Customer Reviews

The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed On Women: Exploding the Estrogen Myth

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The Greatest Experiment is a fascinating book. It offers a valuable history of estrogen use from World War II to the present. Barbara Seaman, a well known science writer, has been following the estrogen story for years and was able to interview many of the major figures in the field. The story of how menopause came to be viewed as disease, how a dangerous drug was prescribed to women as a tonic for brittle bones, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease on the basis of circumstantial evidence is, indeed, compelling. The struggle to expose the side-effects of estrogen-derived birth control pills is also told. This led to Congressional hearings and forced drug companies to provide information on the side effects and dangers of birth control pills. The Greatest Experiment contains much more including the tragic story of the DES daughters (whose mothers received diethylstilbestrol, an estrogen derivative, to prevent miscarriages and gave birth to daughters who experienced life-long reproductive problems.) Also told is the troubling use of DES by farmers who still use it to fatten livestock. Finally, the book has an excellent Appendix on the options now available to women who seek treatment for symptoms of menopause.

The information in this book is crucial to women of all ages. Ms Seaman presents her thorough research in a clear, direct and engaging manner. I found myself outraged by the comments of some 'respected' doctors, researchers and drug companies. I was also amused by some of Ms. Seaman's comments. The spirit of feminism is alive and well, thanks to Barbara's work.

Barbara Seaman's work is a women's must read because it encourages women to take complete ownership of their health and bodies.

Seaman details story after story of why women should question their doctors and pharmaceutical companies. From taking drugs that destroyed their babies to taking cancer provoking concoctions, women have served as uninformed guinea pigs for years.

Accordingly, Seaman gives women a reason to say "No" to new drugs and new therapies that promise to make our lives easier in the ever popular crusade to ease "woman problems".

The female physique is inundated with mystique. That which is not understood faces constant scrutiny and treacherous attacks. Seaman sends a message loud and clear to all women- Take control of your own health because there are thousands of people out willing and waiting to experiment with your well-being while hailing promises of new found youth and renewed vigor.

I suggest your cross read The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women with Uzzi Reiss' Natural Hormone Balance for Women. Reiss claims that estrogens have a "bad" rap because studies such as those covered by Seaman only address synthetic hormones or those derived from horses. I did not find Reiss' arguments compelling, it just offered another view of the women's hormone scene.

This work teaches contrary to conventional orthodoxies.
Barbara cautions the reader on hormonal products as a cure-all
for women. She points out how the pill can impact the liver
adversely resulting in jaundice and irregular sugar metabolism.
There is a section describing the downside of oral
contraceptives. The author debunks the myths about the breakage
of bones . She goes on to state that bones break due to a lack
of lean muscle mass, cigarette smoking, tranquilizers etc.
Bone mass may be preserved with a rigorous exercise regimen.
This book is helpful in identifying the science or lack thereof
with regard to a number of health products directed toward women.
I would recommend this book as an integral part of any
health library for adults readers.

finally! found here: what my gyn didn't have enough time to explain, what i didn't understand in medical journals, what friends didn't know or care about. found here: a relevant history tracing back to the 1930's and a clear understanding of the impact of "medicalization." and all in ms. seaman's confidence-inspiring voice (examples: "basically the stallions kicked over the collection buckets" and "don't worry, the research is easier to understand than the title"). plus, thankfully, ms. seaman touches on what i know is imperative even today: amending permission forms/risk releases before going into (any type of) surgery. cheers! here's to accepting responsibility and making informed decisions!

I am recommending this book to every woman I know, although there is some information included that is valuable for men to know as well. To make a long review short- THIS BOOK IS DEFINATELY WORTH YOUR MONEY!!!!
For women... it provides valuable, up to date information on methods available to treat the symptoms of menopause as well as any and all known side-effects caused by those treatments. The author also has a positive, respectful attitude toward menopause which I found refreshing. Despite what your doctor and the billion-dollar drug industry would have you believe, menopause is not a life-long disease, it is a change that most women can ease through with little or no hormone therapy. If the homones are administered correctly, even the hardest hit women should be able to discontinue estrogen use after one year!
For women and men... this book reveals that the drug industry is not driven by the desire to find the cure for diseases, but by money!! An eye-opening quote was included from the president of a drug company. His personal motto was "drugs are to sell, NOT TO TAKE", and when he found out that the name Premarin stands for PREgnant MAres uRINe, he said, "Indeed, if we put horse manure in a capsule we could sell it to 95 percent of those doctors." To me, it doesn't sound like that man cares about what he's providing to the public to ingest.
A warning is included about the FDA. Often, due to lack of time, money, or motivation, tests on the safety of new drugs are inadequate. The author suggests that "unless you urgently need a drug, it is wise to wait until it has been on the market for five years, allowing sufficient time for its side effects to be assessed." That seems like good advice for everyone from birth on.
And finally I was impressed with what she revealed about doctors. For example, of what students learn in medical school, only a third will hold true. Ten years after they graduate, a third will be completely disproven, and a third will be controversial. This is important for everyone to know since the majority of physicians are 10 to 30 years out of medical school........ The scariest thing about this is that these behind-the-times doctors are experimenting with us, their patients!! It's estimated that almost half of prescriptions are written for conditions where the doctor thinks (but has NOT tested and proved) they work but the FDA hasn't approved them for such purposes. Drugs are not toys to be played with. Such experiments can cause very serious harm. As patients, we need to make sure this drug is approved for these symptoms by the FDA. Don't trust your doctor. Unless they're sued, most of them personally don't care if something bad happens to you.
Again, I highly recommend this book. Three cheers for Barbara Seaman!!!

This book looks at why doctors have been prescribing estrogen to combat the effects of aging and menopause, and to prevent breast cancer, osteoporosis, and many other diseases. Seaman's painstaking research shows the role the pharmaceutical industry has played in driving the use and research of hormone replacement therapy. With one out of eight women likely to develop breast cancer, it never made any sense to me for women to take a drug that helps most breast tumors grow -- estrogen. And given the findings in recent health studies -- that estrogen causes more problems than it solves -- this book is a must read for everyone who wants to understand corporate America.

While suffering through a severe reaction to hormones, I struggled to find a single medical doctor who took seriously the lethal impact these 'commonplace' drugs can have. Barbara Seaman, however, truly understands the dangers of hormone use. Before you fill another prescrption for birth control, HRT, fertility drugs, or any other hormones (including OTC progesterone cream), please read everything you can get your hands on by Barbara Seaman! In this excellent, fascinating book, Ms. Seaman offers critically important information concerning hormones and their impact on the health and lives of women. What you read could (literally) save your life. Like me, you may end up begging all of your friends and family to read this book. I wish that I could get copies of it into the hands of as many people as possible.

Thanks to Barbara Seaman for her research and sharing her findings with readers. I am a former (successful) drug representative that sold estrogen therapy for years. I brought the information to physicians so they could sell (prescribe) it to their patients. I organized physician and patient education programs. Thanks for Barbara's research, women can now learn all about this therapy and get a different perspective than their Doctor may have. Lisa Alexander,eighteen year industry veteran and author of PharmRepSelect-Your Complete Guide to Getting a Pharmaceutical Sales Job

In The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women, Barbara Seaman aptly describes how hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been given to women for decades in spite of mounting evidence of the detrimental effects on a woman's body. She goes into painstaking detail of how women have been wrongly led to believe that HRT would restore the hormones their ovaries once made. She aptly points out how estrogen out of balance with other ovarian hormones is unhealthy. Unfortunately, she does not discuss that estrogen in balance in with testosterone and progesterone is a healthy balance.