Sometimes the Cure Is Worse Than the Disease

Sheryl McCarthy mccart731~aol.com

May 29, 2003

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I'm sure glad I went off those hormones. A new study on the effects of hormone replacement therapy on women found that it can actually double one's chances of getting Alzheimer's Disease.

This came as another blow to the pro-hormone camp. For decades doctors recommended hormones to combat the symptoms of menopause and ward off bone disease. But last year the Women's Health Initiative, the same group that did the new study, reported that women taking hormones showed an increase in breast cancer, stroke, blood clots and heart disease.

I've been on, off, back on and finally off the hormones, having concluded that since the negatives seem to outweigh the positives, why bother?

The constant yo-yoing over which drugs, therapies, diagnostic tests and diets are good for us can leave a person totally stressed out. About the worst place to get information about health is from the daily newspaper.

Before hormones, it was mammograms. For years every reputable health organization counseled women over 40 to get regular mammograms to detect early breast cancer: Women between 40 and 50 were to get them every other year, while women over 50 were to have them annually. But a few years ago, scientists began questioning whether the younger women needed mammograms so often, since in that age group they often result in false positive results - leading to unnecessary biopsies. The controversy remains unsolved, but doctors continue to urge us to have regular mammograms.

Last year I saw an orthopedist for chronic knee pain. He diagnosed my condition as osteo-arthritis, or wear-and-tear on the knee cartilage, and recommended arthroscopic surgery, a procedure in which they use a scope rather than a scalpel to trim the torn cartilage. I'd be back at work in a few days, he said. Before I could get a second opinion, a major magazine article appeared: A huge study of the identical knee surgery had concluded that patients who had the procedure felt no better than the patients in a control group who hadn't.

A second orthopedist told me I shouldn't trust the study, since its subjects were all men. So I had the surgery, and three months later my knee is as painful and more wobbly than before. As to whether I'll get better, who knows?

Then there's the ongoing debate between doctors who tell us to take daily vitamin supplements and those who insist that such supplements are worthless. One doctor who was interviewed on a TV talk show told viewers to do themselves a favor and forget the vitamins, and instead take three grams of fish oil every day because it does wonders for the heart.

Of course, the biggest health controversy of late is over which diet we should follow: the low-fat diet the medical establishment has been pushing for decades or the high-fat, low carbohydrate diet of the kind espoused by the late Dr. Robert Atkins. Last year a compelling magazine article appeared, detailing all the reasons why a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet is actually superior. The article made perfect sense; I switched to Atkins and lost seven pounds before I plateaued.

After my knee surgery, I couldn't exercise for months and began to gain weight. I decided to go back on the Atkins Diet. But after losing a few pounds, nothing happened. I studied the Atkins book for clues about what was hindering my weight loss. It wasn't the hormones, since I had already chucked them. Was it the antihistamine I was taking for my allergies? Into the trash can. The book said it could be the anti-inflammatory medicine I was taking for my knees. So I stopped taking that, too, and went back to the previously mentioned fish oil because I'd read it was good for the joints.

Who knows if this new regimen will work? With my history of controversial surgery, a controversial diet and discredited hormones, I envision a future of being crippled, overweight and demented. The truth is no remedy works for everybody. It takes research, talking to the doctors, healthy skepticism, even trial and error, to figure out what works for you.