Q & A With Womens Healthcare Specialist, Jesse Hanley, M.D.
You are an American-trained physician specializing in women's wellness. Why do you
incorporate Eastern medicine into your practice? How does this approach benefit
women, specifically?
"I was a sick kid myself. Western medicine didn't work for me. I had to look
beyond what it offered in 1950s, `60s and `70s. So, I became involved in natural
healing. I became a vegetarian, studied yoga and hands-on healing systems- which
made me well. Empassioned with the idea that I could help myself get well, to the
point of going back to school to learn about human biology and endocrinology, I met
a woman who insisted I become a doctor. She went on to become the first female surgeon
to do liver and kidney transplants. Although medically, her work is the polar opposite
to mine, she remains my precious friend.
"Chinese medicine is in itself very feminine in that it focuses on nourishing
and strengthening. Eastern medicine sees the subtleties, weaknesses and tendencies.
It understands the rhythms and patterns of what's happening in the body before a
disaster hits. It's wonderful because, with the tools of Eastern Medicine, we can
intercede before the point at which Western Medicine would step in.
"Interestingly enough, there are some conditions that seem to respond better
to Eastern medicine, such as arthritis, HDX, pelvic pains, irregular periods, fertility
problems, ovarian cysts, and even fibroids. The reason is that Chinese medicine nourishes
the organs back to balance. Eastern techniques, such as acupuncture, are so valuable
because they realign the body's energy and supports its systems. Chinese medicine
de-stresses and strengthens these systems.
"In 1979, while I was in medical school at the University of Illinois, I came
out to UCLA to formally study Chinese medicine and acupuncture. At this time, there
was no training for Western physicians to integrate Eastern modalities into their
work. When I was there, UCLA had just begun to develop programs in Eastern medicine
for Western physicians. When I went back to Illinois, I started using the Eastern
techniques in the ward-no one had ever seen anything like it."
What is PMS? What are the symptoms?
"Pre-Menopause Syndrome, or PMS, is a constellation of symptoms that occur before
a woman's menstrual cycle and are resolved by the end of menses (bleeding). The symptoms
may differ for every woman, but include water retention, mood swings, mania, depression,
rage, anger, food cravings, headache, menstrual pains and cramping."
What is peri or pre-menopause? What are the symptoms?
"What we now know in Western civilization about a woman's reproductive cycle
is quite different than in tribal societies where the environment and natural diets
differ. Sometimes, as early as the age of 30, a Western woman's ovaries can start
creating hormonal imbalances that become menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes,
night sweats, emotional upset, anxiety, etc. However, the age and symptoms vary depending
upon genes, diets and lifestyle. The symptoms become known as 'peri-menopause' because
they occur at a time clso enough to the average age of onset for Menopause, which
is usually 50-ish."
What is menopause? What are the symptoms?
"The word literally means 'no menses for 13 moons.' This is the time of a woman's
life when hormones called FSH and LH, rise and stay up while estrogen and progesterone
decline. FSH and LH run the cycling of a woman's ovaries. During her reproductive
years, LH and FSH cause the cycling of estrogen and progesterone. These hormones,
produced by the pituitary, cycle causing ovulation and menstruation. When a woman's
ovarian production declines, FSH and LH levels rise and menstrual cycles and ovulation
end. The most common age of onset is 50 these days. This definition, however, isn't
exact for today's times. Because estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) is so common
now, women keep menstruating at an age when their bodies naturally would have ceased.
"What's interesting is that a HUGE percentage of women don't experience any
menopausal symptoms. I've had women call me to say their period stopped two years
ago and they feel just fine. And, most sadly, the pharmaceutical industry has doctors
and the media so duped, that women are often being prescribed estrogen replacement
therapy when they don't even have menopausal symptoms. There's no reason to take
ERT when you have no menopausal symptoms!
"The most common symptoms, hands down, are hot flashes and night sweats. And,
I don't think they're all bad, per se. As a matter of fact, hot flashes seem to burn
fat! However, when a woman can't sleep at night and begins to lose her sense of wellness,
these symptom are getting out of hand. Hot flashes are, otherwise, a normal and desirable
initiation into emerging wise-womanhood.
"Other symptoms are largely emotional: Depression, anxiety, and often emotional
scars that come up from the past. What women don't realize is that during this time,
we need to take time to honor and process these issues so we can truly become a wise
woman. During menopause, the closet of our life begins to open. Our history comes
up for re-evaluation, things that we spent years trying to forget. When FSH rises,
we gain access to our inner history. Unfortunately, our culture tells us something
is wrong because we aren't the same as we used to be, when in fact we are gaining
initiation into wise womanhood."
What is the most commonly prescribed treatment for symptoms of PMS, pre-menopause
and menopause? What do you prescribe that is different?
"The most common prescription is somewhere between something and nothing: Tranquilizers,
birth-control pills and anti-depressants are often given for PMS. Estrogen replacement
therapy for menopause. I often see women who have been misdiagnosed and given estrogen
prematurely-I can hardly believe how often this happens!
"I do something different, because PMS is simply a SIGN that the body is out
of balance. As a matter of fact, PMS provides a wonderful chance for women to learn
to take care of their own body. I teach my patients how to listen to the body before
symptoms turn into an emergency that can only be corrected with surgery or drug therapies.
"I talk with women about their lifestyle and how it fits into nurturing their
bodies to health. Everyone is different. However, I recommend whole foods whenever
possible, lots of vegetables, high fiber foods and whole grains. Diminishing a woman's
exposure to pesticides and herbicides makes a huge difference also-these chemicals
disturb her hormones.
"Also, I ask that women choose organic foods that not only are chemical free,
but are a huge percentage more nutritious than conventionally grown foods. Some conventionally
grown vegetables, for example, are so nutritionally exempt, that they barely even
serve the body as fiber. Milk products should also be reduced, because they carry
animal hormones and pesticides that encourage an overproduction of human estrogen
when we consume them. I put my patients on multiple vitamins with B6 and magnesium.
I often use Chinese herbs and teas and prescribe natural progesterone, such as Eternal Woman Body Balancing Crème if needed. Oh, and
exercise is SO important. I've met women who only have to exercise and they lose
all bothersome symptoms of PMS or menopause. Yes, and very important: get rid of
sugar!"
Why is estrogen replacement therapy so controversial? What are your views?
"It's simple: We have discovered that when estrogen is ingested, alone, it dramatically
increases a woman's chances of contracting cancer. We've realized that estrogen alone
is a carcinogen.
"Estrogen therapy is controversial because estrogen's job in the body is to
stimulate the growth of glands. Estrogen only does its job properly when working
in tandem with it's natural teammate: Progesterone. In addition to this internal
chaos, the environmental chemicals that we find in foods, micro-waved plastic, the
atmosphere, pesticides and herbicides, masquerade as estrogen in the body. But, those
'false' estrogen molecules are not really what our body recognizes and utilizes appropriately.
We know this has been going on for quite some time, but it's only now that physicians
are beginning to honor the literature that's been mounting for decades. There's an
interesting book, written by Theo Colburn, titled Our Stolen Future, that discusses
the damage being done to humans by environmental chemicals.
"And, it's not just women's ovaries that being damaged by environmental factors
and gratuitously over- prescribed drugs for every seeming malady. Testosterone levels
in men today are 50% of their grandfathers! The world is experiencing massive fertility
problems. Medical schools can't produce enough oncologists to treat the population's
escalating cancer rate. It's truly shocking.
"Back to Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT). Another problem is that all of
the synthetic hormones used in ERT do not match their natural human counterparts.
They are elements that have never existed in the human body-ever. I've heard that
the most commonly used estrogen in females has 49 Equine-estrogens in it. These have
never been seen in the human body. They are not normal to human beings. They are
for horses!
"Now - if a doctor balances estrogen hormones with progesterone, they use a
synthetic also. The balance of the good effects are compromised by the fact the the
progesterone is not natural. This increases the likelihood of blood clots, depression,
migraines and stroke. And, it is recently been shown that synthetic progesterone,
unlike natural ones, lead to bone loss and possible osteoporosis.
"I believe that when menstruating women take birth control pills, which suppress
a woman's natural hormone production, this is the cause of the epidemic in osteoporosis
[bone loss] that so many women in this country are experiencing. I think, that in
general, we want to work with our bodies to make the healthiest body we can, not
to suppress our natural functions. If I can help women to have normal, rhythmic cycles,
become healthy and learn to honor their processes of change, why wouldn't I prefer
to do just that?"
In place of synthetic ERT, you often prescribe natural progesterone cream. Does it
work for everyone?
"Nothing works for everyone, but 90 percent of women experience moderate to
divine results. The effect highly depends on the lifestyle changes they make with
it. How many women are truly willing to look into the part of their life that's not
working? The truth about human beings is that our bodies, emotions and minds are
completely connected. What begins as dust particles of emotions swept under the rug,
become bumps-sometimes, literally, bumps of cancer. This concept is especially significant
for younger women. They must avoid burning out their bodies and hormones before they
hit menopause. Working women, especially, need to learn to support their bodies'
natural rhythms and order, instead of reacting when they have already been hurt.
The old adage: 'we are what we eat' is 100% true. Women who care for themselves and
have an understanding of their bodies in their 20's, 30's and 40's will have much
easier transition into menopause.
Conversely, however, a few women can trash their bodies for years and then have no
menopausal symptoms at all. But why chance it? Why live against nature, instead of
with it? Why heighten your risks for cancer? Heart disease?
"I am always looking for safe, healthy, nourishing and supportive solutions
for my patients. There is no medical literature that proves that drugs like Premarin
and Provera are safe. As a matter of fact, birth control pills have never proven
to be 100% safe. In the past, it was believed that ERT helped to strengthen bones,
when in fact, we've now found the opposite to be true. Any study, any statistic,
must be studied carefully, as it will prove itself to both extremes - the validity
solely depends upon the company that paid to underwrite the research.
"Natural progesterone was researched in the 1950's by a gynecologist named Catherine
Dalton. She found that pre-menstrual syndrome and menopausal imbalances are resolved
with natural progesterone. The first product of it's kind, derived from soy and yam
plants, was developed over 50 years ago. However, the influence of the large drug
companies moved everyone's attention to their research and development of synthetic
hormones."
You mentioned earlier that you are concerned about synthetic hormones such as Provera
and Premarin, that are not substances found naturally in the human body. Why is natural
progesterone, which is derived from yam and soy plants, better for women's bodies?
"I make my judgment based whether a substance is bio-identical or not. The horse
hormones in products like Premarin, do not exactly match those of humans. It so happens
that hormones extracted from yam and soy are perfectly bio-identical to that of humans.
By the way, both estrogen and progesterone, can be extracted from these plants and
both are perfect matches for the human body.
"Another way I differ from the average physician, is that I custom-blend hormones
for my patients. Some of the bio-identical natural hormones I use are Estrone, Estradiol
and Estriol. I always prescribe natural progesterone along with estrogen. When estrogen
dominates in the body, an excessive growth of glands occur which can cause fibroid
tumors that can become cancerous. Progesterone stops growth of glands at the appropriate
time in a women's menstrual cycle and then stimulates it to do its particular function.
We now know that progesterone helps suppress some of the triggers in genes linked
to breast cancer. And, we know that estrogen, when given alone, can be a trigger
for breast cancer genes. This is documented fact."
What role does nutrition and exercise play in hormone balance and health? Can they
replace pharmaceutical drugs?
"As always in medicine, it depends on the situation. However, nutrition and
exercise do absolutely, have an effect. As I already mentioned, for some women, changing
her diet and increasing her exercise may be all she needs to control the symptoms
of PMS or menopause. I try not to say anything absolute. Many women don't educate
themselves about their bodies. They are more comfortable listening to the dictates
of their male doctors. If a woman's health is so badly jeopardized that it is in
a critical or catastrophic state, supportive measures like diet and exercise may
come too late to change the situation. However, diet supplements and exercise will
support other, more invasive measures, such as surgery and drugs. For example, when
you have a broken leg, you go to the orthopedist, not the herbalist. However, when
you have a rash on your leg, you go to the herbalist, not the orthopedist."
With nearly 140 progesterone creams on the market, why do you recommend ETERNAL
WOMAN Body Balancing Crème from Mind-Body Solutions?
"I spend a majority of my time teaching women about natural hormone balance.
Working with Mind-Body Solutions, which makes ETERNAL WOMAN, has given me a forum
to help a wider group of women reclaim their health safely and naturally.
"Svava Carlsen, the founder of Mind-Body Solutions,
was inspired to found the company, and develop ETERNAL WOMAN Body Balancing Crème
after watching her grandmother suffer with breast cancer and many of the nastiest
symptoms of menopause. It was a terrible fate for a woman Svava loved and it could
all have been circumvented with natural progesterone therapy. I was touched by Svava's
story. I evaluated the cream and its ingredients thoroughly and I'm convinced of
its effectiveness."
In your work as a physician, you are concerned about your patients self-esteem and
you are interested in empowering them to participate in their own healing process.
Most doctors just treat physical illnesses. Aren't self-esteem and empowerment more
in the realm of the psychologist? How does your approach help your patients and what
is its future in Western healthcare?
"I actually have years of training in psychology. I became a lay psychotherapist
before I went to medical school. For most of my life, I have studied mind/body medicine.
That training showed me the irrefutable connection between the mind and the body.
"Treating the whole person, as I do, is happening now and is absolutely the
future of healthcare. At this moment, major institutions such as Stanford, Harvard,
and major New York hospitals are building hospital-based integrated clinics where
Western and Eastern medicine is combined. The public demand is there, ask Wall Street.
People want the opportunity to be treated as human beings and to participate in improving
and maintaining their own health. They do not want to simply wait for an emergency.
"The movement is so strong that more and more physicians don't even believe
in the effectiveness of their Western methods alone. When it comes to treating themselves
and their families, I know many other physicians who are turning to alternate therapies
because they understand that Western medicine may not work, or may be too harsh.
"Right now, oncology units are beginning to use nutritional therapists. Hospitals
are being bludgeoned by doctor's offices whose patients are demanding alternative
choices. Unfortunately, a huge percentage of Western physicians are not trained to
integrate Eastern methods into their practices, so there is still a gap in caring
for the whole person. I go to many conferences on natural healing, longevity, and
herbal medicine that are designed specifically for Western physicians. Years ago,
there were only a handful of doctors like me who practiced both Western and Eastern
techniques. Now we number hundreds. The other challenge is with health insurance.
Health insurance is really just 'emergency disease insurance' because it still does
not pay for preventative measures, only for treating catastrophic problems. This
is interesting because people are actually so desperate to get the care they want
and believe in, they are paying cash for their health services not covered by traditional
health insurance."
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