Growth Hormones - Past Medical Scandals and The WPATH Files - Part 4

[@madelinecox4101]

Y'all should do an episode on psychologist Henry Cotton. He believed that mental illness was caused by bacterial infection. The knowledge of the existence of bacteria and how it caused disease was new in his day. So he proposed the removal of teeth, ovaries, testes, intestines, etc as possible sources of infection in order to cure mental illness.

[@missanne2908]

One thing that wasn't mention was the use of puberty blockers to help short children to grow. When Lupron Depot PED was FDA approved for central precocious puberty in 1993, doctors started using it off label for short kids with normally timed puberty to help them gain height. In the March 2003 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine there was a study done using a puberty blocker (different from Lupron). Those with growth hormone deficiency were also given growth hormone, while some of the others were prescribed growth hormone by their doctors independent of the study. The results were that the kids did indeed grow taller, but the problems with loss of bone mineral density made it not worth the risk. There was an article in the February 2017 Stat magazine that followed up on the problems of girls having taken Lupron for precocious puberty or to help them grow taller.

[@woodwest11]

This series needs to be seen by everyone

[@tubenamel]

These are fascinating webinars. Thank you so much for posting them publicaly so laypeople like myself can learn and benefit.

[@kelseysmith3297]

We helped a friend take her child to a clinic for babies with feeding issues. And the child was feeding fine, good weight, smart and hitting all the normal developmental milestones but was short. And the Drs wouldn't discharge the child because she was "off the chart" height wise. The child's mother was 5ft2 and father was 5ft7. We explained that to the Drs and they discharged her that day. She had needed the clinic for the first 6months. They kept her going for an extra year because they couldn't figure out while the child was short. This was a years worth of extra strain and stress on the family getting 6hrs of busses a trip, having to take off work unpaid that literally just took basic critical thinking skills. And being convinced by doctors to be really concerned because their beautiful child was grievously ill. But over a years worth of testing proved nothing other than the Drs only caring about this kid hitting a number she never could. Having numbers is great to have a baseline. But when it's misused it really is shocking.

[@happynjoyousnfree]

Insane!

[@happynjoyousnfree]

I really appreciate these conversations and LOVE Dr. Mendoza. What a great choice to head Genspect in the US!

[@bilong92]

I was born in 1992 in Canada and my parents were offered growth hormone shots when I was a baby who seemed to not grow according to the charts. I am very glad they declined even though I am less than five feet. We do live in a pretty anti short world, more so for men but also women.

[@jayadams9794]

They tried the same with me, luckily i was a smart kid and said hell no!! Wowww though i escaped this scandal

[@fitgiddlin21]

They need to stop trying to "cure" healthy kids. All they're doing is creating life long customers for themselves

[@hilcro1]

Have you looked at the infected blood scandal? It is completely heartbreaking and maddening in equal measure!

[@dorasneddon774]

Mia Hughes (in her work in preparing the WPATH files for release of the information they contained) researched medical scandals which have particular resonances with the current Trans affirmation and medicalisation, in order to illuminate particular issues, mostly the kinds of justifications presented by the scientists and medical people involved. Predominantly, ideological and socially motivated (but not reality-based) rationales, the lack of proper evaluation, follow-up and after care, as well as the publicity seeking and the media's involvement in championing and promoting unproven 'treatments', whilst ignoring problematic and risky outcomes.

[@claudiaborralho8887]

This series of medical scandals is amazing. Very eye opening when we relate it to what is going on now.

[@weouryourthem]

I was a DES baby, very lucky my mom didn't know she was pregnant until about 5 months so I was spared the infertility, issues and so far no cervical cancer👍

[@missanne2908]

As a result of taking a GNRH agonist (puberty blocker) for endometriosis in the 90s, my then mild asthma worsened dramatically, and I developed multiple chemical sensitivity. Recovered memory syndrome was still very much a thing, and a coworker raved about her hypnotherapist, who believed all allergies were the result of trauma that occurred at or around birth. I thought it was bull, but was afraid if I didn't try it that it would make me look like someone who wasn't serious about controlling my asthma. The therapist asked me what I knew about my birth, and I said I was adopted, no one knew what happened in regards to my birth. That shook him up somewhat - he had nothing to build memories on. He told me that one patient had heard his mother say that she didn't want this d@mn baby while he was still in utero. Babies can hear sounds in utero, but a child doesn't begin to have a passive understanding of language until they are around six or seven months old. That was it; I never went back again.

[@janewatson8108]

Thank God!

[@kimwiser445]

I just listened to The Memory Hole Podcast that was recommended by the women on this channel. It’s about the recovered memory movement in the 80’s and 90’s. I graduated from high school in the 80’s but I lived in Az. I remember hearing about it a little but I didn’t know anyone caught up in this.

[@ameliachameleon]

Oh man. Love hearing stella talk about the weight thing! My baby was in the lower 1% of weight- but I'm tiny! So of course she would be too. And shes not eating mcdonalds chicken nuggets like so many other babies in the southeast of rhe united states. We are small people who eat healthy foods. The pediatricians i was going to at first absolutely shamed me every time she was weighed! Until i switched doctors... and my new dr held her and kissed her head and said she was perfect. Cuz she was!!!!!!! What a relief to have a logical, supportive doctor. Screw those other ones... who create problems for job security, or a god complex, or whatever crap they are projecting.

[@CLoveR52806]

RE: braces - look into nutritional impact on jaw/skull and pelvis shape - Weston A Price studied this in the early 20th century

[@carollyvers5154]

I have a pediatrician friend who testified in Ohio against the law prohibiting "gender affirming care". He refuses to see the harm, finding an excuse for every argument.

[@happynjoyousnfree]

That is so tragic!

[@DrGreenGiant]

First hand experience, sortof. In 2020 it was found out that my body wasn't producing testosterone and was over producing growth hormone. They found an 8mm microadenoma (tumour) on my pituitary gland causing the growth hormone issue, diagnosed as acromegaly. The cause of the testosterone issue is unknown. I was operated on in August 2020 and given testosterone gel to apply daily in March of that year too. The change to my life has been incredibly positive, made it worth living again. Interestingly, on the NHS, hormone replacement therapy like this is cheaper for female patients than for male (prescription costs.) Yey for equality. I'm nothing to do with trans. I'm a 6'8", 36 yr old bloke in England. The supply of testosterone has been difficult every now and then with national shortages. I'm a different case to what is being discussed but hopefully it was interesting. Not wanting to self promo but there's a waffle-y video on my channel of me explaining acromegaly for anyone interested. It isn't monetised don't worry!

[@Asptuber]

Yes, this is interesting. Because just as Stella says right near the end (paraphrased): It's not that growth hormones or adderal or whatever is ALWAYS wrong, it's when it becomes commoditized. The market (products seeking more users) is problematic, but the reverse can also be a problem. I live in very small drug market, which seems to be dysfunctionally regulated. Shortages are a problem, but it is made worse by a very conformist culture and stringent treatment guidelines - old, cheap medicines that has worked well for minorities of patients just disappear. Some just gets taken off our market (because small), for some the shortages are just ridiculous. This is an old rant of mine: there will always be a minority of patients that do well with whatever is deemed problematic, or even a medical scandal. Unfortunately what often happens is that the drug is just disappeared, instead of shrinking its usage to the people who actually need it. For opiates and growth hormones these are luckily so essential that this doesn't happen, but my migraine-stricken friend and me with my idiosyncratic non-ra joint inflammation, our lives are not made better by tricky, dangerous and _effective_ medicines just disappearing. (In our case it is just our stupidly small market, but the withdrawn novel NSAIDs with cardiac risks are a good example of this at scale - because doctors can't weigh risks and benefits no-one can have the drugs.)

[@DrGreenGiant]

@@Asptuber definitely agree, and fascinating insight too. The commoditisation of testosterone seems to be getting worse and the stigma that's enhancing, not least due to trans discussion, is really bad for men in my position. It's quite crazy how much it's changed my life and it was found only because I kept nagging my GP, over and over, that I was sweating too much at night. I was told for someone my age (I forget the units) my level should be 13, and mine peaked at something like 0.1 iirc over a few tests. My body used to be fine, at least I had no symptoms, but those typical symptoms slowly over about 7 years ish. It was treated as depression for many years with various SSRI/SNRI's. It does make me wonder, for men at least, how many are being treated for depression instead of testosterone. Makes me wonder more what is causing it, because _if_ there is something larger at play, that could be huge. And just so I can get my rant in; in today's climate, anything that is effecting Western middle aged men is shoved under the carpet as a reparation of ancestral privilege, so it's going to go untreated for a very long time.

[@AndyJarman]

I lived in the UK when Creutzfeld Jacob Disease reached epic heights. The spinal cords of slaughtered sheep were being ground up and used as animal feed. To this day I am not allowed to give blood in Australia. We are yet to learn if the blood products of C19 vaccine recipients will be acceptable for transfusion for similar reasons. Given the persistence of spike protein production, and the massive increase in IgG4 antibodies and the loss of IgG1 and 2 production in the jabbed. IgG4 is a non sterilising response. It is currently suspected turbo cancer increases are a consequence of a lack of immunity vigilance due to IgG4 prevelance allowing cancerous cells to grow undetected.

[@mrlawilliamsukwarmachine4904]

That makes sense. Of course. The farmers were trying to make the cattle grow fast and have more meat on them.

[@heidinayak6317]

They have just lifted the equivalent ban on blood donation in NZ. So I (UK born in the 90s) was finally able to donate blood for the first time in my life a couple of months ago. I wouldn't be surprised if Australia follow suit.

[@ThePontiacBandit911]

Mia is interviewed by Benjamin Boyce about this subject, and, when Mia explains how the pituitary glands were harvested, etc…his jaw hits the floor.

[@LittleHandsBaking]

This unfortunately is still happening. In our hospital 50% of the ER is full with druggies, homeless and mental health patients waiting for their drugs. They watch them and release them after they get their drugs only to come back again to do the same thing. ER isn't for emergencies only anymore. I have never been in that ER and I'm avoiding it as the plague. A hospital that is level 1 trauma center in the region and it's a total mess.

[@MrsMacWifey]

The thing about "where these numbers come from" is so fascinating and also infuriating. This comes up a lot in regards to pregnancy. It's crazy to see how we arrived at the "normal" length of pregnancy and also of labor.

[@birgittegtzsche5660]

I wish you would let Mia speak more.

[@rosewillows4060]

This is always, always, always the problem with this channel.

[@happynjoyousnfree]

This episode got way off track. The discussion was interesting, but Mia is the one who did the research and her perspective should have had the majority of the focus.

[@teledoink]

Speaking of legalizing cannabis and how that went sideways, something that many people in San Francisco noticed but that we aren’t allowed to talk about is that how quickly fentanyl came into the scene as soon as cannabis was legalized. So yes in the rush to make cannabis legal they forgot to look at the possible unintended consequences that always happen. And just like the gender thing, it’s considered taboo to discuss this so we’ll just keep steaming full ahead I guess.

[@liberality]

Permissive attitudes to narcotics have been codified into law by members of the middle classes who are themselves drug users. But they aren't the ones who end up on the street, because they have resources to fall back on, such as home ownership. If white Californians wanted to do something for young black people, they would stop using them to fetch drugs from people they don't want to deal with.

[@Asptuber]

Can you elaborate? My unimaginative mind can't quite make the connection here. I would have thought fentanyl would have been a result of the hamfisted response to the crisis of prescription opioids?

[@JJmikra]

Scary stories!! One part I'm a bit disappointed about is where you talk about hormones for menopausal women. These women have been denied treatment even though they had serious problems that impaired their normal life. They were told it's just natural to have all sorts of problems and just accept it and sent home. It was not mentioned properly here

[@BrittishCats]

I'm facinated that we don't talk more about the one cure that has a stellar trackrecord for resolving mental health issues over time. Time, itself.

[@TheVigilante2000]

I love when talks get bogged down into trying to figure out the most politically correct term for Dwarfism. This is what we need to focus on. PS: I'm short, did she call me gay?

[@ChrisUllman-xb5ji]

I just saw this; dated June 11, 2024. It’s from Buttonlives: “New Study: Most Gender Youth Out Grow Identity Dx”

[@laurapfeifer749]

Why don’t they put these younger girls on the pill continuously for a few years so they don’t menstruate. This would take away the bother of periods w/o sterilization. Then could have rethought what to do later. I took it continuously for severe periods. Was God send 🙏🏼

[@Nicole-ww4lg]

yes, doctors are biased just like all other humans and most of them have just as hard a time as most of us admitting they are wrong. add the 'i'm the expert' mentality...my father was a paramedic and i grew up with tales of ER doctors telling him to his face he was either wrong or a liar about what he did to patients in his ambulance and watching my grandmother die prematurely at 67 because she was misdiagnosed for years because her doctors didn't believe her when she said her medication wasn't working...and now covid and trans medical scandals. i'm HIGHLY skeptical of doctors now. medical malpractice is the THIRD leading cause of death in the united states.

[@balalaika852]

I don't think puberty blockers for precocious puberty is a valid thing either. It's given to children for the same reason growth hormones were - to stop them being short. People stop growing in height when they hit puberty, so puberty blockers are prescribed to give the child more time to grow.

[@Margatatials]

Pr3citios puberty has been recorded in a child as young as 11 months old. A 1 yr old should have their puberty blocked

[@Nicole-ww4lg]

as someone with chronic pain who uses marijuana so i don't have an opiate problem, sad to hear villification of legal weed on this channel.

[@happynjoyousnfree]

There is definitely an issue with "medical marijuana." I am an addictions counselor and see way too many of my clients over using it.

[@jayadams9794]

Ive been smoking since i was 16.....32 now. My relationship with weed has definitely changed over the years......its just like any other relationship in life. It changes. I definitely notice negative effects, though minor. I will admit cannabis psychosis is very real and it has an effect on your mental well being. Its definitely not 100% all good man

[@CLoveR52806]

With opioids, it's also important to remember the racial aspect of it - it wasn't a health problem until white people became impacted - until then it was Black social problem. I wonder how we can evaluate racial impact in gender care - I know the stat re: trans deaths is waved around, but it's really a stat re: Black trans women who do sex work, but now all the white teens are like, "I'm gonna die without gender affirmation!"

[@heidihenkel7680]

Why did short kids want to be taller, and why did parents want their kids not to be short? Mostly so they wouldn't be bullied as much. Why do kids want to change their physical genders? Mostly because they hope they won't be bullied as much. The inability to tackle bullying, especially in schools, is the problem.

[@oliverhug3]

Why would a child be bullied for the reality of their sex?

[@simovihinen875]

Welp, Genspect is now listed as a hate group alongside SEGM.

[@preysner]

I truly enjoy these discussions. But for the love of God, Doctor, stop saying "ya know"!!! You're a highly educated woman!

[@ThePontiacBandit911]

Linguistics students call those ‘placeholder’ phrases. Which are a way of giving yourself time to think about what you’re going to say, while ensuring that nobody interrupts you; and you keep the listener’s attention.

[@mark4asp]

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormone hGH is a 191-amino acid peptide - which explains why it was so hard to synthesize.