Update!
Recent studies have shown women taking Premarin have up to a 300% increase
in the risk of experiencing dementia with old age, even if they only used the drug
for a short period of time. Also, breast cancer found in women who have taken
Premarin tends to be a great deal more aggressive and difficult to treat than that
found in women who have not taken the drugs.
This is bad news for the thousands of women still taking the drug, but good news
for the mares on the line. These shocking studies have deterred many would be
premarin users
The fight to free Premarin mares and their foals is one that speaks to my heart.
There is a variety of information about Premarin and its sister drugs at
premarin.org. Premarin and Prempro along with a few others are popularly used
for hormone replacement or estrogen replacement therapies. If you are
interested what Wyeth has to say you can visit their site at Premarin.comThe
very name premarin comes from its origin of PREnant MAre uRINe. The mares
are kept in tiny stalls only 8 ft long by 3 1/2 ft wide by just 5ft high. Many of these
mares are warm bloods, larger horses creates more urine. In addition to the
small space mares are further restrained by being tied at the front of their "stalls"
To increase the concentration of estrogen in the urine the horses are kept under
hydrated. And what happens to the foals born from these mares? Some fillies will
grow up to follow in their mothers hoof prints and live a short miserable life.
Those not committed to life on the "pee" farm are sold at auction. Frequently,
they go to kill buyers. A filly has less than a 1 in 10 chance of NOT going to
slaughter. For colts odds are even worse, less than 1 in 50 will not go to
slaughter. Between 37,000 and 43,000 PMU foals went to slaughter in 1998. In
addition to the miserable lives of mares in the production lines of Premarin, the
approximately 9 million American women taking it are subjecting themselves to
potentially life-threatening side effects. Breast cancer is at the top of the list of
currently known "possible" side effects, but there are many others. Wyeth
pharmaceuticals has a history of putting profit before safety. You may remember
the Fen-phen controversy. Yup, same company. Wyeth also owns Fort Dodge
animal health. Many of us use Fort Dodge without knowing the connection. The
only way to put an end to the suffering is to hit Wyeth where it hurts, the bank
account. Boycott Wyeth and everything they produce!
What can you do?
If you are currently on an ERT or HRT talk to your doctor and find out if your
drug is synthetic or organic. If it is organically based demand to be switched to a
synthetic based drug. They have fewer side effect anyways. Or look into a more
natural alternative. There are many Soy and plant based supplements on the
market today. Talk to your doctor before making changes in your medical care.
If you feel the need to take up this cause start on a personal level. Educate
those around you. Your mothers, sisters, daughters, co-workers, and fellow
horse lovers. I have met many women who had no idea what was involved in the
making of Premarin and upon learning of the cruelty that goes into Premarin
stopped taking it. The more people you can tell the more people they will tell. 9
million women a year are taking Premarin. If those 9 million are educated and
stop taking Premarin then the profits will dry up and these people will go away.
On a larger level there are a number of people you can write to :
If you are truly concerned about the issue, write to the Canadian Minister of
Industry and tell him how you feel. After all, the possible loss of tourism dollars
may rival that of Premarine income. (Minister of Industry, House of Commons,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIA 0A6. Or phone: 613/995-9001).
You can also write the Canadian government: Minister, Department of Western
Diversification, House of Commons, 418-M Center Block, Ottawa, Ontario KIA
0A6, and the Manitoba government to protest their funding of Ayerst's expansion
plans in Canada: Premier of Manitoba, 450 Broadway, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C
0V8.
Also write to the Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 23394, Washington, D.C.,
20026), and of course the Premarine patent holder, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories
(product control), 555 E. Lancaster Avenue, St. David's, PA 19087,
800.666.7248 (and Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, PO Box 8299, Philadelphia, PA
19101).
You may also wish to write to: Director, Women's Health Initiatives, National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892. Protest their use of Premarin in
women's medical studies.
Four Legged Friends Photography ~ Kris Dorst
Copyright (C) 2007 Kris Dorst. All Rights Reserved
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