This article is from the WebMD Feature Archive

The estrogen hit the fan as some of the nation's leading health experts got in line to take swipes at actress Suzanne Somers. Even the American Medical Association took a stand on Nov. 15, calling for stricter FDA regulation of a treatment Somers promotes.

The reason for all the controversy? Disagreement with Somers' latest book, Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones.

In it, Somers claims that using natural hormones identical to what the ovaries make, instead of the synthetic ones commonly used in hormone replacement therapy (HRT), can halt typical menopausemenopause symptoms, including hot flasheshot flashes and mood swings, without the risky side effects normally attributed to hormone therapy.

She also teases with the promise that bioidentical hormones can safely allow women to recapture the health, beauty, and sexuality of their youth.

But at least one group of doctors -- a panel of seven noted physicians, three of whom were quoted in the book -- say her promises far exceed scientific fact. They sent a letter to Somers and her publisher charging the book is misleading, inaccurate, and downright dangerous for women to follow.

"Our concern is strictly a safety issue. We feel that Suzanne Somers should be commended for bringing the subject of bioidentical hormones center stage, but she offers incorrect information and endorses protocols that are unproven and, in some instances, dangerous. She has gone too far," says Erika Schwartz, MD, a New York doctor who spearheaded the letter-writing campaign.

Through her publisher, Somers, who just turned 60, defends the book: "For the past decade, Suzanne Somers has been immersed in researching anti-agingaging medicine. ... She has embraced this medicine because she has seen the results in her own body and well-being, but knows there continues to be an ongoing dialogue in the medical community on how to best utilize this new information in concert with more conventional forms of health care."

Somers spoke with more than a dozen credentialed doctors while writing her book, the statement adds. "She states quite clearly, and repeatedly throughout the book, that women need to find a responsible doctor who is practicing this new approach to health and together determine an individualized course of action."

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