Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is pleased to be joined by Michael E. Platt, M.D., author of the newly published 2nd edition of "The Miracle of Bio-identical Hormones."

Michael Platt, M.D. is a bio-identical hormone expert and wellness physician. Unlike most physicians, Dr. Platt believes in being pro-active and treating the causes of illness rather than solely the symptoms. He has successfully helped patients relinquish medications and use natural bio-identical hormones to increase health in his patients. He has devoted thirty-four years to balancing hormones.

Tyler: Welcome, Dr. Platt. To begin, could you give us a definition of "bio-identical hormones" for readers who are not familiar with the term?

Dr. Platt: Bio-identical hormones are molecularly identical to the hormones the body produces; they are readily recognizable to the body and can reproduce the same functions.

Tyler: Dr. Platt, would you tell us a little bit about your medical background and education and how you became interested in bio-identical hormones?

Dr. Platt: I went to medical school at N.Y. Medical College and did my internship and residency in Washington, D.C. at Washington Hospital Center. I am board-certified in Internal Medicine. I started out my career working with various HMO's because in the old days their "reason for being" was preventive medicine. When insurance companies bought them out, preventive medicine was thrown out and it became "managed care." This was their way of saying: what's the least amount of money we can spend and still keep the patient alive? Subsequently, I worked at various medical groups, became a hospitalist, and also took care of a large number of convalescent home patients. The latter ingrained in me a strong appreciation for preventive medicine. Putting everything together--my work in clinics, hospitals, convalescent homes--gave me a strong exposure to traditional medicine. It became clear that medicine practiced this way often ignores the causation of illness. This led me into the world of bio-identical hormone therapy.

Tyler: I understand balancing hormones is still not a common topic in medical school, yet you have devoted most of your life to studying it. Why do you think it hasn't gained more attention?

Dr. Platt: Most doctors appear to be more comfortable with advice provided by drug companies. Since bio-identical hormones are natural and cannot be patented, drug companies have no interest in promoting them for health. As you may or may not be aware, almost everything doctors learn in medical school is based on research done by drug companies. Needless to say, there is no mention of bio-a course in miracles hormones. In spite of this, the popularity of Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy (BHT) will continue to grow due to patient demand and successful BHT outcomes with patients.

Tyler: The subtitle to your book is "how I lost my fatigue, hot flashes, ADHD, ADD, fibromyalgia, PMS, osteoporosis, weight, sexual dysfunction, anger migraines." Would you give us an example or a success story detailing how balancing hormones has helped someone with one of these ailments?

Dr. Platt: I approach a patient's problem from the cause; I do not prescribe band-aids. Hormones control every system in the body so it is easy to see there are a lot of medical conditions that can be positively influenced by getting hormones into balance. Throughout my book, patients tell their own stories about being un-well and how hormones have restored them to optimum health. Instead of relating a particular example of a specific patient who was helped, please allow me to approach your question from a different direction.

The majority of patients who come to me with "incurable" diseases often have a condition known as ADHD. ADHD may be one of the most unrecognized and misunderstood of all medical conditions. It is a condition that has been misrepresented by the medical community as many doctors do not actually focus on or understand its underlying cause.

I approach ADHD strictly from a hormonal aspect, since it represents an imbalance of hormones--too much adrenaline, too much insulin, and too little progesterone. It is possible to eliminate this condition, in many cases, within 24 hours. The reason I mention this particular condition is that it is associated with many other conditions such as fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome, bipolar disorder, rage problems, endometriosis, prostate cancer, and type II diabetes. When you view it from this perspective you can appreciate right away how restoring hormone balance can be life altering.

Tyler: Dr. Platt, you have been described as a physician who is not a favorite of pharmaceutical companies. What do you see are the dangers of large pharmaceutical companies and their relationship with the medical field?

Dr. Platt: The medical system in the U.S. is a multi-trillion dollar a year industry. It thrives on profits it makes from disease and illness, not on wellness. It provides millions of jobs, if you include all the ancillary industries involved with medical care. The medical system also provides a huge source of tax revenue for the government, so there is no incentive to change things. If people want to be healthy, they must become pro-active about their health and not rely on an industry that is not dedicated to their well-being. Drug companies obviously have no interest in a person who is healthy; and drug companies have almost complete control over how most doctors practice medicine.