T. S. Wiley

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Teresa S. Wiley is the author of Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival, [1] and Sex, Lies and Menopause. [2] She writes about women's health, particularly sleep and hormonal issues, hormone replacement therapy and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Wiley has developed her own version of BHRT known as the Wiley Protocol, though she has been strongly criticized for lacking the relevant credentials and potentially putting women at risk with an unproven, untested intervention that uses possibly dangerously high doses of hormones.

Contents

Writings and beliefs

Wiley's main thesis in Lights Out is that light is a physiological trigger that controls dopamine and hormones like cortisol. Wiley posits that with the extension of the natural day through artificial lighting, rest at the hormonal level is rarely adequate for optimum biological needs of the body. In her view, this results in both fatigue and unnatural appetite, which leads to weight gain, exhaustion and disease. Wiley theorizes that the body's responses are cyclical, reflecting the seasons of the year, and that the body's needs vary seasonally. According to Wiley, during the winter months the body needs more sleep, and carbohydrates should be restricted as they would have been naturally during hunter-gatherer times.

Wiley is listed as co-author of three scientific journal articles along with biochemist Bent Formby between 1998 and 2001. [3] [4] [5]

The Wiley Protocol

Wiley wrote a second book, Sex, Lies and Menopause, in which she claims that hormone imbalances cause many age-related diseases, and these imbalances are caused by humans straying from "natural" rhythms of light, seasonal eating and child birth. Wiley claims that mimicking the levels and cycles of estrogen and progesterone found in a 20-year-old woman will prevent or treat age-related diseases. [2] Subsequent to the book's publication, this hormone regimen became known as the "Wiley protocol" and Wiley created a pharmaceutical compounding program that pharmacists could contract into, stipulating compounding methods, materials, testing, packaging and recommended pricing in exchange for Wiley's company providing the packaging materials bearing the Wiley protocol's trademark.

Former actress Suzanne Somers advocates the Wiley Protocol in her book Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones. [6]

Controversy

Wiley has been criticized for promoting her version of BHRT without proper qualifications or scientific evidence. On October 11, 2006, Erika Schwartz, Diana Schwarzbein, and five other MDs who have worked with BHRT during their careers issued a public letter to Suzanne Somers and her publisher, Crown, criticizing Somers' endorsement of Wiley's protocol. In the letter they alleged that the Wiley Protocol is "scientifically unproven and dangerous" and that Wiley has no medical or clinical qualifications; [7] other criticisms of the protocol itself have stated that the levels of hormone are dangerously high. [8] [9] Wiley has claimed on her website and in speaking engagements that she earned a B.A. in anthropology from Webster University in 1975. On November 27, 2006, Newsweek reported that Webster has no record of this degree. [10] Wiley's bio page was then changed to "Pending B.A. in Anthropology, Webster University, 1975" and then again to "Attended the B.A. Program in Anthropology, Webster University, 1970-1975". ABC News reported on February 16, 2007, that, according to Webster, she received only a blank diploma. [10] [11] [12]

Senate testimony

On April 19, 2007, Wiley appeared as a witness before the Senate Special Committee on Aging to give testimony at a hearing in which the safety and oversight of BHRT and compounding pharmacy were discussed. [13]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menstrual cycle</span> Natural changes in the human female reproductive system

The menstrual cycle is a series of natural changes in hormone production and the structures of the uterus and ovaries of the female reproductive system that makes pregnancy possible. The ovarian cycle controls the production and release of eggs and the cyclic release of estrogen and progesterone. The uterine cycle governs the preparation and maintenance of the lining of the uterus (womb) to receive an embryo. These cycles are concurrent and coordinated, normally last between 21 and 35 days, with a median length of 28 days, and continue for about 30–45 years.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progestogen</span> Steroid hormone that activates the progesterone receptor

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The Wiley Protocol is a controversial form of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) devised and advocated by author T. S. Wiley. The protocol claims to relieve the symptoms of menopause but is also promoted as increasing overall health through the recreation of a pre-menopausal woman's monthly hormonal cycle using rhythmic doses of hormones standardized to a uniform purity. Wiley claims the protocol is a step beyond the symptomatic treatment of conventional hormone replacement therapy.

Bent Formby is a biochemist and researcher. He was born in Copenhagen, and came to the U.S. as a visiting professor in 1979. He co-authored two books and several articles on endocrinology with T. S. Wiley.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy or postmenopausal hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause. These symptoms can include hot flashes, vaginal atrophy, accelerated skin aging, vaginal dryness, decreased muscle mass, sexual dysfunction, and bone loss or osteoporosis. They are in large part related to the diminished levels of sex hormones that occur during menopause.

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References

  1. ↑ Wiley, TS; Bent Formby (February 27, 2001). Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival. Atria. ISBN   0-671-03868-0.
  2. 1 2 Wiley, TS; Julie Taguchi; Bent Formby (September 14, 2004). Sex, Lies, and Menopause: The Shocking Truth About Synthetic Hormones and the Benefits of Natural Alternatives. Harper Paperback imprint of HarperCollins. ISBN   0-06-054234-9.
  3. ↑ Formby, Bent; T.S. Wiley (1998). "Progesterone inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells: inverse effects on Bcl-2 and p53". Ann Clin Lab Sci . 28 (6): 360–9. PMID   9846203.
  4. ↑ Formby, Bent; T.S. Wiley (1999). "Bcl-2, survivin and variant CD44 v7-v10 are downregulated and p53 is upregulated in breast cancer cells by progesterone: inhibition of cell growth and induction of apoptosis". Mol Cell Biochem . 202 (1–2): 53–61. doi:10.1023/A:1007081021483. PMID   10705995. S2CID   25532485.
  5. ↑ R Stern; S Shuster; TS Wiley; B Formby (2001). "Hyaluronidase can modulate expression of CD44". Exp Cell Res . 266 (1): 167–76. doi:10.1006/excr.2001.5206. PMID   11339835.
  6. ↑ Somers, Suzanne (2006). Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones . Crown Publishing Group. ISBN   0-307-23724-9.
  7. ↑ Schwartz, Erika; Schwarzbein, D.; et al. (October 11, 2006). "Letter to Suzanne Somers".
  8. ↑ Feig SA, Hynote E, Speight N, Magaziner A, Miranda RA, Schachter MA (September 2005). "Summary of the American College for Advancement in Medicine May 2005 Conference: Menopause, Andropause: Power in Transition". Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2 (3): 416. doi:10.1093/ecam/neh113. PMC   1193553 .
  9. ↑ Rosenthal MS (2008). "The Wiley Protocol: an analysis of ethical issues". Menopause . 15 (5): 1014–22. doi:10.1097/gme.0b013e318178862e. PMID   18551081. S2CID   196421747.
  10. 1 2 "A Real Somers Storm: At war over Suzanne Somers's book on 'bioidenticals'". Newsweek. November 13, 2006. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  11. ↑ Sherr, Lynn; Glenn Ruppel (2007-02-16). "Suzanne Somers: Super Saleswoman: Has Somers Found the Fountain of Youth?". ABC News, 20/20. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  12. ↑ Ellin, Abby (October 15, 2006). "A Battle Over 'Juice of Youth'". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
  13. ↑ "Hearings: Bioidentical Hormones: Sound Science or Bad Medicine?". United States Senate Special Committee on Aging. April 19, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
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