Hormone therapy needs replacing.

• Position: Osteoporosis

For a time, hormone replacement therapy (the administration of estrogen either alone or in combination with other hormones) served as the preferred treatment for postmenopausal women hoping to reduce the progression of osteoporosis, a debilitating and inevitable bone-thinning disorder. Yet, a Women's Health Initiative study concludes that an estrogen and progestin combination increases the risk of breast cancer, blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks when taken over a long period of time.

Osteoporosis drastically is accelerated during menopause and is the third-leading cause of death of women over 70. By age 55, the average woman already has lost 30% of her bone mass. Eventually, bones can become so thin that they are susceptible to fracture from even the slightest trauma. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, one out of every two women over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime. Caucasian and Asian females are more likely to develop the disease. However, African-American and Hispanic women are at significant risk as well.

Many women are searching for a safe alternative to hormone...