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#50 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Fri Feb 7, 2003 11:40 am
Subject: Two articles on testosterone. 		grehert
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Here are two articles on testosterone, the hormone of aggression and violence.  Typically known as "the male hormone," it's effect on women is considerable.  
Testosterone loss decreases women's quality of life
Tuesday, February 04, 2003   By Rallie McAllister, MD
 
When you hear the word testosterone, you probably think of manly men with deep voices, bulging biceps and hairy chests. It's true that testosterone is the essence of masculinity, but it's also a woman's hormone.   Like estrogen, the production of testosterone in women drops off significantly after menopause. Although the adrenal glands continue to manufacture small amounts of the hormone, the ovaries stop making it altogether, and testosterone levels begin to fall.
 
While the effects of estrogen deficiency that occur with menopause are well understood, far less is known about the impact of low testosterone levels in postmenopausal women. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that women with low testosterone levels were more prone to suffer from fatigue, depression and loss of libido than women with higher levels.
 
Although doctors have been prescribing testosterone replacement therapy for men since the 1930s, it wasn't until recently that the treatment was considered acceptable for women. In spite of its many proven benefits, the treatment is still quite controversial. The potential for unwelcome side effects keeps most women from trying it and prevents many physicians from recommending it.
 
On the plus side, the addition of testosterone to traditional hormone replacement therapy has been shown to improve energy levels, enhance feelings of well being, and bolster libido. For menopausal women who continue to experience hot flashes and night sweats even after taking estrogen, supplemental testosterone often provides relief.   
 
The goal of testosterone replacement therapy for women is not to transform them into masculine creatures with bulging biceps and hairy chests, but rather to replicate pre-menopausal levels. For some women, a touch of testosterone may be all it takes to dramatically improve the quality of life.
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Copyright 2002 Kingsport Times-News. All rights reserved. This material must be credited to the Times-News when redistributed or broadcast.
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And now something about testosterone in men.  It's also the preferred hormone for body builders -- both men and women  -- and considered dangerous to your health in high doses.
Testosterone in Blood Linked to Better Memory
 
November 04, 2002 10:21 AM ET    By Alison McCook
 
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older men with relatively high levels of testosterone in their blood tend to outperform others in tests of memory and other aspects of mental functioning, according to new study findings.
 
Lead author Dr. Susan Resnick of the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland, told Reuters Health that she is not sure whether testosterone itself helps men retain some of their mental abilities into old age, or if the hormone becomes converted into estrogen in the brain, and it is the female hormone that boosts the organ's function.
 
This is not the first study to report a link between blood levels of free-floating testosterone and memory in older men. One study demonstrated that men who received a weekly injection of the male sex hormone seemed to experience improvements in their spatial abilities and verbal memory. 
 
Just how hormones influence memory remains unclear, she noted, but previous studies have shown that hormones can affect how much blood circulates to the brain, as well as the activity of nerve cells.   With so much still unclear, Resnick emphasized that people should not turn to testosterone to avert mental declines in old age. "We don't recommend that people go out and buy that," she said.
 
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2002;87:5001-5007.

Click Here For Complete Story

Two important things to keep in mind when considering testosterone.  Too much testosterone in women will cause side effects, usually starting with increased facial hair . . . and too much in men stimulates prostate gland growth, possibly leading to prostate cancer. 

The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc.   Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert

 

 
 
 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
to be considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle
behavior without the advice of your personal physician.

“Dr. Rehert’s Medical Alerts Email List” is open to anyone who wants to join. 
Either send your Email address to grehert@... (recommended)  OR  you may
go to the website www.yahoogroups.com/group/drrehertsalerts and follow the “Join
This Group!" instructions.  Also, as a member, you can read all the earlier
Emails by clicking on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DrRehertsAlerts/messages.

Be very careful if you respond to this Email list.  Though it is configured so
that all Email responses only go to the original sender, your Email may
inadvertently be sent to the list.  Be sure you do not include any personal
information that you wouldn't mind sharing with the entire group.

Best wishes,

Gerald M. Rehert, M.D.
285 Boulevard, NE, #520
Atlanta, GA 30312
404-688-2800

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#49 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Mon Jan 27, 2003 3:48 am
Subject: ajc.com Opinion Look at facts reveals estrogen is getting a bad rap.htm 		grehert
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[ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 01/27/03]

Look at facts reveals estrogen is getting a bad rap

By GERALD M. REHERT

rehert
Dr. Gerald M. Rehert is an Atlanta gynecologist.

Forum: Is taking estrogen safe for women?

The attacks on estrogen continue unabated.

On Dec. 12, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, an agency of the U.S. government, declared that all estrogens are "human carcinogens" (cancer causing substances). In other words, they are warning us that within every woman's body are two organs (the ovaries) producing cancer-causing substances (estrogens). Soon I expect these same scientists will be advising all women to have their ovaries removed as soon as they finish childbearing -- if not sooner. And hot flashes will be a badge of courage.

This is all ridiculous.

NIEHS' announcement comes on the heels of the renowned Woman's Health Initiative study that made the news last July. However, anyone familiar with that study knows it only reported a breast cancer increase in women who took estrogen plus a synthetic progestin. Patients who took estrogen alone showed no increased breast cancer risk.

Furthermore, in a separate study published in the prestigious journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology in December, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development "did not find any additional risk of breast cancer in women who took estrogen alone."

They did, however, find an increase in breast cancer in those women who took estrogen plus a progestin on a daily basis. The obvious conclusion of this recent research, as well as other studies, is that the synthetic progestin is responsible for the increased incidence of breast cancer, and not the estrogen.

I agree with the NIEHS when it says estrogen given alone stimulates uterine cancer. However, this relationship has been known since 1975. Why did it take 27 years to consider this a cause for alarm?

And because of our undeniable knowledge of this association, the medical community has long prohibited prescribing estrogen alone to a woman who has a uterus (i.e. who has not had a hysterectomy). Instead, these women receiveestrogen in combination with a progestin, which, in fact, lowers the uterine cancer risk to less than that of women on no medication -- essentially delivering cancer protection.

The odd contradiction that synthetic progestins increase breast cancer while they reduce uterine cancer poses a dilemma. However the benefits of progestins far outweigh the risks: A daily synthetic progestin (in combination with estrogen) gives practically 100 percent protection against uterine cancer while generating only eight cases of breast cancer per 10,000 women per year. Also the natural progestin, progesterone, is available and has never been shown to cause breast cancer.

So what is this thing called cancer? Cancer is simply uncontrolled cell division, unrestrained human cellular growth, flawed and gone astray. Any substance, natural or otherwise, that promotes human growth will, on rare occasion, through some biochemical error, lead to cancer.

It is no secret that estrogen stimulates the natural growth of human tissue, particularly in the breast and uterus. But estrogen is considered a mitogen (it stimulates normal "mitosis" and cell growth) as opposed to a mutagen (which tends to induce gene mutations, leading to cancer transformation). This was confirmed in 1993, when researchers demonstrated that estrogen does not induce gene mutations. Despite this classification, as mentioned above, any natural growth stimulation, on rare occasion, may be flawed and lead to cancer.

All substances that stimulate growth would be logical suspects for inducing cancer. What about human growth hormone? It promotes growth. Its absence results in dwarfism.

A casual search of the Internet finds associations between HGH and cancer of the colon, breast, prostate and Hodgkin's disease. Yet HGH is conspicuously absent from the latest government carcinogen list, while estrogen, a perfectly natural substance that establishes a woman's femininity, is listed along with the likes of asbestos, chloroform, cigarette smoking radon and mustard gas.

Sometimes we must step back from the science and look at the bigger picture. The anti-estrogenists champion the alternatives to estrogen therapy. These alternatives were invented by pharmaceutical companies over the past 20 years.

Estrogen was created by God more than 15 million years ago and somehow women have managed to survive. I think I'll continue placing my trust in the more natural remedy until the Almighty advises me differently.

Dr. Gerald M. Rehert is an Atlanta gynecologist.






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#48 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Sun Jan 26, 2003 12:02 pm
Subject: Op-Ed Article 		grehert
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As mentioned in my last email, I have an Op-Ed article going on the Editorial page of the Atlanta Journal & Constitution tomorrow, Monday, January 27th, 2003.  (If not Monday, try Tuesday.)
 
It's a little dry and technical but the newspaper liked it.  If you'd like to see an advanced, unedited, preview of the article and the newspaper photo:
 
 
 
Dr. Rehert

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#47 From: "Dr.Rehert" <grehert@...>
Date: Fri Jan 24, 2003 9:48 pm
Subject: Two very interesting articles: one gives some new insights into birth control pills, and the other is beyond belief! 		grehert
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I thought this first article was very interesting for any woman who is on birth control pills, or whoever took them in the past.                Dr. Rehert
Monday, 20 January, 2003, 15:55 GMT
Pill changes women's taste in men
 
Taking the contraceptive pill appears to change women's taste in men.   Psychologists have found that women who are taking the pill tend to fancy macho types with strong jaw lines and prominent cheekbones.   However, women who are not taking that form of contraception seem to be more likely to go for more sensitive types without traditionally masculine features.   Strong features such as a prominent jaw line and brow are thought to be linked to macho personality traits because they indicate high levels of the male sex hormone testosterone.   Testosterone helps to build up these particular bones during puberty. 
 
Where a woman chooses her partner while she is on the pill, and then comes off it to have a child, she may find she is married to the wrong man.  The researchers believe it may even be possible that taking the pill encourages women to have relationships with inappropriate men.
 
They presented women with images of different types of men, and asked them to pick out potential long-term partners.   They found those taking the pill were more likely to choose macho men, and to rate men with more feminine, softer physical features as a turn off.   However, the researchers say it is these men who tend to be more sensitive, and more likely to making trustworthy and faithful husbands.
 
Next is a story, so far-out I hesitate to believe it ... but "I did find it on the Internet."  Let me know if you think it's for real.
Giant pandas to get Viagra
by Cindy Sui
 
Male giant pandas in a southwest China sanctuary are being fed Viagra in an attempt to get the notoriously sex-shy animals in the mood for mating, scientists said on Monday.  However initial tests proved unsuccessful on 16-year-old male panda Zhuang Zhuang - despite a name which translates as "Strong Strong," they said.
 
Zhuang Zhuang last year became the first panda given the sex-assisting drug in an attempt by researchers to boost reproductivity at China's largest panda sanctuary.  "No result on him at all," said Wang Pengyan, deputy director of the reserve, where scientists try to breed pandas by encouraging them to mate, and if that fails, by artificial insemination.
 
Getting pandas in a loving mood has become something of an obsession to Wang and his colleagues in their decades-long effort to save one of the worlds most endangered species from extinction.  Male pandas low sexual desires often mean they fail to respond to females in heat, a rare enough opportunity in itself as females are in heat only for about three days a year.
 
Researchers already routinely show the animals what has been dubbed "panda porn" - videos of pandas mating - and administer Chinese aphrodisiacs herbs as well as estrogen to female pandas.  But pandas are so reluctant to mate in captivity that these schemes have had little success, prompting the Viagra plan, an idea that had been considered before but rejected.
 
Zhuang Zhuang was given around 1.5 times the normal human dosage of the drug, used in humans to cure male erectile dysfunction, reserve staff said.  Wang said that Zhuang Zhuang had been an experiment, and that there were no immediate plans to make the drug a general policy due to worries about potential side effects.
 
"There's been a lot of research on the effects of Viagra on humans, but for pandas its a big question mark," Wang said.  But other experts said Viagra might be worth a further try, placing the blame for the initial failure mainly on Zhuang Zhuang, who is middle-aged in panda terms.
 
"You can't say Viagra has no results on pandas. We used the wrong panda. That panda basically has no capability," said Guo Feng, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Sciences studying panda behavior in Wolong.  "In the last few years, we've given Zhuang Zhuang many chances but he simply can't do it."
 
In contrast the "panda porn" appears to be having some effect, according to Wang, saying pandas became more aroused after watching the X-rated scenes, played for them several hours a day during the spring mating season.
 
Next year, the reserve hopes to begin releasing pandas born in captivity into the wild, where there is far more chance they will mate.
 
So there you have it, believe it or not.  Be sure to watch for my Estrogen Essay (and picture) scheduled to be in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution this Monday, Jan. 27th (on the Editorial page) .  Don't miss it ! ! !
 
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
 
Dr. Rehert
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
to be considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle
behavior without the advice of your personal physician.

“Dr. Rehert’s Medical Alerts Email List” is open to anyone who wants to join. 
Either send your Email address to grehert@... (recommended)  OR  you may
go to the website www.yahoogroups.com/group/drrehertsalerts and follow the “Join
This Group!" instructions.  Also, as a member, you can read all the earlier
Emails by clicking on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DrRehertsAlerts/messages.

Be very careful if you respond to this Email list.  Though it is configured so
that all Email responses only go to the original sender, your Email may
inadvertently be sent to the list.  Be sure you do not include any personal
information that you wouldn't mind sharing with the entire group.

Best wishes,

Gerald M. Rehert, M.D.
285 Boulevard, NE, #520
Atlanta, GA 30312
404-688-2800

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (1)
#46 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Tue Jan 21, 2003 4:27 am
Subject: Fw: Fwd: Re: A question from one of the list members - Please respond to the list (Just click REPLY) if you can help. 		grehert
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try adhesive remover /in a liquid bottle .our hospital used to remove the stickness

from ecg electrodes

 


Subject: Re: [DrRehertsAlerts] A question from one of the list members - Please respond to the list (Just click REPLY) if you can help.

Goo Be Gone or Goo Gone. Takes all the sticky stuff off from labels--should
work but try on skin first to see if it irritates. I have found this at Home
Depot, Grocery stores, or Dollar Tree if you have access to that.


> Any advice out there on how to remove the glue residual left from the Vivelle
> transdermal system hormone patch? I have tried everything make-up remover (makes
> my skin red); vaseline (just greases and moves it around); loofah with liquid
> soap - nothing removes it completely except time and scratching (yuck). Let me
> hear from anybody who has solved this problem. Thanks - a patient in Atlanta


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#45 From: Jerry Rehert <grehert@...>
Date: Tue Jan 21, 2003 2:24 am
Subject: Fwd: Re: A question from one of the list members - Please respond to the list (Just click REPLY) if you can help. 		grehert
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 

 


Subject: Re: [DrRehertsAlerts] A question from one of the list members - Please respond to the list (Just click REPLY) if you can help.

Goo Be Gone or Goo Gone. Takes all the sticky stuff off from labels--should
work but try on skin first to see if it irritates. I have found this at Home
Depot, Grocery stores, or Dollar Tree if you have access to that.


> Any advice out there on how to remove the glue residual left from the Vivelle
> transdermal system hormone patch? I have tried everything make-up remover (makes
> my skin red); vaseline (just greases and moves it around); loofah with liquid
> soap - nothing removes it completely except time and scratching (yuck). Let me
> hear from anybody who has solved this problem. Thanks - a patient in Atlanta


Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (1)
#44 From: "Dr.Rehert" <grehert@...>
Date: Mon Jan 20, 2003 9:16 pm
Subject: A question from one of the list members - Please respond to the list (Just click REPLY) if you can help. 		grehert
Offline Offline
Send Email Send Email
 
Any advice out there on how to remove the glue residual left from the Vivelle transdermal system hormone patch? I have tried everything make-up remover (makes my skin red); vaseline (just greases and moves it around); loofah with liquid soap - nothing removes it completely except time and scratching (yuck). Let me hear from anybody who has solved this problem. Thanks - a patient in Atlanta

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (1)
#43 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Mon Jan 20, 2003 3:39 am
Subject: 2 interesting stories: The first one is on "genes" - the chromisomal kind that determine your make-up; and the second one is on "jeans," - low and hip-hugging. 		grehert
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First on genetics:  One of the most homogeneous (i.e. ethnically non-diverse) civilizations on the earth is the nation of Iceland.  This homogeneity allows researchers opportunities to do some unique genetic research that can lead to some interesting discoveries.
 Icelandic Genes Offer Wealth of Disease Clues
Fri Oct 18, 5:34 PM ET
By Maggie Fox
 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Using a unique database of genetic information from Iceland's small and inbred population, researchers said on Friday they had discovered genetic clues about schizophrenia, asthma, and even stroke and anxiety.
 
"I believe the majority of human destinies have a genetic component," Dr. Kari Stefansson, chief executive officer of DeCODE genetics, said. His research is revealing that people have built-in tendencies even for diseases thought to be brought on by lifestyle and environment--such as anxiety and stroke.
 
"Anxiety--that was one I was a little bit skeptical of in the beginning," Stefansson said.  The researchers looked at the DNA of 26 extended families, each with at least one member diagnosed with panic disorder, and found common genetic changes on chromosome 9.
 
Stefansson's team also found a gene associated with stroke, which they have named STRK 1. It controls an enzyme found in the artery walls and may help predispose some people to the build-up of material in blood vessels that can break off and cause a stroke or heart attack.  Many teams have also found genes associated with schizophrenia.  Stefansson said his team found a gene called neuregulin 1 that was associated with schizophrenia in every Icelandic patient.
 
Several teams of researchers also told the meeting they had found genes associated with asthma and were looking at ways to find out which asthma patients will respond better to a variety of asthma drugs.
And now a newly described condition, not due to your genes ... but to your jeans.  (A subtle variation of the great "nature versus nurture" debate.)
 Thursday, 9 January, 2003, 16:31 GMT
Hip-hugging trousers 'are health risk'
 
 Young women like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera are putting their health at risk by wearing hip-hugging jeans, doctors warn.  The tight, low-rise trousers favoured by the pop stars can squeeze a sensory nerve under the hipbone and cause a tingling sensation in the thighs called paresthesia. The feeling is not permanent, but Canadian doctors warn it may last if the jeans are worn regularly.
 
 Now that hip-huggers are back in fashion, physicians can expect to see more patients with tingly thighs.  Paresthesia has also been linked to obesity, car seat belts, sitting with crossed legs for extended periods of time and wearing tight corsets or heavy tool belts. Constantly squeezing fat wallets into trouser pockets has also led to pain for some patients.
 
Dr Malvinder Parmar, medical director at the hospital, wrote: "Now that hip-huggers are back in fashion, physicians can expect to see more patients with tingly thighs." 
 
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
to be considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle
behavior without the advice of your personal physician.

“Dr. Rehert’s Medical Alerts Email List” is open to anyone who wants to join. 
Either send your Email address to grehert@... (recommended)  OR  you may
go to the website www.yahoogroups.com/group/drrehertsalerts and follow the “Join
This Group!" instructions.  Also, as a member, you can read all the earlier
Emails by clicking on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DrRehertsAlerts/messages.

Be very careful if you respond to this Email list.  Though it is configured so
that all Email responses only go to the original sender, your Email may
inadvertently be sent to the list.  Be sure you do not include any personal
information that you wouldn't mind sharing with the entire group.

Best wishes,

Gerald M. Rehert, M.D.
285 Boulevard, NE, #520
Atlanta, GA 30312
404-688-2800

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#42 From: "linda_459 <linda_adinolfi@...>" <linda_adinolfi@...>
Date: Fri Jan 17, 2003 9:31 pm
Subject: A Great Website.... 		linda_459
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Being new to this group, I would like to thank all of you for
creating such an interesting forum.  I am interested in women's
health as it pertains to women in their 40's and 50's.  Since the
baby boomers are aging, it is of interest to me, as one of them, to
find out the most recent and innovative treatments for menopause,
osteoporosis, ect.  A website I found not too long ago has some
interesting information on it.  Check it out...
http://www.4woman.gov/owh/index.htm

Thanks again,
Linda

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (1)
#41 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Mon Jan 13, 2003 11:32 pm
Subject: You can have less menstrual periods (+ an IQ test below). 		grehert
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If you want to have less menstrual periods you can do something about it.  Start by reading this article.  If you want to have more menstrual periods, well, then I'd say you have a different kind of problem.  Dr. Rehert
University of Washington study examines putting end to periods
 
By Gina Kim
Seattle Times staff reporter
Sunday, January 12, 2003 - 12:00 a.m. Pacific
 
More than 40 years after the birth-control pill transformed the lives of women by giving them power over when and whether to have children, some doctors say women can take the revolution a step further: They can use the pill to rid themselves of the hassles of monthly menstruation.
 
Diane Royal, 49, of Seattle, has been skipping her periods for almost six years.
 
"I don't have mood swings. I don't have the mess. I don't have cramps," she said. "It's just more convenient in my life not to have a period."
 
When she reached her 40s, Royal began having painful periods that were so heavy she was hesitant to leave home. She heard about skipping periods from a friend and talked to her doctor.  "At first he was really skeptical," she recalled. "Then he started doing some research ... and said, 'Let's go ahead and try this.' "
 
For Royal, an artist and mother of three, continuous birth-control use has given her new options, even allowing her to home-school her youngest child.   "It's great," said Royal. "It doesn't change my sexuality or my womanness. I'm still as feminine as I've always been."
 
"On their own, most women won't have a 28-day cycle," said Wayne Shields, president of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, a nonprofit educational organization. "The whole premise of the 28-day cycle is something that was made up in the early '50s by a bunch of white guys." Most women take 21 days of pills and then stop or take sugar placebos for seven days. The drop in hormones causes the uterine lining to weaken and bleed lightly, a process called "withdrawal bleeding."   But because the uterine lining never thickens, there's no actual need for it to be shed, she said.
 
Miller herself threw out a box of tampons a few years ago because it had collected so much dust in her bathroom.   "First you skip a period because it's convenient. And then you start skipping them because you can," she said. "I experimented on myself. ... I did it and it worked and I thought, 'Oh, well, everyone should do this.' "
 
When she couldn't find any studies to support, or contradict, the practice, Miller decided to do some research.   In 2001, she published a paper on 40 women who were taking pills to skip their periods every other month. They reported less fatigue and fewer side effects of menstruation than 40 women who took the pill as usual.
 
But, Miller said, there can be drawbacks to constant pill use.   "The first six months, it's very common to have irregular bleeding," she said.   And women would need more birth-control pills. A traditional pack costs about $30.
 
Some doctors believe there may be health benefits to decreasing the number of a woman's periods.   A century ago, most women had about 50 periods during the course of their lives because they were pregnant more often, breast fed for up to two years (which stops bleeding) and died younger, Miller said.   Today, most women have more than 450.
 
"Nature did not mean for you to have that many periods," Miller said.   Studies have shown that women who have fewer pregnancies and breast feed less are at a higher risk of ovarian, uterine and breast cancers as well as endometriosis and uterine fibroid tumors, she said.
 
"This is not to say that continuous pills are going to prevent fibroids or endometriosis, but women who do use pills (the traditional way) decrease their chances of ovarian and uterine cancers," said Miller.
 
Now the "IQ" test.  It is really a hand-eye-brain coordination test that I found on the Internet.  I think you'll find it interesting and challenging.   Email me your "first score."   Dr. Rehert
(If it doesn't work, it means you don't have "Macromedia Shock Wave" on your computer.)
 
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
to be considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle
behavior without the advice of your personal physician.

“Dr. Rehert’s Medical Alerts Email List” is open to anyone who wants to join. 
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#40 From: "Dr.Rehert" <grehert@...>
Date: Wed Jan 8, 2003 10:43 pm
Subject: Estrogen good in preventing Diabetes. 		grehert
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Here's One For Estrogen.  I think this is significant.  Next I predict hypertension (high blood pressure) will be addressed.  Dr. Rehert: 

Hormone Replacement Therapy May Reduce Diabetes Risk
 
Laurie Barclay, MD
 
Jan. 6, 2003 — Hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) reduced the incidence of diabetes by 35% in postmenopausal women with heart disease, according to the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial reported in the Jan. 7 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. ("Good Journal"-GMR)
 
The Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement (HERS) Study was funded by Wyeth-Ayerst Research. At 20 U.S. clinical centers, 2,763 postmenopausal women with coronary heart disease were followed for 4.1 years.
 
During follow-up, fasting glucose levels increased significantly in the placebo group but not in the group receiving 0.625 mg conjugated estrogen plus 2.5 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (PremPro) daily. The incidence of diabetes, defined by self-report of the disease or its complications, fasting glucose of at least 126 mg/dL, or initiation of glucose-lowering agents, was 6.2% in the PremPro group and 9.5% in the placebo group (relative risk 0.65).
 
"This observation provides important insights into the metabolic effects of postmenopausal hormones." the authors write.
 
The number needed to treat with HRT to prevent one case of diabetes was 30. This effect was independent of change in weight and waist circumference.
 
Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:1-9
 
Reviewed by Gary D. Vogin, MD

Click Here For Complete Story

"The Estrogen saga continues... better then 'As the World Turns.'" 

The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc.        

Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert

DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
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#39 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Thu Jan 2, 2003 12:17 am
Subject: First it was hormones, now it's alcohol. 		grehert
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Now that New Years is over I have some bad news to report.  "Drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer."  Two similar studies, one from America and one from England, in the past few months showed similar results.  "Sorry about that,"  Dr. Rehert
 
The good news is that alcohol, in moderation, prevents heart disease.  
 
First from November, 2002:

Alcohol + Hormones = Cancer Danger
 
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 19, 2002
 
(AP) Women who drink alcohol and take hormones are at almost double the risk of breast cancer, researchers with a large ongoing study say. Previous studies have shown that women who have more than a drink a day raise their risk of breast cancer, and that hormone replacement therapy also increases the cancer risk. The Nurses' Health Study assessed the risk of the two factors combined. Researchers said the good news is that alcohol and estrogen together do not greatly magnify the danger through interaction. Some scientists were concerned that might be the case.
 
Instead, what they found is that a postmenopausal woman who has a lifetime breast cancer risk of 4 percent could increase the risk to 8 percent if she drinks and takes hormones.
 
Even so, the increased risk is "not big enough to say it'll kill you if you drink," said Dr. Norman Lasser of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, who is not affiliated with the Nurses' Health Study. Study co-author Dr. Wendy Chen, of Brigham and Women's Hospital said it's not necessary to stop drinking altogether. For those women who take hormones, a good compromise would be to consume no more than one drink a day. That way, women can still get the cardiovascular benefits of moderate alcohol use while eliminating the increased breast-cancer risk.                        Click Here For Complete Story
And now from December 31st, 2002:

Breast Cancer Risk Linked To Drinking
But Not Made Worse By Smoking
December 31, 2002 07:33:01 AM PST, ACS News Today
 
Every drink a woman takes increases her chances of developing breast cancer. But researchers have cleared away the confusion over whether it's the cigarette she smokes along with the drink that leads to the cancer. Now scientists are sure that it is the alcohol that matters, according to a report in the British Journal of Cancer (Vol. 87: 1234-1245).
 
The study, led by researchers from Cancer Research UK, in Oxford, UK, included dozens of the most prestigious researchers from around the world to look into the causes of cancer. Their report reviewed the results of 65 separate studies, involving nearly 200,000 women.
 
They found that a single daily drink of 1 oz of spirits such as whiskey, gin, or vodka, or 3 oz of wine increases a woman's breast cancer risk slightly — perhaps 3% to 4%. But after that, every additional daily drink increases the risk by 7%. By four drinks a day, a woman's risk goes to 30%. Smoking didn't make the risk worse, the authors said. This means that for women who drink alcohol, their intake is the major risk factor. Smoking had no extra effect.
 
The effect of alcohol was there regardless of a woman's race, education, family history, use of hormone replacement therapy, or other risk factors. No matter what a woman's baseline risk, it went up 7% with each drink.
 
They cautioned that although daily drinking will increase a woman's breast cancer risk, she needs to keep in mind its beneficial effect, in moderation, on heart disease.  
 
So as I've said before, "everything in moderation."
 
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes for the New Year.  Dr. Rehert
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
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#38 From: "Dr.Rehert" <grehert@...>
Date: Fri Dec 27, 2002 8:13 pm
Subject: Censorship is alive and well in the Bush Administration. 		grehert
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Beware of your government.  It's rewriting medical science.
     The New York Times
 
U.S. Revises Sex Information, and a Fight Goes On
Fri Dec 27, 9:02 AM ET  Add Top Stories - The New York Times to My Yahoo!
 
By ADAM CLYMER The New York Times
 
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 The National Cancer Institute, which used to say on its Web site that the best studies showed "no association between abortion and breast cancer," now says the evidence is inconclusive.
 
Critics say those changes illustrate how the Bush administration can satisfy conservative constituents with relatively little exposure to the kind of attack that a legislative proposal or a White House statement would invite.
 
Bill Pierce, spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services scoffed at the idea that there was anything political about the changes. "We simply looked at them, and they put them up," he said of the agencies involved.
 
The new statements were posted in the last month, after news reports that the government had removed their predecessors from the Web. Those reports quoted administration officials as saying the earlier material had been removed so that it could be rewritten with newer scientific information. The latest statements are the revisions.
 
Fourteen House Democrats have written to Tommy G. Thompson, secretary of health and human services, charging that the new versions "distort and suppress scientific information for ideological purposes."
 
Gloria Feldt, president of the Planned Parenthood, said the new statement on abortion and breast cancer "simply doesn't track the best available science." "Scientific and medical misinformation jeopardizes peoples' lives," Ms. Feldt said, adding that any suggestion of a connection between abortion and cancer was "bogus."
 
The earlier statement noted that many studies had reached varying conclusions about a relation between abortion and breast cancer, but said "recent large studies" showed no connection. In particular, it cited a study of 1.5 million Danish women that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 1997. That study, the cancer institute said, found that "induced abortions have no overall effect on the risk of breast cancer."
 
The Danish research, praised by the American Cancer Society as "the largest, and probably the most reliable, study of this topic," is not mentioned in the government's recent posting.
 
The letter to Secretary Thompson from House Democrats said that by alteration and deletion, the disease control agency "is now censoring the scientific information it makes available to the public." The breast cancer document amounted to nothing more than "the political creation of scientific uncertainty."  "Information that used to be based on science," the lawmakers said, "is being systematically removed from the public when it conflicts with the administration's political agenda."
 
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Happy New Year.  Dr. Rehert 
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#37 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Wed Dec 25, 2002 3:48 am
Subject: Christmas Romance. 		grehert
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It's the Holiday Season . . . do you know where your teenagers are?
 
Teens, sex, and the 'Santa Claus effect'
Study: December prime time for teen-agers to lose virginity
Tuesday, December 24, 2002 Posted: 8:52 AM EST (1352 GMT)
 
(AP) -- School's out for the holidays. Teens have got time on their hands -- and perhaps even a crackling fire to set the mood. What are they planning for vacation? Apparently, losing their virginity is high on the list, according to researchers who reviewed data from a federal health survey.
 
While June is the most common month for teens to have sex for the first time -- be it in a casual summer fling or steady relationship -- sociologists from Mississippi State University say many teens who are dating seriously choose December as the time to have sex for the first time.
 
"We call it the 'Santa Claus effect,'" says Martin Levin, lead author of the study, which is published in the current issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.

The findings ring true to Becky Rose, a 19-year-old student at New York University.
 
She says it's partly the stress of final exams, followed by the holidays that make her "more emotional" during the holidays. "Everything you see on TV has people kissing under mistletoe and 'Buy her a diamond -- she'll love you!'" says Rose, who concedes that her summertime relationships have been of a more casual nature.
 
Dr. Mark Schuster calls the Mississippi State researchers' findings "a very useful window into seasonal variation in first sexual intercourse." "For some people, there's something romantic about snow on the ground and cuddling up by the fire," says Schuster, a pediatrician who studies teens and sexual behavior at UCLA.
 
He notes that teens are often less supervised during the holidays, since parents are "often running around buying gifts." Meanwhile, says Dr. Lynn Ponton, teens generally have more time on their hands.
 
"This is about kids having sex when they're not worried about school and work and other things," says Ponton, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California.
 
To fully understand what's behind the December teen sex phenomenon, the Mississippi State researchers plan more studies. 
 
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Happy Holidays.  Dr. Rehert
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
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“Dr. Rehert’s Medical Alerts Email List” is open to anyone who wants to join. 
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#36 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Tue Dec 24, 2002 7:57 pm
Subject: Happy Holidays from DrRehertsAlerts 		grehert
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To the members of the DrRehertsAlerts Email list:
 
In the spirit of the Holiday Season, and in anticipation of a wonderful New Year, 2003, I'd like to assist you in bringing your personal phone directories up to date.

George W. Bush  
President of the United States           202 456-1414
 
Vladimir Putin
President of Russia                      007 095-295-9051
 
Toni Blair
Prime Minister of England                011 044-930-4832
 
Gerhard Schroeder
Chancellor of Germany                    011 049 896 022-8561
 
Jacque Chirac
Prime Minister of France                 011 033 01 251651
 
Pope John Paul II
Rome Italy                               011 039 7 460-6982
 
Gerald M. Rehert, M.D.
Prominent Atlanta Gynecologist           404 688-2800
 

We hope each and every one of you has a safe and happy holiday season and a healthy and rewarding 2003.
 
Dr.Rehert, Sue, Arlesia, April and Stephany
 

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#35 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Mon Dec 23, 2002 1:24 pm
Subject: The latest on Breast Cancer 		grehert
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Here are two articles on breast cancer.  The first one again confirms the idea that estrogen alone does not increase breast cancer. 
 
It's kind of ironic that estrogen alone increases uterine cancer but not breast cancer, but when it's combined with a progestin it's the exact opposite -- it increases breast cancer but not uterine cancer.  What was God thinking?

SABCS: Estradiol Alone Does Not Increase Breast Cancer Risk
By Charlene Laino
 
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- December 16, 2002 -- Hormone replacement therapy containing progestins significantly elevates breast cancer risk, but preparations containing estradiol alone do not, a large Swedish observational study suggests.
 
Teasing out the component of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that increases breast cancer risk has taken on added urgency since the HRT arm of the prospective U.S. Women's Health Initiative was abruptly halted in July 2002. The trial showed that the risks of HRT, including breast cancer, were found to outweigh its benefits in a large cohort of women.
 
Compared with non-users, women who had used progestin-containing HRT for less than four years were 80 percent more likely to develop breast cancer. Women who used such preparations for four or more years had three times the risk of non-users.
 
In contrast, women who took estradiol-only preparations for less than four years were 20 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than non-users.
 
 
This next article from "The New York Times" describes some new and interesting research and conclusions about breast cancer. 
Breast Cancer: Genes Are Tied to Death Rates
By GINA KOLATA

Researchers have found a genetic signature in breast tumors that seems to be a powerful predictor of whether the cancer will spread and kill or whether it can easily be cured by surgery, causing no further harm.
 
In the study, 5.5 percent of women whose cancers had a good genetic signature died within the next decade, as against 45 percent of those with bad genetic signatures.
 
The results are challenging some long-held beliefs. Doctors and patients have assumed, for example, that small tumors are more treatable. The idea was that as tumors grow, they acquire mutations that enable them to spread throughout the body. But the study and other studies indicate that tumor size may be beside the point. Most tumors, the studies indicate, appear to be potentially deadly or not from the very start.

The women whose cancer cells indicated a good prognosis had an 85.2 percent chance of remaining free of cancer over the next decade and a 94.5 percent of surviving the decade. Those whose cancer cells indicated a poor prognosis had a 50.6 percent chance of remaining cancer-free and a 54.6 percent of surviving that time.  Dr. Golub put it bluntly: "The metastatic potential is hard-wired at the time of diagnosis." He said a tumor's fate could be sealed from the time it is detected, no matter how small it is.  Dr. Larry Norton, a breast cancer expert at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, said he believed "this evidence really favors early diagnosis."  
 
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes and Happy Holidays.  Dr. Rehert 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
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#34 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Wed Dec 18, 2002 3:27 am
Subject: Alternative medicine: Vitamin E - YES; Echinacea - NO 		grehert
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First the latest news on Echinacea - not so good.

Echinacea Capsules May Not Fight Colds: Study
Mon Dec 16, 5:27 PM ET 
Health - Reuters 
 
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People looking to shorten a bout with the common cold or reduce their symptoms by popping capsules of Echinacea (news - web sites) may not find relief, new study findings suggest.
 
Despite a few studies that found the herb made a difference for cold sufferers, "there is no clear consensus about whether Echinacea can benefit human health," lead author Dr. Bruce P. Barrett and colleagues write in the December 17th issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
 
To investigate, Barrett and a team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison compared the effects of Echinacea in capsule form with a placebo pill in college students who believed they were coming down with a cold.
 
The investigators did not detect a difference in cold duration between the Echinacea and placebo groups, nor did they find any difference between the two groups in symptom severity, according to the report.
 
Barrett's team is calling for more research on Echinacea's cold-fighting potential.
 
SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine 2002;137:939-946.    Click Here For Complete Story
 And now the latest on vitamin E - prevents bladder cancer.

Vitamin E, Bladder Cancer Risk Studied
Mon Dec 9, 5:22 PM ET  Add Health - Reuters to My Yahoo!
 
By Suzanne Rostler
 
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who take vitamin E regularly are less likely than those in the general population to die of bladder cancer, researchers report, but it's not clear if the vitamin itself is responsible for the reduced risk or some other lifestyle factor. Researchers tracked nearly 1 million US adults for 16 years and interviewed them about their diet. Those who reported taking vitamin E supplements for at least 10 years were less likely to die from bladder cancer, compared with adults who did not use supplements for as long.
 
There was no association between regular vitamin C use and bladder cancer, report researchers in the December issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
 
The results support those of two other reports that showed a link between bladder cancer and vitamin E intake.
 
At this point, it is not clear why vitamin C, also an antioxidant, would not have the same effect.
 
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology 2002;156:1002-1010.   Click Here For Complete Story
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
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#33 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Wed Dec 11, 2002 2:51 am
Subject: Two stories: Sickle Cell Disease; and More Aspirin Benefits. 		grehert
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Here is a revolutionary story that may change the way we look at and treat sickle cell disease.  Personally, I'm impressed.
French Doctors See Transplant Success
Sun Dec 8,10:10 PM ET 
 
By MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press Writer
 
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A group of French doctors said Sunday they believe they can cure children with severe sickle cell disease through stem cell transplants without risking serious complications or death. The researchers, who have performed 69 transplants since 1988, reported an 85 percent disease-free survival rate — and even better results since revising their mix of anti-rejection drugs in 1992.
 
"It's going to change the way we treat individuals with this disorder," said Dr. Ronald Hoffman of the University of Illinois, the society's president. "If they're truly cured ... they're going to be freed of the consequences of a chronic disease." Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects about 70,000 Americans, most of them black.
 
Most sickle cell patients used to die in childhood, but better treatments now enable them to live into their 40s and 50s. However, doctors have been frustrated in their attempts to improve the patients' quality of life. "Maybe if a new drug appears which seems efficacious, we will stop again, but for the moment, stem cell transplant remains the only treatment offering the cure," Bernaudin said.
 
 
And here's more reason for eligible persons over 50 to take an 81 mg. aspirin every day.  (Call my office if you have questions about whether you qualify.)
Monday, 23 September, 2002, 23:47 GMT 00:47 UK
Aspirin 'protects against Alzheimer's'
 
Aspirin may protect against a range of diseases
 
Scientists have found yet more evidence to suggest that taking Aspirin could help to protect against major health problems.  Researchers in the United States believe the wonder drug, which is more than 100 years old, delays and may even protect against Alzheimer's disease.
 
Their findings follow recent studies which suggest Aspirin can help fight cancer, heart disease, blood pressure and arthritis among other conditions. However, experts have warned that this latest study does not mean people should take Aspirin on a regular basis without first seeking medical advice.
 
Their study, published in the journal Neurology, showed that patients who had taken Aspirin or NSAIDs, such as Ibuprofen, for more than two years were half as likely to develop Alzheimer's than those who did not take the pills regularly. 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
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#32 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Sat Dec 7, 2002 1:07 pm
Subject: Two studies about trauma: from roller coasters and from riding bicycles. 		grehert
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First a little controversy for you Six Flags fans:
Study disputes theory that roller coasters can injure brain
By Michael Rubinkam (Associated Press)
October 17, 2002
 
PHILADELPHIA - Researchers who looked at the impact of G-forces on the head and neck say in a new study that roller coasters aren't as dangerous as previous studies suggest.  Other researchers disputed the findings.
 
The University of Pennsylvania researchers who conducted the latest study looked at data from rides at three parks and developed a mathematical model calculating the effect of gravitational force.  They found that roller coasters don't produce enough ''head rotational acceleration'' to cause either bleeding or swelling of the brain.
 
Dr. Robert J. Braksiek, who co-wrote a study of roller coaster injuries in January's issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine, said the new research fails to account for reported injuries.  ''Roller coasters do cause brain injury. ... Although rare, it does happen,'' he said.
 
Markey said the researchers based their conclusions on the effect of coasters on ''normal healthy individuals'' rather than children or adults with pre-existing medical conditions. 
 
And now something for the male bicycle enthusiasts.

Mountain Biking Linked to Infertility
 
By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer
 
CHICAGO (AP) - Frequent mountain-biking may reduce fertility in men, according to a small Austrian study that adds fodder to a debate over cycling and male sexual function. The research suggests frequent jolts and vibration caused by biking over rough terrain may cause abnormalities, including small scars within the scrotum and impaired sperm production.
 
Dr. Ferdinand Frauscher, a urology-radiology specialist at University Hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, said he studied about 55 avid mountain bikers and found nearly 90 percent had low sperm counts and scrotal abnormalities. Only 26 percent of the 35 non-bikers he studied had similar damage.
 
Whether the abnormalities were severe enough to make fathering a child difficult is uncertain, though some of the bikers studied had already experienced difficulty conceiving, Frauscher said.
 
His study looked at fertility rather than impotence, which was linked to recreational cycling in research heavily publicized in 1997.
 
Frauscher said men shouldn't avoid mountain biking because of the study, but should perhaps consider investing in bikes with shock absorbers or suspension systems designed to reduce the jolting.
 
On the other hand, Dr. Sangili Chandran, a sports medicine specialist at Christ Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago said, "Even if the results are corroborated in future studies, very few mountain biking enthusiasts are logging enough miles to worry about any fertility impairment."
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert
 
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#31 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Sun Dec 1, 2002 9:49 pm
Subject: Nuts and olive oil - the good fats. 		grehert
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New research confirms that not all fats in your diet are bad for you. 
 
Dr. Rehert
Peanuts stave off diabetes
By Patricia Guthrie / Cox News Service
10-27-02
 
ATLANTA - Want to lower your odds of getting diabetes? Eat more peanut butter.  But not too much, or you'll get too fat, which is the biggest predictor of Type 2 diabetes.
 
Sound nuts?
 
It's scientific fact, appearing in today's Journal of the American Medical Association. Women who consume nuts or peanut butter at least five times a week significantly lowered their risk for Type 2 diabetes compared with those who never or rarely ate nuts or peanut butter, concluded Harvard School of Public Health researchers.
 
"We were not really surprised by our findings," said Dr. Rui Jiang, a Harvard nutrition researcher. "Nuts contain lots of fat, but most fats in nuts are mono- and polyunsaturated fats, which are good for insulin sensitivity and cholesterol."
 
Mono- and polyunsaturated fats are unsaturated fat and are considered healthier than animal-derived saturated fat. Foods such as olives and olive oil also contain unsaturated fats.
 
But you can't go nuts with the heavenly sticky stuff because peanut butter is high in calories.
 
"You can't just dip your spoon in a jar," said Chris Rosenbloom, associate dean for Health and Human Science at Georgia State University. "And you can't just open a jar of peanuts and sit in front of the TV and eat all those nuts. I'm afraid consumers will hear this and say, 'All I have to do is eat more nuts and peanut butter and I'll avoid diabetes or heart disease.' And we know it's more complicated than that."
 
Diets high in nuts have also been shown to have a beneficial effect on cholesterol.  "Nuts are coming back into vogue as more healthful food," Rosenbloom said.    Click Here For Full Article
 
Patricia Guthrie writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
to be considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle
behavior without the advice of your personal physician.

“Dr. Rehert’s Medical Alerts Email List” is open to anyone who wants to join. 
Either send your Email address to RehertHRT@... (recommended)  OR  you may
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#29 From: "Adams, Diane" <diane.adams@...>
Date: Mon Nov 25, 2002 2:32 pm
Subject: RE: My views on hormones. 		diane.adams@...
Send Email Send Email
 
While estrogen may be no more dangerous than being a woman, let's remember that if God wanted us to have estrogen on a permanent basis, he would have made us that way.  There is a time for everything, and old age is not one of them for estrogen!
-----Original Message-----
From: grehert@... [mailto:grehert@...]
Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2002 7:51 AM
To: DrRehertsAlerts
Subject: [DrRehertsAlerts] My views on hormones.

As many of you know, I don't accept all the dangers being linked to estrogen therapy.  (As someone recently said, "Estrogen's no more dangerous than being a woman.") 
 
Here is an article I totally agree with which begins to question the validity of the WHI study.
 
Hormone study results raise more questions
November 23, 2002
 
If you thought this summer's damning news about hormone-replacement therapy was bad, hang on to your Midol, ladies. It gets worse. Titans in the medical world are clashing. Respected docs are raising disturbing questions about the methodology, politics and conclusions of the Women's Health Initiative, a long-term trial involving 16,600 postmenopausal women.
 
To refresh your memory: In July, one portion of a $600 million WHI study was abruptly halted because researchers felt there was too much danger to the women in the study to continue it. Five years into the eight-year study, researchers found that women in the trial taking HRT had a higher incidence of heart attack, stroke, breast cancer and blood clots than the control group taking placebos.
 
But now, some medical experts are questioning the massive WHI study. Dr. Leon Speroff, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, for example, suggests WHI picked the wrong group of women to study. Therefore, he says, the results are alarmist and misleading. The 16,600 female subjects were POST-menopausal. The study measured the effects of HRT on women who already could be expected to have the beginnings of heart disease and cancer, in other words.
 
This is how Speroff stated it in a paper he distributed to colleagues:
 
"Women with significant menopausal symptoms were excluded from the study to avoid an exceedingly high dropout rate in the placebo group. For this reason, less than 10 percent of the subjects were close to their age of menopause (the number is probably even smaller.) Therefore, the study was not a primary prevention study of cardiovascular disease, but a study of older women who undoubtedly already had a significant degree of atherosclerosis."
 
The elephant in the living room - the question the study failed to address - is this: Will HRT begun at or near the time of menopause protect women against heart disease? Speroff maintains we shouldn't read too much into the highly publicized WHI study. "The impression that this is the gold standard is incorrect."
 
And so, dear HRT-concerned readers, thanks for staying with me, and once again I must end on this wholly unsatisfying note: Stand by. We'll keep you posted.   Click here for complete article
 
2002 © The E.W. Scripps Co
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
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#27 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Sat Nov 23, 2002 12:51 pm
Subject: My views on hormones. 		grehert
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As many of you know, I don't accept all the dangers being linked to estrogen therapy.  (As someone recently said, "Estrogen's no more dangerous than being a woman.") 
 
Here is an article I totally agree with which begins to question the validity of the WHI study.
 
Hormone study results raise more questions
November 23, 2002
 
If you thought this summer's damning news about hormone-replacement therapy was bad, hang on to your Midol, ladies. It gets worse. Titans in the medical world are clashing. Respected docs are raising disturbing questions about the methodology, politics and conclusions of the Women's Health Initiative, a long-term trial involving 16,600 postmenopausal women.
 
To refresh your memory: In July, one portion of a $600 million WHI study was abruptly halted because researchers felt there was too much danger to the women in the study to continue it. Five years into the eight-year study, researchers found that women in the trial taking HRT had a higher incidence of heart attack, stroke, breast cancer and blood clots than the control group taking placebos.
 
But now, some medical experts are questioning the massive WHI study. Dr. Leon Speroff, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, for example, suggests WHI picked the wrong group of women to study. Therefore, he says, the results are alarmist and misleading. The 16,600 female subjects were POST-menopausal. The study measured the effects of HRT on women who already could be expected to have the beginnings of heart disease and cancer, in other words.
 
This is how Speroff stated it in a paper he distributed to colleagues:
 
"Women with significant menopausal symptoms were excluded from the study to avoid an exceedingly high dropout rate in the placebo group. For this reason, less than 10 percent of the subjects were close to their age of menopause (the number is probably even smaller.) Therefore, the study was not a primary prevention study of cardiovascular disease, but a study of older women who undoubtedly already had a significant degree of atherosclerosis."
 
The elephant in the living room - the question the study failed to address - is this: Will HRT begun at or near the time of menopause protect women against heart disease? Speroff maintains we shouldn't read too much into the highly publicized WHI study. "The impression that this is the gold standard is incorrect."
 
And so, dear HRT-concerned readers, thanks for staying with me, and once again I must end on this wholly unsatisfying note: Stand by. We'll keep you posted.   Click here for complete article
 
2002 © The E.W. Scripps Co
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
to be considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle
behavior without the advice of your personal physician.

“Dr. Rehert’s Medical Alerts Email List” is open to anyone who wants to join. 
Either send your Email address to RehertHRT@... (recommended)  OR  you may
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404-688-2800

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#26 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Tue Nov 19, 2002 3:25 am
Subject: Two articles regarding weight gain. 1.) A new harm, and 2.) an old treatment. 		grehert
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First, a newly reported reason to avoid obesity . . . (plus a reason to take folic acid)
Obesity Doubles Bowel Cancer Risk in Women -Study
 
— LONDON (Reuters) - Obesity doubles the risk of young women developing bowel cancer, American researchers said on Thursday.  A study of nearly 90,000 women, by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, showed that excessive weight increased the chances of developing the disease in women before the menopause.
 
"Our data suggest that obesity is associated with a two-fold increased risk of colorectal cancer. Obesity, which is reaching epidemic proportions in some countries, also increases the risk of diabetes, respiratory disease, muscle and skin problems, infertility, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and hormone-related cancers.
 
In a separate study published in the journal, scientists at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland reported that folic acid could help to cut the chances of developing the disease in high risk patients.
 
All of the patients in the study had pre-cancerous growths in their bowel. Half received folic acid supplements and the remainder were given a placebo or dummy pill.
 
The researchers took biopsies at regular four week intervals to determine the impact of the supplements. In patients taking folic acid the scientists found the fewer proliferating cells than in the placebo group.  "The report highlights the need for further investigation on the role of folate as a chemopreventative agent in patients at risk of colon cancer," the scientists said in the study.
 
Copyright 2002 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 
 
And second, another positive article about low carbs . . . it really works.
Study: Atkins Good for Cholesterol
Mon Nov 18, 6:16 PM ET  Add Health - AP to My Yahoo!
 
By DANIEL Q. HANEY, AP Medical Editor
 
CHICAGO (AP) - Multitudes swear by the high-fat, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet, and now a carefully controlled study backs them up: Low-carb may actually take off more weight than low-fat and may be surprisingly better for cholesterol, too.
 
For years, the Atkins formula of sparing carbohydrates and loading up on taboo fatty foods has been blasphemy to many in the health establishment, who view it as a formula for cardiovascular ruin. But now, some of the same researchers who long scoffed at the diet are putting it to the test, and they say the results astonish them. Rather than making cholesterol soar, as they feared, the diet actually appears to improve it, and volunteers take off more weight.
 
At least three formal studies of the Atkins diet have been presented at medical conferences over the past year, and all have reached similar results. The latest, conducted by Dr. Eric Westman of Duke University, was presented Monday at the annual scientific meeting of the American Heart Association (news - web sites), long a stronghold of support for the traditional low-fat approach.
 
Westman studied 120 overweight volunteers, who were randomly assigned to the Atkins diet or the heart association's Step 1 diet, a widely used low-fat approach. On the Atkins diet, people limited their carbs to less than 20 grams a day, and 60 percent of their calories came from fat.
 
"It was high fat, off the scale," he said.
 
After six months, the people on the Atkins diet had lost an average of 31 pounds, compared with 20 pounds on the AHA diet, and more people stuck with the Atkins regimen. Total cholesterol fell slightly in both groups. However, those on the Atkins diet had an 11 percent increase in HDL, the good cholesterol, and a 49 percent drop in triglycerides. On the AHA diet, HDL was unchanged, and triglycerides dropped 22 percent. High triglycerides may raise the risk of heart disease.
 
"More study is necessary before such a diet can be recommended," Westman said. "However, a concern about serum lipid (cholesterol) elevations should not impede such research." Click here for complete story.
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
to be considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle
behavior without the advice of your personal physician.

“Dr. Rehert’s Medical Alerts Email List” is open to anyone who wants to join. 
Either send your Email address to RehertHRT@... (recommended)  OR  you may
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#25 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Wed Nov 6, 2002 2:39 am
Subject: Two very recent articles on Hormones and Alzheimer's Disease. 		grehert
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First the good news:
 HRT might reduce Alzheimer's risk

From the Science & Technology Desk,  Published 11/5/2002 4:05 PM

BALTIMORE, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Hormone replacement therapy seems to protect women from developing Alzheimer's disease but the treatment apparently does so only during a limited and as-yet-undefined period of time, researchers reported Tuesday.
 
Researchers from several institutions reached these conclusions after analyzing data from the Cache County Study, a long-term investigation that has examined the prevalence and rate of Alzheimer's disease among a group of elderly individuals living in Utah.
 
Thirty-five men and 88 women developed Alzheimer's disease during the study period. Researchers found women who used HRT had a 41 percent reduction in their risk for Alzheimer's, a degenerative disease that eats away at brain tissue, compared to women who never had used HRT. The longer the duration of use, the lower the risk, researchers report in the Nov. 6 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association. Women who used HRT for a decade or longer showed a 2.5-fold decreased incidence of Alzheimer's risk, a risk rate comparable to what was observed among the men.
 
Dr. Pierre Tariot, professor of psychiatry, neurology, aging and developmental biology at the University of Rochester in New York, said hormones could make a good preventive medicine, but not a very good treatment.
 
"I think it's important to stay aware of the distinction between using medications to treat Alzheimer's disease once it's present and using medications to prevent illness," Tariot told UPI. "HRT does not appear to help women who already have Alzheimer's disease."
(Reported by Katrina Woznicki, UPI Sciences News, in Washington)   Click here for full story
And now the bad news:
Hormone worsens Alzheimer's

November 5, 2002

Oestrogen may aggravate memory loss in post-menopausal women suffering from Alzheimer's disease, according to a new animal study.  Researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson examined the effects of oestrogen on the cognition of 40 female rats, and say their findings could have implications for humans.
 
To induce menopause, the researchers surgically removed the rats' ovaries.  After testing the rats' memories by observing their performances in a water maze, the investigators found that ovary removal hadn't impaired the rodents' functioning.  But once the rats were given either regular oestrogen replacement therapy or induced chronic brain inflammation - which simulated the effects of Alzheimer's - their functioning worsened.   Click here for complete story
Bottom line:  Estrogen seems to prevent Alzheimer's Disease if you are a woman but not if you are a female rat. 
 
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc.                      
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert
 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
to be considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle
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“Dr. Rehert’s Medical Alerts Email List” is open to anyone who wants to join. 
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#24 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Tue Nov 5, 2002 3:54 am
Subject: RE: Organic Foods . . . Are they really better? 		grehert
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And now for something about Organic Foods:
 
Experts disagree whether organic food is healthier
By Lisa Marshall, Camera Staff Writer
October 13, 2002
 
Debbie Enssle is a picky eater. Once a week, the petite mother of six piles her children into her white Suburban and makes the trek from her mountain home to a Boulder health food store to fill her cart with organic food.
 
She buys organic produce at farmers' markets, and special-orders organic chicken, eggs and beef from area farms. She estimates she spends 30 percent to 40 percent more than if she bought conventionally produced food. But it's worth it, she says. "My children are really important to me. It's about better health."
 
But is it?
 
On the eve of a sweeping new federal labeling program that aims to standardize what can be called organic , the question of whether organic foods are better for your health is becoming increasingly controversial. Sixty-six percent of shoppers who buy organic list better health and nutrition as their motivator for buying organic, according to the Washington-based market research firm. Fewer than one-third cite environmental concerns.
 
But some food experts say that while there may be many reasons to buy organic foods, there is little proof yet that they are better for you. "The health question is really tough," says Boulder writer Elaine Lipson, author of "The Organic Foods Sourcebook."  "The reasons to buy organic are environmental reasons. It has not been proven that organic is more nutritious."
 
"I think the new standards are going to confuse consumers," says Avery, who along with his father, Dennis Avery, launched a campaign four years ago to expose what they call the "myth" that organic foods are healthier. USDA officials have made a point of clarifying that the agency, "makes no claim that these foods are more nutritious or safer," says Demaris Wilson, National Organics Program specialist with the USDA.
 
But Ronnie Cummins, national director of the Minnesota-based Organic Consumers Association, disagrees. "There is no doubt that organic food is better and safer than conventional food," Cummins says. The fact that an organic carrot has not yet been proven to have more nutrients than a non-organic carrot is irrelevant, he says, because most shoppers are "more concerned about what is not in it than what is in it."         Click here for the Complete Article.
 
Well that's the story, and I thought organic foods were supposed to taste better.  (The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc.) 
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
to be considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle
behavior without the advice of your personal physician.

“Dr. Rehert’s Medical Alerts Email List” is open to anyone who wants to join. 
Either send your Email address to RehertHRT@... (recommended)  OR  you may
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#23 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Tue Oct 29, 2002 1:31 am
Subject: Don't take too many analgesics. 		grehert
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From Harvard, a warning not to take too much Motrin, Aleve or Tylenol.  These new findings surprised me so I thought I'd pass them on.    "Everything in Moderation"    Dr. Rehert
 
Frequent Pain Medication Use Linked to Hypertension
 
October 28, 2002 10:31 AM ET 
 
By Alison McCook
 
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who frequently take certain over-the-counter pain-relief medications appear to have a higher-than-average risk of developing high blood pressure, new study findings suggest.
 
Dr. Gary C. Curhan of Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, and his colleagues found that women between the ages of 31 and 50 who take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)--such as ibuprofin (Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve)--at least 22 days per month appear to be 86% more likely than others to develop high blood pressure.
 
The investigators also discovered that similarly frequent users of acetaminophen (Tylenol) may be twice as likely as others to develop hypertension, or high blood pressure.
 
The relationship between analgesic use and hypertension persisted even when Curhan's team removed the influence of factors that might lead to both long-term pain problems and high blood pressure, such as obesity and rheumatoid arthritis.
 
Curhan and his team report their findings in the October 28th issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
 
In an interview with Reuters Health, Curhan said that this is the first study to show that analgesic use may be linked to high blood pressure, so further studies are needed to confirm these findings. That said, however, he pointed out that it makes good biological sense that NSAIDs and acetaminophen could increase a frequent user's blood pressure over time.
 
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine 2002;162:2204-2208.
 

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#22 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Sun Oct 27, 2002 1:28 pm
Subject: Hormone patches and creams. 		grehert
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The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that absorbing hormones through the skin (transdermally), rather than by mouth (orally), is the safest and most natural way.  It's an exact imitation of how the ovaries secrete their hormones -- at a steady rate, 24/7 . . . and you don't hear any experts advising woman to have their ovaries removed to avoid heart disease.  On the contrary, there's a lot of evidence that having your ovaries removed at a young age significantly increases heart disease risk.  The article, below, addresses transdermal hormone treatment. 
Nonoral HRT (Patches and Creams) May Be Safer Alternative
 
Women in European Study Had Lower Cardiovascular Risks, Blood Pressure
 
By   Salynn Boyles 
WebMD Medical News  Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
 
Oct. 10, 2002 -- Women wishing to stay on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) who are concerned about the potential health risks may want to consider abandoning oral treatment in favor of other delivery routes, new research suggests.
 
Investigators conducting a small European study in which HRT was given in the form of estrogen skin patches and vaginally administered natural progesterone say these methods may be free of the cardiovascular risks that have recently been associated with oral hormone therapy. As an added benefit, postmenopausal women who were on the regimen for one year lost weight, lowered their blood pressure, and had less vaginal bleeding.
 
In light of the recent controversy surrounding HRT, a NAMS (North American Menopause Society) panel recently issued a report clarifying its position on the treatment. The panel concluded that relief from the symptoms of menopause should be the primary reason for being on HRT and that women should take the treatment for the shortest time possible. Panelists also called on physicians to consider alternatives to oral HRT, such as creams and patches.
 
Utian says there is good evidence that women who are extremely overweight, diabetic, or have high blood pressure should avoid oral therapy, but it is not clear whether women without specific risk factors need to do so. Utian is a consulting gynecologist at The Cleveland Clinic and an emeritus professor at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.
 
The European study included 35 postmenopausal women who were treated for one year with estrogen patches and a natural progesterone gel, administered twice weekly. Though uterine bleeding is a common side effect of HRT, two-thirds of the women had no such bleeding during the one year of the study. The women also lost weight and lowered their blood pressure. The study was published in the September issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
 
For the complete article, click here:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1825.51480?page=1
© 2002 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
 
Now wouldn't you know it but because of the current HRT controversy, the FDA just rejected a new hormone patch.  Click here for the story:  Feds Nix Menopause Treatment Patch
 
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert
 
 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
to be considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle
behavior without the advice of your personal physician.

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Either send your Email address to RehertHRT@... (recommended)  OR  you may
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#21 From: "Dr.Rehert" <grehert@...>
Date: Sun Oct 20, 2002 7:24 pm
Subject: Two articles about birth control pills. 		grehert
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First, here's an article about suppressing your periods by taking birth control pills continuously.  I totally agree with Dr. Sulak and have several patients on continuous pills -- 9 weeks on, 1 week off.  That's a menstrual period every 10 weeks or about 5 per year.
 
Skipping Periods: Is It Safe?
Woman Skip Periods By Taking Continuous Birth Control Pills
 
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Karen Matous doesn't dread her monthly periods anymore, because she no longer has them. Extreme premenstrual syndrome prompted her to stop her periods altogether. "I was a bear. I mean, I had a monster living in me and it would just come out. It was uncontrollable," Matous said.
 
Her OB-GYN suggested taking continuous birth control pills. Matous has been taking them for two years now. "I usually can go about three months and then I start to get a little breakthrough and then I quit taking them for four to five days and then get right back on them again," Matous said.
 
"Rather than taking 21 days of pills and then taking a week off, a woman just continues to take real pills," Dr. Patricia Sulak said. Period suppression also helps with menstrual migraines and mood swings.
 
Sulak stresses that skipping your period is safe and healthy. In fact, she believes monthly periods can actually increase your chance of endometriosis and ovarian cancer. "We think this is going to be an option that many women are going to chose, now with their own pills, or with new pills that will be coming on the market," Sulak said.
 
Copyright 2002 by TheBakersfieldChannel.com. MedStar contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 
Next here's a reassuring article that didn't get as much press as the WHI study which condemned  hormone therapy.  This doesn't all make sense since birth control pills have 4 to 7 times as much estrogen as HRT.
 
Study Finds No Link Between Birth Control Pill and Breast Cancer
 
June 30 , 2002
 
The question of whether a link exists between birth control pill use and the development of breast cancer later in life has been the subject of numerous research studies. This research has been driven by the knowledge that exposure to estrogen and progesterone, which the pill contains, is linked to increased breast cancer risk. But a new study published in the June 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine should help ease women's fears. After interviewing thousands of women who chose to take the pill and thousands who chose not to, researchers found that the pill does not appear to increase breast cancer risk.
 
The new data comes from interviews researchers conducted with more than 9000 women between the ages of 35 and 64 as part of the Women's CARE (Contraceptive and Reproductive Experiences) Study. Their goal was to compare women who had been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer with women who were similar to them but who had not been diagnosed with the disease.
 
The researchers found that when they compared the risk of breast cancer between these groups of women, there was no evidence that the pill increased risk. The risk did not increase for women who began taking the pill as teenagers, nor did it matter how long a woman had been on the pill. There also were no differences seen in the risk of breast cancer between white women and black women who were on the pill.
 
References:
 
Marchbanks PA, McDonald JA, Wilson HG et al. Oral Contraceptives and Risk of Breast Cancer. New England Journal of Medicine. 2002; 346: 2025-32. www.nejm.org or ...more here...
 
Davidson NE and Helzlsouer KJ. Good News About Oral Contraceptives. Editorial. New England Journal of Medicine. 2002: 346: 2078-09. www.nejm.org
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert
 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
to be considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle
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Gerald Rehert, M.D.

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#20 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Tue Oct 15, 2002 3:00 am
Subject: About children and duct tape. 		grehert
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Here are two interesting articles that may help you deal with your children (or your grandchildren). 
 
First . . .  they say you can do almost anything with duct tape:

Duct Tape Can Get Rid of Warts
Mon Oct 14, 6:08 PM ET
 
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The next time you're in need of a wart cure-all, forget combing the aisles of the local pharmacy and head over to the hardware store instead. According to the findings of a small study in children, applying plain old duct tape to the common wart (scientifically known as Verruca vulgaris) appears to be superior to traditional cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen.
 
In the current study, the researchers compared duct tape therapy to cryotherapy, which involves several visits to the doctor's office. During the treatment, a physician freezes the wart by applying a quick, narrow blast of liquid nitrogen to the offending blemish. This is repeated once every two or three weeks until the wart is gone.
 
In the study, the researchers randomly assigned 51 patients between the ages of 3 and 22 to receive either a maximum of 6 cryotherapy treatments, once every two to three weeks, or two months of duct tape therapy.
 
In duct tape therapy, a nurse covered the wart with a piece of duct tape roughly the same size as the wart. Patients (or their parents) were instructed to keep the duct tape on for 6 consecutive days and if the tape peeled off during that time, apply another at home. At the end of 6 days, patients soaked the wart in water and rubbed it with an emery board or pumice stone. The next morning a new piece of tape was applied. The routine was repeated for a maximum of two months.
 
The investigators found that 85% of those in the duct tape group, compared to 60% of those in the cryotherapy group "had complete resolution of their warts. "This study shows that duct tape occlusion therapy is not only equal to but exceeds the efficacy of cryotherapy in the treatment of the common wart. It's not clear exactly how the duct tape sends warts packing, according to the report, "but, as with other therapies, it may involve stimulation of the patient's immune system through local irritation."
 
SOURCE: Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine 2002;156:971-974.
 
 
And if you thought you knew about SIDS . . . .
New Study Sends Strong Message on SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
 
The research brings some of the most convincing evidence yet that putting infants to sleep on their backs can save lives. It's a message doctors and advocacy groups have been preaching for years. The Back to Sleep campaign to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has been plastered on everything from diapers to door hangers.
 
Now, a new study in the journal Pediatrics makes the strongest case to date that putting babies on their stomach increases the risk of SIDS. Researchers compared the sleep habits of more than 200 SIDS victims under age one and compared them to the habits of same number of healthy infants. According to researcher Dr. Fern Hauck, "Prone sleeping or stomach sleeping was a significant risk factor for SIDS. In fact it accounted for 31% of the deaths."
 
While the cause of SIDS is still largely a mystery, researchers say their study reaffirms the message that many deaths can be prevented simply by putting babies to sleep on their backs. The study found that almost all of the SIDS deaths happened within the first four months of life, with most happening between the first month and the third month.
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are solely intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  They are not
to be considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle
behavior without the advice of your personal physician.

“Dr. Rehert’s Medical Alerts Email List” is open to anyone who wants to join. 
Either send your Email address to RehertHRT@... (recommended)  OR  you may
go to the website www.yahoogroups.com/group/drrehertsalerts and follow the “Join
This Group!" instructions.  Also at this website you can read all the earlier
Emails.

Gerald Rehert, M.D.

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#19 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Sat Oct 12, 2002 1:26 pm
Subject: Two interesting articles. 		grehert
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Is your weight a threat to your health?  Do you have a tape measure?    Here's a novel and easy way to check your heart disease risk:
 
Waist Circumference Helps Predict Cardiovascular Risk
Fri Oct 11, 4:07 PM ET
By Amanda Gardner
HealthScoutNews Reporter
 
FRIDAY, Oct. 11 (HealthScoutNews) -- If you want to determine your risk for cardiovascular disease, maybe you should throw out your scale and grab the measuring tape.
 
A study appearing in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (news - web sites) suggests waist circumference is more strongly associated with cardiovascular risk factors than body mass index (BMI).
 
"There's been some research that shows that it may not be the total amount of fat in your body but where it is stored. In other words, fat distribution," says Stanley Heshka, a co-author of the study and a research associate at the New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in New York City.
 
Body mass index (the measure of body fat based on height and weight) is the most widely used gauge to tell if adults are overweight or obese. Meanwhile, various studies have found body fat distribution is a better predictor for many diseases.
 
In the new study, the researchers looked at information on white men and women gathered for NHANES III, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which collected data on the health and nutrition of 9,019 Americans. Then the researchers correlated BMI values of 25 and 30 (which indicate overweight and obese, respectively) with cardiovascular and diabetes risk factors. They set out to determine what waist circumferences have the same degree of risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes as the BMI guidelines.
 
To minimize the risk of heart disease, men should not go above a 35-inch waist and women should not go above 33 inches, Heshka says. Men whose waists are 39 inches or more and women whose waists are 37 inches or more should lose weight -- and inches, he says.
 
Though the study data involved exquisitely precise measurements (taken just above the top of the hip bone and at the end of a normal exhalation), regular folks don't need to be quite that exact. If you come close to the recommended cutoff points, though, you need to take them seriously, Heshka cautions.
 
To learn more about cardiovascular disease, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   www.cdc.gov
 
And if you have some extra time, here's an internet link to a very interesting article that explains the intricacies of drug company marketing:        CLICK HERE
 
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Best wishes.  Dr. Rehert
 
DISCLAIMER:  The articles discussed in "Dr. Rehert's Medical Alerts Email List”
are intended to entertain, inform and educate its readers.  It is not to be
considered medical advice.  You should not alter any of your lifestyle behavior
without the advice of your personal physician.

“Dr. Rehert’s Medical Alerts Email List” is open to anyone who wants to join. 
Either send your Email address to RehertHRT@... (recommended)  OR  you may
go to the website www.yahoogroups.com/group/drrehertsalerts and follow the “Join
This Group!" instructions.  Also at this website you can read all the earlier
Emails.

Dr. Rehert

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