The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women: Exploding the Estrogen Myth by BArbara Seaman

I definitely wouldn't call this a beach book, but it's a very interesting book for anyone who is taking estrogen for whatever reason. Did you know that birth control pills were invented for use in the concentration camps during the Holocaust? The book describes the history of estrogen and how influencial the drug companies have been in getting women who may not have really needed estrogen to use it through making false claims about its benefits. Alternatives to estrogen are also described, such as natural hormones, which are not controlled by drug companies because they do not make money off of them. My review sounds a little cynical. I guess that is because of two statements that stood out to me. One is that women should take as little estrogen as possible for a short of time as possible. Hmmm, didn't know that! Also, doctors and drug companies recommend estrogen to women for purposes it was not intended or researched for - such as osteoporsis, have women use it, then see if it works. That's the experiment and I have been a part of it for years!