The November 15, 2006 Larry King Live program was billed as Suzanne Somers Debates Doctors. The segment was more than disappointing - it was a travesty to viewers and unconscionable on the part of Larry King.
King let crosstalk and interruptions reign to the point of uselessness. Any information that would have been helpful to women was lost in the unintelligible crosstalk.
Viewers were not fully apprised of the contents of the "letter" referred to several times at the outset of the program. There was so much crosstalk and women talking over one another that the dribs and drabs of information was useless.
As well, there was so much crosstalk and interruption by Suzanne Somers when Dr. Wolfe Utian, the executive director of the North American Menopause Society spoke that the discussion of the controversy of bioidentical hormones versus synthetic hormones remains as confusing, convoluted, and controversial as ever.
At one point Larry King said, this is getting too technical, let's take a break!
Here, read the letter - signers Dr. Erika Schwartz and Diana Schwarzbein, M.D. were guests on Larry King Live.
This will help immensely in understanding why Somers was so visibly upset, kept interrupting, and said several times that she's worked on this book for two years... it's an incredible book... you're trying to discredit my book...
Before tackling the letter and Larry King Live transcript, please read Dr. Weil's advice columns.
Dr. Weil
Safe Hormone Strategy?What is your feeling about the effectiveness and safety of taking natural hormones derived from the wild yam (Dioscorea) as opposed to the traditional hormone replacement therapy derived from equine hormones?
For the record, the estrogen from pregnant mares used for hormone replacement (Premarin) is natural, although it is not identical to the estrogens produced in the human body. Results from the recently terminated Women's Health Initiative study of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) showed that post-menopausal women who take estrogen face an increased risk of strokes and, possibly, dementia. An earlier study of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which combines estrogen with another hormone, progestin, was ended early, too, because data showed increased risks of breast cancer, heart disease and strokes among the women participating.
I've never supported universal hormone replacement for peri- or post-menopausal women, but some women do need reliable short-term relief from frequent and intense hot flashes, vaginal dryness that makes sex uncomfortable, or overwhelming fatigue and mood changes associated with menopause. ERT or HRT are the most effective treatments. Now that we know more about the risks involved, hormone replacement is recommended only for treatment of severe menopausal symptoms or for osteoporosis prevention in women at high risk who can't take any of the other medications available to maintain or enhance bone strength.
Wild yam, a tuber of a tropical plant that is unrelated to sweet potatoes, contains a precursor of steroid hormones called diosgenin. However, diosgenin itself has no hormonal activity, and the body can't convert it into something that does. For these reasons, the only possible effect wild yam products can have is a sedative one (when ingested) that can help relieve premenstrual problems. Some of the wild yam creams may contain synthetic progesterone even though this doesn't show up on the label.
If you feel that you need hormone replacement, I recommend using bio-identical estrogen, available by prescription, especially from compounding pharmacies. Estrace is an example of one prescription brand of bio-identical estrogen. Don't waste money on wild yam products.
Andrew Weil, M.D.
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA326615
Bio-identical estrogen is a plant-based hormone that closely approximates a woman's natural estrogen and is believed safer and more natural than traditional estrogen replacement therapy for such menopausal symptoms as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. As you may know, in 2002 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shut down a huge study on the risks and benefits of post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy because preliminary results revealed an unacceptable risk of breast cancer, strokes and heart attacks. These risks were associated with therapy that included both estrogen and the hormone progestin. Two years later, the NIH shut down another arm of the study that was looking into the benefits and risks of estrogen replacement therapy (no progestin was used) after preliminary findings showed that the hormone increased the risk of stroke. Estrogen alone did not increase the risk of breast cancer, at least not for the duration of the study.
Although I have never believed that menopause is a disease, or that all postmenopausal women need hormone replacement therapy, I have recommended low doses of bio-identical hormones such as Estrace, Bi-Est, and Tri-Est to women who need reliable short-term relief from frequent and intense hot flashes and from vaginal dryness that makes sex uncomfortable. While bio-identical hormones are assumed to be safer than traditional hormone replacement therapy, they still provide estrogen and may increase the risk of breast cancer. ...
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA355999
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Just what the doctor ordered?
Experts dispute science behind Suzanne Somers' menopause book
AMA Wants Regulation of 'Bioidenticals' Nov 15th - 9:12pm
Excerpt
...Some doctors who were quoted in "Ageless" say the book overpromises anti-aging benefits from these products and wrote a letter of complaint last month to the book's publisher.
The actress-fitness guru could not immediately be reached for comment, but she has defended the book and appeared Wednesday night on CNN's "Larry King Live" to address her critics.
"If we all figure out that we just put back the hormones we've lost in the aging process to the exact amount that we need, we won't need all the other drugs that we're being offered," she told CNN.
Landmark government research linking conventional hormone pills with health risks led many women to quit taking them.
But there's no evidence that bioidenticals are any safer and they may even have other risks, Dr. Robert Vigersky, a member of the Endocrine Society delegation to the AMA, said Wednesday. The society represents doctors who specialize in hormone-related disorders.
"This is a safety issue, there's no question about it," said Dr. Ardis Hoven, an AMA board member.
The products, sometimes called "natural" hormones, are compounds that have the same chemical and molecular structure as hormones that are produced in the human body. They are custom-mixed by special pharmacies according to a doctor's prescription.
Promoters say they are plant-based, but Vigersky said some contain synthetic products and their exact ingredients aren't always known because they are not FDA-approved.
"We think that people are being misled into thinking that they are safer and we're worried that they may be inappropriately prescribed," said Vigersky, an endocrinologist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He said he has no financial ties to pharmaceutical companies that produce hormone pills...
The AMA adopted the new policy at its interim meeting Monday in Las Vegas. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, which makes conventional hormone pills, requested similar scrutiny in an FDA petition earlier.
The AMA will urge the FDA to assess the purity of ingredients in the alternative compounds, evaluate any side effects and require manufacturers and compounding pharmacies to report any adverse events.
The doctors group also endorses creation of a registry of adverse events linked to bioidenticals, along with standard patient safety information on the product packaging.
While the custom compounds are not FDA-approved, the agency has regulatory authority over them because they are considered drugs. An FDA spokesman said the agency shares the AMA's concerns about potentially misleading claims and is paying close attention to the issue.
Dr. Erika Schwartz, a New York physician who objects to the wide-ranging claims in Somers' book, nevertheless criticized the AMA for taking the side of the pharmaceutical industry.
Schwartz said that while she shares the AMA's general concerns about safety, there's no evidence that the hormone compounds are not safe.
"I don't believe in overpromising," Schwartz said. "I believe hormones are only part of the anti-aging process. If you want to stay young and healthy, you need to eat right, to exercise, to deal with stress, to sleep," she said. "The hormones are one other option."
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=106&sid=976369
Letter to Suzanne Somers
October 11, 2006
Suzanne Somersc/o Amy Boorstein, Managing EditorCrown PublishersCorporate Headquarters1745 BroadwayNew York, New York 10019
Dear Ms Somers:
We are a group of practicing physicians and researchers who have dedicated a large portion of our careers to the safe and scientifically based practice of utilizing bioidentical hormone therapies to address health issues in women.
Some of us are quoted in your new book: Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones (Crown, October 2006).
We recognize the role you have played in raising awareness about the use of biodentical hormone therapy. However, we want to ensure that women are not confused, nor harmed by some of the non-medical, misleading and unsubstantiated information contained in your book.
While some of us were interviewed for the book, a significant portion of the material in the book relies on information and opinion from T.S. Wiley, an actress with a B.A. in anthropology. Wiley has no medical or clinical qualifications. To our dismay, Wiley dispenses gratuitous advice on significant medical issues including the use of bioidentical hormone therapies, areas that are legally and ethically the domain of licensed medical practitioners.
Many of the claims throughout the book are scientifically unproven and dangerous. By mixing quotes from qualified physicians who are experts in their fields and bioidentical hormone treatments, with those of a person with no medical or scientific background, this book will further confuse women and we believe, may potentially put their health at risk.
We believe Ageless is detrimental and dangerous to the thousands of women who read it because the book freely and repeatedly blurs the line of medical ethics and science with hearsay.
The so-called "protocols" endorsed and promulgated throughout the book may expose women to serious health dangers. They offer a "one size fits all" approach, endorsing dangerously high levels of estrogen.
We know that many women will read this book and so we will strongly encourage them to keep the following points in mind:
1. Biodentical hormones are prescription medications that can only be prescribed by a licensed physician or nurse practitioner (in certain states).
2. Not all women need to supplement their hormones: There are a range of nutritional and lifestyle approaches that can help women improve their health and hormone balance.
3. If considering biodentical hormone therapy, women (and men) should work with qualified health professionals experienced and trained in the treatments with bioidentical hormones, a trained medical practitioner who understands disease states, their diagnosis and treatment. In addition, if bioidentical hormone therapy is prescribed it should be based on an assessment of the woman's hormone levels and then physiologic doses should be prescribed.
4. The practice of utilizing bioidentical hormone therapies is part of developing areas in conventional medicine, women's health and integrative medicine. It is not the purview of alternative practices by nonphysicians or lay experimenters.
Our collective goal is to advance our knowledge base of information on beneficial, efficacious and safe options for women to alleviate menopausal symptoms and help them achieve their best health status. Bioidentical hormone therapy is proving to be a beneficial treatment approach for many women.
It is vital that we conduct further research on this crucial area of women's health. The research and clinical data necessary to evaluate and treat women must come from the medical community. We, the physicians,are committed to helping women by providing safe, scientifically and clinically sound treatments.
We encourage every woman to take responsibility for creating a positive health outcome in her own life. To insure this outcome, women must educate themselves and carefully choose to work with a licensed medical provider in the area of prescription bioidentical hormone treatments.
We support the many celebrities who endorse health causes, raise funds for research, education and increased awareness. But,we cannot standby and allow non-experts to dispense medical advice that could potentially harm women.
Letter signers on original posting
New York Times October 15, 2006 :
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/fashion/15suzanne.html?_r=1&ref=health&oref=slogin
New York Post Page Six October 13,2006 :
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10132006/gossip/pagesix/pagesix.htm
Technorati Tags: Ageless by Suzanne Somers, Bioidentical Hormone Therapy, Bioidentical Hormones, The Wiley Protocol, dangerous protocols, high levels of estrogen, men, physicians, prescription medications, safe options for women, scientifically unproven protocols, women
Sunday, October 15, 2006 Permalink Comments (10) TrackBack (0)
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Larry King Live!
As some of you know our recent letter to Suzanne Somers has caused quite a stir. My main motivation for writing that letter was to protect women and keep bioidentical hormones as a viable and safe option in the treatment of hormone imbalances.
I have always been very supportive of the work Suzanne has done by raising awareness of bioidentical hormones. However what concerns me most is T.S. Wiley’s dangerous protocol and its endorsement by Suzanne's most recent book.
Last night on 'Larry King Live' we had an opportunity to set the record straight and to ensure women are not misled by celebrity or become victims of uninformed or misinformed physicians.
Hopefully you caught the show and came to your own conclusions.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
DrErika
http://drerika.typepad.com/
http://drerika.typepad.com/notepad/2006/11/larry_king_live.html#comments
Larry King Live
Excerpt
Interview with Goldman Family; Suzanne Somers Debates Doctors
Aired November 15, 2006 - 21:00 ET
LARRY KING, CNN HOST ...And then Suzanne Somers under fire in her own controversy, now she goes head-to-head with doctors who say that her fountain of youth could be a health risk to millions of women.
When we come back, Suzanne Somers takes on her critics. There have been a lot of stories in the papers about this. Don't go away.(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Welcome back.Suzanne Somers' new book "Ageless, the Naked Truth About Bio Identical Hormones," there you see its cover, has generated a whole lot of controversy since its release earlier this year.The book promotes bio identical hormones. It claims they are better at treating aging in menopausal women than hormones from traditional drug companies. Critics have called some of the advice in the book dangerous.Suzanne is here tonight to take on her critics and defend the book.
There will be others later, but with us now, joining Suzanne is Dr. Erika Schwartz, internist and women's health expert, author of "The Hormone Solution". She has some problems with Suzanne's book. She joins us from New York. T.S. Wily is here in L.A., researcher and author, has co-written "Sex, Lies and Menopause". She's the focus of the criticism directed at the book.
And also in L.A. is Dr. Diana Schwartzbein, who has studied hormone treatment for 16 years, is an advocate of bioidentical hormone treatment. However she, too, has problems with the book, and she's one of the doctors who wrote a letter to the publisher. What did you say, Diana? What did you write about?
DR. DIANA SCHWARZBEIN, SIGNED LETTER: Well, Larry, what we wrote about was that we really applaud Suzanne for bringing awareness about bioidentical hormones. But our concern is about methods that haven't been researched. And when you take 16 different physicians, and -- actually 15 -- and then interview a lay person, T.S. Wiley, and make it sound as if those hormones and her protocol have been thoroughly researched, that's where my problem lies.
SUZANNE SOMERS, AUTHOR: Let me tell you my problem. My problem is that Diana signed the letter without having read the book.
SCHWARTZBEIN: That's not true.
KING: How do you know?
SOMERS: That is true. She told me in an e-mail. And she just told her in the green room. But..
.KING: Did you read the book?
SOMERS: You said you read T.S. Wiley's chapter.
SCHWARTZBEIN: Well, that's what I'm here about. I'm upset about the chapter...
(CROSSTALK)SOMERS: I spent two years writing an amazing book. An amazing book.
SCHWARTZBEIN: I would say that it's a great book.
SOMERS: You haven't read it. You haven't read it.
SCHWARTZBEIN: I don't need to read it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She doesn't need to read it. She's a doctor.
SOMERS: No, but really.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait, wait.
SOMERS: Just let me say something. Diana's an incredible doctor. I have given her credit. She has written the forwards to many of my books. I have given her credit for being my original teacher, an incredible teacher. She taught me about the insulin connection, which is how I wrote my Somersize books. Amazing doctor...
KING: But...
SOMERS: She has a problem with T.S. Wiley.
SCHWARTZBEIN: That's not true.
SOMERS: The problem is what she's saying is that these are not studied. There's no long-term double blind studies. There's no long- term double blind studies on what she was doing with me all the years that you put me on bioidentical hormones.
(CROSSTALK)KING: Hold on. Hold on. We kept interrupting each other. What, T.S. Wiley, is a bioidentical hormone? What is that?
T.S. WILEY, AUTHOR, "SEX, LIES AND MENOPAUSE": It's a molecular structure that mimics the hormones in your body made out of plants, usually. Soybeans, yams.
KING: You favor its use?
WILEY: Oh, absolutely.
SOMERS: And so do I.
WILEY: Much better than synthetics.
SOMERS: She started me on it.
SCHWARTZBEIN: But you know what? Here's the problem. You're not listening to what I am objecting to.
KING: What are you objecting to?
SCHWARTZBEIN: I'm objecting to the fact that when you read the chapter on T.S. Wiley, it sounds as though she is a molecular biologist who has thoroughly researched her protocol.
KING: So you're faked out by this? SCHWARTBEIN: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)SOMERS: Well, it's interesting because the makeup lady just read my introduction and said she didn't think I was a doctor or a molecular biologist.
KING: Let me get in Dr. Schwartz's thoughts. Where do you stand on all of this, the author of "The Hormone Solution"?
DR. ERIKA SCHWARTZ, AUTHOR, "THE HORMONE SOLUTION": Well, I stand on the issue of women's health. I think that -- you know, I commend Suzanne Somers for having raised awareness about bioidentical hormones. But I think at this point, Suzanne Somers has gone over the line. I am here after 30 years of practicing medicine. I've just left my patients to come here to talk to you. Women are confused. They're desperate. They need help. They don't need controversy and people fighting over it. They need answers.
KING: How did she go over the line, Erika?
SCHWARTZ: She has endorsed a person, Wiley, who doesn't have any credentials. People like Diana Schwartzbein and the physicians I represent have been working for hundreds of years together seeing patients. We know when somebody's sick. We know how to treat them. You cannot endorse and do what Suzanne did without repercussions. You know, the point is that Suzanne is great about raising awareness. Suzanne should be raising money for research. Suzanne should have left the practice of medicine to doctors. Let us take care of the patients. Bio-identical hormones have become a source of controversy and we don't need that. We need women to be safe and we need women to have access to them in an honest -- in a very controlled...
KING: Erika, hold on a second. Suzanne is having trouble hearing you. So I'm going to take a break and we'll come back. And so we'll get her up to speed as to what you said. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)KING: Just so we understand, T.S. Wiley is a researcher and an author, right?
WILEY: Yes.
KING: And what Dr. Schwartz said, and you had trouble hearing a little, Suzanne, was that you're practicing medicine without a license.
SOMERS: But that's because she hasn't read the book, either.
KING: How do you know?
SOMERS: Because she said that. Let me talk for a moment.
KING: But you don't have a license.
SOMERS: But I'm not...
SCHWARTZ: That's not true.
SOMERS: ... anybody ...
SCHWARTZ: I read every word of the book.
SOMERS: No, you didn't. No, you didn't.
SCHWARTZ: And you know what? This should not be an argument about Suzanne Somers or Wiley. It's about women.
KING: Erika, hold it a second.
SCHWARTZ: It's about women's safety.
KING: Erika, hold it a second. Erika, hold it a second.
SOMERS: This is what -- I interviewed her for my book and this is what it was like.
KING: How do you know she didn't read the book?
SOMERS: Because if you read my book, it is such an incredible book for women. I take every hormone, what it does, how it works, why you need it, what you feel like when you don't have it. I interviewed 16 doctors, each one of them I found -- what is your area of specialty. I took the different ways that women take bioidentical hormones and laid it out.
KING: And what do you make of all these complaints against it?
SOMERS: I don't understand. It doesn't make any sense. I interviewed Erika Schwartz for my book.
KING: Do you think it's drug company induced?
SOMERS: I -- makes me wonder when I don't understand something. And I also -- what I don't understand about Erika Schwartz is what she has -- what she's really upset about is T.S. Wiley. And I have something here that I think that you need to see. And that is, here she is writing a complaint about the fact that I am writing about rhythmic cycling, which is one of the ways that you can take it. It's my right as a writer. And she has been prescribing T.S. Wiley's protocol up until as recently as December -- I mean, October 12th, 2006. This woman is a hypocrite..
SCHWARTZ: After your book came out.
SOMERS: Right.This woman is a hypocrite. She's trying to discredit my book. (CROSSTALK)
KING: Dr. Schwartz, do you prescribe her therapy?
SCHWARTZ: I prescribed one patient at the request of the patient.
SOMERS: That's not true, Erika.
(CROSSTALK) KING: If we all talk at once, no one's going to understand. T.S., how did you get interested in this?
WILEY: How did I get interested in this? I'm a woman and I was aging and I was unhappy about it. I worked with Dr. Schwartzbein on a book ten years ago. We have a history. And I got very interested in endocrinology and I kept going. I wrote some books on my own. I published on my own.
SOMERS: The thing is...
KING: You're not saying, Dr. Schwartzbein, that she's a fraud, are you? All right, what are you saying?
SOMERS: I'm not a fraud.
(CROSSTALK)KING: She's not a doctor?
SOMERS: Thank you, Diana.
SCHWARTZBEIN: She's not a doctor. What I'm saying is, if you read the chapter on T.S. Wiley, what you come away with is that her protocol has been thoroughly researched and it will help prevent cancer. And that is not true.
SOMERS: It's an interview.
SCHWARTZBEIN: I don't care if it's an interview. You are advocating...
SOMERS: You signed a letter discrediting my entire book...SCHWARTZBEIN: No, I did not.
SOMERS: Yes, you did.
(CROSSTALK)KING: Did you say in the book that you can cure cancer -- prevent...
(CROSSTALK)KING: Hold it, Dr. Schwartz.WILEY: The oncologist I've worked with six or seven years now -- actually seven or eight, maybe, we're old -- presented 55 cancer patients on the Wiley protocol and a large group of doctors called ACAM, the American College for the Advancement of Medicine, just ten, 15 days ago. And we looked at what's happening it cancer patients.
(CROSSTALK)WILEY: Doesn't matter if it was poorly received. It was the truth. We don't care how you receive it. We care what's happening.KING: All right. Dr. Schwartz, succinctly, Dr. Schwartz...
(CROSSTALK)KING: ... succinctly, what's your beef?
SCHWARTZ: You know what, you know what the problem is? We are wasting precious time with millions of people watching arguing instead of addressing what's really needed, which is safety for women. Women -- there are 30 million women in menopause today. By 2010, there will be 60 million. What are we offering them? We're offering them arguments. Women need to take care of their diet, their exercise, their lifestyle. Hormones are a small piece of it. Some women do not need hormones. Bioidentical hormones are a great option that needs more research. KING: And now what is wrong with that statement? It needs more research. ...
Excerpt Continued...
In Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Wolfe Utian, the executive director of the North American Menopause Society. We should note Dr. Utian provides consultation to pharmaceutical companies on hormone treatment. And in Raleigh, North Carolina, Dr. Larry Webster, who studied hormone treatment for ten years. His interview with Suzanne Somers forms Chapter 23 of her book. All right, Dr. Utian your thoughts on the topic as we've so far discussed it.
DR. WOLFE UTIAN, NORTH AMERICA MENOPAUSE SOCIETY : Larry, I think the whole group as I heard it, are all off base. If they sound more like a cult. This whole bioidentical thing is really merchandising under the guides of medical practice. They're all marketing. Ms. Somers is selling a book. She's 16 cutting experts, none of whom have any published research.
SOMERS: I do.
UTIAN: The physicians, if you go to their websites, are selling promises, silver bullets, against aging with barely a nanoshred of evidence for proving what they're claiming. The compounding pharmacies are making large margins on drugs. And the only people who are suffering are women out there who are confused. Their health is being threatened by promises of drugs that really do carry risks. And their pocketbooks are being hurt. So I think this is really harmful to women and I'm really concerned because women are who we are speaking about.
KING: Let me get the thoughts of Dr. Larry Webster and then back to the women as well. And then we'll round robin.Doctor?
DR. LARRY WEBSTER, INTERVIEWED IN SOMERS' BOOK: Yes, thanks, Larry. We have literally thousands of women coming in, following Suzanne Somers. There's so many women out there that are desperate, that are having menopausal symptoms. They go from doctor to doctor without answers and don't get any answers. They come into our office in tears. And we have over a 90 percent success rate. We turn these people into functioning human beings again. Yes, bioidentical are effective and they are the answer.
KING: How would you respond to that, Dr. Schwartz?
SCHWARTZ: I agree that bioidentical hormones are the option and they are a solution. But what I would like to do is extend a hand to Dr. Utian to bring in the drug companies, to help us raise money for research, because what's he's saying is really not based on research. It's based on translating information found on research on synthetics on to bioidenticals which is totally erroneous.You're absolutely...
SCHWARTZ: I extend a hand to Suzanne Somers and ask her to raise money for research so once and for all this debate which the only harming women comes to an end.
UTIAN: Larry, where the real confusion is taking place is that this word bioidentical is estrodial, it's estrone, it's estriol, it's progesterone. These drugs are available in commercial products that are approved by the FDA.
SCHWARTZ: Right.
UTIAN: I have no problem if a bioidentical product was also scrutinized by the FDA and if the compounding pharmacies would put in a patient package insert the same way as with all the drugs and warned about the risks these bioidenticals carry. They carry the risk of blood clots, of strokes, of heart attacks, of breast cancer.
KING: Hold on, doctor. Suzanne?
SOMERS: Dr. Utian is funded by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
UTIAN: I am not funded by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. I'm not.
SOMERS: I have it in my purse here if you'd like me to bring out more pages. I Googled you today. Your information is all out there. You're funded by Pfizer by SmithKline.
UTIAN: Yes, and by the compounding pharmacies who also come to a meeting and we give them open opportunities.
KING: That doesn't make him wrong.
(CROSSTALK)KING: One at a time.
SOMERS: It gives him an agenda. See the thing is, Erika, Diana and Susie and myself are really are all on the same side. It's just -- there's some crap about not wanting a protocol.
UTIAN: You're all selling something and I'm not selling anything.
SOMERS: I'm not selling anything.
UTIAN: Not at all.
SOMERS: Dr. Utian you know that you're heavily funded by Wyeth. It's right there in your information. And Wyeth is the biggest funder of NAMS, which was the article that "Newsweek" wrote. She had gone to the NAMS convention, this is where this doctor said the entire medical community is upset with Suzanne Somers. I must say as I was walking out to speak to several hundred doctors of ACAM in Palm Springs. So Dr. Utian has an agenda and Dr. Schwartz and -- who we don't get along very well, Dr. Schwartz...
UTIAN: ... My agenda is women's health.
KING: One at a time.
SOMERS: Dr. Schwartzbein and I, who have been very good friends and Susie, who I think is a brilliant, brilliant savant in that sense. We are all doing something great for women. Dr. Utian is a man. He cannot relate to what we go through. But women out there all over America cannot sleep, cannot...
KING: Would you agree with that, Diana?
SCHWARTZBEIN: I agree that Dr. Utian is off when he's saying that there's no difference between the synthetic Premarin Provera versus the bioidenticals. Basic science research gives us the difference between them already. What are we trying to sell? Premarin has equinyl.
(CROSSTALK)KING: Hold on, we're getting too technical. Let me get a break.
SOMERS: He's talking about horse estrinol.
KING: By the way, if you hear some drug names or companies mentioned tonight, CNN is not promoting the use of any drug. We recommend you contact your doctor before any medication. We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
...
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0611/15/lkl.01.html
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