and less prone to dangerous side effects than their non-identical cousins. This is perhaps why there is so many myths surrounding bioidentical hormone replacement therapies in the first place. Add to this the fact that many people confuse “natural” with “bioidentical” and you have a recipe for confusion.
Understand that most bio-identical hormones are, in fact, synthetics. They are still compounded or made in a lab, even though they may be sourced from plants or animals, and they’re still hormones–so you’ll still be at risk for the same side effects. It’s also still vital that you take the correct dose at all times.
That said, improved efficacy of a drug is a serious consideration, especially if non-bio-identicals just aren’t working for you. In this instance, trying bio-identical hormoness just might be the right choice. If you experience better efficacy and utilization, that should produce better treatment results, thus keeping you “safer” from your condition. That’s a significant benefit all by itself.
It’s also important to note that only some bio-identical hormones fall under the FDA’s supervision–mostly drugs that are pre-formulated and controlled. If you’re purchasing your bioidenticals custom-compounded, the drugs may not fall under the same legal oversight. This isn’t a problem for most reliable pharmacies, but you should be cautious of ordering your medications from unreliable online pharmacies that provide little information.
If you’re not sure about whether your hormones fall under the FDA’s scrutiny, or even if they’re bioidentical at all, ask your pharmacist to verify it for you. Harvard University’s medical department also has a full list available of the most common bioidentical, FDA-monitored hormones here. Most importantly, always remember that taking bioidenticals should happen in the same way as taking any other medication: under the close supervision of a physician.