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#69 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Sun May 4, 2003 9:15 pm
Subject: Two articles about breast cancer. 		grehert
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Here are two recent articles about breast cancer.  First a study that tells why a women over 40 should get a mammogram every 12 to 18 months . . . so don't put it off.
 Studies Reaffirm Benefits Of Mammography
Breast Cancer Deaths Declined Steadily After Screening Introduced
April 30, 2003 06:13:20 AM PST, ACS News Today
 
Two new European studies provide more evidence that mammography can save lives. The studies, from Sweden and the Netherlands, show that death rates from breast cancer declined after screening mammography programs were introduced. In the past few years, though, some researchers have questioned the value of mammograms for preventing deaths from breast cancer, particularly among women in their 40s. The new studies re-enforce the prevailing expert opinion that screening has significant lifesaving value.
 
In the Swedish study, researchers from Central Hospital in Falun, Sweden, compared the breast cancer death rates in two counties for the 20 years before routine screening was introduced (in 1978) and the 20 years after screening was in place. Data from 210,000 women aged 20-69 were analyzed.
 
In the period after mammography was introduced, breast cancer deaths dropped 44% among women aged 40-69 who got mammograms, but decreased just 16% among those in that age group who were not screened.
 
Among women aged 40-49, for whom screening has been controversial, deaths from breast cancer dropped 48% in the group who got mammograms, compared to a 19% decline for those who did not.
 
The Dutch researchers attributed the declines in breast cancer mortality primarily to screening, rather than to improvements in treatment.  Smith said mammography saves lives by detecting tumors earlier than they would otherwise be found.  "Treatments have an opportunity to be most effective when a patient has a very small, early-stage tumor," he said.  That's especially true for women in their 40's, he said, who tend to develop faster-growing tumors.
And second, very controversial article.  It says that woman who have had breast cancer (especially certain types of breast cancer) can safely take hormones.  Now I'm not recommending this, but if misery accompanies your hot flashes, you do have this alternative.
 Estrogen replacement does not cause recurrent breast cancer
 
Women who have had treated localized breast cancer can benefit from estrogen replacement without worrying about cancer recurrence.

In theory, estrogen can activate breast cancer cells, so physicians have rightly been cautious over prescribing hormone replacement to women who've had cancer. But the estrogen in hormone replacement can help those women who've had ovarian failure as a result of chemotherapy for breast cancer. There are also potential benefits for cardiovascular and bone health from taking estrogen.
 
In one of the longest follow-up trials to date, US researchers have looked at the impact of estrogen on women who have been treated for localized breast cancer. They found no significant difference in survival at five years between women on estrogen and those on placebo. Taking estrogen did not increase the risk of new cancers or a recurrence of the cancer. However, this trial did not include women who had had estrogen-receptor positive cancers, which are known to grow in response to estrogen. The study suggests that women who have had localized breast cancer may well benefit from estrogen, without worrying about recurrence.
 
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
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Best wishes,

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

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#68 From: "Dr.Rehert" <grehert@...>
Date: Fri Apr 25, 2003 7:59 pm
Subject: Two interesting Viagra stories. 		grehert
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Here's two related stories on Viagra - and it's road to treating women for "FSD."   You mean you've never heard of "FSD?" . . . read on.
Sex drugs may be unnecessary
 
Drug companies are coming under attack for creating a new medical disorder known as "female sexual dysfunction" (FSD) in order to build markets for drugs among women, according to an article in the British Medical Journal.   The author of the article, Ray Moynihan, says that over the past six years, researchers with close ties to the pharmaceutical industry have been developing and defining the new disorder at company- sponsored meetings.
 
He cites as a "milestone" in FSD, the publication of an article in February 1999, which suggested that 43 per cent of women aged 18 to 59 had the condition, although leading researchers have since raised serious concerns about this figure, describing it as misleading and potentially dangerous.  The figure originates in a 1992 survey of 1500 women asked about anxiety or lack of desire during sex.
 
Portraying sexual difficulties as a dysfunction could encourage doctors to prescribe drugs that change sexual function, when attention should be paid to other aspects of the woman's life, he says.  Another concern is the ever-narrowing definitions of "normal" which help turn the complaints of the healthy into the conditions of the sick.
 
US psychiatrist Sandra Leiblum rejected the 43 per cent figure. "I think this is dissatisfaction and perhaps disinterest among a lot of women, but that doesn't mean they have a disease," she said.
And now the other side of the story.
Drugmakers Deny Inventing a Disorder
 
Reuters
Saturday, January 4, 2003
 
Pharmaceutical companies yesterday rejected a published account claiming they had invented a new disorder known as female sexual dysfunction to build a market for Viagra and similar drugs among women.  An article in the British Medical Journal said researchers with close ties to the industry had defined the new disorder at company-sponsored meetings over the past six years to encourage use of the same medicines that have helped men with impotence.
 
The author of the article, Ray Moynihan, said widely reported statistics that 43 percent of women older than 18 had female sexual dysfunction were misleading.  He traced the origin of the definition of the condition to a May 1997 meeting of researchers and drug company representatives at a Cape Cod hotel. 
 
The figure comes from a reanalysis of a 1992 survey of 1,500 women, who were asked whether they had experienced any of seven sexual difficulties for more than two months during the previous year. The sexual difficulties included a lack of desire for sex, anxiety about sexual performance and difficulties with lubrication.
 
A Pfizer spokeswoman denied the allegations that the company invented female sexual dysfunction.
 
Pfizer made $1.5 billion from Viagra in 2001.
 
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
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Best wishes,

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

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#67 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Sat Apr 19, 2003 1:55 pm
Subject: Estrogen: Oral or Transdermal 		grehert
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As many of you know, I am a believer in getting your estrogen therapy across the skin (transdermal - i.e., the estrogen patch); or across the vagina (transvaginal - i.e., the estrogen ring) -- as opposed to taking it in pill form.  To me, getting estrogen across the skin or vagina is almost exactly like you get it from your ovary . . . a very steady dose 24/7 . . . what could be more "natural?"
 
On the other hand, when you get your hormones by swallowing a pill every 24 hours, there are two unnatural effects.  First, when you swallow the pill, the hormone goes directly to your liver at an unnaturally high concentration.  And second, the blood hormone level cycles up and down every 24 hours. 
 
It has been theorized that the unnaturally elevated "first pass through the liver" might cause the liver to produce more blood clotting factors and might be the reason that the infamous WHI study, last July, found an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and blood clots in their patients.  It's also well known that this "first pass through the liver" increases blood triglyceride levels which also may increase heart disease.
 
This is only theoretical and a lot of research is on-going to prove whether trans-dermal / trans-vaginal estrogen is safer than oral estrogen.  Much more will be known in the next few years.
 
Below is a very new article which found that oral estrogen increased CRP (C-reactive protein) as well as suppressed a molecule called IGF-1 . . . possibly two more reasons for the increased safety of transdermal / transvaginal estrogens. 

Study: Estrogen Patch May Be Easier on Heart 
 By Kathleen Doheny
HealthScoutNews Reporter
 
WEDNESDAY, April 16, 2003 (HealthScoutNews) -- Estrogen delivered to postmenopausal women in patch rather than pill form doesn't raise blood levels of a protein associated with higher heart disease risk, a research team has found in a small study.
 
The study included only 21 women and looked simply at a marker of heart disease.  In the new study, Vongpatanasin and her colleagues took baseline levels of the participants' C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that predicts heart attack and heart disease.  Then, the women were rotated among three treatments -- the patch, oral estrogen and placebo, taking each for eight weeks and having their C-reactive protein measured before and after.
 
"The pills raised the C-reactive protein by more than twofold, whereas when the women were on the patch or on placebo, there was no change," Vongpatanasin says. But the blood levels of estrogen were similar with pill and patch.
 
In a recent study evaluating more than 27,000 women, reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, high levels of C-reactive protein were found to be a more accurate predictor of heart disease than high levels of so-called "bad" cholesterol, LDL.  Exactly why oral estrogen drives up C-reactive protein is not known, Vongpatanasin says. While oral estrogen is processed through the liver before circulating to other areas in the body, estrogen delivered by patch enters the bloodstream directly.
 
When delivered by patch, the amount of estrogen is less than in pill form, Vongpatanasin says. In the study, the patch delivered a maximum of 100 micrograms of estrogen a day, while the pill delivered 625 micrograms.
 
In her study, Vongpatanasin also found that oral estrogen, but not the patch form or the placebo treatment, suppressed the women's blood levels of insulin-like growth factor, IGF-1, a substance that fights inflammation.
 
Another expert, Dr. Ravi Dave, a cardiologist at the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center in California, says that while the study is small, "the concept and hypothesis they used are very sound."   He adds more study is needed, but that "estrogen might not be as bad as it was thought to be in terms of cardiovascular risk." 
 
Earlier research by the same doctor concluded that transdermal / transvaginal estrogen lowered blood pressure a small amount as compared to the estrogen pill.
Two points:  I am not saying that no one should take estrogens by mouth.  The increased risks are very slight.  However, if you have a personal history or a strong family history of heart disease, high triglycerides or excessive intravascular clotting (blood clots in legs or lung), then you might want to consider the transdermal / transvaginal route. 
 
The second point I want to make is that birth control pills parallel menopausal hormone therapy.  Birth control is now available in a patch and in a vaginal ring.  If you are on birth control pills and have a bad personal or family medical history as described above, it might be theoretically a little safer if you switch to these newer birth control methods.  Stay tuned -- more research to follow.
 
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 you can read all the earlier Emails by clicking
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If you respond to this Email list, DO NOT include any personal information . 
Though the list is configured so that all Email responses only go to the
original sender, your Email may inadvertently be sent to the list.  Also,
transmitting personal information would be a violation of The U. S. Government
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Best wishes,

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

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#66 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Mon Mar 31, 2003 12:54 am
Subject: Some Good news and some Bad news. 		grehert
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Two stories: 
One good news and the other, bad news and getting badder.  First the good news - about your risk of getting HIV or hepatitis from a blood transfusion . . .The risk keeps getting smaller.
Blood Transfusions Safer Than Ever
Chance Of Developing Hepatitis Or HIV Dropping
March 28, 2003 10:37:11 AM PST, ACS News Today
 
The risk of contracting a serious infection through a blood transfusion has been dropping every year for several decades, and the blood supply is the safest it has ever been, according to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 289, No. 8: 959-962). That means fewer Americans are likely to contract HIV or hepatitis as a result of blood transfusions.
 
According to Michael Busch MD, PhD, the lead author of the report, a person receiving a blood transfusion in 2003 has only a one in 1,800,000 chance of developing an infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The risk for developing hepatitis C, one of the two major blood borne hepatitis viruses, is one in 1,600,000. The chance of getting hepatitis B is one in 220,000.
 
The numbers for HIV and hepatitis C have been dropping steadily since the development of new tests that can detect these viruses in donated blood earlier than was possible before.
 
Newer tests were introduced in 1998. These tests, called nucleic acid technology screening or NAT, can actually measure the virus levels in the blood. Virus levels rise much earlier than the antibody response and shorten the window period.
 
Under the old screening method, for instance, HIV was detectable in the blood about 22 days after infection. With the new methods, HIV can be found in the blood 11 days after infection, decreasing the likelihood of contaminated blood entering the blood supply. 
 
And now the bad news about the new disease called SARS.  This could be big.  Stay tuned.
Mystery Illness Continues to Spread
1 hour, 20 minutes ago  Add Health - AP to My Yahoo!
 
By TOM COHEN, Associated Press Writer
 
TORONTO - A mystery illness with no known treatment continued to spread through Asia and Canada on Sunday, killing three more people and infecting many others as officials warned it may be more contagious than originally thought.
 
Hong Kong health officials said 60 more people had fallen ill with a deadly flu-like disease, more than half of them in one apartment complex, pushing the number of infections worldwide past 1,600. Singapore's health minister, Lim Hng Kiang, said the disease may spread more easily than first believed.
 
The World Health Organization said severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, has killed at least 54 people worldwide, with the majority of cases in Hong Kong and China.
 
Authorities have declared a health emergency in Toronto, located 50 miles from the U.S. border. U.S. health officials have reported 62 cases in the United States. So far, four people have died from the illness in Toronto, the latest was reported Sunday. In addition, about 100 probable or suspect cases have been reported. Officials have closed two hospitals to new patients, and hundreds of people have been quarantined in their homes.
 
The United States and Canada have advised people to avoid travel to afflicted areas in Asia, and the World Health Organization recommended that international travelers from Toronto and several Asian cities get screened for symptoms.
 
Most of the new cases reported Sunday came from Hong Kong's Amoy Gardens apartment complex, where a victim recently spread the disease, according to a Health Department statement. Some frightened residents have moved out and medical teams have gone through the apartments to check for SARS — while some minibus drivers won't even stop there anymore. 
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 you can read all the earlier Emails by clicking
on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DrRehertsAlerts/messages.

If you respond to this Email list, DO NOT include any personal information . 
Though the list is configured so that all Email responses only go to the
original sender, your Email may inadvertently be sent to the list.  Also,
transmitting personal information would be a violation of The U. S. Government
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Best wishes,

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

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (1)
#65 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Tue Mar 25, 2003 3:33 am
Subject: Two articles about agressive behavior - thought you might be interested. 		grehert
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 Here are some recent articles about aggressive behavior.  One links aggressive behavior to genetics and, the other, to Viagra.  Dr. Rehert
Gene for Aggressive Behavior Found in Mice
 
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Scientists have discovered a gene in mice that appears to play an important role in anxious and aggressive behavior, according to a study released Thursday. Since humans have a similar gene, the researchers hope that their discovery may aid in the study of human anxiety and aggression disorders.
 
In the study, which is published in the January 23rd issue of the journal Neuron, the investigators created mice that lacked the Pet-1 gene. As adults, the Pet-1 deficient mice were more aggressive than normal mice and were more likely to avoid open, unprotected spaces in their cages--a sign of increased anxiety.
 
"This is the first gene shown to impact adult emotional behavior through specific control of fetal serotonin neuron development," said senior investigator Dr. Evan S. Deneris.
 
SOURCE: Neuron 2003;37:1-20.
And here's article #2 about Viagra.
 Scientists Debate Possible Viagra-Aggression Link
 
By Todd Zwillich
 
WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - A debate has begun among scientists about whether Pfizer Inc.'s impotence drug Viagra (sildenafil) can be linked to aggressive behavior and sexual violence.   One researcher has concluded that doctors should begin warning Viagra users about the possibility of psychological and emotional side effects.  But other scientists, as well as officials at Pfizer, reject the claim as unsound.
 
In July of this year, Dr. Harold A. Milman, a toxicologist based in Rockville, Maryland, published a report in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy examining more than 12,000 reports of adverse events in men who took Viagra.   The drug was listed as a suspect in 22 reports involving aggression, 13 involving rape and 6 involving murder, according to Milman's article.
 
The theory that the drug may cause aggression has formed the basis of the so-called "Viagra defense," a claim made by half a dozen defendants since 1998 that the drug caused them to commit violent crimes.
 
In interviews, other scientists rejected Milman's claims about a link to aggressive behavior. "To me, it is an extremely remote hypothesis," said Dr. Raymond C. Rosen, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
The above is not meant to be medical advice.  Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc. 
Until next time.  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 you can read all the earlier Emails by clicking
on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DrRehertsAlerts/messages.

If you respond to this Email list, DO NOT include any personal information . 
Though the list is configured so that all Email responses only go to the
original sender, your Email may inadvertently be sent to the list.  Also,
transmitting personal information would be a violation of The U. S. Government
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Best wishes,

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

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#58 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Sun Mar 16, 2003 3:14 pm
Subject: Something on dieting. 		grehert
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Here's an article on a growing trend in diet research.

New research on Atkins diet challenges years of criticism
 
By Daniel Q. Haney
 
Is it just possible that Dr. Robert C. Atkins was right? That his high-fat, low-carb plan, ridiculed for 30 years as dangerous nonsense, actually is a good, safe way to lose weight?
 
The dietary elite are not ready to change their collective mind, but a half-dozen or so new studies have taken an objective look at the presumed evils of Atkins, and the results have been little short of astonishing:
During a few months on the Atkins diet, people lose about twice as much as on the standard low-fat, high-carbohydrate approach recommended by most health organizations.  They do so without seeming to drive up their risk of heart disease. They appear to lose more weight even while actually consuming more calories than people on a so-called healthy diet.
 
“Some scientists are dismayed by the data and a little incredulous about it," says Gary Foster, who runs the weight-loss program at the University of Pennsylvania. “But the consistency of the results across studies is compelling in a way that makes us think we should investigate this further."
 
This Atkins study was intended to “show it doesn’t work," yet after three months, the overweight men and women had lost an average of 19 pounds, 10 more than people on the standard high-carb approach.
 
The big surprise was cholesterol. The Atkins dieters’ overall profile changed for the better. Although their bad cholesterol went up seven points, their good cholesterol rose almost 12. (Changes in the high-carb dieters were less dramatic. Their bad cholesterol went down slightly while their good cholesterol remained unchanged.)
 
The largest difference was in triglycerides. The Atkins dieters’ dropped 22 points. The low-carb dieters’ didn’t budge.          
 
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 you can read all the earlier Emails by clicking
on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DrRehertsAlerts/messages.

If you respond to this Email list, DO NOT include any personal information . 
Though the list is configured so that all Email responses only go to the
original sender, your Email may inadvertently be sent to the list.  Also,
transmitting personal information would be a violation of The U. S. Government
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Best wishes,

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

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#56 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Thu Mar 6, 2003 3:38 am
Subject: The hormone pendulum begins to swing. 		grehert
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On July 9th, 2002, the Woman's Health Initiative study (WHI) came out and (with the help of the media) scared half the world's women on hormones into quitting them for fear of breast cancer and heart disease.  Well finally more rational heads in the Gynecology community are getting some play in the media. 
 
Here is an article which summarizes my beliefs regarding hormone therapy...  and I believe, in time, the world will realize that the 60+ articles which showed estrogen reduced heart disease were not a lot of bunk.
Health Tips ... from UPI
 
IN HORMONE THERAPY, TIMING COULD BE EVERYTHING
 
Researchers say the timing of treatment may be a key to whether hormone replacement therapy can slow heart disease in postmenopausal women. "Mounting evidence points to the conclusion that HRT can help prevent heart vessel disease -- if the therapy begins around the time that the body stops making its own estrogen," said Thomas Clarkson of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. "The question may not be if estrogen helps, but when is the optimum time to begin therapy."
 
Clarkson, a professor of comparative medicine, and Dr. Richard Karas, director of the preventive cardiology center at Tufts-New England Medical Center, reviewed studies of postmenopausal women and monkeys that evaluated the cardiovascular effects of HRT. Their analysis, published in the journal Menopausal Medicine, included the Women's Health Initiative, which showed an increased risk of heart attacks in women taking HRT and led to recommendations that women not begin hormone replacement therapy for the purpose of preventing heart disease. They also reviewed trials of postmenopausal monkeys conducted at Wake Forest during the past 12 years.
 
"The literature demonstrates that HRT has beneficial effects in inhibiting the early stages of heart vessel disease, but can have deleterious effects if initiated at older ages when some women have already developed disease," Clarkson said.
 
 
 So what this is saying is that if you start your hormones at menopause (when your periods stop and when your hot flashes begin - usually around age 50) you are probably preventing heart disease, (i.e. preventing hardening of the arteries.)  On the other hand, if you begin your hormone therapy after age 60, after you've already developed hardening of the arteries, you are probably increasing your risk of heart disease (i.e. like a heart attack.) 
 
The patients in the WHI study averaged 63 years of age and many of them were more then 10 or even 20 years past menopause.  20% of them were older than 70. 
 
In these women, hormones increased heart disease somewhat.  (So I'm no longer advising any 60 or 70 year old patients to begin hormone therapy.)
 
The final answer is not yet definitely known, but when it is I'll bring it to you.
Now if anyone wants to see the very academic and very technical 12 page journal that analyzes the WHI study in great depth, click here for the entire journal Menopausal Medicine:==>  Click Here for Menopausal Medicine  
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 you can read all the earlier Emails by clicking
on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DrRehertsAlerts/messages.

If you respond to this Email list, DO NOT include any personal information . 
Though the list is configured so that all Email responses only go to the
original sender, your Email may inadvertently be sent to the list.  Also,
transmitting personal information would be a violation of The U. S. Government
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Best wishes,

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

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (1)
#55 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Sun Mar 2, 2003 1:02 pm
Subject: How to diagnose a stroke and the Internet can read your mind - a most amazing puzzle. 		grehert
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Did you ever wonder if you should call 911 because a relative of yours might be having a stroke?  Well here's a quick 3 step test to help you.  Practice on a healthy friend - or yourself in the mirror.
Simple test spots stroke in 60 seconds
By Peggy Peck
UPI Science News

     PHOENIX, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- By asking three simple questions, most people can diagnose stroke and act quickly to get the victim to a hospital for treatment, researchers reported Thursday. 
 
     The bystander asks the victim to "show us your teeth," which is a smile test to detect facial weakness. The victims are also asked to close their eyes and raise their arms to detect one-sided arm weakness. And finally, the bystander asks the victim to repeat a simple sentence like "The sky is blue in Cincinnati." Slurred speech and one-sided facial or arm weakness are all classic signs of stroke, said Brice.
 
     "This is so simple that even a child could use it. Look at how many children have saved their parents by doing CPR and this so much simpler," said Kenton. Although the study used a 911-dispatcher model, Kenton said he thinks the test should also be promoted for use by the general public.
 
And 
 
 
(You will need Macromedia Flash 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. 
Either send your Email address to grehert@... (recommended)  OR  you may
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Best wishes,

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

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#54 From: "Dr.Rehert" <grehert@...>
Date: Fri Feb 21, 2003 8:05 pm
Subject: Wimp gene discovered. 		grehert
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In case you thought you were a wimp, scientists have now discovered why.
Stoics may be born that way
 
February 21, 2003
 
WASHINGTON--When it comes to pain, people can be wimps, stoics or somewhere in between. Now scientists have found one reason--a variation in a single gene that shows stoics really can tolerate more pain.
 
The new research by University of Michigan neuroscientists shows how much you suffer is due at least partly to a gene that helps regulate how many pain-killers your body produces.
 
Everyone has two copies of this gene, one inherited from each parent--but they can inherit forms that differ by one amino acid. A quarter of the U.S. population carries the ''stoic'' gene variation while another quarter has the gene variant that makes them super-sensitive to pain, researcher Dr. Jon-Kar Zubieta estimates.
 
The findings, from scans of the brain's natural painkiller system in action, include surprising data showing that women's ability to handle pain increases with their estrogen levels.
 
AP

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 grehert@... (recommended)  OR  you may
go to the website www.yahoogroups.com/group/drrehertsalerts and follow the “Join
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Gerald M. Rehert, M.D.
285 Boulevard, NE, #520
Atlanta, GA 30312
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#53 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Wed Feb 19, 2003 2:31 am
Subject: Avoid Ephedra 		grehert
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Avoid Ephedra!  It's in many over-the-counter diet pills.  Dr. Rehert

Weight-Loss Drug Cited in Pitcher's Death

By STEVEN WINE, AP Sports Writer

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A weight-loss drug probably contributed to the heatstroke death of Baltimore Orioles (news) pitching prospect Steve Bechler, a medical examiner said Tuesday.

Bechler had been taking Xenadrine, an over-the-counter drug containing ephedra, which has been linked to heatstroke and heart trouble, Dr. Joshua Perper said.

Ephedra has been banned by the NCAA (news - web sites), the NFL and the International Olympic Committee (news - web sites), but not by major league baseball. Perper urged baseball to ban the drug.

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 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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#52 From: Jerry Rehert <grehert@...>
Date: Thu Feb 13, 2003 1:53 pm
Subject: Red Cross Identifys Clumps in Blood Supply 		grehert
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In case you were wondering about our nation's blood supply.  I was.

Red Cross Identifys Clumps in Blood Supply
Wed Feb 12,10:39 AM ET 

By DANIEL YEE, Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA - The mysterious white globules found in bags of donated blood in the South were identified by the American Red Cross on Tuesday as clumps of normal blood components. But why the clumps are forming in such large quantities is still a mystery.

The globules were identified as platelets, white blood cells and fibrin strands. All three components are normally present in donated blood, and some clumping is normal, authorities said. But the sheer number of clumps is unusual.

The Red Cross findings are similar to test results from blood bag maker Baxter International Inc., which said the particles are natural components of blood and are not caused by the plastic bags.

"Clumping of blood components is not an unusual observation in collected blood," said Deborah Spak, Baxter spokeswoman. "We're looking at all aspects of the manufacturing process. Nothing is being ruled out."

Blood expert Dr. Christopher Hillyer of Emory University's transfusion program said: "I think there's an inciting factor that could be a physical or chemical event, the way the bags are stored or synthetic medication or part of the bag manufacturing process."

For Complete Story

Now you know.  Best wishes,  Dr. Rehert

 


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#51 From: <grehert@...>
Date: Sun Feb 9, 2003 2:49 pm
Subject: Warning! Your environment may be hazardous to your health. 		grehert
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You'd be surprised what may be hazardous to your health.   Here are two interesting articles that suggest how some illnesses may be from exposure to measles, other viruses, vaccinations, allergies, etc.     Dr. Rehert

Diabetes Cases Go Up After Measles Outbreak: Report
Thu Nov 28, 5:55 PM ET  Add Health - Reuters to My Yahoo!
 
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The city of Philadelphia experienced a jump in type 1 diabetes in children in 1993, roughly 2 years after a measles epidemic hit the area, according to a new report.
 
The link between measles and type 1 diabetes is not proven, although the researchers suggest that some children may have developed diabetes after coming down with the measles.
 
In an interview with Reuters Health, Dr. Terri H. Lipman, of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, said that it is "very important" to note that the study does not prove that the measles cases were to blame for the jump in diabetes cases. In some studies, measles have been shown to trigger an autoimmune reaction similar to what occurs in type 1 diabetes, but other studies have not shown this effect.
 
Lipman and her colleagues point out that several factors have been associated with changes in the rate of new cases of type 1 diabetes, including viruses, vaccinations and infants' diets. But the authors note that determining exact causes is difficult.
 
SOURCE: Diabetes Care 2002;25:1969-1975.                   Click here for Article in Full
And the second article:
Increase in Autism Baffles Scientists
By SANDRA BLAKESLEE
 
Trying to account for a drastic rise in childhood autism in recent years, a California study has found that it cannot be explained away by statistical anomalies or by a growing public awareness that might have led more parents to report the disorder.
 
But the study's authors, who reported their findings yesterday to the California Legislature, said they were at a loss to explain the reasons for what they called an epidemic of autism, the mysterious brain disorder that affects a person's ability to form relationships and to behave normally in everyday life.  "Autism is on the rise in the state, and we still do not know why," said the lead author, Dr. Robert S. Byrd, an epidemiologist and pediatrician at the University of California.
 
The California study was prompted by a 1999 report from the state's Department of Developmental Services, which reported that the number of children with "full spectrum," or profound, autism had increased by 273 percent, to 10,360 in 1998 from 2,778 in 1987.
 
The numbers were surprising, Dr. Byrd said. After the period studied, the number of autistic children continued to rise, to 18,460 cases as of July 2002, according to the California Department of Developmental Services.
 
About a third of parents in both groups reported that their children began to regress around the age of 18 months, Dr. Byrd said. They suddenly lost the ability to say words and stopped making eye contact. Many parents blame vaccinations that are given around 18 months.  The study found no evidence that the vaccine was the culprit, Dr. Byrd said.
 
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, 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 list.

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

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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.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2002 Kingsport Times-News. All rights reserved. This material must be credited to the Times-News when redistributed or broadcast.
Privacy Statement and Terms of Use
 
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

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (1)
#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
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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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#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
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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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#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
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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

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#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. 
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, 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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#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”
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, 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.

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

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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”
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, 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.

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

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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 
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, 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.

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

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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
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, 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.

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

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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 
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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”
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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Gerald M. Rehert, M.D.
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404-688-2800

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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”
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, 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.

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

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