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March 2002 Vol. 7 No. 3
Unity is the great need of the hour, and if we are united we can get many of the things that we not only desire but which we justly deserve. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Table of Contents:Doctors to Debut Provocative Ad Criticizing Milk’s Ability to Build Bones
Doctors Speak Out Against Anti-Health “Hate Campaign”
Nutritional Factors in Menstrual Pain and Premenstrual Syndrome
Hormone Replacement Therapy Linked to Breast Cancer
Compilation and Analysis of Public Opinion Polls on Genetically Engineered (Ge) Foods
Hidden Harm-Irradiation of Foods-What You Need to Know
Vitamin E and Parkinson’s Disease
Challenging the Mind May Save it from Alzheimer’s
Doctors to Debut Provocative Ad Criticizing Milk’s Ability to Build Bones
http://www.pcrm.org/news/health020116.html
Doctors Speak Out Against Anti-Health “Hate Campaign”
http://www.pcrm.org/news/health020116.html
Nutritional Factors in Menstrual Pain and Premenstrual Syndrome
http://www.pcrm.org/research/menstrual.html
Hormone Replacement Therapy Linked to Breast Cancer
Adding to evidence that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can potentially raise a woman’s risk of breast cancer, a new US study links recent, long-term HRT with a heightened risk of the disease.
Researchers found that HRT with estrogen alone or estrogen-plus-progestin was associated with a 70% increase in breast cancer risk when the therapy was taken for 5 years within the 6 years preceding the cancer diagnosis.
The findings build on previous research showing a link between long-term HRT and breast cancer and help clear up the question of whether combination HRT and estrogen-only HRT carry similar risks.
In addition, the study of about 1,300 women found that HRT use had a particular link to lobular breast cancer, the form of the disease that begins in the breast’s lobules. It is far less common than ductal breast cancer, which begins in the milk ducts.
Women who were recent, long-time users of HRT faced a three-fold risk of lobular cancer compared with women who never used HRT. These women also had about a 50% increase in the risk of ductal cancer.
JAMA February 13, 2002;287:734-741
Now It Is Official: Estrogen Does Not Benefit Women’s Hearts
http://www.mercola.com/2001/aug/4/estrogen.htm
Estrogen No Cure For Bone Loss
http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/10/estrogen_bone_loss.htm
After all these years of estrogen hype it is becoming more and more clear to traditional medicine that the benefits of estrogen don’t outweigh the risks. Estrogen has long been proven to not help with heart disease nor prevent Alzheimer’s.
So that leaves us with osteoporosis and hot flash relief. Many researchers have found the herb black cohosh works far more effectively for hot flash relief. What about the use of HRT and osteoporosis? A study published less than a year ago in JAMA showed that estrogen was not helpful to prevent against hip fractures.
JAMA June 13, 2001;285:2891-2897, 2909-2910
Fortunately one can take vitamin D, K, omega three fatty acids [flax seed, pumpkin seed, fish oils for example] and plenty of vegetables and weight bearing and resistance exercises to address osteoporosis. One can only logically conclude that there is no reason for a woman to take hormone replacement therapy, unless her ovaries have been removed.
It is important to make a distinction between women who have had their ovaries removed and those that have not. Those that have will likely benefit from low dose natural human estrogen replacement while those who still have ovaries will likely not.
Compilation and Analysis of Public Opinion Polls on Genetically Engineered (Ge) Foods (Updated February 1, 2002)
A Work Product of the Center for Food Safety - Washington, DC
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/facts&issues/polls.html
Hidden Harm-Irradiation of Foods-What You Need to Know
http://www.citizen.org/documents/HiddenHarm_-_PDF.pdf
Vitamin E and Parkinson’s Disease
By Andreas M. Papas, Ph.D.
Free radicals are believed to play a major role in the development of Parkinson’s disease especially in people with predisposition to the disease. Parkinson’s is associated with death of cell in the substantia nigra (black matter) area of the brain which controls movement (please see Chapter 16 of The Vitamin E Factor book. Iranian researchers used a rat model and evaluated the role of vitamin E when given by injection before and after damage was inflicted to the substantia nigra. The results show strong protection including 68-74 lower level of uncontrollable movements compared to the animals not treated with vitamin E.
The bottom line: A major clinical study (DATATOP ) showed no benefit of vitamin E as alpha-tocopherol in improving the condition of Parkinson’s patients. The results of this and other studies suggest that vitamin E might be helpful before or at the very early stages of the disease.
http://www.christianity.com/CC/article/1,1183,PTID25838|CHID127559|CIID293360,00.html
Challenging the Mind May Save it from Alzheimer’s
Participating in ordinary tasks such as reading, listening to the radio and playing games like checkers and cards on a daily basis may stave off the memory-robbing illness Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings are from a study of more than 800 Catholic nuns, priests and brothers 65 and older who are participating in the ongoing US-based Religious Orders Study.
In the study investigators found that people who participated most often in mentally challenging activities had a 47% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Those who participated a moderate amount had a 28% lower risk of the ailment compared with those who rarely participated.
The researchers looked at 7 common activities, including watching television; listening to the radio; reading newspapers, magazines and books; playing games, such as cards, checkers or crosswords or other puzzles; and going to museums.
The amount of time study participants spent doing each activity was measured on a five-point scale with the lowest level of activity (rated a “1″) for participating in an activity once a year or less, and the highest (rated a “5″) signifying daily or “about every day” participation.
The researchers found that a person’s risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease decreased by 33% for each one-point increase on the participation scale. During the 5-year study, 111 people developed Alzheimer’s disease.
We are asked constantly about this use-it-or-lose-it approach to maintaining memory. This study provides important new evidence that there may be something to the notion of increased use of one’s brain reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The most common form of dementia in the elderly, Alzheimer’s now affects about 4 million Americans. The disease is marked by the formation of “plaques” and “tangles” in the brain, and researchers have identified a range of possible contributors to its onset.
JAMA February 13, 2002;287:742-748
Low Folate Levels Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease
http://www.mercola.com/2000/apr/2/folate_alzheimers.htm
Aluminum in Water May Increase Alzheimer’s Risk
http://www.mercola.com/2000/jul/16/aluminum_water_alzheimers.htm