I thought we had heard the worst about synthetic hormone replacement, but it would appear not.  Whether a women is using estrogen alone, or estrogen and progestin, the results are in and they are not pretty. 

Bottom line ,whether you started young or after menopause, whether you have taken it for a long time or a short time, the risk of stroke increases by about 39%.  If you are on high doses, the increased risk is 62%

"The advice to women is, if you are on HRT, you should be on the lowest dose that will control your symptoms," Liu said. "In addition, you should be monitored and evaluated, and if you are going to continue on it; you need to understand what the risks are."

We need to make everyone aware that there is another option, without the grief, and that is a NATURAL approach to hormonal imbalances.

The Vitamin Lady writes about Menopause - first class passage.

HRT increases stroke risk

Progesterone cream with herbs

Estrogen Cream

The FDA is after the bio-identical hormones again.  For an interesting review of what has been going on, and links to contact Congress, go to the American Health Freedom site:

Act Today to Preserve Your Access to Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy!

I usually cast a cursory glance over the Gott column, just to see how conflicted he might be that day.  This one takes the cake!

Some poor person writes to say that they have iatrogenic adrenal insufficiency - the word "iatrogenic" immediately raised the red flag, so I read on.

Dr. Gott calmly tells us that iatrogenic adrenal insufficiency is one of THE MOST COMMON forms of adrenal problems.  It obviously comes as absolutely no surprise to him.  What is the consequence?  This condition requires you to take synthetic Cortisol for the rest of your natural existence, or risk death. As he puts it, "without normal levels of Cortisol, your body cannot function properly."

I know you are panting to know - what causes this common condition?  "It is caused by excessive or chronic use of glucocorticoid medication (such as prednisone) which essentially .... shuts down the adrenal glands".

What is one of the most common uses of this type of medication?  INHALERS FOR OUR CHILDREN.

Here is a selection of immediately available links found through Google about the dangers:

Monitor growth when using glucocorticoids in children

Glucocorticoid induced osteopenia and osteoporosis

Glucocorticoids and the risk for cardiovascular disease

Are there alternatives?  Yes, and please, for the sake of your future health and that of your kids, consider them.

The Vitamin lady writes about natural help for Asthma

The Vitamin lady writes about controlling Inflammation naturally

This lays out the reasons to stay fit in terms that cannot be denied!

Increasing BMI was associated with increased risk of the following cancers: endometrial cancer (trend in relative risk per 10 units = 2.89), adenocarcinoma of the esophagus (2.38), kidney cancer (1.53), leukemia (1.50), multiple myeloma (1.31), pancreatic cancer (1.24), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (1.17), ovarian cancer (1.14), breast cancer in post-menopausal women (1.40), colorectal cancer in pre-menopausal women (1.61), and all cancers combined (1.12). Similar associations were found between BMI and risk of mortality from cancer. The authors state, "Among postmenopausal women in the UK, 5% of all cancers (about 6000 annually) are attributable to being overweight or obese. For endometrial cancer and adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus, body mass index represents a major modifiable risk factor; about half of all cases in postmenopausal women are attributable to overweight or obesity."

Increasing Body Mass Index Linked to Increased Incidence of Cancer

This was sent to me by a caring friend, and is so relevant I am sharing it with you.  Please pass it on!

 I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is the best
 description I've ever read .

 Women and heart attacks (Myocardial infarction).  Did you know that women
 rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have when experiencing heart
 attack...you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat,
 grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor that we see in the movies.

 Here is the story of one woman's experience with a heart attack.

 "I had a completely unexpected heart attack at about 10:30 pm with NO prior
 exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might've
 brought it on. I was sitting all snugly y & warm of a cold evening, with my
 purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and
 actually thinking "A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft,
 cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up." A moment late, I felt that
 awful sensation of indigestion, when you've been in a hurry and grabbed a
 bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite
 seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ball going down the
 esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn't
 have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time
 drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was
 my initial sensation---the only trouble was that I hadn't taken a bite of
 anything since about 5:00 PM.


 "After that had seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little
 squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight,it was
 probably my aorta spasming), gaining speed as they continue racing up and
 under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when
 administering CPR). This fascinating process continued on into my throat and
 branched out into both jaws.


 "AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening--we all have read
 and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signal of an MI
 happening, haven't we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, quote; "Dear God,I
 think I'm having a heart attack !" I lowered the foot rest, dumping the cat
 from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. Thought
 to myself "If this is a heart attack, I shouldn't be walking into the next
 room where the phone is or anywhere else.......but, on the other hand,if I
 don't, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer i may not
 be able to get up in moment."


 "I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next
 room and dialed the Paramedics... I told her I thought I was having a heart
 attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my
 jaws. I didn't feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said
 she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was
 near to me, and if so, to unbolt the door and then lie down on the floor
 where they could see me when they came in.


 "I then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I
 don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto
 gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to
 St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw
 that the Cardiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap,helping
 the medics pull my stretcher out  of the ambulance. He was bending over me
asking questions (probably something like "Have you taken any  medications?")
 but I couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying, or
 form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist
 and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral
 artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by
 side stints to hold open my right coronary artery.


 "I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken
 at least 20-30 minutes before calling the Paramedics, but actually it took
 perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St.Jude
 are only minutes away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already to go to
 the OR in his scrubs and get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped
 somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stents .


 "Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want
 all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first
 hand."


 1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body not
 the usual men's symptoms, but inexplicable things happening (until my
 sternum and jaws got into the act ). It is said that many more women than
 men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn't know they were
 having one, and commonly mistake it a s indigestion, take some Maalox or
 other anti-heartburn preparation, and go to bed, hoping they'll feel better
 in the morning when they wake up....which doesn't happen. My female friends,
 your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the
 Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you've not felt
 before. It is better to have a "false alarm" visitation than to risk your
 life guessing what it might be!


 2. Note that I said "Call the Paramedics". Ladies TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!
 Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER--you're a hazard to others on the
 road, and so is your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking
 anxiously at what's happening with you instead of the road. Do NOT call your
 doctor--he doesn't know where you live and if it's at night you won't reach
 him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will
 tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn't carry the equipment in his car
 that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you
 need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later.


 3. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have a  normal
 cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated
 reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably high, and/or
 accompanied by high blood pressure.) MI's are usually cause by long-term
 stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly
 hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can
 wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we
 know, the better chance we could survive...


 A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to 10 people,
 you can be sure that we'll save at least one life.


 **Please be a true friend and send this article to all your friends you care
 about** I just did!!
 

The usefulness of hemp is hard to underestimate, and it is a pity that the recreational drug use of a form of hemp has not been better separated from its commercial use in the minds of the authorities than it has. Here is a report that will open your eyes and make you stare!

Jarrow has just made both the seeds, and an excellent protein from Hemp available, which makes this research even more apropos - it might be a useful protective measure, if nothing else!

Topic:	A Compound found in Cannabis May Prevent the Spread of Breast Cancer
Keywords:	CANCER, BREAST CANCER, METASTASIS - Cannabis, Cannabidiol, Chemotherapy
Reference:	"Cannabidiol as a novel inhibitor of Id-1 gene expression in aggressive breast cancer cells," McAllister SD, Christian RT, et al, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 2007; 6(11): 2921-7. (Address: California Pacific Medical Center, Research Institute, 475 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. E-mail: mcallis@cpmcri.org ).
Summary:	In a study involving aggressive human breast cancer cells, cannabidiol - a compound found in cannabis with a low-toxicity profile - was found to block the activity of a gene called Id-1, thereby reducing the aggressiveness of the cancer cells. In previous research, the authors had determined that metastatic breast cancer cells were less invasive and less metastatic when Id-1 was down-regulated. In this study, cannabidiol (CBD) was found to down regulate Id-1 expression in aggressive human breast cancer cells; the concentrations effective at doing so correlated with the concentrations required to inhibit the proliferative and invasive phenotype of breast cancer cells. In a concentration-dependent manner, CBD inhibited Id-1 expression at the mRNA and protein level. According to the authors, the effects of CBD appear to result from the inhibition of the Id-1 gene at the promoter level. CBD did not inhibit invasiveness in cells that ectopically expressed Id-1. The authors c onclude that, "…CBD represents the first nontoxic exogenous agent that can significantly decrease Id-1 expression in metastatic breast cancer cells leading to the down-regulation of tumor aggressiveness." Given the limited therapeutic interventions available for the treatment of aggressive and metastatic breast cancer, and given the toxicity and other side effects associated with chemotherapy, these results offer hope that a non-toxic alternative to chemotherapy may be on the horizon.

As this report says, "What if an estimated 100,000 breast cancer patients got drugs that did nothing to combat their cancer, but put them at risk for heart failure and leukemia?"

The drugs in question, anthracyclines turn out to have almost no effect in 92 percent of breast cancer cases. 

Weighing the benefit in 4% of patients against the possibility of heart attack or leukemia is a grave responsibility for a Doctor, and a horrible dilemma for a patient - always assuming they are given the facts and allowed to choose.

The only bright side is that the advance in knowledge this research brings may lead to more care in prescribing the drugs.

My article addressing Breast Cancer.

Consider IPT, gentler chemotherapy.

Throw away the grill, ladies!  A new study estimates that eating smoked and/or grilled meats regularly, may double your risk of breast cancer. 

Combine all that meat with a low intake of fruits and vegetables, and the risk climbs to a plus 74%.

And to think, I can remember the days when the American Cancer Society held the position that diet had nothing to do with cancer.

A Healthy Diet

Smoked, BBQ meat linked to breast cancer 

Black Cohosh halves risk of breast cancer

While the study comes hedged about with "more research needed" and "consult your physician", the bottom line is this:

Women who reported taking black cohosh (5 percent of blacks and 2 percent of whites) were at 61 percent lower risk of breast cancer, the researchers found.

Also, those who took an herbal preparation derived from black cohosh called Remifemin had a 53 percent lower risk of the disease.

That is a truly hefty protective finding.  Many breast cancers are detected in the post-menopausal years, the risk rising as we age.  Unless the use of Black Cohosh is contra-indicated for you in some way, I would call this a valuable line of defense.

Study: Black Cohosh may halve breast cancer risk

Enzymatic Therapy's REMIFEMIN

Solaray's Black Cohosh Extract

I know - that tag line IS stretching it a bit, but after all, Pycnogenol comes from pine bark!

I have recommended Pycnogenol for many years for menstrual discomfort, and it has been generally extremely effective.  Now comes a study showing it can alleviate the discomfort and pain associated with endometriosis, a condition where the onset of menses produces extra tissue, which attaches outside the uterus causing inflammation and pain .  These adhesions may turn up in the abdomen and on the ovaries where it  causes great pain, and interferes with reproductive processes. 

Endometriosis significantly reduced by Pine Bark

The Vitamin Lady's Pycnogenol

It seems that the "need" to know exactly when birth will take place, has inspired many Mothers and Doctors to opt for Caesarean sections, which can actually be SCHEDULED.

In England, they have called that "too posh to push", meaning that mostly affluent Mothers have opted for the procedure.  (As a digression, 'posh' comes from the days when wives would travel out to visit their husbands in India on the big liners of the day; the comfortable side of the ship was the side away from the intense sun:  hence, Port Out, Starboard Home.  or so the story goes! )

In any event, any woman contemplating putting convenience above nature in a non-emergency situation, needs to be aware that the risk for complications in the Mother are three-fold:  hematomas, cardiac events and aesthetic failures being the most frequent.

More alarming, to my mind, is that the risk to the infant is ALSO three-fold: three times more babies dying after the procedure.

Leaving it to Mother Nature may not be convenient, but it appears to be a great deal more efficient!

As is the natural way of feeding your baby ...

You may remember last year I posted information about a direct attempt by Wyeth, the maker of synthetic hormone replacements, to make the compounding and formulating of bio-identical hormones illegal.

Not only would this have removed from health store shelves the standard menopausal comforts, it would also have meant that your Doctor could not send to your compounding pharmacy for your personal prescription.

That attempt was foiled, but in a turn-around from its historical stand the American Medical Association is now considering a request from certain member groups to petition the FDA to declare compounded medication illegal. Wyeth has contributed some thousands of dollars to the groups within the AMA which have put forward this resolution.

The AMA has in the past defended the right of Doctors to decide what treatment to administer, and many Americans support their health using  certain drugs “off-label” and compounded medications for their health that are lawful and medically appropriate, even though they are not “FDA-approved.”

If the FDA is permitted to regulate this physician discretion, while it may start with restrictions on compounding bio-identical hormones, it could lead to regulation of all  medicines for off-label uses.  My own use of Naltrexone for cancer would be affected.

Go here to send a letter to the President of the AMA to express your concern over this broadening of FDA power into areas which should be the sole purview of your Doctor.

Would you rather be a little unhappy while you are pregnant, or run the risk of worrying for a life-time about the health of your baby's heart?

Well, when you put it that way ...

Pregnancy means the body has a high requirement for the Omega 3 fatty acids, which help with the developing fetus's brain and vision.  Add to this that Omega 3s are also protective against mild depression, and that a recent survey by the Washington, DC-based Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) reported that only 41 per cent of mothers and expectant mothers know they should be consuming omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy - I would say it is a no-brainer   that the first avenue of approach for depression during pregnancy should be - OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS.

NOT - I repeat - NOT - pharmaceutical anti-depressants which have previously been linked to possible birth defects, but which are now positively linked to heart damage in  some babies.

Despite all this the report on heart damage in infants concludes:

However, reproductive-age women have the highest prevalence of major depressive disorders. The benefit to the mother of treatment with any of the drugs may outweigh the risk to the fetus.

Can they possibly be that short-sighted? Or do we hear the voice of the pharmaceutical industry super-imposed on common sense?

Paxil poses possible risk of birth defects, group of obstetricians says

The Vitamin Lady writes about natural help for Depression

A Prenatal with Omega 3: Pregnatal w. DHA

Source of Omega 3: Carlson Fish Oil Liquid   Carlson Fish Oil Capsules

While I am very uncomfortable with feeding soy to infants  because of the possibility of hormone disruptions, preliminary studies are suggesting that food based sources of soy during early childhood and adolescence may protect against breast cancer.

"By comparing the highest and lowest soy intake values for soy-based foods such as tofu, miso and natto, Korde and co-workers at the National Cancer Institute calculated that women with the highest soy intake during childhood (ages 5 to 11) had a 58 per cent lower risk of breast cancer as adults as the women with the lowest soy intake as children.

The corresponding reductions for adolescent and adult intake were about 25 per cent, they said.

The underlying mechanism is not known, said the researchers, but they hypothesized that the oestrogenic effects of soy isoflavones cause changes in breast tissue during childhood that may decrease sensitivity to carcinogens later in life. A similar protective effect has been found in studies of overweight girls, perhaps because fat tissue also secretes oestrogens, said Korde."

Soy during childhood linked to lower risk of breast cancer

The Vitamin lady writes about protecting against breast cancer

I don't suppose the soda industry needed more bad news, with sales falling like rocks, but here it is:

if you are female, the more cola you drink, the higher your risk for osteoporosis.

There had to be more bad news, you know - it simply flies in the face of nature to slake ones thirst not with pure water, but with sugary chemical liquid. 

It would not surprise me to learn as a corollary to this study, that for our adolescents to drink pop is to interfere with the formation of strong bones they need for their future.  But that is pure speculation.

Cola raises women's risk for osteoporosis