natural alternatives for breast cancerDear Friends, Moms, Sisters, Daughters, Aunts & Grandmothers,

We have all been effected by women who have fought breast cancer.

Formaldehyde in hair-straighteners, heavy metals in makeup, phthalates in perfume and parabens in lotion are chemicals linked to cancer and do NOT belong in our everyday cosmetics, yet current law allows it.

That's why many organizations including the  Breast Cancer Fund has been rallying for major change in the cosmetics industry for six years, on behalf of people affected by breast cancer and as a founding partner in the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Now we—and you—have a voice and a vehicle in Congress for truly safe, nontoxic cosmetics. On Friday June 24, 2011,  Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

This bill (H.R.2359) would give the FDA the authority it needs to ensure that personal care products are free of chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects, infertility and other serious health problems.

We hope you'll help to move this bill through Congress. 

Sincerely,

Cathy Margolin, L.Ac. Dipl OM

Menopause Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Concealed

Supreme Court Says Wyeth Must Pay $60 Million Prempro Verdict

Wyeth failed to conduct appropriate studies on breast cancer and concealed material facts about its products' safety (p. 35)

– The warnings provided by Wyeth were misleading and “reassuring.” (p. 39)

– Internal Wyeth documents showed that Wyeth responded to studies suggesting a possible breast cancer risk by downplaying the risk through public relations campaigns and its sales representatives' interactions with physicians. pg. 8

–  Wyeth engaged in extensive ghost-writing of scientific articles in order to influence prescribing physicians.  Published under independent doctors' names, at least 51 ghostwritten medical articles touted the benefits of hormone replacement therapy while minimizing the breast cancer risk. (p. 11)

– Wyeth implemented a policy to dismiss scientific studies that showed any link between breast cancer and hormone therapy drugs and to distract the public and medical professionals from the information. (p. 40)

–  Substantial evidence was introduced that Wyeth acted with malice, conduct that supports a punitive damage award. (p. 41)

 

Dedicated to all the women who have died of breast cancer and to those who have fought cancer and those who unknowingly trusted their doctors menopause treatment suggestions and were told HRT was safe. Now we know good doctors were lied to by pharmaceutical companies like Wyeth.

Source: Nevada Supreme Court      http://www.nevadajudiciary.us/index.php/oralarguments/720-wyeth-vs-rowatt

Pfizer Owes $58 Million to Women With Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer awareness is an important part of breast cancer prevention“Wyeth refused to accept responsibility for what it did to these brave women,”  Zoe Littlepage,  a lawyer for Rowatt, Scofield and Forrester, said in an e-mailed statement. “Wyeth can’t hide any more. These women will finally see justice.”

The worlds largest drugmaker, Pfizer, has been denied an appeal by the U.S. Supreme Court for it’s drugs Premarin and Provera, both still on the market.   The Nevada Supreme Court  concluded jurors properly held Pfizer’s Wyeth responsible for hiding the breast-cancer risks of Premarin and Prempro in 2007.

Pfizer has been punished for creating an atmosphere of false promises and hiding the evidence that showed significant risks factors for breast cancer for women taking Premarin and Provera.

Annual sales of Wyeth’s Hormone Replacement Therapy for menopause symptoms exceeded $2 billion before a 2002 study, sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, suggested that women using the medicines had a 24 percent higher risk of breast cancer.

Until 1995, many patients combined Premarin, Wyeth’s estrogen-based drug, with progestin-laden Provera, made by Pfizer’s Pharmacia & Upjohn unit. Wyeth then combined the two hormones in Prempro. The drugs are still on the market.

If you are taking these drugs consider a natural herbal alternative to HRT, Hormone Replacement Therapy that has withstood the test of time.


Lower Your Blood Pressure With Acupuncture

By: John McKenzie

By his own account, Dr. Randal Zusman, Director of blood-pressure medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital, is a pill pusher. "I am very aggressive in the treatment of high blood pressure using drugs, using pills," he says.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. Middle-aged Americans face a staggering 90 percent chance of developing the condition, according to a new report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

But the drugs used to treat it must be taken daily, usually for a lifetime. And they may have side effects, such as fatigue, depression and dizziness.

So Zusman is looking for alternatives for relieving hypertension. He thinks he may have found one in the ancient Chinese technique of acupuncture.

"There is an extensive literature from Asian and Russian communities that acupuncture does indeed lower blood pressure," he says.

American researchers have already shown that special acupuncture needles, when gently inserted into specific points on the skin, can stimulate nerves that reach up into the brain and to cells in the brain that control blood pressure.

"There's evidence from our laboratory and many other laboratories to suggest that the cells quiet down after acupuncture," says Dr. John Longhurst professor of medicine at the University of California, Irvine.

When those cells "quiet down," or become less active, blood vessels relax.

Clinical Trials Continue

Now, in the most rigorous study of its kind, patients with high blood pressure — 140 (systolic) over 90 (diastolic) or higher — are being given a series of 12 acupuncture treatments.

The study is not yet complete, but Zusman is already enthusiastic.

"A substantial number of our patients have responded with significant reductions in blood pressure," he says.

Patients like Rip Reeves are also impressed: "In my late 30s, I was probably 145/95; with medication, I got it down to 130/80. And since I've been on acupuncture and not taking medication, I've been averaging 125/75."

Perhaps most amazing, acupuncture's benefit can be long lasting. Some patients who received the acupuncture treatment nine months ago still have normal blood pressure.

"The implication," says Zusman, "is that 12 acupuncture treatments over a six-week period will produce a cure."

In this case, the doctors defined "cure" as maintaining normal blood pressure for one year without medication. And that, for some patients, may now be within their reach.

Sleep Aid Medication Not Safe Enough Says FDA

Regulators at the US Food and Drug Administration have denied for a second time, a sleep aid drug over safety concerns.  Trancept Pharmaceuticals formulation of zolpidem tartrate (the same drug used in Ambien) has been trying to get approval for a sublingual tablet they hope to market as “Intermezzo”.  This sleep aid would be marketed towards those who wake in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep.  

The problem is regulators have doubts over safety.  Taking a dose of this drug with less than 4 hours of sleep time may result in severe morning drowsiness.  The stories of sleep driving, sleepwalking and sleep falls have all been documented and are receiving attention. 

Driving While Drowsy is Unsafe

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowsy driving contributes to an estimated 100,000 motor vehicle crashes and about 1,500 deaths each year.

In fact,  in 2007, FDA regulators requested that all manufacturers of sedative-hypnotic drugs include stronger product language warning of the potential risks because of the rising number of sleep driving incidents.

Waking in the middle of the night is a pattern is a sleeplessness that is one of the most common problems today. If you saw the Dr. Oz show on Chinese Medicine (you can see it here) you probably heard that jujube seed is an herb which can help with this sleeplessness. 

This 100% natural herbal sleep aid that has been used for thousands of years throughout Asia, yet is little known in the West. It is effective and safe!  Research has proven its ability to calm the mind and stop the repetitive thoughts that so often keep us awake at night.  It is one of the main herbs in iSleep Herb Pack.   iSleep can be used sublingually before bed or in the middle of the night. There are no harmful side effects and no morning drowsiness.  You can find iSleep Herb Pack here and at many fine health food stores.

Flax Out – Chinese Herbs In For Hot Flashes

hot flashes gone with Chinese herbsWe understand women are looking for natural products for as menopause treatment options.  Unfortunately,  flax seeds do not significantly lessen hot flashes according a study done at the Mayo Clinic and reported today in the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago.

Researchers enrolled 178 women who had at least 28 hot flashes per week.  About half were breast cancer survivors.  

The women were given snack bars with or without flax seed to eat once a day. After six weeks, only a third of each group reported 50 percent fewer hot flashes, and all reported more bloating, diarrhea and nausea.”This we suspect was due to the fiber content in the bars,” According to Dr. Sandhya Pruthi of the Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis.

If flax seeds don’t help hot flashes what does help? Chinese herbs have been used for over two thousand years successfully throughout Asia and help women naturally go through the change in life without severe hot flashes and night sweats.  

Chinese herbs such as Rehamniae, Discorea, Horny Goat Weed, Moutan and others have a long history of helping women balance their energy and bring their bodies back to homeostasis.  Herbal medical products for the treatment of menopausal symptoms have been studied and used continuously throughout Asia. Most American’s are familiar with a few Chinese herbs such as Ginseng, Dang Gui and Ginger.  Yet, hundreds of herbs have been  time tested and are safe and effective. These Chinese herbs may be new to the Western woman for menopause treatment, but Asian women have known the power in natural herbs by being raised in a culture which accepts and treasures their history, culture and learned knowledge that has been pasted down through generations.  

For more information on Chinese herbs for menopause hot flashes click here.

You may also be interested in this blog post: A Natural Alternative to Hormones and Hot Flashes.